outback_97

http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/subaru/mods/fogs/ Our '03 TS did not come with any fog lights (thanks Subaru accountants!) but that's o.k. since it was easy to add better ones for less than $100. A lot of this writeup above won't apply to you, but maybe it will help. It shouldn't be very hard to make some sort of bracket to mount these on your Outback. I'd do it if mine ever got damaged, the Hella 500 fogs are indeed better than the stock OB fogs. Make sure you get what you want though, there are DRIVING and FOG variants with very different patterns. The fogs are a very wide pattern but only suitable for lower speed driving, they're worthless for lighting the road ahead at high speeds since they don't shine out very far. They are in fact helpful in fog and twisty roads where you want a wider pattern. OTOH on one of my Hella's, there is a vertical crack in the lens and they're only a year old... my OB fogs have no cracks and are 8 years old. Not sure when the Hella one cracked, but at least the lens is replaceable should I decide to do that. So far it still works fine. Steve

I have a '97 OB as well... the headlights are pretty bad, so you'll never get a great pattern or wonderful results. There are a couple of things to try. I have not tried buffing but probably will do that at some point... mine aren't yellow so much as pitted and scratched. They can be adjusted up/down and left/right with screws, but the bubble levels are worthless IMO, at least on my car. If I "level" mine with the bubble between the marks, the headlights are way too low. I have tried Sylvania XtraVision and SilverStars. The Xtravision are better than stock (more light output) but lasted only 10 months in my case, and no I did not touch the bulb and it was installed correctly. The SilverStars are also better than stock, but have a very slight blue tint to make the light "whiter". IMO the XtraVisions are the better choice since they lack the blue tint and are cheaper. Here's some photos to compare OEM vs. SilverStars: http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/subaru/mods/compare.jpg http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/subaru/mods/bulbs.jpg I have been running the SilverStars for a year, when they go I will most likely replace with XtraVisions and carry a spare set of bulbs (or at least one) in case they go out prematurely. Steve EDIT: found a link where we discussed this before: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=8409&highlight=headlights

I have to agree with Ranger on this one. If it was a few mm then no worries. An inch or two would be lots o' mm though. Swap the tires IMO. Steve

Greg: Not quite your scenario, but I have a 97 OB and my wife has an 03 TS (same as OBS basically, but with drums in the rear). Her car is more "fun" to drive, mine is more "comfortable". The Impreza handles better... it's just tighter. That may have as much to do with the age of the cars and the OB's raised springs as anything. Mine feels quicker off the line (gearing?) but the TS faster past 30 (more power under the curve of the SOHC?). Since the TS has the 2.5 that's not what you're looking for, so I don't know how it compares to the 2.2. I only miss the size of mine when we have to haul stuff around, it's definitely different in the cargo area and back seat. Front seat is not a lot different, a little roomier in the OB... I'm 6'4" so you probably don't need to worry about room No problem with the drums on the TS in normal driving, and that includes some mountain pass driving, PCH 101 driving... we've taken it on some great road trips. MPG is maybe 1 better around town, 2 better on highway. We got 29 on our last big trip. Both are autos so I can't comment on the hill holder. Biggest issue is the cargo space. I think the Impreza would be a great choice, it's cool to have one of each! Steve

Dr. Searchlove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Search: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=24708&highlight=2.2+2.5 Steve

That's only a 3% difference in circumference according to the tire calculator here: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html 3% is not a big deal. When we put WRX rims / tires on our TS there was a similar change (2.7% IIRC). Our speedometer is actually *more* accurate now if you can believe the digital roadside radar guns you see sometimes. You should verify that all four tires are within 1/4" circumference of each other. I think a bigger concern would be the offset, if it's more than a handful of mm different. Otherwise it's probably ok, based on what I've heard here and other sources. You'll get more sidewall flex from the 75 series all other things being equal, but that's all I can think of. Steve

FWIW, I checked the manufactured date on the battery before I bought it, it was 10/04 IIRC, so if it wasn't re-stickered then mine was pretty freshly made. Interesting article... but I agree that was a long time ago. Consumer Reports has done tests of batteries before, you could get a copy from your local library and peruse that if you have some time. I didn't have that luxury when I bought mine, just had to get what was convenient and open on Sunday morning. Steve

I assume your battery is Group 35? Mine was (97 OB 4EAT), I just replaced it with a Sears Silver whatevertheycallit in Group 35. The OEM one was 490 CCA IIRC, the replacement 620 CCA and only $10 more than the Sears 490 one. The car starts right up now and seems to run smoother too. But any new battery probably would have done that since mine was really going downhill. I've heard good things about Interstate batteries and probably would have bought one of those if mine hadn't died on a Sunday morning and Sears was the most convenient place to get one. Steve

I have a blue 97 OBW too, and it once had a large dent at the top of the lift gate. It's best not to try to drive under a carport when you have a bike mounted on the roof... My high-tech method to (mostly) remove it was this: clean affected area, apply Vaseline to the lip of a toilet plunger, start your plungin! It popped it right out, you can still see it since it had a crease or too, but it's much better than before. Steve

In the snow, AWD>FWD... but FWD>>RWD IMO. Steve

Yeah, no complaints about it lasting that long. I would have replaced it sooner as preemptive maintenance, but since I live and drive in a metropolitan area, and the weather is never really dangerously cold and we have another vehicle, I just waited until it died. If it had been my wife's car, or we lived in a more rural area, it would have been replaced before it failed to start the car. forester: That's odd that they didn't warranty your battery, hopefully I'll have better luck if mine needs it. Isn't Walmart usually quite lenient in their return policies? Anyway, I walked in the store knowing the group number I needed, and just picked one that was only $10 more but quite a bit more CCA, so I'm not even sure what the store computer would have told me I needed. I was just glad to find a store open on Sunday morning here, that's a rare thing indeed. Steve

Dave: Unless you're talking about the 2.0 turbo engine, found in US WRX's from '02 on, I think you're looking for the 2.2, specifically a 1995 year one if I'm not mistaken. EDIT: In the time it took me to type, "do a search", I just did a search, here's the one I'm thinking of, hope it's what you're looking for: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=24708&highlight=2.2 Steve

My power steering pump went out long ago, it started making more and more noise, (whining, then grinding) not at lock but anywhere. Eventually there were little metal shavings coming out of it and landing on the belt... they got flung around and it made it hard to tell where they were coming from. I got mine fixed via extended service contract, so I don't know the cost if you have to replace yours. It looks like a pretty straightforward DIY though. Steve

Shadetree: I just followed the wire going to the siren, which was mounted in the engine bay on the firewall. I can't remember if there was just one lead (+) going to it and it was grounded to the frame, or if there were two. I think I just cut the + one and taped or heat shrink insulated the ends of the wire off so it didn't short out, and it would be easy to splice back if I changed my mind or sold the car. When I set my alarm (never) or when I disconnect my battery then reconnect it as I did today (see my thread about my OEM battery RIP) the alarm will flash the hazards and disable the car, but no siren. It's mute. I have to use the remote to disable it before starting the car. I don't ever use the remote door lock/unluck feature, but if I wanted to it works as normal. I just never got into the habit, and so it's a feature I don't use. Ideally I'd just have the remote lock/unlock and no alarm, as mentioned above, but since I don't use either I've never taken the time to see how that would be done. Steve

What about getting a set of winter tires for the FWD subie? Good snow tires on FWD is probably as good as somewhat worn all season tires on AWD... and better if you're stopping. Don't sell the Bronco unless you really are sure you want to... that'd be a shame. That's my $.02. Steve

Just a data point. My OEM battery just died this morning, I had a feeling it was not going to last through the winter. This is the first winter the car has spent outside of a garage since I've owned it, I think that helped do it in. Not bad for the original one to last that long, but I took the opportunity to up the CCA's from 490 to 620, got a Sears one, mainly because of convenience (there's not whole lot of options on a Sunday morning in SLC) but I'm sure it will work just fine. Started very well when I threw it in, seemed to run smoother as well. Steve

Chuck: Can't believe I forgot wheel bearings, that's another good one to look for. I had to replace my front ones at just under 100K. http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/subaru/oil_leak.jpg This doesn't quite answer your question, but another potential leak point is the o-rings in the oil pump. Look at the photo, it's taken looking under the car and shows the bottom of the timing belt cover, where the oil pump leak will typically manifest. This is quite a common leak, mine happened around 60K miles IIRC. Steve

Many people will steer you towards the regular Legacies with the 2.2 liter engine, as opposed to the Outbacks w/ 2.5's. The 2.2 is regarded as a very robust engine and less prone to problems. If you've done any searching at all on these engines, you probably have noticed that head gasket leaks can be a problem with those years and mileages of the 2.5. That being said, mine hasn't had issues, but guess which car I don't take on long road trips far from home? Other than that, oil leaks can be common in the 2.5's, although many times they would have been fixed by that time, as is the case of mine with 108,000 miles. Warped brake rotors are common, but that's much more minor. Can't think of any other specific common problems, I'm sure others will chime in. Steve

Good point, Ranger. It's questionable whether the driving we do here warrants snow tires, this is more of a special circumstance where we're driving to Montana for Christmas and I felt that the possibility of running into snow on the way might warrant the purchase. What I'm faced with now is the concern that they're too old. The only number I've found from anything resembling an authority is a "shelf life" for tires of six years in storage. Does that mean that eight year old tires are dangerous? I don't know. Steve

Guysk: A couple of times I have had a similar experience in my car although not as severe, not sliding through intersection. Just yesterday, in fact, I was pulling into a parking spot that hadn't been plowed, hit a patch of ice, and the ABS seemed to "disconnect" my brakes for a second, as I kinda slid into the spot. Disconcerting! Once, a similar and almost very bad thing happened when pulling up to a stop sign, where they had worked on the road and there was a 2 or 3" drop like this -----_____----- in the road surface... when the front tires went over it while braking, ABS kicked in and reduced braking ability a lot. Almost hit the car in front of me, not cool. I've tried playing around with it in controlled circumstances (empty roads and parking lots in snow / ice conditions) and in my experience you have two options: 1) Lift brake foot and reapply, like pumping old pre-ABS brakes just at the friction limit to avoid a skid. Or, 2) Push down the brake pedal even harder while the ABS is doing its thing, this will decrease stopping distance as the ABS seems to be too sensitive and will kick in even when there's not much pressure on the pedal. There's been many threads on Nasioc (another Subie msg board) with people concerned about the ABS in WRX's primarily. The behavior of my 97 OB is similar to the problems that people describe with the WRX, IMO. This is my first ABS equipped car that I have owned so I don't have a lot of experience with how it compares to others. I sometimes consider pulling the fuse but haven't done that myself. Steve EDIT: Glenner posted while I composed my long-winded post. I'm not aware of any brake recall pertaining to my '97 Legacy OB, that would be the first I heard of it. Glenner, any more info on that?

Ummm, I hated that my alarm would pierce my eardrums every time I disconnected and reconnected the battery, and I used the alarm exactly one time (long story, basically my experience further convinced me that the wailing siren is of no use)... so I just snipped the lead going to the siren. Problem solved. Probably not what you are looking for, but it was a quick easy solution for me. Everything still works w/r/t the remote door unlock and other features, it's just mute. Steve

The good news: I got the tires for $90, they do indeed have a lot of tread left (these are some meaty treads!) and they appear to be in good shape. Then, when I got home, I found a tire changeover coupon for $18.95! It doesn't even say "per axle", so I'm pretty sure that's for all four. We'll see if that's right. By the way, they are Hankook 919's. But... The not as good news... when I got home I learned how to decipher the DOT date code stamped on the tires, and they are 8 years old. This was after I purchased them, so now I'm wondering if my quest for safer winter tires has gotten me tires that are getting too old to be safe. I can't seem to find any answer on how old is too old, but I've found a few horror stores about tread separation on tires that looked pretty new but were more than 10 years old. Any thoughts? Steve

http://www.cars101.com/subaru_new.html#legacy-outback This link has lots o' info... as does the whole site. Very good source for specs and that type of data. Pretty much what Jankemi said, although to me the ground clearance is a "feature" that I would like. I've actually taken my first gen OB places where I probably would have damaged the regular Legacy, at least scraped it up a lot. I really like the looks of the new Legacy wagons though... and I'm sure the handling is tighter. But, I don't think I'd be willing to sacrifice the clearance, it's a big issue for me. All in what you need and want. I'd say the regular Legacy is a better value, though, since I don't think there's thousands of dollars of extra content in the OB. Steve

http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/subaru/oil_leak.jpg The area that Nomad is talking about is shown in this photo. At around 60K miles, mine leaked .5 to 1 quart per 3000 miles, and it actually took me a while to figure out where it was going, since there was never a puddle under the car. It was the oil pump seals, and it was coming out the bottom of the timing belt cover. Not saying that's what your missing oil is caused by, but I thought this photo might help illustrate if it was. Steve