zyewdall

You've already tried everything I was going to suggest and it sounds like you've replaced the entire front of the car, pretty much. I've had vibrations from flat tires (even at full psi they had a flat spot, from sitting at low psi in one place for too long) and from bad CV's (didn't click, just vibrated under power). But you've swapped those out it sounds like. Can you feel the vibration anywhere else besides the steering wheel? In the shifter (especially high/low range shifter) If so, then it could be related to motor mounts, transmission mounts, or bearings/u-joints of the driveshaft. That usually shows up more in other places than the steering... but it's my last guess.

I agree -- $1000. It sounds pretty un-rusty for an eastern car. Master cylinder is easy to fix. What's the clunk??? u-joint? rear brakes? I don't know what the regulations are on windshields are there. Here, cracks all over are considered pretty normal, but some states have inspections of such things. Clutch cable may need replacing if it feels sticky. The windows probably need the tracks cleaned inside -- electrically they usually still try, but don't have enough power left to actually move the window... though, on my '89 wagon, one would only go up from the driver's console, and one would only go up from the local control. All the rest worked okay... Z

They don't have a two axle dyno? Here, they have a special lane for the full time AWD vehicles, because there are so many of them. I can't imagine they could run an effective smog program otherwise. But maybe CA doesn't have as many subarus and such. They still can't run the dyno if you have studded tires -- which kind of sucks. Several of my vehicles are unregistered because I don't drive them enough in the summer to warrant buying a whole new set of tires just to dyno them (but luckily most of them of getting old enough to get collector plates soon and not require dyno tests every year). Z

Wouldn't taking the cat out make it worse? As far as unburned HC in the exhaust? If it's running rich, then the cat will help burn some of the unburned gas at least. Z

Picture Not really that bad, except that this justy didn't have a single dent on it before.

Up California Gluch, near the top end of left hand canyon. I'd seen the same two moose (I assume) a few miles away a few days earlier while hiking around. Also saw a small herd of Elk there too (didn't hit any of them

Or, more properly, it hit me. I was going about 5mph up a dirt road, trying not to hit any of the 5 dogs that came out of a house to bark at me. Suddenly, a moose hit the left front fender and tumbled acros the hood, and walked away to the right side and stood there glaring at me with another moose. It was either charging the car, or the dogs, or maybe both. Smashed in the left fender, broke the marker light and put some dents in the hood. Mangled up one windshield wiper -- I have no idea how it managed to avoid breaking the windshield. Overall, very little damage for something the size of a large horse. But still, kind of more excitment than I was really needing on a thursday evening.... Oh, other wierd karmic thing. I knew I wasn't going to like what I found up this road before I even started up it -- though I wasn't expecting a moose. The creek at the bottom had turned orange and twice the normal volume, so I suspected the old mine tunnel at the top had burst with all the fresh influx of groundwater from the 4 feet of snow melting the last two weeks and was draining the backed up water into the creek. Turns out, yes. Plus, a grumpy pair of meese.

The only subaru engine I've seen with a hole in the block was an EJ22 overrevved for quite some time and threw a rod. Still ran, but there was a hole right under the intake manifold. Yeah, it's toast if that happened, but it's easy (in WA it should be anyway) to just find another good engine to put in it, if the rest of the car is good. Z

We had the bridgestone potenzas's new our our company cars -- 07 Outbacks. They were all bald by 18,000 miles, and really really sketchy in the snow. Handled well in the dry though... The goodyear tripletreads seem to be wearing better, and are decent in the snow -- still not a snow tire, but not completely sketchy, at least. I like the blizzaks or the Ipike 409's for an actual snow tire, BTW. Never tried them on a newer car, but I've had both on my GL's and Justy and love them. Z

Gloyale is right... 5th gear, high range is better than 1st low range. I was thinking of the opposite -- using the starter motor to take off stuck axle nuts... Z

If it's just an issue of worrying about battery drain, you could measure the current from the battery with it there, and see if it's drawing anything or not. Remember, you're also measuring the drain from the radio presets, clock, etc, in additon to any other phantom loads. Z

Yeah, 1990, in the US. I think it might have been 1989 in Japan. Z

So, swap engines, plus wiring harness? Sounds like the same amount of work as an EJ22 swap.

Don't know on the battery drain. I've never owned a car with the auto seatbelts. I just know that the door indicator switches tend to fail on these alot, especially, if you get dirt and stuff in them (down low, offroading does that.. But, if the red indicator is not on, it sounds like it hasn't failed.

That sucks. I'd get OEM subaru ones -- all the others seem to have a lousy reputation. I think that 1stsubaru parts has them (and hopefully they don't goof up which ones you need). I get mine from Superrupair here in Boulder. I had a set of rebuilt ones from Rockauto -- only lasted about 15k miles before they started clicking (boots were still good, but clicking inside). Checker auto has never been able to get me the right axle... (23 spline vs 25 spline stuff...)

Does the dome light go off light it should when you close the door? Could be as simple as the switch the indicates that the door is closed is not working as well as it used to.

In the US at least, we often generically call the 2nd gens EA81's, and the 3rd gens EA82's, because that's what engine came in them here.... though that apparently isn't true in other markets.

It is basically right, except he started counting with 1 being the 360's and microvans, instead of starting with 1 as the 70's cars. I've also heard the EJ series broken out separately -- e.g. a 1990 to 1994 legacy is 1st gen EJ series, and a 1995 to 1999 legacy is a second gen EJ...

Another possible cause of seeming clutch chatter.... my '82 wagon was missing nuts on the lower two bolts that hold the transmission to the engine. I drove it, off roaded it, a bit, that way, before I pulled the engine, and finally found out that it was kind of missing those....

My 89 GL 4x4 averaged around 27, and could get 31 on the highway. As low as 22 bashing through snowdrifts. My old '82 4x4 GL averaged around 26mpg when I bought it, but kept dropping... was down to about 23mpg when I retired it -- carb was shot. My '84 GL 4x4 averaged more like 27mpg. Something's wrong with yours.... I only had the '94 legacy with the 4EAT for a week, but I averaged 26 with it over that week -- mostly highway driving -- up to 29, almost 30 on the highway. Z

As someone who generally prefers the EA wagons to the EJ series ones... here's my impressions... the EJ22 legacy will have way more power, and but still almost the same gas mileage as the EA82 -- maybe about 3 or 4mpg less, but not much for how much more power it has (this was from driving a '94 legacy... not sure if the '95 is as good -- I think the weight went up). It'll handle just as good on most roads, and better on the highway. Cruising at 85 on the highway becomes an option (depending on the speed limit where you are...). The AWD is nice on gravel and stuff -- don't have to think about it. It will not do as well offroad or on bumpy dirt roads -- not as much clearance, and it's bigger with squooshier springs. I like the actual 4wd of the older ones in loose stuff and snow. It won't last as long on two track roads as an old wagon would (based on my EA82 wagon, and a friends EJ22 legacy that we take on the same "driveway" all the time). It wont' have low range... which in deep snow or really bumpy stuff can be a serious drawback. If it's got the automatic tranny.. the 4EAT actually does't suck quite as much as most automatics.... It's still an automatic, which I hate for mountain driving... but it's the least bad automatic I've driven. So, if by dirt road, you mean something that looks like it might have been graded this year.... it'll be faster and handle better and be a much nicer car to ride in. If you mean something that most people would take a jeep up... then the older EA82 wagon will be a little better.

If it still cranks, but is not firing, then the battery is not dead..... I've never had a car die just because it ran out of fuel. And, I have occasionally run an SPFI suby out of gas. I suppose it's possible though, since some fuel pumps use the gas as cooling for the pump/motor. Take a can of ether -- that should test whether it's fuel or spark.

I'd agree... most people aren't doing alot of modification to their subarus -- just driving them, and repairing them when necessary. The exception is the old gen forum -- it's got tons of stuff like you are looking for -- EJ swaps, lifts, transmission swaps, 2wd to 4wd swaps, lifts, etc. You have too new a car.. that's the problem

Sounds like it's probably easier to just do the head gaskets on the XT, unless it toasted the bearings too. Z

Had that same problem.... limping it home a half a mile at a time... One think is that once it comes loose, it reams out the inside of the pulley... so you might need a new pully now. I had to get a new one because I'd destroyed mine so badly. IIRC, I also drilled out two holes in it to put little bolts through that went into the holes in the crankshaft gear -- so it's not strictly a friction fit any more, and jb welded the whole thing. Then use the loctite on the bolt (whatever the strongest color was) and crank the %$&@#$ out of it (with the car in gear 1st low and e-brake on) and then let the loctite have at least 24 hours to set. Finally held. Z