danbennett2u

In my personal experience, the AC does have a very noticeable effect on performance, but NOT mileage. I seem to get mid 20's regardless of how i drive, but I do a good 50/50 city/hwy. I suppose If it was straight city only there would be a noticeable difference in MPG.

The fact that it changes with moisture makes me think its an ignition issue, so based on the symptoms, how long as it been since plug wires were changed?

Yeah, I understand that is pretty simple, but this friend has absolutely no experience working on vehicles at all - not even an oil change. That is why I was hoping there was someone that could offer some assistance in person, even for pay. Thats ok, I think Subaru's in North Dakota are about as common as a Bentley. I will probably try to forward your instructions and offer to be on the phone...

So this may be in the wrong place, and its not really a Subaru issue, but its pretty generic and I trust you guys more than others... I have a friend in ND who received a free car... the locks are really stiff, to the point that you cant use the keys and even using the sliders inside it is very difficult to operate. The previous owner never locked the doors (yeah you can sort of get away with that up there) so my guess is that the grease is just gummed up and stiff. Any recommendations of anywhere it can be taken to get the lock mechanisms cleaned up, without having to take it to a dealer? I imagine you could just spray them out with something, but a dealer will throw parts and a $100 an hour labor charge and end up costing more than the car is worth... If it matters any its a Ford Contour, but I imagine a lock mechanism is pretty similar across most makes.

Ok I know I have seen you guys post stuff about engine ticking/knocking but cant find straightforward info. About 200k miles. Engine is really quiet and smooth at idle, and normal driving rpm (some very light ticking comes and goes but sounds exactly like very minor HLA noise that I experience on all of my cars) At exactly 4k rpm I get a ticking/knocking noise, but doesnt seem to affect power or smoothness (no misfire or vibration). This seems to happen when under load or not. It is not intermittent, you can guarantee that it will happen right as you hit 4k. Hydraulic lifters usually fail at lower rpm but higher rpm get "pumped up" by higher oil pressure right? Rod knock is usually lower rpm or all rpm correct? This is a manual so no flex plate... any ideas on what the most likely possibility is?

I thnk im pulling the full drive shaft. ok this sounds like it is going to be a very "Fun" weekend.

I found a video on youtube where someone pulled a driveshaft from a 1st gen impreza, but he pulled the ENTIRE exhaust system off first., then a bunch of shields, then the driveshaft and carrier. Is it necessary to pull the exhaust? will it come off without dealing unbolting exhaust components?

Hi, Need to fix my wife's 95 AWD Impreza up. I am going to hit the serf serve yard tomorrow. I need to know what tools I need to bring in order to effictively remove these pieces: Carrier bearing Driveshaft Left rear wheel bearing/knuckle Right Front wheel bearing/knuckle Turn signal switch. Possibly seats if I can find a decent set out of a Forester. I do not have power tools. I know its all going to be metric, and will be bringing breaker bars, ratchets, hammer, but any of you guys know what I need as far as axle nut sizes, the sizes for any of the bolts needed for removal of the driveshaft and knuckles? Thanks!

rear bearing in 95 impreza AWD has been going out for a while. There is some play if I shake the wheel hard. Is it possible for this to come off when Im going 80 down the highway?

I believe all the temp controls do is move a blocking plate across a hole in the ductwork that varies the amount of air that moves across the heater core - red area means hole all the way open, blue = closed. The motor is not affected by temp controls, at least not in a 92 legacy. Are you saying your car has a "climate control" where you pick a temperature by degree and the system controls the heat and fan automatically? I am not aware that the legacy had those until later years, but if you do, then there is a possibility that the system is malfunctioning and not allowing the computer to control these same functions that are manual in most cars. Cold weather DOES cause metals to contract, so bearings that are shot in the motor could be just too stiff for the magnets in the motor to overcome when it is cold.

Damn man 384k miles and you are wanting him to jbweld it in lol, we really do pretty much anything to keep these cars alive LOL

In that case the issue would be the safety switch on your clutch pedal right? The clicking relay would be a symptom not the cause. Wonder if that is the same type of thing going on with the OP?

I assume you tightened this as well: "BTW the post connection on the new alternator was tight and had no movement before, but now I can wiggle it around a little in it's mount. " The strange part to me is the engine turning over but not starting. Otherwise I would point to either the battery or starter... but I am out of ideas. I would take the car to the auto parts store and have them hook up their charging system cart to the car, that can rule out alternator and battery at least. Other than that I have to defer to others on the board.

By "the check engine light flashes" do you mean in a steady speed (as in its throwing you a code) or kind of irregularly? My experience with chain store alternators has been uniformly bad, regardless of whether it has lifetime warranty or not. I would say oem/junkyard is a better bet when it comes to subaru alternators. How old is the battery?

I would go with new in this case, Timing chain vs belt, supposedly HG issues are resolved, and the new ones look better.