edrach

Superior Import Repair has two shops in downtown Portland. Excellent service at reasonable prices. I live in Bothell, WA and often arrange work related trips to Portland so I can have some work done on my car there. www.fixmysuby.com will get you there.

Scores are posted: http://www.oregonrally.com/files/RX_4_5_2009.pdf

Pics can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/pdemarnephoto/sets/ Thank you to silversubie02WRX and his Dad for these fine pictures.

Really fun event with an interesting course for the morning and afternoon runs. I didn't do as well as I had hoped but I had a blast.

Here are two more charts to add to the first: http://www.gearhack.com/myink/ViewPage.php?file=docs/Subaru%20Transmission%20Chart http://www.gearhack.com/docs/Subaru%20Transmission%20Chart.html.files.hidden/Subaru%20Tranny%20Chart.pdf They might be the same, but I saw enough differences to include both.

There's a rectangular access panel inside the trunk behind the tail-light housing on each side. Remove the panel and twist off (1/4 turn CCW) the bulb holder, replace the bulb and re-install.

Legality is one thing. But safe is another. I wouldn't have anyone riding in the back legal or not.

100K miles; I've never bought an Impreza with less than 120K to start with! 100K is not old for a Subaru. It will be time for a new timing belt if it hasn't been done recently. Cost of a transmission....manual or automatic? Either way, find a used one that's okay and swap. If it's an automatice, a routine service and fluid change might solve its problems. Have an experienced mechanic check it out and give you an idea of what you're in for.

You have a faulty connector in there generating heat. Best solution is to buy new connectors at your local auto parts store and buttsplice them in. If you're using high wattage bulbs you'll need to replace the wiring harness with something that can handle the extra current. There a recent thred on that in this forum.

Here's some preliminary information on it. Close enough to the west coast that I might be able to make it. Oct 9-11 - 2009 RallyCross National Championship US Truck Driving School, Fountain, CO I don't have any other information as yet. Anyone who has more, feel free to chime in.

That's true, but the higher wattage bulbs are available in many types: 100/90 and 100/45 are the most common; I use the 100/45 since the low beams are the legal wattage and I'm not using the highs when I have on-comming traffic. They are also less strain on the wiring since low beam will not exceed the car's wiring specs.

To the OP: Once you get the correct key blank for your car, this may help get the key code for your car if your dealer can't cut you an original master. On the older Subarus and I believe the newer models like yours, the key code is stamped in the housing of the lock cylinder of the passenger side door. Removing the paneling (and other junk) and getting in there with an inspection mirror and flashlight should enable you to read the code and have a master cut. Once you get a working master key, most any locksmith should be able to duplicate keys from that for $2 to $3 per key.

I believe the OP said he only had the valet key. The master key is cut differently. All he can get with the key he has is another valet key.

I installed a heavy duty wiring harness, relays, and fuses for my headlamps when I went with the high wattage bulbs. Over the years, the only failure I've had with the system is that I have to replace the connectors every four or five years.

Having run, 100W bulbs for three decades now, here are some suggestions: The grease allows for better contact with the connector and lowers the heat generated there. The tipoff that it is not working any longer (or you have a bad connector) is that the plastic portion of the connector will turn brown and then black due to the excess heat generated. The next thing that happens is that headlamp will fail. Now understand what you're doing with the additional wattage: you are drawing more current through the wiring and switches which were installed in the car during manufacture. Watts divided by volts equals current: 60W draws 5 amps; 100W draws roughly 8.4 amps. Over time this will increase the chance of failure with anything in the headlamp circuit. If the car was over designed, the wiring, connectors, switches, etc. would likely handle the extra current. I'm sure the bean counters at Fuji Heavy Industries did not over design the lighting system. So what to do? Check out rally accessory places; not Schmucks or the like, but a true rally accessory shop (e.g. Competition Limited in Michigan or Primitive Racing in Oregon or any other place you can google). I bought a headlamp harness with heavier wiring, relays and fuses to handle the extra current and installed it in my car. Oh, did I not mention fuses in the original wiring of your car? Hopefully, the original fuses will carry the extra current. Make sure you bring spares. No, you don't increase the size of your fuses to handle the extra current; they are there to prevent the wiring from going up in smoke in cause of overload. Do the right thing, install a heavy duty wiring harness and get full advantage of all that extra brilliance in your lighting without having something crucial fail when you need it most. By the way, see my comment about heavy duty connectors in my reply to Manarius.

The last time I used one, I rented it from a tool rental place. Not worth my while to actually own one. If you rent one, negotiate for a spare battery and make sure they actually fully charged the ones you get.

The earlier Subarus all used a Nissan/Datsun keyblank if you couldn't get a new one from the dealer. Looks like that's not the case with the newer models.

Go back to a dealer and have him run your VIN # and hope the original salesman entered the keycode in the computer. If not try to get a key blank from them. I have key blanks for my '97 Impreza, SOA # 57430AA130 and they come with that cute little LED light. If you're pressed (and it's the right number) I'll sell one for $15 (a little more than I paid) plus mailing.

The rims will fit fine. That size tire is scary; I mounted that rim with that size tires and was amazed how little clearance there was between the tire and the rear strut. They didn't rub, but I took them off to be safe.

http://stores.ebay.com/RAP-Whse This showed up recently in someone else's post. Steering racks rebuilt for Subaru (and other cars). My Impreza ('97) had the rack rebuilt when I found the dealer cost was over $600! Their rebuild is $254 with a $125 core charge returned to you once they receive your rebuildable core. Useful to know.

Wow! Great prices. I checked his store and found this for my Impreza:http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/RACK-PINION-1993-1997-SUBARRU-IMPREZA_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742Q2em153Q2el1262QQcategoryZ33589QQihZ025QQitemZ380112970881 That was less than half the price of a new one from the dealer! And if I read the ad correctly, you get a core charge of $125 refunded when you return your old rack.

Now the oil pan gasket is much harder to do than the motor mounts IMHO. If the gasket isn't leaking don't bother until it is. The job is a tad messy and if you don't need it, leave it be.

Check your owner's manual. I believe it specifies GL-5 level for the gearoil. 75W90 is the preferred viscosity; getting the heavier gear oil will only make shifting more sluggish (been there done that). For a high mileage car like yours I would suggest Redline's 75W90NS gear oil; works great in reducing synchro grind on our '91 Legacy with over 260K on the car. I wouldn't suggest the NS in the rear diff; but 75W90 should be fine there.

VIN # can be found on the driver's side of the dash near the windshield or on a plate along the driver's side door pillar. Also check the title; model should be listed there. Also, the DL version only had a single range tranny as opposed to a dual range (hi/lo) for the GL model. I really don't know what came with an automatic. The GL logo is available on ebay and could have easily been changed. Automatic tranny might also denote it's a turbo engine since the turbo brat only came with an automatic tranny. Look for rust under the body where the muffler exits. If the exhaust is compromised, exhaust gases mix with the moisture in the air and form acid which rusts out that area. Not structurely significant but a pain to fix. Regardless of whether this is a DL or GL, if the body is rust free $1000 is a good price. Engine, transmission, suspension, and such can all be replaced with parts from an early wagon which can be found all the time in wrecking yards. This sounds like a fine project car if you are inclined to spend the time on it.

Try OEM (I use Jason in parts at Mike Scarf Subaru 866-528-5282). I bought two kits for our Impreza recently (one was seals and the other bellows if I remember correctly). Not quite as cheap as ebay, but I only had to wait a few days to get them.