Chef

Sounds a lot like a bad wheel bearing. Have someone step on the brakes while you pull the tire in and out. If the pulling persists, probably a bad tie-rod. If the pulling stops, probably a bad wheel bearing.

Was there ever any resolution on this issue? I'm suffering from something very similar.

I believe I mentioned in my first post that I had a 4-wheel alignment about one month ago. It improved driveability (and straightened out the sterring wheel), but the problem is still here. Funny, things felt better after I first installed my new ball joints 2 months ago, when they were stiffer. Now that they've loosened, things are too light. Maybe it's only revealing the weakness of the other problematic component though.

I was under the impression however that due to electronically controlled timing on modern engines, the engine will retard timing to account for the lower octane level. My father has a 99 Buick regal GS supercharged, and using 87 octane simply reduces peak horsepower due to slightly retarded timing. Maybe this is only ok for occasional use though.

Sounds like a faulty coolant temperature sensor - the symptoms of fine start when cold but hard start when warm are classic.

I believe the engine has lifters that require adjustment every 100 k miles. Other than be noisy I doubt they'll cuase much trouble for now. As for ATF, check looking on the driver side of the engine towards the firewall, for a yellow round handle. This is the ATF dipstick. To properly check, warm the car by driving it around town, then park it and leave it on. Move the shifter through all the gears, then check the level with the car idling. It should appear red/pink and thin. If it is dark or smells burnt, have it flushed (not just changed) to help the removal of buildup.

Yeah, that sucks. 60 k on a clutch isn't too great. As for the oil tightness, I'd defninitely call and rag out the dealer. I'd expect that from a crappy jiffy-lube, but not from a dealer.

Damn, the wrecker had no subies I could use. One 93 legacy sedan, but the right side was smashed in anyways. I'll check again next week. Frankly I make a game out of guessing which way the car will turn first, left or right, holding the wheel loosely.:-\

Agreed. Soobie parts here are ridiculously more expensive than they are in the states. PLus, there seems to be much fewer kept in junk-yards. Maybe they don't sell as many here, but still...

Sounds much like a bad engine coolant temperature sensor if you ask me. Not sure why the gauge is off though unless the the sensor that measures the temperature for the gauge (which is next to the coolant tempt sensor) is also busted.

To be honest, most of the 95+ subies I see around here are rust free. The 1990-94s were fairly rust prone, though no more than any other car of it's era. But a 1996 in southern ontario without rust and original paint is a rare gem indeed. I'd take the owner to task over it. Here in the salt-belt it's uncommon to find may cars over 10+ years old without at least some rust on them. But, if people take a lot of care most can be avoided.

Okay, so I inspected all the bushings I could. In the front, the bushings on the sway bar end links appear somewhat worn, and the bushings on the control arm wher it connects to the sub-frame appear somewhat worn. I can induce some lateral movement on these (i.e. in the direction of the bolt) but not much - maybe 1/8". In the rear, the swar bar links are definitely a bit worn, and look shrunken. Other bushings appear aged but not terribly. The car is undercoated BTW, making some of these tough to see. For kicks I swapped my front tires with one another. No change. I suspect my handling issues come down to either a worn rack that does not leak but overassists, or something to do with the struts that appear fine when bouncing. Bushings may worsen things, but I'm sceptical of their contribution considering this problem began only after the replacement of my air strut system, and continues to worsen (or at least I notice it more than before). I spoke to a guy at a shop and he thought it might be due to a change in overall suspension geometry. The problem is intermittently worse, the other day at 100 km/h I thought that if I turnbed the wheel even an inch it would roll my whole car over. Other times it simply seems to be difficulty trakcing straight. SOmetimes the wheels pull over bumps. Sometimes they don't. Looking at the wheels turn in accordance with the wheel, there is no play in any of the asssociated parts. When the car is shut off, there seems to be a clunking noise of sorts while turning around the rack. I figured it was due to the rack moving dry. I think I'll swing by the junkyard tomorrow and pick up a couple of strut assemblies and try them out. If there is no change, I'll rule out struts, and try bushings. I suspect my problem though is the rack at this point, but really don't know how to tell.

My front end clunking on my 92 legacy was solved with new balljoints. If you do a lot of rough roads, yours are probably shot. They're cheap, so just replace them.

I found simply replacing my original cassette head unit with another made a great difference in sound quality, especially considering it was a cheap $100 mp3 cd playing unit. I found the existing speakers to be more than sufficient if all you want is a little more bass, volume, and clarity.

I have the same problem. motor is probably wearing out. Probably best to replace the whole assembly. Should be able to find a used one easy enough.

This is a common occurance for older subes and one that has yet to be really answered. Could be mounts, might even be CV joints. If you manamge to fix yours, be sure to post the results! Chef

I guess when I say they are worn I mean they look aged, perhaps shrunken a bit - but having no new ones to compare them to I'm not really completely certain what to look for.

I swear, I am beginning to think this is a regular subaru issue. I have a 92 legacy that has the exact same problem. It may be in your case something as simple as the coolant temperature sensor, but I have yet to try this on mine. Most often when this sensor fails the problem is that the car runs rough when warm but fine when cold, not the way in which we have the problem. When it happens, do you find the starter sounds different - slower, more drawn out? Then I find I need to give it a good dollop of gas, but it's already flooding (the problem in the first place I believe). Once it finally starts, it runs rough until it warms a bit, sometimes this lasts for only a minute, sometimes for several. It seems independant of temperature outside, happening when both warm and freezing. It happens maybe once every 20 - 30 starts for me, usually more frequently for a few days then goes away for a while. Last time was the worst, it barely started, and idled VERY lopey for a spell like it would stall out. but giving it some more gas smoothed it a bit. If you find the solutionj to your problem, please post it here!! I'd ask the dealer about the sensor, it's cheap anyways. Good luck!

Thanks, I will check these - and yes, it is an auto, although I hope it's not the flex plate, as that pretty much means removing the trans I believe. All four tires were brand-new when I bought it, and all the same type. I've rotated to keep wear even.

I have a similar problem on my 92 legacy, with an intermittent hard-start when cold. The first crank will seem normal, then following cranks sound different (slightly faster?). The car will only start if I give it gas, but not if I floor it - rather if I feather it quickly. Then it runs lumpy and stinks of gas, sometimes for a few seconds, sometimes for a few minutes. I figured it must eb flooding, and know I should change the coolant temp sensor, but because it is intermittent I keep putting it off. The worst time this occurred was after I hadn't started my car for a week in -20°C temps - had a real hard time starting the car and it wasn't just from the cold.

Wow, thanks all for the tons of advice. I'd definitely miss this community as much as my subie! You guys are an inspiration, and I might try to keep my soob running yet! This being said, I didn't end up buying a car I had in mind (2001 Esteem 5 spd 121 km full dealer records for $5000 cdn). I am going to have the CV axle replaced, and see what happens. If the noise persist (like knokcing on a coconut shell with your knuckle), I suspect the front diff is in trouble and will run not walk to a newer car. If it seems to remedy the noise and hopefully even some of the vibrations, I may play this out. I will need to get some exhaust work done (that still allows it to pass emissions), and will see what I can do about the handling. As for the handling problem, which bushings should I be checking? Those on the end links are worn, but the sway bar seems very tight. The tie-rods have no-discernable play in any direction. I had a 4 wheel alingment recently - improved things slightly, but still off. Steering response is tight, but it's the car itself that reacts oddly. It almost seems to have a delayed response after the original one - for example, moving the wheel quickly out and in steers the wheels of the car quickly in those directions, but it's almost like the car above the wheels delays in the response, and over reacts. PLus it gets pushed around by gusting winds like a sail, and wheels redirected by certain road distortions. But hit a bump dead on and it doesn't cause a problem. Push down on the car, and there is no excessive bounce. I have a possible theory about the suspension too. I swapped in rear springs from a 90 legacy, with new struts. Rear seems VERY harsh, bangs on bumps. Maybe normal though, high spring rate. The front though MAY be springs from an impreza (was under the impression springs were legacy, struts slightly used from an impreza). If this was the case, I wonder if the softer rate in the front throws off the ride, and induces the sway/rocking motion. On roads with slight ripples, the car almost seems to "waddle" at speed. If I progress with this I might grab another set of used strut assemblies from the wreckers and try them out. If the difference is apparent, I'll buy new struts for the front too. Whew. Sorry about the length. But maybe we'll keep this baby on the road for a while yet! Hell, I've replaced enough parts that there's only so many that need replacing still

Sounds very similar to the same effect I have on my 1992 legacy, except that washing it doesn't do anything.

Always happens to me if it's getting low and/or it's warm out.

The only real benefit of platinum or other precious metal plugs is that they last longer. Given how easy it is to change the plugs, I prefer the v-power myself.

Well, this may be it. I'm tired of dealing with the countless little problems showing up in my 92 legacy. In the last year I've replaced CV joints, all four struts (air to spring), balljoints, brake rotors and pads (both were nearly new when purchased, replaced due to shudder 3 months later), the starter, excess oil loss, transmission flush, etc. Now it has an ongoing and difficult to pin-point swaying problem that may indicate the need for front struts, brakes again (rotors and pads, recurring problem), new CV joint again, has terrible idle and acceleration vibrations (although idle itself is smooth as butter and always at 750 rpm), extensive tire noise, an intermittent hard-start issue, rusting out on wheel wells, entire cat-back exhaust, etc. With almost 250 000 km on the odometer, I feel that spending another $1000 to take care of this (doing labour myself) is simply a real piss-off and not worth the trouble. I really don't want to do this - I love this car. It has pep, it's great in snow, has tons of room, and looks awesome. I love the controls, all the power systems work great, sliding sunroof rules. The engine is running strong, i'll bet it has as much oopmh as when it was first made. The trans shifts fine, albeit slightly harsh, but has no slipping and I love the gear ratios. Mostly it's just this damn swaying issue. Car feels fine one moment, and then the next it barely drives a straight line without needing correction. Seems to pull at the slightest crosswind, and bumps are a bit harsh. PLus they seem to randomly pull the car. I'd say the struts, but pushing on them yields no excessive bounce and two mechanics seems certain they are fine along with all other suspension components. Pushing at the top off the car to rock it side to side seems to make it roll excessively. The sway bars are fine. I am at my wits end, and a fully loaded 2002 Suzuki Esteem or Ford Focus wagon seems like a bargain right now. I simply cannot afford a new subaru. Thanks everyone!