Fairtax4me

That's another idea that might work better for these engines. I don't like the flexible-dryer-hose-looking stuff they have run around there but something could be made out of a more suitable material.

I've seen it done on other cars (non-Subaru) by extending the wires for the sensor so they will reach to the throttle body. Then either cutting the flange off or using one of those adapters you can get at the parts store. Get the right size silicone boot to fit the MAF sensor housing round end to the TB. Then attach your intake tube to the flange end. The MAF housing can be trimmed a bit if you need some extra room. Seems to work fine. I was thinking of doing this myself because I want to build a custom top mount airbox and make the outback hood scoop functional. Just haven't had the time or money to mess with it recently with school.

The shields on the y-pipe are easy to deal with. Get a couple 2-1/4" u clamps from the parts store and clamp them down around the shield. No more rattle. They don't generally cause any clunking sounds though. Could be a U-joint on the driveshaft, would still have to get under the car to check them. Inner CV might make a clunk, but the only way to tell is to see if you can twist it without the axle moving. It can be hard to tell sometimes because there is a fair amount of play where the inner joint slides onto the stub shaft anyway.

If there's any chance this is an OBD1 car (I don't remember if they switched the Impreza to OBD2 in 95 or 96), they could have left the black connectors under the dash plugged in, and the car would still run fine. The green connectors on the OBD2 cars will cause driveability problems if left plugged in. It will also set the radiator fan(s) to cycle on and off and all of the relays and solenoids in the car and under the hood to click on and off every half second or so with the key turned to the On position. Either way, its fairly easy to check for with a flashlight, just look up under the dash on the drivers side near the steering column. The black and green test connectors are small and have one wire each. Make sure they are UNplugged.

Might have to put in on jack stands and run it in gear while you look underneath. I know you can get strange noises when snow and ice get all packed up under the car. I had the engine bay of my car packed full of snow once, even up on top of the trans, and it made all kinda of bumping and clunking racket. Had to let it warm up really good and go under the hood with a broom handle to knock it all out.

I wouldn't worry about the buszing right now. If you were playing with the TPS, you need to do two things. First clean the throttle body bore and the throttle plate so the plate closes all the way. Second put a voltmeter on the center pin of the TPS and adjust it until it reads 0.50V at closed throttle. Then unhook the battery negative for a few minutes to reset the ECU. The bogging issue could be a few things. Vacuum leak, Low fuel pressure, skipped timing belt. How high is the cold idle RPM? Should be around 1,200-1,500 depending on outside temp. It should not be above 1,700. If cold idle speed is normal the ECT sensor is probably OK, but it wouldn't hurt to check the temp readout with a scanner if you have access to one. If it hasn't had a fuel filter recently, replace that. If the filter is clogged it can reduce fuel pressure and cause it to run extra lean when cold. Front O2 sensor will affect fuel mileage, but is not active when the engine is cold, so will not cause cold running problems.

Look for any split vacuum hoses first. Also check the breather hoses that run to the valve covers. If you have a MAF sensor it will be at the end of the intake tube with a square top, and a 4 or 5 wire connector plug on the side. I don't think 01 has a MAF though. Does your scanner have the capability to read live data? If so look at the ECT when the engine is cold in the morning and when it is running as it warms up. Compare the cold temperature with outside air temp, it should be within about 10 degrees. If it reads -40° the sensor is bad or there could be a problem with the connector on the sensor. Running temp should increase steadily after starting. If it jumps up 15-20 degrees at a time there could be a problem with the sensor. Try cleaning the IAC. There is a style that commonly goes bad that looks like a little can on the side of the throttle body. The valve inside is a cone shape that seats against a port in the TB. Generally very easy to remove and clean, but doesn't always fix the problem. If you have the type that bolts to the top of the throttle body, you'll want to get a new o-ring gasket before removing it.

Looks like you got more of the tire than anything else. If you don't care too much about how it looks, take the money and slap a door on it. The ripples in the quarter panel aren't a big deal structurally, and shouldnt cause any issues with the opening/closing and sealing of the door. You could even try your hand at body work and clean up the spots where the paint is shaved off and do some Bondo and spray paint. If you shop around at a few different body shops you can probably find a cheaper quote to fix the whole thing, take the money and come out on top.

Is there a knock sensor on the EJ16? (We never got that engine in the US) Is there any difference when the engine is cold vs when its warmed up?

If the plug was still wet you may not see a spark because it will just short to the plug housing through the liquid. Dry the plugs with brake cleaner before checking for spark. If the plugs are wet that may mean the engine is getting flooded with too much fuel. Hold the gas pedal to the floor for a few seconds while cranking. The ECU will not pulse the injectors while the pedal is on the floor, to clear fuel from the cylinders.

Replace the whole clutch. The spring in the pressure plate weakens with time and you lose pressure on the clutch disc. Replace the plastic separator plate while its out. They crack and warp and start leaking. Also replace the O-ring under the diamond shaped cover opposite of the rear main. If the rear main is dry leave it alone.

Piston damage is rare. Almost never happens on these.

Piston damage is rare. Almost never happens on these.

The alignment dowel is seized in the bell housing. DO NOT try to pull the free side away or you will crack the bellhousing. Put a prybar or large screwdriver in the bellhousing on the stuck side about halfway down and try to pry it apart. If you don't have room to get the engine over the front support, just take the car down off the jack stands. The trans will rest on the cross member, so you dont have to worry about holding it up.

Is snow packed in your wheels? Packed in the wheel wells? Look up in the top at the spring perch too.

They had a calculator where you put in estimated engine torque, tire size, gear ratio sand all that and it figured an average powertrain torque loss, then would show approximate torque/horsepower delivery. Kinda neat. I searched but couldn't find it. I don't know all the calculations, but torque is pretty simple. Expressed as foot-pounds, its a measure of twisting force in pounds on the end of a 1 foot bar. So say you have 100 ft lbs, that's 100 pounds of force 1 foot from the pivot point of the bar. You get the same amount of force by putting 50 lbs at the end of a 2 foot bar. It takes 200 lbs to create the same force, if the bar is only 6" long. It works the same the other way. If you twist hard enough to make 100 pounds of force at 1 foot, that same force will make 50 pounds at 24", 200 pounds at 6". Using the 100 ft lbs example. Lets say you were putting 100ft lbs to the road with the stock size tires, approximately 24" in overall diameter. (Makes it very simple at just 12" from center to the road) Your new tires are approximately 26" in overall diameter. Roughly 8% difference in size. 8% of 100 is 8. 100-8=92. That extra inch of reach from the axle to the ground means you're now putting down about 92 ft lbs at the road. It's probably more complicated than that, but that gives a good general range for what to expect. Cams are not hard to put in. No worse than a timing job, the only extra steps would be to pull the valve covers and the rocker assemblies. Takes all of 10 minutes to pull the rockers off each side. Though you do need to pull the radiator to have room to pull the drivers side cam out. Passenger side slides out of the back of the head and has plenty of room.

Do not adjust throttle cable to set idle speed. Idle is controlled by the ECU and is NOT manually adjustable. Should have about 1/8" slack in the throttle cable, so loosen it up so it stops pulling on the lever.

Front diff is usually the easy one to find. Just above the axle cup on the passenger side. Short, maybe 8" in length and ridgid. ATF dipstick is about 15" length and flexible.

Subaru OE is best. Aftermarket options are available, from Stant labaled "Exact-stat". Gates also makes an OE equivalent, part number 34012. These are usually $20 or slightly more at parts stores. I do know you can get the Gates from Rockauto for around half that, shipping is a few $ extra.

The sensor is out of range. This happens fairly often with the cheaper sensors. Try another new one, preferably a different brand. DO NOT USE A $12 THERMOSTAT IN A SUBARU!!! It will cause overheating problems and leave you worse off than you started.

It sounds like you may have added ATF to the front differential. This is bad, you'll need to drain the front diff and replace with 80w-90 gear oil. ATF dipstick is hidden under some hoses a few inches to the left of the starter.

Wet plugs could mean its flooding and fouling the plugs. How long since the plugs were replaced and what kind are they? Standard copper NGK work best in these. There was an issue with the early injectors freezing in cold weather. Ice would form on the tips and mess up the spray pattern. They made an updated injector with a different tip design that corrected the problem. Not sure off the top of my head if your year was one of the ones affected by that. Subaru released a TSB for it about 10-12 years ago.

Trans could just be shot. Does the AT temp light blink 16 times at startup? Is the transmission pan dented? Which dipstick did you check? The short one on the right side of the trans is front differential gear oil. ATF is the long dipstick on the left by the starter.

Taxes and fees are not normally included in the monthly payments for a lease, they're calculated paid at the time of the down payment. But that info should be disclosed up front, before they decide to run a credit app. That's why any TV commercial you see for a lease deal has the little disclosure at the end saying "taxes, registration, and fees not included". Kinda sounds like they would have hit you with a few other "oh, we forgot"s before it was all said and done. I think you made the right call. Be sure to ask more questions next time. Get a buyers order with the total of all down payments (including trade-in value),monthly payments, taxes, fees, registration, etc. If they add even a penny to the final figure when it comes down to check writing time, they did something wrong, and that's plenty of reason to walk away. With all of the calculators sales people have at their disposal, they had better be able to give you an accurate figure up front.

8 way power seat, and a sunroof. http://www.cars101.com/subaru/legacy/legacy2008.html#SE%20adds