wondercow2

The rear checks the efficiency of the catalyst (and also double-checks the front sensor for air/fuel mixture, if it sees a lot of uncombusted O2 coming out of the catalyst).

Can't be replaced; I've tried a lot of places. Subaru just doesn't bother ordering spares when they buy whole headlight units from the supplier.

Enough glamor shots- more action! Last Wednesday on a "closed" seasonal road near Ithaca, NY. The snow was about 6" deep, but very well packed. I even managed to yank a fallen tree far enough off the road to squeeze my wagon past. Totally stock Legacy L, with very good Hankook iPike snow tires. (I don't know why I left the door open...)

Inspecting the axles and bearings is just looking for leaking grease, or torn boots in the case of axles. If you can do the work yourself, a gear oil change would be a good idea instead of just inspecting it. "Lifetime" transmission or gear oil is just a marketing gimmick - I don't know anyone who's driving doesn't fall into the medium-to-severe duty conditions, which call for frequent oil changes. If you're going to tow a trailer, DEFINITELY start with fresh fluid. If you do the coolant, check the hoses and replace hoses that look untrustworthy. I don't worry a whole lot about long trips: most cars would be happiest running coast-to-coast all year long instead of commuting every day in a city.

I suppose so. I was thinking more of amateurs with a harbor freight kit. The more I look at it, the more I think a 3 piece tool would work - one piece has the U and the lugs to grab the pulley, one piece is a square pin or something that clears the pulley edge, and the other is a long flat with a square cut in it for the pin.

I can't see you could make one without welding 2 pieces together, which wouldn't be great for the strength of the tool. You could bend a piece of good flat bar stock, but making the U-shape to go around the pulley bolt seems like it require a separate piece of metal (unless you start with a BIG piece of stock wide enough to make the U, and trim down the handle, but that seems like a huge waste). You might be able to up, instead of off to the side, by using one big bar with two lugs long enough to leave room for a socket and rachet underneath it.

The marks on the belt matter because they (should, anyway) indicate proper belt tooth counts. It's theoretically possible to stretch the belt in such a way that not enough teeth are between the timing marks on the cog pulleys. Hand-counting the teeth is always a good idea.

Check your floormat. It might be dragging on the pedal (seriously!) This happened to me once, and I've seen at least one other post about it here. Failing that, play with the throttle body by hand to see if the cable or throttle plate is sticking.

That's unfortunate. I'm planning on an ebay kit in the next year or two. Are the water pumps some of the kits include good enough?

Only way to be 100% sure is to pop off the driver's side timing cover and look. When I replaced my '98 tensioner (new style, $170 from the dealer.. ugh...), I asked around here and was told that even if you have the new style, you can pull the bracket off an old EJ22 and use the older style tensioner. It's cheaper, and I feel it's a simpler design even though it's not mildly 'gravity assisted' like the vertical-oriented new ones. I think the pulley is also available as a replacement part, which I don't think is the case for the new tensioner.

I'm planning an afternoon jaunt to the grocery store here in Rochester. I don't even need anything, but near-empty parking lots... mmmm...

My 98 2.2 had a plastic one too (now broken). To tension the AC belt, I put a rachet and socket on the tensioning pulley, pushed down hard, and tightened while keeping up the pressure. It may actually be overtensioned, but I've not had any problems with squealing.

Code reading: been there, done that, replaced the MAF sensor for it. What I need is a nice scantool to give real-time feedback on every sensor in car. I don't think santa is going to pull through on that one

I'll try that tonight, thanks. It is a good engine, the bad news is that it's not common, and it has a crapload of sensors that can really only be monitored with a dealership scan system or a nice scantool. All I've got is a multimeter, which can't exactly tell me if the MAP is working or not :cool:

Specifically, the Saturn L81 3.0 v6 engine in the L300, and early Vue models. I have a Haynes manual on the way, but I still need ideas for this crazy engine. The saturn forums are, alas, not particularly useful - mostly people complaining about the build quality and asking how to change light bulbs The car was misfiring pretty badly in all 6 cylinders, and throwing codes for the bank 1 O2 sensor, lean on both banks, and misfires all around. I've already tackled the lean problem before by replacing the MAF, which was bad. This time, I changed the plugs ($12, 100k mile platinum rocketship plugs from Germany) and saw average carbon on all plugs, and a particularly wet looking fouling on plug 6 and another from the rear bank I don't remember. There was also what looked like oil residue all over the intake parts, and the throttle body had some wicked glops of residue in it, some of which still haven't succumbed to cleaning. What I think is the MAP sensor in the intake also had oil all around it, and might be hosed. (I couldn't figure out how to pull the TB for deep cleaning without yanking the entire top end, which is why I ordered the Haynes book). I could not for the life of me find a PCV valve, but it looks like 2 different vacuum hoses are doing a very good job of spraying oil down the car's throat. Any ideas what could cause this? I fear the car has been overfilled with oil in the past, but right now it checks out OK. The car runs better now, but my girlfriend says it still doesn't sound right (she's off tonight to read new codes/clear old ones at Autozone). Per the dealership's suggestion of injectors I added an overdose of cleaner (2 bottles for about 8 gallons of gas?), but I doubt the injectors are bad. Neither are the coil packs, since all 6 cylinders reported misfires. Any ideas?

I used the same kit in my Legacy. No complaints, although even with a nice machined flywheel, I still have clutch chatter/shuddering to deal with.

How's the light from the one-piece unit? I'm pondering downgrading my awful, awful '98 2-piece lights with broken adjusters.

Not just you! I've gotten something with the evap canister, drum brakes, torque specs... how exciting!

On this note, what does the 10-year dealer SRS service involve? Just a check of the SRS computer stuff, or an actual physical inspection? (and how much do they charge??)

I use XtraVisions too. My headlight problems are clearly the crappy headlight fixture's problem, not the bulb's. Throwing a bigger bulb into a poorly-designed or scratched/fogged/mis-aimed headlight won't do anything useful.

Yeah, it's all trademotion. I did actually try subarupartsforyou.com, and it's not in their catalog (though I have had good results getting info about unlisted parts by asking them). I guess next time it's dry I'll crawl under the car and see what actually looks bad. Might just get a whole kit - 140k is a good run for a few lumps of rubber, I suppose.

OK, I'm a little stumped. I can't find either replacement bushings or the mount itself for the rear differential in any of the online OEM retailers for my 98 Legacy. I suspect the bushings may be the culprits in my long-running saga with annoying jerking feelings when the engine switches from braking/coasting to accellerating (In a usenet discussion, I saw someone mention "trailer hitching", which I've never heard of, but which sounds a lot like what I feel). Can these be had anywhere? I know that Impreza stuff up to '01 is supposed to fit, but will WRX mounts/bushings work too? And which bushings are really the most important? The ones holding the differential to the rear subframe, or the ones tying the subframe to the rear suspension?

Definitely this. My manual says that a properly adjusted clutch, no matter how worn, should let you shift from first to reverse while only waiting a few seconds in neutral.

Don't wait until the weekend of your departure to do maintenance either. Never know when you're going to find that the radiator hose you yanked off to do the flush is cracking, or that you stripped a bolt somewhere...

I like that idea (I've got my eyes out for some new horns on craigslist myself). One wire would be simpler than the rat's nest I currently have coming off the positive battery terminal. I'll have to swing by my electronics guy to see what he's got in the way of relay boxes. 6 is probably a good number - room to grow, and all.