alpop

I swore off 2.5s a long time ago, you all know why. Looking at Craigslist here in this area the car would probably go for 3K in good running condition. Subarus do bring a premium here in snow country because of the AWD. We don't have salt on the roads, just rock, snow and ice. And after this extremely snowy winter (driving on snow and ice probably half the time for 4 months) people are on to the Subarus big time. I will probably try $900 with two sets of wheels/tires. Local shop quoted me $5500 for new block and re-built heads. Ha Ha.

Pulled off all the belts, tensionsers, covers etc. so no accessories are spinning and still makes the terrible noise. It starts and runs (briefly since you have to shut it off the noise is so bad), the noise is like something is spinning real fast, perhaps uncontrollably and making a terrible noise while its doing it. If I had to put a name on it, I would say its a "like something's stripped" noise. Main pulley does spin. No codes. I looked at the procedure for getting at the timing belt and decided I'm not interested. How much does one of these things go for when it needs an engine? 1999 Legacy 30th ann. ed, 2.2 automatic, beautiful/exceptional body, paint, interior etc. Only things are power antenna broken (again) and ac is cool, not cold. Lots and lots and lots of new parts (bummer).

Yeah Yeah, this is all new ground for me (timing belt) so it is an argument to do it. If it is something relatively simple it could save us from a coupla thousand dollar loss. Typically I get cars with chains so you don't have to bother with this. It seems like I've been having to fix/replace something on this Subie every month lately so its sits unusable until I get around to it, so my wife says its not worth bothering with. She's right it probably sits there unusable about a third of the time lately. If I can fix it for a few hundred and then even sell it would avoid the loss. I will probably do as suggested on the weekend.

Eh, good point GM03, I will do as suggested - the next nice day (still snowing today). Call me a lightweight, but if its a timing belt/tensioner issue (best case scenario if not as GM03 suggests), but even so still possible that I've had interference and engine damage already, then I will do as my wife wants me to do and just get rid of it.

If it is a timing belt/tensioner issue I suppose I have no way of telling if the belt hasn't already skipped and ruined the valves/engine? Or if that was the case it wouldn't even start?

All fluids are fine, not a problem with belts etc. on the front of the engine. Think I'll try to get it up the hill and in the garage and then investigate the timing belt/pulley situation. When I had my son run it for a few moments and I stood in front with the hood open, all the noise seemed to come from the front of the engine. Also he said that it had happened for a few moments earlier in the week but quickly went away. This is a used engine (supposedly with about the same miles as the car - 160k) that a backyard mechanic that I bought the car from dropped in 6000 miles ago. When I asked about the timing belt he said he had looked at it and it seemed fine, no other history known.

Definitely not the heat shield, I know what that sounds like. I plan to check a few things today.

Son went out to start the '99 Legacy ej22 engine (160,000 miles) other morning and came back in the house with a shocked look on his face. You can start it but have to quickly turn it off since the noise is so terrible, it sounds like its ripping itself apart. Don't think there's a pool of oil under it- Is it gone?

Nope, single port fuel injected I believe. I used to have a '90 that would come close to 90mph on a good day. What RPM is she showing at 55? Manual or automatic?

These are used snow tires I bought from someone else. Thanks for your input-

'99 Legacy AWD. If I have four tires and two are a little more worn than the other two (1/32nd inch), is it best to put them on the front or back? Seems like I remember that most of the time power goes to the front, and only goes to the rear when needed? So better tires on the front to even out the wear?

I've been looking at pictures of '99 legacy front bumpers, and my fog light opening (30th ann. ed) looks a lot more like the GT bumper than what I find for the L bumper. With mine the opening is at least twice as wide as it is tall, whereas what I find for the L, ht. and width seem to be roughly equal- Did the 30th ann. ed. come with the GT bumper?

somebody must have tried this? The opening size and shape looks about the same- Another way to word the question: Did the regular Legacys and the GTs have the same front bumper covers in this era?

I've got 205/70R15s on my '99 Legacy L wagon and they are really close to the strut towers but they do clear. I'd be hesitant to try the 215s

I have a 1999 Legacy 30th anniversary Ed. with plastic inserts in the fog light openings of the front bumper. One plastic insert recently disappeared (probably in a snowbank) and got me to thinking about fog lights. I know the GT came with fog lights and you can find aftermarket replacements of these GT fog lights, such as - https://www.amazon.com/Depo-320-2006R-AS-Passenger-Replacement-Assembly/dp/B004I11FOW/ref=sm_n_se_dkp_US_pr_sea_1_1?sigts=1484000884355&sig=c9f604c4d31d984a4d7f79ef95312b1535efe623&adId=B004I17A5K&creativeASIN=B004I17A5K&linkId=850a291bf1c0c6e97d273e1da90f4581&tag=apfbpprod-20&linkCode=w42&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.autopartsfair.com%2Fsubaru-exterior_parts%2Flegacy-1998-fog_lights-s107511.html&slotNum=0&imprToken=S6iltLBRBvCPxIYpl0ZHQQ&th=1 My question: Were the GT and regular Legacy bumpers the same with the same openings so that GT fog lights would fit into the regular Legacy bumper openings? thanks, Al