Leg93

I did a search, but probably on the wrong terms. Is anyone else irritated by how noisy it is inside their Subie? I was reading about some sound deadening material online. I found Dynamat... http://www.dynamat.com/products_automotive_introduction.html Has anyone else used this type of product or done anything to quiet their car? I know part of it is the frameless windows. I saw a thread on that and might work on that some day. Right now it's the road / engine / tranny noise that's getting to me. It's not a problem until we're on the freeway I guess. Hey nipper, how does yours sound at 110?

By the way, to the person who asked what I paid, I paid just under $7k. The car is in great shape mechanically...I think. There are some scratches on the outside, some dents in the roof right above the windshield, and the carpet is pulled up a little on the passengers side rear. The seat bottom heater on the drivers side doesn't work. I've read threads on that and I'm ok with it as it is. Tires are about 75% tread. Long story: Really, I was trying to sell my Chevy Astro since February and it was starting to have problems. I had to find someone to trade it to since I couldn't sell it, even at a huge loss. 2 dealers hadn't even looked at it and said they didn't want it. This dealer did want it, paid me book value, and knocked $1800 off his asking price...which was too high to begin with, but what they hey. The only car he had I was interested in was the Forester and I REALLY needed out of my van. So, I added another Subie to the Coral. I still have my tired old 93 Legacy and an excellent 95 Toyota Land Cruiser, which I love nearly as much as my children. I'd get another LC, but at 12 MPG, the Forester is the right choice and seems like a hybrid!

Go Nipper! Respectable numbers. Can I ask what is the purpose of this cannonball run?

Thanks for all the posts here! My account was locked up for a while and I couldn't reply. Thanks for posting known issues. HG-definitely wait until it's a problem. I think my clutch is not a happy clutch. It grinds a little going in to first and it's hard to get a smooth start out of it. Hmmm...could just be that I have been driving automatics for 4 years. Thanks again!

Hello all! I haven't been posting for a while, but lurked off and on. I am a 2-3 banana wrench, so don't have much to add to the technical stuff. I leave that to the more qualified. I just replaced a Chevy Astro (stay away!!!) with a '98 Forester L with 98K on the ticker, stick shift, AWD. It appears to have been well maintained. I have had a '91 Justy and a '93 Legacy L in the past, so I am happy to be back in the Subaru mix again. I still have the '93, but it has been a lawn decoration for the last 6 months and will be until I get around to doing the necessary fixes. I just changed the belts on the Forester last night, my first maintenance. I found it much easier after removing the electric fan and Rad. overflow tank. I have done some searches but I'm always looking for more info. Anybody have anything I should know about my new '98? I read something about the Phase 1 vs. Phase 2 engines. I understand the HG problem is limited, so I won't worry too much about it. Any other major differences between these engines? I expect I'll do the timing belt on schedule at 105K. Is this a good time to do the HG as PM, or is it better to just wait for it to go south? I'll actually have someone else do the work, I know just enough about wrenching to know when to let someone else do it...usually. Anyways, it's good to be back on such a good forum. Thanks for everybody's help,even though most of the time you don't even know you're helping.

Two questions in one day! I'm on a roll! Sometimes when idling the RPM's will just surge for a second...just enough so that if Imy foot is just resting on the brake the car leaps forward. When it is just warming up it sometimes surges between 500 and 1500 RPM's rythmically for a several seconds. Any ideas? Could this be a vacuum problem?

Hello! I have been searching the forum for an hour now and have not found what I'm looking for, so please don't beat me for asking what might be a common question. I have a '93 Legacy L and my inner boots are shot and there is a lot of knocking on both sides whenever I turn. I know I either need to replace the inner tie rods or the steering gear. The Haynes manual is good on the steering gear, but not the inner tie rod. I saw that Yohy has done this, but nobody (that I have been able to find) has posted any details or issues to be aware of when changing the inner tie rods. I'm OK with the outers, I think I've seen enough instructions on those to be comfortable. If anybody could help with this it would be great! I guess I really want to know how to determine if it's the inner tie rod or the steering gear that needs changing. Considering that this is a pretty common issue (I think) a link to another thread would be good, I just can't find it. Thanks!

Thanks everybody. That's exactly what it was and the engine idles just fine, so no damage to a rod. A friend of mine suggested just letting it sit. Since the fuel is les viscous than the oil it will eventually just seep past the rings and in to the pan. Because of my schedule that's exactly what happened. When I started it tonight it came right to life. I ran it for just a few seconds then did an oil change. It runs great. Tomorrow morning we'll see if changing the injectors fixed the hard starting problem or not. Bad news is that now I don't get that Land Cruiser. Oh well. Thanks again everybody!

As always, you guys are awesome. From your descriptions I'm sure that's it. I did not clamp off the fuel rails, and the first one I replaced I noticed the the fuel filling the cylinder. I thought it wierd that plastic would do that, but I was so bummed I immediately thought the worst. I will try this on Monday, assuming that the weather cooperates. On the one hand I'm glad it's not permanent, assuming I did not bend a rod, on the other hand, I had my wife talked in to buying '91 Landcruiser to replace the Subaru. It might just stay broken.

Hello everybody. It's been over a year since I have been on the board, but I'm hoping you can be of assistance. If not, maybe I can help some of you out. I was changing out my fuel injectors and finished the job in about an hour. When I started it up after the "repair" it turned twice and then *CHUNK*..stopped. No go. I think a scrap of soft plastic from the injector must've fallen in to the cylinder. I chewed them up pretty bad with the pliers trying to get them out. Now it won't turn over. I am really bummed. Do you think it's seized? The history: I was changing the injectors because the '93 Legacy L wasn't starting in the cold, but as soon as it did start and the RPM's got over 1500 it ran like a champ. The shop was able to duplicate the problem easy enough. They tested the pressure, volume, voltage across the injectors, etc. and everything was fine.They found a service bulletin about the injectors freezing up and needing to be replaced, so I went with it. It has 174,000 miles on it, but this is the only problem I have ever had with it. What do you think...did I screw it up royally? Could there be another reason? Probably not, huh? If it is screwed up, I know where you can all get parts from a '93 Subaru L. Brand new injectors, good engine...well, except for that little thing mentioned above, tranny, everything is good. I've got a ripped boot on the drivers side, but other than that, good parts. Please let me know if it's over. Thanks.

I'm thinking that nothing but bad could come from that and the resulting tire wear probably wouldn't be satisfactory. You could end up like a guy in the parking lot here and suddenly gain traction, ending up with the front end of your car planted in to the dumpster...or other stationary object/person/intersection. I also don't think it would be very good on your car to spin the tire like that for as long as it would take to remove 1/4 inch of rubber. Mechanical problems aside, you could end up overheating the tire and have a problem later with the tread separating from the tire. Isn't there a Discount Tires store or other low cost tire place in your area where you could just pick up two matching $30.00 tires? A lot of places will even sell good used tires that have 20,000 miles left on them for $10.00 or so. Often you can get them where they are from the same set and they match circumference.

Alright, it's in the marketplace. By the way, he'll have it in Wyoming over Christmas. If you really are interested I can get you talking to him.

I probably won't buy it just because mine is adequate...and paid for. What "front case work" are you referring to? Is there some regular maintenance other than fluids that has to be done on the t-case? I think I will post it for him. It's a good car.

I've got a buddy selling a '95 Legacy L, AWD, 5 spd manual with 117,500 miles on it. He drives like my grandma and is an accountant...very anal, so I know he's taken care of it and it looks like it is in great shape. I have a '93 Legacy L automatic, front wheel drive and I was thinking about upgrading to the AWD, although I prefer my automatic for the long commute (50 miles each way in the Salt Lake valley snow would be MUCH better in AWD I'm thinking). He's selling it for $3500 negotiable. Anything mechanically different between the '93 and the '95? Do you think the AWD makes that much difference for a relatively flat commute?

Check you tire pressure also. My tires list 44 PSI. If I'm down to 40 I'll lose that much MPG. In the cold weather the pressure falls. I agree with the fact that we tend to lose MPG in the cold weather. A fuel additive can help, but the cost of the additive more than surpasses the MPG savings usually. I have found some for little $$ at the warehouse stores.

Even if you're not replacing the alternator, it is important to loosen the lock nut or you will strip the slider bolt and have to replace it. It's not easy finding one that long and Subaru makes you replace the entire tensioner system for around $80.00...not that I am speaking from experience or anything...I wouldn't make a mistake like that...it was a friend...yeah, a friend. But, if you end up needing a replacement slider bolt, I know a place in Salt Lake City where you can get one for about $2.00 that will work.

Ahhh....a heat gun as opposed to a plumbers propane torch. Much more subtle, yet still effective. Nice touch.

I once had a fuel pump that didn't like extremes...hot, cold, inclines. My vehicle acted similarly. Replaced it and all was good. Not saying that's it, just might add it to the list of things to check.

Thanks again. You guys have been a great help on several things. I think I'll look in to borrowing a buddies garage for a few hours and get that fixed. Might as well do it now as later when the part only costs $25.00.

I like to go to autotrader and do a search for similar vehicles in my area and see what the average asking price is. Then I expand the search to "any distance" to see what the national average is. You can bet that the sale price is a little lower than the asking prices on autotrader, but it would give you a good feel. Combine the info from NADA and KBB and you have a pretty good idea what a good price is. BTW, I have a '93 Legacy L 2WD with 160,000 on it that I am very happy with. I don't think you'll be disappointed, assuming it's not a lemon. Good luck!

Anybody replace tie-rods? My 93 Legacy L is in the the shop for new tires and they report that the left tie-rod is wobbly at the inner joint. They want to charge $140 for the parts, service, and alignment. Any thoughts?

Nothing like replying to yourself. It snowed here this weekend, temps fell in to single digits. No garage so I didn't try it. My dedication declines with the temperature. I'll just drive during daylight hours or tailgate someone with decent headlights until the spring thaw. I could just duct tape a mag light to the hood, probably provide better light at this point anyhow.

Thanks everyone! I'll add the new hoses to my shopping list.

So I've got my 93 Sub Legacy all tuned up and ready to change the fuel filter, but the hoses won't budge. I changed it last year in a parking lot in under 10 minutes with no problems. I worked on this for over an hour last weekend and ended up with nothing but bloody knuckles. Clamps are off (obviously) but the hoses won't budge. I thought about heating them up to soften the rubber, but only long enough to envision the ball of flame that would ensue. Short of using a knife and just replacing them, does anyone have a suggestion?

You've checked the obvious...fluids, water in the fuel line, etc? My philosophy is eliminate the cheap and easy stuff then work up to the throwout bearing. I had a 92 Saturn that would have similar behavior, but it was only from mid January through March so I learned to anticipate it and just lived with it. Couldn't duplicate it in warm dry weather. Best diagnosis I ever got was, "Hmm. Sounds like a worn clutch." I have no answers for you though. Hope it's not serious.