Rooster2

Final update............I removed dash panels to check wiring on back of dah control unit. Just for giggles, I sprayed heavily again with Windex, kept pushing all the buttons, and wiping away the Windex with a paper towel. This time, the cleaning worked. I got all buttons to work, and I could see the flap move behind the dash air outlets, to know the flap was opening and closing. I am amazed that so little dried Coke sugar syrup can disrupt the selector buttons from working properly. So all is well.......saves me a trip to a yard to buy a replacement control unit. Thanks again for all the sound advise................Larry (Rooster2)

Update.........upon further investigation, I did see where some sticky soda residue was around the HVAC buttons. I can thank my daughter for that. I cleaned the buttons off well with Windex, and wiped off with a paper towell, but air output is still only through dash vents. In the past I have gotten the Windex to work well, but not today. I had a similar problem with my 98 OBW, and fixed that with a replacement HVAC dashboard controller from a wrecking yard. Maybe I need to do that again. I spotted one at a local pull-a-part recently, so I will snag that one. The mode door actuator sounds difficult to reach on top of the heater box. I would prefer not to replace the unit, without first seeing if a new dashboard controller fixes the problem. Thanks 86Bratman for the offer of the picture. I will get back to you, if and when I need a picture. Thanks guys.....................Larry (Rooster2)

Yes, I remember the thread about cleaning the buttons. I think I replied to that with cleaning advise. My buttons are not sticking, I see no evidence of soda residue. What is a mode door acuator? Is that the dashboard contol HVAC unit??

My 99 OBW climate control buttons for air flow direction don't work. Press any button on the dash controller, and the air flow is always from the dash vents. Heater lever and motor fan controls work just fine. I couldn't find any write ups on this in the "search " section. Any dvise??

I too suspect this is a wiring problem, but maybe best to replace the bulb to eliminate that from what could be giving you trouble. Possible socket broblem..............Look very closely at the bulb socket and wiring connections to the socket. Look for possible cracks in the plastic socket housing. Check the interior of the socket to see that the spring prongs are making good connection to the bottom of the bulb.

When I swapped out a P/S pump years back, I simply removed and replaced. filled the reservoir with ATF, turned the steering wheel lock to lock multiple times, and the job was done. I sourced the new pump from a yard. It worked great for years. If your simply leaks fluid out, I have read others have replaced the "O" rings to fix the problem. I have not done this, so no comment on how difficult this may be.

Unsure what you are asking. Can you describe your problem or need in more detail?

Thanks guys, I appreciate hearing the ebay experiences. I have bought and sold cars on Craig's list, and have done well. I have only bought "local" cars, so I could "see" what I was buying, and take to a mechanic for mechanical appraisal. With customary long distance buying on e-bay, I feel uneasy about buying a Pig In A Poke. Just my 2 cents worth.

Thanks for posting the KYBs you put on your 99. I have installed KYBs on other cars in the past, and have been very satisfyed with the results, at a good price.

Occasionally, I will take a curious look at cars up for auction on e-bay. To see if anywhing on this forum had been written on this subject, I did a "search" to read where a guy won the bid on a car. I am curious to hear what others think about buying a car on e-bay........maybe there are some deals to be had, but I am thinking also some heart breaks. Anyone willing to share their experience?? I see that some cars (for a subscription fee) history can be learn through "Auto Check Vehicle History Report." I am guessing that is a competitor to Carfax Reports. Still, I would have concerns about bad car titles, stolen vehicles, flood vehicles, rebuilt cars, without a rebuilt title. Any thoughts??

On my first Subie, a 91 Leggie with AWD, I didn't know anything about matching tire size, or tread depth difference. I drove the car with different brand tires and tread differences for over 100K miles, and never had a problem. So, my advise is to not worry about it.

Hard to beat Michelin. Their entire line is quality throughout. They cost some extra $$$, but well worth it, if you plan on keeping the car for a long time, and driving many miles. On a per mile basis, their cost/mile becomes very reasonable.

I have never heard of a Tribeca being lifted, but I bet someone has tried it. From my Legacy experience, you can easily gain about an extra inch of ground clearance by adding tires one size larger then what came stock, without rubbing something on the body or suspension. From a size stand point, a Tribeca is pretty big for light trail driving. If you encounter large sharp stones, the Tribeca's oil pan and tranny pan could get punctured.

You have already thought out much of the pros and cons on each car. From there, it is really a matter of personal taste of which one fits your needs best. There is prolly a fincancial consideration, of how you would come out selling the WRX to buy the Legacy. Would you loose much money in the transaction??

+1, don't know how many times I have cleaned sticky Coke residue form HVAC buttons. My wife swears she doesn't spill Coke, but I know better. Cleaning with Windex and a paper towell works good. I wouldn't be surprised that your cup holder mechanism is sticky as well. If so, it is easy to remove, clean, and re-install.

What brand and model replacement shock did you use?? My 99 OBW will need shocks, so good to hear recommendations. Thanks !! Rooster2

98 Leggie with twin-turbo was never sold in North America, so us Yanks here in the USA won't have any experience or knowledge of the reputation of that motor. I do own a 98 OBW, and I can attest that the car is well made, and holds up well.

I found that using a bungy cord is an easy way to hang the caliper, while working on other brake parts. You do not want to suspend the caliper from the brake line hose.

Good call Pgh_Scoob, the rear parking brake arrangement is indeed a small drum w/shoes. I had forgotten this, and posted earlier that it was simply pads and rotor. My post was wrong. Very likely the front rotors are warped and causing the problem.

Have you been doing drain an fills three times at each episode with the last fill adding Trans-X? If not, then Trans-X won't work all that well. It takes fresh ATF, with fresh Trans-X, to get Trans-X to do its magic.

When I replaced the motor in my 98 OBW, I never gave JDM serious consideration. Prices seemed high, motor would have to be shipped some distance, and no one local to deal with if I encountered problems with a guarantee. Just none of those thoughts made any sense to do business with them. So, I bought a '95, 2.2 motor from a local wrecking yard that I trust, and had an independent repair shop install the engine. I got lucky, and fortunate to have gotten a good motor for $400. I also knew if I had trouble with the new engine, that the wrecking yard would replace the motor at no charge within 90 days.

I remember what you wrote about the parking brake being left on as a source of warped rotors in the rear, however, most of the braking of any car is with the front brakes, so I suspect the front rotors are the ones causing the problems. Whenever I have had warped rotors, it always felt like the pulsating sensation was coming from the front of the car, and the sensation being transmitted through the brake pedal, and even felt throught the steering wheel. Replacing the fronts usually fixed the problem. After thinking about this, it may be better to replace the front rotors first.

Same thought as you..........that the rotors are warped. If you think because the parking brake was left on while driving, then it is only the rear rotors that are bad. Not too costly if you buy on line from Advance Auto Parts with coupon deductions, or elsewhere on line.

Do you have the "delayed forward engagement," problem with your tranny? If so, search the archives on this forum for the solution to this problem. Adding Trans-X fixes the problem. My 99 OBW AT has been fixed with Trans-X, and so have many others of model years 99 & 00.

Did your cleaning include removing both battery cables, then clean the battery posts and inside the cable post connector? There is a wire brush tool designed to clean both the post and cable connectorl, but I am guessing you already have this handy tool. If the cleaning work doesn't fix the problem, then I would suspect a bad alternator.