tbolt1003

Ok thanks for the info.

I've seen quite a few basic Imprezas on the road lately which have what appears to be factory duals out from under the rear fascia. I'm guessing they're 2012-2014 models. No hood scoop, not a WRX or STI. Just a plain 4-door Impreza with steel wheels and wheel covers. Was this a special model or option package or am I simply seeing a stock Impreza from that period? Thanks for helping me figure it out.

It is due for its oil change in 500 miles, so maybe I'll see if it goes away after the change.

On my 95 Impreza with the 2.2 and 150,000 miles, on a cold morning, I'm getting that familiar tick-tick-tick noise from the HLA's on my right bank. Once the engine starts to warm up, the ticking goes away. Any thoughts on why? Oil level is at the full mark and I'm using Castrol conventional 5W-30. I had the complete front of the engine apart about 3 years ago to do the timing belt, water pump, oil pump and all cam and crank bushings. Would switching to a lighter oil help w getting oil to the rockers faster, like a 0W-20? I'm in southeast PA. Thanks for any thoughts and advice.

Yes, while driving my 95 Impreza L wagon. I was just wondering. Figured it was a certain model deal.

Okay, here's my findings and I'm perplexed. When I pulled the dipstick out to remove the tube, I noticed the oil was significantly higher on the stick than it should be...I'd guess a good inch above the full mark on the stick. I did a complete oil change the weekend before, which consisted of a new oil filter and 4.5 quarts of oil. I used one of the 5 quart jugs of oil for this change, like I always do. Before going any further with the O-ring change, I drained all the oil out just to see if the crankcase was somehow over-filled. I came up with a little shy of 5 quarts in my drain pan. I then started adding the oil back to the pan, stopping to check the level. When the level finally showed "full" on the stick, I had a good 1-2 quarts left in the drain pan. I'm extremely confused. I have had this car for almost 8 years and never seen this before. Is there any component inside the engine which would hold oil and not drain out? I'm not understanding how 4.5 quarts out of a 5 quart jug is suddenly over-full on the stick. Does this make sense to anyone? When I did the original oil change, I did notice only about 3 quarts came out after pouring the old oil into the empty 5-quart jug to take to my shop to be recycled. As far as I know, the engine is not using any oil and it stays around the "full" mark for the 5000 miles. Could the oil filter be defective and not allowing oil to enter it? After correcting yesterday's findings and corrections, the engine does seem to be running a bit smoother. Thoughts?

Thanks, everyone for the replies. I'm going to tackle this leak after work tomorrow.

I know this isn't your usual question, but is "the wave" mainly given by WRX/STI drives to another WRX/STI driver? I've tried waving and/or acknowledging other Subaru drivers on the road and they either ignore me or give me an odd look. A WRX driver did nod his head to me once, but that's been it. Just curious. Thanks for any input.

I noticed a puddle of oil under my '95 Impreza with the 2.2 a few hours after my morning commute into work. After cleaning off the oil pan and surrounding areas, I noticed a stream of oil running down the tube which goes into the oil pan for the dipstick. I traced the leak back to the section where the upper tube goes into the part attached to the oil pan. Is there an o-ring which seals these two parts together? I cannot locate the ring in any parts schematic, so I'm scratching my head. Can anyone shed some light on this and, perhaps, supply me with the o-ring specs and/or a part number? I haven't gone to my dealer to ask yet, figured I'd start here. Thanks for the help!

Thanks for all the responses so far. wtdash, my Impreza had the 15s from the factory. Impreza L wagon with the 2.2, door jam tire sticker shows it came with 195/60/15 88H. These take-offs are about an hour away from me. I think I'll give the guy a call and see if he'd be willing to let me install a combo in his driveway and see how they fit. If he wants to get rid of them, sure he'd be willing to work with me a little.

I have an opportunity to purchase a set of brand new take-off wheels and tires from a 2016 Crosstrek. My '95 Impreza will need new summer/all-seasons when I take off my winter set shortly. I have a set of steelies with my all-seasons on them; the tires are shot. I love the look of the Crosstrek wheels. I know they're 5x100, the same size as my Impreza. Will they fit in my wheelwells, however? My stock size is 195/60/15 and the XV's are 225/55/17. I'm guessing they may be too wide but wanted to check before I make the purchase. Thanks for the help!

Exactly what I was hoping to hear. Thanks for the replies!

The spec for our 2014 XV is a full-synthetic 0W-20. I'm not trying to start a "which oil is better" debate here (those threads irritate me), but I've seen that Subaru specifies the Castrol synthetic as acceptable. Is there something about the Castrol which should push me to use it or will any synthetic be fine? I've always used Pennzoil products in our family's Subarus, but will switch to Castrol if need be for our XV. Also, I've used Purolator oil filters on all our Subies. Any reason I can't continue that trend in the XV? This will be the first time I've done the oil on the XV since we bought it. The dealer had a special going at time of purchase for free oil changes the first year of ownership and the year is up. Thanks for the help and input!

Do the turbo engines in the older Foresters and Outbacks have the same issues the WRX and STI engines have, like ringland failures, bearing failures, etc. I'm looking at a stock turbo Forester and an Outback, but don't want to deal with the failures if it's a common thing. Thanks!

Thanks for the replies. We've decided to do the steelies, like I do with my Impreza.

I hope I'm posting this in the right section of the boards. We recently upgraded one vehicle in our all Subaru household from a 1999 Forester to a new XV Crosstrek Limited with the CVT transmission. I have been running dedicated snows on my Impreza for years and the car is a tank in the snow, as anyone with a Subaru on snows can attest to. My better half wants snows on her new XV (she travels alot for her business and can't afford not being able to get to her business meetings) and I'm reaching out for some advice and help. We are on somewhat of a budget, but looking at (2) different options. First, getting tires and putting them on the OE rims. Only issue is the switching from all-seasons to snows and vise-versa each fall and spring. Snows in the 225/55/17 aren't cheap by any means. The other option is doing the dedicated steel wheel/tire package for the snows, which is what I do with my Impreza. I've found a tire/wheel package on a well known online Tire store, offering new 16" steel wheels and new tires. My question is has anyone gone the 16" steelie route for a winter tire package? Any pros-cons to dropping down to the 16" size for 5 months of the year? The winters on my Impreza are the same size as my summer set-up, so I don't have to worry about anything. Any and all help/advice is welcome. Thanks in advance for all replies.

I changed the front and rear differential fluids and no change. The shop I take my car to for repairs has a Subaru specific mechanic on premesis and he did the fluid change. He said there was nothing abnormal in the old fluid, no metallic shavings, burnt odor or major discoloration. He feels the noise, which he heard during the test drive, could very well be the carrier bearing. He confirmed it's rare they go bad, but it does happen.

I recently found a 99 Impreza RS in the scrap yard and grabbed a bunch of parts off it, hoping to fit them onto my 95 Impreza wagon. I acquired both fog lights and the switch in the dash, however, couldn't get the entire harness out. I'm obviously going to have to do some of my own wiring to get the lights to work, which is no problem, as I work on and wire emergency vehicles for a living. On the back of the switch are (5) wires. Black w/white trace, Red w/black trace, Black w/red trace and (2) Yellow w/green trace. I've gone through all my Subaru repair manuals, but can't find the schematic for this switch. Can anyone help me figure this out? Power in, grounds, switch illumination, power out to relay, etc. Thanks in advance!

Thanks, Fairtax. One other thing I noted is if I put the fuse in the FWD holder under the hood, the noise almost disappears. I can still hear the wobbly/clunk sound slightly, but the high pitched howl goes away. Figure that's because no power is being transferred through the drive line to the rear. I did pull the fill plug on the rear differential and the fluid looks clean with no metallic slivers, however I didn't drain and refill. I'll give that a shot and see if it helps.

I've been chasing an intermittent humming and howling noise with my 95 Impreza L wagon with the 4EAT and 2.2. It isn't set at a particular speed, but doesn't appear until around 20mph, and changes if I am on or off the gas. Occassionally, at highway speeds, the whine becomes an ear-piercing howl that makes me slow down so the noise goes away. Every so often, I can hear a clunk/chatter noise and a wobbling sound and it sounds as though it's coming from right under the console. I crawled under and looked around. The rear driveshaft moves around a good inch within the center carrier bearing and where the shaft goes into the bearing housing on both sides is heavily corroded. Does this picture look like the bearing is shot? I realize the entire shaft needs to be replaced as an assembly and I've found a shop that has brand new ones in stock with greasable U-Joints. What does everyone think?

Great, thanks!!

Which year rear driveshaft assemblies will interchange with the one in my 95 L wagon with the 2.2 auto? I've seen 93-96 only, 93-97, and even 93-01 are the same. I'm needing to replace mine due to a bad center carrier bearing and have some leads on low mileage driveshafts in salvage yards. Thanks for the input!

Yes, I've been going to the dealer a lot more lately when I need special parts. I pay a little more, but they definitely seem to last longer.

Forester is fixed! The terminal on the dimmer switch for the low beams was melted. Got a new switch from my Subaru dealer this morning and got her back on the road. Thanks again, Fairtax, for your help!

Ok. With headlight switch "on", I'm getting 12v at all (3) terminals on the headlight connector. When I switch to high beam, (2) stay at 12v and the other goes to 0v, as it should do with a ground switched system, correct? I checked the bulbs in my Impreza, and they're both good. Any ideas? Bad turn signal/dimmer switch?