Frank B

Do an extensive search here and online to get all the pics and procedures before doing it, doing that helped me a lot! On my 96 legacy brighton I just had to remove the shifter boot and console from inside, then I had to use a long punch to drive out the roll pin holding the linkage onto the tranny. I think having it in reverse helped a lot. I actually welded a long bolt onto the end of my punch, then it all just pulls out from the inside. The little spring is the tricky part. Between the clutch being adjusted properly, the new bushings, and proper gear oil in the tranny(I used 75w-90 cheap gear oil with one quart of Rislone), my 294,000 mile car shifts as smooth as you can expect it to.

I appreciate that offer, but I just wanted to gather info right now. The car is on the list after a few other things. I just bought a full size dodge, a 78 powerwagon that needs some tlc, then I'll move on to my skidloader that needs an engine replacement, then I hope to tinker with the car. I've been to a couple of those u-pick junkyards in Richmond, I like the set up. You just don't know what's going to be there until you get there. I wish there were some closer.

That's what I need, thanks.

I know I've seen this info on here before, but of course I can't find it now. I remember seeing a chart someone posted showing the different coil spring sizes for the different model legacys. And also one showing the different size sway bars. Does anyone have these and could post them? I have a 96 Brighton and want to improve the handling but I really don't want to go buy all new parts and spend more than the car is worth. Thanks

There should be an access cover under the carpet. Under the back seat.

The problem with that fiberglass wrap is that it will hold any oil that may leak from the engine and that oil can catch fire and burn up the car. The other is that the wrap speeds up the rust on the exhaust and you'll replace the exhaust sooner.

Oh yeah

It may be neither, it could just be a lifter. I would take it to a Subaru mechanic, someone that has experience with these engines, and have them listen to it before you decide on a costly rebuild. Go buy some Marvels Mystery Oil and put some into the engine oil then drive it. If it's a lifter plugged up, the MMO will clean it out. But no additive will ever help if it's a rod bearing or worn piston, but you know that.

I have those General Altimax tires on my Chevy S10 pickup. They were on it when I bought it. I've never had problems with them, they have good traction in the rain, and even in the snow which surprised me! The first winter I had this truck(before I bought my 96 Legacy), it was my only transportation. I just had to put weight in the bed during the winter to give better traction, but that's with any 2wd truck...

You can test the circuit from the ignition switch by using a jumper wire from the battery to the solenoid, where the little wire is on the starter. Just make sure it's not in gear first! Just touch the jumper to it and see if it turns over or just clicks. Do it over and over until your satisfied with the results. It's either going to act just like it does when you turn the key, or it will turn over every time. It if turns over every time, check the circuit from the ignition and the starter relay. Is this car a manual or auto? My 96 5-speed sometimes doesn't turn over unless I mash the clutch down hard because of the switch on the clutch pedal. Other times it's fine. Here's some info on adding a relay to the circuit as mentioned by the other members, http://www.glenn-ring.com/tech/relay_starter.htm Here's another one from a tractor forum, http://www.mytractorforum.com/showthread.php?t=129440 I did this on my lawn tractor. The idea is that the wiring, or the ignition switch gets old and voltage/amperage is lost. It doesn't have the power to fully engage the solonoid, but it's enough to engage a relay. You remove the little wire on the solenoid and use that to energize the relay. The relay is just a switch in a new fused circuit from your battery. But, you should really look into what the problem is first before you decide where to spend your time and money. I've used the Pilot 30 amp relay before to replace relays in Subarus, it's the 4 prong type that's common on our cars, I'm not sure if it's the same for the starter relay. But it has a higher amp rating and it's cheaper than the replacement you'll get at the parts store or dealer. I found them at autozone once for $3.99 a piece! They were by the fog lights. The part number is PL-RY1 http://www.amazon.com/Pilot-PL-RY1-Auxiliary-Lighting-Accessory/dp/B000BL2Z3I/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1329237728&sr=1-1 Your local parts store may be able to order them. Good luck and let us know the results please.

I think he's calling the starter contacts the "starter points", so they were replaced and again with a new starter. I agree with davebugs, take a good look at the battery cables, and look at the circuit going to the solonoid on the starter(were the contacts are). If there isn't enough power going to the solonoid, it won't fully engage. Check to make sure the ignition switch is good, and the wiring from the switch to the solenoid. Check the starter relay as well. If it is fully engaging, then there isn't enough power to turn the starter. Try jumping the solonoid by taking off the cable coming from the battery, and touching it to the other terminal on the starter, this will bypass those starter contacts and only turn the starter. Then maybe disconnect the battery positive and use a jumper cable from the positive terminal to the terminal on the starter where the positive cable would go and try to start it. If it doesn't click, then you have a bad cable. In this picture, look at that gold colored cap on the image on the right, that's where the contacts are. I bet you know that already. That gold lug below it is where the cable connects from the battery, the one on top with the gray cap is the one you jump to, to bypass the solenoid.

I'm no expert, but I doubt the engine would "pull hard" with bent valves. Maybe it's the lifters ticking instead ??

Advance auto has an Airtex fuel pump assembly for $328.99. Check online for "advance auto discount codes" and you can save $30-$50 at times. The code i have is DE30, it takes $30 off a $150 order and you get $50 off your next $100 or more online purchase. Shipping is free for big $ orders, or you can buy online and pickup in the store. http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_Fuel-Pump-Sender-Assembly-Airtex_20771285-P_52_R%7CGRPFUE2AMS_____#fragment-1 The quality is good as far as I can tell, I have an Airtex pump in my pickup and it's running.... Advance has just the pump for even less, and with a code it will be a great deal.

That's why there are less and less mom & pop type gas stations around now, It costs too much to maintain the tanks, pumps, and to keep up with EPA standards. And, you really have to keep up on the tanks with the ethonal gas. Even if the owner/operator of the station owns all of it, if they have a brand name gas, then that brand sets the price and calls the shots. You can own a Mcdonalds, but do you think you can set your prices and specials, nope. Having a branded gas is like having a franchise, you have to sell their product by their rules. I don't understand why they can't give a little in these situations where a new, big station opens up acrossed the street. All the gas IS the same, at least it's all made to the same standards before going into the pipeline anyway. As it's being loaded into the truck, the addatives and ethonal are injected. They do have different addatives for different brands, but usually the one terminal will offer one or two big brands, and a generic. They just don't have the extra tanks for all the different brand addatives. There are a few big terminals that do, but most of the ones I go to don't. When we first started handling E10 gas, the terminals don't have the extra storage capacity so they used conventional gas to start with, and the etonal would raise the octane a bit. 87 at the pump would be 89, 89 and 93 would be right because they would "dilute" the mix with 87 to bring the octane back down. They now start with a lower octane base so it's right.

That is odd. I have replaced O2 sensors and gotten worse mileage with the new one in. Id be tempted to take it in for inspection, as is, just to see what they come up with.....

So yeah, Wawa gas is fine, it's most likely a generic product. But to be sure ask the tanker driver. Ask the dude at the counter what time they usually deliver. A big station like that will get a delivery every day but it may not be there for more than 15-20 minutes so it's going to be hard to catch him, or her.

Thats another reason for getting fuel at big busy stations, the ethonal gas does not stay fresh as long as non ethonal gas. As expensive as gas is today, your going to have to use a good addative in your gas if it isn't going to be used in the first week that you buy it. Keep an eye on it. If the ethonal gas is cloudy, it's bad and there's no fixing it at that point. Above ground tanks, gas cans, and even while sitting in your cars gas tank will expose it to moisture. Either in the air or from condensation. Once a certain amount of water gets in it, the ethonal will start to rot and seperate from the gas. If you use it in your lawn mowers, take the carb apart in the spring after it's been sitting for a few months. You'll see a white goo. That's the ethonal rotting. It requires more maintenance, but it reduces emissions, and reduces the cost of the final product. I never hear about people having problems with ethonal gas in the RFG gas areas we deliver to, only the e10 out in the country and small towns. I think it's because of the gas sitting in the tanks longer. Here's a good site to find stations that sell ethonal free gas. The list isn't complete, half of the stores that I deliver to are not on there. I'll add them later. http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp Out of the 12 terminals I load gas out of, only 1 still offers non-ethonal gas. Soon it will be gone. Here in VA there's rumors of all gas going to Reformulalated.

Reformulated gas is what used to be called oxygenated gas. It made to burn cleaner to reduce smog. If your not near a major city you may not have it in your area.

Take some pictures of the fluid and your engine and post them up.

I drive a gas tanker, and I've learned a lot about gas because of it. porcupine73 has a very valid point about newer stations, new equipment makes a world of difference. Just give it a few days for the fuel to flush out any residue from the new equipment. All stations have to meet the same requirements and are all tested just as often wether it's all new or 10 years old. About 10 years ago, I think, The EPA came down hard on stations and a lot of mom and pop stores had to sell to the big boys because they couldn't afford new tanks. It used to be acceptable the have minor leaks letting gas out and ground water in. To fix it, a lot of companies just lined the tanks with fiberglass or similar stuff. The pick up in the tank doesn't reach the bottom, it stops 7-12 inches from the bottom to keep water and sediment from being sucked up into your tank, if there's any in the bottom. Also, every pump has a filter in it, it's a large spin on filter, it looks like a big oil filter. The stores that sell the most gas will have fresher fuel, and the big stations owned by big companies will have the money to maintain the tanks, pumps, and filters more often. The company I work for checks for water in the tanks every day at over 150 staions. At the first sign of clogged filters(slow pump), or complaints about the fuel, the tanks are tested and may be pumped out and the fuel replaced that same day. Most of the staions I deliver to get a delivery every day, the tanks range from 4000 gallons to 20,000 gallons and it doen't last long. The mom and pop stores are given just enough to get by so the tank is mostly empty so the fuel doesn't go bad waiting for somebody to buy it. The big stores are mostly full to give a reserve in case it got busy. Octane is different in different regions but generic staions, or unbranded, do not have a lower octane than anyone else if your state or region. Branded as in Exxon, Shell, BP, Chevron, etc. will be that brand. Generic or unbranded like wawa, may be different every delivery, it may just depend on the price on that day. Most of the time when gas is ordered, the price is the most important thing. Remember, they buy it and re-sell it to you. If it's a branded station, you will get that brand, exxon, shell, etc. But a generic station, wawa, liberty, pure, etc could get a different product every time they get a delivery because they, and their customer, care more about price. The only difference is the addatives between branded and unbranded(generic). It may be the kind of addative or the amount. It's all the same when it leaves the refinery, goes into the pipleine, put into the tanks at the terminals, but right before it goes into the truck the addatives and or ethonal are injected into it becoming the "product". That addative, or amount, makes all the difference. It doesn't matter what time of day you fuel up either, it's a myth. The tanks at the terminals are millions of gallons, that mass hold it's temperature. It comes out of the underground pipeline, is held in enormous tanks, pumped into a tanker, where it's in for 15 minutes to a few hours depending on where the ataion is, then is put in underground tanks. The temp underground is constant, think goethermal heat pumps. That gas in the tank at the staition is the same temp at 6am as it is at 6pm. The gas in the pump and pump hose, which is maybe a gallon at most, is at ambient temp, if nobody used that pump in the past few hours. I've watched the ice and snow melt of the side of my tanker after I loaded it at the terminal due to the temp difference of the gas and watched condensation dripping off of it in summer because the cool gas inside. Also, check to see what kind of fuel your buying, conventional(no ethonal), E10(10% ethonal), or RFG(reformulated with 10% ethonal). In and around big cities my have RFG, out in the country you could have any one of them. The price is different so whichever one is cheaper may be what goes to the station and it may be different every day and you'll get a wierd blend of gas, ethonal, and addatives every time you fuel up. The computer in your car makes adjustments but it will effect your mileage and performance. I only fuel up at the big stations that are busy all day. And stick to one brand, one station. If you want quality, only buy branded gas, Exxon, Shell, Chevron, etc at the same busy station every time. If your want a good price, then get it wherever it's cheapest. But like everything else we buy, you get what you pay for. One more thing, if you get gas at a station that has one hose for all three grades of gas, the first 1/3 to 1/2 of the first gallon you buy is whatever the last guy bought. Those pumps have a blender in it. It blends the 87 and 93 to get 89. If you select 93, and the last guy bought 87, the gas in the hose from that blender to the nozzle is 87 and your paying the price for 93 for that amount of 87. If you want the higher octane gas, look at the pumps to see what the last customer bought, it will still show it until you lift the handle or swipe your card. None of this info is a secret and we all have the right to know what we buy like everything else we buy. Ask the tanker driver or look for the company info on the truck. Call or email them with your questions. Ask what fuel goes to your station, if it's e10, conventional, or rfg. Ask how often they check the tanks, etc, etc. Don't ask the dude at the counter.....

+1 on the Rislone. Try it first as GD said, with some cheap gear oil then change it after a few hundred to a thousand miles. Then use some better oil and you can still use the Rislone long term. I've used Rislone in every manual Subaru I've had so far and it's made a difference. When I got my 96 Legacy it would grind into 3rd and wasn't easy to get into any gear. I changed the oil with a quart of Rislone, changed it again after about a thousand miles, and the oil looked like someone dumped a bottle of glitter in it! It was full of metal. So I changed it again after a few hundred miles and it's as smooth as any tranny with 290,000 miles on it could be. The drain plug has a magnet on it so be sure to clean it off well before putting it back on too. While your playing around, check your shifter linkage. Search the forum for shifter bushings and you'll see why it's worth a look.

Wet sand them with 1000 grit, then 1500 grit then 2000 grit all of which are available in a varity pack at Autozone. Then use Plast X or other plastic polish. I did mine a few months ago and they're still clear. You have to sand it off to remove the damaged plastic. Just mask off the painted area so you don't sand the paint off. You can see the plastic running off in the water while you sand them off.

If you look at the bolt in the theimportexperts kit, it looks like it has a long sholder on the bolt to take place of the two piece bolt/spacer combo. That looks better.

Correct, same o ring, but there isn't a cam support . When I went to the dealer to get them, I asked for "the cam support O rings" and the man gave me two just as I asked. Used to the EA82, I stood there scratching my head for a moment wondering why he gave me two! Until I washed the engine when I got it back together and seen the cover on the back of the head! "Oh yeah, that's where it goes" I thought that cover on the pass side head was only on the early EJ.....

Sounds like a good excuse to buy a cheap welder