VTownGT

Hey, all... used the info on this thread and it helped me sooo much! For all of you who are having trouble getting the Ball Joint out of the Knuckle, I found this thread to be really helpful, and I added some pics of how I got my very very very stuck ball joint out. (post# 17) http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/separating-lca-ball-joint-tie-rod-knuckle-medieval-style-113347.html?t=113347

The horizontal bolt is out completely. It was HARD to get out, but I soaked the hell out of it with PB and eventually, it came loose and I screwed it out. Yeah, I figured that I was going to be buying a new ball joint once the bolt got to as described above... Can they be replaced one at a time, or do I have to do both sides? Also, when you say that "those things are pressed in with a hydraulic compressor", are you saying that the ball joint bolt is pressed into the LCA that way? or that the ball joint is pressed into the hub housing area hydraulically? My concern now is still how to get the ball joint out. I do not want to cut the bolt until I get the ball joint out of its housing. Then, knowing that I am going to need a new LBJ anyway, I can do what I have to do to get the bolt out of the LCA. Once again, thanks for all the help. Sam

Out of curiosity, where was the place that you used for leverage? I tried every amount of leverage I could think of, including putting a very heavy duty nylon strap around the control arm, and then under a jack, and then jacking up the rotor while that strap keeps the CA in place. I did that after soaking everything with PB and using a bit of force to open the iron thing that the ball joint sits in. So, I thought, well, I'll take the bolt off of the bottom of the control arm (the 19mm one). I got the cotter pin out, and then the nut came about halfway off and now it just spins and spins and spins. I can't get it looser or even tighten it back up. Does anyone know why this would happen? At times like this, I wonder why I try to do my own work!!!

I absolutely can not get the ball joint out. I have tried everything on the forums and some things that were not. The OP said that it was not that hard to do, and I wish I knew why!!! I think that I have to put my tail between my legs and retreat. Any last minute advice would be awesome. Sam

I searched around for parts today to start this job. Another super thanks to Mike at AZP installs. I emailed him to ask him if he had a source for them, and wouldn't ya know that he had one in stock for a great price that I picked up right away. Also, Chris A (who spends most of his internet Subaru time on NASIOC) was kind enough to lend me a torque wrench. Lastly, I went to AutoZone to use their Loan-a-tool program for the 32mm socket. Oddly, they would lend it with a $20 deposit, but they had none for sale. Soooo... I started this job in the early afternoon, and my first step was to take the tire off and loosen the axle nut while the car was on the ground. Both thing were no problem, except that I destroyed one Craftsman brand flathead screw driver trying to pry out the axle nut crimp. I took someone the advice of someone else in this thread and just turned the nut with a long wrench and the 32 mm socket and this worked just fine to loosen the thing. I put the car up on four jack stands, because my plan was to drain all the trans fluid out of the MT, change the axle, and then fill with new fluid. It took me three hours to get the t70 Torx nut out. I destroyed two socket wrenches, one 14mm box wrench, and one other 14 mm open end wrench, and one 2 ft long copper pipe that I was using for leverage. I used a half can of penetrating fluid. Finally, I ran out to Kmart and they had an adapter so I could fit the 3/8 drive Torx bit onto the 1/2 drive torque wrench. I set the torque to 150 ft lbs, AND still needed to use a three ft long iron pipe to get the leverage to crack that sucker open. By then it was dark, so I made it tight enough to not drip onto the garage floor, turned out the lights, and will resume tomorrow. One more question for anyone out there who has an opinion on this... The axle nut on the FEQ brand axle I bought seems a bit smaller (not the threads or hex, but the outside ring) and it seems like it is lighter and less robust. Did anyone else find this to be the case and decide to reuse the OEM axle nut? Thanks! Sam

I just changed my oil today, and while I was under the car, found exactly the same sort of front, passenger's side axle boot tear as in the OP's pictures. I am searching now for a the part and making sure I have the right tools for the job. Four questions that I have: 1) I also have to change my manual trans fluid. Will there be any down sides to draining the trans fluid before I start this job, and then filling it up after I have the new axle installed? 2) Does the axle nut have to be replaced, or can it be reused? 3) Does the axle nut have to be torqued to a specific range when it is put back on, and, if so, what is that value? 4) If I buy the axle assembly from one of the sources mentioned in this thread with the boots in place, are the boots tight with the grease inside already, or do I have to get that separately, grease them up, and tighten the band myself? As always, Thanks!! Sam

So, I basically have only had the courage to start maintaining my own Legacy because of the instructional posts that many of you put here. It is really an awesome feeling to do the maintenance yourself, but now that things are tight, the money saved makes it even better. I really appreciate all of you who take the time to write these guides up with pics and videos. And an extra thanks for the video about turning the coil pack 180 deg before removing/installing it. Wow. That really kept me from sticking my head in the microwave. So, I have a '05 LGT with about 107,000 on it. For some reason, many moons ago, my brain linked the timing belt life with the spark plug life, so my car still had the OEM plugs in it. I am not sure what made me realize that that was not the case... (Just to be sure that they were OEM, I looked through all of my Subaru records to make sure that it had not been done by them, and it wasn't. I even called the Subaru Dealership in Sherman Oaks to make sure they had not done it without asking just to be nice. I can not even remember any of the four dealerships that I have delt with recommending it...) Having the plugs in that long has not seemed to cause me much trouble except a louder idle and a slight drop in millage, but once I had the new ones in, I really, really felt the difference. The car was quieter, and my mileage on the first full tank of gas seems up by about 2 mpg. Also, the car seems more responsive and pulls better, but that could just be in my head. Thanks to all of you, the job went smooth. It took about 2.5 hours total, in part because I put the air box back in before I grabbed the sensor wire from under it, so I had to take the air box out again to get the wire and plug it in properly. I have relatively small hands, so while I can't throw a great curve ball, it really helped for this job... Overall, I had the most trouble with the rear passenger's side plug removal and installation, but nothing that was not mentioned in other posts. I took some pictures of the plugs. They look reasonably clean (I think), but the gaps were really big. The smallest one was about 0.052 and the largest one was more than 0.06, with the average around 0.058 or so based on the gapper that I had. The side/ground electrodes on were significantly worn. Also, one thing that I did not expect was to find Champion plugs in the car as the OEM plug. I replaced them with the NGK OEM plugs that were listed by many folks on this thread. For any of you that are less experienced with car maintenance, this job is def do-able in the garage! I would suggest that you read this thread a few times, and have it available while you do the job, and to MAKE SURE you have all the universal socket joints and other tools that are suggested. Lastly, I had got the best price for the plugs at Advanced Auto Parts, but I had to order them and pick them up the next day. Thanks again!

At least he told you... during the test drive, my salesman told me that there was a way to do it, but he could not remember how. then i forgot about it until I owned the car for three days... I called him to ask how to do it, and he said that he must have gotten it confused with the Nissan Altima, which has a button to do it. Ohh, well, hardly something that would have kept me from buying the car, but you're right, it would be nice... My mother said that I should get married so that I have someone to sit there and change it...

Is there any way to make the dual zone feature change in sync with one another? I do most of my driving alone, and sometimes it is annoying to have to change both knobs to the temp that I want... thanks