Monkeybus

First I want to help fix a common misconception about pulsating rotors. The rotors don't "warp" like term implies. Although it happens, it is very rare. Most of the time, the brake pads heat up, and start to break down due to heat long before the rotor does. This also means that a rotor will work properly down to it's machine to specification, you aren't removing enough material to compromise its ability to absorb heat. The the pad material starts to transfer on to the rotor unevenly. You can resurface the rotor to solve the symptom, but it sounds like you need to switch pads too. I like the Wagner Thermo-quiets and Napa Adaptive One pads. Centric makes a pretty good pad in the 105 & 104 series. These will most likely put up with the heat better, helping to stop the pulsation and squeak that has come back so rapidly.

Engine/ transmission mounts then? Lock the park brake, keep your foot on the brake, and go from drive to reverse with partial throttle with a buddy looking at the engine from the side of the car while you do this. Also, drive axles can go bad even with good boots on them, but I'd look pretty hard at the engine mounts first.

I'd pull it out and run it, see if anything changes. A Thermostat is very easy to remove and replace.

I'm a tire guy, so here goes. Snow tires are designed and made from rubber in cold climates. They are really a specialty tire, not a tire intended to replace an all season tire. I'd look to a light truck tire for an off road Subaru. If you just want to run it in snow, by all means, a snow tire would do best. In mud, it is difficult to tell the difference between any snow tire and a typical snow tire. I used to Rallycross, and have run all season tires and snow tires on various models of Subarus. My last set was a set of 225/45R17 Hakka II's, they were amazing on snow, but they didn't do well on a wet Rallycross course. A light truck tire like the popular Grabber is built on a heavier casing meant to be run all year. A light truck tire would be much better for offroad use than a snow tire.

I'm not far in Dundee, I like to head up the Molalla river/ Table rock area or the Upper Clackamas area to play in the snow. My Avatar is from a trip up the Molalla last November. Did you have a lifted Leggy wagon a while ago? I think I've spoken to you before around town. My name is Jared

On a day to day basis, the Impreza platform is more fun to drive every day. I have a Leggy right now, wished I had an Outback Leggy though. I've had Impreza coupes, wagons, sedans and Leggy wagons and sedans. My favorite was a 1994 Impreza 1.8 AWD wagon with the 5 speed. The 1.8 is pretty hard to break, great on mileage, but is only 110 hp with AWD. The handling dynamics of the smaller car are better, and it's more "sporty". My Leggy isn't fun until the road is muddy or covered in snow, but I have 2 kids, so the extra space is well used. (And I tow a 14' Sotar raft on a flatbed behind it) On dry pavement, it just understeers a lot. They are pretty capable snow cars. You will be pushing snow with the bumper before you get stopped in snow. I had a 2005 Legacy GT 5 speed sedan, that car was a blast to drive. The 2.5 turbo is a fun engine, and I had done just a few things to get it up to around 290 hp. It still was able to pull 29 on the highway and 23-24 around town. We had 225/45R17 Hakka III's studded on in the winter, it was unbelievable how fast you could drive on hard pack snow and ice. One nice thing about them, they are pretty easy to work on, and the online knowledge base is great.

Hey Woods, I just replaced one sender on the pass side of my 1995 Legacy. My old sender was reading 50 one way and 32 the other way. My gage went from maxing out at 7/8's to stopping right at the full mark, but not hitting the peg above it. Should I replace the other sender too? ( I bought a new genuine Subaru Sender for the passenger side) Jared

It's not bad, and I would do it. Finding some in the aftermarket that fit properly can be a pain. Just make sure that the socket that the boot protects doesn't have movement, or I'd do those too. They are something you can do in your driveway. If you are doing a boot or inner tie rod, start by taking the tie rod jam nut loose and rotate the inner tie rod back and forth in the outer tie rod so it isn't jammed up. Then take the tie rod castle nut loose and tap the knuckle with a hammer to break it free of its taper. Then take the castle nut off and spin the outer tie rod end off, but count the turns while you take it off, or you will change your steering angle and total toe.