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Tearing apart a 1980 Subaru GL wagon automatic. Wondering if anybody has any interest in any trim parts or glass or doors etc. I think the transmission governor is apple cored but not sure. Let me know what you need and I’ll let you know if it is available. I live in southern Oregon if anyone wants stuff. May be willing to ship at buyers expense.

After two Legs, a 92 and a 95, i moved on to a Forester 4 years ago, bought also one for my GF... But every now and then i check to see if a nice old Leg is around and gosh, shouldnt have open the site! this came up for sale, one owner, 80K miles.... on top,it's exactly same color as my first Leg, 18 years ago.... even the price is good.... I know it's dorky but how to resist?

not necessarily. that would kind of depend on just how sloppy the joints are and where.... an inner joint is not going to make any noises when turning, but can cause vibrations. in fact, vibrations are typically caused by the inner joints, not the outer so yeah, axles are very much suspect here.

actually, crap axles can, will, and have caused symptoms like this... and as for it not happening right away.. i can see that happening with crap axles... chilly at night, grease in the joints gets stiff... initial driving the grease is still stiff so joints are not sloppy, but slowly warms up, allowing any excess movement in the joints to become noticeable. makes perfect sense to someone that has had it happen. bad tires (out of round) is possible, but i dont see that not showing right away... definitely have bushings, tie rod ends, etc looked at.. and yeah.. have the mechanic show you specifically what the problem is before having things replaced.

Dear @Imdew, Thanks for the comment about Subaru brand axles. I will definitely ask them if they used those. Dear @laegion, I will certainly try and see if there is any shaking/swaying of the steering wheel at low speeds. I hope I can ask the (100% Subaru) mechanic to "prove" the part is the issue; so far, they are indicating the parts are indeed bad, and I'm not sure with the age and mileage of the car if one could find all kinds of parts that are bad?? Also extremely dry climate may have whatever impacts, it certainly dries out rubber fast (like windshield wipers). I did make a phone call to the dealer and (over the phone only, mind you) they suggested it was the control-arm bushings or compliance bushings. Unfortunately, between the Subaru dealer and the Subaru mechanic, the mechanic has been more reliable over the last 20 years...dealer notorious for overcharging, misdiagnosing, etc. Thank you for the list of other possibilities! I hope they can find out what's wrong. I planned to keep the car to at least 300k mi. Do they even make velour seats anymore?

It's totally normal for the cruise control to turn off when the check engine light comes on - yes it's dumb but that's what they do. "Shaking abnormally and power steering" - are not related to the check engine lights. Start another thread asking about those and give better details. Take note: Neither of those is a big deal - meaning they aren't going to leave you stranded (very unlikely anyway, I am making some assumptions with limited info). Very briefly: a. shaking during braking (like exiting a highway) is just a front rotor that's warped. Very common and benign but annoying. Have the front rotor(s) turned if you can find a place to do it. Shop across the street from my office does it for $15 if I take them the rotor. You absolutely don't need new rotors and if your current ones are stock they'll be higher quality metal and less prone to rust than generic replacements. Power steering - 05-09 power steering systems in Subarus have issues. Describe your specific symptoms and start annother thread. P0420: 1. If you have any exhaust leaks - fix them first. 2. General tune up - ideally you get new NGK spark plugs, Subaru or NGK spark plug wires, new PVC and see if you get lucky and the code goes away. Usually it doesn't. You're better off ignoring the P0420, check engine light, and just get used to not having cruise control. You can drive 100,000 miles all day long with a P0420 code. It's All but meaningless on a nearly 20 year old vehicle. Unless you're getting horrible gas mileage but you didn't say that. You can sometimes diagnose it and end up with a simpler solution - but you're highly unlikely to find the technical expertise to do this so usually it's just simpler to install a new converter. 99% of shops are just going to install a new converter. If you need it fixed you'll need a new catalytic converter and preferrably a Subaru one as aftermarkets are prone to early failure. If you get aftermarket which might be your only reasonble choice get a Wagner or other well known brand.