Rooster2

I am on my third AWD Subie, and never knew what the FWD fuse holder was for. Yes, I knew that installing the fuse resulted in FWD, but never knew that it was intended for use when the donut spare is installed. Guess I should have read the car manual carefully. Guess, I am lucky to never have had a flat. Thanks for the fuse education............Rooster2

I had a 91 Subie Leggie that had a blower fan that made a lot of noise, and ran poorly. It is easily removed from inside the car, behind the glove box on the passanger side. Upon removal, I found the blower squirrle cage clogged with tree leaves and gunk. I cleaned it up, reinstalled, and it was good as new.

If you are serious about becoming a dealer, then you need to learn the business from the inside out. Take a job at a Subie dealership as a mechanic or salesman, or whatever you would want to get hired as. Without understanding the biz from the inside, it would be extremely difficult to be successful.

Alternator is an ez swap out do it yourself job. No special skill or tools required.

I wouldn't be all that concerned about buying a former rental car. A buddy of mine did that some years back, and it turned out to be a good reliable car. Car rental stores do a good job of oil changes, tire replacements and front end alignment, but sell the cars before needing brakes. A few years back I bought a use Subie from a Toyota dealer. We haggled down on price, then I talked them into replacing the timing belt as part of the deal, which they did. However, with just 38K miles on the odo, that is not a concern for you. Give it a drive, and see how it drives, if not done so already. Try haggling hard, and complain that it was a rental car, and therefore telling them that the car is less desirable to you. You may be able to write a super deal on this car. Remember that car sales are way down right now. Dealers are hot to sell at reduced prices.

The same ATF that goes into all GM cars. I think it is Dextron. If on the can it says made for GM cars, then you know that you have the right product.

The additive product is Trans-X. I am the guy who has fixed the delayed forward engagement problem in three auto trannies. The problem seems to present itself in the '99 & '00 models. Works great! Suggest you drain and fill your trany at least 3 times to drain out old ATF, as a single drain only actually drains out about half the fluid.

You are not stupid for more than doubling your money. I would like to double my money on any car that I have ever owned. Your heart ache is that you really liked Izzy. I can understand that. Moving on to the Outback that you have heard about may be a good way to go. Now is a good time to buy a new or used car at a reduced price. Dealerships and private owners aren't selling much these days with the economy in the dumpster. Also, want to be buyers are short of money because of holiday spending. Let us know what Subie you finally purchase. Think of it as a nice Christmas present to yourself.

Not likely to come clean, very likely to tell another lie. Once a liar, alway a liar. Find another salesman, find another dealer.

If your car is an automatic with AWD, I read somewhere that 90% of the pulling power is directed to the front wheels, 10% to the rear wheels. Guess that explains why chains should always be placed on the front wheels only.

That is the worst salesman BS that I have ever heard! Anybody can sell anything at any price, even if it is at a loss. Been better to take a hike to another Subie dealership, or ask for another salesman.

I assume you are interested in the engine and wiring harnass, so you can swap the entire engine into your 87. If so, have the guy selling the car start the engine with a jump start. There is no point spending time and around $200for a motor that you later find out is bad after purchase.

If you live in a warm climate, water flush as described by 98OBster. You can also add a can of chemical flush, drive for a few days, drain, water flush, add 50/50 coolant/water to finish the job.

Suggest the first thing you do is to replace the half shaft as soon as possible before you suffer a major break down. The clicking and grinding says that the CV joint bearing is shot. Brakes and clutch are two separate systems. Check your brake fluid level. It may be low, and may have sucked some air into the system to cause spongy feel. Suggest you bleed the brakes extensively to get the air out. Also, check your brake pads to see if they need replacing.

When I did the swap, I don't remember any seals. It was simply unbolt old unit, rebolt new unit, hook up hoses (I think there are hoses), and tighten the drive belt. No seals involved.

Suggest first cleaning the battery cables where they connect to the battery. If corrosion is present, it can cause the problem you are having. As others have said, a starter going bad will act up exactly as yours is.

From the pixs, unable to see what is oil or coolant leakage. My advise is to top off the radiator/overflow container with antifreeze, and keep on driving. Low coolant will prevent the heater from putting out really hot air. Check radiator and heater hoses for any leaks. If everything is too wet with oil and antifreeze, to find a leak, take your car to a do it yourself wand car wash, and give the motor a good bath. With a clean motor, you will be better able to find fluid leaks.

Did the battery/alternator dash warning lights come on anytime before the car stalled? Once a car is running, the battery doesn't do much, except to get charged by the alternator. Usually a dash warning light tells you the battery is not getting charged, which is another way of telling you that the alternator has failed. I suspect that your alternator is the culprit, and as you have said, the battery is not strong, so you may need to replace both the alternator and the battery.

Glad to hear that you found a used one. Swapping out old for new is very easy on a Subbie. Only took me about 20 minutes of work, no special tools needed.

I hate to bear possible bad news, but there is a possibility that you have a blown head gasket that is causing your trouble. The 2.2 motor is not known for this, like the 2.5 motor, it can happen. I had a 91 Leggie with the 2.2 that blew a head gasket. Yes, it would idle just fine, and not over heat. But, drive it for 10-15 minutes, and the temp guage would quickly head for "hot". Lots written here on this forum about HG trouble, what to look for, and how to test for a bad HG. Suggest you read the archives.

Too bad you can't get that car into a warm garage somewhere. My guess is that your radiator is frozen up. Suggest concentrating your heat lamps, maybe use an electric blanket around the radiator and top and lower rad hoses will help. Another thought is to take your car to a repair shop, if you can limp your car in without over heating. Ask to leave the car in their warm garage over night to thaw out, then have them flush and change the antifreeze. That can't cost much. When I was a kid, my dad had a gas station. He often left a customers frozen car in the bay over night to thaw out. Didn't charge them anything for the thaw out service.

Is there any chance that you can get that car into a heated garage, or to a garage that you can heat with kerocene heaters or something. You really need to melt down everything that is icy. Using blankets etc outside in freezing conditions won't help much. Suggest that you drain and replace the antifreeze, then go with about a 75% antifreeze, 25% water mix. Add some type of coolant stop leak to the system to seal up the leaking heater core. Don't add much stop leak product, or it can block the flow of coolant through the heater core. The result would be a heater that won't produce much heat.

IMO, I think buying a good used p/s pump from a wrecking yard near you in the UK is the way to go. $750 if that is in USD is outrageously priced. The USD exchange rate to UK Pound is bad these days. Does earning UK Pounds, spending UK Pounds makes the purchase of a new one more reasonable?

Sounds like you are not getting coolant circulation. Maybe water pump is bad, or thermostat bad. Doubt that you would have air bubble in the cooling system, or you would have noticed that some time ago. Recheck coolant to see if your antifreeze is indeed good for -32F. If you weren't the guy who put in the antifreeze, there may not be enough antifreeze in the system.

I had the same thing happen on my 99 Leggies OBW in the front. I took out the turn signal bulb, found the base coated with electrical vasoline. I cleaned it up, or put in a new bulb, (can't remember which) and that fixed the problem. The front lens slides out after screws are removed. It is kind of a wierd way to affix the lens, but it works.