edrach

Interesting. Car was manufactured in 9/96 but title says 1997. I would prefer it to be non-interference, but that's another issue unimportant to this thread.

I can't believe I left out the mileage. Car just turned 130K.

I'm sorry, but how many times do I have to say it was an original, OEM Subaru PCV? I have to chuckle, I'm old, but not senile yet. Don't take this personally, since I do appreciate the other advice. I hadn't thought about oil sitting in the bottem of the engine to blow out during initial running. Hopefully that's it since I don't want to have rings done this soon (less than 130K on the engine).

As I said, first thing I did was replace PCV with original. Doesn't seem to be leaking oil since there's none on the engine or in the driveway. Thanks anyway for the suggestions.

My wife's Impreza goes through oil pretty rapidly. I usually add 3 to 4 quarts between changes (every 2500 miles). I drove it today for the first time starting the engine from cold and in the daytime. I noticed that the car blew lots of blue smoke out the back for the first five minutes until the engine was warm--especially when I accelerated smartly. After warming up, no more blue smoke. This would explain a lot of things since my wife is the primary driver and home to work is about 5 minutes! I do a lot of my own work, but haven't a clue about what part of the engine this points to: rings (which?), valve guides, egr (none on this car), or some emissions related item that somehow sucks oil into the throttle body. For the purists , this is an EJ22 with the two stud exhaust header (i.e. interference engine:mad: ) and the reason for no egr is that it has been blanked off since we got the car and I believe that is normal. Also, first thing I did when I saw the excessive consumption was to replace the PCV with an original OEM unit. Car runs just fine; no strange noises and lots of pep. No check engine lights since we bought it. Any ideas?

Cookie, thanks for the follow-up and info. I'm sorry that the repair cost so much, but I'm sure you finally found the real cause and eliminated it. I find it so annoying to have someone start a thread like yours and then it dies without explanation so we never learn something from it. Long live the Forester.

Bleed them starting with the wheel furthest from the brake master cylinder, then next furthest, and so on. Finish with the wheel closest to the master cylinder. Watch the level of brake fluid in the reservoir; don't let it get too low since you'll just suck more air into the system and need to bleed more out. Edit: I stand corrected; I'll go with the manual as Hodaka Rider suggested.

Releasing the handbrake should be sufficient; but after re-leasing it you can slip the cable off the lever more easily if you like.

C-clamp doesn't work since the piston is on a threaded shaft. You have to turn AND push at the same time. Sometimes you have to push pretty hard which makes it difficult to turn it at the same time.

While in second gear, does the vibration go away on trailing throttle and come back when you step on the gas again. If so, this is pretty typical for a bad DOJ on one or both of your axles. Check the boot for tears; if it's torn on one side that could likely be your problem. Too early to really decide whether it's the tranny or not. Even replacing both axles will cost less than replacing the tranny. Good luck.

Run down to NAPA or the equivalent autoparts store and get the small tool that works with a 3/8" drive to turn the piston back into place. Costs und $10US. Also, open the bleeder valve to relieve pressure while turning. That should do it for you. Good luck.

This is a new car for you and it never overheats unless you turn on the heater? Head gaskets don't normally turn their symptoms off with the heater controls on. You've just been through a summer when the heater is not used. If your previous owner had the coolant flushed by an inexperienced shop (without opening the heater) you could very well have air in the coolent which could account for your problems. Take it to a shop you can trust (try rallykeith, he's not too far from you for advice on local service) and have them diagnose the symptom. Is your car an EJ22 or EJ25? EJ22's do not normally have head gasket problems at this mileage. Before you spend a ton of money on head gaskets, make sure that's what your problem really is. Also, check with the previous owner if he still has any of the service records. No point in doing a timing belt if he had it done recently. If he has no record of doing it, definitely schedule a timing belt as soon as you can since you have an interfence engine and breaking a belt will certainly turn your engine to junk. If you find that a head gasket job and everything else included is necessary, investigate the local craigslist; you may find a wreck with an excellent engine that can be swapped over for less than the cost of all the things you are contemplating. Good luck with it and keep us apprised of how you're doing.

That's okay; you're not the first. Sorry, I'm touchy to that topic since I run in "Prepared" which usually just means I have fancy tires. I personally don't think strut bars are significant enough (in cost or performance) to justify the jump from SA to PA, but the rules are the rules.

White one would make a good ad for Hooters!

ditto on the alternator

"Aggressive" tires move you to Prepared class, not all the way to Modified.http://www.scca.com/documents/Rally%20Rules/2007rxRules.pdf

Actual tire size is not the determinant for bumping you out of Stock class. Check what rules your club uses; most clubs use the SCCA rallycross rules. Definition of stock tires can be found there. Studless Blizzack snow tires seem to be the preferred "stock" tire. I'm sure they are available in 16" size and also much less expensive than these. Check the rulebook for what's allowed in Stock class.http://www.scca.com/documents/Rally%20Rules/2007rxRules.pdf

The effect is cumulative. Every revolution of the wheels adds to the difference in circumference, the further you drive the more the front and rear axles will fight each other.

Zap, you've got too much spare time on your hands. Get back to working on your garage!

Great place to have your car serviced. Stop in sometime and introduce yourself.

I'm with you; never saw a used and re-used one go bad. I've heard that if one compresses the unit too quickly, it could result in failure. But I've never heard of it actually happening.

Rebuilding is just as good as new, and costs less. http://www.philbingroup.com/philbin_rebuilt.htm

http://www.oregonrally.com/files/RX_9_9_2007.pdf

That is just unbelievably sad. R.I.P.

I'm planning on being at Hillsboro. Look for my blue Impreza wagon.