axgutt

I think I might have figured it out. I just started using one of those AC/DC adapters that plugs into the cigarette lighter. Is it possible that it's putting some extra juice into the system after I turn the key off?

I hit a milestone on Tuesday - 333,333 miles on my 95 Legacy L wagon. I paid $2300 for it in 2003 at "As Is Auto Sales" with 174,000 miles on it. One clutch, an alternator, a couple of wheel bearings, an exhaust hanger clip - that's pretty much been it except for maintenance (fluid changes, 3 timing belts, a water pump, pulleys, plugs, wires, tires . . . ). I like to joke that this will be my 5 year old daughter's first car. She says it's not shiny enough though. Just this week I did notice something weird. When I turn it off and take the key out, the radio (aftermarket) keeps playing for almost a full second. Any ideas what this might be? Adam

I know this sounds like a stupid questions, but what sort of things would happen - i.e. would they just rub during u-turns, rub when going over bumps, etc?

I coworker has a 98 Forester that just kicked the bucket - head gasket and/or cracked engine. I can buy it from him for just a couple hundred bucks. I'm not so much interested in fixing the car at this point - I just want the leather seats and the wheels (he just got new tires). Will I be able to use these on my 95 Legacy L wagon? I have the stock 185/70/14 tires now, and I'm pretty sure he has 215/60/16. I searched some threads about the seats and it sounds like they will work, but I wasn't sure if anyone could confirm it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Adam

I have two '95 wagons - one purchased in 2003 and the other a couple of years later. I've never been able to put the key in the lock of either rear gate. Also, the left latched on both were rusted when I bought them, even though the right one looks good. Fortunately the power locks work just fine on both. Adam

I have 331k miles on my 1995 Legacy with the 2.2. I bought it with 174k back in 2003. I use the Castrol High Mileage oil, 10w30. I've periodically thrown in other stuff - MMO early on, and for the last few years I've used some Restore. I did just do a Seafoam treatment which seems to have fixed a cylinder misfire problem (it was probably a stuck valve). I use the Purolator PureOne oil filters. They're not cheap, but since I do the oil changes myself it's not too bad.

Okay, so I bought the Meguiar's kit, and it worked great. I've just hopefully attached before and after pictures. Thanks for all of the tips - this just saved me a bundle. Adam

Okay, okay, okay. I'm convinced. Will give the polishing kits a chance. I'll try and remember to take some before and after pictures. Adam

We just had our mechanic replace my wife's 95 Legacy headlights to pass inspection, and my 95 Legacy is due next month. They're pretty yellowed, and I'd like to replace them myself to save on labor. I'm going to skip the polishing route. I've noticed the various online sources seem to sell two brands: "Replacement" for about $120 to $140, and "Genera" for about $165. Does anyone know if there's any difference between the two brands?

I had posted a question a few weeks back about my 95 Legacy wagon that had a Cylinder #1 misfire. It has 330,000 miles, and the quick compression test showed that cylinder only putting out about 25 psi. I figured I had nothing to lose, so I did a Seafoam treatment. My hope was that it was just a stuck exhaust valve and that the Seafoam might help it get unstuck. About 1/3 through the PCV, 1/3 in the crankcase, and 1/3 in the gas tank. Shut it off for a few minutes, then started it back up. It smoked for a while, I revved it a bunch, and then I let it idle for a few hours. I then disconnected the battery and let it sit overnight to reset the computer. Connected it up the next morning and started it back up. No CEL, and it was a smooth as a baby's bottom. Did an oil change. Drove it in to work this morning (40 miles, and over a mountain) and it did great. I plan to do another oil change this weekend in case there's more gunk floating around. Who knows. Maybe I've dodged a bullet. Maybe it will die on the way home. In the meantime, I'm pretty happy.

I think I'll give the Seafoam a try this weekend. I know 1/3 goes in an intake, 1/3 in the oil filler, and 1/3 in the gas tank. I've read a few different things about which hose to use to suck it into the engine though. The problem is in cylinder #1. Should I go through the PCV valve? Adam

Just after bragging to some friends about how my Legacy was going to last forever, I get a CEL. 1995 Legacy L wagon, 2.2, MT, 330k miles. I disconnected the battery for the day to reset the computer, and the CEL came back the next day. Idle was rough. My mechanic pulled a 301 code - misfire in cylinder 1. Stopped by his shop on my way home (having a spare vehicle is useful). He pulled the spark plug and it was clean. Did a quick compression test and that cylinder was only putting out about 25 PSI. It sounds like this could be the end of the line. From what he described and from what I've read so far, to try and fix this would require pulling the engine and getting deep into the guts - probably not worth the effort given that it has a third of a million miles on it. Are there cheap/easy fixes worth trying or any miracle additives I should try dumping in somewhere?

I have a 95 Legacy L wagon, 2.2, AWD, MT, with 327,000 miles. (Finally broken in). My commute is almost all on the highway, and I typically set the cruise control at 65. I usually need to add about half a quart of oil between changes (I change the oil every 3000 miles). It's not really leaking - i.e. no puddles in my garage. But when I speed up though, it burns a lot more - i.e. if I put in a hundred miles at 75 I may need to add a half a quart on just that tank). The problem is our state legislature just decided to up the speed limit to 70. I generally dislike it when people don't go the speed limit, but I also don't like burning oil. My question is twofold. First, will I be harming my engine (if it's even possible to harm an EJ22) or my exhaust by getting into the "oil burn zone"? It certainly has decent enough power to go much faster than the cops would like. Second, is there anything simple that I might be able to do to cut down or prevent the burning? I've had the front seals replaced with timing belts (last done at the 300k interval) and the rear seals done when I had the clutch done about 50 or 60k ago. I use Castrol high-mileage oil and I usually put in a can of Restore when I do the oil changes. Thanks Adam

It really wasn't too hard to do, and I'm an IT guy. It probably took me a lot longer than a more experienced mechanic, but I charge myself a low hourly rate. Of course, when I noticed something weird on the test drive my wife (it was her car) informed me that the transmission had been acting weird lately. That led to me to change the transmission fluids (another first for me), and then to have our mechanic put in a used transmission. Happiness after successfully doing valve cover gaskets. Tempered happiness after doing transmission fluid. Unhappiness after paying for used transmission. Real unhappiness with the loud clicking sound it makes now. No leaks from the VCG though!

I did the test and after fifty rotations, my arms are tired and the marks still match up. I'm guessing the ratios are good, so I suppose that means torque bind. This is a stupid question - the front diff is part of the transmission on the AT isn't it? They did put in one CV joint when they installed the tranny.

Date of manufacture for the car: 11/94. Looks like they put in the wrong tranny. You're right about the missing "A". The tranny sticker says "TZ102ZAAAA-C7" and the plate on the car doesn't have the "-C7". Does the chart show that later 1995 models get the C7 and earlier ones should get the one without? I'm going to try the jack up test to confirm.

Will do. Should I take the AWD fuse back out before I do this? If so, should I drive it for a few minutes first? Also, the sticker on the transmission says "TZ102ZAAA-C7". The ID plate in the fender that has the VIN lists the transmission type as "TZ102ZAAA". The VIN is 4s3bk6557s7332974. Adam

Before I left work I put a fuse into the AWD recepticle under the hood. After a few minutes of driving, the front torque-bind seemed to go away. Still clicks under load. Does this mean that the drive ratios don't match? Would all 95 Legacy automatics have had the same ratios? Adam

The car seems to cruise just fine. Would it feel strange if the front and rear diffs didn't match? We've only put on 100 miles or so since the swap, so I wouldn't expect the fluid to be a problem. The mechanic who did it has worked on our cars for years - always has done good work for us - some wheel bearings, a few timing belts, a clutch in my wagon (95 Legacy with 318,000

We just had a used transmission put into our 95 Legacy Wagon, AWD, Automatic. It doesn't seem quite right. Here's what's going on. First, there's a semi-quiet clicking noise when any gear is engaged - if I put it in neutral while driving and rev the engine, it goes away. The noise seems to be related to engine speed, not road speed, but it's hard to tell. Also, if I do sharp turns in the parking lot I'm getting torque bind in the front - both directions. Did we get a lemon tranny? Thanks in advance. Adam

Thanks for the tip. I just picked up a few quarts of tranny fluid and a quart of the Trans-X (they only had the larger size). There was a really long thread that I found where people were raving about Trans-X.

I'll try changing the ATF fluid tonight. Any particular brand that people recommend? I've done tons of oil changes - is this about the same level of difficulty? If this doesn't help, where is the shift solenoid? The only one I see in the Haynes manual is the shift-lock solenoid. Is this the one that might need to be replaced? Thanks in advance. -Adam

Forgot to mention - I just checked the ATF and differential fluids and they looked full to me. Adam

I was so proud of myself for changing the front two belts and valve cover gaskets on my wife's 95 Legacy Wagon. 2.2, AT, AWD, 234k miles. When I took it for a test drive, I noticed that I had trouble getting reverse to engage - the shifter would go into reverse no problem, but nothing would engage. I put it into D, then back into reverse, and after a brief pause, it went into reverse. Now my wife tells me it's been doing this for a week or so - i.e. put it in gear and it takes a few seconds to engage. Sometimes it also waits longer than normal shift. Here's something strange that I'm sure must be related. When the key is turned all the way on, but the engine is not running, shifting into anything except Park or Neutral generates a buzzing from under the car. I put it on jack stands and spent quite a while crawling around underneath. It really sounds like it's coming from inside the pan that holds the transmission fluid. The reverse lights come on just fine when I put it in reverse. Any ideas?

My parts came in today and I'm ready to get greasy tomorrow. It looks like the gaskets have little nubs on one side. They're pretty irregularly spaced and look like they were molded there for a reason. Should the nubs face in or out? Will it just be obvious when I get the valve covers off? Also, ironically enough, the day after my order shipped from subarugenuineparts.com, the ABS relay motor on my wife's legacy started buzzing. Nobody locally carries it. A gentle tap seems to have made the problem go away (for now). I'll clean the contacts, and according to other posts that may take care of it for a while. Adam