DerFahrer

You might as well just leave the torn boot on there, the split boot will probably leak just as much as the torn one... My XT had one of those pointless things on its old axle, I was quite disappointed that the previous owner was that cheap...:brolleye:

My XT's driver's window fawked up!! :madder: I put it down, and it didn't want to go up under it's own power again. With the help of a friend, I got it almost all the way up and stuck a wedge in it... And I can't drive the Legacy in the meantime because it doesn't have a shifter in it right now... The motor works, it has no problem pulling the window down, it just won't push it up. Without the wedge in it now, it would fall down about 2 inches. So it's apparently something mechanical and not electrical. I've never done anything inside a car door before, so can someone advise me as to what the problem could be and how to fix it? I have a Haynes manual, but I'm going to wager that it covers far too wide a range of models to specifically help with the XT. Thanks a bunch in advance...

If you have the 2.2 then 103k isn't even broken in... My Legacy has 124k and my grandmother is jealous because it runs better than her 2003 Caddy CTS with 3600 miles on it!!! Simple maintenance is all a Subaru needs to provide 200k miles

HAHAHA! I think it's soooo funny when people diss on Subaru for wanting to copy everyone else with the Baja!!! Has the auto industry forgotten what the Brat is??? Subaru is only repeating its own history. Everyone else just copied that idea and poor Subaru isn't well-recognized enough to defend itself!!!

I've done an EJ22 timing belt change too. Lorry, I don't see what benefit removing the alt. got you, but I do recommend the whole radiator. Takes 5 minutes, and the extra room is great! To properly get the crank sprocket off, you're simply gonna hafta get a steering wheel puller. I didn't want to damage the sprocket or the oil pump by trying to pry it off. And those tabs are what run the crank angle sensor, if one of those is broken off, your car will either run terribly and throw a CEL, or just plain won't run at all... If yours is the EA82, then 1) you'd have better luck in the Older Generation and 2) you have the double timing belts I don't think it's much worse, but I'm definitely not looking forward to it when my XT is due for a timing belt change :boohoo:

Okay, to further aid my discussion, I changed the old gear oil out of my XT on Saturday. I put my trusty Castrol 80W90 dino oil in, and it shifts better than whatever came out... Mark another one up for Castrol... Setright, I do know how to drive a manual correctly. When I had the Redline in the tranny, I would wait 3 seconds before shifting into 4th from 3rd at 4000 rpm. Otherwise, it would simply grind. I even double-clutched and it would grind a little. Going from 5th to 4th was a big no-no... The GL4 would NOT make you grind gears, you could slam them as hard as you want!!! I think Subaru built some controversial trannies in this time period. The synchros seem to be happier with the properties of GL4, but I would imagine that the gear-meshing action needs GL5. Remember, I said at one point, I mixed half MT90 half 75W90NS in the tranny, half GL4 half GL5. That largely fixed it. But an axle seal leak developed in my Legacy and one night it leaked a whole quart of oil on the driveway! So I poured whatever oil I had around in it, until I had the dealer fix it (front axle seals are not a home mechanic's best friend!!) They poured whatever they use in there to make up for the loss. So I had some 5 different types of gear oil in my tranny at one time! Feeling guilty and taking someone else's suggestion of dino, I put the Castrol in and have been happy ever since... Of course, other factors determine which oil is best. I don't slam my tranny into gear, heck, I pretty much don't run my cars hard at all... Also, it gets much hotter here in FL than where many of you are, and as we know, the hotter oil gets, the thinner it gets... I can, however, recommend synthetic, Redline especially, in a diff. That has no synchros, so it can only benefit from the special properties of synthetic. I did put Redline 75W90 (no NS) in my XT's diff Saturday too... But even after this novel is finished :brolleye: I still stand by my premise though that dino is the all-around best oil for Subaru trannies... I don't even think brand really matters that much. If you race, synthetic might be the best because of the breakdown of dino Setright mentioned. But if I were to really race seriously, I'd probly have a dogbox anyway:brow:

Reoff, it should be counter-clockwise. If the engine spins clockwise, then the rotor must spin counter-clockwise, since it's gear-driven. Also dig out a firing order and diagram (in a Haynes, for instance) and you will see the firing order go around the disty counter-clockwise... Unless I'm not looking hard enough, I don't think I have a vacuum advance. I see no diaphragm on the disty, nor do I see a vacuum hose going to it anywhere... I put 91 octane in it and it went away, but as we know, it should take 87:temper: I guess I'll just hafta play with it, and teach myself a few things about distributors in the process:-\

Okay, I'm stumped. My shifter is so bad on the Legacy that I don't even know 100% if I'm in gear anymore. But I simply do not know how you're supposed to get the entire shifter out without dropping the tranny... I've tried 3 times before, all in vain... The last bolt in the linkage before it goes into the tranny, as far as I can tell, simply cannot come out because the tunnel for the tranny and the transfer case get in the way. Those with 2WD have it easy coz there's no transfer case. Is there some way of wiggling it out? Have to put in in a certain gear for the shifter to be in the right position?? I have to do this soon before the car becomes un-driveable. I have the XT fixed up to the point where I can drive it daily, so the Legacy can sit for a few days, but I still want it fixed!

According to the Haynes manual (which we all know is the most accurate automotive literature on the planet :brolleye: ) the back-up-light switch is screwed into the transfer case on a 4WD model. I haven't looked closely under there yet, but while I'm there finding it, I will check all connections, etc etc, before going and buying the part...

That can't be it on the Legacy, simply because the Legacy has electronic ignition controlled by the ECU. That said, I've been spoiled with coilpacks the whole time I've owned and worked on cars, and therefore know little about distributors. But, I did look on the XT, and the disty is turned as far clockwise as possible, which means it's as retarded as possible (right?)! So that can't be it either... I'm calling carbon buildup on this one. I'll probably do an engine cleaner/induction service on them and see what happens from there...

Where is it exactly? My reverse lights don't work on my XT, both bulbs are good, and from what the fuse box tells me, there is only one fuse for the entire light assembly in the rear, which is good. So I deduce that it's my back-up-light switch... Location and any tips for replacement? Or if you think it's something else? TIA...

Understanding gasoline and knowing that using WAY gigher octane than is called for really does no good, I put 89 octane in my Legacy and I gave 88 a shot in my XT (There is a gas station in town that has 87,88,89,91, and 93 octane..) Both cars pinged a little when I got on it. So I put a couple bucks of 93 in each and guess what? They both still ping a little :madder: I think next tank on both, I'm going to try 91, I know for a fact that the Legacy doesn't like a whole tank of 93... Is it the fact that the ambient temperature right now in Orlando is in the mid-90's, or do both my Subies have excessive carbon buildup? Whatever it is, I cringe when I hear that nasty pinging...

Okay, I can get the car really cheap, so the worst case scenario is I could always cut the springs...

Would the strut assemblies from a 86 GL wagon fit my 88 XT GL?? Front and rear? I might have found a donor car to swap my air suspension out, so please help! TIA...

I registered the XT just in time, it appears, I think I got the 99th position of 100 I'm the ONLY XT in all 3 meets this year!!!

Wow... I unbolted the manifolds, well 3 bolts anyway. The back nut on the driver's manifold was MISSING!!! So I replaced the crap gaskets and bought new nuts to put on. I tightened them down good, but not really good, I know, heads are aluminum:-\ The car is definitely quieter, a tiny bit more torquey, and get this... it's running cooler :eh:

Okay, what about 13 inch summer tires for my XT? I'm in Florida, we don't have snow, I want road traction! TIA

It only does it occasionally, so I don't think it's the timing, although it wouldn't hurt to get a timing light and turn the disty a little, I've been spoiled with coilpacks on the Legacy for sooo long:brolleye: I could try some injector cleaner or something, it's just that I've tried method after method on the Legacy, and although I've improved it immensely, I've never gotten it to completely go away...

Luxury is as subjective as beauty, people... I consider both my cars luxury cars, because their personality, their ease of repair, their reliability, and their immense fun factor are great luxuries to me. Getting bathed in Connolly leather, a ride smooth as glass, and having every electronic amenity is fine and all, but that doesn't impress me. I would much rather bop along down the road in my cloth seats, playing with my radio, having barrel-of-monkeys fun... So let's consider this before we start pointing fingers and putting words in other people's mouths...

I was enjoying the fact that the XT doesn't have hesitation issues like my Legacy has from day one, and then I went to go pass somebody, got on the gas, and.... nothing. A little more, starting to stumble... It accelerated very slowly up to 4000, and then just surged forward... Why? What in Subaru's engine design causes this? Are all the ECU's of Subarus taking oversensitive reading from knock sensors and then pulling timing??? That's simply what it feels like to me, even though I replaced my knock sensor in my Legacy with a new updated one... It's very frustrating and even dangerous...

I discourage synthetic oil in Subaru MT's because the properties of synthetic oil make it too slick. The synchronizers depend on the friction properties of the oil to get the gears spinning at the right speeds. If said friction properties are not im compliance with the transmission's design, then you will simply grind gears. I put Valvoline partial syn in my tranny, and ground gears a little. I put straight Redline 75W90NS in, and I'm surprised I didn't completely ruin my tranny, I was grinding so much. I did try adding half GL4/GL5, and that worked good enough, but our trannies are not recommended to carry GL4 oil. So, after a few suggestions, I put regular Castrol dino in and I have not ground a gear since no matter how fast I shift. I made a BIG brouhaha over on the LegacyCentral BBS about this. Others have followed my advice and report identical results... Put regular dino in, rest assured you have used the proper oil, and save yourself a couple bucks, since synthetic is not good for our trannies.

This covers about as much as there is, I guess. You don't have to race, I don't plan to myself... http://www.i-club.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=30312

Well, my Legacy has two distinct holes. They're very close together, though. So that means the Legacy technically has "manifolds" since the exhaust for the two cylinders exits the heads from two separate locations. The XT evidently has no "manifolds", since the exhaust ffor the two cylinders exits the heads from one common location... I've never done headwork on a Subie, but it is apparent to me that the intake valves are at opposite ends of the engine, and the exhaust valves are in between them. In other words, the front cylinders (1 and 2) have the intakes in front of the exhausts, and the rear cylinders (3 and 4) have the exhausts in front of the intakes... I love learning this stuff

NS, I believe, does not have friction modifiers, as they don't seem to get along with synchronizers. Therefore, if you were to put synthetic oil in your Subaru MT, which is a bad idea anyway, you would put the 75W90NS in the tranny and 75W90 in the diff...

I bought new exhaust manifold gaskets for my XT today. The gaskets I was given have only one big hole in them. Does this mean that EA82's don't really have exhaust manifolds, but that the exhaust ports converge in the head?