lmdew

I'm out in CA and a co-worker had pulled his engine for some head work. He got the engine and new clutch back in and it runs fine but the transmission is locked up tight. We pulled the back top cover and verified the linkage was moving and put it in neutral. If you spin the input shaft or front diff stub axles everything moves fine. If you hold the stub axles and try to sping the input shaft it's locked up tight. 93 Legacy, 5 sp 153K on it. He said it went together fine and only had to pull it together when it got to the alignment pins. If he would have damage something on the engine installation, I would think it would have been the input shaft but it is not loose and it does turn if you let the stub shafts turn. Any thoughts? Very strange! Thanks, Larry

Yes, you do not need a special tool. You will see the locking tab washer on the inner side. It's very easy to bend it out so the v locking dent is out of the way. Then just un screw it. I've been able to save and reuse the washer. Sometimes the little tang, breaks off. If so get the new locking washer.

It's a pain, there's the spring clip for the lock and 2 10 mm nuts. The aft nut is the one that's tough to get. Roll down the window Pull the door panel Pull the switch out of the door so you can roll the window up and down while you work without the panel in the way Pull the plastic back at least half way Disconnect the control and lock rods and move them out of the way Remove the Lock Spring Clip Remove the two 10 mm nuts Pull the handle out.

ECU are pretty good. I'd start by checking all of the battery connections, grounds and fuses!

The Trans is fine, no torque bind. I replaced the Shifter and both the front and rear dirve shafts. I'm flushing the trans today. The FWD does work, when you put a good fuse in it. It needed the normal things: - Brakes front and rear - Rear Struts - Power Steering Pump - held on with 1 bolt bracket to engine It will be a nice Subaru again!

No the 2 problems are not related. Get the new code.

I picked up a 97 Outback Limited, Auto. The front drive shaft U-joint had failed. It bent the shift linkage so it would not start in Park, but did in neutral. PO thought the Trans was shot, but I think it just has a bad case of torque bind as the FWD fuse does not bring on the light and it looks like the rear tires are scrubbed pretty good. See update at the end:

You can check things with your volt meter. When there is no ground open switch you should see 5 volts coming out of the ecu. When you have a ground, switch closed, the voltage drops to 0. So if you have identified the correct wire coming out of the ecu, then you can run it out to the NPS and to ground. When I did this, I found a wire from the TCU harness that was not being used that went to the engine bay and tied to the NPS through the connectors.

Check www.brighterideas.com If you checked the voltage with no load your meter could lie to you!

I hit the yard and pull the newer plastic style of boot. It works great. Jack the car Center punch the outter Tie rod nut and tie rod for alignment. Unscrew the outter tie rod - you don't have to take it off just sping the shaft. Take a coat hanger or welding rod and put it up against the nut, which you just backed off a 1/4 turn and then bend the other end over the shaft. Now you know were to put the nut after the boot replacement. Pull the boot clamps, remove the old boot and clean things up as good as you can. Put new grease in the inner tie rod pivot Install the new boot Put the nut back on in the same position Screw the outter tie rod back on and then tighten the nut so the punch marks line back up. Install the outter boot clamp. That's it. Sometimes I drop the exhaust for better access to the inner boot area.

14.4 volts is good. Sounds like you covered the electrical items, but since its random and intermittent I'd still be looking for electrical problems. This did not happen before the engine work correct? Sure all of the vaccum lines are good?

What is the output voltage of the alt? I'd double check the Alternator connections and make sure all of the grounds have been hooked up. Larry

I finally had time to do the search, had to change the date range to all: Here's the thread: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=87100&highlight=neutral

Stay with cloth in TUS. The foam is what breaks down. If the covers are good, you can replace just the foam. Passenger and Drivers side foam can be switched so get a used passenger side and you are all set!

Yes, it will work. Or you could pull the part off your old trans and put it on the new one. No Linkage needed.

See my previous post. I gave you the link to the other thread that has your fix for the N Sw.

Yes, all I have to do is look under the hood and the 98 Outback with a 95 2.2 swap looks better than ever! So easy to work on and a great value.

Normal stuff to check first: - Tires Matched - Tire Pressure If all is good, the viscous unit in the trans is the most likely problem

You Tube on the Rebuild process would be great!

I thought the same thing when I got mine, but they have been great.

I swapped over to the 2002 intake and all the parts on it. The Short Term and Long Term look much better S 2.5, L -10.4 We'll see what the mileage does and check the plugs once the ECU has adjusted.

I have everything you need. Shoot me an email if you want a complete rear brake set. Lmdew2@gmail.com

I usually end up using a pliers to push down on the locking release tabs.

Great Radiator. All metal, no plastic tanks. Direct bolt in, super quality and a great price. Highly recommended: http://stores.ebay.com/kospeed2008?_trksid=p4340.l2563

Get a used hub with a good bearing. What side do you need? Make sure you get the PB Blaster out and start letting it soak. The long bottom bolt can be bad if it rusted to the arm bushings.