heartless

valve covers are a rubber gasket, & fairly easy to replace. they get hard & brittle over time and just don't seal well anymore. hardest part of the job is getting the clearance to remove the covers to replace the gaskets.

it is supposed to do this when it is really cold out.. fluid needs to hit a certain temp level before shifting - so this is not an actual problem. when it is sub-zero temps around here it is not uncommon for mine to hold "3" for 5 or more miles before finally shifting.. just go easy on it till it warms up. as for the spots in the drive.. as already mentioned.. check ALL fluid levels.

actually, it is not that unusual.. have had several myself, and more than one had rusty fuel pump nuts.. patience and a lot of PB Blaster/favorite penetrating oil is what is required here.. don't want to break one of those little studs

best course of action here would be to find a good alternator/starter rebuild shop that has a good reputation in your area... ask around. pick up a used unit from a yard.. swap it in, and get your original one rebuilt with quality parts.. once done, put it back in the car. Or, if you can live without the car for a few days/week, just take the alt in & have it done, skip the used one. I did this on my 95 Legacy.. except I already had an aftermarket handy to stuff in while the original got rebuilt. Yes, it was a little bit more cost than just buying one, but well worth it.

i may have to try this method.. currently fighting with squealing brakes for no obvious reason.. pads are good and wearing evenly, caliper pins are not seized up, rear drum shoes are good.. altho the one did have a bit more dust in it than the other did.. but yeah, nothing obviously wrong. just an annoying squeal periodically.... sounds like the squealers on the disc brakes, but they are not even close to touching yet.

http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Legacy_Outback/1990-1994/

using the internet to learn how to drive a manual is like using the internet to self diagnose an illness.. DON'T DO IT! and while they may be a "relic" of a bygone era, there are still plenty of them around, so learning how to drive one is not a complete waste of time - yet... One should NEVER ride around with the tranny in neutral... disengage the clutch by using the pedal (depressed FULLY, not partially), fine, but never just pop it into neutral and leave it there as you are slowing down. my first Subaru had a 5 speed - it needed a clutch when I got it (was an 89 GL that I got in 2000)... had one installed and drove the snot out of that car for 8 years with no clutch problems - and I was not "gentle" with it, either.. it still had plenty of life left when the car was taken off the road due to structural rust issues. riding the pedal (partially depressed) is where the greater majority of wear is going to come from.. using it correctly, even when downshifting to slow down, will not result in excessive wear.

Monroe & Gabriel are a much "softer" ride than KYB - they also allow more body roll, too.. I have tried both on the various Subarus i have owned over the years and did not really care for the ride, and they did not seem to last very long on the poorly maintained roads I have to drive on here.. I live in rural WI, and some of our roads are not great - especially the gravel ones.. I much prefer the KYB in ride and handling, and the KYBs just seem to hold up better to the beatings these roads can dish out. fwiw - the Subies I have owned are: 1989 GL wagon, FWD, 5 spd 1990 Legacy LS wagon, AWD, Auto 1995 Legacy L Wagon, AWD, Auto - Forester strut lifted 2002 Forester, AWD, Auto - pretty much bone stock Other Subarus we (other half) have had - 88 GL Coupe Auto w/push button AWD, 89 GL 5 spd Dual Range wagon, 1991 Legacy FWD 5 spd sedan, and a 2006 LL Bean Outback

yes, if you have complete assemblies, you can do this. 3 nuts on top, 2 bolts on the bottom - out with the old, in with the "new". pay attention to the 2 large bolts at the bottom - one is cammed for alignment purposes - it needs to go back in the same place. being as how you will be changing the overall stance, you should make an appointment for a proper alignment as soon as possible after the swap so you don't end up with unnecessary tire wear

there should be a page that gives general locations of the various relays, controllers and sensors.. you may need to do a bit of digging, but it IS in there. I know this from when I had my 1990 LS wagon... the page(s) you are looking for will look something like this... this happens to be a security components location guide for a 95, so is of little help to you, but there will be similar pages for the generation you are working on..

http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Legacy_Outback/1990-1994/ look there for FSM info

there is a link above to a site that has FSMs for pretty much all Subarus, including 1st gen Legacy specific info (90-94) link to the 90-94 specific stuff: http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Legacy_Outback/1990-1994/ Granted - the wiring diagram is labeled 1990, but it would be MUCH more useful to him than a Haynes or Chilton's could ever hope to be. 1990-1994 did not change much at all - a few minor, mostly cosmetic things.

well, it is what it is - and for those of us that do not have access to pick-n-pull, it does suck. But what do you do? We can not force them to let us go get our own parts off of cars in the yard. years ago we used to be able to do it, but not anymore.

while this is a great option if the pull-n-pay yards are available to you, but not everyone has access to one (or more). There are ZERO pull-n-pay yards anywhere close to me.. none of the yards here will allow anyone out in the "field" - you go to a counter, ask for what you need, and a yard employee will go get it for you here.. "insurance reasons" is the stated reason why.

yes, 15" is stock on early 2000s Foresters. If the only thing needed to bring the Foz back up is "stock" strut assemblies - get KYBs, not Monroe. KYB is the preferred "aftermarket" brand for Subarus of all ages. you would need to purchase the struts themselves, and probably springs... everything else can be swapped over - top hats, rubber spring insulators, boots, etc. however, i would suggest getting at least the front tophats to have on hand, as the bearing in them tends to go with age..