gbhrps

The only way to get out a broken bolt is to drill down its centre far enough that a bolt exractor can be wound in, and then turn counter clockwise to wind out the broken section. I've done it many times over the years, but never on a head in the engine bay. I suggest removing the head again, and using a drill press try the method I stated. Its a scary job, but you really don't have another option. Take it slow and be cautious. Be sure to buy a GOOD bolt extractor. Cheap ones often break off in the bolt making the job even more troublesome. If you're inclined to not want to tackle the job yourself, a good machine shop should be able to do the job. Good Luck!

Search for "ERIC THE CAR GUY" vids on YouTube. He has a 2 part vid on how to remove an reinstall the axle shafts on his older OBW. The guy is a licensed mechanic, and I was impressed with his video. I think you'll find what you need. I know that if I ever need to tackle the job, I won't hesitate at all after watching his vid. You might even try under Subaru Axle Shaft Repair looking for his "ETCG" signature. Good Luck

dessenne, There are all kinds of sellers for the key fob you need, as well as the required programming notes to set it up with your car. Go on eBay and search for your year, make, and model. You'll find all kinds. Open several postings up and you'll see what the fob looks like, its model number, and if the seller provides the programming notes. With some searching you'll get what you want for a lot less than the dealer wants. I've done this for my 04 OBW LTD (2 OBW's ago in my case), and recently for a 03 Ram pickup where a blank key from one seller and the remote with programming from another cost $38 total, including the shipping to my door. Some even have free shipping. Do a search and I think you'll get good results. Good Luck!

I've done this on several cars, my last one being an 07 OBW. Search eBay under 2001 Subaru Impreza key blank, and then under 2001 Subaru Impreza Door Lock Remote or similar. Then search several items by opening them up and reading which years and models they apply to. After doing that with several items you'll know which one you need, as 8 out of 10 sellers will show the same item. You need to then find a seller who will provide the remote programming free of charge. Several will. Been there, done that. As always on eBay, check out the seller's feedback and shipping costs. The last time I purchased a key from one provider, and the key remote from another, and the costs including purchase and shipping to Canada was $38 for both items to my door. You may get lucky and get free shipping which makes it even cheaper. In this case it was for an 03 Ram Pickup. Good Luck! Once programmed, the remote will handle the alarm.

Nipper, I see that we're both still around! Had the headliner out of my 04 LTD and the 07 LTD for various reasons, and as I recall you pop the overhead lens out and there were two or three screws underneath. When they're removed, the entire overhead console pulled down from the headliner. Hope you find what you need under there. Good Luck!

Not to mention that all 4 tires need to be within a quarter of an inch in circumference. Is the "new" tire?

Years ago I had a 97 OBW that had an intermittent misfire that wouldn't show up on the scanner as a code. After plug changes, and wire changes, a swap with another coil solved the issue. It might work for you, ...... or not. Good Luck!

I have a 2012 Limited, and I, too, am not particularly pleased with the off air sound quality coming from the speakers. When I load and play a CD, the sound quality is dramatically improved and awesome. I'm starting to think that the radio stations I can pull in in my area, are not broadcasting in the best stereo quality available. Maybe you are experiencing the same thing. The subwoofer is located in the rear of the wagon. Open the tailgate and look right. If you have the Harmon Kardon system, its installed in the pocket on the right side near the tailgate. Good Luck!

You may not be aware that Subies NEED to have all 4 tires having within one quarter inch of the same circumference. Nasty, expensive things happen to the all wheel drive system if they are not. From what you describe of your tires, you need a new set, now.

I suspect that you'll find the same thing that I found out about my wife's Lexus Nav system override. Service techs can override the system. In our car's case they can touch the screen in a certain location at the same time that they turn the system on. It then allows them to trouble shoot and test out the unit, or input changes while the car is in motion. Unfortunately, the override lasts only as long as the ignition is on. Once its turned off, you're back to square one. I've tried it out on our Lexus and its pretty useless in any kind of driving situation, even for the passenger, and not worth the trouble. The car makers don't want you using the nav system when driving. My wife and I simply use a portable Garmin unit. Its more intuitive, portable allowing us to move it from vehicle to vehicle, cheaper, updates are free for the life of the unit (meaning until the internal memory is all used up), and my passenger can use it while I'm driving down the road. We wouldn't buy another car with a factory Nav system for these reasons. I think you're going to find out its doable , but not worth the trouble. Good Luck!

hflier, No car that I know of has ever been allowed to have both low beams and high beam lights on at the same time. Its illegal. Fog lights are wired to only come on with the low beams as well. If your car has both hi and lows on at the same time, you have a wiring problem, that may be related to a malfunction in the combination switch (headlight dipper switch) on the steering column.

Don't use a torch, use a soldering iron instead, less chance of ruining the cover and no chance of a fire or melting too much. I suggest pulling the entire cover to do the job correctly. Because of the wind and body movement on rough roads, the most important attachment points are at the wheel well openings. You might get away with double sided automotive tape around the headlights, but only if the seams along the fenders are firmly attached with bolts or screws, another reason for pulling the entire cover. The other route is to pull one from a wreck, sand it with 600 grit to get a good paint adhesion, and have a auto paint store match the paint colour in a spray bomb that you can spray yourself. We have several places locally that make up the spray bombs in proper codes, for about $35 CDN. Follow with a clear coat spray bomb for around $8, and you'll be far more pleased with the results. Good Luck!

I agree. You have no choice now but to pull the interior panel back far enough, and then prop it open with a short stick. The panel may break, but at this point you really don't have another alternative. That should allow you to get a trouble light or flash liight down inside the bottom to see the latch assembly. Working with large screw drivers or pry bars, you'll have to force the latch hook to unlatch from around the rod loop that is fastened to the bottom opening of the trunk floor, by flicking its end parts that the release cables and rods attach to. The latch itself is bolted to the bottom of the tailgate, so you can't unbolt it. You may simply have to pry the latch assembly forward and backwards, and side to side, hoping to unsieze it and allow the hook mechanism to spring back. You may also be able to grind off the bolt ends and their blind nuts that hold the latch assembly onto the tailgate bottom with a die grinder small enogh to get in there. Regardless, you have a job ahead of you that may force you to do substantial damage to your already damaged tailgate. Luckily, there are enough of your generation wagons in wrecking yards, so finding a replacement, even in the correct colour, may not be all that difficult. Hard to say, but I wish you luck!

Run from the $1200 quote! You couldn't get taken by a nicer guy. My dealer service tech suggests changing the water pump every second timing belt change, but the choice is yours to make. Go online to see what a timing belt kit for your car actually costs, belt, idlers, and tensioner. Some kits even include a new water pump. From there ask several garages what the flat rate labour cost should be. Be aware that Subies are one of the easiest cars to do timing belt changes on, as everything is up front, and once the fans are removed, there is lots of room to get at everything. I'd be surprised if its more than 4 hours. Your dealership quote sounds about right. Not to mention if something timing belt related goes wrong after the change, they're more likely to stand behind their work. Good Luck!

fishy, Its been many years and three newer OBW's since I had my 97 OBW LTD, that did the same thing as yours. At around 23 000 km it developed this same symptom under the exact same conditions. Owned the car until 2004 and 279 000 km later and never had an issue with the motor, or with the car for that matter. I can't say if yours sounds the same as the one I had (too many years ago) but my wife and I just lived with the issue until we traded cars. Any research I did at the time suggested that piston slap was an annoyance only, and had no effect on engine longevity. If your noise is piston slap, it shouldn't be a problem for you. There is no need to worry. Good Luck!

I run 16 inch steel Subie wheels and Toyo ice grip snow tires (don't recall the name , but they have so called micro bits imbedded in the tread that actually grip like studs). I have the narrowest winter tire that will safely install on the 16 rims. They are 215/75/16's I believe, and don't aquaplane or ride up on top of the snow as the normal width 225 width tires will. I put these tires and rims on my 2007 OBW in its first winter of 08, and kept them for use on my new (to me) 2012 OBW. Since they see little winter mileage, and have been stored in a cool light free storage room off seasons, the tires are still brand new looking with more than 70% tread. Get a 2nd set of 16 inch wheels, put on a good quality winter tire, go as narrow as can be installed on the rims without bulging the center tread of the tire, and live with the TPMS light on the dash while they're installed. Its worked years for me, and its like being crazy glued to the road. No more white-knuckled winter driving.

Yes, you can get at the inner workings of the latch assembly if you pull the interior panel. However, I have no experience with the 94 body style wagon. Some wagons have screws or bolts that need to be removed from the bottom edge of the interior panel, either at each end of thetailgate pull down strap or just inside the handhold pocket under a small cover. The D pillar side panels just pull straight out, and must be removed first, since they overlap the bottom interior panel. There are two clips in each, one up top and one down near the bottom. The large interior panel simply pulls straight out and is held in place by about 10 pop in plugs attached to the panel. Chances are you'll need a new (I'd go used) tailgate as the latch mechanisms, rods, and brackets most likely will never properly line up again , allowing a proper lock and unlocking of the tailgate. In that case, pull the D pillar mouldings and pop the interior panel out and fold it down far enough to allow access to the lock mechanism to open the tailgate. Particularly if you need to replace the tailgate, since used ones typically come with the interior panel already in place. (Be sure to ask for it if you buy used.) If a new tailgate isn't in the works, you'll still need to pull that interior panel out and down to get to the mechanism, which will most likely mess it up pretty badly, if it has those screws or bolts in the bottom of it as I described earlier. I've had one of each of the generations of OBW's, and have had the tailgate interior panels off my 04 and my 07, and while each one was slightly different, they were 98% removed in the same manner. Your 94 SHOULD be similar, but I can't say for sure. Good Luck!

I hate to sound like a dad, but since you say its going to be your first car, can you afford what comes with a turbo charged car? Premium fuel costs The speeding tickets that will most likely show up because of the turbo The added insurance costs for the turbo The shortened and more frequent oil changes that a turbo requires Turbo charger replacement costs, since many go bad early If you are prepared for the above, then by all means search out a GT.

bandit0, I've owned one of each generation OBW since 97, and all were H4 LTD's, and each one was better than the last one. If I were in the market in your stead, I'd spring for the 3rd generation. Two things stand out for me. The 2nd generation didn't entirely get the headgasket issue fixed that haunted the first generation engines. While they no longer blew out with the same frequency, they did however, leak small amounts of coolant to the OUTSIDE of the engine on some cars. In my case, the coolant never made it to the ground, but you could smell the coolant in the car when it was parked over night. Subaru even had a special coolant additive to help fix the problem after you changed the head gaskets. My 2004 required the warranty fix at about 23 000 km. The 2nd generation OBW's needed to have the rear head rests removed from the seat tops before you folded down the backs to allow a larger cargo area. In the 3rd generation OBW you simply just flipped the seat backs forward, leaving the headrests attached. Do it regularly and you'll appreciate the added convience. As well, some 2nd generation OBW's had a tri coat paint which was pearlized. Painting any fender bender issues was more costly and required a painter who knew what he was doing to get a good match. Other than those issues, both generations were pretty bullet proof, which is why I went on to buy another one in 2012. Good Luck in your search!

You've damaged the scissor mechanism, and because its connection points to the drive gear/whips on both sides are plastic, they'll need replacing. In the meantime, you might be able to close the front tilt roof section, by disconnecting it from the drive assembly. Its been many years and two newer OBW since I did a repair on that 2nd generation, so I can't be certain this will work. It shouldn't take more than 5 minutes to find out. Slide the sunshield back out of the way. Pry off the plastic covers over the rear attachment points for the scissor mechanisms. Remove the two nuts on each assembly and then see if they will drop/swing out of the way, and allow the glass to drop down in place. Be sure to keep any shims that are present, memorize their locations, and ensure they go back in the same locations when you finally get the front sunroof lift assembly fixed. Good Luck!

Absolutely! Check your owner's manual to locate the fuses that would affect the starter and ignition systems. If that doesn't solve the problem, check all of your wiring to the starter, starter selonoid, and battery cables. The juice is not getting somewhere. Good Luck!

When the turn signals flash at twice their normal speed, the cause is too much resistance in the circuit on that side of the car. As stated already, there is a bad bulb (not burned out but on its way out, or shorte), or sorrodede bulb socket or wiring harness socket on the same side of the car, front or rear. A bad connection at the turn signal switch, as previously stated, will do the same thing. You need to do some digging to get to the bottom of it. Good Luck!

Thanks for the reply, but I'd still like to have a whack at pulling the receiver out to see what happens. If I could pull the bulb for the TPMS icon on the combination meter, I'd try that as well.

Gentlemen, I recently purchased a 2012 OBW LTD with the TPMS. I put the Original tires and wheels into winter storage (they have the TPMS transmitters installed), and am running my winter tires and wheels that don't have the transmitters in each wheel. Consequently that annoying yellow dash icon warning of improper tire pressures is on all of the time. I'm hoping someone here knows where the receiver module for the TPMS is hiding in the car. I'd like to disconnect it in hopes of eliminating the dash light, which may not work, but I'd like to try.