Olnick

Mountains, beaches--sounds a lot like where I live!!! The great thing about your older Subie is that it has one of the best engines Subaru ever built, the EJ22. And it's laid out so nicely under the hood that they're relatively easy to work on. If you get into it a bit you won't even need a mechanic!

No suggestion since I've never had a Subaru automatic. On my wife's 13 year old Maxima I just use the most basic (Walmart!) Dexron III compatible ATF but I keep it "fresh" by doing a drain-and-fill on a regular schedule. Something you might consider in a hot climate with hill-climbing and stop-and-go city driving is an auxiliary cooler. Install it in the return line from the radiator to the tranny and mount it out in front of the radiator. I also put a Magnefine filter in the return line. Good luck.

Hi, blass. Welcome to the family! Very helpful, friendly place this. Are you in Puerto Rico? Many Subarus on the island?

One more thing--be sure the backing plate screws (the 5 flathead phillips) are tight. If any have loosened use Loctite on them.

No gasket! Just clean the mating surfaces carefully and make a thin, continuous bead of Permatex Ultra-Grey sealant--it's a Subaru approved substitute (you don't need the expensive anaerobic sealant.) Follow the "beergarden" photo for where the bead goes but do a neater job than he did! You don't want any to splooge out into the oil chambers. And make sure the o-ring is properly positioned before you close it up. Good luck.

Tha's funny! Seem to recall driving my Legacy for a couple of years before I realized what that bar was!

Actually, 1 and 3 are (front to rear) on the passenger side. 2 is drivers side (front) near the battery, 4 is drivers side (rear) near the washer fluid reservoir.

Good catch! Now get out and enjoy that Subaru!!!

Wish I could ride along when you take it out for a test run--bet it feels really good to you! Congrats.

Welcome Subz. Lotsa' good info and helpful people here. Where are you located?

Hi Perry, welcome aboard. This place is like an encyclopedia for Subarus, so be sure to use the search function. And you might want to post your specific questionsin the New Gen forum--lots of good input there.

Not an expert but I've heard they're not as great a deal as they sound! You might want to try a search, I think it's been discussed on here.

Mind sharing where you heard that?

Welcome aboard, Kenneth. Sounds like a great project--keep us up on your progress. Those heads are really interesting, let us know if you can feel a difference with them! And don't apologize for your English . . . you're communicating as well as (or better than!) many of us here.

Yes, Code 21 is for the ECTS, the brownish colored one, it communicates with the ECU to make the engine run properly. The other one (blue?) is for the Temp Gauge on the dash (and frankly the ECU doesn't care what the gauge does!) $59.66 sounds steep to me. Check online parts stores or call Jason, 866-528-5282. Autozone might be okay but I like to stick with OEM for such a crucial part. Is the CV making bad noises? If not you're probably okay for awhile but it'd be wise to replace the entire half-axle eventually.

I've thought the same thing at times--but it's still very chancy. Did the previous owner change the cars head gaskets at the first signs of trouble? Or did he drive the crap out of it and change them as a last ditch effort? Not an easy question to answer!

Code 21 . . .Tah-dah!!! The "lovehorsepower" writeup is excellent and I'm pretty sure it's exactly the same for pre-95 Legacies. Look under the IACV valve (passenger side rear of the engine) and if you see that brick red connector hidden below a jumble of harness cables and small hoses you're golden! And you are certainly welcome for the help. Good luck, do post back and let us know how it goes.

Ain't it a great feeling--themost annoying little problem? But you tracked it down and now it's all good. Priceless! Congrats!

It says it's AWD so I believe you could tow it if you removed the rear segment (?) of the driveshaft. Try a search--it was discussed a lot awhile back.

First thing that jumps to mind is a wiring nightmare trying to put an OBD1 engine in an OBD2 car!

Perhaps you would consider adding "NC" after "Saluda" in your ID.

Here's the procedure for pulling codes on early OBD1 Legacies thanks to Josh-Legacy777. For reference, it's in the FAQ stickies at the top of the forum page. http://www.surrealmirage.com/subaru/engine.html And I agree that you'd probably be wise to look for a replacement engine. Good luck.

Thanks for the details, lone500. Did the other 3 plugs look okay to you? You might want to pull the codes again to see if anything new has shown up. Let's hope someone knowledgable chimes in here.

Sorry but a whole bunch of questions jump to mind: What are the symptoms--driveability? Non-start? How did you find the "bad" cylinder? CEL? Did you pull the codes? You say you checked plugs & wires--did you try swapping them around? Give us all the specifics that you can and maybe a light will go on somewhere! Good luck.

Just keep your feet planted and your hips limber. Oh, and it helps if you wear a bright yellow suit. Welcome aboard. Good luck on your quest for the misty heights!