Kilroy

You can go plenty bigger than that. Stock size for your vehicle is 175/70-14. Punch those numbers into the Miata tire size calculator, then play with the numbers that you would like to fit on your car. http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html You don't want to go smaller then OEM size if possible as it will leave a larger gap above your wheel and look kind of funny. If possible, find the exact size or a tiny bit larger. 195/50-16 or 195/45-17 would probably be your best bet, but may be tough tire sizes to find.

I won't be purchasing the wheels/tires for at least a few weeks, but once I do get them on the vehicle I'll be posting pics. I think I will be going with the 17". I sure like the looks of the wagons that are a few years newer than mine, but I'll be keeping mine for a couple of years or until another major repair pops up.

I finally got my Legacy wagon back after more than 3 months at AAMCO and I am looking for tires/wheels for the spring. I am going to purchase winter tires to fit on the 14" OEM wheels, but I am going to go with either 16" or 17" wheels with the appropriate sized tires to keep within factory spec for the summer. I would like to hear from those of you that have seen Legacy wagons with 16" and 17" wheels and which size you thought looked better. I have been viewing them on TireRack.com at the 2 different sizes, but it doesn't come across as well as I would like it to. I am partial to the 3rd wheel in the following link: http://www.tirerack.com/upgrade_garage/WheelSearch.jsp?autoMake=Subaru&autoModel=Legacy+Wagon&autoYear=1990&autoModClar= Any thoughts you have would be appreciated, thanks!

The only thing I could have missed was the 4EAT part. I called back King-O-Matic and spoke with another guy who said the first guy I spoke with was a bit of a wongleflute, but the 4EAT was what they were looking for. If he had just given me some examples, I could have told him right away it was a 4EAT. The price for the valve body solenoids (duty B I believe) for an individual was ~$390CAN, probably much lower if I had owned or worked for a transmission shop that they deal with.

I called King-O-Matic today (transmission parts supplier) to get a quote on solenoids for my transmission and the guy said he can get any solenoid, but he needs to know what kind of transmission it is. I told him it's a 1990 Subaru Legacy Auto AWD and he replied with 'Yes, but what kind of transmission is it?' He's obviously being difficult on purpose as he won't tell me what he means by that other than saying you need some numbers. Does anybody have an idea what he is talking about or can provide me with the information he is requesting?

I have the number for the TCU, it's Subaru part #31711 AA353.

Thanks SEA#3. Just to clarify, doc2 is showing where the wiring harness from INSIDE the valve body is connecting to the wiring harness WITHIN the transmission, but outside of the valve body?

LOL, such a simple solution! Anybody able to answer me about the wiring inside the valve body?

I didn't go back, the car never left their lot. How do I find the date of manufacture for my Legacy? I stopped by AAMCO on my way home tonight and checked the sticker that is supposed to be on the door and it isn't there.

The ongoing saga continues! At the end of my last AAMCO post they were looking for the reason why the POWER light was still flashing after they had (claimed to) replaced the solenoids. This was on December 22. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=69071 I hadn't heard from them for over 2 weeks, so I called on January 9 to find out what was going on. I was told they were looking for a TCU to replace mine because it was shorted out. The owner of AAMCO said that I had shorted out the TCU when I spliced the wiring connecting the solenoids within the valve body. HUH!!? I have never had the transmission out of my car, let alone hacking away at the wires within it. The owner had recalled that I stated, when I dropped the car off, that I mentioned I had to cut some wires on the transmission. What I was talking about at that time was that I had pulled 2 transmissions in the past and the engine to transmission wiring harness was very tough to disconnect and I had to cut the wires on one of them to get it apart. I was simply warning them that my wiring harness may be difficult to disconnect as well. It seems very likely to me at this time that this was an attempt to pin the blame on me for the TCU "not working" and still flashing the codes, thus being able to charge me for more work done to find out this wiring problem. What he seems to have missed is that I picked up the solenoids several weeks ago, including the wiring connected to them, and there is no cut or splice on them! The following is a photo of the valve body from a 4EAT transmission: http://www.villagephotos.com/viewpubimage.asp?id_=19180695&selected= Can anyone tell me if there is more wiring within the transmission that connects to this harness, or does the harness connect to another on the outside of the transmission? Does anyone have a spare TCU for a 1990-1991 Legacy AWD that they would sell? I will have to find out the month my Legacy was manufactured as there are 3 different TCUs within the 1989-1991 period.

One person CAN lift a Suburu transmission onto the back of a pickup, I did it without knowing how heavy it was. I was trying to ship it to somebody and it was the weekend, all the couriers were closed at this time. I took the tranmission to Greyhound, hoping they would sent it. They will not ship anything over 100 lbs., so they put the transmission up on their large scale in the back of the bus station with a pallet jack. It was 240 lbs! I used to be a musclehead, but I got married about 4.5 years ago and haven't been to the gym since, was I ever surprised that I could still lift that much! Hey nipper, I used to own a '64 Rambler 660 (a '66 Rambler as well). It was purchased brand new by my great uncle and given to my sister for a Christmas present in '87, then I bought it off of her a couple of years later. I had the interior completely redone in deep brown crushed velvet and spent ~60 hours using 'Color Back' on the paint to get rid of the old paint and it looked great when done. One of the best features of the car was the two reverse S hooks that went below the rear bench seat and allowed the front bench to recline right level with the rear seat. It was about the size of a double bed in there fully reclined! BBB is only as good as the people working there. I have a friend who worked for the BBB for awhile and he said they were most interested in making money from companies purchasing their representation than actually providing help to customers with complaints.

Not only did I take notes, I recorded every conversation we had after he denied that he verbally quoted me "$2200-$2400'. I did pay with CC and will be reversing the charges if they attempt to charge me further. As for them 'testing the wiring', there is one fatal flaw in their thinking. They went by the codes that the TCU was providing (duty b and c solenoid) when I first took my car to the shop and agreed that the solenoids needed to be replaced. Now that they have done the repair and the TCU is still throwing the same code, they claim that there must be a wiring problem. The problem here is that they agreed that the initial codes were correct, so anything that is 'incorrect' now must be due to something they have done since the repair. I'm just waiting for them to try and charge me for tracking down a faulty wire now.

I checked with the BBB and they are not a member. I also shot off this letter to a local news station 'Troubleshooter' reporter who helps people in this situation, but that was over a week ago and no reply. I also contacted AMVIC and forwarded them this letter as well as my recorded conversations, I was told that if they think there is a reason for them to get involved that I would have some paperwork in the mail last Monday or Tuesday that I would need to fill out and get back to them. No paperwork arrived.

The following is my ongoing fight with the repair of my transmission at AAMCO. I think most will agree that there is definitely something seriously fishy going on here. I am thinking of telling him to stop all work on the car now and I will pick it up as it is (I think he is going to find a way for the TCU to stop throwing ANY codes). It is a fairly long read, but I have to detail as much as possible. Any feedback you can provide would be appreciated, particularly concerning the TCU code. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1990 Subaru Legacy AWD Automatic.- 165,000 km. Vehicle taken to AAMCO at 6512 75 St. Edmonton, AB for transmission solenoid replacement. Amin Zahalan: AAMCO Owner/Operator I brought my car in for a free inspection on Monday, November 13(?) and Bryce (technician) hooked up their scanner and tried to pull trouble codes from the vehicle’s TCU/ECU. I explained to them that I had already pulled the codes and had done extensive research as to the problem with the transmission and that the codes I had pulled concerned the Duty B and C solenoids. There is no repair procedure for the solenoids, they must be replaced. The original quoted estimate for the replacement of the solenoids was ~$300, but Amin was not sure on the solenoid prices and so I left as he said he would look into it and get back to me with a more definite quote once he made some inquiries. I also asked them to include a price on replacing the flexplate, as the transmission was making a faint noise that seemed to suggest that it was cracked. This requires the removal of the transmission as it is mounted on the front of the transmission. Upon questioning, Bryce informed me that he had never worked on a Subaru AWD transmission and that he would like the opportunity to learn. Amin assured me that his senior technician had plenty of experience with them. The following Monday Amin gave me a quote for ~$800 to do the work, so I gave the go ahead. He got back to me a few days later and told me that the transmission would need a complete rebuild. I gave him the go ahead on the rebuild without asking for a definite cost as it was out of the vehicle at that point and would do me no good once put back in. I went to AAMCO to speak with him a few days later (at this point he was waiting for parts) and asked to see the transmission, which was spread out across a bench in the back of the shop. He showed me a ‘worn’ ring that, to my eye (I am a steel fabricator and have worked with steel for over 10 years), looked to have a faint discoloration to it at best where it came into contact with another part within the transmission. I asked him to put an overall definitive price on the rebuild cost. His reply was, “$2200, maybe as high as $2400”. This seemed incredibly steep for a vehicle that I only paid $1700 for, but I figured at that price ($2400) and with a new transmission in it the vehicle should sell for $4000 if I decided that I wanted to recover my costs in the near future. The engine runs incredibly well and the interior is in amazing condition for a 16 year old vehicle. ~10 days later I called to see what was going on and Amin told me that the parts were received, but one of the solenoids was incorrect and they had to order another one from overseas. He said that it was in transit at that time and it had been sent regular mail. I asked him why it was not couriered, but he had no answer for that. I waited another week and finally went in to see him personally. He told me that the part had still not arrived. I asked him to call the company that sent the solenoid and ask them to overnight courier another solenoid and then Amin could send back the one in transit once it arrived. He then changed his story and told me that he had been on the phone with them a couple of hours earlier and that they informed him they didn’t have the solenoid in stock and they had to make another one, which was sent that day. On Tueday, December 12 Amin called and informed me that the solenoid had arrived and the Subaru should be ready to go around lunchtime the next day. I had previous plans that I cancelled so that I could pick up the Subaru before I worked at 3PM. I called Amin at 1PM on Wednesday to find out how things where going and he said that they had just taken the car for a road test and he would get back to me by 1:30PM as this was the latest I could leave to pick up the car and still be on time for work. At 1:50PM he called and said that everything was working fine in the transmission and it shifted well, but there was a noise from the passenger side halfshaft. He said he could get a rebuilt halfshaft from NAPA for $135 and replace it. When I dropped the car off at AAMCO there was no noise coming from anywhere other than the flexplate (that noise turned out to be a bad bearing located next to the flexplate) and the car ran and handled perfectly. I asked him what the total cost was at that point for the transmission repair and it was just under $3000. I then asked him about his quote for a maximum of $2400, which he denied saying. He stated that he had quoted me $2600 and then the extra cost of the solenoid was added to that. I told him not to touch the car anymore and that I would repair/replace the halfshaft myself if there was a problem with it. His reply was “So you want me to put it back together?” He wasn’t given permission to take it apart in the first place and I speculate as to whether it really was apart at that point. This is a technique by people who own repair shops to get a person to go ahead with work as the owner of the vehicle would typically think ‘oh well, it’s apart now and we may was well get it repaired’. It is now 1PM Thursday, December 14. All phone calls after this point have been recorded and are available for review. I just called Amin again and requested a total with taxes: $3157.34 I also inquired as to where he obtained the solenoid and he couldn’t give me a definite answer, he stated that he contacted Subaru in Edmonton (he wasn’t sure which Subaru as there are 2 of them) and somebody got in touch with somebody else and they got in touch with someone overseas who sent it. I asked him for information on where he got the solenoid and he said he had no contact address or tracking number or any way to get in touch with the people who had sent it, although he had told me when I was last at AAMCO that he had just gotten off the phone with them several hours earlier (see top of page). I called both of the Subaru parts departments in Edmonton and neither of them has been in touch with anyone from AAMCO concerning a solenoid (although Doug at Subaru City recalled speaking with somebody about a week and a half ago about one, it was me he spoke with) and both of the Parts Managers agree that Subaru would not make up a solenoid upon request. I suggested to Doug that perhaps Amin has found another transmission via a wrecking yard and installed it in my vehicle and he agreed that would be the best possible explanation. The vehicle is currently sitting at AAMCO and I will not be paying a penny on the costs until I find out how it was repaired. December 18, 1PM: I just call NAPA and the price on the rebuilt halfshaft is $115. December 21, 1:30PM: I went to AAMCO to test drive the car and look at the ‘worn’ parts that they had replaced. Amin showed me the solenoids that they swapped out, but he still won’t give me an answer as to where they got the replacement solenoids. He refused to allow me to test drive the vehicle until I paid for the repairs, so I told him that I would contact ADVIC and have a mediator handle this. He stated that it was company policy to have someone pay for the current charges before letting anybody drive their vehicle as they may take off with it and not return. I had already told him that he could have sit right next to me and I would leave the keys to my Acura RL which was worth considerably more than the Subaru. He relented after I mentioned ADVIC and had one foot out the door. He called his senior technician from the garage and had him go with me. Upon starting the vehicle, I immediately noticed that it was running considerably rougher than when I brought it to AAMCO. The technician stated that it was because the car was still cold, but the car sat for 6 weeks at considerably colder temperatures before I brought it to AAMCO and it started and ran perfectly at that point. I took it out on the road and noticed a noise in the transmission, directly below the shifter. The technician stated that there were new parts in the transmission that needed time to wear in, that the noise could be coming from anything. My view on this is that if you purchase a brand new vehicle with a brand new transmission, it won’t make any suspicious noises and all of the parts are brand new and need time to break in. I took his statement with a grain of salt and he added that if there is any troubles with the transmission for the next year or 20,000km that I can bring it back for repair. I would prefer it to leave AAMCO repaired properly and not have to bring it back. The transmission seemed to shift properly otherwise, so I brought it back to AAMCO. I mentioned the noise to Amin and told him that I would give it some time to break in, but if the noise continued that I would be bringing it back. I paid for the work done and told Amin that I would come back later that evening with somebody to pick up the Subaru. There was no noise coming from either halfshaft, so I am wondering why Amin told me previously that there was. That evening I came back at 8:30 to pick it up and as soon as I started the car I noticed the ‘POWER’ light flashing which indicated that there is an error code in the TCU. I turned off the car and locked it up. I wrote Amin a note about the flashing ‘POWER’ light askin him to check it out as it is directly related to the transmission repair and should not be flashing if everything is correctly repaired. I slipped the key and note into the key drop slot. December 22: I called Amin at 12:05PM and asked him if he had checked into it. He said that he currently had some guys looking at it and it was probably a wiring problem. I stated that the codes that the TCU threw before the repair were accurate and diagnosed that the solenoids needed to be repaired, so there was no reason to suspect that it would be incorrectly throwing a code now. He replied that the solenoids had been replaced and there should be no code or problem and that the ‘AAMCO repair hotline’ told him it must be something wrong with the wiring. He said they are currently testing the wiring for the correct loads.

I put Silverstars in my Honda Odyssey and noticed a decent improvement over the stock lights. Image my surprise when first one burned out and then the other a few days later, they only lasted about 9 months! I figured for the price I paid they would last at least as long as the OEM bulbs. I've also noticed that the lights on my '90 Legacy where somewhat lacking. I'll look into polishing the lenses and adding some aftermarket lights.

You have to take into account that the Civic has the VTEC engine. I have a VTEC in my Odyssey and once it starts to peak out around 4k RPM the VTEC kicks in and it pulls. HARD!

I run all-season tires in the spring/summer/fall, but come snowfall you can't beat a set of winter tires for traction. Sure, you can save yourself a few $$$ by running all-season tires year round, but when you are paying $$ to fix somebody's vehicle or a tow truck to get you out of the ditch, the winter tires suddenly seem like a good idea. You can't put a price on safety! If you have a family in your vehicle and you are driving on crappy winter roads, get snow tires!

I've tried 1stsubaruparts.com as well as a few other online parts catalog sites, but haven't found the solenoids on any of them. Any chance someone in the US could call a Subaru dealership in the US and inquire for me?

I called my local Subaru dealership and inquired about the price of the Duty B and C solenoids in my transmission. They told me that they are $250 each and they will have to order them. I thought that was a little steep for a couple of small parts. Has anyone purchased these in the US and, if so, what kind of money did you pay for them? The reason I ask is because I recently needed a small part on another vehicle I own and found quite the descrepancy between US and Canadian prices. There is a small temp sensor on the exterior of my transmission on the 2002 Honda Odyssey I own and it needs to be replaced (unscrew, remove, screw in new one). I called my local Honda dealer and they told me it would be $130 plus taxes and it was order only (the damned vehicle is only a few years old!) I play BF2 online with guy in the US who works for the parts department of a Honda dealership and he is shipping me the same part for $40 including the shipping, what a difference!!

The situation seemed to resolve itself. About 10 minutes after I posted I went back out to the car and checked the engine. The intakes were now quite hot and I let it sit for another 20 minutes until I had to leave. I had heat right away and the temp guage centered itself nicely. I believe there may have been some ice left in the system that melted after letting it sit for awhile.

I am taking my '90 Legacy AWD into AAMCO today to finally have something done about my transmission, so I went out yesterday afternoon to start the car. It has been sitting for about 3 months now and it got below the freezing mark about a week ago and it had 6 inches of snow on it. It fired up right away with no troubles, going into high idle. After about 2 minutes, it settled down into regular idle. Great, or so I thought. I let it run for awhile to get it warm inside and let it melt the snow/ice off the exterior, but after about 20 minutes I noticed that nothing was melting. I went out and checked the air coming out of the vents and it was cold. I brought the car into the garage and took a look around the engine, then noticed that the liquid in the rad overflow tank was frozen. It turns out that there is nothing but straight water in the radiator, not a drop of coolant. I brought the car into the garage for a few hours (attached to the house, not heated but well above freezing level) then went out and started it for a few minutes again and got some hot air blowing out of the vents. I left the car in the garage overnight and checked on it this morning. There was still ice in the overflow. Drained water from radiator via the cap on the bottom (it was clean and clear) and took out the overflow and put it in the sink in hot water to get the ice out. Topped up the radiator and the overflow to the fill line with straight antifreeze, about 3/4 of a gallon. I'm hoping this will be enough to get the coolant in the correct range (good to ~ -30C) for the winter. I started the car again about an hour ago and after idling for about 10 minutes I am still not getting heat. The fans in the front came on after about 2 minutes (thought that was awfully strange) and I could touch the intake on the engine and barely felt any heat at all, even after 10 minutes of idling. I took the car out for a short drive and immediately noticed that the temperature guage on the dash was almost maxxed out, it was barely below the red line. I turned on the heat and immediately had plenty. As soon as I pulled the car into the garage again with it idling, no heat and the rad fans were going like crazy. I touched the intake again and it was still barely warm, it's only -6C (~30F) outside now. The large hose at the top of the radiator was very hot and hard, I couldn't squeeze it to see if water was flowing. At this point I am thinking that there may either be water frozen within the engine still or the thermostat is fubared. Any ideas?

You could also clean it out and spray it thoroughly with a rust inhibitor. Another thing to watch for (especially if you own a truck) are those chrome or plastic wheel well guards that go over the wheel wells to make your vehicle look pretty. Many newer trucks (4x4s usually) have huge plastic ones that trap a ton of dirt!

Why is red and clean fluid a bad thing?

It's about 260,000 miles. A simple Google search was all that was required to find that out.

http://www.canadatrader.com/result/detailinfo.aspx?ID=23842375&pgno=1&srt=1 Wish there was a photo.