Mitchy

The belt was replaced at 70,000 mi, 8 years ago, according to a sticker in the engine bay. I am however considering a belt and pulley renewal, along with front seals, water pump etc

Thanks Bennie It certainly looks like the rack movement is making this noise, so I am looking forward to feeling some new bushes in there. That dowel pin is a mystery: Is it officially an engine assy or trans assy part? Although 22 year old, this car has only 95,000 miles and looks/ feels like it. The annual road inspections tell the same tale; mileage was recorded at each inspection; I cannot imagine that the NA EJ22 or the cable-operated clutch or the 5MT could have failed in those miles, though anything can happen...The car seems well maintained, one owner from new in ‘97 till 2018, new timing belt at 70,000 miles in 2011 etc etc. Mysterious.

I dove in a little deeper today, but still without assistance. There is definitely some lateral play (0.5-1mm) in the whole steering rack body, so I shall soon change the bushings. whilst I was looking in there I found a dowel pin - clutch bellhousing to engine block perhaps? It measures 10mm dia x 22.5mm long. And a slightly oily steering mechanism! View from above:

I really should get an assistant to help, I was a bit rushed to pull the splash guard off and get under there with the axle stands. Tomorrow I’ll give it a more thorough inspection. Perhaps the steering rack is loose in its mounts.

It sounds louder in the video than it really is! Not really like a hammer blow at all- more like a click-clack.

0B6E3C26-8773-4EA8-860A-6D4DC0ED0903.MP4

Hi all Whilst driving the Legacy over our track (bumpy, uneven but more or less flat) I get the sensation of a rattle through the steering wheel, though it appears mostly to be noise, vibration is negligible or non-existent. So I put the front wheels up in the air one side at a time and wiggled the steering wheel (engine off) and I get a dry ‘clack’ sound from the front end. There is NO free-play between steering wheel and front wheels, and the sound would appear to come from the front centre of the car, so I am sure it is not tie-rod ends. With very light and small back-and-forth movements of the steering wheel I get the correct silent movement in the front wheels, without free play. Only when I move the steering wheel maybe four inches quickly to-and-fro do I get the noise, and the same thing if I waggle the front wheels themselves at nine and three. Any ideas? Many thanks

Not a bad idea, though I would like to find a black-finish part in that case! Thanks

Well having taken your comments into account, I contacted my local Subaru dealer to see what the parts man says. According to the VIN it is not the hydraulic tappet engine, and therefore has interference, as you guys thought. Good to know, and as it happens, in just 60k miles I’ll have to get under the covers and check/adjust the tappets, and probably that will coincide with a belt and pulley change anyway! Thanks for your input. The apparently correct drawing:

I wonder if you highly-informed chaps could enlighten me as to whether my Legacy’s motor has interference or not. I have been trawling past threads on the matter and it all seems a bit blurry between 95-96-97. I can be certain that the car was assembled in 1996 (or earlier) For documentation’s sake it is a 1997. Without needing (nor wanting) to open up the engine, can I tell from the exterior? Other than that I perhaps need to open the valve covers and see if it has hydraulic tappets or not... or I could ask the Subaru parts dept for the valve component drwgs. for my chassis maybe. Other points raised in my (US) haynes manual: Charcoal canister is of the earlier cylindrical type located by the ABS unit/PS pump, and it has not got the OBD II system, but perhaps these were US model-only changes... There are no id plates or stickers below doors etc, which I have seen mentioned in threads. Regarding the car; As far as Subaru Spain can tell me, it was ‘first shipped’ in August 1996 (Fuji Japanese manufacture). They cannot tell me the actual fabrication date. It was registered in Spain in 1997. The EJ22 is the 128cv NA SOHC. Car: BD7 Legacy sedan 4WD 5MT. Thanks for any pointers, I’d love to know more about this amazing car I got my hands on. Thanks! Mitchy Extract of Subaru Spain info:

Oookay that’s good news then. thanks a bunch!

Hi all Can anybody please demonstrate the physical difference between the Legacy Outback parts 20520AA030/040 and Legacy parts 20520AC030/040 ? They are the rear trailing arm brackets. I am looking to order the Outback versions in the hope that they are taller than the existing Legacy ones, for a discreet suspension lift on my ‘97 Legacy sedan. many thanks

Copy that. Over.

Cool I never saw a long one before! Thanks

As expected, driving the Legacy is transformed by this simple and highly-recommended modification. The genuine STI (group N) part provides more precise gear changes, gear stick stiffness, the car feels more stable as the transmission is now properly ‘held’ against the g-forces in corners, over bumps on our track, and various other general sounds of ‘looseness’ have been eradicated. If that was not enough, the classic lurching at low speeds whilst coasting in gear has been reduced by about 3/4. If one can handle the NVH; at idle and gentle revs/ low speed, the difference is unnoticeable, but accelerating at and above 3000rpm there is a loud growl. (Smile) This then disappears when cruising at high speed in 5th, though there is a negligible rise in engine noise overall. I love it, I can hear the engine better which I prefer as I can monitor my cars health ‘by ear’, and the modification has as a bonus removed some unwanted rubs and clunks from underneath, those typical noises which could have been.... faulty engine mounts...exhaust hangers... suspension bushes...track control arms.... etc. etc.

90 degrees today so I am hiding under the cars- As I was underneath the Forester changing oil, I thought I might as well take the fairly new genuine STI mount off and swap back the now-modded OEM item. The Forester has a little more room to work underneath than the Legacy, so the Legacy is now getting the real STI group N part, hopefully never to be changed again.... If the modded one fails it is now more convenient to change it on the Forester! Plus I now have the original Legacy mount, which I may try GeneralDisorder’s tip using urethane: So now for a quick bolt-up job on the Legacy with the harder mount, and time go for a spin!! Group N mount vs. original Legacy:

So either model strut will work, as long as they are from Outback years 96-99? Apologies for flogging this topic! Thanks again.

OK thx

I just checked the link you and KYB recommends 235632 / 235633 for the fronts on a ‘97 Legacy Outback. Are those numbers you recommend for another year or model?

This is definitely the cheapest option; The sealant already paid for itself in the repair of a full set of another Subaru’s engine mounts, the two bushes were left-overs from a resto project, and the mount itself is also a left-over, until now sitting on my shelf waiting to be thrown out. Time will tell if it is successful. I may end up putting the DIY part on the beater Forester and using the nice newish STI part (presently on the Forry) on the Legacy instead. Its such a quick and simple job.

I’ll have a look... thanks

I do not mind a little extra nvh, as it will likely muffle the rattling trim. The SF Forester with the real STI mount only really showed extra cabin noise as a growl under heavy acceleration- sweet! The good lady did not notice any change except for the ‘stiffer knob’ . Obviously. The Legacy feels sloppy in comparison with its 22yo rubber.

Delving in a little deeper, I wish to swap my Legacy trailing arm brackets for Legacy Outback ones when I do the lift. I see part number 20520AA030/040 for a Legacy Sedan, and 20520AC030/040 for Outback Wagon / SUS on the JP-carparts website amongst others. I Assume that the ##AC## number part would be the one I need for a correct lift using Outback struts on my Sedan. I don’t want to order from Japan what I already have on the car! Hopefully these parts would be ‘taller’. Thank you in advance for any confirmation/ pointers Mitchy

I was considering forking out $$$ once again for a group N (STI) transmission mount for the Legacy, as I bought one a few years ago and fitted it to the Forester with very happy results. Then I found the remains of the windshield adhesive sealant I had recently used to toughen up the Vivio’s failing engine mounts, and I then dug out the Forester’s old soft transmission mount, still in one piece... ....So I am experimenting with... One original Forester SF trans mount, Two unused hard rubber bushes from a Fiat Panda’s trailing arms, 1/2 tube of windshield adhesive/sealant. - -Thoroughly clean and degrease the mount, and force in the bushes (bench vise did the trick): -Tape up one side to prevent seepage: -Squeeze in sealant from the open side as thoroughly as possible: -Do what you will with the excess, and leave to cure for a few weeks: When it is cured I shall remove the Legacy’s existing mount and compare them both in the hand, before fitting and coming back with an update. I am expecting a firmer mount, though not as stiff as the real STI component.

Hi all My 97 Legacy II interior is pretty mint, except for the stubborn remains of glue left over after I removed some awful aftermarket ‘wood effect’ trim which was peeling/falling off my dashboard. why do people have to do that with the cheapest sh.. available? I am left with crusty remains around the centre console and dash air vents. I tried wd40 first (gentle softening) - no good I moved on to 90 alcohol - no good petrol - still no luck / worried about dissolving plastic Acetone dissolves the plastic (I now have a fine polished section of one air vent surround, still with crusty remains. other than sanding and really ruining my interior, or replacing the offensive parts, I am stuck (zero scrap Subarus around here for parts).. Thanks for any chemical tips!!!