Fairtax4me

Sucks that a $0.42 circlip could be the downfall of a car. Take the axle off and see what damage if any was done. If it just needs a new clip, you can get one from Subaru, and it looks like (just looking at parts diagram in the FSM) you might be able to pop the stub back in.

Yeah it shouldn't move in/out at all. Maybe enough to feel a slight click if you push/pull on it hard enough, but hardly enough to actually see. I'd remove the axle and stub, and check the splines on the diff end of the stub. I don't know if the retaining clips can be replaced on these or not. The transmission is assembled with the stubs already engaged in the diff, and they're not supposed to be removed AFAIK. Worst case you may be looking for a new transmission.

Rust on the rotor. This seemingly innocent ring of rust around the outer edge of the rotor, will create a groove in the face of the pad as the rust chews off big pieces of pad material. It only gets worse because the pad no longer makes contact with the rotor in that area. It's probably on the inside of one of the rotors. Is the worn off area on the outside curve of the pad or the inside curve?

Outbacks use the same axles AFAIK. Though the slightly longer extension may have contributed to the problem, this sounds more like someone pried the axle stub out of the diff to do an axle change and broke the retaining clip. Is the spring pin still in the CV joint? If you try to move the joint up/down/ or in/out does the whole stub move with the cv joint?

The stub could have pulled out of the diff, or the stub might have broken. Drain the front diff fluid and check for pieces.

To test fuel injectors you check resistance across the terminals with a multimeter. There is no way to check spray pattern out of the car without special equipment. Check for fuel in the cylinders by removing the spark plugs after cranking for a few seconds. One is now flooded, (the one you pulled the injector) so you need to remove that spark plug and let the cylinder air out for a few hours.

When turning the front and rear wheels have to spin at different speeds. The difference is "absorbed" by the center differential so that you can turn. If the center differential fails, it basically locks and the car is stuck in AWD similar to a 4WD truck. Though the effects are not as pronounced in a small car, the end result is the same. The front and rear wheels are not able to spin at the spin at the different speeds that they need to spin which generally causes them to slip. The car will lurch and jump as the stress on the drivetrain builds and releases repeatedly. The reason for this is the center differential has a limited slip unit built in. This is to balance power output between front and rear wheels, and to allow the car to turn normally. Occasionally the limited slip unit fails, generally due to mismatched tire sizes, improper tire inflation, or the use of a spare tire for long periods of time. Eventually the center diff unit will just wear out on it's own, but it can vary depending on driving style and terrain. Generally it will last for the better part of the life of the car, which is about 250-300k miles for these Subarus. Replacement is not that difficult and can be done with the transmission in the car in a few hours. The center diff is pricey to buy new, but due to low failure rate, the chances of getting a good one cheap from a junkyard are pretty good.

Year? Auto or manual trans? Mileage? Front or rear diff? What is the car doing to make you suspect the CV joints/differential have failed?

My personal advice would be to just save the money and buy a WRX. But some people are in it for the adventure I suppose. You'll need pretty much an entire donor car. You don't have to swap transmissions unless you really want to, but then you'll also have to swap the rear diff to match the final drive ratio. Engine related you'll need the whole engine, turbo piping, wire harnesses, ECU, and will probably still have to do some custom wiring to make sure everything gets power. Exhuast you don;t particularly need, but expect to spend some $$$ on aftermarket/performance exhaust parts (headers, up pipe, down pipe, cat pipe, and catback). But then there are other parts that make up the "WRX", brakes, (have to be able to reel in all that power and make the car stop) suspension parts like struts and springs, sway bars to keep it on the road, larger wheels to fit over the larger brakes, etc. More specific info on a swap of this magnitude can be found on some of the more performance oriented Subaru forums like NASIOC or RS25.com.

TDC, TDC, TDC!!!!! At Top Dead Center the crank pulley notch points at the 0 on the timing cover. When the crank is at TDC for number one, the arrows on the pulleys will point straight up. This is THE EASIEST WAY to check ALL THREE shafts for proper position. You only have to remove six 10mm screws to check this.

Check the cam positions with the crank at TDC. The arrows on the cam sprockets should point straight up. Also check to make sure the belt actually moves when the engine spins. What is the actual code for the "solenoid valve"?

Yup, drewscriver it.

It only takes a few extra seconds to reboot the outer end when the inner end is disassembled.

I typically run 35psi Front and 33 - 35psi Rear in both of my Subarus. Load dependent. I don't remember what the recommended pressure is but it's somewhere around 3 - 5 psi lower. 30-29 does seem really low for a wagon with the 6 cylinder engine, but inflation pressure is also dependent on tire load rating. A tire rated for a higher load will need slightly less pressure. But if you're comfortable running the higher pressure, and don't have significantly uneven treadwear, go with it.

Pretty much a dealer only part. You can get a polyurethane replacement bushing insert, but those things are hard as rocks from what I hear. You might be able to get a better price by ordering online. Or get a quote from an online dealer and ask your local dealer to match it. Replacement is fairly straightforward, it can be done as you described and no alignment is necessary afterward. The nut holding it to the control arm is extremely TIGHT though. You'll need a breaker bar and 1/2" drive socket, and maybe a cheater pipe to get that thing loose. Impact wrench is the easy way out on this if you can get the arm pulled down far enough to get room for it.

You need to fix the adjusters on your headlights. Don't use fog lights to compensate, that's not what they were intended for.

Broken springs are more common than people think. Most people don't notice for some reason. You're on the right track though. This could be seized caliper slide bolts. The jerking feeling may be due to a warped rotor if the caliper is seized. A good inspection of the front end should reveal the culprit.

Right. Both wires on the sensor pigtail are Black. The wires they connect to in the harness are Black and White or some combination of the two colors. One is solid Black IIRC. The other is either solid white or white/ black stripe, I just don't remember exactly which. Of course this is for early second gen Legacy's, it may be different for the Foz/Imp cars.

After you get the torque converter to flexplate bolts out, get a big screw driver or prybar, jam it between the torque converter and flexplate, and pry the converter away from the flexplate. It should slide back 1/4". As you are separating the engine and trans check the converter repeatedly to ensure it does not slide forward.

This means the ECU is detecting a misfire. If the speedometer does not work there is a problem between the sensor and speedometer. Either the wiring is messed up, or the sensor is dead, or something. The speed sensor is plugged into some part of the wire harness, what color are the wires on the harness it's plugged into? They should be one black and one black with white stripe IIRC. Or it might be one black one white. What color are the wires on the mystery plug?

There must be some different type of fluid in the rear VLSDs. Or different clearances maybe between the components inside the unit. I'm inclined to think it must have been designed to fail that way. If the rear diff locks when it fails the car gets "tail happy" on slick roads. Imagine the average Subaru driver trying to reel in a sideways slide in the rain... I have read several times about the VLSD units failing at early mileage. It doesn't seem strange to me that the rear VLSD would wear out since the diff is constantly working when the car is in motion. Every turn, every curve, every time the crown of the road shifts, the differential is working to accommodate the change in wheel speed between left and right. Too bad those units cost ~$600 new. If they were closer to $350 or $400 even, that would be a viable option. I'm thinking the clutch type is probably the way to go, but assuming the clutches are worn, what would it cost to get new clutches/plates, and where would I buy them? Does a dealer still carry parts for cars that old?

Good pic of the location of the speed sensor on a manual trans. Stole it from Gloyales transmission seal thread in the USRM. Right smack in the middle of this pic with the wire pigtail pointing towards the bottom of the pic.

Looking for info about what cars to find a 3.9 rear Limited Slip Differential of any type to fit a second gen Legacy. Lets see if I got this right. 3.9 VLSD was available on early Legacy turbos. 91 was the only year reference I could find. Carrier is a direct swap, aside from mounting bolts/studs possibly? Axle differences? 3.7 clutch type LSD was available on mid and late 80's EA cars, but the guts can be swapped into a 3.9 R&P? I read something about a swap thread in the USRM, will check it out. 4.11 VLSD could be found in 02+ Impreza WRX. R&P/Case swap possible? Some 00 or 01+ Legacy OB Limited had LSD option, but found no reference for ratios on those, probably 4.11? Any other likely candidates to find a rear LSD unit in?

I don't recall any adjustment for the rack itself. There is an adjustment for the pinion to rack backlash, but that's all I know of. Grab a used steering rack out of a junkyard car. These don't go bad very often from what I've read about them.

In my experience there are some engine designs that GREATLY benefit from the use of synthetic oil. Turbo engines especially. There are cases of engines not making it to 100k miles on conventional oil due to sludge. Saab, VW, Toyota, Chrysler, all had major trouble with sludge. Granted, most of those cases probably could have been prevented by using shorter drain intervals. But where is the cost benefit of using conventional oil with a 2k mile drain interval? The manufacturer has no control over when the oil in an engine gets changed. When any internal failure occurs dealing with oil, it's often up to the consumer to prove that fluid changes have been done at the proper intervals. This quite often leads to warranty disputes, and subsequently, loss of consumer confidence in the brand. If the customers case is accepted the manufacturer is forced to spend a lot of money to replace an engine to retain that customer. When the entire problem could have been avoided by the use of synthetic oil, guess what changes those manufacturers made to their recommended maintenance schedules. It saves the manufacturer money, and gives them a sturdier leg to stand on if a failure occurs due to sludge. No engines don't typically need to last beyond 250 or 300k miles. At that point any argument made, for decreased emissions or better cold start protection that synthetic oil may offer over conventional, is pretty much out the window because the rest of the car is worn out, and the engine is only a teenagers weekend drive to the beach from tossing a rod through the block. But there are environmental benefits from using less oil to maintain the engine during that period. Fewer leaks due to dried/hardened seals and gaskets. And again the cost benefit from a roughly 3 times longer drain interval (I've done 10k mile intervals on synthetic vs 3k at best on conventional oil).