Sara32013 Posted April 23, 2016 Author Share Posted April 23, 2016 Hey everyone! Thanks for the info so far, I thought it was time to give a little background on the car and share some pictures. I got the car from my grandma, she's had it for probably more than 5 years, so not an extreme amount of time. The body is in fair shape, but the car has been wrecked a couple of time, but hasn't done any major damage. I believe it was rear ended pretty good before my grandma bought it. The trunk, passenger quarter panel, and rear bumper have orange peel, while the rest of the car is smooth. Also, you can clearly see white paint where the blue is peeling off around the taillight, on the spoiler. Also, the inside of the deck lid is painted black, but it's peeling off and is also white underneath. The driver side quarter had a large rust hole, where the passenger only has small surface rust starting, making me believe the passenger quarter is much newer than the driver quarter. Also when I got it the driver fender was covered in surface rust. My uncle replaced the fender with a brand new one, and never painted it. Also it was never installed correctly. He drilled a hole in the bottom of it and stuck a screw in, instead of putting the two bolts in the bottom. I have since fixed those issues, and painted it. The paint doesn't match perfect, and it still needs clear coat. However, it looks much better than it did before. Anyhow, here are some pictures. http://i1348.photobucket.com/albums/p725/scheuvront1993/Subaru%201_zpsir3sgpnq.jpg http://i1348.photobucket.com/albums/p725/scheuvront1993/Subaru%202_zps4oj9dkta.jpg http://i1348.photobucket.com/albums/p725/scheuvront1993/Subaru%203_zpskrljvvwj.jpg http://i1348.photobucket.com/albums/p725/scheuvront1993/Subaru%204_zpsieof6ojp.jpg So far since owning the car I've painted and fixed the fender, did some crappy body work, cleaned the interior up a bit, installed a pioneer head unit, replaced the weather strip clips around the door, changed the valve cover gaskets, and put on a new oil filter. There's a lot more to come soon. I will be ordering new lights for the cluster, HVAC controls, and other interior stuff pretty soon. I'll also be ordering struts, head gaskets, etc. I found a dealer on eBay the sells genuine Subaru head gaskets for $75 a set. They are the updated MLS gaskets. YeuEmMaiMai, would I absolutely have to send my head to a machine shop? I wouldn't expect it to be warped since I haven't really blown the head gasket and it's not overheated. Also, how do you adjust the valves? I was also wondering, do these things have lifters? I assume they have to but I can't find them. I've tried searching online and the only things that come up are for the older model Subarus. I changed them on my old 2.2 and it was easy as heck. Thanks everyone for the info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RumbleRumble Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Yes send the heads out for a couple hundred bucks it saves you from doing all that work and having them still leak if you dont. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara32013 Posted April 28, 2016 Author Share Posted April 28, 2016 Hey everyone, sorry it's been a few days. Thanks for the advice. However, I just don't have the money to send the head off right now. I'll probably just replace the head gaskets and hope for the best. If it still leaks I guess I'll start saving and send them off later in the year. I believe my steering rack may be going bad. I originally though the serpentine belt was to blame, but after checking it out, it appears to be like new. When I turn the wheel it shudders, and the steering wheel has a little play in it and is constantly moving. The car itself down not vibrate or anything, it rides smooth. Also, neither boots are attached on the steering rack, and there is a lot of build up around it and there is a nasty clunk under the front end when I hit bumps, but the outer tie rod ends, sway bar links, etc seem to be good and tight. My question is, what other racks can I use, and what would be the benefit of using a different rack? Thanks for all the help everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RumbleRumble Posted April 28, 2016 Share Posted April 28, 2016 If the boots are torn mostly likey you let a bunch of crap into the rack and it caused to get worn out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara32013 Posted April 28, 2016 Author Share Posted April 28, 2016 Thank you for the input. I thought the same thing about the boots. Will a rack from a WRX or a newer Legacy fit on this thing? Also I swear I'm not illiterate, I just never proof read before posting so a lot of typos slip by, lol Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RumbleRumble Posted April 28, 2016 Share Posted April 28, 2016 If I recall from a post on this form you can use any rack from a subaru/saabaru from 2000-2004 with some small modification if any but don't take those words for 100% I gotta find the post Most of the time you can find a new rack for 250$ with new inner tie rods Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara32013 Posted April 28, 2016 Author Share Posted April 28, 2016 I found one for my car on eBay for $189.00 with free shipping and also had the inner tie rod ends. That's not a bad deal so I may go that route but would there be any advantage to using a WRX rack? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 good used racks can be had for less than $100.. maybe less than $75. in the 90s, racks NEVER went bad. 00- 04 maybe not quite as dependable, but not a FREQUENT failure item. just because the bellows (boots) are torn does not mean the rack is bad. how does it run? is it leaking fluid? if not leaking fluid, it is not bad. it may be worn, and '''closer to leaking'', but it is not bad yet. be sure to replace all the things on your car that are not bad yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara32013 Posted April 30, 2016 Author Share Posted April 30, 2016 Johnegg thank you for the info. The wheel shudders around turns and there is some play in it while moving, but it does not leak, not one bit. So can I rebuild it? There is a kit on ebay for $24.95 that comes with everything including boots, would that be the best option? I've been busy the past couple of days, some goodies came in the mail yesterday and today. I decided to change the interior lights over to LED. I did the cluster, HVAC, accessory ring, gear selector, ashtray, and dome light. I did everything in blue except for the dome light and ashtray, which I did in white. I ordered everything from superbrightleds.com except the 4 cluster lights. I bought them from ebay, and I'm very happy with the results so far. http://i1348.photobucket.com/albums/p725/scheuvront1993/Cluster_zps363mzjku.jpg http://i1348.photobucket.com/albums/p725/scheuvront1993/HVAC_zpsmq29iv1k.jpg http://i1348.photobucket.com/albums/p725/scheuvront1993/Gear%20Selector_zpsbhmwc3me.jpg http://i1348.photobucket.com/albums/p725/scheuvront1993/Cig%20Lighter_zpse1fnwpsr.jpg http://i1348.photobucket.com/albums/p725/scheuvront1993/Ashtray_zpsp1bcvrqc.jpg http://i1348.photobucket.com/albums/p725/scheuvront1993/Dome%20Light_zps3paose2g.jpg So the LEDs came in yesterday and I installed them. Today I received 4 Bosch Platinum Plus 2 spark plugs, and a set of BWD Select plug wires. I just got done installing them about a half hour ago. The passenger side rear plug was covered in oil after removal, and my socket had a good little bit of oil inside of it. The rest were dry. I have few more things coming and some more stuff to order. I have new speakers, and a full set of outback struts coming soon. I will also hopefully be ordering my gasket set soon. For now, I won't be going with Subaru brand or even Felpro, but they will be MLS style head gaskets. I won't be sending the heads off to be machined either. I will most likely redo everything when I have more money. I will check the heads with a feeler gauge to see if they are warped, and how bad. I will also adjust the valves as well, and most likely put a new timing belt on it, but I won't be changing the water pump or any of the tensioners or idlers, unless they are in need of replacement of course. I'm just trying to get the oil to stop leaking for now. When I have the funds, I will do it right! Thanks for all the info so far everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyRuu Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 if you check out six star they are good head gaskets, but they are more on the pricey side of the spectrum. other than being brighter what do the leds acomplish? are they dimmable or last longer? i hate bright lights and mine are set to the lowest setting and its still to bright, how much do they dim? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara32013 Posted May 1, 2016 Author Share Posted May 1, 2016 I may check them out. The LEDs are mostly just for looks but I believe they are supposed to last longer. I will try to get a picture of how dim they can go later tonight but i believe they were not on the brightest setting when I took this picture Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FtsTexx Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 LEDs use less power and last longer. Brighter than incandescent too Jade - My Legacy Build Thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara32013 Posted May 2, 2016 Author Share Posted May 2, 2016 Ok everyone I'm in need of help real quick. So when I got the car I was having problems with a turn signal not working. I replaced the bulb and still no luck, finally I replaced the inside of the socket. After that it worked but still flashed very fast and I couldn't figure out why. I eventually realized there were two bulbs on each side in the front. Well I replaced the 1157 with an 1156 to make do and the signals worked fine. I replaced the cluster lights two days ago and everything went well. Today the signal light on the driver side stopped working.. all of them. The rear, the front, and the inside. It was still making the clicking sound but nothing was happening. After checking bulbs and such I decided to pull the cluster and check the bulb. While I had it out I replaced the signal light bulbs with a couple of LEDs and put the cluster back in. After this neither signal light worked at. So I pulled it and put the old bulbs back and put an LED where the Brake light is. After hooking it back up I still had no signals, and the "brake" light on the cluster would not light up. I pulled the cluster back out and put the old bulb back in the "brake" slot. So here I am now, neither signal light works, the "brake" light will not illuminate, and the odometer no longer functions. Also, when I had the LED in the "Brake" slot the cluster started smoking after hooking it up. The security light will also not stop blinking. The only thing I have done is change light bulbs, what the heck has happened? Please help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara32013 Posted May 2, 2016 Author Share Posted May 2, 2016 Ok so now my cluster doesn't work at all. The clock comes on but I can't change the time. I have speedo, tach, temp, odo, or fuel gauge. The whole thing lights up but does not function. The gear shift indicator doesn't even work. I've checked the fuses and everything is fine, I will mention I scratched the motherboard with a screwdriver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara32013 Posted May 2, 2016 Author Share Posted May 2, 2016 Well, I learned a lesson in bullheadedness tonight. My wife's grandfather walked down and my wife told me to explain the situation to him, to which I declined. She let him know anyway and he said something about the circuit being broken somewhere on the motherboard and you should be able to see where. So I decided to pull the cluster out again. After doing so we examined the board and found a broken strip thing? Lol I don't know what it's called but I think there are like 6 of these little strips on the board. One was broken and he suggested using a little piece of wire to test it and see if that's the problem. I had serious doubts but I took a piece of speaker wire I had laying around and stripped the silicon off. I put it where it needed to go and stuck a piece of Gorilla tape on the back of it. Miraculously, after hooking it up everything worked! Needless to say, I'm pretty excited. Also, I got the Outback struts in today. I will hopefully be installing them tomorrow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara32013 Posted May 3, 2016 Author Share Posted May 3, 2016 Alright everyone, I'm in a bit of a pickle with the struts here. I can not get the bolt out of the rear strut on the bottom. It's too damn tight! I'm using an impact gun and can't get it to budge. I've tried socket wrenches with cheater bars and yada yada. I can't get the impact on the front side of the bolt without removing my rotor, however it seems that someone has rounded off the caliper bracket bolts. It seems like its supposed to be a 15mm and it fits semi snug, but it won't grab on to it like it should. A 14mm is too small. I also discovered my sway bar link on the driver side is totally MIA, and my rotor is about shot. Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyRuu Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 you can try filing the bolt down to a 14. 15 seems a little strange. were all the other struts 15mm or just this one. it might just be caked in a lot of rust. you can attempt to take the whole control arm off with the hub/brake/strut assembly and take it to someone with a torch or grinder to get all those off so you can get new ones in. soak that bolt in some sort of penetrating oil and take a break then come back to it. i'll keep thinking on this also Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara32013 Posted May 3, 2016 Author Share Posted May 3, 2016 I apologize, the bolt on the strut is 19mm not 15. I was trying to remove the caliper bracket so I could remove the rotor and put my impact gun on the 19mm nut for the strut. I believe the bolts for the caliper bracket are supposed to be 15mm but someone has rounded them off. I did happen to get a 1/2 inch drive extension that allowed me to use my impact on that strut nut. After soaking it in PB blaster for about an hour, I still had no luck removing the bolt. I tried using a cheater bar but only broke a couple of extensions doing it. So I gave up before my impact blew up. I have an uncle who has access to better tools, and a better place to work, so I will be taking my car to his house on Saturday to change the struts. I suppose I will have to remove my whole rear knuckle if I ever want to change my rotor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 re-spray each bolt every day untill saturday. and a good breaker bar with a 4ft cheater pipe is better than an impact wrench. wait until you need to remove the axle nuts. i saw a pic of a guy using the rear half of the exhaust as a cheater pipe, easily 8 ft long. may as well spray the caliper bracket bolts as well. they should be 14mm. and for these types of bolts, 6 point sockets are recommended, not 12 point. heat will help. and be sure to use anti-seize when you re-assemble everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara32013 Posted May 6, 2016 Author Share Posted May 6, 2016 Lol, Honestly I've never had an issue with axle nuts. I just use a good breaker bar and they've always popped loose. I've been a long time PB blaster guy, but I decided to make my own penetrating oil this time, using the 50/50 acetone, and ATF. I'll find out how well it works on Saturday! Has anyone used the 50/50 mix? How long will a spray bottle last with this in it? Doesn't acetone eat plastic? Now that that's out of the way I would like to express another concern. Today my car has basically been a dog! Running like a real friggin turd. Now this isn't the first time It's acted like this, it's mostly hit and miss. Some days it runs fine and others it has no take off power. Basically, I hit the gas and it starts off slow and sorta sputters a bit, then the RPMs climb and it starts to speed up, however if I let off the gas while the RPMs are climbing before it shifts into second the car jumps and makes a loud "vroom" sound. Also, it barely wanted to climb hills today. Once I hit a hill it fell flat on it's face. Now it was doing this a couple weeks ago and I decided to gut one of the cats but it's been doing pretty well up until today. I tried to get a video of how it was acting but of course once I pulled out the phone it straightened up and started acting right again. Also, there is a loud ticking from the engine. I don't believe it's piston slap because it happens all the time. I have a video of it linked below if you can hear it. Thanks for all feedback! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBisson Posted May 6, 2016 Share Posted May 6, 2016 Ticking could be valve train related. Check your oil Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara32013 Posted May 6, 2016 Author Share Posted May 6, 2016 Oil is actually a bit over full, has been for a couple of days. Could too much oil possible cause it to tick a little too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RumbleRumble Posted May 8, 2016 Share Posted May 8, 2016 The capacity of the engine is 4.2 quarts having 5 quarts wont harm it. If there is over 5 quarts I'd be worried. Just don't run the car all the time over filled it puts a lot of pressure on the rear main seal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara32013 Posted May 9, 2016 Author Share Posted May 9, 2016 Thanks for the info Rumble, I'm not sure how much is in there exactly lol, I saw it was above the full mark. Anyhow, I need a little more help here please! I recently ordered a set of outback struts for my lego. If you've been following along you'll see I had no luck getting the nuts loose on the rear the other day. I was planning on heading over to my uncles to get them changed yesterday but that turned out to be a no go. I started spraying the bolts a couple times a day with a 50/50 ATF/Acetone mix. Well today I decided to give it another shot and what do you know, the bolts broke relatively easy with a 1/2 breaker bar. Got both bolts off, compressed the spring, and put my new strut together. I reused my old spring and mount. After trying to reinstall it, I was just a hair off. Literally I so little off you couldn't tell by looking at it. Now what I was doing, is jacking up on the strut from the bottom, while also pushing down on the knuckle with a crowbar. Like I said the amount I was off was not visible. After playing for a moment I decided to remove the bolts in the top hoping that it would give me a little wiggle room, sadly once I jacked up on the strut it had no wiggle room. After playing around a little while, I found that could no longer line it up anywhere close to the hole. I would jack it up and the hole would end up beside the other hole by the time I got it up where it needed to be. Now I'm wondering is there a front or back side to these? I mean could I have had it in a different direction the first time? The spring is sitting in the notches where it should be. Thanks for any and all help everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara32013 Posted May 12, 2016 Author Share Posted May 12, 2016 Hey everyone! Just wanted to post a little update. I did finally get the struts done! There is a little noise, however. The rear struts make a bit of a rubbing sound but I think I know what that is stemming from. The driver front strut is making a bad clunking noise. I know everything went back together just as it came apart. The first night I drove it, the front struts made absolutely no noise. When I left for work the next morning the clunk was there. I do live on a gravel, pothole filled road I believe maybe a bolt here or there may have worked it way a little loose, I will revisit everything when I find the time and make sure everything is good and tight. Other than that I am very happy with the Outback struts! Here are a few pics! http://i1348.photobucket.com/albums/p725/scheuvront1993/OB%202_zpspqwxtkq0.jpg http://i1348.photobucket.com/albums/p725/scheuvront1993/OB%201_zps1tl4t11t.jpg http://i1348.photobucket.com/albums/p725/scheuvront1993/OB%203_zpsrpaykqql.jpg Now I would like to revisit another problem. I had posted earlier about my car being a dog. Well the car was running better for a few days but today it was back to being a dog again. A few days ago I went and used the OBD scanner at Advance to check the codes I have pictures below of the codes. The first one is pretty simple, just a knock sensor! I've heard a bad knock sensor can rob power right? http://i1348.photobucket.com/albums/p725/scheuvront1993/Knock%20Sensor%201_zpseqowjxeb.jpg http://i1348.photobucket.com/albums/p725/scheuvront1993/Knock%20Sensor%202_zps7skcjkzv.jpg An Air/Fuel ratio sensor is an O2 sensor, right? I have a gutted cat, would that throw this code? http://i1348.photobucket.com/albums/p725/scheuvront1993/O2%201_zpsfsnjl8lm.jpg http://i1348.photobucket.com/albums/p725/scheuvront1993/O2%202_zpsdb8aji2k.jpg I believe this one is because of the way I have the cluster rigged up. http://i1348.photobucket.com/albums/p725/scheuvront1993/Fuel%201_zps2vzrpsuh.jpg http://i1348.photobucket.com/albums/p725/scheuvront1993/Fuel%202_zpsi3hiygt0.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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