AdventureSubaru

My understanding is that the only difference in struts/springs was between the outback edition and standard legacys. The engine wont determine the size of strut. It's just outback vs. non outback. The outbacks being the taller ones.

The two don't quite match up in my mind. Seized calipers will lock up the brakes and create the dragging noise. A badly warped rotor gives you the shakes. Check the condition of both. Does the caliper respond to the pedal at all? Someone more knowledgable than me will probably have better advice than me. But I don't see how a brake issue could change the camber by much of anything. Failed wheel bearings maybe?

Maybe I've missed something. Swapping struts and trying to get the tophats off the strut. Got a large nut and a screw with an allen head on it. Can't get the thing off. Even got an impact wrench on both nut and allen, not coming off. What's the process to remove this thing?

Swapping the trailing arm brackets on my 97 Impreza. (Lifting) And I was worried this might happen. The bolts on the trailing arm bracket are binding and I broke one of the welds on the nut on the other side. (This happened on the outback they were pulled from too.) I'm looking to cut my way through the top in order to get some pb blaster on it and clamp a set of vice grips onto the nut on the other side. Is there any trick or better way to do this?

It is pretty nice to have options. Back when all i drove were 80s wagons, it was HARD to find anything bigger than 13. Nice to be able to have rim options without doing a conversion, drilling hubs, rims etc.

Not sure on the old post, but here's a list I found that is supposed to list every car that comes in 5x100. http://www.roadkillcustoms.com/hot-rods-rat-rods/Wheel-Bolt-Pattern-Cross-Reference-Database.asp?LugCount=5&StudSpreadInch=&StudSpreadMM=100

You were correct. I got under there with a bright light and it's bubbling it's way out of the front of the two banjo bolts. The rear one has a slow leak too, but nothing like the front which is more of a trickle. I had to replace these since the new trans had broken cooling lines. I swapped them over just as they came. (One washer on either side.) And I made sure those bolts were snug. I'll try and get under there and make them even tighter, but looks like the crush washers will need replacing. Anyone able to give me a size on those washers? Looks like I have to order them through auto zone and it's all metric measurements.

Okay, if I'm understanding this correctly, that would put me in similar or same ballpark as stock Subaru rims. Anything I'm missing? Hoping to be on these rims for the next 200,000 miles

It's possible, but I had to swap the cooler lines over from the old trans. (The lines on my trans were bent beyond repair.) I thought I was pretty diligent in snugging the bolts up for the coolant lines. I'll double check. If so, that should be a simple enough fix.

The VWs that fit came off a 99 Golf. Great, beefy looking rims but I could only find 3 of them. The Chrysler Rims I have are listed as "High Positive offset." How would this translate on a Subaru like mine?

Replaced the trans in the 2000 Legacy Outback last week. Took it on a maiden voyage to run some errands locally. Maybe 40 miles total. After first 25 it started revving on acceleration. trans seemed to be slipping. After a brief mental heart attack I checked the fluid. Low. Thought maybe it needed to work itself around a bit. Added fluid and everything returned to normal. 10 miles later, same thing. Added fluid again and again we're all set. Took it right home to figure out the leak. Thought maybe the pan or external filter may have been jarred loose. Put the car on ramps, crawled underneath. It's leaking from the base of the dipstick. Just bubbles out in a slow trickle when the car is running. I do remember that it bumped against the unibody as the trans went in. Not super hard, but apparently hard enough. What's the sort of fix for this? O ring? gasket? I have a good one on the old trans. And what's heavy on my mind, do I need to lower my trans to get at it?

Was at the junkyard and picked up a spare set of steel rims for my Impreza. Wasn't so lucky to get the set from a Subaru. I played musical wheels finding other models that might fit. Noticed that some of the 5 lug VW rims fit fine and ended up getting a set of 15 inch steel rims from a Chrysler Sebring. (Figured putting such parts on a Subaru that the car could do more in death than it did in life.) It's a 5x100 pattern and I test fitted it on a Impreza of the same generation as mine to be sure things lined up. Seems fine. Bout the same width, and spacing around center hub. Clears the calipers just fine. I am planning on putting these on a (soon to be) lifted impreza so speedometer etc. will be off anyway. What else should I consider before using these rims, or am I good to go?

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=110885&highlight=steering+shaft All the info you need should be there. That's the first visual I found. I'm sure there are other/better ones. Looks like you can put two together to do it without welding, or just cut, extend and weld for one piece.

http://www.sjrlift.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=8&Itemid=100053 3 inch lift should help you clear 215s without much worry about trimming. I'm about to put a set of LT 215 75 15s under my impreza. The EA82 series (like your 88) seems the most forgiving when it comes to the necessity for trimming. If you buy a kit and have done plenty of reading, and especially if you have a buddy helping, you can do it with pretty basic tools. The oddball is always lengthening your steering shaft. But some steel pipe and a welder make it simple. Some have used the longer shaft from Outbacks but I'm not 100% on whether it's transferable to your 88. It's more involved if you make the kit yourself but cheaper and with more options. I've heard great things about the kits SJR has, so if you're willing to spnd the money, I wouldn't hesitate to buy one. If you're doing it yourself, those pictures show pretty well what's involved. Angled strut top spacers, blocks between unibody and subframe, lowering your rear differential etc. It's been done many many times, so once you get going keep asking questions on here. This site is fantastic for any and all advice Subaru.

You can get some lift using strut spacers, but the higher you go, the more strain you put on the axles, which is especially risky if you are going places tow trucks do not. I wouldn't go more than an inch without some sort of body lift. The jist of it is, putting blocks between your subframes and unibody in addition to raising the suspension hieght (usually with spacers.) It's not rocket science, but there's plenty involved. Keep reading, read some more. take a break, read more. Eventually you'll be more comfortable with it. You also need to lengthen the joint on your steering to accomodate the lift. This is a fairly simple weld job either by yourself or at a local shop. You can clear rather decent tires without a lot of lift. (Or any really) if you are willing to trim your fenders. The more bashing and trimming, the bigger the tire you can fit. My old 84 wagon had 25 inch tires with no lift and very minor trimming. I took that car places that few jeeps would go. cut a little more and you can fit more. If you haven't read it yet, there's a sticky in here for biggest tires without a lift. It might surprise you.

What he said. I'm in the process of sorting out a similar issue in my 2000 outback. The pressure required to blow the seal between diff and trans would be far more than simply pushing up and out the dipstick. climb around under your car with a flashlight. Follow the trans cooler hoses. Look under the torque converter in case the leak is coming from the front seal. Check where the drive shaft attaches. There are many much more likey (and easily fixed) places to lose trans fluid. If nothing else, Aamco does a free trans check. Not that I trust much from them, but I'd want some sort of confirmation before I dropped my trans and started taking it apart.

I'm guessing it could be a broken clutch fork. Any noises when depressed/released? I've you cane sometimes her stuff rattling around in there. Easier if you have someone to listen while you pump the pedal. That fluid is pretty dark and gunky. it could be internal failure on the part of the slave or slave mater cylinder.

Got the stuff for it. All except the Torx t70. Where would I find one? So far Menards, Farm & Fleet, Home Depot and Autozone have been tried. Closes I found was a T60.

Thanks guys. This forum is invaluable for such things. Otherwise I'd be running ATF in my diff and freaking out when this trans died.

Sounds like that's what I did.:banghead: It's the smaller dipstick on the passenger side of the bellhousing right? Thats where I shouldn't have added ATF? What sort of gear oil do i put in there? And where do I drain the existing stuff from. Boy I feel dumb. Not much for automatic trannys. I've only ever had a few automatics and this is my first auto swap in a subie. Sometimes I guess I come up behind the curve. Did my first tranny swap before I knew how to change wiper blades.

best one was when the cat driving the Saturn steals the parking spot.

Trans is in and working. Had to fab a little rubber ring for the shift selector cable end. Ended up cutting a piece from an old valve stem. Seems to work jst fine. Had quite the scare at first. I filled the fluid until it read Full. Started the car and it just creeped in reverse. Forward barely moved either. There had been a few little crunchy noises as the bell housing was tightened. I thought at first that maybe the torque converter had slid out. (or been bad all along.) I figured I'd at least double check fluid and added two more quarts. (This time through the other tube.) Tried again and it shifts and drives fine now. What's up with the trans fluid levels? Whats the most reliable way to check levels. I want it full, but not overfilled.

check and check for the hoses and dipstick. Is the extension tube the large silver one that clips onto the rear of the torque converter? If so, it was still in the 03 trans and has been connected. Just want to double check before this trans goes in.

Okay, found a dealer that had the plate. Got the plate and bolts. Heading to Autozone soon for some trans fluid and silicone. Any recommendations on which silicone would be best for the separator plate? Also, how best to get the existing screws/bolts out. Phillips head gives me nightmares.

pretty sure mine is plastic. I'll go out and double check. I called the dealer this morning. The parts guy had no idea what I was talking about. Anyone have a part number?