kogber Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 Hi all, Just got this car private party today, with 96K. Here are the issues i have noticed. I would like some advice about repairs/maintenance. The battery is leaking acid. The tranny sometimes doesn't "catch" right way when switching into 2nd gear from a slow roll, it kind of skips a beat. There is a faint high pitched squeak that is on and off, sounds like its coing from the driver side tire area. Sounds like it is related to the rotation of the wheel. What psi should i keep on the tires? How soft should the breaks be on a 95 leg? Seems like i gotta push down kinda hard for the abs to kick in. What can I do to give the car an economical (read: cheap) tun-up for mpg and performance? I am going to a mechanic that my dad knows in the next week or so. What should he look for that are common Leg issues? The car seriously hauls rump roast @135hp ( probably actually less due to age) What motor oil should i use? thanks all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 Hi all, Just got this car private party today, with 96K. Here are the issues i have noticed. I would like some advice about repairs/maintenance. The battery is leaking acid. The tranny sometimes doesn't "catch" right way when switching into 2nd gear from a slow roll, it kind of skips a beat. There is a faint high pitched squeak that is on and off, sounds like its coing from the driver side tire area. Sounds like it is related to the rotation of the wheel. What psi should i keep on the tires? How soft should the breaks be on a 95 leg? Seems like i gotta push down kinda hard for the abs to kick in. What can I do to give the car an economical (read: cheap) tun-up for mpg and performance? I am going to a mechanic that my dad knows in the next week or so. What should he look for that are common Leg issues? The car seriously hauls rump roast @135hp ( probably actually less due to age) What motor oil should i use? thanks all Dude, get that battery outta there, sprinkle some baking soda around everywhere you even imagine acis could have gotten, rinse it out, repeat, rinse very well. If you have an automatic transmission, there are 2-3 good reasons to do a full flush (not just a drain and change). Might fix the shift problem. Inspect brake pad wear, there is a 'squealer/tattletale' indicator on the pad backplate designed to , well, indicate by sound when the pads are worn. If the manual and the sticker on the door don't mention the air pressure, I'd start with 30psi or high 20s in the front, and 3 psi less in the rear tires unless fully loaded with gear - then increase a couple psi. www.cars101.com might have a link to your specs on tires and other stuff. If you don't have the service history on the vehicle, you could just need a brake fluid flush/refill. Some folks do complain about soob ABS but ,in general, it works. Occasionally I read about a buzzing noise from the ABS but I THINK its a bad relay. Service the brakes and see if it's improved. That mileage seems a little low for your car, it may have seen more surface street, stop/go type use than highway miles. Might benefit from a good suspension/brake inspection and a Seafoam or other 'top cylinder' treatment to blow out some carbon. Probably a new PCV valve wouldn't hurt. - generally, if you don't know the service history, inpsect and service everything now. make sure the tires are all the same size brand style treadwear too. hopefully others will chime in that have direct experience with your model. carl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a97obw Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 Sounds like a possible brake problem on the corner making the "squealing" noise. Of course the ABS should only kick in if you "stab" the brake pedal hard. The ABS circuit is best tested off road...such as wet grass....to minimize any possible damage to the rest of the braking system. If you feel the brake pedal "pulsating" then rest assured it is working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 oh yeah, the oil ? Oil is one of those issues that might start an argument, but I think you'd be safe starting with just about any 5w-30 oil. If you experience leakage or unusual noises/usage, or plan some 'severe' usage for your vehicle. get back to us and someone will have more specific suggestions. Also, there's interesting reading at www.bobistheoilguy.com Carl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kogber Posted May 13, 2006 Author Share Posted May 13, 2006 Thanks for the input. My passenger side mirror is cracked in two, which online parts warehouses are the least expensive? Seems like K&N filters are not liked on this board; what type of filter should i get ? I listened to the engine today on a fresh start, and it seems to be outputting varying power; the engine gets a little more power and becomes lively, and then it will quiet down a bit, and this will be an ongiong cycle while the engine warms up. Any ideas what this behavior may indicate about needed repairs/maintenance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kogber Posted May 13, 2006 Author Share Posted May 13, 2006 I would like to add keyless entry to this car. Any recommendations there? The car currently has an aftermarket DEI Valet remote starter, if that makes a difference for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoahDL88 Posted May 13, 2006 Share Posted May 13, 2006 I can't tell you where to go for keyless, but i will strongly urge that if you do, be sure to install it right, we take about 3 of those systems out a week at work because of no-start problems to lockout problems, if you cut corners now, you'll be paying for it 10 fold later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 Thanks for the input. My passenger side mirror is cracked in two, which online parts warehouses are the least expensive? Seems like K&N filters are not liked on this board; what type of filter should i get ? I listened to the engine today on a fresh start, and it seems to be outputting varying power; the engine gets a little more power and becomes lively, and then it will quiet down a bit, and this will be an ongiong cycle while the engine warms up. Any ideas what this behavior may indicate about needed repairs/maintenance? I've had good luck buying from jamie (subiegal) at www.subarugenuineparts.com so far. They offer '6 packs' of oil filters with washers for the drain plug as well as other OEM parts and maintenance stuff. I THINK there are replacement mirrors in the aftermarket - probably cheaper than OEM - dunno. There are other good vendors on-line too. try a search or maybe someone else will respond. If you buy after market filters, Try to find Purolater filters. decent value. Most people sya Fram is inferior but I think the 'Toughgard'/whatever midline quality might be OK - just Fram's cheapest is - well cheap. I don't think K&N is quite as bad as some folks make out - I'm just not convinced it really gives you much advantage over a quality paper filter - plus, if you're not very careful about re-oiling it, damage can occur to a MAF equipped car. This is just based on reading. I have no experience with K&N on a soob. I did once use an oiled filter(amsoil) on a Datsun. It was OK I guess. If you have done any repair work or made adjustments to the car since you got it, be sure to try resetting the ECU by disconnecting the neg. batt. terminal, stepping on the brake pedal, wait 20-30 minutes, and reconnecting the battery. It's possible the surging will be fixed. If not, maybe an O2 sensor is getting lazy or something? Carl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kogber Posted May 16, 2006 Author Share Posted May 16, 2006 once again, thanks for the input. My soob has a doctor's appointment this saturday morning, so we'll see how that goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hocrest Posted May 16, 2006 Share Posted May 16, 2006 Thanks for the input. My passenger side mirror is cracked in two, which online parts warehouses are the least expensive? For parts, the best bet from Subaru is Liberty Subaru in New Jersey. Their online pricing isn't the best but if you call them up the are great at looking up parts and their pricing is better over the phone. Plus they only charge the actual shipping charge and they ship fast, coming from Jersey it is usually here the next day with standard shipping. For things like the mirror, try www.car-part.com this is an online junkyard database, when you find one usually it is better to call than use the email link. I just did a quick search and there are many different colors available close to you for $20-$75. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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