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It used to be considered a speed secret. I run ATF in my BMW 5 speed manual tranny and it is stock. I like something with more scuff resistance in the rear end, but I have seen ATF run for years in a drag car.

with it at that mileage you are doing OK. Those items should last a bit more mileage but this is not too bad. My Forester did the same and all you need is a new clutch master cyl or slave. Bleeding it might get by for a while.

Let's talk about my car for instance. Defective clutch, defective clutch master, bad head gaskets. The rest of the car was fine, but three major design problems? To Subaru's credit I think they realized the problems and have worked to correct them. I bet the next survey is much better.

is external. When my phase 2 leaked the only thing I noticed was my coolant went down a bit. I added water a couple of times and then looked where folks from this board told me to look for an external phase 2 leak. OOOps, wish I hadn't seen that. A week or so later and new head gaskets and all has been well ever since. This was just before Subaru did the recall, and at that time they paid me back for the work and gave me some free goop.

you to keep coolant in. That's why the stopleak works on them. A phase 1 would probaly be mush like the average headgasket leak and just very slowly get worse if you did not overheat it. Some folks have reported removing the thermostat and getting by for a while, but you have the chance of more damage.

but you had to be registered with your Subaru dealer to be on the list. If you bought the car new or had it serviced there you would be on the computer. My 99 Forester had the recall and they paid for the head gaskets I had previously installed by the dealer. I forget the range of cars that got the recall, but I think it was about 99 to 2001 models that have the phase 2 2.5 engine. A search of the archives should help because I got my recall notice one of the guys got it retyped and posted it here.

I think he is just wandering around enjoying himself. He may have the wrong idea of where you are. I didn't even know he was going until he called from the road with his coolant leak. By the way he said he will try a new cap. I am kind of surprised he does not go to an internet cafe and check in.

I have always thought the legacy is a better car on the highway to drive. We have a few in the family in New Zealand and they are really pleasant on a winding road. Over here in the US I have a Forester because it takes anything in it or on it I need to haul, turns around in my driveway in one cut, and scoots or parks easily in SF. Right now I have it full of sailing gear as I am going beer can racing tonight. If I lived in the country I think I would prefer a Legacy, and if the driveway was nasty enough, maybe an Outback. The OB sport is a bit too small for my hauler car.

After reading posts from you guys. It was very quick and easy and still works.

I had the seal and the plate replaced when the clutch was done on advice from the board. The dealer did not change the Pilot bearing and I had to have that done later. I am very happy with all the seals I had replaced as on a recent trip the car did not leak a drop of oil and the engine stays very clean. I think the advice on seal replacement on this board was well earned at a high cost and if you listen to them you will be pleased with the results.

He will be in Dallas next week and would like to meet Josh. He will look at the reccomendations and I'll try to PM Josh Sanjay's phone number. I would probably look for a heater core leak myself, but I'm not sure how common that is on an old Legacy. Sanjay says that on a long trip the car used the water in the overflow tank, and he can smell coolant both inside and outside.

Sanjay who often posts here is on a road trip with his old Legacy. He is currently in arizona and has asked me to post for information fo him. His temp guage works and he is not overheating, but he can smell coolant. He has changed the thermostat and gasket and can see no leaks. Does anyone have any advice on where he should look next?

at the solder joint and I just soldered it again. North had done all the hard pioneering work so it was easy to spot. My Forester is a 99 by the way. That was several weeks ago and it is still working.

Forester will ever see 30 mpg is if I am being towed. It sounds like your mileage is pretty good.

about 30 years ago cars were expensive and hard to come by. The South Island looked like a 50s British car museum. The imports really changed that nad made cars much more available to the average Kiwi. True a lot of them are not cherry, but they are there and available.

in most vehicles. They get worse as they age and corrode. It is best not to trust them and run the car way down on fuel. Don't be surprised if they move slowly at first and speed up on the bottom of the tank. The float does not even begin to move until the fuel gets down below the area you top off. Auto companies tend to have the warning light come on pretty early because so many folks figure "I can drive to LA after the light comes on."

Thanks for posting it Ferret. Work is tough at fiscal year end and we have a train schedule change so I am buried.

I'll check the file when I get home. At the time I found it on the internet, maybe at the End wrench, but it was a while ago.

I've never gotten down there either. My 99 Forester just gave me a best ever of 27.75 on a trip down the CA coast on the slowest section. The faster I go the lower I get. An article in the SF Chronicle Sunday said that there are 17 different fuel refining blends in the US. Since some of them change seasonally it is a wonder any of us can compare fuel mileage. This is not to mention the many folks in other contireis that run different blends.

It is really about time for a new master and slave by my thoughts. My 99 did this a couple years ago and since there is a TSB on the slave, hose, and washers on mine I changed them. It still did not have good pressure so I changed the master and it has been perfect since. When they get bad enought the pedal will stick to the floor and you have to pull it up with your toe. Of course this happened in holiday traffic for me, but I still got it home by pumping wildly when I needed to shift. I don't think it overheats, I think it just gets air in it and won't pump as well when it is warm. You can often bleed a clutch and get by for a while, but the real fix is to replace the worn bits.

My wife is from Timaru and we have a lot of relatives in Kiwi. I quite envy some of your cars, not to mention the high test you can buy is much better than the gas in my CA neighborhood. What's neat about New Zealand cars is that the logical Kiwis accept any major standard, whether it's european, JDM, or US. This means Kiwi gets a lot of cars we can't buy here. Since fuel is much more expensive smaller dispalcements are popular.

First you need to figure out if it is worth it. As the gentleman with the lady friend above says it's much more difficult if the car is bent badly. If you have to pay a frame shop to straighten the car it runs into money. Find out what the parts will cost, exactly what the car will sell for, and how much work you think it will be and double it. When my 85 mercedes 190 E was rear ended I bought it back from the insurance. New motor, tranny, etc. The estimate was about $5,000 to replace the tail panel, trunk lid, and paint if I recall. The car only booked about $4,000. They gave me a salvage title by reporting to DMV. This was a real pain as I had to get a lights inspection that cost a few hundred in the end. This is in CA so things may be different where you are. I bought a K Mart jack and a trunklid that matched in color from a junk yeard and spent a weekend blocking and jacking the deck area square. I lived with the bumper scratch and cracked tailight and got another year out of it. Still have the K Mart jack....

I just took my over 115,000 mile Forester on an 800 mile trip with no hassle whatsoever. Before the trip I checked all fluids, pulled the wheels and inspected brakes and hoses, and all tires, belts and safety related items. I even cleaned the battery connections and the battery tray area. A set of tools, three flashlights, water and spare Mobil 1 made me feel a bit more secure. Fuel mileage was interesting too. My car is such a box that it got 27.75 MPG going through the winding hills of Big Sur, and about 26.50 MPG at 80 MPH on highway 101. Your Legacy is a bit lower and smoother and I am sure you will do better. Of course if I cruised a bit slower I could do a bit better too I think.

If you have friendly local dentist ask for an old pick. They come in handy for all sorts of things. The hard part is when the key broke off because of a defective tumbler. That can lock them in pretty well. Try a pick while gently jiggling the steering back and forth to take up play.

Or for cruder work stainless steel screws with the little adapter head commonly used on autos. I once added more clips to the rear of a Volvo by drilling a few more holes. After a few years I had to fix a light and had trouble getting the panel off because I had forgotten the clips I had added. At least you can see the stainless steel screws and they are very easy to remove.