firstwagon

I doubt the car actually triggered the lightning bolt. Since they are isolated by rubber tires, cars are rarely if ever hit. More then likely it just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. As it was traveling down the road, it was unfortunate enough to cross the spot where the lightning was going to hit just as the bolt struck. The lightning simply traveled right through the car and into the ground below.

A lot of t-stats are fail safe models these days. When they go they stick open so you car doesn't overheat. I don't like them , they seem to fail much more often then the old style. Tha't exactly what happened on my Trooper when the t-stat failed .

You could spend $100 or thousands. It's not likely the whole system has failed so the trick is to find what is wrong. Your struts are likely fine as you been driving on them so it's likely the compressor, computer or solenoids. (That doesn't help a lot , huh?). Chef did some great research when troubleshooting his car. Read through this post and the links and it might help you narrow it down. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=33782

Have you checked the fluid level on the automatic? I've heard that that been down can cause problems like that. Just a guess.

How hard (or expensive) was it to fix the main seal on your jeep? My wife drives a 95 Grand Cherokee Laredo 4.0 and it has the same leak. I was ignoring it but it seems to be getting worse and I guess I'm going to have to get around to fixing it now before all the oil ends up on the driveway.

So you're getting all four strut assemblies for $200? Excellent deal. Can you grab the mounts for the same price? I was at our local Subaru junkyard and they first quoted me $1000 Cdn (with my old air suspension as exchange) for a "kit". It supposed to consist of the struts, mounts and any hardware that you need to do the conversion. I asked what year they would come off and was told it would be a 90 to 94 wagon. Those suspension are getting older and rarer and this is why they charge so much for a good used one. (or so they told me). I thought of asking about a newer model wagon but I had only bought the car two weeks earlier and was assuming they knew more then me on the topic. When I declined the offer he came down to $600 but it was still more then I wanted to spend. I ended up buying a used air strut for $150 which solved my problems for now. Keep us posted on how the install goes. They had a lot more 1995 to 2000 Subarus on the lot then the first gen and newer is normally better in this case.

Before you call a Subaru a gas hog you have to make sure you're comparing simular vehicals. My buddies Civic gets a lot better mileage then my Legacy but it's also much smaller inside, 2 wheel drive and a 5 speed. My neighbours 93 Accord with an auto trans gets about the same as I do. My in-laws Volvo S60 is about the same size, same performace and only 2 wheel drive but gets slightly worse mileage then I do. The trick is to find out what people actually get day to day, not what they once got when the car was new, on a warm summer day, with a tail wind..etc. People will always use the extremes depending on what point they want to make. i.e. When you hear that a diesel car gets over 50 mpg but an SUV will only get 10 mpg. Both statements may be true but not under identical circumstances. My sisters 97 Yukon could get 10 mpg city driving in the winter but it could also beat 20 mpg on the highway. When Edmunds.com did a long term test on a VW TDI, their mileage ranged from 21.5 to 48 mpg (average 36). http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/LongTerm/articleId=44033 I get 25 mpg with my Legacy so I could argue that my 25 beats their 21 so my car gets better mileage then a Diesel. Misleading perhaps but it is true. Anyhow, enough rambling on for me... have to get back to work before someone notices I'm not running test scripts now

Here's the newest thing I found... If you leave it in the raised position and shut the car off, will it remain in the position? Since I replaced the one front strut my suspension is always inflated normally. However last weekend I shut it off in the raised position and left it overnight. In the morning the left rear was in the high position, the left front and the right read seemed to be in the normal position and the right front was bottomed out. I started the car and switched the height off. The rear came down right away and the front slowly started to rise. Within a few minutes it was back to normal and has stayed that way. I would have thought you could leave it raised and it would stay there whether the car was running or not. Should I always lower the car or something wrong? So much to learn and I would be going nuts if it weren't for these forums.

If you get any good ideas, let me know. One of mine passed me of the freeway last week and disappeared into a field in the dark. Not much change of finding it at the speed it was traveling and I won't pay that much to Subaru for a new one either.

I wish I could help but I'm learning more from your first post then I already knew. Here's all I know so far.... I bought my 91 Legacy wagon with a leaky air suspension but in my case it turned out to be rotted rubber on the airbags themselves. The drivers side had a large split in it and was slowly leaking air. At first it would deflate over night but re- inflate when I drove it and was fine for the day. Within a couple weeks the leak got to the point where the compressor could not keep up with the leak and I had to fix it. I picked up a used strut from the wreckers and $150 Cdn and it took about 1 hour to install it. Everything works now but I will likely install a coil suspension too if I get some extra money in the next year. A leaky bag is easy to find. When it's inflated, squirt some windex on it and watch for the bubbles. Even a very small leak should show up this way. This might also work for the solenoids if it's leaking to the outside as opposed to through the system. Good luck and thanks for sharing your research... Paul

Thanks Greg; Your experience corresponds to others that I have talked to. Basically the common thought is unless it's a car that you just must have and you just can't find it here in Canada, don't bother.

Actually I was referring to income tax, there are no tariffs on cars imported from the states and I don't know of any on imports from Japan these days either. Health care is primary paid for by the provincial governments and is part of our provincial income tax bill. Trade tariffs are federal. Canadian air pollution requirements are the same as the 49 state requirements in the US. There are groups that are pushing for California emmisions standards here too though. This is getting boring .... and I still don't have a WRX

Nothing is free, our taxes are quite a bit higher then yours. and I still don't have a WRX.... sigh....

I was looking at the prices of a WRX wagon and I was stunned how high they are. They start at $35,495 Cdn. http://www.subaru.ca/interface/Subaru02/LoanCalcModel02.asp?range=Impreza&ModelYear=2005&WebPageID=5340&OwnerID=&WebSiteID=282 At todays exchange rate ($0.83) that's $29,460 US. However you go to the American site and the same car is only $24,395 US ($29,391 Cdn). That's a $6100 Cdn difference. http://www.subaru.com/shop/model_consideration.jsp?model=IMPREZA It likely made sense back when the Canadian dollar was 63 cents US but it's been over 80 cents now for a couple years and they should have updated the prices by now. I was just wondering if anyone had done it and how much paperwork and duty is involved.

Cool but looks kinda windy for the passenger

I just filled mine up now. I went 540 Km (341 miles) on 53 L (14 gallons)of gas. That's 9.8 L/100 km or 24 mpg (US gal) (or 30 mpg Imperial gal) That's the furtherest I have ever gone on a tank. The guage has been on empty for the last 150 km. My low fuel light did not come on. Does anyone know how many litres you should have left when it comes on? I was going to wait until it did but I chickened out.

When you say 25 - 26 mpg, are you refering to US gallons or imperial gallons? If it's Imperial gallons (Canadian mpg) then that is bad. My car sounds the same as yours and I get 30 mpg (24 US MPG) in mostly city/ short trip driving. Has it been really cold in Toronto recently? That can really kill your mileage.

91 Leagacy wagon LS /Auto On my first tank I thought something was very wrong with the car as a little quick math was showing it getting worse mileage then my wife's Grand Cherokee. However when I fill up at empty it only takes 40 L on a 60 L tank. So my guage is out by 1/4 to 1/3. I've been averaging 9.5 L/100km ( 24 mpg US gallons) where as the Grand gets 13.5 L/100km (18 mpg I think) on the same commute.

I thought most did.... http://www.buysell.com/showad.asp?id=35129574 http://www.buysell.com/showad.asp?id=36489859 (the only ones listed in BC buy and sell)

$1400 sounds like a lot just for the compressor but I haven't priced them. Is that including 4 new air struts too? What brand parts are you getting for the $800? If your air strut are toast then that might be the best deal. In my case the rear struts are fine and the compressor seems fine. One of my fronts had a rip in it and the other has lots of little cracks in the rubber bag (but is not leaking yet).

I just went through a lot of the same problem and I ended up fixing my air suspension. Whether it's worth it really depends on what's wrong with it and how much it will cost to fix. It's unlikely all the parts are gone. A bit of clever troubleshooting could save you a lot of time and money. A lot of people on the board were saying you could pick up a used suspension cheap but I couldn't find anything even approching cheap. Local junkyards wanted close to $1000 Cdn for used parts and new ran around $2000 from the dealer or local parts store. I tried adding everything with parts ordered of the internet (Tirerack) but by the time I added in 4 struts, 4 springs, 4 boots, 4 strut mounts and assorted nuts and bolts, I was over $1200 and that didn't include shipping, duty, brokerage fees and GST and PST. After about 3 weeks of weighing options and having the leak get worse and worse I went down to the local junkyard, picked up a used strut for $150 and spent 1 hour putting it in. Problem solved. I'll likely eventually put in a coil suspension but only when I have the money to do it right.

never mind...figured it out It's a rear strut they gave me. I just went out and took off my rear tire on a hunch and sure enough. What's really annoying is the guy at the yard even went out to check my front strut againest his to make sure he had the right side and he didn't notice even was selling me a rear to replace my front. Oh well, learn something new everyday.

I picked up a used front air strut for my 91 Legacy wagon from a local wrecking yard that specilizes in Subarus. The trouble is it isn't the same as the one on my car. The rigid portion below the half shield is 2 to 3 inches longer then the one on my 91. Also the air line on my car enters through the top of the strut mount while the replacement one is bundled with the electical connectors and enters through the side. The "motor" on the top also appears different , mine being larger in diameter and completely round while the replacement has a smaller diameter and a protusion on the side.The reciept says it's from a 93 and the guy at the yard says he has never heard of a difference between them. He says I should just go ahead and install it but I don't see how. Anyone know anything about the differences and what years are compatible with a 91? Thanks

If you don't find it sitting on the bumpstops when you get up in the morning then your struts are likely fine. (breathe a sigh of relief here) I considered changing to strut/ coil suspension as a cheaper repair but it doesn't seem to be as cheap as I thought (at least here in Canada). See my post here.... http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=31879 Yikes. I hope there's no significant problem. I don't recall any hissing, and the car rides fine without sinking. Perhaps it's a sensor or solenoid issue? Hopefully by the time it manifests itself problematically I'll have a few more bucks to deal with it. I've read that it might be most practical to simply replace all shocks/struts with conventional ones instead. Not a cheap or attractive alternative, but consideirng the cost of t he air ones, well... I will check it out a bit netter in a little bit. I noticed today one of the inner CV boots is torn, so I need to get on that before anything I suppose. Trying to decide how to go about it. I've been reading on this site about some kind of "quick-boots" or split boots - although maybe not the best choice, it may be a good temporary fix. The joint is still intact, no noises coming from it. Chef

Very cool.... What size wheels and tires are those? They look perfect for the car.