porcupine73

Ah thanks OB99W; it appears it is true. I guess the place I get my inspections done knows how to deal with it then in my '96 as they've never said anything about a problem.

Just reading this article at aa1car.com and read Is this actually true? I guess I could do an experiment...

Hi Mikevan10, Maybe...I see reference to a 'Evaporative Vapor Pressure Sensor', at least in alldata for my '96 Legacy, but I can't find any more info for it so I don't know if it really exists.

I can't really think of anything back there that could deliver the say 10A or so an accessory outlet is fused at, other of course than the rear defroster. Most circuits have a little wiggle room with the current draw but if you melt the insulation or blow the fuse that won't help. Probably as suggested best way is to just run a #12 or #14 or whatever from the battery back there and then you can put in one of those triple outlets if you wanted. Make sure of course to fuse the wire as close to the battery as possible with a suitable size fuse to protect the size wire you put in or bad things could happen if it ever shorts. Actually, maybe you could just get a cigarette lighter plug extension cord and run that from the front to back there when you need it; that sounds pretty easy?

Hello and welcome! Regarding the paint, are you sure that area wasn't repainted or had accident repair performed? I haven't heard a whole lot about paint peeling. Maybe some harsh chemical got on it? For tire pressure, I usually go 1-2 psi above the plate on the door. The rear pressure can be a little higher if you're towing or have a lot of passengers or gear loaded. Some people go higher pressure for better mileage or other reasons, but with high pressures other issues can arise such as poor wear etc. I probably get about the same drop in '00OBW with lots of A/C use. The a/c uses a fair amount of power and efficiency isn't it's primary goal.

So what's the deal with the King Springs, I mean if you contact them, I take it they will ship to the U.S.? I don't see any dealers anywhere near the U.S. except maybe South Africa. Agreed on the Monroe junk. I had two sets I installed myself back in '93 and they all started leaking in fairly short order.

Dude push for a free loaner. I don't know how Subaru handles that but if you complain enough, hey, you might get to drive around a new loaner for a day or two!

If possible you might want to try to get the tech to take a ride with you so you can demonstrate the problem. It might be ok in other gears as it really doesn't have to slip per se, except when getting going in first. Unless maybe somethin's up with some gear in the MT. Maybe you could change the gear oil and see if there's a lot of shavings in there or anything.

Good story...hehe it could have been worse, you could have been talking up Subaru and turned around and yours was on fire! Anyway, I didn't really see anything about replacing the seals, manual says something about how to address leaks from the flare nuts. Was the wheel turned at all when it was leaking? Maybe there's some corrosion or something in that particular spot that it'll leak when in exactly that position. edit:actually there is a good troubleshooting chart with diagrams in the manual. It looks like for your leak area it says 'leakage from surrounding of power cylinder or gearbox' - cause:damaged oil seal, solution-replace bad parts. Also says maybe it could be 'leakage from control valve of gearbox'? cause damaged packing or oil seal or damaged control valve? Anyways this chart has like 20 different possible leak locations shown...

Well that's not good. Manual or auto trans? Not that it really matters I guess, just curious. this Here's some info from Subaru about it but it doesn't say much about the issues people had after something like this, just says:

Maybe a little compressed air blown around in there would break up what's in there if it is something. Not too much pressure though as you don't want cause more problems. Many things like that these days aren't really lubricatable because they have those little (or big) sealed bearings.

Hm, just behind the passenger rear seat under the mats and stuff you might find something like is in this pic below, or maybe you already found it; at least that's what it looks like on '96. +6 on the don't drive 'til it's fixed; it's dangerous for you and others on the road.

Ahhh thanks for the pointers. Somehow I just ended up at the WRX listings and just assumed that was the Subaru listings without looking at the rest of the catalog. Those raised '96 Outback springs might be just the ticket for my slight jack up of '96 Legacy....but of course that price you mentioned might be a bit high..was that $400 for all four?

INteresting info outback_97. I see only the WRX in the King Springs catalog on their web site; how did you know they'd fit your vehicle?

You got it. mpg is miles/gallons. Basically just reset your trip odometer with that little button when you fill up. Then the next time you fill up, just divide that trip odo reading by the gallons on the pump and boom....you've got miles per gallon (mpg). I keep a cheap calculator in the car for quick checks. A few notes: when you fill up, you want to try to fill the same way you did before; i.e. if you topped off (pumped past auto shutoff) you want to try to do it the same way on the next fillup. Also, to get repeatable readings, you want to fill up at the same station using the same octane gas. Only after a good number of tank fulls can you reliably compare between fuel stations. Also, ambient temp, a/c use, foot in the pedal, and other factors can impact mpg.

Hm...well this wouldn't be the first post with a batty knock sensor. Once the ECU thinks the knock sensor has gone south for the winter, it probably goes fail safe and retards or whatever timing to the max. I guess that might not be the optimal map for operation and thus the hesitation. I'd say get that new knock sensor in there, clear the codes, and see if happens any more. Check the connector too to make sure it's not all corroded or something.

On my grill I just used needle nose pliers to squeeze those the clips whilst gently tugging on it to get it off the clips. And yes those clips ain't the sturdiest things in the world and I broke a couple when squeezing them. Then when you're done it just snaps back on.

Dudes there's lights in there? Mine haven't worked on my '96 legacy since I got it 2 years ago; I just assumed there weren't any lights in there! I've got check this out so I don't have to read the buttons like braille in the dark!

Well I guess it depends on what you're looking for but nitrous is usually a relatively cheap way to get a little boost. I'd think something low like maybe at 25 shot or something might not be too horrid? Beyond that I guess just keeping everything in tune, clean air filter, fresh spark plugs, good fuel, clean injectors, fresh fluids, etc. can help it reach it's maximum potential.

What readings did you get on your compression test?

Well at least it would go out in a blaze of glory!

Hi ron917; exact same thing happened in exact same place on my '00OBW with same scraping sounds afterwards, except mine happend on a hard right turn. I think consensus from other threads was poor steel in that area. I simply replaced it with an OE bar and new bushings. End links looked OK so I left those as were. Didn't have to remove exhaust to put in new bar. Just removed jacking plate, inserted from one side, and rotated bar as I slipped it through. Was a little snug around some of the steering rack fluid pipes, but didn't take long to get it through. Whole job took about 2 hours.

Dude if you live in Canada, word on the street (at least here in Buffalo!) is that Krown has a nice rustproofing program. I know several people who go over the border to get the Krown rustproof every year. Personally I sprayed the frames and stuff with some kit and black tar like stuff I got from JC Whitney. Then I did the doors with Amsoil heavy duty metal protector. This year I'm trying out kanolabs Weatherpruf.

I use the white lithium grease; works very well. WD-40 might work in the short term. White lithium grease's messyness can be reduced by using the spray can version if desired.

Well I haven't heard of that one. Running Amsoil HDD 5W-30 in my two Sub's and they don't seem to be upset about it. Only thing I noticed was a small amount of oil consumption for the first few thousand miles, then I didn't have to add any make up oil anymore.