Bmm001

I average about 23.5 MPG (mixed driving) in my 1995 L Sedan (90,000 miles on it). I got 28 MPG on a trip to Boston from Allentown, PA. My dad gets about 24-25 MPG in his '97 Impreza sedan (it has 104,000 miles), and my mom gets 26 or so in her '98 Legacy wagon 5-spd (99,000 miles on it). Subarus aren't the greatest when it comes to gas mileage, but they always seem to do much better on the highway compared to their EPA ratings. Brian

I know that my '95 Legacy and my parent's Subarus (a '97 Impreza and a '98 Legacy) all have the 2.2 liter engine, but I was wondering how Subaru changed the engine in these years so that my car makes the following power/torque vs. my parent's cars: 1995: 135 HP @ 5400 RPM and 140 lb/feet of torque at 4400 RPM 1997/1998: 137 HP @ 5600 RPM and 145 lb/feet of torque at 4000 RPM The owner's manuals state that my compression ratio is 9:5:1 vs. the newer car's 9:7:1. What makes these engines different in their "personalities" (there's definitely more oomph off the line in my parent's cars) and power ratings? Brian M.

I had to respond to this thread because I just talked to my mechanic about it today! They are a small, independent garage, who specializes in repairing Subarus. I noticed that when I have my car in for a lube and oil, they use 15W40 oil. I asked him "why" today and he gave me the following paraphrased answer: The heavier diesel oil has more detergents and is more purified than regular oil. Due to the boxer engine design, it cleans and protects the parts better and they've had great success in using it. He said he's never had an oil-related engine failure in a 2.2 that used 15W40.

I talked to my mechanic about it today (Orbach's in Denver, PA), and he said he would look at it when I have it inspected at the end of May. He said it could be any number of things, ECU, ECM, a tune-up item, etc. Since it isn't throwing a check engine light or causing any drivability problems, I'll let it go until he looks at it. It's really more of an annoyance than anything. I'm sure the things you guys mentioned will be included in his check-up. Thanks for your input, Brian M.

Hello, this is my first post. I have a 1995 Legacy Sedan (Auto/AWD) with 90,000 miles, and the car vibrates and shudders excessively when it's in "drive" but stopped (like at a red light). If I put the car in neutral, it smooths out and idles normally. A friend of mine said that my idle speed is too low. I notice that my dad's '97 Impreza idles at 750 RPM when in drive and his car doesn't shudder. Mine (from the best I can estimate off the tach.) appears to be about 600-650 RPM. Is that too low? Is that causing the vibration or is it something else? If so, is that something a garage would have to fix or could I do it myself? Thanks, Brian M.