TheBrian

If the rest of them say (Turbo), then it means naturally aspirated. You might check the glossary of whatever publication you're looking through. What publication are you looking through, anyway?

How is a hole in your muffler killing your gas mileage? Mufflers are flow restrictions that create pumping losses. I've heard of low backpressure killing torque, but not fuel economy. You should also consider the option of rigging up a cheap muffler. AutoZone sells a 2.25" inlet /2.25" outlet 13" canister for $15. Add some strapping, a few clamps, and a 18" length of pipe so you clear the bumper, and you've got an ugly, noisy, adequate muffler for $25. Guaranteed to rust out in three years or your money back.

I've owned a '96 Legacy Brighton 2.2 5MT for two years now. It's a great car for the most part (the other part being replacing rusted-out components). Remarkably reliable. Only I paid $2800 for mine ($3100 CAD), and it had 117kmi (188Mm). Yeah, I said megameter. It's a real unit. It's a wonderful car, and you'll love it. That's just about the best engine/tranny/chassis combo Subaru ever made.

Definately put the $1850 in a savings account instead. I can't imagine $1850 worth of stuff going wrong in years 4-6 (which would be required just to break even, neglecting interest). Most add-on sales are designed to improve the seller's profitability, and extended warranties are no exception. I'd bet it costs them $700 to issue that warranty.

Cool to see another Buffalonian Subaru enthusiast. If you just walk in, they'll charge you list. What I do is phone Northtown, asking what the list price is, then politely ask if that's their best price. Or, "What's my price on that?" They've always offered me about 20% off list, versus the ~30% off you get at dealers with an internet parts department. Then I call West Herr, and ask if they can match Northtown's price (since I live closer to West Herr). The worst they can say is no.

One of my front sway bar end links is very sloppy, and the suspension is creaking. AutoZone and CarQuest want ~$85 for the endlinks. Dealer wants $42 (list is $53). None of these prices are very good, and the local U-Pull-It is out of Subarus at the moment. Anyone know where can I get some sway bar links on the cheap?

If the engine management computer thinks it has a problem (which is usually accompanied by a Check Engine light), it may enter "limp home mode", where the computer's settings are designed to give you the best chance of making it to the mechanic, neglecting goals of fuel economy or performance.

I respect your cynicism, but cut him some slack. Worst case: he's hawking a $5 magazine. But maybe he's a guy who's duly proud of his carbon fiber STi.

I think MTBE contaminates groundwater, kills trees, and makes baby Jesus cry.

Is it a stamped, rather than cast, impeller? If so, I would return it without hesitation. You can get a stamped impellered new water pump in the aftermarket for maybe $40 - which may be what Subaru are doing. Or, even better, I'll bet NAPA has a pump with a cast Al impeller for about what you'd pay at the dealer. Don't pay full price for parts where the manufacturer has cut corners. Perhaps SubieGal or someone else with dealership parts experience can shed some light on this?

Setright is right. I got in the car this morning, turned on the wipers, and they wiped the whole windshield and parked right where they should. They were misbehaving for almost a week. It's a 96 Legacy Brighton. I don't know. Maybe what I'm observing is an undocumented feature. Maybe my wiper linkage still has slop in it. Maybe by checking for slop at the wiper arm, I corrected the problem. I'm not going to tear it apart to find out in weather like this, though.

Thanks, Chef. I can't quite picture what effect loose fasteners in the wiper linkage would have, but I'll remove the cowl tomorrow and figure it out. Hopefully I won't need any parts from the dealer.

Are you sure no air is getting in between the engine and the second O2 sensor? That can cause a CEL, too. What's the spacer look like? Maybe try removing it. Any idea how old the O2 sensor is? However unlikely, it's possible the sensor genuinely is worn out.

The wipers park about five degrees above where they should, and when wiping, they stop about five degrees short of where they always used to. This happened suddenly. One day, I turned the wipers on, and they wiped an inch too little on the left, and they parked an inch too high. They've been that way ever since. It was icy that day, but I always scrape the windshield by hand; I don't run the wiper motor with the blades frozen in place. What's wrong, and how do I fix it?

My mileage is great: ~27mpg. Weight savings: Done that. But actually, weight savings won't help me save much gas since I seldom brake anyway. In the case of a 70mph freeway cruise, I'm only spending power on: engine inefficiency, driveline losses, aerodynamic drag, and accessories.

If you want to clean out the combustion chamber, suck it into the engine through a vacuum line. If you want to clean the fuel injectors, buy a cheaper fuel injector cleaner and put that in the tank. If you want to clean the oil gallery, put it in the oil, idle it for a while, then change your oil.

My old commute was 65mi/week, at a typical speed of 40mph. My new commute is 175mi/week, with 90% of that distance at 70mph. Naturally, this has me thinking about aerodynamics. I know Subaru designed the BK Legacy competently, and its coefficient of drag is very respectable for a mid-90's station wagon. I know, no matter what I do, I'll never get so much as +1mpg at 70mph. Still, I feel like tinkering. So, I could tape up the gaps between bumper cover and body. I've already removed the roof rack crossmembers. I notice the Prius has a spoiler. That wouldn't be there if it didn't reduce drag. I notice interesting trailing edge aero devices on the Outback wagon, the new BMWs, and some Mitsu Evos. Thus, I'm left wondering: how could a trailing edge spoiler reduce drag, and why doesn't the Brighton have one? Air enters the engine compartment through the grille and other gaps. It all has to exit below and behind the engine. I'd like some vents. Okay, I'd still want hood vents even if they had no aerodynamic purpose. They look cool. How about I install a hood scoop off an Outback upside down on a Brighton? More trouble than it's worth, absolutely. But would it reduce drag?

SHortlid mentioned the possibility of Subaru/Toyota platform sharing. Subaru's unconventional engine and drivetrain layout make it really, really difficult to share a platform with a Subaru, unless you're using a Subaru engine. The Saabaru is a good example of platform sharing, but I don't think Toyota want to rebadge non-Toyotas as Toyotas, and the same for Subaru. Both companies have very good reputations and may be too "proud" to share a platform.

Sure you can. You get taller springs, or spacers that make the car ride higher. But as Jack points out, you wouldn't want to. The SVX is a sports coupe. It's odd enough to see a lifted sedan (SUS, e.g.), but a coupe? That's just silly. Raised suspensions are for offroading, lowered suspensions are for cornering.

What would that thing be?

I was expecting you to say Matrix. 4WD tall station wagon for ~$19k.

Like Noah said, you have to heat up the coolant temperature sensor while measuring the resistance across its terminals with a multimeter. I'd recommend you throw the sensor in the freezer, measure the resistance, then move it to a pot of water on the stove. I don't have the specs on your engine's coolant temperature sensor, but as long as the resistance varies with temperature, it's probably still good.

SUS? Isn't that just a Legacy sedan with a lift kit, two-tone body paint, and leather? My tastes run more spartan. You can get a Brighton with hand-crank windows, wooden pews for seats, and a stick shift, for so much less money than a fancy Outback in similar mechanical condition. I've had my '96 for almost two years now, and aside from scheduled mantainence and rust-related repair, I've only had to put $70 in to it. The 2.2L, and the Subaru as a whole, is a very well build machine.

After seeing the thread on the two turbo + SC WRX, I'd like to think you could make an inline 4cyl diesel fit under a Subaru hood. Maybe make it a slant 4 like the Camry has, or maybe do an STi hood swap. Either way, you'd probably need two small radiators with the engine between them.

lol at the zip-ties! I think it's great how (presumably the previous owner) used $5 trailer turn signals instead of very expensive factory corner lights. I've always thought someone should do that for headlights, installing some of the old rectangular lamps on a new car. That looks like a great find. Good luck with it.