new to Subaru

[Black Dog]

....well, I just got a 96 Legacy Outback 2.5 automatic with 150,000 miles on
it. I have just discovered a tire the wrong size on the right front. I plan
on getting a set tommorrow. Are there any recommendations as to a good road
tire. Also I was told the spark plugs have not been changed. The tailpipe
has black soot in it and I was told by someone else that was normal. I
definately want to change the plugs ASAP with NGK iridium. The vehicle ran
fine on the way home with just a bit of steering pull. There was some black
gunk in the bottom of the radiator resevoir bottle, and the coolant looked
like pure antifreeze ( very green ). I'm sorry for the ramble, but I would
like some advice/ comments. I got the vehicle for $2900, which I felt was a
good price for this car. The seller is having a hard time finding the
service records, and I'm having an anxiety ....
Thanks in advance

 

[Sheldon]

...well, I just got a 96 Legacy Outback 2.5 automatic with 150,000 miles
on it. I have just discovered a tire the wrong size on the right front.

That would explain the steering pull, and it's not good for the tranny to
have different size tires on the car.

I plan

on getting a set tommorrow. Are there any recommendations as to a good
road tire.

Depends on what kind of tires you want. I have to switch back and forth to
ice tires in the winter, but if you live in a milder climate pretty much
anything will work. Check out Tirerack.com. Good prices and very honest.
Lots of info at the Web site and user reviews.

Also I was told the spark plugs have not been changed. The tailpipe

has black soot in it and I was told by someone else that was normal. I
definately want to change the plugs ASAP with NGK iridium.

Don't know much about NGK iridium. Why not have the car checked out by a
mechanic. While the car has a lot of miles on it, you got a good price so
spend a few bucks on a checkup, oil change and minor tune. I think my 97
runs a little dark at the tailpipe.

The vehicle ran

fine on the way home with just a bit of steering pull. There was some
black gunk in the bottom of the radiator resevoir bottle, and the coolant
looked like pure antifreeze ( very green ).

Mine is very green, too. Change it, but be careful and make sure your
mechanic knows Subies. Those years had a habit of blowing head gaskets, and
my understanding is the problem is related to not servicing the cooling
system properly.

I'm sorry for the ramble, but I would

like some advice/ comments. I got the vehicle for $2900, which I felt was
a good price for this car. The seller is having a hard time finding the
service records, and I'm having an anxiety ....
Thanks in advance

Subarus tend to be very reliable, so I wouldn't have a cow, yet. The two
major things you definitely want to check are the timing belt (how old and
does it need replacement) and the CV joints. Put the car into a turn with
the steering wheel locked to the right and drive it in circles. Listen for
clunking sounds. Do the same to the left. Any clunking means the car needs
new CV joints.

Again, in my opinion you got such a good deal you can afford to put a few
bucks into the thing and relieve your anxiety.

 

[bigjimpack]

Get a set of Cooper CS4's . Reasonable cost, excellent in rain/snow,
quiet and handle well. Avoid those fancy plugs. just get regular
NGK's as they should be changed every 30 k anyway.

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

Get a set of Cooper CS4's . Reasonable cost, excellent in rain/snow,
quiet and handle well. Avoid those fancy plugs. just get regular
NGK's as they should be changed every 30 k anyway.

I dunno about the tires as it depends so much on your driving
conditions. www.tirerack.com has a lot of info and reviews.

The plugs on many soobs are hard enough to get to that spending the xtra
for the Iridiums might be a good idea. They could be the last set you
install on this car!

The folks here and over at www.ultimatesubaru.org are good resources for
keeping your soob on the road.

Um - be sure to check if someone has put the FWD fuse in the FWD
location under the hood in the fuse box. If they have, it may have been
due to the odd sized tire. That would be OK. HOWEVER, sometimes that is
done to conceal 'torque bind'/center diff. (actually wet clutch
pack/duty solenoid C) problems in the tranny. Get back to us after the
tires are sorted out for more info on 'torque bind'.


Carl

 

[Dano58]

...well, I just got a 96 Legacy Outback 2.5 automatic with 150,000 miles on
it. I have just discovered a tire the wrong size on the right front. I plan
on getting a set tommorrow. Are there any recommendations as to a good road
tire. Also I was told the spark plugs have not been changed. The tailpipe
has black soot in it and I was told by someone else that was normal. I
definately want to change the plugs ASAP with NGK iridium. The vehicle ran
fine on the way home with just a bit of steering pull. There was some black
gunk in the bottom of the radiator resevoir bottle, and the coolant looked
like pure antifreeze ( very green ). I'm sorry for the ramble, but I would
like some advice/ comments. I got the vehicle for $2900, which I felt was a
good price for this car. The seller is having a hard time finding the
service records, and I'm having an anxiety ....
Thanks in advance

I wouldn't hold my breath on the service records. If someone is stupid
enough to mount the wrong size tire on his car, I can't see them being
organized enough to have all of their receipts. Any idea how long that
tire has been on there??

Dan D
'99 Impreza 2.5 RS (son's)
Central NJ USA

 

[suburboturbo]

...well, I just got a 96 Legacy Outback 2.5 automatic with 150,000 miles on
it. I have just discovered a tire the wrong size on the right front. I plan
on getting a set tommorrow. Are there any recommendations as to a good road
tire. Also I was told the spark plugs have not been changed. The tailpipe
has black soot in it and I was told by someone else that was normal. I
definately want to change the plugs ASAP with NGK iridium. The vehicle ran
fine on the way home with just a bit of steering pull. There was some black
gunk in the bottom of the radiator resevoir bottle, and the coolant looked
like pure antifreeze ( very green ). I'm sorry for the ramble, but I would
like some advice/ comments. I got the vehicle for $2900, which I felt was a
good price for this car. The seller is having a hard time finding the
service records, and I'm having an anxiety ....
                                         Thanks in advance

I agree with Dan D on the service records, don't expect much that you
can trust. If you get a few invoices for service or replacement
parts, consider yourself lucky. Otherwise, have a competent mechanic
inspect it. As for tires, if you don't expect a need to mount snow
tires, and plan to use all-season rubber, I recommend Continental
Extreme Contacts. Good dry pavement traction and excellent in the
wet. Tread uses a dual rubber compound so are pliable at low
temperature and very good in light snow. Have put about 20k miles on
them, and by the wear so far expect 30-40 overall. Also look pretty
good, for a tire. Follow Carl's advice and poke around at Tire Rack;
good selection, customer reviews both positive and negative, and check
the specials. Occasionally you can find a great deal.