Fairtax4me

Have you tried adding more refrigerant? My computer with all of my service manuals is down at the moment, so I'm actually having to refer to my haynes manual. The relay furthest towards the firewall should be the compressor clutch relay. With that removed the clutch will not engage, but the ECU will have input from the AC switch, the pressure switch, and the thermal switch that the system is working, so the ECU will engage the fans, the idle will bump up, and it will then ground the compressor relay circuit to try to engage the compressor clutch. Without the compressor running, the ECU will still get the 12v signal it needs to see to know that the system is working properly, because neither of the sensors will react. There's no change in pressure, and no change in core temperature. When you jumped the clutch relay, now the compressor is running, and one of those sensors is telling the ECU to turn off the compressor. The ECU will turn off the fans, and decrease idle speed. But since the relay is jumped, the ECU can't turn off the compressor, which continues to run. It sounds like the system may just be undercharged. An undercharged system will freeze the evap core quickly, and the computer will turn the compressor off until the core temp comes back above 35°.

The computer will only set a code for the knock sensor if the computer thinks its unplugged, or the wiring is damaged or shorted to ground. It will NOT set a code because the sensor is detecting any kind of knock. Either the sensor is faulty (which is the most common reason for the code) or the sensor has a poor ground to the block, or wiring is damaged. Lash adjuster noise will not affect the knock sensor. If the problem is intermittent, such as a poor connection or corrosion inside the sensor, the CEL may turn on and back off shortly after.

Have seen it, but never sure why they slide loose. My usual assumption is that it got hung up on something while the axle was being removed or installed. As long as it didn't come completely off and get dirt in the joint it should be fine. If it was totally off you should remove the axle and clean and re-grease the joint.

Did you replace the small elbow hose that goes to the water pump?

"Not too bad" as in, you can actually get the knuckle off without using a torch and a 5lb sledge to separate the lower ball joint, get the axle out, and get the strut bolts out. A northern Va car may need more than hammers and heat. I have a hub grappler kit that works great for replacing the bearing without having to totally remove the knuckle. But ive heard of cases where 20 ton shop presses couldn't get the axles out of the hub on these.

Make sure the intake tube is fitted properly. The big airbox that clamps to the throttle body can be tricky to get back together properly at the bottom. Check that for proper fitment and make sure it's clamped shut. Check the large diameter hose from the idle control to the intake tube. Check the breather hoses that run from the valve covers up to the airbox for proper fit. Also check the PCV hose that attaches to the airbox.

No cables on the shifter. Its a steel rod with a u-joint kinda thing at the end. The bushings in the joint wear out and fall apart.

Knock sensors are inexpensive and easy to change. If you can, post up pics of the current timing marks. Best to make sure that's correct first.

Press-in bearings. They're not too bad if the car isn't rusty, but yours is pretty rusty isn't it? Does the Odd-ball tire have a different tread pattern? Move that one to the rear, and see of the noise moves with it. It's actually better off being on the back if you need to drive the car for a few days/weeks before getting tires. Put the FWD fuse in and you can leave it that way as long as you want. The high pitch is the Subaru muffler whistle. Happens under certain load conditions and heavy throttle. Nothing to worry about. Some people think its annoying. I love it. My 96 screams at 6k rpm!

Try some silicone on that top cone and see of that helps the boot slide in further. If not, try squeezing the end of the terminal with some pliers to make it grip better on the plug.

Yes, that is out of time. Those pics were taken before you put the new belt on? Can you take pics of the marks as they are now?

If all of the timing marks line up, and the engine runs smooth, then it's properly in time and you don't need to worry about the tooth count.

Make sure the spark plug is tight. If its loose compression can push the plug wire off. At the top of the boot there's a cone shape that seals the boot to the plug well. Put some silicone or di-electric grease on there to help the cone slip into the plug well so the boot can slide in further.

Rockauto.com has good prices on radiators. They have a Denso for $105 (high quality OE manufacturer for most Japanese brands) Cheaper aftermarket brands for about $70.

My car was like that when I bought it. Took me all of about a week to get fed up with it and replace the bushings, which were nearly totally gone. On the 98 you need to replace the whole joint at the trans end of the shift rod. Part number is 35047AC030 Lists for about $70 from Subaru. Online dealers sell it for about $50, but you have to watch shipping costs. Sometimes you can haggle with a local dealer and get online pricing. (Or close to it) Diagrams here: http://opposedforces.com/parts/legacy/us_b11/type_47/manipulation/manual_gear_shift_system/ Yours should be the one on the right. The joint is part number 4. If yours is like the diagram on the left, you simply unbolt the joint and replace bushings 19 & 21. They changed the design on the later years and made it so you can't disassemble the joint to replace the bushings in it.

I want to say there are 5 total relays for the AC, but I don't remember off-hand. IIRC there are Two for each fan. One hi speed, one low speed. Then a separate one for the compressor clutch. If you can't figure which it is, you can also jump 12v straight from the battery to the clutch, just be sure to use a fuse on your jumper wire.

No zerk fittings, unfortunately. There are replacement joints that can be bought but they're time consuming to install, and still no zerk fittings.

Your drier should have a sight glass on top by the pressure switch. Take a look in the sight glass with the compressor running. If it looks frosted/totally white the charge is low. Jump the compressor relay if the compressor won't run. With R134 the sight will appear kind of milky clear with some bubbles going by when the system is full. If there are no bubbles the system is overcharged. If it just looks like frost add some more refrigerant.

FSM says the blower box has to come out. I kinda think if you can get the screws out of the front part of the box and pull the bottom half down some it MAY be possible to get the thermal bulb out of the core without pulling the whole box out, but it's very tight under the dash. I've not had to replace one of those, so this "theory" is just that. My other thought is to cut a hole in the front of the air box to get access to the bulb and then tape the cut-out back in place, but that's risky because you can damage the core.

Good work-around to get the ECU out of the circuit. Probably had a leak at an o-ring. O-rings can seal with vacuum on them but leak when there's 150+ psi pushing on them with the system running.

Another thing that affects steering effort on these is the u-joint assembly on the steering shaft. The joints get rusty and make steering feel notchy or lumpy. Also causes slow or rough return to center. Some WD40 or PB or other sort of penetrating oil on the joints will loosen them up temporarily.

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/152408-ac-clutch-wont-engage-96-legacy/ I called it a thermoswitch before, probably why you couldn't find it. FSM calls it a thermal control amp. Wire colors at the connector should be the same for yours. Your 95 ECU pinout is different from what's referenced in that thread for a 96. I don't know the which pin it is on the 95 ECU. If you have the FSM for 95 it will say in the ECU I/O chart.

Its a fancy thermal switch. But it's got a tiny PCB and a couple transistors that turn a signal to the ECU on/off depending on the resistance of a temperature bulb that's stuck to the fins of the evap core. The amp is on the outside of the blower box with 2 small wires that to inside the box through the seam. You can get to the amp itself to check voltages, but getting the temp bulb out of the evaporator box is tricky. The amp is mounted on the outside of the evaporator box near the plug for the blower motor resistor. Its a black plug with three wires. I'll Search for the thread and post a link in a short

Those can guages are hardly accurate. How much refrigerant have you added, if any? If jumping the pressure switch doesn't change the operation of the compressor its possible the thermal amplifier is bad, or the evap core is getting too cold. With the compressor running check the temp of the low pressure line coming out of the firewall. Should be above 35°. If the line is frosted or below 35° the core is getting too cold. Evap core is inside behind the glove box. Very much a pain to get to. If you search around here there's a thread from earlier this year where I posted diagrams for the thermal amplifier that should give you an idea of how to test it.

That's because there are no clutches in a steering system. Steering fluid typically doesn't cause much trouble in these. Its entirely possible someone changed the fluid previously and used the wrong type. After a few days you should change the fluid again to flush out any varnish or dirt that the new fluid may have loosened up.