Difference between 95 and 96 legacy.

[987687]

So I've been having a hard time lately getting parts that fit my 96 legacy. I've had break parts not fit, only to order parts from a 95 that fit. Some of the wiring from the 96 manual doesn't match up, but it does from a 95. It doesn't have a second O2 censor. Yet I've got a code for it once, but it never came back for the last year and a half. And most recently the first doughnut gasket in the system I got from napa doesn't fit. It's a 2" gasket meant for the 96. Out of frustration I asked for the gasket from a 95 which is 1 3/4" and fits except that it's a little to short.

So what's going on? Is my car a 95 that was re-branded 96? Did someone have a complete 95 parts car they swapped a lot of stuff from? Are the early 96s made in october 95 essentially a 95 branded as a 96? I'm starting to get really pissed off making tons of trips to napa because the parts that are supposed to fit my car don't.

[bratman18]

As for the exhaust gaskets, seems thats one thing Napa has a hard time with. I have ordered a few doughnut gaskets from them, and they have all been a little off

[porcupine73]

Hm, maybe you have some sort of tweenie '96 which got a fair amount of leftover '95 parts. Buying parts at a parts store is always a challenge in this case. Subaru dealers would always know the correct part based on the VIN#.

 

If yours is truly a '96 (maybe you can do a VIN# lookup on say carfax, for free it will tell you at least the year and make of the vehicle). If it's a 96 it would really surprise me if it didn't originally have the rear o2 sensor. I thought that was required for ODBII, which all cars starting in '96 had to be. (95 Subaru's were ODBII as well but they did have a few quirks).

[johnceggleston]

my 95 has 2 o2 sensors. they are the same part number, i think, but there are 2 of them.

 

i would be surprised if the exhaust is dramatically different between the 2 years. after market is a possibility.

 

you can look up part numbers with the link below to see if they are different for different years. the primary difference 95 - 96 ej22 is the single vs. dual port exhaust.

 

http://opposedforces.com/parts

 

i just bought the exhaust donut for a 97 obw at both the dealer and advance auto. i got it from the dealer first assuming i could not get it at advance. the one from advance is smaller, less meaty, but same inside diameter. dealer was 11$ advance was 5$.

Edited September 7, 2010 by johnceggleston

[987687]

Thanks for the info. The napa book does have different sizes listed for 95 vs 96 exhaust gaskets. 1.75" vs 2". And mine has 1.75 doughnut. The one they sold me isn't tall enough so it still leaks. Grr, but I'll be at the dealer today so hopefully they can get me the correct part. I need to pass inspection this month ... I have no idea what's up with the rear O2, it looks like the bung for it is plugged up with a bolt in the cat. Maybe someone put in a resistor? dunno.

[idosubaru]

i wouldn't be too worried about it, though i understand it's annoying. most of the parts you're describing just happen to be sort of "problem areas" in general, not just for you or a particular year.

 

for your O2 - just install a spark plug anti fouler and then thread your O2 in there, they probably removed it because it was causing issues. common problem for mid to late 90's subarus and up. lots of threads about it on here. easy and cheap fix.

 

what i would suggest is asking sometimes before you buy, like on here. but that's tough too i know - do i ask or do i not?

 

it is no secret that subaru and brakes are a boneheaded conundrum, they have some ineptitude when it comes to logistics, manufacturing, and costs in the brake design department. i urge you to click here and not read but just glance at all of this text to show that point:

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showpost.php?p=18085854&postcount=1

 

that was complied because of how confusing subaru brakes can be. not just changes but sometimes things interchange, sometimes they don't, sometimes it matters, sometimes it doesn't...it's a debacle and folks get wrong parts all the time on brakes.

 

the donut gaskets, as with any aftermarket parts, can look different and be slightly different from factory. in this case - they'll work if everything is perfect, but if you can't draw it tight enough it might not. gaskets, orings, seals, and more look different but work. sometimes there's a couple different options and the computer doesn't do a good job of delineating which models get which one. often times there are parts that are best to get from Subaru - and sometimes it depends on the engine - some subaru engines aftermarket gaskets are better - some subaru engines you better stick with OEM.

 

it's just hard to know what to ask here for and what not. but you just ran into two annoying areas. mechanical stuff always involves road bumps...parts, tools, instructions, etc.

[987687]

Thanks for the reassurance grossgary. I was kind of in a bad mood because I'd probably driven 50 miles going back and forth to napa trying to get the right part, and it still doesn't work right. The gasket is to short so it leaks, whatever, it'll get me to the dealer. It's just frustrating trying to get something done and not being able to find the correct parts to do it. And I'm glad I'm not the only one that has issues getting the right parts with brakes, exhaust, etc. This is what you get for working on your own vehicle, you're not paying someone else to spend time getting the correct bits and making it all work.

I'm just glad the part of the pipe I welded up doesn't leak at all

 

I try not to ask a million questions because I like to figure things out for myself. Or I'm in the middle of a project and just want it to be done so I don't want to wait for an answer... I can be kinda impatient sometimes.

 

Anyway, thanks for all the replies.

[porcupine73]

You'll get her there. Yes I hate all that driving around too for parts. I don't live near a parts store either. If I have the time to plan it in advance usually I'm ordering my parts from Subaru dealers selling online (which is generally way cheaper than local dealer walk in sales). I like that because it's good parts, it's the right part the first time based on VIN# so I'm not driving back and forth because the part didn't fit right, etc.

[987687]

Getting parts from a dealer is nice if you want to pay. But I don't have a dealer very close. The closest one is about 40 minutes, and I won't go there anymore. So the next closest one is about an hour 15. But I get a 15% discount from them... so sometimes it's worth it.

[idosubaru]

parts debacles are the most frustrating, just get me the right part!!!! i've used aftermarket donut gaskets before, so they do work sometimes.

 

online parts are nice....assuming you get the right one:grin:. parts on my door step beats an hour driving and waiting. though i get a fair amount of stuff too at parts stores, there's one 2 blocks from my work so that helps for convenience.

 

learning on your own is the way to go. one of my favorite quotes is "I never let schooling interfere with my education".

[Gloyale]

I can tell you for sure that 95 is an oddball year for wiring, and some other things.

 

But definately wiring, the ECU connectors are the same, but have totatly different colors and pin locations. Alot of the engine bay wires are also different color that the 96-99 stuff.

 

Lots of the 95 2.2s I've seen are still dual port heads, whereas the 96s have single port.......so that is definately a change to the exhaust.

 

I personally avoid the 95 models just as I avoided the 87 model GL's. Oddballl transition years with hard to identify quirks.

[987687]

Sitting at the dealer getting my seatbelts fixed under lifetime warranty. Got the correct gasket! Woo, $10 with my discount, so not bad. It was like $18 without.

[porcupine73]

Sounds good! You might also want to check out some of the Subaru dealers who sell online such as subarugenuineparts.com 1stsubaruparts.com subarupartsforyou.com and there are dozens of others, just for price comparison. I used to think I was getting a good deal at my local dealer until I realized that they were marking up the Subaru list price about 40%, then giving me 40% off, so I was still paying the list price price (which is pretty high). On some parts, the genuine part is actually less than the aftermarket part or not much more in price.

[987687]

If I want to, or can wait for a part I'll usually get it online. But I'm sick of not having my legacy, or having it with a horrible exhaust leak so it was worth spending an extra $5 and just getting the correct part.

[porcupine73]

Yep I understand that. Glad you got the right part. On a small purchase the local dealer can be the way to go because then there is no shipping charge and if they have it in stock you get it immediately.

 

Glad the seat belt repair is getting covered. There have been a number of people get that coverage. That didn't start until around 95 or so iirc. Its probably a good cya for them in a lawsuit so someone can't say they couldn't afford the seatbelt repair they can say 'we don't charge for seatbelt repairs for the life of the vehicle'. The earlier models that had the funky 'automatic' seat belts are a pain when they go honky.

[987687]

Yep I understand that. Glad you got the right part. On a small purchase the local dealer can be the way to go because then there is no shipping charge and if they have it in stock you get it immediately.

 

Glad the seat belt repair is getting covered. There have been a number of people get that coverage. That didn't start until around 95 or so iirc. Its probably a good cya for them in a lawsuit so someone can't say they couldn't afford the seatbelt repair they can say 'we don't charge for seatbelt repairs for the life of the vehicle'. The earlier models that had the funky 'automatic' seat belts are a pain when they go honky.

 

Yea, 95 it started. My GL had the auto seatbelts. They worked awesome too. No grinding, ran nice and smooth and never had a hitch. The only problem with them is that I absolutely loathe auto belts. So I swapped in manual ones. Want to buy some perfect condition auto belts with the auto belt computer? haha

[porcupine73]

If my '94's auto belts ever clunk out I might be interested! I have seen many people in that case get the belts from a Canada spec soob of the same year, which didn't get auto belts.

 

I have gone to the local dealer for parts a few times. You know, it's like if your child has a cut and needs a band-aide, it's really hard to order a box of band-aides and wait for them to arrive, when right down the street at the drug store you could get a box and be done with it. I don't like to see my Subaru's suffering, I want them to get the attention they deserve.

[987687]

^ good analogy. And all the 89 to 94 legacys didn't have auto belts, did they?

[Fairtax4me]

It doesn't have a second O2 censor. Yet I've got a code for it once, but it never came back for the last year and a half.

Any car with OBD2 (which means any Subaru Legacy MY 1995 or later) has to have at least two O2 sensors to monitor catalytic converter efficiency.

It's a gumment mandate, so if yours is gone that means somebody got tired of having a CEL on all the time because of a P0420. They either gutted the cat, or just got tired of the CEL, and put in an O2 simulator.

 

From what I have heard about the automatic belts (and this is pure hearsay, I haven't taken the time to look this up myself so it might be hogwash)... In order for any manufacturer to sell a vehicle with automatic seat belts on the US market, they had to warrant the mechanism for the entire life of the vehicle. It's a safety issue, and the late 80' early 90's were big years for the push of the use of seat belts. That's part of why the automatic belts became "popular", because it was a way to get people to wear them every single time they got in the car.