Zack

Hi all - One more question about my '90 Legacy wagon: The driver's side armrest contains four rocker switches that control the car's four electric windows. The switches are mounted on a sub-assembly of some kind. The mounts which attach the front of this sub-assembly to the armrest have broken free, so that pressing down on the switches causes them to sink into the armrest (and I assume it's only a matter of time before the remaining mounts bust and the whole thing falls into the armrest). Fixing this properly would involve removing the door panel, something that I'm reluctant to do given the chances of breaking the various retaining tabs. I was wondering whether it might be possible to glue the sub-assembly back in place with a dab of epoxy without disassembling the door - has anyone ever tried something like this? Thanks! Zack

Thank you everyone for the responses! The answer seems clear, and I've gone ahead and scheduled the work. Incidentally, the mechanic had already speced replacement pulleys and tensioner as part of his estimate. Thanks again for the help!

I have a '90 Legacy AWD Auto Wagon with about 168,000 miles on it. A year (and 2000 miles) ago, I had an independent mechanic who was very highly recommended by several Subaru-owning friends replace the (original) struts and oilpan. When I picked up the car, the mechanic mentioned that some oil was leaking from the seals at the front of the engine. His concern was that the leaking oil would get onto the timing belt and cause premature timing belt failure, and he recommended that the seals be replaced (and of course a new timing belt and water pump be installed while the engine was stripped down). Since I use the car very lightly (it has a non-interference engine) he didn't think I had to do this immediately, but said I should consider it before taking a long trip. I'm now about to take the car on a vacation that will probably involve around 1,700 miles of driving. Can anyone give me any further advice about the likelihood of leaking oil leading to timing belt failure? The belt was last replaced ten years ago at 117,000 miles (the work was done by a previous owner at a dealer whose service department doesn't have the greatest reputation). Having put significant money into the car last year for struts, oilpan, and 130,000 service, I was really hoping to wait another year before doing another major service. On the other hand, I don't want to run the risk of ruining a vacation by having an engine failure in the middle of it! The car is otherwise in great mechanical condition and has been extremely reliable. Any advice appreciated! Thanks, Zack

Did not squirt any oil into the cylinders, did not cover the air intake, DID tape closed the exhaust. Zack

Hello all - I've got a '90 Legacy which has been stored for 7 months (I disconnected the battery, filled the tank with premium and added stabil, so I hope everything will be ok!) I changed the oil shortly before putting the car into storage (total mileage since the last oil change is probably about 300). I had always heard that engine oil can break down over time, even if the car has not been driven. I'll be taking the car out of storage later this week, and just tried to make an appointment with the local Subaru dealer for an oil change. When I described the situation, the service guy told me there was no need for an oil change, that time was essentially irrelevent if no mileage had been put on the car. I'm always impressed when a car mechanic tells me it's NOT necessary to do work, but wanted to check here to see if others agreed that there should be no harm driving the car with 7 month old low-mileage oil. And assuming that I'm ok not changing the oil, would I be ok driving 700-800 miles and then putting the car back into storage for another 3-4 months without an oil change? (I would do an oil change upon taking the car out of this second period of storage, sometime this fall.) Thanks for any info, Zack

Sorry, I wasn't clear. The car is in storage in town, and I'd be driving it for a day or two before getting to the cabin. It's only at the cabin that push -starting was potentially an issue. I agree that trying to push-start a car which had not yet been driven after several after several months of storage might be a poor idea. And yes, I filled the tank with Premium and added Stabil to the fuel before storing the car. Zack

Good points! My 1990 Legacy wagon is the perfect vehicle for its present use -- stored for several months at a time, used a few months a year for access to a pretty remote cabin. The car was inexpensive to buy, gets reasonable gas mileage, has AWD (potentially necessary for winter snow and spring mud) and has been (to date) completely reliable. On environmnetal grounds alone, I'd far prefer to keep it on the road as long as possible, rather than wasting the resources involved in getting a new car. The struts, though old, are still usable and I don't believe (nor does any mechanic who has looked at the car) that they currently represent any safety issue. I guess what I meant to say was that if the car were newer, or if I used it more regularly, I'd go ahead and spend the money to replace them. Given the car's age and infrequent use, I'll try to get by as long as I can on the old ones and postpone the decision to buy new ones as long as safely possible! Zack

OK. I get the message loud and clear! Don't try to push-start my automatic Subaru! I already have a set of heavy-duty jumper cables, so I'll just have to take my chances on waiting by the side of the road for a passing motorist -- could be a long wait -- if I get into trouble. The back-up battery idea which someone proposed isn't feasible for various reason I won't go into here. The fact that automatics can't be push started is another excellent reason to prefer a manual box. Zack

I don't care how enthusiasic he is, isn't he going get pretty tired of holding up the front end of your car after a few months? (Sorry, couldn't resist. Best of luck getting your struts figured out. I'd love to replace the struts on my '90 Legacy -- I'm still running on the orginals after 165,000 miles -- but I lack the courage to even consider doing the job myself, and it's hard to justify paying more than what the car is probably worth in order to have the job done professionally.) Zack

Hello all - I'd like to find out whether it's possible to push-start a 1990 Legacy awd with automatic tranny. I know how to push start cars with manual transmissions, but I've never tried to push-start an automatic (and I don't even know if it's possible to do so). Also, any risks to the AWD system if I need to push start? The reason I'm asking is that my Subie has been in storage for seven months, and it's possible that the battery may not be up to snuff (yes, I disconnected the battery during storage, it's a fairly new battery, but you never know...) I'll be using the car at a very remote cabin, and if it fails to start I'll be seriously stranded. There is, however, a very nice hill leading down from where the car will be parked. Thanks for any advice! Zack 1990 Legacy Wagon AWD auto 165,000 miles

I periodically need to store my '90 Legacy for periods of 6-9 months, and always disconnect my battery when doing so. Does it make any difference whether I disconnect both positive and negative terminals, or just the negative terminal? (I've seen both alternatives recommended). Also, I normally smear a bit of vaseline on the terminals to prevent corrosion. Is this a good material to use, or is there some other grease which would be better? Thanks, Zack '90 Legacy wagon auto AWD 164,000 miles

FWIW, I was told that adding a stabilizer was a 'second-best' solution when using fuel for high rev 2-stroke engines. And when I checked with the company that makes 'Opti 2' 2-stroke oil, which is widely recommended these days and advertises that it contains a fuel stabilizer, the tech guy said that even with their included stabilizer he would be reluctant to use the mixed fuel after 60 days... Zack

Just drove my AWD auto '90 Legacy wagon (with 160,000 miles when I started) from NYC out to a cabin I own out west. Drove 2900 miles out, and an additional 1100 miles while I was there. Wonderful car. Absolutely trouble-free, drives like a new car except for some extra wind noise from the driver's side window (and, truth be told, the original shocks are beginning to show their age!). The AC, which I converted before leaving NYC, worked fine (and was badly needed during the heat we encountered in the midwest in late June). For the record, if my calculations are correct we averaged about 27.7 mpg on the way out. This was with two fairly light adults, and the back seats folded down and the back filled with stuff. About 25 percent of the driving was on the interstate, 50 percent on high-speed 2-lane roads, 25 percent on slower twisty 2-lane roads. We were using the A/C about one third of the time, and I generally drive pretty gently (although I like to cruise at 70-80mph, conditions permitting. Zack '90 Legacy wagon AWD auto 164,000 miles

I keep a chainsaw at a vacation cabin which I visit every few months. I've been told by knowledgeable chainsaw service folks not to use gasoline which has been sitting around for more than 30 days (60, in a pinch). This means that I frequently end up with a half gallon of gasoline/2-stroke oil mix which has been sitting around for 3-6 months, and which I need to dispose of in a responsable manner (and, no, I don't have any other small gas-powered appliances I could burn the stuff up in). The suggestion which everyone seems to give is to dump the old fuel/2-stroke oil mix into my car's gas tank, then top off the tank so the old fuel is fully diluted. I'm nervous about putting anything suspect into the tank of my '90 Legacy, but to my surprise the local Subaru dealer said this should be no problem, if it was only half a gallon of old fuel/oil mix and I took care to dilute it into a full tank of fresh gas. In a worst case scenario I might get a 'check engine' light and the codes would have to be reset, but no harm would be done. Does this sound like good advice? Is there any chance I could create problems down the road by doing this? I've never had any engine problems with this car and I've always been meticulous about maintenance... Zack '90 Legacy wagon, AWD, auto, 164,000 miles

Ug. It turns out that the rust was even further gone than I expected, and the 90-degree angled lip which the molding attaches to is completely disintegrated in the left half of the wheel arch. So re-attaching the molding is out of the question. I still have the option of trying to use some grease to seal the gap between the inner and outter pieces of sheet metal which form the fender. My concern is that the grease will probably not form a perfect seal, and might end up trapping any moisture which does make its way up into the fender. Zack