laegion

Sorry, I'm not trying to talk down to your anything; just relating my own experience with these kinds of "diagnoses" at tires stores. If it's something you already know then feel free to ignore me, I suppose. I guess I don't see the point in not just putting on a new boot if you have to take the thing out anyway...an extra 30 min to repack with grease and put on a new boot will save a whole lot of money.

Do you hear a click under the hood as well? or just under the dash?

Boots are definitely replaceable without replacing the entire axle. It does require removing and disassembling an axle, and it will need to be repacked with fresh grease as it's probably started leaking out; but if you catch it before serious wear has happened, then it definitely is not necessary to replace the entire axle. It's just a way for a shop to sell you a part you don't need that will keep wearing out over and over so they can keep you coming back; because the aftermarket axle they would likely put in is no where near as durable as the OEM Subaru axle. It's like when Les Schwab tried to tell me they had to replace my entire lower control arm just to change a ball-joint, and I told them there was no way they were putting some junk, likely non-boxed control arm on my car, just to put some cheap junk ball-joint in. Then I went and changed my ball joint at home in about an hour. lol

Well, an alignment professional is not necessarily an automotive diagnostic tech...generally they are just trained for what they do. It of course depends on where you're having the alignment done. Here in the PNW we have a "big-box" tire store called Les Schwab Tires...and their alignment techs, and tire people are not certified or trained on really anything other than what they do (and even that is highly questionable in my experience). They've failed to try to even up-sell me on ball joints with obviously ripped boots, and other really obvious issues I would think they would have noticed...so I'd take their advice with a grain of salt. What was it specifically that they identified on the axle that made them recommend replacement? Based on the un-even wear on the tire? If that's all they were going on; I'd be extremely skeptical because there are many other things that would cause this such as ball-joint, wheel bearing, bent components from hitting a curb, worn bushings, worn strut, etc.

The best way to tell is to get it up on a lift or jackstands and see if the wheel feels loose even when the lugnuts are tight. It sounds either like a wheel bearing or a ball-joint, it's possible the axle could cause the shaking; but unlikely especially if you haven't noticed it making any other noise. The axles on these cars last a long time if the boots are promptly replaced when ripped and they are re-packed when they first start making noise. I'm sure others with more specific knowledge will also reply with some ideas. I'm certainly not the definitive expert; but the way the axles work on these, there isn't a way for a worn axle to effect camber, that has to be something in the hub or suspension.

No, but a bad bearing could. I don't know that I would change the axle based on those recommendations. Definitely don't let them replace it with an after market part. Only genuine subaru axles. More than likely with new boots and repacked with grease it will be fine. Unless you're experiencing a lot of loud ticking noises from the axle when turning...

Yeah, but roughness and friction aren't the same thing. A surface pock-marked with rust is not the surface the belt was designed to adhere to. Rubber tends to have more friction with smooth metal than a rough grainy surface that crumbles off and contaminates the belt. Of course it depends on the amount of rust...

A different belt or a new belt? I assume that since this is your plow car, that it sits for quite a bit of the year? How are the pulley surfaces? rust on the pulley grooves? I had that issue and it definitely caused my belt to slip.

That is correct.

How old is your belt? Idlers? Tensioner/tension setting? Sounds like it could be a slipping belt to me since there is no pump whine.

I found a few sources that say they have them in stock but they are not in the U.S.... https://www.amayama.com/en/part/subaru/13256aa030 https://partsouq.com/en/search/all?q=13256AA030 The shipping isn't great but they "appear" available. This seems like it was actually a common part used in all the earlier EJ engines.

I don't believe I have seen any that specifically mention DIY installs but I have seen where they didn't specify that it had to be an A.S.E. certified mechanic who installed the engine to get a warranty. They just stated the warranty policy and didn't mention it. I went with one of the former because the engine was a few hundred cheaper...and I regret it. However it's possible I just missed the fine print somewhere. I also wish I had purchased through ebay as they give an additional layer of protection and then even another through paypal... I'm just a bit sour on my own JDM swap...

While that would cause vibration, I don't think it would cause the wheel to shake since it isn't a vibration at the wheel hub. I can't imagine that the inside cups would be that worn without the outers being so sloppy that they made noise even when not turning corners; but I suppose someone could have re-packed the outer cups without re-packing the inner cups...but like I said earlier there would have been ample warning and other noises and vibrations well before the wear on the inner cups got that bad...I would think Wheel "shaking" as the OP says it is usually something in the steering or tires, at least in my experience; but I'm just an amateur mechanic; so there is plenty of stuff outside of my experience.

I have...and I definitely have some advice. Make sure you buy from an importer who doesn't require the engine to be put in by a mechanic to have a valid warranty. #1 most important. Make sure they do compression tests and ask for the results. If you go that route plan to swap your intake over to the new motor. I wouldn't worry about wiring necessarily unless they cut wires on the engine side as with the lower mileage they are likely in better condition than original. However many will go with the intake anyway. If you are not sure what kind of issue your engine is having and it is possible it's a fuel delivery issue. Then buy some remanufactured/cleaned and flowmatched injectors and install them. The JDM ones are likely clogged from drying fuel. Change the valve cover gaskets and sparkplugs before install. Check that the flywheel or flexplate bolts are torqued to spec. Plan on doing a full timing belt and water pump. Probably not a bad idea to pull the oil pan, inspect for dents, make sure the oil pickup tube seal is good. They are often left sitting on the oil pan for long periods of time and it can be damaged.

I would definitely replace that if you don't know when it was last done; it's likely worn out. They can cause some definite running problems.

Have you replaced your PCV valve recently? Does your motor have EGR?

In the FSM they call it an "Idle Air Control Valve", on parts.subaru.com they call it a "fuel injection idle air control valve". It looks like your engine is from the same generation as mine. but I see on parts.subaru.com that on the 1.8 that year it might be bolted into the throttle body on the drivers side. Looks like Subaru doesn't make them anymore. https://parts.subaru.com/a/Subaru_1995_Impreza-18L-AT-4WD-LE-Wagon/49232519__6030161/THROTTLE-CHAMBER/G10-063-05.html#22650 Of course this could be different for yours...but this is the closest to your model that I could get on this site.

That is a really clean looking legacy! I would be a little suspicious of how long it sat without running over all those years though...with only 80k. Hopefully in a garage.

I'm definitely not saying that axles can't be the issue; but you would see other symptoms such as noise when turning with the wheel at either lock. The same with brakes, the vibration would be unlikely to be the only symptom.

I don't think axles and brakes would cause a problem like this without other noticeable symptoms pointing to one of those. Is there any noticeable shaking at really low speeds like under 10mph? It may not show up as vibration but as a gentle swaying of the steering wheel at very low speeds. I had something similar happen with my '95 Legacy and it ended up being defective tires with steel belts that had snapped. The tire store wanted to try everything else including axles and I told them NO, they just didn't want to replace my tires under warranty. They tried balancing them and rotating them several times and it never helped because with defective belts the tire wasn't even completely round anymore...It's possible this is the issue you have and it doesn't show up until your tires are warmed up? If you drive on a really flat surface in between 5-10mph it will become noticeable if it's a defective tire. There are other things like tie-rod ends, steering rack, poor tire alignment, old worn bushings on the steering rack mounts or on the front suspension, etc. that could cause this problem. Make your mechanic prove the part is the issue before charging you for parts that aren't bad...maybe take it to a Subaru or import mechanic, or even a dealer if this mechanic can't figure it out?

You're welcome. There are others here that have done more than I, I'm sure some of them will chime in with their bits of wisdom. They probably just haven't had a chance to check the forum yet today.

I wouldn't recommend spacers, I would go with some different wheels with a different backspacing. Spacers are not the safest thing to have on a car... As for lift, the easiest and safest way would be to swap in some 96-99 outback struts as the body of the strut is around 2" taller so you'll get about that much lift from them. However it seems the top strut mounts for the rear are different so you would have to use the original ones from the car mounted on the new struts. I did this mod on my '95 Legacy and it's been great.

Yours doesn't have the separate iac motor? My '95 Legacy 2.2 has a separate iac unit bolted next to the throttlebody on the passenger side. I'm not familiar with pre obdii ej18 motors though.

I'm going to assume it's referring the IAC, I don't think the maf is ever referred to as a valve. I would think they would say "air flow sensor" if they were referring to the maf.

No, the clutches just wear, it's normal and removing shims is a common fix. It sounds more like it needs to be completely evacuated and properly charged now that the leaks and compressor clutch issues are fixed. Also, maybe look into the blend door, it seems like, or maybe the flow to the heater core is not being shut off properly when the a/c is turned on...