mwatt

You mentioned you cleared the cowl drains but are the front fender drains clear of leaves, pine needles and other debris? You should be able to flood the right cowl area (below the right windshield wiper) with a garden hose and water should pour out from the lower rearmost area of the fender---under the vehicle. If the fender drain is plugged, water will soak the right front floor when the car is parked in the rain.

Subaru dealer COST on this cat convertor is 675.00. Dealer COST...so depending on the dealer's price break mark-up matrix, the selling price to a customer is generally in the 8 to 9 HUNDRED dollar range. Spending that kind of money on a 200K mile car is rather tough to justify---even though the car still shines and runs well....looks as though I'm going with the Walker Direct-Fit....it's approx 240.00

My wife's 98 Legacy Outback limited (still looks and runs great at 200K miles) needs the front catalytic convertor replaced....when cold it sounds like marbles in a tin can if you bang on it---definately not the heat shields. I priced a genuine Subaru cat convertor and as some of you may know, they're obscenely expensive. The local NAPA store however tells me they've got the "correct Walker part" in stock for far less. Any of you have experience using a Walker convertor rather than an OEM? I've heard stories of "check engine" lights coming on when using a non-factory convertor because they don't "scrub" the exhaust the same as the OEM convertor....

Cowl drains are plugged with leaves, pine needles, other debris. That causes water to build up and overflow from the area near the hood release (left) or glove box (right). The cowl is the area just below the windshield, where the windshield wipers rest when they're off. Water is supposed to run thru the plastic cowl trim at the base of the windshield and drain out thru the cowl drains. These drain holes are located at the bottom rear edge of each front fender...down where the fender meets the rocker panel. They are not easy to find...you'll have to search around the underside of the rear edge of the fender. By poking with a stiff wire (thinner than coat hanger wire), you'll find the drain hole---and chances are pretty good that water will come gushing out when you poke thru whatever is plugging the drain.

We have a '98 Legacy Outback and a '99 Legacy GT--- while we have not had caliper problems specifically, one of the problems as these two cars get older has been the caliper brackets....the caliper "slider" bolts have seized in the caliper brackets because the rubber "bellows" that cover the slider bolts have split over the years, allowing water to enter the holes in the caliper brackets that each bolt goes into. That causes the caliper to bind in the bracket, because the slider bolts don't slide properly within those holes. I've had to replace brackets, slider bolts, and the slider bolt "bellows" (which come only as a part of the caliper reseal kit).

the erratic window operation you describe is a master control problem, but slow "up" operation of the REAR windows (with doors closed) can be improved (not much, but somewhat) by lubricating the rear window surround weatherstrips with silicon. If you soak an old cloth with silicon spray and wipe it on the weatherstrips, the glass won't "bind" quite as much as it glides up against them.

thanks for the response....in this case I'll have to say no---it's not a bearing because they make a distinct "rolling/grind/howling" sound when they fail. This is a booming/throbbing inside the passenger compartment--only at one speed. I'm still leaning toward a rear driveshaft problem; just wanted to hear if anyone else has replaced u-joints (or the driveshaft because, to my knowledge, you can't get replacement u-joints from Subaru.) in an effort to fix this kind of problem

my '99 Legacy GT wagon (auto trans) has developed a booming/rumble noise inside the vehicle at 60 mph....not a shimmy or shaking...it's a throbbling rumble sound that disappears above or below 60, but it's obnoxious at exactly 60 mph. All is quiet at 55mph and at 65 mph. Car has 164K miles; I've heard that the rear driveshaft u-joints being worn can cause this.....has anyone else experienced this?

if you pull a security system from a salvage yard be aware you must get it from a '98 or older Legacy. 1999 thru 2004 Legacys used a different supplier for the "factory" (dealer installed) security system.

Important to keep in mind ,however, that it's normal for the brake fluid level to drop as brake pads get thinner. Refilling the fluid will stop the warning light from coming on but brake pads both front and rear should be checked for wear periodically.

EVOthis: that's the one I've been looking for!! Thanks for doing the research to find it.

......to replace head gaskets. And after 167K miles on our '98 Legacy Outback LTD, I'd say it's about time, judging from other posts I've read over the years. The coolant level in the overflow container keeps rising, the telltale odor of exhaust in the coolant, and the color of the coolant has suddenly changed. There's no overheating yet, but I think it's a matter of time before that begins. Better to catch this early.... So I'm contemplating doing this myself. Heck, I'm "reasonably" handy. What could possibly go wrong? (don't answer that ) At this point I should admit that the last engine I pulled was that of my 1970 GTO. Damn, those 400 c.i.d. Pontiac motors were heavy.... I'm at the "fact gathering stage" right now. I'm looking for a post that describes the process from beginning to end, I know there's one on the USMB but I can't find it. A few years back, someone wrote a great post thoroughly detailing all the parts that were required. So I'd like to find that post, as well as some step-by-step details. My biggest concern is not having special Subaru tools, like the ones that hold the camshaft sprockets while installing the timing belt. Anyone willing to tell me about their own experiences doing this?

look at the rear axle shafts: make sure CV boots are intact. Although less common than front axle CV joint failure, rear axle joints can go bad. If it's "one clunk with every revolution" of a wheel, I'd look carefully at those axle joints.

Factory shop manual for my '98 Legacy shows a "U" shaped clip on the underside of the shift handle push-button that must be removed, then the shifter release button comes out of the handle, then remove the two screws, then pull shifter handle off. We also have a '99 Legacy---I walked out into the garage and that car does not have any "clip" holding the shifter release button....so I don't know if there was some design change between '98 and '99......

if the A/C system is in fact fully charged, there are several things I can think of: is the AutoTemp (Climate Control) module malfunctioning? ---or--- is the thermo-sensor probe that sticks into the evaporator core (to measure evaporator temperature) malfunctioning? ----or---- is the cabin interior ambient temperature sensor (reports interior temperature to climate control module) malfunctioning? Those are some things you ought to question your dealer about..... there was another '08 Outback owner (out in Oregon?) that posted a similar concern many months ago....I think he mentioned that he got better A/C performance when he ran A/C "manually" rather than on AutoTemp...

Did you install genuine Subaru rear rotors or aftermarket parts?

You have done all the "normal" stuff, like taking the battery cables off of the battery posts and thoroughly cleaning them, right? Have you followed the battery cables and checked for good connections where the positive cable connects to the starter solenoid and where the negative cable connects to the back of the engine as a ground connection, right near the starter? Look at the thinner-guage wire that comes off of the positive battery cable and follow it to the main fuse/relay box on the driver's side inner fender....is that connection good or is it corroded? Starter solenoid could be going bad, but symptom of that is usually "everything comes on but starter won't crank engine" I've seen posts where people have replaced only the contacts in the solenoid, without having to replace the whole starter. Anyone who has done this care to chime in?

Don't make the mistake I made when I did this on our '98 Outback LTD wagon. REPLACE, do not re-use, the rubber gasket that goes between the tank and the fuel pump assembly (shown in picture above). They are available separately (about 7 or 8 bucks from Mike Scarff Subaru of Auburn). If you re-use the old gasket, you WILL have a gasoline vapor leak and the "check engine" lamp coming on because the old gasket won't seal correctly around the entire perimeter of the tank opening, resulting in an evaporative emission leak....

Am I reading this correctly? Your new car has approx 500 miles on the odometer and you're expecting optimum fuel economy? If that's really the case, I'm sorry, but you have an unreasonable expectation. Fuel economy should be measured after the engine is thoroughly broken-in, that is, after you've driven at least a few THOUSAND miles. New engines, transmissions, and differential components are tight when new resulting in higher friction. If the "check engine" light does not come on while driving, the engine control systems, fuel injection, emission system , and transmission are operating within their designed parameters. One additional item: even though the EPA has revised the way they calculate fuel economy for 2008 (notice how MPG ratings went down for EVERY 2008 model?) you still don't drive under ideal conditions all the time. You stop, you go, you encounter hills, slow traffic, the list goes on and on. You also mentioned you live in a small town. Does that mean short-trip driving for you?

I saw your thread; what are the symptoms of worn-out trailing arm and sway bar bushings on your car? Or is the dealer just "noticing" something that you didn't percieve to be a problem?

thanks for your fast response, Gary. Actually, the underside of this car is clean, clean, clean. I mean, there's minor surface rusting on springs, but you expect to see that kind of thing. Yes, tires are new and the specified size (205/55R16) That clunking noise is definitely at the right rear and that's the side of the car that dips and sways. I was just looking to see if anyone else had experienced strut failure or the kind of symptoms I described......

Has anyone else experienced (what I think is) rear strut failure at higher mileage (150K miles)? On my '99 Legacy GT wagon, I'm concerned about the rear struts. There's the frequent "clunking" from the right rear over rough road surfaces, but more disconcerting and dangerous is the car's tendency to pitch and sway, almost out of control, when rounding a curve to the left at 30-40 mph. When going around a LEFT curve, the RIGHT rear of the car dips and sways, making the car difficult to control. Yet, when I bounce the car while it's parked, to check for worn struts, it stabilizes quickly, without excessive bouncing. I looked carefully underneath the car for broken sway bar links, a broken sway bar, or loose control arm bolts. None of the above. So my thinking is rear struts and strut mounts. Anyone concur with that?

I hear that high-pitched whine on both of our cars ('99 Legacy GT, '98 Outback LTD). I know it's normal because they've always made that sound. I suspect alternator "whine" although I've never tried taking the belt off to listen to the engine for a moment without the alternator.....

The old gasket had the "oval" pattern of the tank opening compressed into it, as expected after 10 years. When I re-used that old gasket, it ended up in a slightly different position around the opening. Result: the original pattern channeled fuel vapor (and tank pressure, resulting in a P0440) right across one of the studs that secures the pump module. That allowed vapor to escape. Now I understand why the shop manual says "always use a new gasket". Now if I could just remember to read the instructions BEFORE doing the job.....

you were right---old gasket not seated correctly. Replaced it with brand new one and problem is solved. I wish I knew how that happened, though. The fuel pump module, as you know, is secured by 8 studs and eight 8mm nuts to the tank so it really can only fit on there one way....