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A local shop that is highly recommended just quoted me $585 to replace the clutch and do an alignment. Can't beat that!

Sorry, should have mentioned that it's a manual transmission. It's the L model and stock, so I assume nothing fancy as far as the differentials go.

Just trying to make sure I understand how the AWD system on my 98 Impreza works. During normal conditions most of the power goes to the front wheels and just a small fraction goes the back wheels. If the front wheels start to slip, more power is transferred to the rear wheels. Do I have that right so far? So how much power is transferred? What about side to side traction differences. If one front wheel slips, is more power transferred to the othe 3 wheels, or is it transferred just to the other front wheel? And thanks to everyone for helping with the newbie questions

How'd he get all the water out?

I'm worried about trying to remove it without damaging it. I actually have the part that's missing, but the metal track that holds the clips is bent and crimped and all the clips are damaged to the point that they're not useful. We're short on junkyards around here, too.

My car is missing a piece of trim on the window. Can anyone tell me what the part is called, and maybe a good source if you know of one? It's the trim that runs along the side of the window along the A pillar and ends underneath the roof rack. I'm missing the one on the driver's side.

Bonus parts!

Like I said before, it's a 98 Impreza L

I was rooting around under the dash just to see what's what and found these 4 unused connectors. Can anyone tell me what they are? And can I do anything cool with them? Like maybe use them to run a turret with a lazer death ray to obliterate slow drivers? Or maybe something more sane, like my coveted cruise control? It's a '98 Impreza L. This one is on the the left side of the center console, right by where my shin would be when stepping on the gas. These 4 are up under the dash on the left side. You can see in the lower right the tops of the clutch pedal and brake pedal. The unused one I circled on the right is bundled with the the connector to the brake pedal.

Ken, were you able to fix it from here, or are you at an impasse because of the mismatching connectors? And where'd you get the kit from? I want one too! Junk yards are kind of rare around here; the only one within an hour closed down years ago, so I'm not real hopeful that I can find a suitable donor on my own.

I read that a test for the clutch is to see if you can get it going from a dead stop in 5th gear. If you can, then the clutch is slipping too much. Well, I can, so I guess that definitely means that I need a new clutch. Jason at Auburn quoted me right around $250 for the flywheel. Is it worth it to go for a flywheel from a different manufacturer, or am I going to find myself getting bitten if I don't get the OEM part? The OEM clutch kit was just over $200, which isn't that much more than a kit from another manufacturer, so that seems like a good price to me.

This '98 Impreza is my first Subaru with a manual transmission. The shifter has a lot of play compared to what I'm used to. Out of gear, it will move from one side to the other without any resistance. When in gear it will move about an inch and a half side to side without resistance. Is this normal, or does something need to be tightened up?

What are the odds that the cruise control components from my broken down '95 legacy with the 2.2L engine will work on my '98 Impreza with 2.2L engine?

I wonder what the odds are that the throw of the pedal just needs to be adjusted? Anyone know if the job on a '98 is the same as a '96? That's as far as my Chilton manual goes and none of the stores have a manual that includes a '98.

Just the fact that I have to let the clutch out to the last inch or so of travel before it even starts to grab. I have long legs and my knee is up above the steering wheel when this happens.

I'm in Albany! Feel like a fun afternoon project? I'll bring a clutch kit and a case of your favorite beer

I'm honestly surprised that you liked your G009s that much. I had a set on my 95 Legacy wagon and hated them. They were great on dry pavement, but slipped like hell when there was any bit of slickness on the road. To get out of my house I have to go up a 1% grade (or less) hill, and the G009s slip if there is any little bit of moisture. One day the pollen dust on the pavement caused me to slip. While rolling they grip pretty well, though.

Thanks so much for the good information, everyone. I really appreciate it. I'm a quick learner when someone is showing me what to do, but I'm a slow learner when I try to figure it out myself. Considering that it will probably be 5 years or more before it needs a new clutch I'm going to have this job done at a shop. That seems like money well-invested to me. Between a clutch kit (~$200) and tools (another ~$300) and spending a weekend praying that I'll have my new car back together by Monday, I'd much rather take it to a reputable shop. I'll probably save some money by buying the clutch kit before I go to the shop. On the other hand, if anyone's in upstate NY and doesn't mind a newbie looking over his shoulder... I wonder if it's possible that the clutch is just out of adjustment? It doesn't grab until about the last two inches of travel. With only 91k, I think it would take someone riding the clutch a lot to get it to wear that far that fast.

Well, that makes the decision easy. I've got basic ratchet tools & the like, and was willing to buy a torque wrench and whatever specialty tools/pullers are necessary. I don't have 2-5 days to do this, it's my only car. I was thinking maybe 1 sunday. If it's that much work, it's worthwhile for me to take it to a shop. About how much is a mechanic going to charge me for this?

My '98 Impreza will need a new clutch in the near future. The summer is a good time for me to do it as I'm a teacher and when the school year starts again I'll be pretty busy. I've never done it before and will be learning from scratch. I'm a quick study and with a decent manual can do anything that can be done by following a step-by-step procedure. Do you guys think it's worth it for me to attempt this myself, or is this job difficult enough for a first-timer that I'm better off going to a shop? How much would a shop charge, anyway?

I am now the proud owner of my 3rd (and smallest) Subaru, a '98 Impreza L. I *really* wanted the Outback trim, but Imprezas of any sort are rather rare around here, and though I lived my Legacies, I just don't need that much car very often, and I could stand to save on gas. Anyway... the new one doesn't have either cruise control or remote starter. What do you guys think are my best options? I found old threads about OEM its available from Subaru, but those seem to be all gone. I'd also like to have a remote starter again. Is it possible to put such a thing in a car with a manual transmission? I'm imagining that it would be possible, provided that there's a switch on the tranny to turn off the remote starter if it's parked in gear.

After a highly intense troubleshooting session... it turns out that it's probably just corroded battery terminals. I didn't even look at anything except to check the belt tension, then went to the parts store to have them test the charging system for me. As soon as the parts guy went to attach the cables we saw what the problem was. He went ahead with the test anyway and the initial charge from the alternator was in the normal range. The store was out of battery cleaning solvent and I'm out of baking soda at home, so this looks like a job for after work tomorrow. Thanks again for all the replies, everyone.

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Too bad it's winter now and I don't have a garage. Replacing the alternator isn't a tough job normally, but I can't imagine doing it right with a wind chill below zero :-) Would the alternator not working properly contribute to the transmission not shifting?

A couple of days ago a new phenomenon started and I'm not happy about it. The behavior is that when accelerating to highway speed, when the car should be shifting into 4th, it slips a bit, and during this slipping the battery and brake lights come on together. The headlights also dim a little and I can hear the heater fan slow down. Tonight I drove about 2 miles at 65 in 3rd gear with the battery and brake lights on before the transmission shifted into 4th. I don't know if this is temperature related or not. We finally got wintery weather this week and that's when this started. The car is a 95 Legacy wagon, with the 2.2L engine and automatic transmission. The engine was warm according to the water temp guage due to the remote starter getting the engine warm before I got in the car. I'd only driven a quarter mile when getting onto the highway and having this problem. The outside temp was 14 degrees. Any ideas? Help would be much appreciated!

FSM = Factory Service Manual? I'm guessing... The Chilton's book doesn't show many of the affected items on any of the wiring diagrams