Setright

Nice! These cars are really fabulous! The handling balance is excellent. I found that I could control my old Legacy with a good degree of precision, even nearing the limit. And that engine makes a lovely sound above 4000rpm ;-)

Remove the glovebox and the panel covering the heater matrix - if there is such a panel in your model. Have a look round for loose connectors, fouled connectors...the usual stuff. Might be enough to solve the problem. If not, get a wiring diagram - or work it out - and hook a bulb to the power connection of the motor and you can check if it's getting power, even when it doesn't run. If so, the motor is busted.

When you switch it on, listen for a "click" from the compressor clutch in the engine room. This should be followed by a muffled "hiss" or "whoosh" inside the cabin. If there is no click, maybe there is a faulty switch or relay in the system. You will also want to check the drive belt tension. Should be similar to the tension in the power steering drive belt. Take note: The adjustent screw has a reverse thread. If only the whoosh is missing, you are low on refrigerant fluid. There is a canister on the pipes leading from the engine room to the cabin. It might have a sight-glass, that allows you to check the fluid. If both these sounds are occuring, you will need to check the cable that regulates cabin heating. If it's maladjusted or broken, the cabin heat might be full-on, which negates the air-con cooling effect. However, the vent air should still be less humid than outside air. Also, the evaporator inside the cabin vent matrix could be blocked from years of faithful service. Remove the glovebox and try to get a look at it. Hope this helps :-)

If you do, please let us know if you like the results :-) (If you think Syntorq was a waste of money, keep it to yourself! I don't want my credibility ruined :-) )

60 miles should do the trick, make sure all gears have been engaged a number of times. Let it cool overnight and start by adding a half quart. Check again the next morning. Amount of metal parts sounds healthy enough.

Not on ramps, the car must be level for it to drain fully. You can drive the front wheels up on ramps and let flow until a drip. Then drive back down, leaving the hole unplugged and let the rest flow out. Then, drive it back up the ramps to gain access... Don't worry about the lack of gear oil for the short journey up and down. MAKE SURE the drain pan will fit under the car even when you drive it back down. ALSO, if you are going underneath the car be certain that the ramps are stable. Push/shake the car by the fenders before you venture underneath, if it does fall during this test at least you won't get crushed. Be aware that you might need quite a lot of torque to loosen the drain plug, they often get overtightened. I use a two foot extension for this kind of thing, it allows easy control of the force. Don't bang on the drain plug with a hammer! This technique is only for steel oil pans where the plug has rusted in. It will take between twenty and thirty minutes to drain. During that time I clean up the plug threads, magnet, and install the new washer. Then I open three, one liter, bottles of Castrol TAF-X....and then wait....zzzzzz

Start by flushing the old brake fluid out.

Things might be perfectly all right. The coolant temperature is controlled mainly by the thermostat, and this a "proportional" control system. Therefore, it actually needs a little "error" for it to react. The temp will not be constant. I think the chip is a good idea, but don't let it make you panic. The dash temp gauge works on a delay, meaning that the average temp has to rise before the needle heads closer to the red. Same applies to the gas gauge, if it moved every time the gas slopped from side to side your needle would bounce around and be uselss.

I have been through a lot of oils, Redline NS included. I have found Castrol TAF-X to be the cat's pajamas! I have heard that it goes under the pseudonym "Syntorq" in the states. Redline works, but doesn't last. BY THE WAY that sound is the synchromesh teeth bashing into eachother, all the forward cogs/gears are in constant mesh. The synchro teeth are bevelled/rounded to allow for abuse.

THAWA is right. If you can't work out what the switch is for, and don't bother to consult the manual or a Sube dealer, maybe you shouldn't be driving a car in the first place. Cocky? Provocative? Sure. I accept that people have switched it on and not known, but they can't blame Subaru for that. The switch placement is fine. Easy to see, easy to reach, and not flipped accidentally. Gen 1 Legacy fog and headlamp washer switches on the other hand....what are the doing hidden away behind the steering wheel and my left knee?

Avoid going in over the center of the wheel hub. Yes, this is playing it safe, but unless you raise your air intake, you are taking a small risk, with BIG consequences. You should also consider that higher water levels will flood the car body panels. What's in that water??

It might be cheapest to have the wheels balanced before doing anything else. 62mph would be the first harmonic peak of the tyre vibes. A rumbling bearing will get louder when you put weight on it into a turn. When you turn the other way the lighter load will make the sound softer.

Keep your EJ22 handy, and swap it in the new car when you have the time and money. Nothing runs as sweet as an EJ22, and it will keep going...like the "Energizer" bunny :-)

My 1990 Legacy was a 2.2 "GX". This meant thick cloth seats, which still looked new when I sold it at 14 years of age. And: Headlight washers, heated seats, electric windows all round, electric sunroof, ABS, 14 inch alloy rims, 5% window tint, oh and permanent 4WD - the four being writen so it looked very much like an "A", in prep for the whole AWD campaign thingy! GX was available in continental Europe, not sure about Britain. It was also sold in South East Asia, only the heated seats were swapped for Air-Con!

Yep, I have done this too. It's the IAC hose that comes off when you lift the air filter box. Had me in panic for a few seconds!

Ran an EJ22 5MT 1990 Legacy from 120k to over 185k miles. Absolute best, crusing 50-55mph, 31.5mpg. Making time in Germany, at 125mph, I would still get 19,3mpg. Overall average was 23mpg. Evenly mixed driving. I have converted from km per liter, using 1.609km to a mile, 3.9 liters to a customary gallon. Km figures are 13, 8, and 9.5km/l

I think the rails that the roof slides in need to be sealed again. The drains are rarely the problem. I have described this somewhere on the forum before, if you search for "sun roof" or "Leaking" you should be able to find it.

I support the idea of using reverse if the car would roll backwards. However, I would use second for the other direction, a lot of gearboxes will "pop" out of first more readily than second. If there is pavement, turn the wheels so that the car will roll into the cornerstone and stop. Never park any car, functioning handbrake or not, with the wheels parallel to the pavement.

One of our company cars, a VW Golf, had the same symptoms. The problem arose because of a faulty brake hose on the front right caliper. True to form for these cars, it was ballooning. The unsteady brake line pressure was enough to confuse the ABS system. Not sure if this applies to the system in your Sube, but it's an easy fault to spot. Have someone depress the brake pedal while you examine the hoses.

Yes sir, two separate sensors. Right next to eachother, on the engine block where the coolant pipe leaves and heads for the radiator.

Chains wear, stretch, and at high mileages make noises that indicate the need for replacement. Belts run quiet and smooth. Then snap suddenly. Fine for the first owner, but down the line, when the cars get into my (our?) hands, a chain would be preferable. Also, since Subaru can't find someone to make reliable cam seals, a chain driven system would have the added advantage of removing the need for these leaky seals :-)

Unplugging the MAF should kill the engine. I can't really test it on my car, cause I have the newer, cheaper, crappier MAP sensor.!!! By the way, don't touch the MAF sensor thread/needle !!! Just look at it...

The stock size on my Legacy was 185/70R14, and it didn't drink like that. I even upped them to 195/60R15, and didn't notice any serious drop in mpg. However! This car is too heavy to sit on S rated tyres, and this will affect your mileage. So, I would strongly recommend going back to H or better. Even so, even crappy, deflated tyres won't make your exhaust smell like gasoline. So, you certainly have another problem. Remove your air filter box and check the MAF sensor for dirt/debris which could give a faulty reading. The problem might be related to the ECU thinking it is drawing in more air than it actually is. I would expect the O2 sensor to complain, but maybe that's gunged up too? Come to think of it, a clogged catalyst won't help milage either.

Yes, TinyClark, that doesn't make sense to me either! Still, I change fuel filter around 60k. It's a good precaution, since a breakdown in the filter material might let larger particles through and into the injectors. It must be considered that some us like to floor the long pedal on a regular basis and that means a little preventative maintenance provides some added peace of mind. When my rev needle is bouncing off the red I like to know for sure that my oil, coolant, and such things are in good order ;-)

Hats off, Subyluvr! By the way, do those engine mounts work the business?