heartless

There is a separate dash light for the transmission - something along the lines of "AT Temp" - does that light blink when you start the car? Does it come on at all when starting the car? Normal operation it should come on steady for a few seconds, then go out. If it blinks there is a problem and a stored code in the TCU (transmission control unit). There is a fuse holder - typically located under hood on the passenger side strut tower, towards the firewall - when a fuse is inserted, it forces the car into FWD mode only. Try putting a fuse in there - size doesnt really matter, completeing the circuit does - and driving the car - Is there any change in the behavior? Aftermarket is any product that is not an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) product specific to the brand of vehicle. Manufacturers have very specific parts suppliers. Most parts store axles are "aftermarket", not always of the best quality, and they are frequently the cause of strange issues on Subarus.

Yes, your "new" to you '88 would be an EA82, 1.8 liter engine.

I recall having the same questions when I had an injector go bad on my 90 LS wagon a few years back... a little bit of searching (injector differences) turns up a lot of reading material - basic gist is it doesnt really matter that much, but it is best to swap the entire rail, not individual injectors. if you can get the injector rails off the 91 manual & new o-rings for the ends of the rails, you should be good. this thread has some really good info in it...

Do you have any mechanical experience at all? working on your own vehicle, family or friends vehicles, etc? That would be a "selling" point... Have you tried talking to any good, local, independant shops? a dealership probably wont hire you until after graduation, and even then you would probably have to go thru what you described... and dont call and leave messages - go talk to them in person! Show them you are interested and motivated - calling on the phone doesnt do that.

have you checked fluid level? what does the fluid look like? bright red, or darker, dirty reddish brown? Car needs to be at full operating temp, on flat, level surface and the engine running for a proper level reading.

the rear separator plate is only accessable with the motor separted from the transmission - do it while you have access! in the following picture it is on the right hand side - the one in the pic is one of the early cast alloy versions... - make sure the plate on your motor is metal - if it is plastic, get a metal one, and new screws for it.

the biggest thing is to make sure the final drive ratio matches - tranny to rear diff. someone correct me if I am wrong, but the Legacy based Outback with the 2.5 should be 4.44, where a standard Legacy will more than likely be 4.11. a mismatch will cause torque bind in a big hurry.

because that costs money for the manufacturers, and the "average" driver these days wouldnt have a clue on what it meant. for those of us that do have a clue, it isnt hard to install an aftermarket unit.

Sorry, but that is not a sway bar - sway bars are attached to suspension on each end - that stops at the rubber mount. That actually looks like exhaust hanger to me - they have used the same style for years. If that is an exhaust hanger (what is it attached to at the other end?) then there is pretty much nothing you can do about the rust. Maybe clean it up and apply some high heat paint? no gaurantees that will last either, tho. The good news is, it will last for many years to come - dont fret over it.

Those little delivery van things are kinda cool - i would drive one. lol bet they are top heavy tho... that red, yellow, and green thing looks like a kids toy...

Well, I do believe that I am going to call it fixed! took it for a test run last night - had to go to town to get some supplies to fix a leaky water line in the basement - threw 2 quarts of oil in the back and drove the 30 miles to town, got the supplies, went and got dinner, then drove home again with no flickering oil light in sight! Will be checking oil level later this morning to be sure, but yeah, I think she is good to go! Will be very happy to be driving my Subie again after a week of driving that darn pickup! LOL

for me, just about anything - other than a convienience store/gas station or a bar - is a 30 minute drive! LOL I tried searching for the gaskets on Advance Autos site and couldnt find them (wrong search terms maybe? i dunno) it was just easier to find them on rockauto, the price was decent, and they will be delivered right to my door - no driving involved. I did look at a couple of other online sources, and RA had the best price overall (part + shipping)

Front end was done back in December when I did the timing belt & pulleys , new water pump, etc, so I should be good there. the cam & crank seals were hard as a rock, so I am betting the cam cover seals are as well. Got those ordered from rockauto for just over $25, including the grommets for the bolts & shipping. Really would like to do a bit of under hood cleaning now, but that is gonna have to wait for warmer weather. She is gonna be a little smelly until the excess burns off, but so be it.

well, got to the oil pressure switch today - added a quart of oil before starting the car, after starting we observed air bubbles coming out of the pressure switch and once pressure built up, it started oozing oil pretty good from between the metal housing and the plastic top. Put the new switch in - cost was $13.70 including tax - cheap! topped off the oil level and it is idling now - so far, so good. Not saying it is 100% fixed just yet (cause I know if I do, something else will happen! LOL), but I think we have found the major source...Keep your fingers crossed for me! LOL I did place an order for new cam cover seals as well, should have them early next week.

90 to 94 should be compatible. Sorry I cant be much more help than that - my 90 was an automatic so I know little about the manual version.

hate butt connectors. heat shrink with good overlap and twisting the wires together tightly will give a much better connection - even without soldering - than butt connectors will.

+2 on what Rooster said. Flex pipe will rust out, and very quickly, leaving you right back where you are now. I had a similar repair to what Rosster described done for $30 once...

Ok, thanks - kind of figured it would be a "no" but had to ask anyway. nick - appreciate the offer of pics, but I have done this sensor on another car before - pretty easy on this gen, just need to move the alternator out of the way.

different boxes and shipping points arent all that unusual - but definitely check part numbers

Glad to hear you got that broken one out safely! Yay! I do the same as fairtax said - 4-5 turns on each compressor to keep things even. Once assembled, hang from the top mounts - I usually thread the nuts on till the stud is about flush with the top of the nut, maybe a little past flush, then line things up at the bottom end. Still need to do my fronts...waiting for warmer weather tho - the fronts arent in as desparate need as the rears were...

johnc - yes, definitely engine oil - dipstick level was low, and it was ticking like a sewing machine... PCV is something that I do need to look at. new cam cover seals & grommets as well On the pressure switch - is it possible to re-use one with some teflon tape wrapped on the threads, or should I just plan on getting a new one? it seems to be working fine, just leaking - but doubt that is the only place it is leaking. once it warms up a little I want to pull the outer timing covers off and make sure it hasnt popped a cam seal, too - I seem to recall somebody had that happen not to long ago?

Thanks Fairtax - too flippin cold out to try cleaning anything right now - barely 0 out there & I dont have an indoor space i can use without driving 30 miles, either. 10 minutes outside and the fingers and toes are going numb, even with gloves & good boots on. The car is gonna have to sit until it warms up at least a little bit. Trying to get the battery on the old Dodge charged up so I can use it temporarily. Supposed to be up into the 20s next weekend...

I need the assistance of those more knowledgable than I... My 95 Legacy w/EJ22 is going thru crazy amounts of oil recently. just put 1.5 quarts in yesterday and by the time I got done running my errands and got back home it was low again - total distance traveled was maybe 45-50 miles. we had a brief warm spell a couple of weeks back - got to nearly 40 degrees F - then the bottom dropped out and it returned to subzero temps - since the warm spell I have had to add oil more and more frequently. Looking under the car this morning there is a fairly large oily spot - about 6 inches across - at the passenger side rear of the motor... looking under the hood, we find: the passenger side axle, exhaust and other components in that area are covered in an oily film at the top of the engine, I can see oily puddles on top of the passenger side of the block. the vacinity of the headgasket (and yes, i mean the headgasket, not the cam cover) is VERY oily on the passenger side. The oil light sending unit is very oily, but not loose that I can tell without removing the alternator, and there is evidence of oil dripping down the front of the timing cover. I know the car needs new cam cover seals, but I really dont think that is the entire issue here. The rear plastic separator plate was replaced with metal & resealed when the tranny was swapped out about 3 months ago - a potential suspect, but not a big one at this point - if it hadnt been done recently, I would be highly suspect of it. I am afraid to drive it until I can figure this out/get it fixed and I REALLY need my car! HELP!

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html use that to figure out what size tire will fit