Wha'z up? I have an Automatic Outback (2.5L) with no drive to the rear. Here are my questions:

1. I am seriously considering doing the work myself if I can get a reasonable manual to do the repair. One (obvious) objective is to minimize the cost. So my first question can youz point toward a cost effective set of reference materials?
   
2. I have seen the web site techinfo.subaru.com so I am aware of the PDFs available for download. Does techinfo.subaru.com offer a thorough explanation of the process of diagnostics and repair? Are these documents actual Factory Shop Manual excerpts?
   
3. I had the symptoms of the clutch binding and shaking when turning sharply back when the rear wheels still had drive. Does anyone know if I will need to replace the whole transfer case anyway?
   

Thanks everyone for reading. I dig this board!

 

Peace,

 

Richard

Still looking for some help on this. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am mainly looking for a good reference. Secondarily, looking for information on the transfer case possible replacement.

 

Thanks,

 

Richard

I would go with a set of factory manuals or at least the ones that cover the area you are going to be working on. If you get a hold of Jamie at Allsubaru.com , she will probably make you a good deal over full dealer prices for them.

You can download the complete Subaru Factory Service Manual in pdf format from http://techinfo.subaru.com/html/index.jsp

 

On that site, you have two options:

1. Pay for the downloads that you need (this will be fairly quick, but expensive);

2. Pay USD20 for 72-hour access to the download site. During the 72 hours you can download anything that you want from the site, but it takes time. The FSM consists of hundreds of individual pdf files. If you have the time (and a broadband connection), this is the way to go.

 

The Factory Service Manuals are excellent, with lots of detail. You may also be able to buy them at Subaru Dealerships, again for a price.

Unfortunately, you car is during the timeframe when Subaru used updates for each new year, so to have a complete FSM, you'd need to go back to the beginning. If I remember correctly that started in either 93 or 94 (I know the Impreza started in 93), so you would need all the books from the start to 96. I have a set that goes through 99 but it is not for sale. They started single year FSMs again starting in 2000. I don't know about these downloadable FSMs, and how complete they would be for your model year. If they are Subaru manuals, you'd need to download every book from 93 to 96.

You can download the complete Subaru Factory Service Manual in pdf format from http://techinfo.subaru.com/html/index.jsp

...

The Factory Service Manuals are excellent, with lots of detail. You may also be able to buy them at Subaru Dealerships, again for a price.

So you have used these downloads and you have been satisfied with their content and completeness??

 

Thanks,

 

Richard

"So you have used these downloads and you have been satisfied with their content and completeness??"

 

Yes I have download the 2002 Forester FSM. It is very detailed. As I downloaded, I renamed all of the pdf files with proper descriptions (otherwise the filenames mean nothing). I also purchased a hardcopy of the wiring diagrams (ordered through a local Subaru dealer for CAD$32); these come bound in one volume, and are easier to work with than the pdf files.

 

A previous post has mentioned that the 1999 FSM consists of updates. You may want to check into this. Maybe a dealer's service dept. can help.