nipper

its only on 15% of the subarus, so dont panick. On an aluminum engine, typically anything over 130K i would just blame on wear and tear on any engine. My 1997 obw has 184K on the original HG. I never heard of an 86 with a HG issue. nipper

Is it possible that you have a bad TPS sensor? For the others, the tranny works off govenor pressure vs throttle pressure. Today thats vss sensor vs TPS sensor (and other various sensors adding thier two cents). What happens if you shift it manually? nipper

thats the one that replaced the 98 legacy that was totaled a year ago july. i just figured out how to post the pic nipper

what he said. First off slow down your shifting a bit and that will help. Secondly learn how to double clutch. Your synchros are tired and worn. Double clutching will save the gears from excessive wear. Your synchros are maybe toast, but as long as your not poping out of gears the tranny is useable. nipper

what he said nipper

I was going to say air in the cooling system. I never had air in my cooling system, as dad always taught me to add collant to a running car, once the thermostat has opened. nipper

Did you do a compression teste with all the spark plugs out? If you have multiple sunk lifters i would check your oil pressure. nipper

It may cause drivability issues and lower gas mileage. The 02 sensor is the nose of the cars puter system. It checks the exhaust to make sure the car is running right. there is a second o2 sensor that checks the performance of the cat. You should get it fixed, if not you will have to get it fixed b4 your next emissions inspection. nipper

The leak was external for the conditioner not internal. Actually the manual is yes and no. The manual may seem simpler, but its awd system has a lot more parts then the automatic. The autos get torque bind, where the #1 cause is lack of maintanence (easily fixed with a fluid change). When the manual gets torque bind the game is over, and its an 800.00 repair. Subaru has always seemed to have a weaK 2-3 synchro (maybe they rarely used third gear in japan when they designed the synchros way back when). CLutch chatter can be annoying. Headgaskets affect 15% of the 2.5L pre 1999? then can leak internally, after that year externally (i may have the date wrong) either way its a major repair. Unlike other cars once they are fixed, they are fixed. Good news, the cars dont seem to rust outside the rustbelt and are billet proof, and the normal wear items for other cars seem to last forever. Its rare a balljoint, exhaust system, or tierod has to be replaced, struts for the most part seem to last a long time. They are simple cars in comparison to other cars. They love mud and snow and are almost unstopable in either. They have decent performance. They are very safe cars (they take hits that sometimes you really shouldnt be able to walk away from, me included). The usual topics that come up (keep in mind most on this board have well over 100,000 miles on thier cars): head Gaskets (less and less of a topic) Piston Slap (its a subaru noise we all grown to love) Oil Leaks (change seals with timing belts and never have a problem) Timing Belts (maintanece questions) Fuel gauge (we may have found a nice additive fix) climate control lights Emission electronics (simple system) Torque bind (less and less of a topic) Wheel bearings (maintanence item) Engines will last for ever. Automatic trannies seem to be lasting just as long. Manuals people live with the bad synchro (and it doest come up a lot) hope that helps. nipper Speaking of which, has anyone hit the 400,000 mile mark yet?

best i ever saw was 40mpg in my 2.2l 98 legacy. I was not driving, but i did the math and it was two consecutive tanks of gas. We were driving back from chicago to southern ohio (down hill?). the driver had only his left leg, his right was amputated. His accelertaion was painfully slow, and holiday traffic kept things at 50-60mph (i slept). When i drove the best i saw was 35, but usually 32. nipper

older soobies dont have speed sensors. i agree it may just be time for a carb rebuild, if the timing checks out. Also that mechanic needs to pay for a cat. nipper

i was wondering the same thing. Sounds like alot less work and easier to do. nipper

You need a new mechanic. He not fixing the car hes butchering it. Did anyone check the timing? nipper

Lets recap: Your solenoid sounds fine. The solenoid needs to be powered to to disable the AWD, hence the FWD fuse. You put in the fuse the solenoid is fully powered and all pressure to the pack is dumped. When the solenoid fails, the car goes into 50/50 split by default. If you check the resistance to a solenoid and get anything but open its fine. The solenoid is fine. There is another valve in the awd system which you do not have access to in the transmission. This valve can be gummed up. How old is the fluid. The other valve is hydraulically operated, and NOT operated by the duty c solenoid. If you want to hook up a switch feel free. There are threads here on doing this. Good luck and have fun. nipper

Your solenoid sounds fine. The solenoid needs to be powered to to disable the AWD, hence the FWD fuse. You put in the fuse the solenoid is fully powered and all pressure to the pack is dumped. When the solenoid fails, the car goes into 50/50 split by default. If you check the resistance to a solenoid and get anything but open its fine. The solenoid is fine. There is another valve in the awd system which you do not have access to in the transmission. This valve can be gummed up. When was the last time the fluid was changed on this car. nipper

i just noticed at times my 1-2 shift seems harsh and the car seems to be avoiding going down to first sometimes (almost like it knows something). i'll order the reisitor from jamie tomorrow. nipper

age, bad tank of gas, too much sulfur in the gas. http://www.homeandawaymagazine.com/Index_gauge_deception.cfm http://www.lawyers.com/lawyers/A~1037846~LDS/Shell+Sells+Sulfur-tainted+Gasoline+In+Florida.html http://www.bakerhughes.com/BakerPetrolite/newsbytes/press_release/nr_063004.htm has agreat pic of what a sender looks like. i have not used seafoam yet, it sounds like a modern marvelous mystery oil. nipper

thats correct nipper

actually the city cycle is 5 stops and driving at no more the 30mph, with a breif cruise at 10 mph. There is no true city cycle, which they are addressing in this next re calibration of the test. thats why the city ratings are always higher then true city drivining, it should be called XX suburban, XX Highway. When i went to college we had the epa test machine. nipper

im going to try one more and see what happens, see if i can get the last 50 miles back nipper

thats what i am begining to think (yay something i can check myself). Just from looking at the wiring diagrams im not sure what its purpose in life is nipper

hrmm i have to think about this. I had a ford do this once, it was an old escort, it was blowing off refrigernat for some strange reason. I doubt this is the problem. Is it a cough or a sneeze? nipper

Differnt mfgs call difernt things flexplates, but they are all closely related. Some flexplates have the starter ring gear on them. Others are just a plate that the troque converter bolts to, and the torwue converter has the ring gear. Manual trannies dont have a flexplate, they have a flywheel. This sounds like the culprit, and its not all that rare thing to go (on any car). Usually just the fact of starting a car a zillion times will cause it to go. And since you have some unusual starter drive marks, i think we found our cause and effect. nipper

thats what i am begining to think (yay something i can check myself). Just from looking at the wiring diagrams im not sure hwat its purpose in life is nipper

dissconnect the hot lead for 30 seconds, a hard reset is over night. nipper