nickb21

I can't really comment on the MPG on the Impreza's, but my 02 Outback gets a pretty steady 25-26mpg. I'm guessing your budget will prohibit it, but the new 2012's are pretty dang nice (just drove a few the other week), and they gas mileage is way better, even with the 5spd (25/34) instead of the CVT (25/37 i think). Of course it could just be the difference between a 10 year old car and a new one.

Nice, glad to hear you sorted that out! I had the same problem with no VSS signal and hitting the cut-off (02 OBW). I did happen to notice the speedo not working and my CEL was on though . Did you get a CEL and just not take a look at the codes? Interesting you mention the pops - I get these quite a lot on lift-off (5spd), wonder if the hole(s) in my exhaust make the problem worse. Interesting...

You're both talking about the same bolt. I think you're in OK shape per gary's suggestions. Maybe even put some thread locker on there to keep the bolt from backing out, but I imagine there should be enough "tension" to keep it in place anyway. If you don't want to repair the threads I'm sure you can find a bracket for a few bucks at a yard. I think the torque specs for the caliper bolts are around 20 ft-lbs. EDIT: Duh, little tired. You actually don't need a new bracket even, just a new caliper pin. (The piece with the rubber boot on it that the bolt goes into will pull right out of the caliper bracket, and you can put a new one in). Not sure if they sell them individually - but shouldn't be more than a few bucks.

I'm not sure about the squeak - how loud is it? Does it sounds like metal on metal? You'll definitely want to pull the outer frame of the caliper off and clean and lube the slide pins (2). More than likely these are sicking and the outer pad isn't fully releasing off the rotor. The auto-parts store sells small packets of grease, but I usually just buy a tube of SilGlyde. Clean off all the old crud under the boots and re-lube and re-assemble.

(If you're open to suggestions), grab some '02-'04(?) WRX wheels. 16". Should be able to be had for pretty cheap, and I think they look good on that generation Legacy.

Def. easier than pulling the whole door panel. Yuck! NP, glad to hear you found one - I didn't look closely, but maybe you could pop the plastic open (then glue it back) somehow and clean the contacts... Cheers.

I'll go confirm once the rain eases up a bit here... but; The mirror controls are separate from the windows, I know because mine came loose and "fell in" underneath that trim piece. The trim piece with all the switchgear will just pry up - I think it's easier to pry from the top end first. Update: Pic for ya.. You'll want to pry gently but forcefully at the top of the trim plate and it will pop-up. 2nd clip at the bottom too which is a bit of a pain to get to. (Power Window/Door lock controls are screwed into the trim).

Yes, definitely should have everything needed installed from the factory. Just program and go. I'm not sure if you can use the remotes with the grey buttons that came on the '00 models. But the Orange and Blue button remotes will definitely work. Same thing happened to my '02 OBW when i picked it up.. no fobs. There is an Alarm upgrade available as an option which will make a light on the cluster flash. Programming the remotes is a bit... awkward... at best. There are a few good write-ups on this site though.

Yea, I just used the OE rubber one, it was like $25. They do make SS braided ones, but the only one I could find at the time that mentioned 00-04 Legacy/OB was a Goodrich complete kit (4+1) or something, and didn't feel like paying that much. I think you can get individual ones for WRX's, but no idea if the fittings are the same. (Would think they are, but no idea...)

Yup! Speed bleeders work great for the slave. I think about a year ago I replaced the slave and hose because whenever it was hot out my clutch would stick to the floor pretty regularly. Bled it by myself with no problems. Somewhere I have the part number I used.. but either the long or short bleeders work fine.

I had bookmarked this thread to take a look at in the future... sorry to revive it (again). Brus Brother: did you end up going with the General HP's? My Triple Treads have about 50/55k on them and they are done. (Oddly enough I had a similiar noise, turned out to be a front bearing on mine though!) I'm considering going down to a T-rated Yokohama TRZ, but was also looking at the Generals (HP/RT), as well as the Kumho Ecsta LX Platinums. (I'm going to 255/55/17's which makes selection a bit tricky.) The Kumho's have a $50 rebate, so I might end up with them, but I was interested if you chose anything yet.

Just to close this out... Cleaned, regreased, and rebooted the Ball Joint. Same with the inner seal. It's amazing how much easier things go back together vs being taken apart. "New" bearing sounds great, night and day really. Very slight sound is left, but I'm hoping that's just due to a bubble on a tire. Duct tape. Hehe, I may possibly be guilty of a duct tape CV/DOJ "boot" offense. In case anyone finds this thread in the future - the only reason I chose to keep the existing ball joint and not replace it was due to not being able to remove the ball joint in the old knuckle. After hours (days) of drilling, banging, torching, prying; 10 years of NJ salt and rust would not let her free. I was not interested in round 2. In case I ever have to go through something similiar again, I'll either get an assembly from a less rusty part of the country, or maybe even another used unit if this one is still good after a few thousand miles. Cheers all.

Thanks for the help! Yea, I didn't want to risk any flakes of rust sneaking under the seal into the bearing when I swapped it. I'll keep that one. I would normally just replace the ball joint, but after a losing fight with the old knuckle, this one is staying. Any special grease to use, or will any multi-purpose stuff do?

The heat up here (NJ) has gotten to my brain a bit, so I thought I would ask for a few opinions. My quick and easy axle replacement job took a turn for the worse (found a bad wheel bearing and then some), and I ended up needing to pick up a used knuckle/spindle assembly. The used part includes a ball joint that is good, only problem is a small ( 3-4mm ) tear near the bottom of the boot. 2 Questions: I have a good ball joint boot, is it worth it to clean everything out and swap the good boot over vs putting some silicone or something on the torn one? Also, most of the axle replacement write-ups say to replace the inside bearing seal (I'm keeping the bearing in it that came from the yard for now). This one seems in good shape (~70k miles according the the yard), is it worth it to risk getting crud into the bearing replacing the seal? Thanks for the help, been a long day!

I realize this thread isn't for discussion, but I thought maybe an exception could be made for this info: I did some poking around and it looks like the endwrench.com domain might have expired and been sucked up by one of those squatting registrars... With that said the site is actually still up and running. Spoke too soon, "Current Issue" is 2004. You'll need to do the following to access it (WinXP instructions, other OS's similiar): In notepad EDIT the following file: C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts ADD the following two lines to the end of the file: 69.164.210.180 http://www.endwrench.com 69.164.210.180 endwrench.com SAVE this file. Now you should be able to type in http://www.endwrench.com in your browser and view it. Let's hope that these guys are able to get control of their domain back... or register a new domain. Cheers.

+1 on this. especially when the engine makes those awful sounding noises at -10/-20F and if you let the clutch out too quick in neutral it stalls!

Are you looking for the ones specifically badged as an "SUS" (which as mentioned are ~98/99 only)? They made an Outback Sedan from 2000-2007 as well.

I would imagine, though cannot be certain, that the legacy/baja hoods interchange. Only problem is that there were no scoops on 00-04 Legacy/OB's. Only on the Baja. (Baja turbo only?).

Been there, sorry to hear. +1. 00-04 Outback grilles are a identical replacement. You can also use 00-04 "L" and "GT" grilles (they bolt up fine), BUT they look slightly different, and they are a bit shorter on the bottom (bigger gap between bottom of grille and bumper). Careful unbolting them, the plastic gets pretty brittle.

I think the last Legacy wagon made was what, 2005? The 2010 OB I drove had hillholder. Do the Legacy's not? The OB's (and perhaps Legacies as well) haven't had hillholder since pre-2000. I've started "adjusting" to the size, but it's still big for my taste... But then again, a lot more you can do with the extra room!

Good call on the caliper size. I would imagine that at the very least the base Impreza still has 2-pot fronts and would clear 16's fine. WRX maybe would clear. STI definitely won't (at least the 08+ models, probably the earliers ones too). Check out nasioc.com, they have a "what fits" rims/wheels/tires thread stickied.

Bolt pattern for a normal Impreza (not STI) and Forester is the same (5x100). The offset is probably slightly different maybe 48 (forester) vs 53/55 (impreza). The few mm's difference shouldn't be a problem as long as you're using correctly sized tires for the car.

Size wise the older bigger filter will work on an 05+ as long as it's not a turbo. The larger filter is too close to the exhaust/up/down pipe (whatever is nearby) and causes heat problems. At some point, Subaru went to just the smaller turbo-style filter, but you can still use the larger ones on the NA motors.

Might be okay with an oven glove on a cold start, but they get very hot very quick. Maybe double up and soak them in water. I think the two most likely places for the rattle are the Y-pipe and the shields over the cat(s). If the dealer isn't too far away, maybe stop by and have them fire up another Forester they have in the lot to see if it rattles too. I had one of my local dealers replace my entire Y-pipe under warranty because of the rattling. Of course exhaust/hose clamps work well too if you'd rather save some time and frustration.

I've been running the Triple Treads on my '02 for around 40k now. They wear pretty well. Prior I had V-rated Yokahama Avid V4s (only got about 40k miles total out of them). The Yoko's were definitely sharper on the dry and even the wet, but honestly I think they grab about the same in the snow/slush. I would be hard pressed to find a sizeable difference in snow grip between any of the all seasons I've run (including the RE92's!). It is annoying though, here in NW NJ it doesn't snow quite enough for me to financially justify snows, but if I did I would consider some of the "high performance" snows (like the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2/Dunlop Winter Sport) which seem to offer good dry/wet traction for all those clear days...