I got a GRM message from spkorb offering me and dusterbd13 a free 2009 Subaru. If neither one of us took it, it was going to get offered to local Tarheel Sports Car club members, also for the price of free.
So, I did what anybody else would do. I went and got it. It was much easier getting this down Sean's driveway than the Suprang was.
It needs work on the power steering, and there is a bit of rust on the driver's rear wheel well. I've not done anything else but drive it home, yet.
Thank you so much, Sean!
mitch5
New Reader
5/1/24 12:07 p.m.
Nice the outback sport! Which is really an Impreza but confusingly is badged an outback. It seems all the premium trims are in 2 tone.
I have an 09 w/ 250k and a 2 inch lift that I thought was a score at $900 even though it had a leaky water pump. I love the car, just the right age to find parts cheap but still have enough modern features
Score!
The only trouble I really had with these are external oil leaks from the head gaskets. Even then, they always seemed to keep running just fine!
I never got that email, but its all good! Glad she got a set of wheels. It'll be a good father/daughter project too!
I had a bit of time to dig into this, and... it really didn't take long to figure out the power steering issue. It's pumping fluid out of a hole in what I think is the hydraulic transfer tube. I'll get further into it as time permits.
I had a bit of time to dig into this, and... it really didn't take long to figure out the power steering issue. It's pumping fluid out of a holeone of the lines on the rack. I'll get further into it as time permits, but it looks like either 34114 or 34114A
Ken block built one of these - maybe his first gymkhana video. I've always thought they looked awesome.
A bit of an update.
The hole wasn't too hard to find once I got in there.
The rack was crusty, so I went ahead and replaced it with a working unit out of LKQ over the past weekend. I sent it to get an alignment today. On the 700 feet drive up to the shop on the corner, the steering rack was working, but was still a bit squeaky at full lock. It seems like I still have to get some air out of the system.
What worries me now is that the hard lines on the transmission also look a bit crusty. I'm guessing I should look into replacing those hard lines and going over the brake lines very carefully. Another option is the Subaru transmission sitting in my garage from a 1999 Legacy GT. I'm pretty sure Subaru didn't change much with their 4EAT automatics much from year to year, but I'm going to dig deeper into it.
This is going to be a sick father-daughter project. Not only will it be her first car but she will have worked on it with you. That makes it so much more meaningful. Once you guys get all the TLC figured out, what are your plans looking like?
In reply to Paris Van Gorder :
Thanks!
She wants a roof basket, some Sparco Terras with all terrain tires, a slight suspension lift and possibly a light bar.
I expect that to change at least 3 times as we work on it. 
In reply to Brett_Murphy (Agent of Chaos) :
haha, as expected. She should check out some of the other Subaru build threads. There are tons of great suggestions and ideas on there. It also lets her see the processes involved and may make it easier for her to set her mind on things.
Today I got a temporary plate on it so I can drive it around enough to set all of the ready codes. It went for its first on-road drive to get gas and pick up some lunch.
Current issues:
Swaybar/suspension clunk.
Weather strip on passenger door dry rotted.
Older tires (they're going to age out next year)
Positives:
Drives pretty well, and everything seems to work.
Under powered, but not dangerously so- perfect for a teenager.
The box I've had sitting in the back seat is a timing belt/water pump kit. It's Gates, though, and I'm iffy on those. I'll have to check the part number to see if it's one of the better ones or not.
