Lone Ranger Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 My 05 Outback XT just turned 30K. I'm getting lots of literature from the dealer to do the 30K maintenance. I'd like to do some of it on my own, rather than spend $900. What are some of the easier items that I could do on my own. The plugs seems easy to get to. Any gotcha's with them? I could bleed some of the brake fluid on my own I bet too. I don't have a ton of experience working on newer cars, just brake pads and oil changes. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 List the items they want to do for $900. As I recall, a lot of the items on the check list besides plugs and oil are check this, inspect that, fill washer fluid, drain wallet... I would say that depending on your driving conditions, the brake fluid could be changed when you do your first brake pad change. My 05 Outback XT just turned 30K. I'm getting lots of literature from the dealer to do the 30K maintenance. I'd like to do some of it on my own, rather than spend $900. What are some of the easier items that I could do on my own. The plugs seems easy to get to. Any gotcha's with them? I could bleed some of the brake fluid on my own I bet too. I don't have a ton of experience working on newer cars, just brake pads and oil changes. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Ranger Posted July 8, 2006 Author Share Posted July 8, 2006 Replace coolant. (What's involved here? Do you have to splice a tee in?) Replace fuel filter. Replace air filter. (Done) Spark plugs. Inspect diff fluid. Inspect Auto trans fuild. Replace brake fluid. (Would bleeding a fair amount suffice for this?) Inspect brakes. Inspect steering. Rotate tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejs Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 I did the plugs on my oldsmobile and it's no huge deal. I had a gap tool though, your new plugs must be gapped correctly. Get OEM plugs too. It was a pain to get the back plugs on the Olds's V6 but the horizontal engine shouldn't be too bad. Read up on it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wondercow2 Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Replace brake fluid. (Would bleeding a fair amount suffice for this?) That's exactly what they'd do. Brake fluid is cheap, so just keep topping it off as you go around the car and bleed all 4 wheels. When it comes out clean on all sides, you've replaced all the fluid. (well, okay, there may be some old fluid in the ABS controller- anyone know if that's in-line from the fluid tank to the calipers, or if it's off to the side and won't get bled normally?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Ranger Posted July 8, 2006 Author Share Posted July 8, 2006 Wow, those plugs seem pretty tight to get to. Are the square things attached to the plugs the coil packs? Or are those the boot ends? They don't look like other plug ends I've seen. I think I might back away from that, after looking them over. The ones on the passenger side seem even tighter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outback_97 Posted July 9, 2006 Share Posted July 9, 2006 FWIW I recently did most all the 120K mile stuff on my car, the only thing I haven't done is the plugs, I'm shying away from that. Front and rear differential and AT fluids are very easy to DIY, I'd recommend doing those yourself, unless there's something radically different on the XT vs. my 97 and 03 Impreza, it's quite simple. That will save you some bucks. Even though it just says "inspect" these fluids, IMO they should be changed at 30K... I think that under "severe" driving conditions (which is most vehicles most of the time) they say to change the fluid. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted July 9, 2006 Share Posted July 9, 2006 Well, I'm all for staying within one's comfort range and knowing when to say when, but I've done my 2000 Legacy plugs a few times, making sure to use antisieze compound on the threads. The plugs may be bit tight to remove at 30K miles but subsequent changes with the antisieze compound make it a snap. Access may be a pain, but slowly remove the air intake on the right and window washer on the left (drain, unplug and unbolt). The first time will take a little deciphering but it is intuitive and you'll get it.Go slow, one at a time, grab the boot not the wire and give it a side to side and out pull. I have found that the OEM plugs are gapped properly and Subies seem to like the NGK spec plugs though recently I switched one step cooler experimenting with a pinging problem (another story). Carefully thread the new plug in by hand and don't force it. If it seems hard, stop and rotate counterclockwise and then rethread so as to not cross the threads. It's a feel thing. Use the search function on the site and there are instructions for changing fuel filter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Ranger Posted July 16, 2006 Author Share Posted July 16, 2006 Well first things first, I bought a Haynes manual for 2000 to 2006 Legacy's (including Outbacks and Bajas). Had a tough time finding one, but eventually found on for $20 shipped at DiscountAutoRepairManuals.com. Turns out I was right, on turbo models, the coils are attached to the plug ends. There's a screw holding them down. That's why they wouldn't budge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Ranger Posted July 23, 2006 Author Share Posted July 23, 2006 So what size is the front differential plug, t60 or t65? I bought a t55 and thats not it... I have an automatic transmission Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 Replace coolant. (What's involved here? Do you have to splice a tee in?) Replace fuel filter. Replace air filter. (Done) Spark plugs. Inspect diff fluid. Inspect Auto trans fuild. Replace brake fluid. (Would bleeding a fair amount suffice for this?) Inspect brakes. Inspect steering. Rotate tires. skip the spark plugs, as subaru has a rediculously low mileage for this. If the car is running fine let them go. i would also skip the brake fluid untill you need a brake job, as that is another low number everything else you do yourself. DO rotate the tires. no oil change? You may want to add the pcv valve to that list. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.