February 26, 200719 yr Hey all, I just picked up a 95 legacy L with 178k on the body. The engine has 80k on it and the timing belt/water pump has just been changed. HOWEVER... there are a number of issues I need help/advice on, since this is my first subie. 1. at low speeds, it brakes well. At highway speeds, the steering wheel shakes like crazy! I feel no pedal pulsations at all at low speed. 2. There are a few sporatic oil leaks. One is at the rear differential seal and when I checked the bolts, the upper (socket into the engine) is stripped. 3. Cruise won't engage (fuses are fine). 4. The VIN SAYS it has ABS... but it doesn't fire at all. 5. The clutch friction point is WAYYY high... (about 2 inches from the top of travel...) 6. Gas gauge is either full... or empty (I read a fix somewhere around here I am going to try...) and finally... 6. Minor electronics stuff in the cabin (light behind the time liquid crystal display is out, the cig lighter doesn't work [and I need that to plug in my phone/radar detector] and the lights behind the climate control unit are out.) HELP!!!
February 26, 200719 yr Maybe rotate the tires immediately to see if that changes the shake at all. It'll help isolate the problem. I would live with it a week or so to see if it's going to live. By then you can check oil consumption, antifreeze consumption, battery life. Get tires balanced, or replaced if worn. Go over the brakes. Maybe the tone pickups are plugged. See at that point. A "top" clutch sounds like to be too tight a cable. Maybe over adjusted to compensate for something. Then you got a driver, or not. The rest of the stuff you can live with for a while. Hey all,I just picked up a 95 legacy L with 178k on the body. The engine has 80k on it and the timing belt/water pump has just been changed. HOWEVER... there are a number of issues I need help/advice on, since this is my first subie. 1. at low speeds, it brakes well. At highway speeds, the steering wheel shakes like crazy! I feel no pedal pulsations at all at low speed. 2. There are a few sporatic oil leaks. One is at the rear differential seal and when I checked the bolts, the upper (socket into the engine) is stripped. 3. Cruise won't engage (fuses are fine). 4. The VIN SAYS it has ABS... but it doesn't fire at all. 5. The clutch friction point is WAYYY high... (about 2 inches from the top of travel...) 6. Gas gauge is either full... or empty (I read a fix somewhere around here I am going to try...) and finally... 6. Minor electronics stuff in the cabin (light behind the time liquid crystal display is out, the cig lighter doesn't work [and I need that to plug in my phone/radar detector] and the lights behind the climate control unit are out.) HELP!!!
February 26, 200719 yr 1 - Either broken belts in the tires or more likley warped rotors, Blu does the same thing, especially over 70 mph (makes life interesting at 100 plus). 2- Subarus leak when the seals get old, can most likely use a general reseal. What socket are you talking about? 3- Complicated, but start by looking under the hood for any missing or broken vacume lines (follow the cable from the throttle body to the vacum canister thingy). Check the clutch switch. Check the brake switch. 4- Not sure what you are saying. 5- May need a clutch, check the cable adjustment. 6- Typical, use the chevon cleaner, you can get it at any autoparts store. This usually makes it better if not fixes it. The low fule light is always reliable. 7- Climate control lights, do a search (i think there is a sticky on it). Its a radio shack bulb, and akin to replacing miniture xmass lights. nipper
February 27, 200719 yr Author 1 - Either broken belts in the tires or more likley warped rotors, Blu does the same thing, especially over 70 mph (makes life interesting at 100 plus). 2- Subarus leak when the seals get old, can most likely use a general reseal. What socket are you talking about? 3- Complicated, but start by looking under the hood for any missing or broken vacume lines (follow the cable from the throttle body to the vacum canister thingy). Check the clutch switch. Check the brake switch. 4- Not sure what you are saying. 5- May need a clutch, check the cable adjustment. 6- Typical, use the chevon cleaner, you can get it at any autoparts store. This usually makes it better if not fixes it. The low fule light is always reliable. 7- Climate control lights, do a search (i think there is a sticky on it). Its a radio shack bulb, and akin to replacing miniture xmass lights. nipper 2. General reseal? meaning replace all the seals?? (Head gasket?) It looks like the Differential cover is this round cap with two holes that extend off of it (this is on the firewall side of the passenger side of the engine... under the air intake tube). The two bolts (13mm?) screw through the cap and into the engine. The upper one of those bolt holes in the engine has been stripped. 4. The car is supposed to have ABS. It doesn't work at all... (is what I mean). I put it on ice and slammed the brakes down... I just slid with no pulsations or what I would consider the normal noises associated with ABS. 5. Where IS the cable adjustment How would I know if it needed a clutch? 6. I already threw in a bottle of techron. No change.
February 27, 200719 yr Reseal meaning cam seals, main engine seal, reseal the oil pump. If the engine is out you also do the rear main and the replace the seperator plate (if its plastic). Also if the engine is out you do the valve cover gaskets and spark plug seals (just because). Dead ABS - first check the fuse. Make sure the relays are there on the abs unit and working. After that you need to see if power is getting to the ABS unit. the ABS is usually trouble free. Can be the fuse was pulled due to a sticking relay. Get the haynes manual or somenone will explain the adjustment. To see the condition of the clutch. Start off from a dead stop in 3rd or 4th gear. No matter what you do the car should stall buck or kick. If you can move it the clutch is starting to go. Techron, sometimes it takes more then one tank of gas or one bottle to fix it. nipper
February 27, 200719 yr Author Dead ABS - first check the fuse. Make sure the relays are there on the abs unit and working. After that you need to see if power is getting to the ABS unit. the ABS is usually trouble free. Can be the fuse was pulled due to a sticking relay nipper where IS the ABS unit anyway
February 27, 200719 yr i think on your car it's at the right front side of the car, near the radiator. Look around for a square thing with brake lines in it. nipper
February 28, 200719 yr I found this on ABS http://www.endwrench.com/pdf/brakes/FtSubaruABSS99.pdf nipper
February 28, 200719 yr When I got the turbo legacy the abs light was on, turns out somebody had unpluged it right by the pump. Could you post a pic of the diff cover, or whatever it is you are talking about, because I'm not able to visualize it at all for what you've said.
February 28, 200719 yr Author welp... there is no ABS module in the car niiice! Anyone have any luck with a how-to on the clutch? ALSO... does anyone know how hard it is to do a strut replacement? (front and rear) N
February 28, 200719 yr A lot of the folks on this board have replaced thier struts. I'll let the rust state folks comment here because here in CA mine just unbloted fairly easily. The toughest thing here is installing the springs with cheap spring clamps. There are a couple of ways to get around this like getting a recently replaced set of struts from a junkyard complete with springs or having a shop install springs for you. It's DIY job if you have some tools and don't mind a bit of grundge and a struggle.
March 1, 200719 yr Lots of penitrating oil, depending on the amount of rust. To get some of the parts off my 90 donor legacy i had to go for three or four days spraying bolts with pb blast to get them to budge
March 2, 200719 yr Author ok... so the struts might be a pain in the tail... Anyone out there have info on adjusting the clutch??? N
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