1 Lucky Texan

that's the classic symptom of the 'cardan' joint (u-joint) on the steering shaft going bad. To prove it, spray some light lube or even PB Blaster on the joint to see if it (temporaily) gets better.

eh, I can still see its shadow.

hey, you stayed with and got it going. kudos

if you can get specs, maybe there's something off-the-shelf that will work?

Subaru TSB or some such once spec'd the Subaru Coolant Conditioner (relabeled Holt's RadWeld leak-stop) for a generation of cars. That could be the stuff the mech spotted.

the backfiring through the intake sounds to me like the timing is still off.

have the rear bushings on the LCA been inspected?

not a summary, but quite detailed; http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/66-problems-maintenance/49537-p0420-diagnosis.html

makes it a little more resistable.

I'd have brake CALIPERS inspected. maybe one is not sliding.

if no luck at a yard or car-part.com, try ebay or even a craigslist listing for parting-out a compatible wreck.

welcome, lots of folks here should be able to help.

swapping engine/drivetrain from a wrecked WRX is the 'best' approach for what you propose - dig around at NASIOC.com for examples of swaps. Very time/labor/$$$ intensive you CAN make the present car more fun to toss around corners..

yep, you might get a blink-code. check troublecodes.net - perhaps JDM uses the same definitions for the codes?

interesting - probably explains the Mitsubishi a friend used to drive - it speced ATF for the 5spd manual!

'95 could have a separate Engine Temp Sensor - it may have 1 more wire thant coolant sensor and be located nearby. also, you might consider vacuum gauge testing - compare cold with hot. some gasket or tubing may be failing at higher temps. check system voltage too cold vs hot.

I have had good luck buying struts from Amazon as well as RockAuto. They only springs I ever bought were SPT 'pinks' for my WRX from local dealer. I did have the local dealer match online dealer prices on some parts. I have bought OEM from several online dealers but most recently from subaruonlineparts.com - there MAY be some discount if you check here; https://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/subaruonlineparts-com.121/ if you plan to do 'spirited' driving, stickier tires are you best upgrade. Others may be able to recommend something for your area, just lean towards traction.

It's my understanding that there was some kind of trademark-related reason stuff couldn't boldly declare DEXRON and had to start saying they were Dex-comaptible. W'ever, plenty of folks do great with Valvoline MaxLife or similar, name brand dex-compaitble. Or, get OEM. trivia; the original Dexron (was not really Dexron 1 as they didn't know there would be a 2 or 3, etc.) had a small percentage of whale oil in it!

well, just parroting the procedure and what I experienced a coupla times. But, it certainly is no fun sitting in the car with the alarm blaring and cycling the ignition, all the more reason to change the battery or buy a replacement fob. there must be a fuse that could be pulled to disable the security system?

the round power ports inside also have a 'fusistor' on their backside and can never handle much current. You may need to email the manufacturer of your charger (is it a trickle or maintenance charger???) for some connection guidance, and/or find a local auto electrics guy to help or install a solution for you.

I asked because, stock springs could have been stressed by overloading or severe duty - especially if struts are worn. Springs and struts somewhat 'support' each other and one can suffer if the other is worn. KYB struts are greatly preferred. as for springs, I think King and Rallitek as well as new OEM (affordable, if still available...) could be good choices. You could go lower if the car is on pavement so, check into rallitek. Heavier rear sway bar may help with cornering, but my bet is new springs and struts will be a great improvement over the worn-out parts on the car now.

yeah, I think that's how everyone does it - just throwing that out there....

how did you connect the brake booster hose on your JDM engine? any issues with that?

how many miles? how old are the struts? Is it bouncy or do you want flatter cornering? Has it been regularly heavily loaded?

Dead battery in fob won't strand you, you get in (alarm honking) and use the ignition key to quickly cycle the ignition from off to on 3 times, that disables the alarm. Then , of course, you drive to the store and buy a battery for the fob, or you will be doing the procedure again.