heartless

you didnt mention if the timing idler pulleys were replaced with the timing belt job (or ever)? if they are the originals I would recommend replacing them - not uncommon for the bearings on those to give up after so many miles.

have you checked grounds near the headlights?

have gone thru a bunch of the "lifetime warranty" parts store alternators over the years - they usually only last a year or so before failing in one way or another. I highly recommend finding a good shop that specializes in alternator and starter rebuilding and have a stock alt rebuilt by them. Might cost a little bit more than a parts store unit, but it is well worth it.

+10 - easy job to do.

has anyone bothered checking to see if there is a stored code at all? Disconnecting the battery as a temp fix says to me something is causing a code - find out what it is...

do you trust the bearings on the water pump to last another 95,000 to 100,000 miles? personally, I would change it while in there and it is accessible - along with all the idler pulleys for the timing belt as well - its a peace of mind thing. Oil pump doesnt necessarily need to be replaced, but most do pull it off and check the screws on the back to make sure they are tight, and replace the o-ring.

good to hear that timing was done fairly recently - you should be good for another 50K at least - but dont forget about it... keep a close check on the vital fluids - oil, coolant, tranny & diff - keeping them full, and clean, will help the car live longer. torque bind - there is a LOT of info on that subject here. a quick search will turn up more than you care to try to read! lol quick & easy test for torque bind - go to a large, paved parking lot with plenty of room - make some very slow, tight (full steering wheel crank - lock to lock) circles - 3 or 4 circles in each direction. Torque bind will feel like resistance to turning, may even buck a little while making those turns, depending on how advanced it is

Welcome - to your new obsession! LOL Keep up with the maintenance and the car should easily go a lot further (I have a 98 Forester in my yard that got 364,000+ on it before it gave up the ghost due to 2nd owner not taking care of it) At 284K you will want to think about doing a complete timing service fairly soon - 97 is an interference version, so a timing failure could mean internal damage = big $$. Preventive early service is a definite worthwhile expense.

"handling" is going to depend on driving style, too. for "most" people's needs, the factory setups are perfectly fine as "most" people dont pay that close of attention to the physical handling characteristics of a given car. "most" dont really care about body roll, g-forces, and the like - If it gets them from point A to point B, they are happy with it. Then there are the ones like you and I, and a few others around here - we do pay attention to what the car is doing in a given situation... The Legacy is a fair amount heavier than the earlier GLs, and does handle differently because of it - but, these cars weren't/aren't meant to be road racers. I am very interested in driving the 95 with the Forester struts to see how much of a difference there is in handling/cornering characteristics vs the "stock" version I drive now. I already know that with the increased height it wont handle corners nearly as well...

you're welcome. and yes, they do both - reading and clearing, following the procedures outlined. Let us know what you come up with.

you dont need a "reader" to read codes on an OBDI car and anyone that tells you otherwise is full of it. you can read them for yourself by using the test connectors under the dash. Directions on how to do so are here: http://www.surrealmirage.com/subaru/engine.html

no, should be around 700, +/- a few 10s, fully warmed up, in gear, foot on the brake.

good info to know - thanks Bushwick. Still have the Forester for the bar to body mounts, but the sway bars look smaller than what the Legacy already has. Did pull the front links to replace the broken ones on the Legacy

have you changed the coolant temp sensor yet? If not - highly recommend you do so - before messing with the other sensors. Always start with the first code, address that issue, reset, and drive to see what comes back (if anything) Disconnect the battery for 30 mins or so to reset the ECU. you can read codes yourself - dont need to take to a dealer to get them. If you need instructions to retrieve the codes, just ask.

I would bet a tooth off on the timing. I never have done one of the DOHCs, but have done the SOHCs many times - it is easy to get things just one tooth off and it will cause all kinds of issues.

I cant wait to start driving the lifted 95! Now that I have a good tranny to go into it, thanks to Miles Fox, it should be soon!

the 150-200 bucks spent on replacing all the pulleys is just greater peace of mind to me, and well worth the cost. sure, if you want to try regeasing them, go for it, but not something I am going to waste time and energy doing - if I have to take them off, they are getting replaced, along with the other major components - done with it for another 100K - no worrying about it failing sooner.

you might try posting in the "wanted" section here - someone might have one they are willing to part with for a reasonable price.

It isnt that bad really - and Subarus in general are usually quite long lived and reliable when taken care of. Just for comparison, I have a Forester here with the same motor you have that has over 364,000 miles / 585,801 Km on it before it went completely bad - and it went completely bad because the second owner didnt take care of it. Fix the headgaskets with the newest version, keep up with regular maintenance and you should be able to easily double your odometer reading. Sure, there might be minor mishaps/annoyances along the way, but I will take a Subaru any day of the week over something else.

no hassle at all if you are already changing struts anyway, which my car definitely needed (had broken springs as well as bad struts) and the OP says he needs new struts as well... I will take the 95 Legacy with the non-interfence EJ22 over an Outback with the problematic EJ25 any day of the week. (yes, I know that there were a few early Outbacks that came with the EJ22, but they had gone interference by then, so...)

yes, must use the 90-94 version. the wiring harness for the 95 & up models is completely different.

I have purchased 2 different complete gasket kits (both from different manufacturers) that both had that rubber seal in them, so no, I dont think it is a "dealer only" item - BUT - I dont think you can get "just" that piece. You may need to get a whole timing cover gasket/seal set to get it - that kit will include all the seals & grommets for resealing the timing covers. and it is a bear to get the bracket in place with the new seal on... just did a complete reseal on an EJ22 a couple of months ago and that was one of the seals replaced - engine was out and on an engine stand, timing area completely taken apart - I cant imagine trying to get that sucker in with the motor in the car and cam pulley still in place. BTW - the only thing that seal does is keep moisture/dirt/oil out of the timing belt area from the backside. I would not consider it a "critical" seal, espicially if you run without covers as many do....

Rooster - that is a great idea IF you have a junkyard near you that has compatible models - we dont. I live in a very rural area - the "big city" closest to me is only 40,000 people and is an hour away... next largest is around 65,000 and is an hour and a half away...Have to go about 3 hours to get over 100,000... All the junkyards close to me dont keep anything more than 10 years old, and there are no Pick-n-Pull types left around here anymore. Add to that there arent all that many Subarus in this area to start with... and of the Subies that are around here, most are of a much newer vintage (2000 or newer) than what I have - my choices become very limited. This is the reason I had to go 3 hours away to get a used tranny that has turned out to be junk (and they are fighting me about it) There is a very small dealer an hour away, but they rarely have anything I need - they dont keep older parts in stock because there isnt much call for them - closest dealer of any size is going to be about 3 hours away - not practical. All of this is why we usually have parts cars of our own (we had 3) - but those were recently cleaned out (needed cash and they had pretty well been picked over already) I might have been able to get a hub off of one of them, but they had all been sitting for quite some time, so chances are it wouldnt have lasted long anyway...as far as the tranny goes - none of them would have been compatible - the only AWD automatic parts car we had had a bad tranny in it (bad rebuild, wouldnt build pressure to change gears), of the other 2, one was FWD auto and the other was a manual that was in peices - nevermind that I cant drive a stick anymore with my foot problems - too painful... I envy all you guys with the pick-n-pulls close by and cheap prices. that is nothing but a dream for me. Most of the time I like living where I do, but not so much in the "used parts" catagory...

Some will do aerosol cans, some wont - best to call and ask. We have a parts house that will mix any color under the sun, but they wont do the aerosol cans. touch up bottles with the little brush, pints, or larger quantities - but no spray cans...cost wise it works out about the same as what automotivetouchup.com runs, so 6 to one, half dozen to the other......

Exactly why it is well beyond our meager capabilities - we cant afford the kind of tools that it would require.