9098

Your right, I meant Full Time 4wd. And your point about the Ford awd system is well taken. However, it seems like Subaru is resting on its laurels. The reliability has gone down hill with the start of the 2.5L engines. I have a 90' Legacy with the F4wd and a 98 Outback with the beloved 2.5. I have not had a blown head, but it has had expensive oil leaks, piston slap, and a check engine light. My moms 2001 Outback has a dirvers door that sags when opened, a strange rattle from the back end, piston slap, and a check engine light with only 28,000 miles on it. Yet, my 90' Legacy with 178,000 miles is a rock. It runs just like the day it was new. I would still buy a Subaru over a Chevy any day. The Blazer is complete electrical grabage.

There seems to be a consensus on this board that Subaru started going down hill with the Phase I engine. Back in 1990, Subaru was leading the industry with full time 4WD in a sedan. Now, even Ford has steped up to that plate. What does Subaru have to offer that seperates itself from the rest of the overcrowded crowd? I'm not seeing it. Long live the 90' Legacy!

Allow me to disagree with the head gasket consensus. I had the same symptoms in my 1990 Leagcy 2.2L when it had about 160k (178k now). The shop said the head gasket was fine. I had already tried changing the thermostat. The last thing to try was a new radiator. That fixed it. Subies are tricky in the cooling system.

I have a 98 2.5L Outback 68K. It has been making the piston noise when the engine is cold. It's over within a couple minutes. I'm watching out for head gasket problems. So far so good though (knock on wood). I would reccomend the manual transmission just because of the gas mileage gain. I get 23 mpg around town with the auto. I've seen 29 on the highway, but 25/26 is more realistic. One would think a 2.5L should be able to do better. That's my only gripe. The ride and awd are great. Like you, my wife is the one that drives it. I drive my old 1990 Legacy sedan. I love that one even more (178K).

Man, Hat's off to you. And I thought I loved my 90 Legacy. Wow! Well, I will probably just ride out the auto on mine and get it rebuilt some day. I like what you did to the rest of the car too. I was thinking of getting some new wheels and better brakes. You have inspired me there. Who knows I may push the envolope a little too. I'll take pictures when it happens.

1990 Legacy Sedan, 2.2L, Full Time FWD Auto, 177k The tranny still shifts ok. It has slipped once or twice from a standstill but I added a little more fluid and it has not repeated it since. My question is, has anyone ever heard of replacing an automatic transmission with a manual one? How tough do you think this would be? I know people do it on old cars all the time.

That is exactly what I was asking about. I was afraid to just pull the lines off the filter because I thought I would have fuel everywhere. Once I got to the fuel pump in back though, it was obvious that the dealer never went through this time consuming step. They just charged me as if they had.

Hi all, I just changed the fuel filter on my 90 legacy sedan (177k). I always had the dealer change it before. I followed the manual word for word. Removing the rear seat was a bear to depressurize the fuel system. When I got to the fuel pump it looked like the plate had never been opened before. I was wondering if the dealer was just clamping the fuel lines up by the filter instead. Has anyone had success doing it that way?

$1,200 is a great price if everything is working well. Watch out for that charging system and radiator. Both went bad on my 90 at that mileage point. That can be fixed on your own without too much trouble though. I would not worry about the engine if you don't see any leaks below it. Look down at the CV joints for rips. Offer him a grand and see what happens.

Does anyone know if there is an aftermarket blower that can be put on the 2.2L engine? 1990 Legacy Sedan 177k.

Thumbs up! I own a 90 Legacy Sedan, and a 98 Outback Wagon. The 90 has 177k on it and has seen me through college, first jobs and family. The only problems it has had were the alternator, radiator, and tape deck. Everything else has been routine maint. The 98 OB is a great car for my wife and daughter but it has had a problem with oil leaks. It was covered by warranty. It has 67k and I just changed the spark plugs. It was a tough job on its 2.5L engine. The 2.2L on the 90 Legacy is much nicer. Oil changes are easy to do yourself. The two engines are the same in that respect. I guess my heart is with the 90. It just wont die.