Danbob Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Okay so I got my 95 legacy L wagon today and noticed a couple of things.... 1. The shifter has tons of play and buzzes - I read the thread and I am going to replace the bushings 2. The rear tailgate is perfectly fine, but for some odd reason, the actual latch/handle to open it form the outside are completely rusted out...Sound famiiar???? easy to fix? Everythign works but the metal is so rusted that its basically dirt. 3. Power lock fuse is pulled because of a bad driver side solenoid...read the thread...gonna clean it and get a new one if cleanign doesn't work 4. When turning at low speeds and accelerating at low speeds, there is some kind of clicking sound...is this an axle? 5. The car drives wonderfully otherwise and I had her cruising at 75 with no problems at all, but it's quite loud....Sounds like the Loyale that I drove...Lots of drivetrain noise and deceleration noise...I am used to a wrx so is this normal for these cars? Other than that the car handles like a dream, starts every time faster than most new cars, and has NO leaks whatsoever. Am I screwed with these little things, or are they all no big deal? Thanks a ton! - Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manarius Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 4 is a shot axle. 5: Sure it's not tire noise? Might need to swap out the oil in the trans and rear diff to quiet that thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danbob Posted August 10, 2006 Author Share Posted August 10, 2006 crap...how much is a shot axle to have replaced? How dangerous is it to ddrive on one? I was thnking I should do the tranny fluids....Car has some beefy noisy tires on it, but it's more of like whining coming from the front on acceleration and deceleration. Cruising is fine and there is not really any noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manarius Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 crap...how much is a shot axle to have replaced? How dangerous is it to ddrive on one? Lifetime warranty ones are $60 each. And replacing them is about 1 hour's worth of labor. So, figure in about $120-130 total for one axle. Now, which way are you turning when the axle clicks? This way we can figure out which one needs replaced. Also, it would help for you to visually inspect them. Look under the car. If you're looking from the front, you'll see 4 large rubber boots; two on each side. If any one of those is torn, that axle should be replaced. Now, remember, your car has 4 axles...half shafts as we call them; one for each drive wheel. The front ones tend to go bad after 50k+ miles so...get lifetime warranty ones so you can have them replaced only for the cost of labor every time one breaks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danbob Posted August 10, 2006 Author Share Posted August 10, 2006 OKOK thats not as bad as I thought....Figured you were gonna tell me like 500 bucks for them LOL I did check the CV boots...no tears that I could see on any of the fronts. the noise sounds like it's coming from the right side of the car. It does make the sound in a straight line too, but only first starting out in first gear. I think that when I turn the wheel to the right the noise is greatest. I don't really care about the other stuff....tailgate latch, lock solenoid, etc....I just want the car in perfect running condition. It does have a brand new clutch and drives beautifully on the highway...it just feels like it sat for a while before I bought it. Anything I can lubricate without taking the car apart to give a a bit more smoothness??? I am very unfamiliar with legacys but I know WRX's very well and have done mild to moderate modifications on them. Unfortunately the legacys are not as similar to wrx's as I thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danbob Posted August 10, 2006 Author Share Posted August 10, 2006 OH!!! forgot one thing.... When starting in first gear, the car feels almost like the e-brake is pulled up a bit...but it's not.....it's wierd though....the car just doesn't roll back and feels "locked" for a split second....even if on a hill. Once it get's going just a tiny bit though, it's perfect...what is this??? I know they didn't have hill holder on '95 legacies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guy123 Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 On the topic of the axles- I just wanted to note that I had my front axles replaced about a month ago and the total came to around $450. This wasn't at a stealership or anything either, this was actually done by a mechanic I know personally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danbob Posted August 10, 2006 Author Share Posted August 10, 2006 Someone told me that the car does not roll back in first gear because it actually does have some type of hill holder thing.....Is this true? Bump for a but more commentary on the issues with this car that I have addressed Thanks again guys....it's not easy being a legacy noob.:-\ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rweddy Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 OH!!! forgot one thing.... When starting in first gear, the car feels almost like the e-brake is pulled up a bit...but it's not.....it's wierd though....the car just doesn't roll back and feels "locked" for a split second....even if on a hill. Once it get's going just a tiny bit though, it's perfect...what is this??? I know they didn't have hill holder on '95 legacies Yes 95 still had the hill holder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smpol19 Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 LThe front ones tend to go bad after 50k+ miles so...get lifetime warranty ones so you can have them replaced only for the cost of labor every time one breaks. I have never seen a subaru axel that has only lasted 50k miles, mine have usualy gone somewhere closer to 120k. Also I find the subaru brand remanufactured axels to be of much better quality then the parts store brand, so if you don't have the time to replace them and don't mind paying for some quality ones I'd go with these, usualy about $200usd each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manarius Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 I have never seen a subaru axel that has only lasted 50k miles, mine have usualy gone somewhere closer to 120k. Also I find the subaru brand remanufactured axels to be of much better quality then the parts store brand, so if you don't have the time to replace them and don't mind paying for some quality ones I'd go with these, usualy about $200usd each. So, let's say a reman axle lasts 60k miles and a Subaru one lasts 120k miles. You go 120k miles. In that 120k, you'll have replaced the reman axle twice(at 60k and at 120k) - coming to a total of $120 (because all you're paying is labor). However, your price for the OEM axle has come to $260 as you needed to get ANOTHER oem axle and then you needed to pay $60 in labor to have it fixed. Looks to me like I paid less than half what you paid with an OEM axle even though it lasts twice as long. Doesn't make any sense to me to do it that way. BTW, guy 123, you got screwed unless you used two Subaru OEM axles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danbob Posted August 10, 2006 Author Share Posted August 10, 2006 UPDATE :-) Took it in for NYS inspection and this is what they found: Busted CVboot/axle on passenger side Needs rear brake shoes Broken stud on the wheel Needs oil change They are fixing it all today and my new mechanic (who is awesome) told me around 300-350 for everything which is fine by me....I am used to WRX prices so I thought al this stuff would cost me like 800 bucks LOL As for the rear latch and all that, I am gonna wait a little while. It still closes just fine...just is totallly rusted and sticks a lot. As long as it works, I am not gonna bother right now. thanks for all your help to everyone who helped me! - Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danbob Posted August 10, 2006 Author Share Posted August 10, 2006 got the car back and all is well for now.... mechanic said that there is some noise comming from the tranny...is this related to the shifter bushings or is the tranny just making loud noises? He said that changing the tranny fluid might not be a good idea because he said that the can actualy make things mucch worse if there is something already wrong....is this true? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manarius Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 got the car back and all is well for now.... mechanic said that there is some noise comming from the tranny...is this related to the shifter bushings or is the tranny just making loud noises? He said that changing the tranny fluid might not be a good idea because he said that the can actualy make things mucch worse if there is something already wrong....is this true? Changing is usually good, flushing is usually bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fnlyfnd Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 Subaru drivetrains are loud. Even on my g/fs 05 legacy. Watch what you put in your tranny, do a search on nasoic for "uncle scotty's cocktail." You can search hear but everyone is split on what to use. Use mobil 1 in the rear diff. The latch is super easy to fix and cheap, all you need is a new bracket and a new handle. Dont let it go to long it will infect the guts. Also, the paint will be pretty rusty but a clay bar does wonders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smpol19 Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 So, let's say a reman axle lasts 60k miles and a Subaru one lasts 120k miles. You go 120k miles. In that 120k, you'll have replaced the reman axle twice(at 60k and at 120k) - coming to a total of $120 (because all you're paying is labor). However, your price for the OEM axle has come to $260 as you needed to get ANOTHER oem axle and then you needed to pay $60 in labor to have it fixed. Looks to me like I paid less than half what you paid with an OEM axle even though it lasts twice as long. Doesn't make any sense to me to do it that way. Very true, I didn't say it made economic sense. but as much as I enjoy working on cars, I'd rather be forced to do so as little as possible so its usualy worth a little more to me to know I won't have to do a job again for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danbob Posted August 12, 2006 Author Share Posted August 12, 2006 Ahh I know uncle scotty's VERY well. I use a similar mixture in my baby (modded 04 wrx) i just didnt know that I could use it in my legacy! That's awesome! About the latch - the trunk is in beautiful shape EXCEPT for the latch. There's not even any rust or oxidation anywhere on the tailgate....or anywhere on the car except a small amount right on the rear fender that is getting taken care of tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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