Rooster2

Spray Windex, and wipe dry with paper towels. Keep pushing the buttons, and keep spraying with Windex to free up the climate control buttons. Usually, the buttons get gummed up with soft drink spills from the cup holder just above the climate controller. Not one of Subaru's best ideas of putting the cup holder just above the climate controller.

Good info on strut buying. IMO be careful about doing biz with Partsgeek. Yes, they have great prices, and all is well buying from them, until you have an issue requiring Customer Service for a return for what ever reason. Their customer service has a poor reputation, resulting in a big hassle. Not something I want to do again.

Regarding "FIXED," Trans-X continues to work well for me after many years now. No need to seek out Amsoil ATF. Sure their ATF is very good, but using Wal-Mart with Trans-X works just fine. I use the smaller pint size bottle of Trans-X, don't recommend adding all the contents of a quart size container. I have found that Trans-X works for about a year, then the tranny delay slowly reappears. Just reapply Trans-X, and the problem is fixed for another year. Thanks for the tip on using the crush gasket. Good to know. Larry (Rooster2)

I have a 1995 2.2 swapped into my 98 Outback, and like the conversion. The 2.2 runs smoother then the 2.5, has a little less power, but you learn to live with it. As others have said, I would not give up on your current 2.5 without learning why it is burning oil. Since you say it still runs well, with good power, it just may be needing a PCV valve, would also recommend adding Marvel Mystery Oil drive about 50 miles, then change oil. Just might be gunked up, and the Marvel will clean things out.

The climate control panel is not too difficult to swap out. I have done it a couple of times, because the control push buttons would no longer work. Start by removing the cup holder, then remove the trim cover over the control panel. With the cup holder removed, there is enough room to reach your hand in to work on the control panel. I think it is either 2 or 4 screws to loosen it from it's housing. Place a rag or something under the screws to catch them upon removal, or otherwise, the screws can drop down, and be hard to retrieve.The most difficult part is swapping out the temp cable. It is just awkward to get at to work with, but with some patience it can be done. There are two wiring connectors, that need to be separated to remove the control panel. I don't remember removing the radio. I sourced both replacement control panels from wrecking yards. Both work well, but have some light bulbs burned out, so I just live with that. From your problem description, I doubt the control panel is the source of your problem. Sounds like you have an electrical problem getting the fan to operate. The switch on the climate control operates the fan, but that switch seldom breaks, so don't count on a replacement climate control panel to fix your problem.

Totally agree with Fairtax. I have done the same in the past, and it works well. Just absolutely be sure that you buy high pressure fuel hose, nothing else, or you risk hose rupture. I clamped the hose 3 times with hose clamps at both ends, just to be super sure. I drove the car for many years with this repair, and it held up.

No, read BluetoE's last post again. Carmax offered only $300.00, not $3,000.00 for the car. Every story I have heard from people, who got a quote from Carmax, got a very low ball quote. Such as a couple of years ago, friends wanted to sell their old minivan. Carmax offered them $500. I retailed the van from my home with the help of Craig's list for $2,000.00. I am not bragging about my sales skills, just under scoring that Carmax buys only on the cheap.

Agree, that it is a two man job installing a car door. They are surprisingly heavy, and awkward to handle by yourself. If you swap in the doors by yourself only, then rest the doors on a couple of bottle jacks supported by something substantial to reach proper height. Adjust the door height by jacking up the bottle jacks to the precise level you need to easily install the bolts. I have also used this same technique to install new struts. Just jack up the strut, so the nuts at the top of the strut tower can be installed easily. Sure beats trying to wrestle the part in place, then trying to hold it there with one hand, while using the other hand to install nuts.

check fan motor to see it it is clogged up with debris. If so, clean out the gunk, and should work good as new.

Did you listen to any of the Subaru glass pack muffler systems on utube? That will give you some idea of what your car could sound like. Yea, you should be able to get a glass pack installed to replace the muffler by the back bumper. Cost appx. $100. Recommend taking your car to a mom and pop family owned muffler shop, the kind that does torch off and torch on installation. Avoid the big muffler chains, they will charge you an arm and a leg, and try to talk you into buying a full cat back system to jack the bill up.

Drain and fill the auto tranny three times, with short driving intervals between drains. That way, you get a better ATF change, as about half the ATF stays in the torque converter, and doesn't get drained out.

The WRX and STI "signature grow" is mostly a product of having unequal length headers to create that thump thump sound. I have heard of cheapie unequal length headers for sale, but don't know a source. If simply going the cheapie route, then use a glass pack muffler and no resonator. If you google "utube videos," and request "Subaru, glass pack muffler," you will find about 6 videos of Subarus with different glass pack mufflers, and be able to listen to the sound each car's muffler system produces with a stock header pipe. This may help in your muffler selection process. Also, don't recommend a loud system. It sounds great for 5 minutes, but the constant drone-ing noise at highway speed gets old fast, plus you won't be able to listen very well to the car's music sound system with a loud muffler system. Been there, done that!

I, too, recommend www.car-part.com. Very easy to do a search to find what you want. I have bought from several yards listed there, and have gotten good parts at reasonable cost, that were packaged, and shipped to me quickly.

Since both hi and low elements are built into the same bulb, I would guess that both cannot operate at the same time because of the high amount of heat that would be generated inside the bulb. To run both bulbs simultaneously, would prolly burn out the bulb within 20-30 seconds maybe less.

Try this..........disconnect the battery from your car. Wait a minute or so, then reconnect the battery cable. Recycling the system may correct the problem.

Better to place this info on the USMB forum in the ......."Marketplace, Subaru parts/stuff for sale" section.

Recently, had trouble with P/S fluid leak on my 98 OBW. I replaced the pump, but the leak continued. Long story, short, my rack was leaking. So, ordered a used rack from a www.carparts.com wrecking yard. I had a friend install the rack, which he said was not that bad of a job. Once installed, all is well. No more fluid leak. Later, I learned that the pump is easily rebuilt with a couple of parts from a Subie dealership. You may want to check this out first.

My experience on broken door mirrors, is that there are a lot of plastic parts inside the housing. If something breaks to cause the giggle, then often it is something plastic. I have never tried to repair, as I have just gone to a wrecking yard, bought a replacement mirror, and installed it.

try locking, then unlocking, with trying to open the hatch between locking changes. My guess is that the latch mechanism in the hatch needs lubricating. Recommend you squirt white lithium grease from a spray can into the mechanism to free up its action. I have done just that on my OBW. Works great. If doesn't work, then the latch mechanism is prolly to rusted, and needs to be replaced. I had another OBW, that I had to do that on.

Another avenue, is to buy a used motor from a wrecking yard. Since you are in Illinois, there must be a foreign car wrecking yard near by. Over the years, I have purchased two Subie motors that turned out to be in great condition. Check out the website for wrecker parts............www.carparts.com. On that website, you can find motors for sale and price listed. A used motor is a lot less money then a rebuilt or re manufactured motor. Also, finding a motor near by, is a lot less costly then having a crated motor shipped to you. A Subie motor weights about 200 pounds, so pretty easy to haul in a pick up truck, or back of an SUV or station wagon.

For what it is worth, in my experience, I have found it much easier to replace the bad bearing with a used knuckle assembly from a wrecking yard. Going through the hassle of having the bearing pressed swapped out at a shop, or using a shark tamer, is just not worth the effort. I have been lucky that used knuckles I have bought continue to work well.

(2) should I also replace the ignition wires, or can I get away with just wiping them off real good with an old T-shirt or shop towels? If you have not completed this work already, I would add to use rubbing alcohol on that old T-shirt or shop towels to clean off oil and dirt. The alcohol will do a good job of removing oily residue.

If it is anything like dropping the pan on the auto tranny, the difficult part is removing bits and pieces of the old pan gasket, when you drop the pan.It takes some real scraping. Yes, I would advise using a new gasket and some sealant. Don't over tighten the fastening nuts, just tighten good and snug.

hoses from any parts store will work well. If given a choice, spend a few extra bucks, and buy more towards the top of the line in what they sell. With hoses, it is more about price, not brand name. Last time I bought bottom hose, the parts store did not have the specific molded hose to fit my Subie. They offered, and I bought a flex hose. I have found they can work very well. Usually, that type of hose is a little longer then the molded hose, but doesn't matter. It just makes for a wider hose loop, when attaching both ends. I use the "air craft" type screw tighten clamps. Just don't super tighten down, or you risk cracking the plastic outlet on the radiator, that the hose slides over, or over tightening can cause the edges of the metal hose band to cut into the hose over time. Rather snug is how I tighten down.