lostinthe202

Weeeellll, I'll probably leave the plugs alone. I put in the almost elcheapo plugs and wires about 20-30k ago and I don't remember it being a problem at all, pretty easy to do in fact. This was before I found this board and read the accounts of troubles with non-oem wires and plugs. but I haven't had any trouble with them so I'll wait a bit as I'm already putting out a bunch of cash I can't really afford for the clutch components and now more for this sleeve kit which seems like a good idea considering the age of my tranny (179k today). As the saying goes, "if it ain't broke..."

Wait a minute... so what you're telling me... is that even though it's on the internet... it's... NOT true.... :eek: :lol:

I'm pretty sure that wouldn't work. The front and rear work together, if one has a load and the other doesn't, it'll lead to torque bind. but I'm not expert so someone will correct me if I'm wrong:)

Thanks for the tip FSR, last thing I want to do is have a TO that needs replacing after just a few K miles.

Thanks for the replies everyone, davebugs - I'm not sure what you mean when you say you leave the exhaust intact, it has to get disconnected someplace to come out of the car right? fsrbiker - Thanks for the link on that kit. So from the description it's basically a sleeve that goes over the shaft, then an oversized TO bearing to fit the sleeve? Is the bearing by a reputable maker? Is there anything special about the sleeve, like is it Stainless or have some features like grooves or whatever that would make it hard to make? Anyone else have input on this? Ggary- you have a good point on the rust, that really can be encountered in both places. I've had enough fun with rusted exhausts to know about that, but I still figured I would encounter less going the engine route and while it's not my first transmission, it is my first subie trans, so there def. would be a learning curve with the front axles to slow things down. OK, so engine it is. So in addition to replacing, TO bearing (and clips from dealer) Clutch disc + PP Pilot Bearing I thought of replacing the clutch fork as it's the reason I'm going doing this job. My clutch doesn't slip, but there is so much friction in the pedal that it makes bad noises and sensations, enough that it makes my wife's foot cramp if she drives too much. I've tried lubing it and it helps for maybe a few days but it always comes back and I just can't take it anymore. I've read some posts about the flywheels being light to begin with on the EJ cars so turning is not advisable, any input on that? And lastly, recommendations on clutch kits? Thanks!! Will-

'96 legOBW, 2.2L 5spd 178k I need to do some clutch work and I've been doing some reading on old threads and I can't decide between pulling the tranny or pulling the engine. Some info, *I've recently (160k-ish) did the T-belt+pulleys+seals+WP job *I don't have a lift or access to one, but I DO have an engine hoist *originally a PA car so there is rust, not the worst, but enough to make me when doing a brake/rotor treatment recently. So if I've got my info right I'm looking at: Pulling engine - A/C compressor disconnected from mount and hung out of the way, Exhaust manifold unbolted (any part of it need removal?) Various wiring disconnected Coolant drained, and Rad disconnected and removed Starter removed Power steering pump removed and hung out of the way Forgetting anything? Pulling Tranny - Starter removed Front axles removed from tranny but left in hub (right? didn't I read a thread about that? Couldn't seem to find it again...) drive shaft disconnected. crazy jack action to wrassle with loose tranny. Forgetting anything? That about cover it? Pulling the tranny does seem like less steps, but all of the rust is on the underside, the engine bay looks pretty good. I'm wondering if I actually wouldn't come out ahead going the engine route. Thoughts? Opinions? Bring 'em on, and as always, Thanks!!! :popcorn:

Yeah, I agree that the fuel lines are an unlikely candidate, but worth checking since it's easy enough to do. Just out of curiosity... what's the millage on the body/motor, 5spd?...

Fuel lines clogged? Doesn't explain the fuel gauge not working, was your fuel level low enough for the gauge to be left out in the O2? Maybe it just went squirrelly on ya. Also, if you only added 2 gallons, depending on how much fuel you've got in it, 2 gallons won't register much of a change on the gauge meaning maybe it is registering but it's really subtle... I dunno, just tossing out ideas:) Good Luck! Will- Edit- did the car ever sit for a long time previously in it's life? If it had, maybe the fuel lines already had a bit of varnish/corrosion built up and this put it over the edge

Isn't this a non-interference engine?

If you have a tape player in your car, pick one of these up, http://www.amazon.com/Philips-USA-PH-62050-Cassette-Adapter/dp/B0007R4LI8/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1214658791&sr=8-3 They work fantastically.

If you have the space, you could also hang onto them so the next time you need axles, you could use them as cores instead of either paying up front or ripping your car apart first. Steel really isn't going for that much, about .05 a pound

This is the only one that confuses me. I would think you would want the tank as full as you can get it. The gas tanks on autos are a vented system meaning air is allowed to circulate. If there is only a small amount of gas in the tank it can turn on ya giving you grief when you go to start it. But I'm no car storage expert so if that's what they say...

Are you sure they both died at the same time? You mentioned that the A/C doesn't work. Do you know why it doesn't work? Is it possible your A/C fan quit awhile back and that caused your A/C to stop working? And now that your cooling fan has quit so you're just noticing that neither works? Do you have a multimeter? maybe you could test for power at the fan terminals when the engine is warm enough to trip the switches? Just throwing out ideas. good luck! Will-

This was part of the reason for the change. I remember the news reports about this (6 months to a year ago) which talked about how the old epa estimates where for an average freeway cruising speed of 50mph which does not allow for the faster speeds people drive, and more importantly, how much time they spend sitting in stop 'n go traffic.

Opps! My bad, I thought you were talking about the curve around the tire well, not that little down turn thing. Will-

just from what I can see on google images, it seems like all the outbacks have that curve in one form or another. Will-

When I replaced my cable after it broke, I didn't notice any difference between old and new which I guess points to the PP or TO being bad and creating more resistance. Well, if the clutch is original, and it's looking like it is, 178k is not a bad run. Would've been nice to keep it going until it actually starts to slip but I don't think I can wait that long. Will-

I'm pretty sure the TO bearing is making noise and has been for awhile. This noise is new. Not to say it unrelated, but they didn't show up at the same time. Ah, I put some oil down the front side thinking that was the side seeing the action. I'll try the back side when the wife gets back with the car next week. thanks to the both of ya! Will-

Thanks Nathan, Glad you mentioned that bit about the fork. I saw it listed in 1stsubaru's online catalog and since they seem to only include fairly commonly purchased parts in the menu's, it got me thinking that it might be a wear item too. Since it's only about $15 or so I figured I'd get another just in case. So I'm looking at: Clutch disc, P.P. TO bearing Clips for TO bearing Pilot bearing Fork + boot Cable Missing anything? I work in a machine shop so I'll be doing the machining. I had an informative exchange during a thread some months back with one of USMB's old timers (skip) about the flywheel resurfacing so I'll dig up the thread and refresh my memory before I start. The bummer is that I just don't know when I'll have time to do this. I'm going to be taking a cross-country road trip in August. I'm working 12 hour days to clear my notepad before August so I can have a full three weeks. This doesn't leave much time for ripping my car apart. I'm not anxious to pay anyone to do it either as it would cut into the vacation budget. Is this failing P.P. something that can break and cause trouble? It's weird to me that the noise/resistance comes and goes. Thanks!! Will-

Thanks Gloyale, I was afraid of that. Looks like I'll be doing a clutch job. Yeah, the hydro clutch switch seems pretty straightforward but fairly labor intensive for possibly minimal returns. The deal breaker is that you have to change the clutch fork which means pulling the tranny anyway hence why I haven't pulled the trigger on that.

..... is the sound made by depressing my clutch pedal:) '96 LegoBW 2.2L 5spd. 178k I bought this car used at 120k with no service records from the non-original owner so I don't know if the clutch is original. For those of you not familiar, this clutch is cable actuated. The cable broke at around 140 or 150k. I didn't notice any increase in friction since owning the care before it broke, no more then any other cable clutch car I've owned really and it seems like they all have more resistance then hydraulic systems, but I always thought the resistance was... unnecessary. I replaced the cable with one from Napa. It still had good grease showing so I didn't lube it before install. Everything has been hunky dory until about 10k ago when I started to hear just a slight squeeeek when I would depress the pedal. Then the squeeek turned into more of a squeeekeeeeeerrrrrhhh. Then into like squeeeeekeeerrrrrrrrhcccchhhhaaa. I've disconnected the cable from the clutch fork and lubed it a few times now and the noise always went away for a bit leading me to believe it was the cable, like maybe the little rubber grommet/sleeve thing wasn't keeping the moisture out and was causing me problems. But all recent attempts to lube the cable have had no result. Interesting point #1 - the rubber boot around the clutch fork is torn. It wasn't torn when I changed the cable, but since then I haven't checked it out. The tear only appears when an accomplice depresses the pedal and, since I wasn't looking, I missed it. Soooooooo, what I'm thinking is that the noise, and subsequent resistance (or vice versa), is coming from the fork pivot and not the cable. As for related components, my clutch is fine. But something is making noise when the car is in neutral, either the TO bearing or something in the transmission (??), so I don't want to pull the tranny just to lube a fork. Options???? First let me say that the noise, resistance, and sensation transfered to my left foot are enough to let me know that if I can't figure out a solution externally, I'll be pulling the tranny. And if I pull the tranny I'll be replacing the clutch and all wear components since they have at least 50k on them and probably the full 178k. Soooo, with that being said, here is what I have attempted thus far. I've removed the boot from around the fork and put a few carefully placef sprays of WD40 on what I deemed to be the friction points through the bell-housing hole. I was a bit hesitant to do this as I didn't want to coat the friction disc with lube, but I figure I'll have to pull things apart anyway if I can't figure something out so why not eh? Seemed like I was on the right track as the noise/sensation went away for longer then it has in some time. But it showed up again leading me to think that perhaps the WD40 was cooking off as the components heat up. Alright I've rambled on for a bit now. Anyone have anything to say? Similar experiences? I thought of converting to a hydro system since my wife has a weird foot and driving the car for more then a day or two gets painful, so if anyone has anything to ad on that subject it would be much appreciated. Sorry for the long post, talkative night! xoxoxo Will-

I can't speak for the longevity of the engine by using regular instead of the recommended premium fuel, but it would be interesting to see which is more cost effective, the fuel economy gained by premium fuel or the $0.20 or so saved by using regular gas. Seems it only would be cost effective if you only lose about 1 mpg. (highway miles only in figures, gas prices for ease of math $4.00 regular, $4.20 premium) epa estimated mileage for 2003 H6- 23mpg premium fuel http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm 16 gallons of premium - $67.20 miles per tank - 368 16 gallons of regular - $64.00 difference $3.20 miles per tank assuming 22 mpg - 352 additional .727 gallons of regular needed - $2.91 miles per tank assuming 21 mpg - 336 additional 1.52 gallons of regular needed - $6.10 miles per tank assuming 20 mpg - 320 additional 2.4 gallons of regular needed - $9.60 etc. etc. It'll be interesting to see if these numbers hold up to real life Will- Congrats on your purchase btw!

it's a 17 hour drive each way to get that car which is described as "fair/good". Bummer to drive all that way to find out it's got torque bind and needs the T-belt done....

Interesting math, I've never seen this before. Is this an "industry" thing? I've got a '96 Legacy OB wagon with a 2.2L and 5spd. From my understanding, all 96's with a manual trans are the 2.2, all the 96's with an auto are the 2.5. I believe '96 was the first year for the 2.5 so it follows that all 95's are the 2.2 I always buy manuals mostly because I like them better and I don't like dealing with fluid flushes, and cruise control on the highway, or just general shifting on the highway. They just don't seem to fit my driving style. But manual trannies have their own set of problems so whatever you prefer... As is always the case, give preference to the car with the better service history. If the 5spd has a good record of the maintenance and the auto doesn't, I'd def. go with the 5spd. I won't comment on price because I don't know what the market is like in Kansas vs. where I am in the DC metro area. as a side note, I bought my '96 OB with 120k on the clock and it's now got 175k and no problems. I currently drive it 2000 miles a month and I will be taking it on a 6000 mile road trip in a few months and I have no trepidations about it whatsoever. I'm sure there are similar posts about the auto version of my car so take it for whatever it's worth:) Good Luck! Will-

Excellent! You're my favorite kind of driver of all:)