Another thought is the Pedal (return) Spring. May not be bringing the pedal all the way up.

Thanks, again! I'm happy to say it was simpler to fix, i.e., I rolled a wad of gorilla tape and stuck a penny in the middle. It fit fairly well into the place where the 'stopper' had apparently been. The brake pedal now rests against the penny pushing the plunger in, i.e., the brake lights go off when car isn't running, cruise control works and everything is working as well as can be expected from a 96 Outback with 306,000 miles. The next project is changing plugs and that will require removing a few parts, apparently. No worries and thanks again for your help... 

Well for $5.33 for the part that you linked, it seems you should upgrade from the penny/gorilla tape as you might want a more permanent fix.

Check with local Subie dealers in Tucson if any are close to you to avoid shipping charges?

E BAY listing HERE with free shipping for $5.27

Otherwise for the link you posted, shipping may be more than the part cost! Looks like about $10 shipping!!

Good work on noodling through the problem.

Edited March 1, 20206 yr by brus brother

Make it work for now, then fix it later.

Hopefully, the plugs come out easy. When you start to remove the spark plugs, go slow and see it they bind and start turning hard. If they do, let it sit and spray some PB Blaster around the base of the plug and let it sit for several hours. Turn the plug in and out until it frees up.

In case you have not read it on the forum yet, use "real" NGK plugs.

Your car has a bit to go to catch up to our 95 Legacy RHD at 472 k miles. Rust might retire it this year or next. I would like to see it go over 500 k.

7 hours ago, Rampage said:

Make it work for now, then fix it later.

Hopefully, the plugs come out easy. When you start to remove the spark plugs, go slow and see it they bind and start turning hard. If they do, let it sit and spray some PB Blaster around the base of the plug and let it sit for several hours. Turn the plug in and out until it frees up.

In case you have not read it on the forum yet, use "real" NGK plugs.

Your car has a bit to go to catch up to our 95 Legacy RHD at 472 k miles. Rust might retire it this year or next. I would like to see it go over 500 k.

teach an old dog new tricks!

never thought of the PB Blaster trick.

also, is it better to try removing plugs while engine is warm?

1 hour ago, brus brother said:

also, is it better to try removing plugs while engine is warm?

I normally do plugs cold or warm. Freeze Off is another good product. It is a little thinner than PB Blaster and I think it smells better.

According to the following from a dictionary, does it mean the aluminum expands tighter onto the plug, or looser from the plug with heat?

"The coefficient for aluminum is 2.4, twice that of iron or steel. This means that an equal temperature change will produce twice as much change in the length of a bar of aluminum as for a bar of iron or steel".

18 hours ago, brus brother said:

Well for $5.33 for the part that you linked, it seems you should upgrade from the penny/gorilla tape as you might want a more permanent fix.

Check with local Subie dealers in Tucson if any are close to you to avoid shipping charges?

E BAY listing HERE with free shipping for $5.27

Otherwise for the link you posted, shipping may be more than the part cost! Looks like about $10 shipping!!

Good work on noodling through the problem.

I'm okay with $10 for the part. The peculiar thing is that I did not find any of the old stopper on the floor, and I am wondering if the stopper is an optional part since if adjusted correctly the pin 'could' touch the brake pedal. Anyway, I am going to send a dealer the VIN later to verify the part is correct for my '96. It seems 'generic' for Subarus of more recent vintage, so to speak. I'm okay with noodling...it's just the part where you scratch off a layer of skin and fill it with encrusted oil that I don't look forward to. Thanks as usual.

13 hours ago, Rampage said:

Make it work for now, then fix it later.

Hopefully, the plugs come out easy. When you start to remove the spark plugs, go slow and see it they bind and start turning hard. If they do, let it sit and spray some PB Blaster around the base of the plug and let it sit for several hours. Turn the plug in and out until it frees up.

In case you have not read it on the forum yet, use "real" NGK plugs.

Your car has a bit to go to catch up to our 95 Legacy RHD at 472 k miles. Rust might retire it this year or next. I would like to see it go over 500 k.

The advice is helpful. I will try not to mess it up. The plugs have not been out 'for a long while'. I daresay Doris Jr. will not survive the rapidly ensuing ice age. She says she will be sure to blink her brights if she should have the pleasure of meeting your RHD in the great Subaru beyond. Much obliged as always.