johnceggleston

i have had 2 legacys with a wobble. i bought both of them that way. the first one a 93, failed, timing was off, and i had the mechanic replace everything timing related and "glue" it back together. it ran till it die in an accident several years later. the second one, a 95 replacement for the 93, i recognized the symptom before it failed and was able to correct it before any real damage was done. on both cars, the wobble that i noticed was in the bolt head, not the pulley. now maybe the pulley wobbled and i just don't remember, but i definitely remember the bolt head wobbling. for what it's worth......

first remove the headliner inside the car. i don't really know if this is necessary, maybe you can reach the hardware from the sides by just peeling it back or prying it open.

i just finished re-reading this entire thread. if you just bought the car and it has been sitting for a year, the fuel guage is probably not working and shows empty when it is not empty. how do you know it is not full?? how much did you put in? how many miles have you driven it while it's empty? buy a bottle of techron fuel additive w/ injector and fuel sender cleaner and add it to the tank and drive the car until it quits or the fuel light comes on, if it has one. carry a spare 2 gal gas can with you. a new one that has never had gas in it will stink up your car less. reset your trip odometer and see hao far you go before you run out of gas. this is just a guess, but the fuel senders in these cars a notorious for reading empty when they are not. and sitting for a year doesn't help.

i'm no expert, but that picture sure looks like an open diff to me.

aside from the fact that a lot of us grew up in the "muscle car" 60s, a lot of us want a car that will get 50 mpg but that we can still carry 6 large men on a week long fishing trip and will not die in at 70 mph accident when we are hit by a dump truck. i'm staying with the late 90s subarus for now, but i think in the future i will buy a car that matches the majority of my driving and 'rent' a car for the occasional use. (or just keep an old subaru hanging around, they don't cost a too much if you don't drive them.) my nephew lives in NY city without a car. if he needs to drive somewhere for the weekend, he rents. of course what he used to spend on a car, now goes to rent.

depending on the year of the 2.2 motor, you may need the exhaust manifold, y-pipe. some are single port and some a double. if you have the 2.2 car, use the power steering lines. the ones from the 2.5 car will work, but the 2.2 ones a little cleaner. you have to use the 2.5 flywheel, it matches the the trans. there may be a chance that the GT alternator has more amps , but either should work. (actually that may only be the outback, maybe) leave the AC compressor attached to the hoses , just unbolt it from the engine and flop it out of the way. this will save on re-charging the system and polluting. the egr system is a stumbling point for some of these swaps, but your 2.2 either has it or it doesn't. do some searching and read up on it. good luck

so, generally speaking, what does gas and diesel cost in toronto and what is the exchange rate? ie: does it cost more or less than in the us?

the trans fluid change is about as easy as an oil change but you need to make sure that you are draining and filling the trans and not the front diff. as you know fromn checjking your trans fluid level, the dip stick (and fill point) is on the driver side near the fire wall, under some hoses. the drain plug is on the pan. you will not drain all of the fluid from the trans, only about 4 qts, maybe less. if the fluid level was good before the drain, measure the the amount drained and add that much back. the dip stick can be difficult to read and there is a good chance that you will under fill it just going by the dip stick. i lost a trans because an idiot at the gas station didn't add any fluid after a seal replacement. he said it looked full. if the trans fluid is full and in good condition, chances are your trans is on the way out. i lost reverse first (95 lego) but was able to drive it for several months with no reverse. i just had to careful where i parked.

99 GT auto trans has a 4.44 rear diff final drive ratio, any outback auto trans 96 - 04 will work. 99 GT manual trans has a 4.11 final drive, any manual outback 96 - 04, or auto 2.2 legacy from 95 on will work. (4.11s were also used before 95 but the make and model was less consistent.) if you search for one '01 and later you can pay a little more and get one that is a limited slip differential.

knowing the car, year, trans and miles will help. any other recent work?

at advance auto parts in my town, they stock the 60k belt and it costs more, you have to order the 105k belt and it's cheaper. i doubt 1st subaru sells the 60k belt, but you might ask. at some point they started selling all 2.2L cars with the 105K belt. so it's one of those "superceded" part number things. i'm pretty sure that all the 2.2L belts are interchangeable, just some have a shorter interval.

in 95 and maybe 96? california required a 100k timingbelt interval, as well as more strict emmisions stuff. so subaru changed the tbelt on 2.2L california cars. so if you use the "fed" timing belt, it's a 60k belt or you can buy the 105K belt required for cal. when they designed the 2.5L car, they included a 105k belt. california just got there before the rest of the u.s.

the good news is that the 96 2.2 is a non-interference engine, so if you screw up the timing belt, no harm no foul. but as mentioned, read up on it before you start and save yourself some headaches, heartaches, and maybe a skinned knuckle or two. click below for starters: good luck.

disconnect the battery cable overnight to clear and reset the codes. if you get them back after that, then you still have a problem.

i just read a post about converting a 3.7 lsd rear into a 3.9 lsd, or vice versa, i forget. is this just swapping the locking part or the ring gear as well?? if ring gear, wouldn't the pinion teeth be cut different? trying to learn, john

this tire is .68 inches larger diameter, that's .34" (almost 3/8s inch) more on top (and bottom), than the 95 leg stock tire, 185/70/14. (when they rub, it's only rub on the top half never on the bottom. ) the 97 legacy GT stock size is 205/50/16, it is slightly smaller than yours and a 'smidge' smaller than the 185/70/14, just over 1/8" diameter. i don't think the width is an issue unless you get too tall, i have heard of someone running 225s 'with very little rubbing' but i don't remember if it was a legacy L or an outback.

i corrected my post, i hate posting errors and bad information. i thought that originally, but i feel like someone here posted something about doing it or something similar. but i just checked the pinion part numbers and they are in fact different. thanks for correcting my mistake.

it looks like the wiring in the hatch feeds into the roof and then goes down the passenger side corner post to a connector. http://opposedforces.com/parts/legacy/us_b11/type_45/electronic/wiring_harness_main/illustration_1/

the 97 GT 5 spd has a 4.11 final drive ratio, as far as i know that's the lowest gearing in a manual trans after 1990, in the US anyway. to get to a 4.44 you would need to swap the ring gear in the front diff and swap in a rear differential from a 4.44 auto trans. the good news is that you don't have to change the pinion and the 37 tooth ring gear (instead of the 40 tooth currently) should be readily available. i assume it will fit in the 5 speed case. it would be easier to get smaller wheels/ tires.

also see 'carrier'. the 4.11 rear diff was used in the 95 -01 legacy 2.2L automatic trans and in the 96 - 05 2.5L manual trans. lots to choose from. the ones near you are twice as expensive as the ones in PA, NY, VA, NH, etc. it may be cheaper to have it shipped in.

search for your part here: www.car-part.com . sort your search by distance. all outback rear diffs will work 96 - 04, maybe to '09. if you look in 01 - 04 range you might get lucky and find a VLSD rear diff for only 25$ more. (that's viscous limited slip diff.) vlsd was available in some models in '01, and standard in most in 03 , i think. the car-part site will refer to them as "locking". just make sure it comes from an outback. you can probably get the part for 50 - 75$, i'd buy it and carry it around until i needed it, if i couldn't afford to do it all now.. good luck.

i would guess yes, why would they change it? i know, dumb question.

there is a chance the the motor is ok, but that there is a break in the wire where it feeds/hinges from the car to the hatch. i'd test the electric circuit before buying a replacement, or test the motor. but i would guess the motor from a 90 would work in a 96, but i don't know. removal is pretty straight forward.

i've never heard of cam shaft marks, only the marks on the cam pulley. with double OHC, you can have valves collide with pistons, and valves collide with valves. you need to start over. you need to torque the pulley bolts / nuts before you hang the belt. remove the belt, torque the cams up to spec, set the crank and then move on the the cam pulleys. for a few dollars, you can get small spring clamps to hold the belt on to the cam pulleys so they don't slip after you get them in the right place. good luck.

another trick i read was to attach a vacuum cleaner, on blow, or maybe even a hair dryer, to the intake and turn the engine over by hand until you feel the breeze coming out the plug hole. that way what ever comes loose will 'blow' out of the hole. wear safety glasses.