johnceggleston

typically it's the front o2 sensor, buy a subaru sensor only.

ask about the head gaskets. review the service history to see if there ever been any low coolant, over heating, new t-stat, etc. you don't want to buy it and then find bad HGs.

when my 97 obw did this it was the cap, but you just swapped that. i ended up removing the over flow bottle to follow the drip up to the top. it only leaked after it hit full operating temp. i let it idle after i drove home and then saw it dripping. by the way, what happened to your other car.

http://opposedforces.com/parts/info/34110AE12B/ click on usage information, apparently there is one for outback/ baja and another one for all legacys.

first, check both sides of the stick the lower reading is more correct. second, depending on how long after you turn off the car untill you check the oil, a fair amount of it may still be up in the engine. if you check it as soon as you turn it off and check it 15 minutes later there will be a difference.

i haven't figured out why someone would replace just one plug, but it happens. the last time i bought plugs they didn't have the nkg i wanted so i got the the nkg 'v' plug instead, same price. if ouy are going to order subaru wires, get the correct plug while you wait. i don't think the 2.2L engine is as picky as the 2.5L, and the wires will probably work when installed (although some don't) but long term you'll have headaches. i bet the wires you are running now are not subaru wires.

don't install the wires unless they are subaru wires. order them online from a dealer, you'll have fewer problems. don't install the plugs unless they are listed in the subaru owners manual or they are nkg plugs. you will have fewer problems. the code for the cat could be the front o2 sensor, not the cat itself. cats do fail, but not often. you should have no problem driving this car another year. the misfier on #3 could be due to bad plug wire, move the wire to #1 and see if the cel code comes up for that one. this could be your problem. check you pcv valve.

my 95 has obd2 and reads just fine. though some stores don't even try when they hear it's a 95, so i just tell them it's a 96, and save some headache.

i don't often read retrofit posts. the trans are the same, they even have the same part number stamped on the bell housing, TZ102Z2DBA. to fender bender, you can use any auto trans, 96 - 98 from a 2.5L legacy, GT, LSi or outback, as long as the trans part munber starts with TZ102Z2...... the last 3 letters are unimportant.

the dollies i have rented did not, the car carrier i rented did.

i've used the techron with pretty good results. would it help or hurt to remove the senders and soak them in straight techron?

nipper, what is the down side to eliminating the sender that's not working well, you'll have less fuel than indicated?? the light will still work, your trip odo will still work, it shouldn't be hard to learn that 1/2 means empty. if one side is bad, just use the other, not both. if you did this, would adding a resistor for the missing sender make the gauge more accurate? no the resistance varies. more accurate when ful;l but less when empty, or vice versa.

yes, remove the rear section and tow on a dolly. but if you rent the dolly from uhaul, they won't rent to you if you tell them what you a towing, the outback isn't big enough. please be VERY, VERY careful towing. if you have never done this before here's a hint, you can only back up in a straight line and even then it can be tricky, so watch where you park. plan your exit before you pull in. lots of places sell hitches, google is your friend. 95 is the best, direct swap, non-interferrence. 96 works, but you need the front exhaust "y pipe" from the 2.2L car, non-interferrence. 97 & 98 will work but they are interferrence, ( no big deal, just do the belt, and everything else, change now and again in 100k miles) i don't remember about the 'y pipe'.

that's a really good looking car, auto or manual. i'd put in a 2.2L, 95 - 96, and be done with it. with the replacement engine you'll get different temp sensors and water pump. if the new engine is oily, reseal. throw on a new belt and go. if yours is a manual trans, you'll never feel the difference.

the vlsd became standard in outbacks around '01 - '03. you can check at www.cars101.com to see. (or www.opposedforces.com/parts/) they are a direct fit you just have to get the right ratio. outback '03 manual trans are 4.11, auto trans are 4.44. they also put them in GTs. you can search www.car-part.com, by '03 all outbacks had them. before that it an option maybe????? they call them locking, but i wouldn't rely on the parts, yard if some wrench turner mis-lables it or enters the info in the computer wrong........ you need to ask for a specific model and year that you know has a vlsd.

i don't know about 90 - 94, but this link should tell you. as for 96 - 98, any manual trans from a 2.5L legacy will work. http://www.northursalia.com/techdocs/trannychart/trannychart.pdf

i doubt it, the obw is a 4.11.

double check to make sure the air filter box is seated properly. it can be a pain and leak, check the bottom edge closet to the engine.

well if you look in an are that has a lot of subarus you can find one as cheap, but it will cost 150$ or more to ship it. you can look for a subaru wrecked or blown engine and buy that, then maybe sell or scrap the rest. that's what i did, 400$ car used the trans, sold the engine, scrapped the car. but still you are located in the subaru desert. it might make sense to have the dealer look at it. let's say you find a 350$ trans and have it shipped for 175$. labor to install 550$. 1075$ is a lot, but if you drive it for 50k more miles it's a bargin. would you buy a 1000$ car knowing it was going to last 50k miles? plus, any other car is going to cost more than 1100$. i came across these which may interest you: http://austin.craigslist.org/pts/1035992454.html http://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/pts/1035691438.html

i bought a 97 obw w/ 98k miles and piston slap and no known service history. i quickly discovered a very small leak on the bottom of the water pump. so i had the timing belt et al done at 98k. the complete job cost less than 600$. the chance you take when you don't replace the pump and pulleys is, will they last 210k miles with out failure. do you replace them at 200k or try yet again? is saving the several hundred dollars when doing the timing belt worth the risk of 1200 - 1800$ head rebuild?

you can use any trans from a 2.2L legacy 94 - 98, straight swap no problems. usuallly no one talks about crossing over between impreza and legacy, but subaru is a relatively samall car company and it makes since that it would work. youjust need to do the research and make sure the final drive ratio is the same. the part number on your trans is probably a TZ102ZAAAA or maybe .......ABAA, you should be able to use any trans that starts with TZ102Zx where the x is a letter. if the x position is a 2 then it's from a 2.5L car and has the wrong final drive ratio. the trans part number can be found on your cars ID tag 8under the hood, and on the bell housing at the starter. again this is true for legacys, not sure about imprezas. i think 2.2L imprezas trans part number are something like TZ102ZA1AA. have you looked here: http://www.car-part.com , sort your searchby distance.

i'd spend that money on the head gaskets. after you get them fixed it won't overheat and you won't have to spend it at all.

the crank and connecting rod bearins are the sam, this means the crank is the same? the piston rings are different. i don't have a guess about the stroke, buyt i bet the bore is different. that would be the easiest way to increase the displacement.

check the wire connections on the passenger side where the engine and trans meet. there should be 2 or 3 of them. make sure they are connected. the large one feeds the trans. also, try very tight turns to see if you have torque bind, you'll feel it and know it if you do. this is also a symptom of a 'disconnected' trans. if not a wiring problem, maybe the TCU??

as long as it's trand fluid and not motor oil from the seperator plate, much more common.