edrach

You probably saved a set of tires with the alignment too.

Thanks. I got them. I knew the limit was pretty high but 13 megs would certainly "tilt" the system.

Just a small addition to nipper's excellent suggestions. Allow the engine to run until the fan kicks in and starts to spin. This insures the engine is up to normal operating temperature when you are topping up the coolent. Let the fan cycle off and on to confirm everything is okay.

I'll take a few of those. Send them to edrach@spamcop.net. thanks. ---ed----

I'm coming into this thread late. I have to agree on the understeer. I never had issues with the front end plowing on my rallycross brat until I added the LSD to it. I'm considering adding a VLSD to my Impreza next year and I'm curious how the VLSD differs in terms of tendency to understeer as well as how it behaves at low speeds when it might be less effective than a true LSD.

If you haven't already read it, look at this thread: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=84248 I haven't a whole lot of faith in the after-market rebuilds. Also, there was a thread recently where the poster went through two rebuilds only to find that both times the after market place had given him the wrong model (the most expensive one to boot!). Going with an OEM for his car fixed all his problems. I think you're right to have the electrical shop in town test what you've got. If you're ever down in Seattle I can give you the name of the shop in Ballard that I trust to rebuild all my alternators.....real "old school" guy who really knows his stuff.

DVM will measure ripple also although that's a moot point since the battery acts as a large capacitor to smooth out the ripple. Important thing is to determine the DC voltage at the battery at idle (around 12VDC) and then increase the rpm to about 2500; voltage should increase to around 14 to 14.5VDC maximum. If the voltage increases above 15VDC the voltage regulator in the alternator is shot. And that would be a good reason for your headlight bulbs to burn out. Measure the voltage at the battery terminals. If you want to measure the AC voltage (ripple) then set the DVM to AC and measure it also. I'd have to check my car to see what's normal for ripple. Generally there are three important things to know about alternators: 1) DC voltage output: Is it enough to charge the battery and run your accessories. And is it limited by the regulator to 14.5 VDC so it won't damage your electrics. 2) High ripple indicates that one of the output diodes is open; but this would show up as low output (i.e. less than 12 VDC at idle). 3) Are the bearings still good; if the alternator "growls" when the engine is running it's probably time to have it replaced or rebuilt. Given the symptoms, I would bet you a beer that the Schuck's alternator's regulator has failed in yours.

The brat makes more sense for where you're going and the fact you might be hauling stuff with it. I'd certainly consider replacing both axles before you go and making sure everything works. No sense having a problem with it "out in the boonies." And I'm not sure either axle will last being towed cross country.

By the way, I replaced my battery today. I didn't experience any problems with the lights flashing. Maybe the '99 Forester system is different, or I did all the right things. I disabled the alarm before I started, removed the battery and installed the new one. When I hooked up the negative terminal the alarm went off and I turned it off with the keyfob thingy. After that everything was normal. I wish you the same success. Edit: By the way, I had the ignition off before I started and never turned it on during the battery replacement.

Do you have a digital voltmeter? It's pretty easy to check out the alternator voltage. The lights shouldn't dim when you apply the brakes. There's definitely an issue here you need to follow up on. Did your dealer do the alternator and battery? If so, go back and have them check it out. Even if they say it's okay, go to any autoparts store and get a second opinion.

I moved out here in 1988 from Wilmington, DE and grew up in northern NJ. I had nothing against NJ and knew the area better than most (my wife and I were active car rallyists until we moved to Wilmington; then we cut back on our activities). Only thing I miss about the east coast is friends who I've known for 30+ years. This area (Seattle) has everything you could want within a 2 hour drive in terms of land or scenery. Seattle has an active bio-medical industry which will increase in the next few years due to Paul Allen's development of the Lake Union area. So you shouldn't have too much trouble finding work. Salaries might be lower than back east (locals tend not to move just for a salary increase) but that's offset by living in a great area. Housing, however, can be pricey. Commuting can be a chore, but our local traffic is nothing compared to what I remember in north Jersey and NYC. Weather is generally mild around the Puget Sound. Winters are not nearly as cold as I remember in NJ and the summers don't get as hot. The only thing is you need to be able to put up with the grey and the drizzle for 6 months of the year. If that depresses you, you might consider staying back east. Take a vacation out here and get to know the area before you make the "great leap." Good luck with your decision and if you come out for a "look-see" let us know you're here.

She's pretty stoked with it.

It's a model S with the power locks and security system, alloy wheels, and heated:banana: seats. It's pretty posh compared to what we've been used to. Best part is that it's a 5 speed with fairly low miles for a '99 (114K). We've looked at more than a dozen Foresters in the last two months (and never bothered to look at another two dozen because the price or the miles were outrageous).

They are pretty scarce here too. I've only snagged two in over 5 years of pretty consistent PAP addiction.

Actually, it was posted on the Toyota Motorhomes yahoo site I frequent. But I couldn't resist posting it here.

I had the same problem on our old '86 GL wagon. Turns out the voltage regulator on the alternator was toast and outputting 17+ volts to the headlights! Have the alternator checked quickly, since if it's the alternator there are much more expensive parts to fry other than the headlamp bulbs. Good luck with it and I hope it was just a bad batch of bulbs.

The easiest way is to disconnect the positive terminal on the battery and charge it fully. After the battery is charged, start the car and actuate either the lock or unlock button until the lights stop flashing. You might luck out and get the lights to stop flashing without starting the car. I know this may not help since it's not a quick fix but it should get you back to running again. I'm going to be doing this tomorrow on my Forester since I have to change out the battery. If my advice doesn't work (I was told the technique by an experienced Subaru mechanic of many years) I'll be in the same position you are now. I'm wishing both of us luck.

Judging from what you found it confirms that the DOJ (inner) was bad. Good to make Autozone eat it. Just a comment, the clicking noise indicating a bad axle is always from the CVJ (outer). A bad outer joint will click under full lock conditions indicating failure. A DOJ failure is almost always silent (NEVER clicking in my experience). Vibration under acceleration which goes away instantly when you let off on the gas is the hallmark indication of a bad DOJ. The vibration can be very minor or so bad you think the transmission is about to fall out of the car.

The only diff we're sure of is the rear LSD 3.700). If the car was having difficulty in 4WD with your original rear diff (3.900) you might have lucked out and gotten a 3.700 front diff which will match the LSD now in it. I don't believe that any of the earlier transmissions had a label on them to indicate a part number. Three things that might help. 1) Go back to Pull a Part and yank the transmission out of the car that had the LSD in it. If it's a d/r you should be okay with it. 2) Go back to the car that had the transmission that you now have in your car and look for the transmission part number on the VIN # plate in the engine compartment. Armed with that part number you might be able to confirm what ratio gearbox you have. Do this very carefully (i.e. don't be under the car while you're trying to count turns): 3)Drive your current car up onto one ramp to raise that side off the ground. Except for the AWD tranny, all the front diffs are Open. Put wheel chocks on the rear wheel as the ramp side to keep the car from moving. Jack up the other front wheel until it's off the ground. Mark the wheel with chalk at the 12 o'clock postion and turn the wheel and count turns. Now here's where theory runs into reality. Turning either the front wheel 3.7 revolutions (or 3.9) will result in one revolution of the driveshaft.....or the other way around....one revolution of the front wheel will result in either 3.7 or 3.9 turns of the driveshaft depending on the front diff ratio. I've never had to try method 3 before (and that's why I'm confused about the turns), but it should tell you something if methods 1 & 2 fail to get you the information you need. Lastly, try to meet up with XSNRG. He's reasonably local to you and might be able to figure out what you have there. A lot of information may have been mixed up in all these posts and speaking with someone in person who's pretty much an expert might resolve this dilemna. Good luck.

I just checked your SS link and it talks about Rally America's regs for rally cars. My reply to you was specifically about rallycross where SCCA regs are quite different in that they separate Stock FWD and Stock AWD into two separate classes. If you're building a RA car, I'd likely go with a FWD Impreza; cheaper to acquire and build; easier to learn when new to the sport. If you're building a rallycross car, I'd definitely go with the AWD Impreza since it's more fun to drive.

A big consideration with the Impreza is its lighter weight compared to the Legacy. You'll also find that the EJ18 is a very sporty engine that just loves to rev especially if you stick with 14" tires/wheels (car is a comparitive stone with 15" or larger). Another consideration is select your car carefully and choose one of the earlier Imprezas with the 4.11 rear. My old '94 Impreza (the white one which I ran two years ago) was sold to Paul Eklund and he's using it as a rental car for his rallycross school. I never confirmed the fact but my suspicion is that it has the 4.11 rear since it out performed my EJ22 wagon. You might try renting it at one of Paul E's schools to see if you like it. IMHO the EJ18 is a more reliable engine than either the EA82 and EJ22. Also, the EJ18 has more hp (and torque?) than the EA82. If cost is a consideration, the EJ18 can be had for a song compared to the EJ22.

You'll drop about 400 rpm at freeway speeds with the new 5th. You're right about the closer ratios on the way up that will help. The old gearbox was rev the tar out of 3rd or lug along in 4th going up long hills.

After three months of looking for a suitible replacement for my wife's Impreza we finally found the perfect car for her. A model S with a 5 speed in the color my wife preferred. Thanks to richierich who found this gem for us. Now I get the Impreza for myself.

Boy, I wouldn't have believed the old 4th gear ratio was so close the the new 5th; it certainly feels more like an over-drive than the numbers would indicate. The biggest difference that the numbers show is more "dig" in 3rd and 4th with the new gearbox.

I couldn't say since I use stock wheels/tires on my brat as well as a weber (which helps also). Try asking Zap, Qman, or Turbone4x4 since they have rigs with the larger tires.