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Hmm, interesting. This could very well be what's been plaguing my system. If the starter I just rebuilt keeps having this problem I'll definitely add a relay.

Huh, I'd think it would be more for a RHD vehicle. Although from what I've heard Texas is pretty lax about inspection and insurance stuffs. $86 a year for insurance?!

What year is the legacy? early ones had a cable speedo so that wouldn't work.

You'd probably be better off swapping in a ea82 dual range 5 speed. You will still have dual range, but get the 5speed. Only thing with this option is you'll need an adapter plate between the ej engine and ea transmission. But shift linkage and driveline will be a lot easier.

So I canceled the order on these. Bratman18 on here (who lives 10 miles from me) has a good one... And his computer just died so I'm trading a motherboard for a driveshaft. Interesting trade, but it works out. I'll keep the broken driveshaft in case some day down the line I need a new one again I can rebuild it. But right now where money is tight this works much better for me.

I don't even have a working speedometer. Just have a few tach>gear>speed ratios in my mind. Been driving it like that for months past may cops and never had an issue.

Legacys are great cars. Have decent power, wicked reliable and a comfortable ride. If I'm going any long distance I'll hop in my legacy. I'm not worried about it breaking down and it gets me there comfortably at around 30mpg

Yes, it has clips that go on the inside of the joint. You actually have to grind a little bit off the yoke to get the clips in (according to the mazda site). There's another link from the rockford website that isn't all to informational, but worth posting because it shows how the clips go. I don't know why they have such a bad writeup on their site... but here it is. http://www.rockforddriveline.com/Staked_Instructions.htm And yes, they aren't cheap. With shipping it was around $100 for the joints, which sucks, but it was going to be about that for a used drive shaft anyway. If I do it right this should last a very long time with the added benefit that these joints have zerk valves so I can give them some grease every other oil change to help keep water and crap out.

It's not the best, but it does show pretty well what goes on. It's missing putting it back together again... But from a different forum I figured out that you leave one cap off to get it in, then just press the other cap on after the joint is in place. Here's the mazda link. http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=517657 Here's a link with more on getting it back together from a truck. I know the truck one is different in a lot of ways, but actually putting the joint back into the yoke should be the same. And some good pics at the end show that nicely. http://dodgeram.org/tech/repair/U_joint/repair.htm When I do this I'll take pics and post them up in a new thread so hopefully others wanting to do this will have some guidance.

I've been fighting with a GL starter for a while now. I think I've found the issue to be grounding being obstructed by rust through the case of the starter itself. But a question that pertains to this thread and the relay addition. I haven't seen that come up, actually... but it makes sense to me. My question is this, when it's getting low voltage to the solenoid does the starter still CLICK, just not engage the contacts fully? Or does the starter make no noise at all because the voltage to the solenoid is low? If my clicky doesn't go away I may very well do this mod.

When it's warm what does it idle at? Keep in mind, having AC running with bump the idle so it doesn't stall running the compressor.

I ordered the joints, I should have them by the end of the week. I'll keep everyone updated as to how this goes.

Some wonderful person on the mazda forum made a nice post about this. I see very clearly how it all works now. I'm going to order the DIY joints as it looks really easy. It's going to be well over $100 just buying the new joints... humph

GD: Cool, thanks. If I can't find anywhere to do the replace it your self ones, or just do that myself ... I'll contact you about getting me a good drive shaft and paying you for your time. grossgary: I searched around and found the links on here talking about the DIY ones. I've done the reading. Rockford driveline has a webpage that shows how to remove the factory joints and put in their replacements, I guess I just don't completely grasp what's going on in those pictures. I should take one apart and see how it works. What I don't get is how the + shaped piece in the middle (the actual joint with the bearings) comes out. I think I get how their replacement works though, it doesn't look like it's staked in, rather has clips that hold it in place. I have an old manual, but very powerful press. So pressing for me isn't an issue. This is the guide which I speak of. If anyone has pics that would be awesome, I just have a hard time getting my head around something that I haven't seen apart yet. http://www.rockforddriveline.com/Staked_Instructions.htm

How much would it cost you to get both front and back section? It would be silly to just replace one section ... I can't imagine it would be more than $20 or $30 to ship, it really isn't that heavy. I'd have it rebuilt but I've called all the axle shops I could find on the internet within a few hours drive of me and none of them will do a subaru drive shaft :-\

If you could find a low mileage one in good condition that would be awesome! It Texas you don't get all the road crap killing stuff under the car like we do in Maine. I can't imagine shipping would be to much. The drive shaft comes apart in the middle, each section is under three feet and doesn't weigh to much. If I can't find anywhere to get mine rebuild or another suitable alternative before winter time I'd gladly pay shipping to get a good one.

Thanks for the quick help Turbone. I'll pull the back section of the driveshaft for now. I'll just have to remember that if I see a cool looking dirt road off the beaten path I shouldn't take it I can see myself having a hard time finding a replacement in Maine, I may just take it to a shop to have the joints replaced, I'll see. Or... I tried searching but couldn't find anything conclusive. Are any EJ drive shafts the same length? I have an outback shaft (also kinda broken...) sitting in my garage, but for kicks and giggles tried to bolt it up. It's about 1/4" to long. If there's an EJ shaft that works it would probably be much easier to find.

So basically if it comes apart it's a really bad thing... I'm pretty sure it's just the rear section that's going bad (not saying that I'm not going to replace the whole thing), but it won't upset the transmission to just disconnect that section, will it? I don't see why the rear of the transmission needs to be spinning when it's in 2wd. Also, am I correct in thinking the drive shaft acts as a "plug" in the back of the transmission and I can't run with NO drive shaft at all. Thanks for the help. This is annoying ... hopefully I can find a replacement soon.

My drive shaft has arthritis and will either need new joints or just completely replaced. It's been making this noise for a while now. I thought it was a front axle that had a blown boot and no grease... Didn't sound like an axle, but hoped it was. Now I know what it is, so... What I'm wondering is, how long do I have left before something comes loose? And when something comes loose is it catastrophic, or do I just pull over and disconnect the rear half of the drive shaft and go on my way? Obviously I'm gonna replace it asap, I just want to know if it's a good idea to drive it in the meanwhile.... Well, it sorta has to be because my leagcy is down for some work....

So it'll fit as long as I use the rubber bushings that came on the outback one? awesome! thanks

Haha, wonderful analogy... I think a lot of the back pressure confusion comes from people getting confused up with 2-strokes. I know I've had my share of back pressure conversations that ended up with people mixing things they'd heard about 2-strokes into 4-strokes.

The sway bar came with a 98 or 99 legacy outback rear end I picked up the other day for the brakes and diff for something else. It has a bigger sway bar than my 96 legacy sedan. So I hoped I could throw it on as an upgrade.

Quick question. Will the sway bar from a '99 outback fit my '96 legacy? thanks

Welded on a better muffler on I'm getting better welding exhaust, only burned one hole

Some rust is fine usually. It's big rust holes that they don't like. I picked up a new door for $18 though, so it's all good