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My service manuals for the 1st gen Legacies are long gone. Maybe some else here who currently has one can offer some insight. I do remember it wasn't real easy.....but not too difficult either. Removing that speedometer cable was very tight I do remember.

The 1990 has a mechanical speedometer ( I owned one from 1990 to 1996 ). The speed sensor was a reed switch in the speedometer head itself. So if your speedometer is functioning ( needle working properly ) then the internal reed switch is defective. That requires replacing the entire speedometer OR it can be a defective connection between the speedometer and the ECU. If the speedomter is not working, then you can have a defective speedometer, cable, speedometer cable adapter ( on the tranny ) or internal speedo gear in the tranny. Loved my 90 legacy LS wagon......it was destroyed in an accident....no one in the wagon was injured.

Don't know how they are today, but I grew up near there, and in the 70's they were a good place to go. From Monroe you could drive there in just over 2 hrs...up 17, across 84 and down 81. I used to live in Florida NY in the early 80's so I traveled that way regularly. Now they also have Harry's U-Pull-It..both in Hazelton, or nearer to me since I now live in NJ, they are also in Allentown. Another good place I've been. But...used parts ARE just that...Used parts...don't know if they had any strange problems before they ended up in the yard.

Not that I'm aware of, there are different reflash and running programs written for turbo Subaru's, most by Cobb, but they get expensive. But there may be some other ECU reprogrammers out there, just try searching around. Be aware, there is no swappable 'chip' in the Subaru ECU, unlike other manufacturers have done.

Complaints yes..about 1 in 5 manual transmission drivers complain about this. Fix...none that i am aware of. It's function reminds me of the 'dashpot' that was used on stick shifts in the 60's/70's to prevent the engine from closing the throttle plate too quickly. Then the engine would stall. But today with all the engine controls, other than for an emissions reason, I can't think of any reason why they would do this.

Visit NASIOC and ask them there. The WRX is a true performer, but very little utility. The Forester ( especially the 04/05 XT which had a detuned STi motor ) is a real sleeper. And a utility wagon to boot. You can run either stock, or spend thousands on upgrades. Some Foresters are above 300WHP and truly surprising those at the tracks. Also insurance.....the WRX is very high. The Forester, even the XT, is much lower. Your Choice, but in my opinion, both are great vehicles.

I have owned both....2 Legacy wagons and 2 Foresters. Both are different and more the same than different. Body styling is different. Legacy's had more body roll and a little bit more rear seat room than the 02 Forester. My 04 Forester has a little more rear leg room, but tighter side to side. Power.....the Legacys ( both were 2.2L 5 speeds ) had enough to get along quite well, not speed demons, but not a slug either. The Foresters 2.5L with a 5 speed were noticeably quicker....and cornered much better. Both has about the same room ( capacity wise ) behind the rear seats, just shaped differently. The taller but narrower Forester has worked better for us ( 2 adults and 2 teens ). But once again this is all relative and subjective. My advise...drive both and see which fits your needs better. They are both selling well, so Subaru seems to be fitting those needs.

I have used Redline shockproof Ultra-light in both MY02 and MY04 5 speeds. It has virtually eliminated the periodic "crunch" you get form Subaru's newer gear synchros. It is expensive, and an ugly mustard yellow color. But barring any other transmission problems, should last the lifetime of your vehicle. Scotty's Coctail that is talked about in Nasioc, is a hit or miss deal. Some guys there like it, others still have the synchro crunch. Also the mix is tough to shift when it's cold, like the standard dino gearoil.

Porcupine is correct, but 'melted' shorted heater wires could cause this also. Check the wires by the front oxygen sensor and be certain they were not on the exhaust and melted there. P1133 is a direct short sensed by the ECU which is why the suspects are the ECU and the wiring harness. I have never seen this code, but I would imagine a shorted heater element in the front oxygen sensor could cause this also.

Josh, I have the following since 2001 and use it on many neighborhood cars/vans I help take care of. Not only does it give you the code, but also Freeze frame data. And for really tough to diagnose problems, you can read up to 4 sensors simultaneously. http://obddiagnostics.com/ I use it with an older laptop I have that I power from the accessory socket sometimes as I have to drive the vehicle. It has helped greatly diagnose slow oxygen sensors. And the latest software also allows you to see real-time MPG. Subaru's use ISO-9141 protocol. It was $49 when I bought it, now I see it's $83 for the BR-3 model. Best investment I've made. And when I absolutely need a CAN bus reader, I'll go back here for that also. End of MY $.02

Oil Separator. On your engine it was plastic, replaced now by metal. Unfortunately you have to separate the engine / tranny to get to it. It's on the passenger side rear of the motor. Someone here may have a picture or engine drawing of it. This usually drips from the lower bell housing and is mistaken many times for a rear main seal, which also can be the culprit. Inexpensive part.....expensive to replace.

On this one I would disagee...only from experience. But it's your choice. Autozone...lifetime warranty......many many times I have replaced them over and over. Quality of rebuild is not consistent. Not only on Subaru's but other vehicles they have given me what they swear is the proper axle, only to have it rumble, shake, not fit properly. After a few multi replacements for neighbors I help keep up their vehicles, I now talk them into OEM for half shaft replacements...Or with Subaru's Visit CCR Inc. and click on the MWE axles. They are a quality rebuilder. http://www.ccrengines.com/mwe/index.html I don't like to do the job more than once, and the extra $60 keeps their cars/van running without being in my garage an extra day when they have places to be. End my My $.02

The switch is part of the latch assy in the tailgate. There is no real adjustment for it in any of the manuals. At a dealer they would replace it. I would take it apart and check it out.

Yes it is....or was

These are the "ON-STAR" controls. Added to Subaru Outback/Legacy line when GM was part owner of the product. Some who own these are having trouble keeping up their subscriptions because GM no longer owns any part of Subaru. So they are now decorations.......

3M made a product like that...I tried it many times to no long term avail. It always rusted underneath the plastic coating. I have to agree 100% with uniberp. Working on vehicles since the mid 60's the only real way to correct rust was cut it out and put in a better steel. But in your case, I wouldn't spend too much on it since a replacement hitch is $100 or less. You might spend more than that on trying to save this one. I would sand or blast it and try a rust resistant paint first. That should last for a while.

Bank 1 on a Subaru means the entire fuel system since there is only 1 pair of Oxygen sensors. Unlike a V6 or V8 which may have a bank 1 on one side and bank 2 on the other. In any case Fuel Trim Malfunction can be an exhaust leak, intake leak, fuel pressure......Anything where the fuel feedback system can NOT compensate for an incorrect air/fuel ratio. P0170.pdf

On all Foresters the delay module IS part of the wiper switch assy. About $75 us from the dealer and 10-15 minutes to replace.

Frank, there was a recall last year which went into earlier this year for the Subaru ( and Purolator Premium ) oil filters. They would leak when cold and stop when warmed up. Some of them which went to extremes ( like the ones on the Turbo since the exhaust went right next to it ) would continue to leak even after warmup. So I might check there first. These were the newer SMALL filters, not the one Subaru used since the EJ22, but in 2003 they released a new smaller filter that believe it or not, has more filter capacity and filter element inside. But they initially did have gasket sealing problems. Also there were a number of 'crush' rings sent to dealers about the same time that were too large. So when the technician replaced the oil drain plug, it didn't seal properly. This also is easy to see. Just open the oil drain flap on the plastic under cover by removing the 7 fasteners and check to see if either is leaking.

Yeah and since the speed sensor in the instrument cluster didn't see any pulses, many many red lights on the dash came on at the same time. Each time it broke, I was on an interstate or highway traveling more than 50mph. So all of a sudden.....red lights....but still running. 1st time really scared me thinking something really bad happened, but reading the codes when I got home led right to the speed sensor and then I remembered the speedometer wasn't working.

When I had my 90 Legacy LS, I replaced that 3 times. The Subaru Parts counter called it the Speedometer transmission cable adapter. Was under $10 last I bought one........but that was back before 1995.

I don't remember it as a TSB, but as a techinfo Dealers and subscribing servicers received. There is a copy of the same info on Endwrench. http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/OtherInfo.pdf

Like all other Subaru scoops, it's not for engine air intake, but for the intercooler. There is a small screen there to trap larger things...clean leaves of etc. There are also aftermarket companies that sell a grill that goes right onto the scoop front itself. Turbo Forester's have been sold worldwide for since 1997 although the turbo models have not been available in the USDM until 2003. As far as the outside elements, I haven't hear anyone complain about rain, snow, etc causing them a problem.

I must agree..and RTV is not the best choice of sealant for any passages that are used for the combustion mixture. It's fumes will poison the oxygen sensor leading to an early end of life. There are warnings all over GM , Mopar and Toyota service manuals about avoiding RTV ANYWHERE in their engines as even sealing and oil pan with it can inject the fumes in the oil and the PVC system will then inject it into the intake....burn in the cylinders and get to the sensor that way. Agreed it is an easy fix, but i would personally take it all apart and fit it back together properly, especially after paying for new seals.