AdventureSubaru

Welcome to the board! brats pop up for sale all the time on here. Pennsylvania has pockets of Subarus. Used to see brats pop up every so often on Craigslist when I lived in PA. Saw a couple in the u pull its from time to time. They are still around. Attended a few events hosted by the York Swing Dance Club. Great area of the state.

I have tomorrow off and want to get the new clutch and trans in. (2000 outback with 5mt) So this evening I'm getting the prep work done. Put the car up on jack stands and am cleaning up the good trans that I'm putting in. The speedometer sensor was snapped off in the trans. Took a screwdriver and hammer and chiseled out the plastic that was in there. Looks like some water had been in there because now that all the plastic is out, I can see the prongs sticking out of the trans (Where that little whatchamacallit little piece of metal sits between the trans and sensor.) has some rust on it. Was wondering if I should spray some wd-40 or put a little oil/grease in there or just leave it as is? If all goes as planned, I can drive this thing for the first time tomorrow. May sell the impreza and build this as the next adventure car.

$700!?! You can probably find someone willing to ship you a good trans tail off of this board for less than $100. There may be a write up on how to swap it on here, or someone knowledgeable and kind. (We have lots of guys and gals on here like that.) would probably be willing to give you the step by step on how to do it yourself. As I recall it's just basic tools and should take maybe an hour even if it's new to you. Or if you're not one to turn a wrench, shop around and find a shop that isn't gouging you. No way it should cost that much.

If you have larger than original tires on there, it can do that. My lifted Impreza has 28 inch tires and is off by about 5mph on highway.

Yeah, Avoid the 90s version of the 2.5 unless you plan to do a swap (The EJ22 from your Impreza or others of that year can bolt right in if you buy one with a bad 2.5. The 2000+ EJ25 were WAY better. Not as bulletproof as the EJ22 but still a great motor. (Ours is at 341k) For heavier towing, you'd probably want the automatic transmission. They tend to be pretty tough on these vehicles. Ours lasted to 298k before replacement and we could have gotten more life out of it. No reason to shy away from automatics. Subarus will last and last if you maintain them well. No reason to shy away from mileage if a car seems well maintained. It's the ones that are abused/raced, run low on oil, overheated, neglected that can die on you.

Any 2000-2004 Legacy, outback or Baja will be a match. Probably others, but those are a safe bet. And who's nursing? 260k is prime age for Subarus. Our 2000 Outback is at 341,000 going strong!

As the name may imply... Are these guys going to beat me to it and complete the baja 500 or baja 1000 in a subaru? Last I checked it had been tried by a couple rally subarus but none finished the race... or even made it more than 100 miles before the car sustained too much damage to continue. The suspension stiffness, lack of travel and ground clearance were to blame. This seems to be solving those issues. If these guys have their sights set on baja I'll have to rethink my dreams... Maybe i'll be the first to finish in an 84 GL wagon.

I have a good (62k) dual range 5 speed in Illinois if you're interested. The push button is fine for going through snowy roads and dirt trails etc. If you're expecting to do any real off road stuff though, that dual range makes a world of difference and will pay for itself by saving you broken parts and burned up clutch discs. High range off roading makes you take things a lot faster and use throttle to get over stuff more than traction. (Which beats on the suspension and body etc.) The only way to go slowly is to ride the clutch - fine for emergencies or times when you're in a pinch, but will quickly kill your clutch if that's how you have to off road. The gearing is subies is nice and low. I seem to recall topping out around 20mph in low 4th gear of my old 83 wagon. Low gearing lets you take your time and do it right.

Any front seats from 90-04 Legacy/outback/baja will work fine as well. Just have to bend the front bracket a tad so the angle matches the impreza floor. Takes 30 seconds with a pair of vice grips. I have Baja seats in my 97 Impreza outback. Forester 98-04 should drop right in as well.

PNP is a great way to go. $130. for a trans and they'll give you $30 back on the core. If you go to their website they even keep an inventory online so you know which yards have the cars you may need. Just did a swap for my Impreza Drop a single range or as mentioned - ideally a dual range in there and good to go. The trannies are super light compared to most.

Pull the drain plug and check for metal shavings in the pan and fluid. If it's there, then yep. Time to find a replacement trans - which if you shop around can be had inexpensively enough and are an easy swap if you're not afraid of some wrenching. Car-part.com is a good tool, but I've had great luck with craigslist and self service yards on the cheap. $100. got my last one. Possible check would be the drive shaft. If the joint is going bad, you can get lots of clanking/bucking especially at low speeds before it goes. had that happen to me last summer. 240k though, it wouldn't be surprising if the trans is going. Mine made it 276,000 before it started popping out of gear.

The green looks great as a wheeler/show car. But yeah, as something to take you to a job interview and such (depending on the job ) you may want something a little more subdued as a daily driver. If you ever switch it out and it becomes a weekend vehicle - then I say go for it!

the usual underside rattle is a heat shield on the exhaust that becomes loose. Have you checked those?

Probably safe to say that between you, your girlfriend and the PO that your trans is roasted. Driving these without adequate fluid will kill them fast. Sounds like the guy you bought it from pulled a fast one. probably a torque bind issue that he hid by pulling the drive shaft so the trans was likely in need of work or replacement anyway. Start searching junkyards or dismantlers/ craigslist and car-part.com for a replacement. Most Legacy transmissions from 2000-2004 will be a match. Lower end impreza from 2000 on should as well. Non-matching - outback, Forester, Impreza RS etc. can be matched to your car by swapping the rear differential in so the car has the same final drive ratio.

Knock sensor is a common failure and super easy to change out. They can make these cars act pretty goofy sometimes. Change that out for sure. As to the whistling, is it just when you are driving? Or would it make the same noise in park/neutral when given gas? Lots of things can make lots of noises, - belts, bearings, pulleys, clutch - try revving the engine by hand while looking under the hood to see if you can't get a closer idea of where the noise is coming from. - If that motor had been sitting for a while, it's likely that something got a little rusty or sticky from sitting. Sometimes it will just fade as the motor is run more. Sometimes stuff may need replacement.

if need be, just PM your e-mail address to me and I can send it as an attachment.

If you're getting a misfire, start with spark plugs and wires. It's a good routine maintenance to do anytime you get a new car. Get the code/codes from your check engine light. Auto zone and other parts chains will read your codes for free. based on the codes, they can point you on what else you may need.

Nice resource! I like that pdf a lot more than the one I've been using.

Lots of good suggestions so far. I wouldn't start throwing a lot of parts at it just yet. Try and narrow things down as you could have a large issue or a couple minor ones. Step 1 - get under the car and look at the joint of your driveshaft and check it for play. Look inside the joint for sheared metal and anything amiss. If there is, you probably have your thumping problem figured out. My driveshaft was ready to tear itself in half and the car would lurch and bouch with some nice clanking sounds before I could safely pull over and found the problem. (I ended up pulling the driveshaft in a dennys parking lot, capping the back of the trans and driving home in front wheel drive.) Step 2 - new plugs, wires and knock sensor. get rid of your misfire so you can weed out other things. Knock sensors can really make your car act goofy. Plugs and wires are good maintenance anyway. See where you sit after those things are checked.

http://www.northursalia.com/techdocs/trannychart/trannychart.pdf From what I'm seeing there, your car is 3.90 and the trans is 4.11. You can swap in a matching diff, or find another trans. for your car - any of the 2000+ (Phase II) trans with the same final drive will bolt right in no problem. Ignore the vins. Just find a 3.90 or get a 4.11 diff.

Welcome! I love the roof rack design.

All the years you listed will work for a suspension lift for a 95 legacy. 2000-2004 Outback fronts will work as well but not the rears. Forester stuff will give you just a little more space than outback but they are all pretty much the same. The off-road section of the forum has a sticky about "how to lift your impreza" - everything true of an impreza lift will be true of your legacy except you probably don't have to worry about drilling a hole for the rear strut tops. The outback trailing arm brackets are also less necessary for a legacy lift. Put a set in, get some bigger tires and enjoy the ground clearance!

Looks like a great romp. Wish there were more trails and lifted soobs in this area.

Drive it in tight circles. One to the left and one to the right. If you hear the clicking/clunking from that side - replace the whole CV halfshaft. If no noise, just re-grease and replace the boot.

Yeah. I think that's what Monstaru did initially with Stella. He cleared 235/75/15 without a body lift by using 1 inch spacers and 04 Forester struts if I'm remembering right. Looking at mine, with one inc spacers on there, it would be close. The issue would likely be the tire width more than the height to avoid rubbing the spring perches.