Rooster2

I live in Indiana, USA, and own both a 98 & 99 Outbacks. Some salt is used on the roads here, however, both Subarus are holding up well. The 98 is showing a little rust starting around the rear arches, but not bad. Earlier, we owned a 91 Legacy, that rusted on the doors, arches and sills. Subaru has made progress against rusting.

If it were me, I think I would feel safer renting or borrowing a full size truck and flat bed trailer the 96 home with all four wheels off the ground on the flat bed, because it has an automatic transmission. A truck would have superior pulling power and good brakes. I would also have a concern of a Subaru towing a Subaru, and how the state police would view this package going down the road. They could frown on this, and possibly write you a ticket for operating unsafe equipment as such. Worse still, the police could stop you from proceeding further, and call a tow truck to haul your towed Subaru off the highway at your expense. I would hate to see this happen to you, but it is something to consider.

Nope, that is the only filter that I have ever changed.

I bent a high pressure line on my VW A/C . Upon straightening out the line, it split open. JB to the rescue. I cleaned all surfaces, applied JB, and let it cure for several days. I refilled with 134a, and the JB held up for years. I sold the car with the A/C still keeping the car cool. JB.........is pretty amazing. Trick is to super clean all surfaces, and give JB a few days to harden like steel.

I am no A/T expert, but I do read a lot of posts here, and have done so for quite a while. In this situation, I have read that it is far better to swap in a used trany vs. trying to repair it. Should not be difficult to find a good used trany from a wrecking yard.

Look closely at the mirror to see if anything is broken, which is prolly likely. Youl will likely need to replace the mirror.

If you bought the engine from a company verses an individual, I would think they would have warranted the motor. The wrecking yard I buy stuff from warrants everything for 30 days. If I have a problem, take the part back for an exchange at no cost.

If you can find them, install leather seats from a Legacy/Outback "Limited" model. They will be leather seats, which is no big deal, but they are so much more comfortable then the standard cloth Leggie seats.

Last summer I replaced the 02 sensor on my 99 OBW. I used plastic ramps, and drove up on the ramps with the front wheels. I chocked the rear wheels, and applied the parking brake. I didn't see any need for jack stands, since the wheels were well chocked. Suggest the first thing to do, is to spray the 02 sensor with PB blaster, then wait a couple of days for the PB to loosen up the rusty crud sensor threads. Otherwise, you may have a hell of a time getting the sensor loose. I had to buy a special offset socket for my 3/8 drive to fit over the sensor for removal, as the sensor is in an awkward angle to get a socket on. I slid a 2 foot bar over the end of my drive for added leverage. Still, it is a bear to get the old sensor to loosen up. Once removed, it is easy to install a new sensor.

Good luck!!

Yes, that is commonly understood by most anyone who works on cars. However, for those who don't know anything about cars, they would just respond that the car won't go into gear. That.........is precisely what he was told by owner trying to sell the car. Still, a good possibly that the clutch cable is broken.

Some years back, I replaced a 91 Leggie P/S unit. Cost about $35 from a wrecking yard. It was really easy to swap one in. Lots easier buying a used unit, then trying to repair the old pump.

I have bought and used interface wire pack from Crutchfield inc.. It plugs into car wire harness, then plugs into after market radio. No cutting and splicing of factory wiring. Makes after market radio of any brand radio installation a cinch.

I bet the clutch cable broke. Looks like a great car for little money. Enjoy!!

Hope the u pull oil pump helps. It is worth a try.

Unfortunately with 343K miles on you Subie, it is prolly near the end of its engine life. Sorry, it is not what you want to hear, but I think it is true. Imo, I wouldn't put any work into that motor. Yes, I read that you have gone to a thicker oil, 15X40 weight to gain oil pressure. If it were me, I would go to yet thicker oil........... 20WX50W, and or, add some oil thickening additives that you see at auto parts stores that are suppose to lessen oil burning. This approach should give you some added oil pressure, and may by you some more miles with this car.

+1 on checking the battery again. Just a thought........see how well your car starts with a "jump start" from another car. If repeatedly starts well when jump starting, then I would really suspect a bad battery.

It does take a few days for the lith grease to penetrate in and around the top hat, so don't expect instant results. Give the grease some time to work.

How well did you clean the terminals. Did you remove them from the battery, then clean the battery posts and inside the battery cable bolt on connector? Even when new, it is possible to get a bad starter.

I just used an aerosol can of lith grease with a spray wand attached. I sprayed from under the hood at all seams the best I could. Seemed to help some, as knocking is not as loud.

The rubber/metal strut bearing, sometimes called a "top hat." is loose from wear over time. I have a 98 OBW that has the same problem. It really doesn't hurt anything. To correct the problem, requires removing the strut assembly to replace the top hat. This is usually done when the strut cartridge is replaced. Since my strut cartridge (shock absorber) is still good, I just live with the noise. You can try prying off the rubber plug at the top of the strut, and try tightening the big nut, but it is unlikely that it will tighten further. I sprayed white lithium grease around the top hat, and that seems to lessen the knocking noise.

Since tire rotation didn't change the sound of the noise, I am thinking you have a wheel bearing going out. The big clue is change of noise, when cornering. That is what a bad bearing is known to do. I am no wheel bearing expert, but seem to remember reading here that you can drive quite some time & millage on a worn wheel bearing without a problem. Others may chime in to agree or disagree with me. I am with you, it is much better doing driveway repairs, when it is not freezing cold outside. So, you may be able to wait a while on doing repairs. You may want to "search" info here on this forum regarding wheel bearing, and see what has been written in the past. For what it is worth, I am the guy who just replaced a front spindle/knuckle on my 99 OBW, with a used one from a wrecking yard. I am sold on this approach, as it avoids all the nasty work of R & R bearing replacement. I have never done a rear bearing unit, but I bet complete spindle unit can be had from a yard for the rear as well. My yard gave me a 30 day guarantee on the spindle/knuckle they sold me.

KBB imo always has high prices for used cars. Suggest using prices from NADA website. INO $7K is way too much for a 13 year old car, particularly for the low end Leggie model with less accessories. I would be inclined to make an initial offer of $3,500, and settle for not much more then $4K on a final deal. The low odometer reading is worth something, but not more then $300-$400 extra imo. NADA will quote a little higher price, when you state the odo reading.

An engine weighs about 200#. I recently took a Subie 2.5 motor to a wrecking yard as scrap. Surprised when a skinny young guy lifted the engine up by himself from the tailgate area of my OBW, and placed it in the scoop of a front end loader. Makes my back hurt just thinking about what he did. Good luck on installing your new motor.

I had a similar problem with my 91 Leggie. I thought the fan motor went bad, so bought one from a wrecking yard. However, upon installation, I found the fan unit full of tree leaves and crud to the point of preventing the fan from rotating. I cleaned out the crud, and the original fan unit works good as new. It is not difficult to remove the fan unit. You will need to remove the glove box to gain access, but that is not difficult. Just remove a few bolts, and it is removed.