swcolegacyl

I runing 20W-50 Amsoil Racing 100% synthetic oil year round and using the Amsoil oil filter. I change the oil once a year and the filter twice a year and top off the oil. The coldest it typically gets here in Telluride is single digits in the winter. And the car still starts and runs just file. In fact the engine was burning a bit of oil when i first bought the car. And that's all but stopped using the Amsoil. Tiny bit of leaking around the valve cover gaskets, but that's it.

Hi 96outback,

 

RE: (4x4 switch) I dont think FWD will do any damage. mainly because a indicator light will come on, on the dash reading FWD when you install a fuse in the socket. as if the car was meant to do it. the car still drives normally it just becomes a FWD car. The switch i installed toggles between (FWD/4x4/AWD) modes. and it works perfectly.

 

RE: (29mpg) I actually rarely take the car on highway only drives. But im using Amsoil Racing Motor oil, NGK Plug wires, Bosch iridium spark plugs and a K&N Air filter the engine is running about as efficiently as i can get it. I think i'm getting the most power and the best millage i can get out of that 2.2L engine.

 

I'll keep posting, this thread has logged over 21 thousand hits. I'm pretty amazed by that alone. But, so far, some of the best reference material i've found is from people posting what's worked and what hasn't for them. happy to contribute, and it's nice to get feedback and ideas from other people as well.

 

thanks!

Hi 96outback, Thank you for that complement. The Subaru has been a very fun project car. And a hell of a lot of fun to drive.

 

It looks like your Legacy is at about the same height as mine. It also also looks very clean, how's it run? I find the Legacy wagon to be a really great versatile car. especially when you lift them. It's pretty cool that, so many parts from different Subaru's over many years span can be mix and matched. I think i have parts on my car from about 30 other Subaru's.

 

The research i did for the 4EAT switch is all in the download on the 1st page of the thread. It was fairly easy to wire though i did it awhile ago, so not sure that i can write it up for you. if your car is AWD, it might have a fuse socket under the hood (passenger side) labeled FWD. That's the circuit your looking for. By installing a fuse in the socket, 12vdc is sent to Duty solenoid 'C' witch locks out the rear drive train. all i did was add a switch to also cut power to Duty solenoid 'C' causing 50% power to the front and 50% power to the rear.

I replaced the Legacy ‘trailing link brackets’ with ones from a ’98 Outback and finally got the rear wheels centered perfectly in the wells. I also replaced the rear shocks with a set from a ’98 Forster. The rear is a bit higher now. And had her realigned. The car drives incredibly well, on and off road. The Whiteline steering rack bushings made a big difference off road too.

 

I also learned a important lesson about brakes this weekend off-roading: Car Quest standard brake pads melt and fail when they get hot. That kinda sucked! So I bought new ceramic front and rear pads today. I’ll get those in tomorrow.

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/Ridgway.jpg

Just replaced the steering rack bushings. What a pain-in-the-ass job that was! the video link below on YouTube makes the job look pretty easy. Don't be fooled, it took almost 2 hours without a lift. luckily my car has no rust, so everything came off pretty easily. The old bushings weren't too hard to remove, but trying to squeeze the new Whiteline bushings in was a bitch.

 

All done and what a huge difference the new bushings make. The steering feels MUCH tighter, it's like a new car.

 

The guy in the video is working on an '02 WRX so the undercarriage is a little bit different then the '96 Legacy. But it's basically the same job and the KSR202 Whiteline bushing set is the same part for the Legacy.

 

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/steeringbushings1.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/steeringbushings2.jpg

A friend bought a '98 Outback about a month ago. And right away, lifted it and had a custom bumper built. He used SJR 4" rear lift and SJR 2" front lift blocks. And same bumper that i have, with a Warn 4000Lbs winch too. We took a bunch of measurements and i actually have almost 1" more clearance at the lowest point.

 

He just got the car back a couple days ago. What do you think?

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/SteveLift1.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/SteveLift2.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/SteveLift3.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/SteveLift4.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/SteveLift5.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/SteveLift6.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/SteveLift7.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/SteveLift8.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/SteveLift9.jpg

Hey 19Outback95, thanks for checking in. The OEM PS on the engine side, the bushing spins easily and on the firewall side the rubber is ripped. though you cant see it in the pics, it's not is the best condition. the car is 18 years old, and i'm guessing that pitch stop is original. I haven't come across Kartboy. i'll check out their stuff.

 

BTW: the pitch stop from Kartboy is about $25.00 more then Perrin.

Hi All --Next little upgrade. New Perrin Performance Pitch Stop. I noticed there was quite a bit of play in the OEM Pitch Stop. They Perrin, say "...more power to the wheels by eliminating lost energy." So i decided what the hell, I'll give it a try. I think i notice the difference. much clearer engine sound in the cab. but that's OK i like the way it sounds. One thing i find interesting, is that Subaru has not changed the specs of the Pitch Stop: From 1993 - 2015 models, its exactly the same part.

 

 

OEM Pitch Stop: the bushings on both ends are warn.

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/PitchStop1.jpg

 

Perrin Pitch Stop installed:

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/PitchStop2.jpg

Hi Azonetrooper, your welcome and thanks for the post. And your right she's really becoming a bad-ass car for off road adventures. Out camping this past weekend in South West Colorado.

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/paradox.jpg

It's amazing where a Subaru can take you.

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/paradox.jpg

Put on cool new SUBARU Racing logo stickers. eBay.com $18.00

 

Replaced the front brakes with’98 Outback dual-piston calipers and new Outback front disks and pads. (Outback disks are about 1” larger in diameter then the '96 Legacy) And new rear pads.

 

Replaced heater blower fan. It's been squealing since i bought the car. And i finally got around to replacing it. eBay.com $50.00

 

And I got the Solar system wired. I already had the charge controller installed under the hood. But now I have a Solar panel connection on the roof rack. So when I’m out camping I can now keep the battery charged up.

 

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/FrontLeft.jpg

 

2 10 Watt panels tied together in parallel for a total of 20 Watts at about 20VDC:

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/Solar1.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/Solar2.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/Solar3.jpg

Over in Moab, UT this weekend. I took the the Subaru out to Slickrock to play. Fins 'N Things trail:

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/Moab.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/Moab2.jpg

 

And I took a drive out to Islands in the sky in Canyonlands.

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/CLMoab.jpg

The guys at Rockworx in Montrose, Co. did an amazing job. I still have some wiring for the winch to do and some new LED spots to install.

 

It looks so different now. Doubt that the previous owner would recognize it.

 

Way Before:

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/oldfront.jpg

 

Before:

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/theride.jpg

 

After:

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/HoodBumper1.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/HoodBumper2.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/HoodBumper3.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/BumperFront.jpg

 

Just got the new LEDs installed.

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/Front.jpg

The new hood is installed and the bumper is off to be powder-coated. hopefully i'll have it back in a few days. starting to miss my car.

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/hood.jpg

Got a few more pics from the shop today. Off to be power-coaded tomorrow. also a scooped hood is on the way.

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/NewBumper6.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/NewBumper7.jpg

Hi natetru, Love to see some pics of your car. i might install Forester struts in my car also.

 

The new bumper is being built. the bumper is pretty much complete, but it still need to be powder coated.

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/NewBumper1.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/NewBumper2.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/NewBumper3.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/NewBumper4.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/NewBumper5.jpg

Hi, been a while. 19,000 hits on this thread, Amazing. Thank you all

 

About 2 years ago in Moab, UT. I met the owner of the Subaru below. I asked where he got the very cool bumper on his car. He told me about an Oregon welder that built his Baja bumper. I contacted the guy and he's no longer making the bumper. So i tracked down a company locally that can build the same bumper for me. with a little twist: I'm installing a winch. My Subaru is headed to the shop this morning to get the new bumper built.

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/4000LBWinch.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/MoabSubaru.jpg

So, the bulb to the left is 1 of a new set I got yesterday for the blinkers. The blinkers bulbs I had been using is the one in the middle. But that style seems to work much better for the backup and brake/tail bulb. It has kind of does a weird pulsing and not quite bright enough for the blinker lens. The bulb to the right i ordered thinking it would be a bit brighter, but the LEDs are very small. Good thing that most of the LED bulbs i've ordered have been fairly inexpensive, averaging about $4.00 a piece.

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/NewLED.jpg

The new 1156 LED replacements showed up today. I have to install the load resisters with blinkers. maybe i'll get to it tomorrow. I tested them and they are very bright. These 4 are the last of the rear lights to be changed to LEDs. 2 for the blinkers and 2 for the backup lights.

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/NewBlinkers.jpg

Hi 1692, your welcome. Still waiting on the blinker/backup LED bulbs for my car. The Post Office lost the last set i ordered. Oh well, they reimbursed me and another set is on the way. But i did get all the rest of the bulbs replaced with LEDs: 3rd brake/4 main brake/tail lights and plate lights. I also received the Load resisters for the blinker LEDs.

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/RearLights.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/LoadResisters.jpg

OK, i got the new LED plate lights installed. They look pretty good. I ordered 2 sets by mistake. But the bulbs happen to be the same as the 3rd brake lights.

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/PlateLights3.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/PlateLights2.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/PlateLights4.jpg

 

3rd Brake light

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/PlateLights5.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/PlateLights6.jpg

Hi 1692, not all LED bulbs are created equal. The brake/tail bulbs work great and are very bright. The bulbs I got today, not so bright. I tried putting in the blinker socket and the blinkers, blink very fast. Then I learned that I need to install a “load resister” 50W 60HM Load resister ($10.00 for 4 on eBay.com) because the LED bulbs use too little power. The same bulb is used as backup lights. And nowhere near bright enough to use as backup bulbs. I’ll have to keep looking.

 

I still have to track down the 3rd brake lights bulbs. Are they the same as the license plate bulbs?

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/blinkerbulbs.jpg

 

50W 60HM Load Resisters on order:

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/loadresister.jpg

 

EDIT>>

>>Just picked up the new LED Plate lights: I'll install them tomorrow, too cold out now.

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/PlateLights.jpg

 

EDIT>>

>>Have some new LED blinker and backup bulbs on the way, they should much brighter then the other ones.

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/sku021298_1.jpg

So, I had this idea to replace all the rear bulbs with LEDs. On eBay.com I found 2 sets of 2 (1157) Brake/Tail lights for total $14.00. The 4 (1156) front and rear Blinkers and Backup LED bulbs for total $16.75 that should be here tomorrow and the (168) license plate bulbs 2 for total $18.00 that should be here week also.

 

I just installed the four Brake/Tail bulbs. They look great and should never burn out, they use less energy and no filament to break. And all for about 50 bucks. not bad, ha. What do you think?

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/LEDbulbs1.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/LEDbulbs2.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/LEDbulbs3.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/LEDbulbs4.jpg

Hey 1692, thanks for checking in. Check out the wiring pic on page 3 of this thread. You can see the wire colors: Red/Green are from the wiring harness, White/Orange go to the JDM headlight blinker and the black pair go to the side blinker. Both sides are the same but not sure of the colors on the passenger side. it's been awhile. And feel free to copy, this is the place for idea sharing. I’ve copied many of the mods I've made to my car from other people’s cars.

 

I don't get out to Colorado Springs much, but if you ever is this neighborhood let me know.

Hi stenben, Thanks for the plans for the rear blocks. Got them made-up and installed. They did push the rear wheels back about ¾” to 1”. Might go a little bigger, but they definitely made a difference.

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/RearBlocks1.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/RearBlocks2.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/RearBlocks3.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/RearBlocks6.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/RearBlocks4.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/RearBlocks5.jpg

 

http://srvtelluride.dyndns.org/Subaru/RearWheelSpace..jpg