DooMeSuuby Posted July 27, 2004 Share Posted July 27, 2004 Hi, this is a wonderful group of Suuby owners! My 1997 Legacy 2.5 (sweet ride) has a few problems. Questions: 1) What potential damange do I risk by running her w/o the thermostat? The thermostat was removed 1 week ago. I live in temperate climate near San Francisco. 2) Can someone please offer up a specific URL that will lead me to a repair manual or diagram with easy to follow steps to install a new thermostat? 3) The car is sputtering when I accelerate.. feels like the fuel filter needs to be replaced. Can someone please offer up a specific URL that will lead me to a repair manual or diagram with easy to follow steps to install a new fuel filter? Thank you so much! David dasani25@hotmail.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hohieu Posted July 27, 2004 Share Posted July 27, 2004 You can find repair manuals on CD-ROM off ebay for about $20, including shipping. As for running your car w/o a thermostat, this will prolong the period of time that your car is operating at temperatures lower than optimum temperature -- not as severe during warmer months, but this will result in poorer running and decreased fuel mileage. To be safe, replace the thermostat w/ one from Subaru; you can find the best prices at www.1stsubaruparts.com. Also replace the thermostat seal, for which you will need to contact the above site for the part #. The thermostat housing is mounted to the water pump. Follow your lower raditator hose toward the bottom of the left (driver's) side of the engine, and it will lead you to the thermostat housing. Undo the two hoses and remove the two bolts, and voila, the thermostat will pop right out. If you haven't already done so, this would be a good time to flush and refill the cooling system, w/o the thermostat. As for the rough running engine, it could be multiple things, ranging from simple to complicated. You could start w/ the simple stuff: air filter, spark plugs, and the fuel filter. Instructions for replacing these items should be in your owner's manual. The fuel fitler is located behind the washer fluid resevoir. There are also many threads on this site about fuel filter replacement so you can do a search. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DooMeSuuby Posted July 28, 2004 Author Share Posted July 28, 2004 Thank you very much, kind Hohieu! Am I correct in my assumption that prior to undoing the two hoses and removing the bolts, I have to DRAIN the radiator? Won't the radiator fluid come pouring out if I undo the hoses? (Sorry to be so ignorant here...) David >>The thermostat housing is mounted to the water pump. Follow your lower raditator hose toward the bottom of the left (driver's) side of the engine, and it will lead you to the thermostat housing. Undo the two hoses and remove the two bolts, and voila, the thermostat will pop right out. If you haven't already done so, this would be a good time to flush and refill the cooling system, w/o the thermostat. << Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawksoob Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 If you haven't done it in a couple of years, might be a good idea to go ahead and replace the coolant, anyway. Removing the lower hose, revealing the t-stat is a good way to get a good drain, anyway (in addition to the petcock). That's how I did mine. Check out: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/ Lots of info over there. There's even a really well laid out FAQ about coolant and all things related to the cooling system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jclay Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 The thermostat was the first repair i made to my legacy, and even with limited (then) experience, it was very easy. Either the mentioned CD rom repair manuels, or a haynes manuel (available at your local auto parts store, maybe even library) are a good place to start. In my opinion, Haynes is more complete/detailed then the Chiltons repair guides that are also at your parts store. The fuel filter should take around 15 min. Theres a thread somewhere called "tips for replacing fuel filters" that you can do a search for. if i recall correctly, its specifically geared towards Outbacks, but alot of the sme info applies to legacies jared Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SevenSisters Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 Get a new thermostat gasket while you're at it. I popped the two bolts to drain my coolant. Put it back together, added new anti-freeze and had a leak that force me to do it all over again. Like everyone said, get a Subaru theromostat. It has the air bleed hole in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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