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Might buy a 96 legacy for my sister. What to look for?


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Head gaskets weren't a major problem on the 2.2 but occasionally they do fail. More than likely you'll never have to deal wih them. But if they do fail, they're usually manageable. I have a 95 with over 260k on it that has been showing signs of a bad head gasket for the past 35k miles. I have to add about 1/2 qt of coolant to it every oil change.

 

 

There are a handful of common oil leaks that may need to be addressed. Separator plate, cam plug o-rings, and the front cam and crank seals.

You should also plan on doing the timing belt ASAP, even if he has receipts for it. Most of the time the idler bearings don't get replaced and those are what fail.

You also need to remove the oil pump and check the screws that hold the backing plate on the pump. They can work loose and cause oil pressure to bleed off.

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Head gaskets weren't a major problem on the 2.2 but occasionally they do fail. More than likely you'll never have to deal wih them. But if they do fail, they're usually manageable. I have a 95 with over 260k on it that has been showing signs of a bad head gasket for the past 35k miles. I have to add about 1/2 qt of coolant to it every oil change.

 

 

There are a handful of common oil leaks that may need to be addressed. Separator plate, cam plug o-rings, and the front cam and crank seals.

You should also plan on doing the timing belt ASAP, even if he has receipts for it. Most of the time the idler bearings don't get replaced and those are what fail.

You also need to remove the oil pump and check the screws that hold the backing plate on the pump. They can work loose and cause oil pressure to bleed off.

 

Good to know,

I will have a look at his receipts and see if it talks about this. I have done the timing belt on my 2005 (2.5i) But I diddnt even look at the oil pump when I did mine. Everything was bone dry up front. 

Edited by vtwinjunkie
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If you've done a timing job on the 05, the 96 will be a cake walk, (assuming its a 2.2)

 

The problem with the oil pumps is that backing plate is inside, so oil pressure bleeds off internally. You never see the leak. And when the oil pressure light starts to flicker its down under 5psi oil pressure.

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96 2.2 will run forever and outlast everything else on the car. About the cheapest, easiest, most predictable 100,000 miles you can buy.

 

full timing belt - belt kit with pulleys, reseal oil pump/tighten backing plate screws, new cam seals and cam cap orings. Easy job.

 

New valve covers gaskets, NGK plugs and wires and cheap eBay knock sensor. New coolant, ATF, front diff oil.

 

Then drive it another 100,000+ miles with hardly any maintenance oil and air filters.

 

Struts, rusty exhaust, alternator, brake caliper pins (rust/grease) and fuel pump are standard high mileage maintenance items. Have a used lower mileage pump and alt on hand to avoid stranding or low grade aftermarket units if they fail. I'll replace those two items around 175k but I realize most people in the 96 price point are hoping to get lucky and not worried about like-new reliability.

 

Www.car-part.com and list by price for cheap parts

 

Subaru had $70 alternators for that car at one point.

Edited by grossgary
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96 2.2 will run forever and outlast everything else on the car. About the cheapest, easiest, most predictable 100,000 miles you can buy.

 

full timing belt - belt kit with pulleys, reseal oil pump/tighten backing plate screws, new cam seals and cam cap orings. Easy job.

 

New valve covers gaskets, NGK plugs and wires and cheap eBay knock sensor. New coolant, ATF, front diff oil.

 

Then drive it another 100,000+ miles with hardly any maintenance oil and air filters.

 

Struts, rusty exhaust, alternator, brake caliper pins (rust/grease) and fuel pump are standard high mileage maintenance items. Have a used lower mileage pump and alt on hand to avoid stranding or low grade aftermarket units if they fail. I'll replace those two items around 175k but I realize most people in the 96 price point are hoping to get lucky and not worried about like-new reliability.

 

Www.car-part.com and list by price for cheap parts

 

Subaru had $70 alternators for that car at one point.

Finally got a chance to look at the car.

 

 

 

both outer axle shaft seals in the front are blown and need replacement.

 

ac works though!

Edited by vtwinjunkie
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yea. I was a bit concerned about the work that was actually done. To have the trans leaking like it is even though they have been there 4 times....is a bit concerning. 

 

same for the oil leak at the valve cover. sheesh. 

 

 

This shop is robbing people blind. 

Edited by vtwinjunkie
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They twice noted future leaks at the water pump - maybe that's the source of the coolant leaking?

Aftermarket gaskets are terribly flimsy and prone to leak- they're not much more than paper.  The Subaru gaskets are robust stamped metal and excellent quality.

 

If they tried to use a cork gasket - those things suck. 

If the pan is bent or the holes are "concave in" from previously being tigthened then get a new pan and reseal it. 

I'd just get another used pan and RTV it and properly torque it down. 

 

If it's just the water pump causing coolant loss then the thing looks like a great car - new water pump/gasket, axle boots, and reseal the AT - not bad at all. 

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Whats funny is that did the timing belt on it in 04 and not a year and a half later had to do a water pump and cost the guy another $300 why didn't they just do one with the timing belt it would've been a $75 part if that!

 

Also, agreed with grossgary inspect the oil and tranny pan.

A lot of people think they should use a gasket for the pans. These come with RTV from the factory, don't use a gasket.
Did my tranny pan (2.2) with RTV 8 months ago and zero issues so long as you use the RTV correctly and torque it properly. 

 

And yeah 2.2, they'll never die.

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They twice noted future leaks at the water pump - maybe that's the source of the coolant leaking?

Aftermarket gaskets are terribly flimsy and prone to leak- they're not much more than paper.  The Subaru gaskets are robust stamped metal and excellent quality.

 

If they tried to use a cork gasket - those things suck. 

If the pan is bent or the holes are "concave in" from previously being tigthened then get a new pan and reseal it. 

I'd just get another used pan and RTV it and properly torque it down. 

 

If it's just the water pump causing coolant loss then the thing looks like a great car - new water pump/gasket, axle boots, and reseal the AT - not bad at all. 

def would believe that the pan is most likely warped or something. I saw signs of RTV grey around it. 

 

I will have to drop it and see the gasket. 

 

I will have to check the water pump. no signs of leaking externally but I will get up closer when I have more time. 

 

oh yea....I purchased it today, so its mine!

Edited by vtwinjunkie
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I would also suspect a slow leak at the water pump. 

What shop is that? Need to warn people not to go there. 

 

The shop is Asian Auto Service in va

 

Also, The exhaust was welded on after the cats. they must have rusted and just welded them back on. sheesh. 

Edited by vtwinjunkie
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This should make you a nice reliable car with the leaks sealed up and timing belt idlers and water pump replaced. It is likely the oil separator may also be leaking on the transmission side of the engine. This will appear as if it is a rear main seal leak because the oil will drip out from the back side of the engine. I noticed in the repairs done that the rear main seal was replaced. Did not see (may have overlooked) oil separator plate repair or replacement. If this is a concern to you, the engine (or trans) needs to be removed in order to replace it. These can get quite bad to the point of people chasing you down after you park to tell you your car is on fire (happened to me twice, it was only the oil dripping on the converter and smoking). If there is a leak there, buy a replacement metal (current part is stamped steel) one from Subaru and install it. The original plastic ones are very prone to leaking and very difficult to get sealed again.

 

By the way, I have a couple of parts cars and if you need some used parts and don't mind driving to the Roanoke area e-mail me at johnnybgood163@gmail.com

 

I might have something you could use. 90's Subarus are a bit hard to come by in the boneyards around here and most I have seen are picked clean.

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Regarding the timing belt, When I get a used Subaru that I am going to keep or for a family member to keep, I always do the timing belt if it has over 100k miles. Peace of mind. Much cheaper than a complete valve job or replacing the heads. I don't trust service records from a shop I don't know.

 

It might ​be ok for a while, but the timing belt has to come off to do the oil pump service mentioned above anyway. Seems kinda unwise to put a used belt back on.

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