RallyKeith

It stands for Illumination Level 5. You have 5 levels of Illumination for the dash lights. The dimmer they are the lower the number, with 5 being the highest. Your illumination knob might be sitting in between 4 and 5 and sometimes changing to 5. Keith

Yeah, that's what I thought.

Um, actually I think they do fit. In fact if no one else knows for sure friday night I can actually try putting the factory 02-03 6 disc/tape unit that is currently in my 04 into the 96 Leg GT wagon I just got. Keith

Well that sounds a bit different than what I thought based on your first post. That said questions: Have you payed attention to the RPMs between shifts? When cold do the RPMs go up between shifts? When hot do the RPMs go up between shifts? I've test driven a few cars for people where this was the case and this is what I've learned. There is a seal or O-ring on the oil pump (not sure if thats the right term) in the trans and when it goes bad it gives you the above symptoms. What happens is when cold the seal actually seals correctly, but once it gets warm the seal expands and no longer seals correctly and loses pressure. So, the trans shift fine when cold, but once warm it will slip between shifts. I'm not sure where this seal or O-ring is, or how hard it is to replace, but I think that could be your problem. Keith

Have you gone and driven the Vibe yet? My girlfriend has the regular vibe (not the GT or AWD) and I don't like the way it drives. It's only got about 120hp and it really shows when trying to pull out from a stop into heavy traffic. Also, I haven't been too impressed with the automatic transmission especially when using cruise control over moderate hills. Other than that the car is nice. Because of the seating position there is tons of room. For reference I've owned a few hondas and volvos, and I'm currently really thinking along the same lines of gas mileage. FWIW the Vibe GT and a Prius list for the same price. Vibe GT 25/32mpg, Prius 60/50mpg, (yes city is better than highway on most hybrids) but I don't need it to tow. I always keep a second(or third) car around for those type things. Just throwing some stuff out there to think about. There is so much out there to chose from these days it makes it very hard to really compare it all. Good luck on finding something!

You know, I hate to say this, but it seems to me that when dealing with car insurance companies sueing is the only way you, the victim, will get what you rightly deserve. I found that out the hard way by not sueing when I was hit. I took the high road and felt that everyone makes mistakes and that I shouldn't sue someone for that. The bottom line is that I still have a neck that will never be quite the same, and a car that I can't sell or trade in for proper market value. Its a sucky thing to do, but sometime you have to. Keith

I don't want to hijack this thread, but its intersting you say this. I've had several mecahnics say that if an automatic starts slipping it is best to keep the old fluid in. They say that changing to fresh fluid would actually make the problem worse. My friend was told that by a Subaru dealership mechanic when dealing with slipping in a 99 Impreza. I don't understand why this would be. Keith

Not saying that your frame is defenitely tweaked, but they are built with crumple zones were the frame is designed to bend and things. Attached are some pictures of my accident damage, and the frame was bent. Just putting this up for you guys to see.

Well, knowing what it cost to have my '04 STi repaired 30 days after being the first one delivered in my town (can you tell I'm still a bit bitter on that) I'd say it's a an easy $5-6k of damage. I was hit on the bumper, but I think mine didn't even look as bad. Looks like it will need a Rear quarter panel, rear trunk lid, rear tail lights, trunk pan, the area of the trunk that the taillights mount to, bumper cover, bumper absorber, bumper brackets, and the killer will be if it bent what I'll call the rear section of the frame. That said your car is probably worth a private party value of around $8k so it sure seems like it could be close on the fix or total decision.

I'm not sure on this but I think if you had a dirty filter it might not even shift into gear, or it would have difficulty getting into gear and then shifting between gears from there on. I think you have wear issues if it's slipping once in gear. I'm just starting to really learn about automatics so lets everybody tell me if I'm wrong! Keith

Well, for any of you that have read this and cared I got some answers from my local Subaru Dealer Parts guy today. According to everything he has, the last two letters in the code mean NOTHING He said there is a meaning for every other letter or number, including the first of the AAA/ABA combo, but the last two list as having no meaning. So we kinda figured it was just Subaru's way of tracking what trim level (GT/OB/LSI...) the unit came from. So the fact that OB vs GT vs Sedan had different TCUs must mean that they all used the same trans with the same gearing, just used different TCUs to set the shift points. So, It looks like I've got a complete unit I can swap into this car. Keith

Another thing to think about is what is called unsprung weight. Any additional weight added to the wheels and tires has a greater effect on power than the same weight added to the car elsewhere. Typically an 18" wheel will weight more than a 16" wheel. Also, the 18" tire will have a very small side wall and they have to add material to help stiffen it or else you would bend the rims every time you hit a bump. So basically the big 18" will make your car accelerate slower than the stock tire. This was very evident when I put 17" wheels on a honda that normally wore 14" wheels. Keith

BIG Breaker bar or some kind of impact gun, Pnuematic or Electric, to get the bolt undone from the rear hub. That's about all I can think of. The rest is actually pretty straight forward. Keith

I don't have any experiance with Reman companies. In general all Automatics wear out, it's just the nature of the beast. But, what I can say is that it seems the newer Legacy and Impreza transmissions really seem to hold up. Anything around 95 and newer they seem to last a long time. The 96 I just bought took 180K miles to kill the trans. My sis-in-law's 96 Impreza took 170K before it went. I personally think a used unit with 47k on it should last a long time. If I went that route I'd make sure the filter gets replaced right away and then get the fluid flushed. That should help. Sorry I can't give you any other advise on reman companies. Keith

Well, I'm sorry to tell you this but they own't really be good for anything other than looks. Having a very small sidewall height actually takes away from the contact patch. I'm really no good at explaining this in words, but basically the tire can't squat down and spread out agains the road. You would actually be better staying with a 16" wheel on the WRX for the best traction. This goes for both auto-x and drag. You may want to check out the motorsports forum over at http://www.nasioc.com There is far more collective experience in that realm with that car over there. Keith

Well, here is what I've been thinking: #1 the connectors appear to be identical between the trans in the car and the trans I've got. #2 the http://www.car-parts.com database seems to be really really good about knowing interchangability. and #3 I'm still betting that the 1st and second gear ratios are different between the two since One is from a GT (sporty model with better suspension so It ought to have lower gearing to accelerate better) and the TCU would only be different to control different shift points, with the GT revving higher before normal shifting (once again because it's a sporty model) So, I think I'm going to call my local parts guy and see what he has to say, but I think I'll also send a PM to Jamie. Thanks, Keith

Hmm, Hadn't thought about that part. As it turns out when I look on http://www.car-parts.com is does seperate 2.5 SW outback from 2.5 SW non outback and even different appears to be 2.5 sedan. So now I think I'm even more confused.... So, does anybody else know anything? How those of you that work at dealerships and can look through the computers there. Keith

Anyone have any ideas? From what I can tell there is no difference in final drive ratios between ANY Legacy automatics for 96, so it still leads me to believe it could just be a gear ratio thing. Keith

Easiest way to tell is by looking on the top of the engine block just behind and to the left of the crank pulley. It will say EJ22 for a 2.2 and EJ25 for a 2.5 Also, phase one EJ25s have two camshafts on each side where as the Phase 2 engines have only one camshaft on each side and look similar to your early Legacy engine. Keith

See further down for answer! -------------------------------------------------------------------- Bought a 96 Legacy GT from a board member that has trans issues. I have another trans but the ID# is different. Both Transmissions list for a 96 Legacy with a 2.5, but not the same postfix. So, can anyone tell me the difference betwen these two Transmissions: TZ102Z2ABA Lists as being for a Touring Wagon (they said so it's an Outback) and TZ102Z2AAA List as the correct unit for a GT I'm guessing the only difference is first and second gear ratios but I have no idea. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Keith

Well, since you have Delta Dash have you considered turning down the global ignition timing? I just bought a 96 Leg GT from another board member that only ran 93 in it. When I get it on the road I plan to try 87 or 89 and if needed using delta dash to set the global timing down a few degrees. Keith

It sounds to me like a bad ground connection. This can be caused by a few things. Since other things are affected like the radio and lights I don't think it is a problem with the starter, more like battery connection. First thing to check is the connections directly on the battery. Make sure they are good and tight and there is no white corrosion. Also, if you follow the black wire off the battery it should go and bolt to something on the car like the body or maybe the engine. Make sure that is tight and isn't rusted or corroded. Keith

Ok, so according to the info listed on the USMB here: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/80s/specs/mechanical/engine-specs.html The 96 EJ25 is 155hp/155t According to http://www.cars101.com/subaru_legacy_archive95_97.html the 96 EJ25 is 155hp/140t, and the 97 EJ25 is 165hp/162t. Also have discovered that MSN Autos claims 155hp/155t for the 96. So, what is correct, and if there really is a difference in power between the 96 and 97 model years, what changed to make the difference? Also, could this difference or change be why the 96 EJ25 doesn't seem to have the Head Gasket problems? Thanks for the help. I tried searching but wasn't coming up with anything. Keith

Sweet! Glad you got it all to come apart and back together again. One time it took me three days, because on the first day the sledge hammer missed the control arm and hit my hand. Didn't break it, but it swelled up to the size of a softball! Keith

Is this an automatic? I'm not familiar enough with the symptoms but could this be a problem with the automatic where the center diff has become locked? Keith