heartless

sign up for a free account at an imaging hosting site - imageshack, photobucket, imgur - do a google search and look a few over to find one that is going to work best for you. upload your pictures to that site, and use thier url links to post in the threads. if you do use photobucket, you do not need to use the "image" tag here (little picture icon) - simply copy the url from photobucket and paste it directly into your post. using other image hosting sites, I am not sure if you need to use the image tag, or not - I only know photobucket, as I have used it for many years.

I am very sorry to hear about the stolen Subaru. Hope it is located and returned unharmed soon. I would think that a simple, well placed, on/off switch wired in to the main ignition/starter wire would do the trick. I am a firm believer in the K.I.S.S. principle when it comes to things of this nature. Trying to wire something like a kill switch to a button on the stereo? yeah...no. Far too complicated. I have unused factory switch locations in my dash - I would be hunting up a factory switch to place in one of those locations - maybe a fog light switch, or something similar, and use that instead - make it look like a factory accessory switch... or use an aftermarket switch in a hidden location - up under the dash, in the glovebox, in the center console box....plenty of options there, too. It just needs to be out of sight, but also easily accessible for the owner that knows where it is.

Likes: AWD capability in adverse conditions - living in the country in Northern Wisconsin we frequently see heavily drifted over roads in the winter. I like being able to get in & out of my driveway regardless of conditions. Easy to work on, non-interference EJ22 motor in my 95. Cargo space! Easy to get around in - the smaller size makes it easy to maneuver in tight spaces. Lego-like swap capabilities - easy to swap in parts from other models - 98 Forester strut lift on my 95 Legacy - direct bolt in - Yeah! Dislikes: Cupholders (in general) - either the lack thereof, or the placement/size of them... the 2006 LL Bean Outback doesnt have any real cupholders up front? WTF? the 95 Legacy cupholder seems flimsy (compared to the 90 version), and placement is terrible (in the way of heat controls, directly above stereo...) Neutral: Fuel mileage could be better for its size, but I am not going to complain too much. Having such capable AWD does have its trade-offs, and tires do make a big difference, as does tranny type and driving style...

what year, and how many miles on the car? humming does kind of sound like a wheel bearing - you can jack the car up and try wiggling the wheels to see if there is any play - there should be none. there should be a little bit of "give" in the axle shafts - not sure about the acceptable allowance tho. Someone with more experience will have to chime in on that one. did you check the main driveshaft U-joints at all? especially going into the rear diff. I have seen posts by others that have had problems there. The steering wheel wobble is more than likely a separate issue, unrelated to the noises you are hearing in the rear. My 95 had a similar issue before I replaced the struts & tophats - the tophat bearings were shot. Could also be ball joints, or tie rod ends...could even be the tires causing the wobble - how old/worn are they? and are they at correct pressure?

you should be able to find the appropriate pages here: http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/ might take a little digging to find exactly what you need, but it should be there.

chances are the keyway on the end of the crankshaft will be fine - you may need to clean it up a little, but it should be ok, they are pretty tough. Replacing the pulley is a good idea if it is damaged, tho. there are lots of threads and write-ups around here about timing belts - some with good pictures, and plenty of people to help if you arent sure about something. how many miles on the car? Probably a good idea to do a full timing service while you are in there - new idler pulleys, water pump, T-stat, seals, etc - do it all at one time and be good to go for miles and miles. Lots of threads discussing timing kits, and where to get them as well. T-stat - you want either Subaru OE or the Stant Exac-stat equivilent (part number is around here somewhere) - do not cheap out on that one, it will cause problems if you do.

check the fluid level - make sure it is correct. there are 2 sets of level markings on the stick - one set for cold (when car has been sitting for a while, engine completely cold), one for hot (after car has been driven) - make sure you are reading the correct side for the conditions. what does the fluid look like? is it a nice red color? or is it dark/dirty/burned looking? does it look like there are bubbles (foamy) after things are warmed up good? condition of the fluid can help diagnose a problem, if there is one. check the belt tension, too loose can cause slipping - too tight can cause excess strain on pulley bearings, wearing them out faster. pushing on the belt at the longest run between pulleys, you should only have about 3/8 to 1/2 inch of "play"

alternator and battery problems tend to go hand in hand - a bad battery can kill an alternator, and vice versa. it is pretty rare for power steering to just give up on a Subaru - check the fluid level & condition, and the belt for the power steering pump.

nice save, OLsubiedrivr! Well done, and I agree with Olnick - nice use of the In-Laws! hehe

That is more than fine - if you can get yours replaced with new - for free, and possibly get the right color - definitely go for it. I have been hanging around here since 2001, not too hard to find if you do decide you want them.

OMG - too funny! Give it a couple of months and we will talk! LOL You know it! I figured somebody would get a kick out of that one. Works for me! yes, it does have nice clearance - forester strut lift, with the forester 15 in wheels as well. Somewhere around 2.5 to 3 inches taller than stock. Makes it easier to get in & out of with these old knees, too, lol And yeah, I doubt that I could have done what I did on stock suspension - anything is possible, true, but probable? maybe not. It is always deer "season" around here too - just a noisier version in the fall... Give both of those cars a little lift - the 98 for sure - suspension swaps are pretty easy, just need the right parts - you wouldnt regret it!

oh, and madkow007's (the other half) response to hearing about the mis-adventure? "You went off roading without me?!?"

I have never had to try fixing one - but the belt assembly as a whole should be fairly easy to r&r. the console cover will need to be removed to get to it, and it may be easier to do that with the seats out (4 bolts each) $20 and you cover shipping costs sound ok? I am fairly sure I could probably fit them in a flat rate box. They are a bit dusty/dirty (i live on a gravel road), but in good repair. I am swapping the seats out of the 90 into my current 95 Legacy (much better quality seat) so the belts will be easy for me to get to - I have to keep the 95 belts, so these wont be needed.

what color are you needing? I have a 90 LS wagon with the darker brown interior (red exterior) with good belts.

year would be helpful... glad to hear the mrs is ok.

exit point was mostly the latter - build up speed and take a chance. I was hoping to find a slightly less steep spot, which is why I went as far as I did, but it never got any better, and with a culvert coming up, I had to take the chance and just went for it. lucky for me - and the car - it worked! LOL

it sometimes takes several soakings to get them to break free, but they will eventually. the old saying "use it, or lose it" does apply here - if you dont use them periodically, they will seize up. The other half found this out recently with his 2006 Outback. We did get them freed up eventually, and now he uses the key periodically to prevent this very problem.

congrats on the new wheels!

wiring connectors should be hidden either behind the ceiling panel, or in the rear pillar - depending on how it was run - not sure how the trim is on the newer models, but it shouldnt be that hard to get to. but definitely a 2 person job! on the old GLs it was in the ceiling...I think the 90 Lego was as well - been a while since I swapped out the hatch on that one....

I agree! LOL at the Prius comment! and yeah, it STILL smells pretty good - I am sure there were little bits I didnt get out of there. Oh well, not enough to cause a fire or anything, I can live with it till it clears itself. and for all the alignment comments - I do plan on having it checked out soon, just to be sure, but driving in to work today, on the little bit of paved road I get to travel, it was straight as an arrow! no odd vibrations or anything. Gotta Love it! and I may have exaggerated the distance just a little, but hey, not perfect, and it did seem like it was a long ways! LOL anyway... Where I went in... and where I came out... ...probably closer to 1/10th, maybe 1/8th mile at most - sure felt a lot longer. the depth is kinda hard to tell in the pics - while driving along the bottom, the road was at about shoulder height, and I am short - 5ft 4in

Thanks guys. Just wish "logic" had stepped in a little sooner - I wouldnt have jerked the wheel and ended up in the ditch if it had! LOL but at 50 years old, I will admit to having been in a ditch a time or two (or more) before. Experience is an excellent teacher! That and hanging around with off-roaders - watching and learning.... But yeah, the car did amazingly well once I did get my thoughts together, and with no obvious problems coming out of it. The AWD system did exactly what it was supposed to do. there was that split second as I came over the edge - passenger side wheels pushing for as long as they had contact, that I was unsure I was going to make it out, but once the weight of the car brought the drivers side down onto the road, that sides wheels grabbed and pulled me the rest of the way out - well, that and the momentum I had managed to build up... gonna stop on my way in to work this morning and see if I can get some pics of the ditch where all this happened... I regularly see deer and turkeys at this spot so tend to be pretty cautious there anyway - was just so startled when that one came out so close to me....

A good share of us have been there - Deer jumps out in front of you, and reflex kicks in before rational thought can act... Had that happen this afternoon on my way home from work this afternoon. I live, and work, in a rural area, my drive is mostly on gravel roads - woods and farm fields abound, and in those woods and farm fields are deer, turkeys, and other creatures that can do some damage to a vehicle in the wrong circumstances. Today, I turned a corner - woods on both sides of the road initially, but one side opens up to a field a few feet on...wasnt going very fast...maybe 20 mph... Deer jumps out of the woods on my left - practically on top of me. reflex took over, jerked the wheel and got too close to the edge - into the ditch I go... We have some pretty deep, steep sided ditches around here, but also rather wide in some places - I thought for sure that I was going to end up on the passenger side at best, on the roof at worst...the car kind of balanced on the breaking point of flipping on her side and flopping back onto her wheels for a long second - almost like it was trying to decide which way to go...she decided to land on her feet (thank goodness!) When it landed on its wheels, I knew I needed to get it moving or I would end up stuck for sure (wet sticky mud in there) started moving slowly, got it leveled out as much as I could - everything felt like it was ok... no obvious problems. I knew I had a fair distance before I would come to a culvert so I had a little time to think about how to get myself out of a bad situation. both sides of the ditch are pretty steep, no easy way out, not even into the field on my right. I also knew that I was going to need to get a little speed up if I was to have any hope of driving up out of that ditch... started gathering speed - got it up to about 30 mph or so, and pulled the wheel to the left a little....and up we go - almost thought it was going to high-center on the edge, but I had enough momentum going to get her up and over the edge, and back onto the road. Pulled to a stop, got out and walked around the car, checking for damage - couldnt see anything obviously out of whack, aside from the little plastic piece at the front of the rear wheel well. Finished the drive home - car seemed to be completely fine, altho it can be hard to tell on gravel roads - then checked the car over again, and took a few pics... Aside from mud and grass in places it shouldnt be, you would never know that I had driven almost a quarter mile in a ditch! no dents, nothing appears to be bent or damaged (that wasnt already) not even a scuff on the new front bumper cover... no fluids leaking anywhere, everything seems to be in perfect order. a testament to what these cars can do, and handle...

and dont forget the interior parts that go along with swapping from auto to manual....center console trim, shifter boot, etc... you would be further ahead to just purchase the 98 with the factory installed manual - a lot fewer headaches, and everything is going to work like it should.

Dont know who you are getting your spark plug advice from, but these engines do just fine with the stock copper core NGKs - they dont "use up" the stock plugs any faster. All of my cars have gotten the stock replacements and ran/run just fine - have put many trouble free miles on a set of stock replacement plugs. The only one that has ever given me any ignition type problems is the current 95 (intermittent cyl 2 misfire), and that was due to a bad coil pack (have a video clip up here somewhere on that one) Since swapping out the coil pack, it has been running great. If the OE plug is iridium, then yes, you should use iridium, but a 1998 EJ22 doesnt require, or need them.