I recently purchased a '96 Outback Wagon (5mt, EJ22, 114K) for my daughter to commute to college. Having owned two 4wd GL wagons back in the 80's and 90's, I knew the advantage of having a reliable car that gets good gas mileage and can safely navigate the Utah winters. Compared to those slow and sturdy GL's, this OB is a rocket ship! But there were several things that needed attention, so I joined this board and got the necessary information to:

 

- cure the CEL and idle fluctuations by replacing the knock sensor and

the ECU's coolant temp sensor (it idles perfectly now and no CEL);

 

- fix the cruise by installing the $4 plastic insert in the clutch pedal arm;

 

- shine up the heat-hazed outer plastic on the headlamp assemblys with

some brake fluid; and

 

- buy the little bulbs from Radio Shack to tackle replacing the burned out

climate control lamps.

 

I can't say I look forward to the next issue that will pop up, but having this board as a resource will sure make whatever it a lot more bearable. You folks have saved me a lot of time, money and aggravation, so please accept my heart-felt "Thanks!"

 

John

Hopefully things will be fine for some time now that you have taken care of the little issues that come up with owning a slightly used car. I wish I had a car that nice when I was that age. Things are different now.

Thanks for the thanks. You can' count how much advice is given here without any response from the questioner. Did it help? Did it solve the problem? etc.

Good luck. If people respond that the advice helped, we all learn something. If not, what's the point?