Olnick

Maybe it's my navigational skills or lack of car parts knowledge, but I have difficulties with the online catalogs. So I just call 1stsubaruparts' tollfree number. The fellow at the counter--I think it was Jason--is super pleasant and helpful. Maybe he can help you track it down.

Your analysis is spot-on, ERICH. I'm a conservative old fut who drives a 2.2L '95 Legacy L wagon with 5-speed MT so I'm biased. I'm also thrilled every time I get on the highway with it--it's smooth as silk and virtually bulletproof. Personally, I wouldn't consider buying a 2.5L Suby. But keep searching here on the board--lots of opinions on the new 2.5 HG. My suggestion to you, under your circumstances, would be to look for a mature (get that, cookie?!!) Legacy 2.2 that's in decent condition and throw a few bucks into tuneup and maintenance. Then when your business is wildly successful you can go buy something newer and shinier! By the way, be aware that the last few years of the Suby 2.2--starting with model year '97--are interference engines. Good luck with the business and keep posting your feelings and questions.

Re the u-turn noise--might want to check your power steering pump. See if the fluid level is okay and if there's any leakage there.

That's fantastic Subarian. Wish you many happy miles in your new Legacy!

Fascinating tidbit, cookie! I had assumed that Subaru patterned its boxer concept on the ubiquitous early VW. But I always wondered--it would take quite a leap of imagination and engineering to water cool it (not that early Subaru engineers were incapable of doing so, but I'm sure they were under financial and time pressures to get something on the road.) I'm old enough to remember Borgwards! So your comment sent me a-googling. Turns out that prior to WWII Borgward built Hansa, Lloyd and Goliath vehicles--dropped the Hansa name after the war because of unpleasant connections to Nazi Germany. Sometime in the 1940s (during or after the war?) Lloyd developed a small 900cc water-cooled 4 cylinder boxer engine. That's undoubtedly the progenitor of our modern Subie design. If the parts truly could be interchanged, as stated, I wonder if Subaru had a licensing agreement with Borgward? Any other interesting bits in the Automobile article?

I agree with frag 100%. But I think $675 sounds like a lot--unless the engine is in excellent condition or has been competently refurbished, and is documented. Good luck whichever way you go.

I had similar symptoms awhile back. Seems like it was a series of small problems that build up and don't always trigger a CEL. Cleaned the MAF sensor wires (gently!), removed the IACV and cleaned it thoroughly, replaced a vacuum hose that had dried out and cracked and put in a new engine coolant temperature sensor. Car has been running beautifully ever since. Might be worth a try. Good luck.

You'll probably be okay. Treat the connection with penetrating oil or PB Blaster a few times over a few days. Then make sure the exhaust is warmed up when you try to unscrew the sensor. Mine loosened with a crescent wrench so I didn't even need the fancy slotted socket. Good luck.

So start talking!!! Tell us about it--year, tranny, rims and tires, known history, your impressions? Nice looking vehicle! Congrats!

Of course you can, WRXgirl. We have great faith in you!

Sorry to hear that--they had such a good reputation. Have you talked to them directly about the problem?

Check around. I think someone had the small Actron for $50 in the marketplace. Found my Actron CP9135 for $75 on ebay.

Nah! Tried it once. Didn't like it.

Interesting observation, Megell. And by the way, your opinion means a lot. It's a Japanese cultural trait--one does not bring disgrace upon family/company/country. Designing and installing a weak component (like a failure-prone head gasket) is a disgrace. That leaves just two choices: Do the honorable thing and try to rectify the problem for everyone affected . . . or stonewall it. I still think this is a "Corporate America" problem however. SOA, I believe, saw the magnitude (and potential cost) of the problem and chose to act like it doesn't exist. That's my take on it anyway. Brings up an interesting question--have JDM Subarus suffered the same head gasket problems? Have Japanese consumers raised the same questions we have? How about other parts of the world? Anyone know?

Well, your logic is right on, Jules3rd. And by any standards a sense of fair play says that Subaru should stand behind their product and try to make things right. A significant number of post-'96 Subie owners wish that were the case. But this is corporate America. There's a lot of money involved. It appears that SOA weighed their credibility and reputation against the liability and decided to play ostrich. Don't mean to discourage you at all. I say go for it--be a squeaky wheel. And if you pull it off you'll certainly be a hero here! Good luck and keep us posted.

I thought I heard awhile back that '90-'94 Canadian Legacies did not have "active" seat belts. Anyone in the Great White North know anything about that?

What kind of transmission? Oh, and please don't refer to your '95 as old. Mine is mature. With a lot of character! Good luck.

OBDII was mandated on all US cars starting in '96. Some manufacturers, including Subaru, started using it earlier. My '95 Legacy is fully OBDII compliant to the best of my knowledge. Code reader works just fine on it.

Could it be the front sway bar/bushings?

I agree with the MC diagnosis and the probability of contaminated brake fluid. But you might also want to pull the rear calipers (or all of them for that matter) and make sure the guide pins/bushings are clean, greased and smooth acting. Good luck.

That's a great motto, Dude. I like it. Mr. Mancini, contact SOA and tell them you want to talk to the area rep. You're obviously not going to get any satisfaction from the dealer.

Personally, I love synthetic oil. Switched over to Mobil-1 10w-30 when my '95 Legacy 2.2 had 90k miles. Noticed a drop or two of leakage at first but that soon quit. Never have had any excessive oil consumption. The thrill comes when I change oil. Synth comes out smooth as silk--the old dino juice used to look like dirty dish water!

Amen to that. Clean the guide pin (top of the caliper) and the bushing (at the bottom) thoroughly, the small rubber boots too (there are 4 of them). Then coat with high temperature brake grease. I was shocked that the bottom bushings were bone dry! Brakes worked fine, but I think they had been dragging very slightly for a long time. Could actually feel the difference after changing the pads and doing the maintenance. Am hoping this shows up in better mpg too.

Both the temp sensor and knock sensor are realtively common fixes--and not overly difficult to do. Use the "search" function up above and you'll get a lot of input. Also might want to pick up a Haynes manual from an auto parts store--will tell you pretty much how to find them Good luck.

Welcome home, Rob. You found the right place to get up to speed on Subarus--most helpful people in the automotive world right here. Oh, and your son's car is the best Subaru ever built. (I may be a bit prejudiced toward '95 Legacy L wagons though!) Aloha.