ndsnewleg

Swapped out drivers side. Purrs like a kitten. Except now I can hear a slight tick on the passenger side. Another day and likely a third of the time to do it.

Thanks. The engine has been resealed along with the oil pump being replaced. It sounds like one side and one HLA, not more than two. It's had plenty of oil treatments which take care of the problem briefly. It's also had considerable maintenance and worth putting a bit more effort into. Emissions still as clean as ever. Thanks for your input.

I've got ticking HLA's on my 90 Legacy, 194k miles. I've got heads from a 93 w/100k which had blown a rod through the crankcase. I've had them for several years now. Thinking of swapping rocker arms & all hla's depending on condition. Would welcome suggestions about things to consider in the process. Thanks in advance.

Hi Josh, you've helped me previously through your web site a couple of times. So, thanks again. I checked it with with one of those tire guage looking a/c slider gauges. It measured about 32 psi on the low side at about 80 degrees outside temp. Don't know if I need to be more high tech than that, ie., professionally checked at a shop. It blows very cold for 5 to 10 mins and then gradually starts to cycle on and off rapidly. I've pulled the glove box to see if I could hear the switch clicking and I do hear it. I suppose I could have pressure checked at a shop to be more certain but wasn't sure the expense was necessary. Let me know if you have info or advice to the contrary. Thanks, Ron

My a/c cycles on and off too frequently after a few minutes of running (cold). The freon seems to be up to pressure. Checked myself w/ guage. I can hear the evap/thermo switch clicking so I found a couple u-pick salvage ones. I found the right part but it came off a car w/230K. I also got one from a 94 (140K). Looks exactly the same. Only difference I can see besides second half of part # is the one for my car (90 legacy) is rated at 0C degrees whereas the 94 is rated at 1.5C degrees. Anyone think there would be a problem if I spliced in the newer one. The 4wd evap's only interchange from 90 to 93. The 2wd's interchange from 90 to 94. Thanks

If the sound is recent you may not have enough play in the bearing yet to feel any looseness. Have someone drive and you get in the back seat and stick your head back in the cargo area. You will likely be able to hear it better than from the drivers seat and you will also be able to tell which side it is coming from. If it's not really obvious in the back, it could be the front but you need to confirm it. You can put it up on a lift and listen with a stethoscope. Even then it may take some more wear to hear it. I've had four rear bearings go out on my 90 legacy. Make sure they repack the new bearings before they install them. Mechanics seem to think they come from the factory already packed but it appears it's just a shipping grease and wears out within about 30 to 50 thousand miles. As far as front end shake goes, check tire balance and go from there.

This car is advertised as an Impreza sport wagon. Not sure if it's an Outback. Has front scoop. Coloring on lower sides same as bumpers and says sport on rear door panel. Gray lower and green upper, like most OB's I've seen. 127k, body looks good (from pics). Seller says mechanic told him tranny would go in 10 to 20k. 5mt. 1.9l engine. Asking 2,950. Can anyone say if this is actually an OB. Comments on 1.9L engine, I've never heard of one. Says he hears slight sounds coming from engine. I'm suspecting maybe lifters, or who knows, but haven't heard it yet. Supposedly runs well. Also price relative to tranny issues. Currently have a 90 Legacy wagon. How do you think performance would compare. Comments appreciated. Thanks

I have a 90 legacy also. I second the radiator burping process as a first step. It's critical to proper functioning of cooling system. The collapsed hose would be an indicator of that problem to me. The haynes manual also has a good description of how to do it.

I run S rated 195/70R 14's on my 90 legacy wagon. Goodyear Wingfoot all season. Very happy with them in snow, rain or dry. Needing an H rating is bull.

My first thought is, did you have this car checked by a professional before you bought it? You need to say whether it is a manual or automatic. If manual, your clutch may be out of adjustment or the pressure plate or disk could be damaged. Check trans fluid level in either case of manual or auto. Open the radiator when the engine is cool and see if the chemical smell is the same. Check air pressure in tires. I like to keep mine at around 34 psi. Seems to me Subarus awd wears the outer edges first. Get a good quality guage, not a 99 cent slider. Gas smell may just be exhaust smell or rich running. You may need a tune up but look under the hood and see if you can see any obvious gas leaks. Check to see if your air filter is dirty. Good luck.

Bit of curiosity on my part. Anyone on this board ever have a Subaru earlier than 1970. Paid $700 for it in 1973 with less than 20,000 miles. Boxy little thing with standard 4 speed, probably 1.2l engine, fwd (I think). It was actually quite a little performer for its time and size. Unfortunatey I was rear ended at a dead stop at about 50 mph. Crushed the back end up to the rear window and broke both seats loose from the floor board. I'm sure the guy hitching a ride wishes I hadn't stopped for him. Currently have a 90 legacy. Ron

Good to know about the holes being standard. For the money, and I played with quite a few, the Panasonic sounded the best to me in the under $150 price range. New Infinity speakers made a huge difference. The ergonomics seem easy although the blue background light is a little too bright at night.

Hey frag, I installed a Panasonic CQ-C1101U. It was $89.00 from Car Toys, $15 for the harness adaptor. They have more expensive models which they will install for free over $100. There's no difference in sound quality. Didn't need Mosfet or MP3. The screw holes on it are perfect in placement and size to fit into the bracket that currently holds your radio. Circut City apparently makes a harness for most cd players and and car models that plug directly with out having to do any hard wiring. 90 legacys, unfortunately are too old. Just wire nut the harness that comes with the cd player to the adaptor harness for your model (if you can't get the direct plug harness) and plug it into the harness under your dash. Presto. I also found a large size storage box to take up the space left from the smaller size cd player. You may have to buy and installation kit for that. Might be worth letting them install it in that case.

There is definitely a trick to it and it will overheat if you don't do it right. The Haynes manual tells you how to do it step by step. If you do a search you might find the instructions on this site. I've done it several times but I don't remember the procedure from one time to the next. If you bought an oem stat it is likely good.

You can try a head cleaning tape and see if that works. You might need to take it apart and clean the mechanisms. Or you can do what I did and install a new Panasonic CD Player. They fit perfectly in the brackets. You can have it installed or do it yourself. Pretty easy to do.