subarulegacy Posted January 30, 2012 Author Share Posted January 30, 2012 Sooo, am I right that white exhuast most likely means bad head gasket? I get white smoke from under the hood (because of exhuast leak is why its under the hood) occasionaly at stop lights. Maybe it happens more and I can't tell because I am moving, I dont know. The smoke smells really bad, I would describe it as the smell from when you run over something to big in a vaccuum, burnt rubber or something. It never ends! If it is the head gasket im going to start saving for a new car, drive this one till it dies but im pretty much done putting money into this thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLoyale Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 A Head gasket can be done in a Day outside (You don't even need to pull the motor) Been there and done that. Being that this is a '96 Legacy, it still has the Phase-I EJ22 with Single Port Heads, These heads do not crack or warp from bad HGs unlike the Phase-II EJ22. I personally, would spend a few bucks for the Fel-Pro gasket kit, chances are they have Genuine HGs in the kit, And then just go to town one day. You are better off sticking a few bucks into a car that you have some idea as to whats wrong with it, then to buy another persons problem and sort that out. The Rubber smell could be something burning off the exhaust, possible Axle grease/bad boot, Might also be gear oil from an Axle stub seal since the cat is right there. My $.04 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subarulegacy Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 Bad boot? That may be something. . . when I got the 1 axle replaced the mechanic said that the other one will be going bad because the guy just threw the boot back on, no grease. I didnt think that would cause a smell, get onto exhuast? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLoyale Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Bad boot? That may be something. . . when I got the 1 axle replaced the mechanic said that the other one will be going bad because the guy just threw the boot back on, no grease. I didnt think that would cause a smell, get onto exhuast? At Highway speeds, grease can get into places you wouldn't imagine. There is probably still some grease inside the cup which could be burning off the exhaust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 The cv boots don't discriminate when the spew the grease. It goes everywhere. Put a floor fan on the highest setting, and slowly pour a bottle of coke into the top of it. That's about the same effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subarulegacy Posted February 1, 2012 Author Share Posted February 1, 2012 Ok so good and bad news, good news is its probably not a head gasket, because I realized that the smoke continues after the engine is shut off. Im thinking its more likely that its grease being sprayed onto the exhuast. The bad news is a discovered another POSSIBLE issue, it doesnt happen all of the time but occasionally when I am shifting into Park there is a sound (assuming from tranny) that happens when you go past Reverse that sounds like someone dropping a hammer on the ground. Any ideas on that? I am going to hopefully do some work on it this sunday, if I can get a mechanically inclined friend to help me out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subarulegacy Posted February 1, 2012 Author Share Posted February 1, 2012 So list of things that need done, starting work this weekend. 1. cv axle/ smoke issue (confirm whats wrong +repair) 2. brake work 3. sway bar 4.exhuast leak (this weekend ill probably do the "redneck" temporary fix, i dont have the stuff to do it right yet) 5. rust spot 6. it needs a radio! that is all. . . for now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLoyale Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 When you shift into gear(s) do you feel anything (Stiffness, Vibration etc.) in the shifter? Sometimes if you are parked on a hill or a place where you have all the vehicle weight on the parking pin, it could make a noise when shifting it out of Park. Also, do you Valve covers leak oil? This could also cause white smoke (Mine used to when I'd shift at red line and increase the oil PSI which would make the seals leak more) which in turn hit the exhaust and caused a nice cloud behind me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subarulegacy Posted February 1, 2012 Author Share Posted February 1, 2012 I am not on a hill for sure, but when I am driving down the road the shifter does vibrate (don't they all though?), but the reason i notice it is it does feel a little off. . . no clue how to explain it, and a whining noise accompanies it usually (not always!) when I notice it. Valve covers. . . no clue. But it is more likely to smoke whenever i drive it harder, at higher rpm's. Sometimes I will shift it into a lower gear than the auto chooses. (automatics are incredible annoying to me!!) Which again makes me wonder if it could be more serious than a bad boot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLoyale Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 There shouldn't be any noticeable vibration coming through the shifter while driving, I rest my hand on mine and its fairly smooth (Very slight hum feeling from the trans) Whining could be a lot of things, Bearings, U-joint or carrier bearing on the center driveshaft, Internal trans bearings, Diff, or even dirty ATF etc.. Funny that its only once in a while. As for the smoke, yeah, since you manually down shift and bring the RPMs up, it most likely is a seal, Could be Valve covers, Cam/crank seals, Oil pan, Rear backing plate, Which non of these are serious, unless it is pissing oil. Try snugging the 3 10mm bolts for the Valve covers using a 1/4" drive ratchet, that might help. The 4EAT trans are build very solid, best Subaru Automatic made, chances of anything wrong with it are slim. If you have no slipping or delayed gear engagement, I would not worry much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnW Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 I have had people take car's I'm selling to "their" mechanic. Never had a single complaint - in all cases they have completed the purchase. GD Ive been offered jobs by places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SchwarzeEwigkt Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Isn't that nice? It's funny how being a "good mechanic" is all about being careful and methodical and about doing good research. "Bad" mechanics skip any number of the three. I'd love to work as a mechanic or even open my own shop. Trouble is, my "gets done when it gets done" style doesn't work for many people. But anyhow, hijacking the thread. To the OP: Your car is sounding like it needs some TLC by a decent home mechanic. All the stuff you've pointed out is simple on its own. All together it's quite a bit, but I've done exactly what you are doing. I've spent probably three years working out issues with my Outback caused by my sister not taking care of it for a few years while she borrowed it. Identified the major stuff and fixed that, catalogued the minor stuff and am taking care of it slowly but surely. Just get what all's wrong figured out, strike off the important items and set up a to-do list. And think positive. None of what you've brought up so far sounds expensive or tough to tackle individually. You can do it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subarulegacy Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 @theloyale- i drove it a bit and saw that there is indeed no vibration on the shifter ordinarily, but it does happen occasionally. I guess when I noticed it I just jigured thats how it was all the time. . . odd. As far as the smoke goes, your basically saying that if i just tighten everything up that should help? Im i getting that right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subarulegacy Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 @SchwarzeEwigkt- thats what im trying to do, make a list and start on the most important 1st. I am now pretty committed to sticking with this thing and getting it working well and dependable. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subarulegacy Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 And to everyone, I found a place i can work on the car! I can't believe I hadnt thought of it sooner. . apartment complexes are bad places to work on cars. Anywho Ive got a barn/garage area I can use. Also something I just thought of, if it is the valve covers thats causing the smoking/ leaking then if that gets fixed, hopefully my oil leak is fixed too! Which means no replacing anything that requires the engine to be pulled. Progress i suppose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLoyale Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 @theloyale- your basically saying that if i just tighten everything up that should help? Im i getting that right? It might help a little, Valve cover gaskets and Oil pans tend to leak after so many years, just because the torque is lost over the years (Seals shrink) There are 3 10mm bolts with grommets on each valve cover in a horizontal line, just snug them a little more and see if that helps. There are also a series of 10mm bolts on the oil pan, snug them up a little too. 1/4" drive ratchet works best, as you do not want to put to much torque on them and snap a head off. You can also check/snug the Intake bolts, there are 8 12mm if I recall, it doesn't hurt to check bolts, I always do. Cheers, -Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLoyale Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 And to everyone, I found a place i can work on the car! I can't believe I hadnt thought of it sooner. . apartment complexes are bad places to work on cars. Anywho Ive got a barn/garage area I can use. Also something I just thought of, if it is the valve covers thats causing the smoking/ leaking then if that gets fixed, hopefully my oil leak is fixed too! Which means no replacing anything that requires the engine to be pulled. Progress i suppose If you have a few bucks, I would replace the Valve cover seals/grommets. http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=128799 And if you ever do a timing belt on this car, I would also replace both the Cam and Crankshaft seal. http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=498933 http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=498953 The best part is, there is no need to pull the motor. Only seals that you would need to pull the motor to replace would be: Rear Main, Oil separator plate, and backing plate. The rear main seal rarely leak, its usually the Oil separator/backing plate(s) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subarulegacy Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 @theloyale-ok got ya. This car is confusing, you say "over the years", but this engine was actually recently rebuilt. Yet, theres all this we are talking about. But then again its not that surprising, when I brought the car into the mechanic (that i can't afford no more lol) he said that someone got in there and really messed with the car, Im assuming its the same guy that rebuilt the engine. As in, literally there are stupid things missing, link pins for sway bar, just gone, and something else, my mechanic put a new one on for free (forgot) but ya. . . . But hey I always wanted a project car, this isn't what I had in mind, but hey you gotta roll with it. So, I will be fixing this guys mistakes, or poor workmanship for awhile. Thanks! your really helping out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLoyale Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Yeah, I trust people who say "Its a rebuilt" about as much as Firestone tires. They might have been new seals, or he reused them, or he over squashed them when new and caused pre-mature failure. Your swapbar link pin is only a 12mm bolt with a smooth shank. You could actually leave the swaybar off if you wanted too, there isn't much difference in handling, unless you are gonna Autocross this thing? How man miles are on this car again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subarulegacy Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 Yeaaa im with you on the rebuilt engine thing. But I learn things the hard way. . . school of hard knocks university of life. as far as the sway bar goes. . .you serious? Orrielly's wanted to charge me like 60 bucks for that! Glad i didn't. . . . But I would hope that the sway bar improves the stability some. . .going 70 you kind of notice it, especially on the Kansas City Highways! Autocross:brow: . . .naw probly not. But I have challenged a buddy of mineat the drag strip! Sooo tempting, I would love to smoke my friends 5.0 mustang in this. . .right now not even close! But. . .i need to stay focused lol get it running right first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subarulegacy Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 oh ya 156,3xx and counting on the odometer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLoyale Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 156k! Its still a baby, sh*t mine has 224k (Was a neglected ghetto car most of its life lol) As for the link pin, yes, it is just a bolt. Unless dude was talking about the swapbar end link (Which is hard plastic) and looks like this: This one is a Performance version with Poly bushings, but looks the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnW Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Let the car cool off and clean the bottom of the valve covers off with Brake Cleaner. It will probably take a rag and a couple doses but clean it all off and then drive it again. Probably become obvious when you slide under where the oil is dripping off then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subarulegacy Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 @theloyale- yep. . .if you trust the odometer. Title says another 100,000. I prefer to believe the odometer is right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subarulegacy Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 @shawnw- ok i will try that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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