SubaruMom22

Wow. Never saw those before; that would probably do the trick. Thanks!!

Thanks for making that effort. Yes, the PNW appears to be Subaru country. The '95 (my son's) was purchased from a girl there, and it was the only way we were able to move him from there to the Midwest. The good thing about PNW Subarus is they don't seem to have the rust problem at the wheel wells. It barely has any rust at all, whereas mine ('97) spent its life in NY, FL, and WI, where I bought it. It shows....

I actually have several of those wrenches, (you're talking about the big ones?), but there's just no room to maneuver, even if I disconnect a lot of hoses, tubes, and wires. <<sigh>> I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and just take it down for the fluid maintenance it undoubtedly needs anyway. Just was hoping to grow a bit of skin after having been flayed by the state for the title, taxes, and tags.

That would probably be enough for a small priority mail package, if memory serves.

I just remembered I have a looooong screwdriver; I will try that, since there's no way I can get down in there with a hammer. I am a bit timid about crawling under it on a jack, and going at this problem from underneath seems the only alternative. You're right. I originally picked up the car as the only viable method to get him home, as he was destitute on the other side of the Rockies, with the intent that it was going to be my car when he got it here, being more in line with my life now, and he would use my other vehicle. Just after he landed a good job, he and a deer had an encounter, and the vehicle that was to be his was totaled. Back to square one, he has the '95 with the CEL/lighter issue; I have the '97 with the dipstick issue. He has one day off a week; the rest of the time he's either working from 10 to 10 and driving 40 miles each way, or he's sleeping for the next shift. It's a challenge, and as soon as I can catch up with him, he gets to help. Or he gets to pay to send it to a shop, since this is not the only problem it has, and not the one that's most expensive; it's only the one that's most immediate.

I'll try the epoxy thing, but I informed my son that I would not be tackling it unless he was present, so he couldn't get po'd about it if it breaks. I've tried twisting the dipstick, it won't move. The angle and cluttered field are bad enough, but I have pretty significant arthritis in my hands so I don't have much strength, either. It doesn't help that the loop handle is broken. I was hoping I could solve this because if a mechanic has to do it, it might take him a fair amount of time to break it free. What do you know about using a combination of ATF and acetone as a solvent? Would that work, do you think?

All engine bay fuses look good. Tried it again: turned key, attached reader. Still got link error. That is a GREAT website!!!! Downloaded the manual; now have to upgrade my Adobe (hope they have a version for Ubuntu). <sigh>

I had some luck today finding another dipstick at the junkyard, so I can now be a bit more aggressive in removing the old one. I heartily concur regarding the likely status of what's in there now: if it hasn't been checked in so long that the stick is essentially gorilla-glued to the tube, I can only shudder to think of the level and/or color and smell.

I was out looking at it a bit ago; the trim plate is already cracked, so I'll have to be verrrrry careful. My son's car, and while he is ambivalent about most things, he is rather particular about the stereo region. What's a good glue, just in case?

I will definitely check the engine bay fuses. Thanks!

I will see about removing the lighter; my skills and dexterity are limited, so I hope I don't have to do anything more involved.

Thanks for these suggestions. I actually can't remember which I did first, but I'll try again in the order you and ocei77 suggest.

Since we're wishing..... Intact rear quarter panels and front passenger door for 1997 Legacy Outback. Oh yes, in pearl green, complete with the silver striping. I can dream, can't I?

Being a glutton for punishment, I have, within the last three months, acquired two older Subies. One is a 1995 Legacy Wagon, the other is a 1997 Legacy Outback Wagon. Having some issues with both. 1995, 2.2L, auto, 289k: Things are failing up front: cig lighter didn't work when we got it, then the gas gauge failed, then yesterday, two panel lights came on: the CEL and the airbag light. It won't talk to the OBDII tool, I get a link error. Checked all fuses under the dash, they seem to be good. (Is it possible for them to look good and still not work?) 1997: 2.5L, auto, 258k On startup, the cold auto trans fluid light comes on, although it goes off again within a minute. However, I can't get the silly dipstick out of the tube - I can barely get my hand down there to reach it, with all the hoses in the way - but it just won't budge. I'm afraid I'm going to break it off, but I need to check this fluid level, esp. as it seems it hasn't been checked in (anyone's) recent memory. Rear window wiper/washer doesn't work. Have to replace a smashed fog light, but the one that's intact doesn't work, either. Where can I get the pins and things that hold weatherstripping and/or various interior parts in place? It didn't come with an owner's manual, and the Haynes repair book I bought for both vehicles is of limited assistance in helping me actually operate the bells and whistles. Good place to get one? I'll have some major body repair questions later, but those are the two I can't figure out right now - except: where is the best place to find parts for these little darlings?

wow. Lots of specific information. I might have to rethink this. Thanks guys!

Hi again. Great suggestions, all. It's a 2000 Legacy Outback Limited Wagon. They want $2k. It has minimal rust. The interior looks clean. Everything seems to work. The timing belt has been changed at least once, I think around 86,000 miles. After they took it in trade, the dealership selling it replaced the left front CV shaft, a wheel bearing, brakes all around, plugs and wires, and did a basic transmission service. It drives really well, except for a slight hesitation when shifting from park to drive. I didn't hear any weird noises, except for a thumping which went away after a few feet, which was probably snow and ice that fell off as I drove. The CEL is lit. There is a smell of burning oil. It has a cracked windshield. I took it to a local mechanic for a quick and dirty eval. They cleared the codes, which came right back up and are as follows: P0327 - twice. Knock Sensor 1 Malfunction Low Input ( Two separate sensors? Same sensor throwing duplicate code?) P0451 - Evaporative Emission Control System Pressure Sensor, Range/Performance Problem P0181 - Fuel Temperature Sensor "A", Performance Problem P0420 - Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold Obviously those are concerning, especially the ones that appear to relate to the emissions. I've looked them up, but the information was not really enough for me to determine whether each item might mean $100 or $1000. However. Is it possible these codes signal a faulty ECM instead of actual malfunctions? I would think with genuine problems as indicated, the car would not drive as smoothly as it does. Additional: possible wheel bearing going bad; engine leaking oil and blowing back onto exhaust, causing burning smell. He could not tell me without a lot more money exactly where the source of the leak was. I'm still looking at this vehicle, but there's no way it's worth what they're asking for it; I figure it's worth maybe $1000 - $1200 at best, and then I have about another grand to put into repairs. Thoughts? What do those codes really mean, from a practical perspective? If the problem is ECM, is that a reasonably easy DIY repair, or does it require an expensive shop visit?

Hi all. I'm not officially a Soobie yet, or, to be more accurate, my college kid isn't. I'm doing legwork and research for him on a local purchase while he's busy with college and his job. At any rate, I've found a Legacy Outback (are they the same?) that we can afford, but it has about 263k on it, so I'm digging around to find out if this is a good deal, or a bad one. He's poured a couple grand into his current truck in the last few months, and we're looking for something that's more reliable and better in snow and ice.