hmdavis

thanks for all the input. here is how it turned out. whoever put in the last thermostat drilled the crap out of it - with at least 20 holes drilled(why not take it out entirely) also whoever changed the thermostat never bled the system and the cooling system was only about 1/3 full. Now that there is a new thermostat and the system was bled i have excellent heat. again thanks for your help david

here is one. just bought 95 legacy(love it) and weather just turned cold outside. the heat is not strong at all and the car takes long to warm up. When stopped at a light the air blowing out of the heater becomes cool, when driving the heat is warms up(but not as warm as expected). I put a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator and checked the radiator level and it seems ok. the fan blows all thru its range(1 to 4) but i was wondering what would cause the cooling of the air coming out while stoped at a light or stop sign. I hope to bring it in this weekend for a heater core flush. any comments or help would be appreciated . also where is the thermostat on these engines up top or down below? thanks, david

small issue i noticed - my dashboard showed the "door open" signal so i went around and checked all the doors and noticed the rear hatch handle was 'sticking" so i sprayed it with wd40 and worked it back and forth a few times but it was still "sticking" so i manually moved it to the nuetral position for closing the door, the "door open" light on the dashboard went out. Fine - but today i noticed the metal plate around the handle is all rusted - is this normal? i would figure since the handle is protected by the overhang of the door this area would not see much in the way of water/moisture. all other areas of the door show no rust or rot. small issue but any comments? -easy to change other areas to watch? thanks, david

it is more of a felt vibration(with a hum). as i apply the brakes(lightly) i feel the vibration slightly as if the rotor has a high spot. it is more of a progressive vibration-higher frequency as speed goes up with a slight buzz as seen in the rear view mirror and when over 65 it becomes very "buzzy". my best plan, based on the excellent feedback would be: check tire balance, check rotors, check wheel bearings, and lastly the drive shaft. this is my best guess. thanks david

hi from a new subaru owner, after having nothing but VW golfs i have taken the plunge with subaru. people who i know who have them love them and go on about their reliability - but to the point. picked up a 95 legacy 5 speed manual awd wagon with 113k, all engine seals replaced, engine, trans, and clutch are strong. the rear end seems to have a low level hum/vibration until around 65mph when it becomes worse(the higher the speed the worse it becomes). upon coasting the vibration is still there, and upon deceleration while coasting(or in gear) the vibration decreases as speed is reduced to zero but is still there. I originally attributed it to the idiosyncracy of an awd car but with prior experience with vw's i am thinking struts or cv joints. any help would be greatly appreciated. also anyone know a good(not just a parts changer) private garage/mechanic near middlesex county nj. thanks, david