ScoobySchmitty
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Posts posted by ScoobySchmitty
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I did this to my Sundance's headlights. I wet sanded with 1000 grit, left them to dry for a while, then clearcoated them with enamel. The effect was stunning, they were brand new! I had purchased a set from the junkyard to test this method. It worked really well, so I ended up selling the 2nd pair once I was finished with them. Trouble is, I couldn't sell them for much more than cost.
Not sure if the kit is necessary, but I imagine it helps. Personally I agree with dman, a clearcoat after using this kit would definitely prevent the yellowing from now on, and you can do it right after sanding the oxidation off. Good write up, love seeing this work for other people!
- Schmitty
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No problem Ivan. One thing that REALLY helped me was if I had a question while I was pulling the transmission, I could come on here and ask if I was not sure. Saved a couple of headaches here and there. Good luck and don't hesitate to ask if you need help.
Also, if you can afford it, replace the whole clutch assembly, thrust and throw-out bearing included. The clips for the throw-out bearing you might have to order from the subaru dealer, and possibly the thrust bearing too. Yes it is more money and the clutch may be only half-way used, but for the effort in taking the transmission out, you want to avoid having to do it in another year or two. Believe me, it is well worth it.
- Schmitty
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AFAIK, the new design paradigm for the Tribecca and Impreza was after they signed up a head designer from Alfa Romeo; there is a striking resemblance. Granted, they went with this new design to inspire an "aircraft" look, but I think cutting the front grill into three sections is too busy. They had something good going with the current Legacy and previous Impreza designs. They were clean, sharp and eye catching. The headlights were especially appealing on both models. The new headlights remind me of cat-eye glasses. Blech.
Right now, if I were to go out and purchase a sporty new Subaru, I would be more likely to purchase a Legacy Spec B than I would a current STi. I just don't like that front facia, it looks ugly to me. Maybe they found success for it, who knows. I just know what I like and what I don't and I don't like the "Alfa" design.
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I dont like aftermarket air filters. They can contimnate the sensative electronics by letting much more dirt through then OE, and i consider them a useless expense on a daily driver.
They get more flow by having larger pores, so more dirt gets by. Its even worse if they are oiled filters. This is not good for an engine that gets over 200,000 of life from a stock air filter (subaru has to be doing something right).
Now this is just basic engine physics, not a bad thing, just unacceptable in the NVH that todays drivers demands.
If you want to confirm this, put the old filter back on.
nipper
I think I killed my old Roo with one I purchased. It was running fine for the longest time...added one of these, then a few months later the head gasket blew. On a 2.2 no less.
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my 96 subie legacy awd 5 speed is making a bearing noise, i have checked and replaced one set front wheel bearings, i was told by the dealer that it may have an input bearing falure, and it usally takes out the case too, it has 240.000 k on it, has anyone had a similar problem, thanks in advance...Ivan
The short version, Ivan: The only real way to find out is to have the tranny out.
The long version:
I've had one in and out of a Legacy 3 times. The first time was for a problem like what you are describing. I had to get a new transmission because once we pulled the transmission, we found that the thrust bearing that sits in the middle of the flywheel had completely disintegrated. The input shaft was loose, which could only have been because the thrust bearing was no longer supporting the input shaft on the tip.
I will say that if the car is front wheel drive, pulling the transmission should not be incredibly difficult. If it is AWD, then you have to drop the rear drive shaft in addition to the front wheel CV shafts. It can be expensive for diagnosis in labor alone, not even touching the price of a transmission and clutch replacement. If you are going to do it yourself, there are a few things I found out when pulling mine. When you pull the rear drive shaft off the transmission, you will need a plastic bag and heavy rubber band to stop oil from leaking everywhere out of the hole
. For the most part, you can finagle the CV shafts out of the front wheel hub and off the transmission without doing much more than popping the bottom ball joint out of the suspension. Also if you do this yourself, try to rent a transmission support jack. A floor jack works, but you need at least two people; the 5 speed AWD is a BEAST for being in a car that size. My overall point is that it is not HARD to get one out, it's just really time consuming and for the tranny you need at least two people. If you can't do it yourself, expect some pretty high cost in labor, not sure how much exactly. Hope this helps out.
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The dealer tells her to buy a new car, it will be cheaper. Obviously, that isnt whats going to happen.
Jackasses. 10 gets you 20 the salesman took one look at her and thought (college girl, knows nothing about cars. Easy sale!). So naturally he pulls the "cheaper to buy new than repair old" pitch. That kind of thing only works for small items like personal electronics, not cars that need TLC. I'd tell her never to go back there again. A Subaru dealer should really know better.
nipper is right here, find a shop that won't pigeon-hole you into a new car so they can buy their third STi.
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I don't see the "92" being a big problem, the guy probably looked at the date of manufacture. I would bet it's a MY93. I would want to actually see the car before making an offer, perhaps even drive it if the owner is up for that? Check Kelly BB and based on the condition you see, make an offer and see if they accept. I just hope he isn't listing the price because he wants some serious green for it.
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Had this problem on my 91 Legacy before I fire-sold it. Ran it for 15 minutes one day, hoping to get the air bubbles out, but it was still throwing bubbles out of the top of the cap. I should have really pushed to get the money to fix it, I regret ever selling my poor old Roo. Get that baby fixed, she deserves it!
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To be fair, the center clutch pack reacts faster than the viscous coupling, and new (VDC) autos can split power 80/20 either way.
True, it's not like it's a bad thing. I just preferred the simple mechanics of a viscous coupling versus the clutch pack. Besides, when it comes to cars, this is how I see it:
With two pedals you are steering. :-\
With three pedals you are driving.
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It was a divorce of sorts. She started to spew bubbles into the coolant, couldn't drive more than 5 miles without overheating, the usual head gasket problems. I didn't have enough money or time to fix her, so we seperated for a while until my parents wanted her out of their driveway. I ended up selling her to some fool that backed into her at the gas station where I had it parked and advertised. At the time, I didn't realize what I was doing.
Chance came a few years later (basically a few months ago). Stupidly I left the plates on the car, and the idiot I sold it to never actually turned the title in, he just drove it around as it was. The cops found it on the side of the road, then notified me that it was being towed. I went down and saw it at the tow yard. It was horrible! The guy had treated it like crap, it was freakin' dirty inside! It was nothing like when I had it. I didn't have the money to pay for the outrageous towing and storage fee, so they took possession of the vehicle as payment. I lost it once again.
Since then, I've been seeing other Legacy's on the road and whimpered like a kicked puppy every single time. The other night I was at work and helped a guy that owned one. He was driving it around in this crappy weather and how he loved the "four wheel drive". I told him about the 90/10 F/R split of the automatics (until slippage, of course) and how I really liked the 50/50 split of the 5MT's instead. I mean I was PASSIONATE about it!
I really miss my Subaru. I still wear my "OUR WORLD IS FLAT!" T-shirt, and treasure the odd looks I get when I do.
A good friend of mine has a 00 AT Impreza and a 06 MT Impreza that he and his wife drive around and I am near BEGGING him to let me get behind the wheel of that 06. Another friend of mine bought a 06 AT Impreza and I nearly "disowned" him for not opting for the stick. 
My current 94 Plymouth Sundance Duster is a good car, but it's just not the same! Sure it's a manual, but every time I drive it in winter I remember what I used to have. The Plymouth is starting to have some serious problems and it's getting to be new-car time again. I usually spend 1k-1500 and since tax time is coming up, if I get a big enough return I might be able to fully fund another Roo. In the meantime, I figured it would be time to get back on the board and refresh my knowledge of the best car manufacturer in the world!
It's good to be back!
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Wow.
I haven't posted in FOREVER. An update, I had to get rid of my poor poor 91 Legacy. It blew it's head gasket, and I didn't have the extra time or money (school and all) to fix it up. Looking back, I probably could have gotten a carport and just messed with it until it ran again. I put it up for sale, and some guy ran into the side of it, but immediately offered to buy it. He lives near my parents, and they have spotted it driving around town, but I believe it's main function is a farm vehicle. :-( Oh well. I now have a 94 Plymouth Sundance Duster, with a 3.0L Mitsu V6 and a 5 MT in it. It has helped me remember the fun I used to have in the Scoob, (though the shifter leaves much to be desired...) So far I've just had to replace the timing belt and water pump, otherwise it has been good to me so far. Still, I have plans for the future. Once out of college I want to:
1. Get my hands on a nice Legacy GT wagon, MY05 or thereabouts, for daily transportation with minor modifications (boost timer, suspension, intake, etc.)
2. Get a hold of a 90 or 91 Legacy in dire need of TLC (I don't like the smoothed look of the 92-94 front ends), and make it my little track-day project
In any event, I have nowhere near the cash or capital necessary for such toys, but within the next few years, I hope to make it a reality.
Temporarily Mopar,
ScoobySchmitty
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All the symptoms point to a blown head gasket. I'm pretty sure that's what it is, the best way to find out would be to get a mech to look it over, but the nearest is about 25 mi away, and I know she won't make it that far without overheating. What really puzzles me is that it suddenly starts overheating, and not necessarily on overload. After I replaced the water pump, it took forever to get warm (at about 1500 RPM too), and after that, I took it on a quick run to make sure it would stay cool, and each time, it got hot (AT THE SAME TURN TOO) and QUICKLY. I wasn't even pushing it the 2nd time and it did it again. The only other thing I can think of is that there is a big air bubble somewhere, and I can't flush the damn thing out.
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Hi guys,
Ok, the Jackrabbit is officially on "life support". I have 3 options to choose from:
1) I pull the engine and rebuild it, putting new head gaskets on it, and replacing seals and other parts where they look worn. This will obviously take some time, and about 200-300 bucks in parts. So figure a week of work.
2) I get either a remanufactured (~3000 monies) or a used (300-500 monies) engine, and replace the whole damn thing. It most likely will be a used engine, considering I do not have the $$ for a remanufactured engine. Figure about 300-500 and about 2-3 days of work. Downside is that I get an engine that only lasts a few thousand and it craps out again.
3) I cut my losses and just purchase another vehicle for now, (~1500 greenbacks) and either sell the Scoob or store it until I can repair it, and sell my temp car.
Out of the three choices, I am leaning towards number 1 or 3. I honestly am very hesitant about putting a used engine in the car, since most used part lots don't know the history of the engine (granny driven or whipped like cream). I could probably get a loan and a cheap car for right now, the upshot being I could probably find something that was well taken care of for cheap, and use it until I get the Soob up and running again.
Basically I am just trying to see what other people would do in my situation. I have about a 4 week break in classes coming up, so I have the time to decide. I have been using public trans up here in Kzoo, the bonus being that I ride the buses for free (WMU student). The downside being, it takes an hour to get somewhere on a bus, that usually takes 15 min by car. So, that's what I am weighing here. Like I said, I just want to see what you guys think, were you in my situation. Thanks for replies in advance, and TTYL
ScoobySchmitty
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I checked around, and the only other problem could be a badly sprung radiator cap (??) I really doubt that it is that. My coolant has a brownish tinge to it as well, but I would like to have it tested for hydrocarbons. I think this would be the most surefire way to tell what the problem is.
ScoobySchmitty
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A seized cam maybe, Greg. BTW, I think it is head gaskets on the Scoob. I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep it much longer.
Schmitty
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Ok, my dad and I replaced the water pump and thermostat, and my car is still overheating. We replaced the coolant using a tried and true method off of the board, so I don't think I have air pockets. The top coolant hose is HOT, and the bottom coolant hose is cold. The coolant overflow bottle will "boil" over, but the coolant in the bottle is straight cold. I am getting little tiny bubbles in the bottle, and also bubbles out of the overflow tube. What really confuses me, is that when it overheats, I can temporarily cool it down by blipping the throttle a few times, up to about 5500 RPM. This only works for about 2 miles, and it starts to overheat again. I'm not sure, but this points me to head gaskets. The little trick I just described works, but I don't know WHY it works. Does ANYONE have ANY suggestions, or fixes? I need the car, and if I can't fix it immediately I'll have to get another car and sell the Scoob. I really do not want to do this, but I cannot afford(timewise) to replace the head gaskets, and cannot afford(moneywise) to fully replace the engine with a rebuilt. PLEASE HELP ME!!!
ScoobySchmitty
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Hi guys,
I am having overheating problems with the 91 Legacy. When I'm in a stop-and-go area (like on campus), the poor thing starts to overheat. Not only that, but I can hear my fans turn on, after driving for a while then hitting a stop. I'm not quite sure what this means, but I suspect the thermostat. Is there an easy way to check this? I'm going to browse the forum for a bit, but it's just weird that it will overheat so quickly (from reg temp to overheating in under 2 min!)
Any ideas? Thanks in advance!ScoobySchmitty
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I toyed with the idea of buying a set of 4 Grand Prix GT wheels for my soob, but the offset and the hub diameter worried me. They should work. ::shrugs::
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Hmmm, then most likely it is a malfunction with the viscous coupling. That damn thing is a pain to replace, so your best bet would be to find a rebuilt or good used subaru tranny, and just replace the whole thing. You might as well, because the viscous coupling is not an external device to the tranny, it's INSIDE it.
As far as a tranny fluid change, The auto's have TWO dipsticks, one for the tranny fluid, and one for gear oil for the center diff (tranny fluid = hydraulic fluid, not oil). The manuals just need regular gear oil, I believe 75W90 or similar.
A fluid change might help, it might not. If it is indeed the viscous coupling, you will not feel a difference, because the VC has it's own special silicon based fluid that will change it's viscosity under sheer stress (english: it gets hard under pressure). This special fluid does not need to be changed, and you really can't change it anyway. So, I would say you can try the tranny fluid change, but make sure you do it at a dealership and not a Jiffylube. They might not know about Subaru transmissions using TWO types of fluids.
Uhm I believe TCU means Throttle Control Unit? I'm probably wrong though. What section in the haynes manual is it under? I don't have mine with me right now so I can't look it up.
I hope all this helps out, and I wish you luck with your tranny. I had to replace two myself, because some numbnut installed the wrong ratio rear differntial in my car, and it completely thrashed the center diff in both transmissions. Good thing I know more about subarus now.
ScoobySchmitty
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Watch, it will still explode
:AHEM: Sorry Lesbaru '
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I've got a 91 Legacy with 232000 miles and going strong. The thing is, it has the 2.2L powerplant, which is damn near bullet-proof. It's like the Japanese version of GM's original 3.8L V6. You can beat the crap out if it and it will still pull hard. Now, as far as a 98, I would lean towards the H6 3.0 liter, or at least find out if the 2.5L in the 98 OB you might be looking at has been already serviced for head gasket problems. I remember there was some sort of coolant additive that would protect against future head gasket problems, but these are questions for the dealer. Good Luck, and I hope you choose Subarus in the end. The AWD is a BIG plus :-D
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You might want to check the CV axels first. Usually you hear a loud clicking or clunking noise when they start to go on you. They might be really bad if they are making the steering wheel move. The easiest way to check would be to turn the wheel to the extreme left or right, and look behind the tire at the axel, close to the wheel. If the rubber boot there is broken open, chances are that it is time to replace the CV axel. Expect to pay anywhere from $60-100 per axel, plus the core charge (refundable if you give the parts store the old axels). That's if you do it yourself. I don't know what a mechanic would charge for such a replacement, but it's fairly easy with the right tools and a haynes manual. Good luck and I hope you find the problem!
PS, I'm not sure if the torque bind is possible on the manual trannys, I thought it was an issue with the clutch pack on the autos going bad. If it is torque bind, that PROBABLY means a bad center differential, which is INSIDE the transmission. Don't take my word for it though. My subaru knowledge is a bit rusty right now.
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I'd want to know some repair history on it, IMO. I'm not sure on the lifespan of a properly maintained turbo, but it might be something to consider. "Runs good" sometimes means "Runs good right now but the mechanic said it would only last a few thousand miles". (Damn, that's a rather dark outlook...) Anyway, just my word of warning. I would consider asking to have a mech look at it, just to be sure.
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I know the pilot bearing is in the flywheel, and you will need a slide hammer and a special puller to get it out. I'm not so sure on the wiring setup of the engine, though I imagine that the difference between the 90 and the 91 remains in the computers, the engine should be the same through and through. Still, let's here what other more experienced people have to say on that matter. PS, considering how much of a pain it is to replace, unless you have a really new one, I would replace the clutch, pressure plate and release bearing, and make sure the release fork is in good condition (I broke one before). Hope this helps out!
Chicago Auto Show Stuff
in 1990 to Present Legacy, Impreza, Outback, Forester, Baja, WRX&WrxSTI, SVX
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A diesel boxer? SWEEET! Any words on multi-fuel engines?
And FINALLY, they ditch that center Alfa Romeo protrusion. Nasty looking. The chrome top to the grill reminds me of a Mazda, but it is a good styling cue. They've kept the cat-eye glasses headlights, but softened the edges and rounded the points, looks better. The hood indent leading to a scoop is very clean too, I like that, doesn't look like it's just dropped into the hood. The tail lights are nice too, very simple and effective styling. I don't know about having a tail-fin like that, it seems you can achieve more with subtle aerodynamics that don't look tacked on. The jury is still out on the crossover style body, but I kind of like it. Then again, I've always been partial to the wagons.
Overall, I like it a lot better than the current styling. With the right marketing, I think you will see a resurgeance in Impreza owners, new and old. Well done, Subaru!