ZGLoyale

Hi- Just saw the Forester - the head gasket was SORT OF replaced - one side only. ??? What does that mean? Will I be in trouble in a month or two? Otherwise, in good shape - tranny seems smooth, brakes good, AC cold - has most of the major service records since 2001 (when they bought it). Clean in and out except for a few parking dings and scrapes. Didn't find out when the motor was made - couldn't seem to find the month. ??? Kevin

See below

Thanks for the info guys - I'll (hopefully) get to start it up cold. I'll check the engine temp just to make sure. Although if it's harmless to have the knock, I won't worry about it (can it really be harmless??) I will see it this morning and report back - on another note, I saw a 97 Legacy L wagon this morning. I liked that too! I know, it's not exactly apples to apples... But it has 103k on the clock and the owner - while nice - didn't know when the timing belt was done and doesn't have any recent service records. Even though it's half the price (he's asking $3k) I think I'm a little shy on that one. Am I thinking correctly? I'm just looking for a good dependable city car - my wife will be taking it on trips from NYC to Philly quite a bit. And we go out to Aspen in the summer - other than that, I don't have a lot of requirements. THoughts? Thanks for the help! Kevin

Hi all, I saw a little info on another thread here, but I thought I would just post to see if anyone else had any more current info - I'm looking at a 1999 Forester L tonight (in NYC) with 95000 miles. It's had the timing belt done and just had the head gasket replaced. Anything else I should know, or look for? Is there a way to tell if it's a phase I or phase II engine? Any feel for price? They're asking $6k which seems inline with KBB. A little more than my pocketbook, but I don't want to put the $$ down and find out later it needs another $$ for repairs - been there, done that! Any help is greatly appreciated!! Cheers! Kevin

Well, thanks again guys for all your help and advice. I got my Subie back and they didn't change the seals even after I called to check up on it. I appreciate all the info, but this guy has been working on Subs for a long time and told me that even if he changed ALL the seals, I'd be back in a year with oil leaks. It's hard to argue with a mechanic when he knows you are armed only with the knowledge of "the 'net". It sort of felt like So, next time, I'll just check in here first and find a mechanic that will do what you guys recommend! OR, do it myself! What is this "hippie author" book that you refer to? I couldn't find it. Anyway, thanks for all the help! All you guys are very helpful. Kevin

Yes, I think that is right. From what I understand on here (and in the car) it only has 3 speeds. Although there is a passing gear of some sort - will rev up to 5-6000rpm if need be, then back down afterward. I actually didn't find this out passing anyone exactly, just on steep mountain passes when I needed to keep minimum speed up! These responses help me - thanks. The fluid did get changed, but I don't think the mechanic did anything else with the filter, governor, etc. So I will look into the rest - something I can do? Also, is this a tranny that is really prone to failure at some point as Turbone suggested? Thanks again! Kevin

I am unsure of the mechanics behind it all (see post by NorthWet for the real dope), but I can say that my engine light is on for the same reason - EGR valve, according to the mechanic who serviced my car recently. (93 Loyale wagon) He said I should see no effects driving and I shouldn't worry about it. With that, I took it to heart and I'm not worrying about it! Easy enough. Good luck! Kevin

Hi, I just bought a 93 Loyale wagon - as some of you know and have helped me out(thank you!) - but the automatic transmission worries me a bit. I just took it in to get serviced, it has 85,000 miles on it and the dealer just said that it shifted "normal for it's age" Hmmm... What mine does is surge, or jump into second - often times hard, like you're driving over a little bump in the road. It will do less going into third, but still some. Seems like it's more around town and less when accelerating fully through - like on an onramp or something. Anyway, I'm just curious to know, from all those who have a similar vintage/tranny, what your shifting feels like? And hopefully it will give me some insight into whether I need some serious work on it or not. Many thanks in advance! Kevin

Don't know if this is too far for you (or if it's still available) but I saw this around Denver a few weeks back: http://denver.craigslist.org/pts/88700848.html Good luck! Kevin

I'm glad that you're thinking the same way I am...regarding the dealer. I ended up with a quite sizeable bill, and many of the same problems remain - although he did change the timing belts, other belts, flushed the whole system - brakes, coolant, diffs - but I didn't understand when they DIDN'T replace the purge solenoid and/or the egr valve which was apparently causing the "check engine" light to go on. He said I didn't need it - ok. But he also said that if he replaced ALL the engine seals, a year from now, I would still be leaking oil. He just said to keep watching the oil - add when necessary, and "drive the hell out of it!" That was (at least) funny. The tranny shifting that worries me is that is seems to jump into the next gear rather hard. Not really smooth at all. Especially when you let up on the gas a bit. I'm unsure about what RPMs it should be shifting at - I'll look next time. But it's just that bumping, or surging, that makes me think the timing is off a bit. I dunno - I'm a one banana mechanic...and that's with a manual tranny!! Anyway, for better or worse, I have the Loyale back home now. She gets to go in for a shampooing tomorrow morning to get that "funk" smell out. Thanks again for all the help and info - really helping me out. Kevin

Well, called the dealership again to confirm these items you recommended. The water pump will be done and they will be doing the two timing belts. But they said they won't be doing the oil/cam seals since "it increases compression in other areas of the engine - possibly leading to a blowout in another area. The seals looked good and it's recommended to do all the engine seals at once when you do the whole engine." Um, true?? Also, are there other transmissions (Auto) that people swap into these? Again, sorry for the newbie questions...I'm just learning as I go...thanks again! This is a great board - similar to the Cruiser boards I subscribe to as well! Kevin

Thanks for the responses! Ok, here's the latest: I took it into the dealer and they confirmed a few things, added a few others. They are going to do a full 90,000 mile check up which I believe includes all fluids, tune up, etc. They will also replace the two timing belts and the "check engine light" indicated a bad purge solenoid and egr valve(?). They will replace the purge solenoid but they don't have the part for the egr - said I don't need it right away. They are also going to replace the axle. All this ain't cheap - $1800!! Ugh...but here's what they're NOT doing that I need advice on: -The tranny - they said they would just replace the fluid. No other service was talked about. They said the rough shifting was "due to age"- do I think that's the truth? Should I ask for more? What normally goes into "tranny service"? Seems like a lot of money - more than the estimate and more than I was expecting, but maybe it's expected on a vehicle of this age? Anyway, let me know any thoughts/opinions. Many thanks in advance! Kevin

Thanks for the help! Yes, I know the tranny sounds bad - I'm crossing my fingers! :-\ I'm taking it to the local Subaru shop tomorrow - we'll see. What about the RPMs? Going on the highway, seemed like I was really around 4000 the whole time. From my searching here, that seems high - can that be fixed? Anything else I should be on the lookout for? I guess one just has to assume that nothing has been done..sad... Thanks again for the help! Will let you know the diagnosis when I hear - cheers, Kevin

Hi all, I'm a true newbie to the Subaru world. I just picked up a 93 Loyale Wagon yesterday up near Denver and my fiance and I took to it right away. Lots of character and room and enough comfort - not to mention it had (relatively) low miles - 85,000. I have lots of questions, but the main one is: what should I look for/have done before I head out on a 2,000 mile trip from Colorado to back east? I want to make sure this will get me there and back. Here are problems I know about: -Tranny (auto 3spd) is a little rough on shifting. Is this normal or should I be worried? - CV on the left side clicks only when turning hard to the left - Timing belt has NOT been replaced - does it need to be with this mileage? - The idle is rough - RPMs fluctuate and the car has a low vibration, again is this normal? - The "Check Engine" light is on - was told by the PO that it was the "purge cylinder"???? Is this something I should replace/checkout/worry about?? - seems to rev at 4000 rpm on the highway (65-70mph), isn't that high? Or normal? Anything else? We're leaving Sunday (hopefully) so any and all help is truly appreciated! Sorry for all the newbie questions... Thanks in advance and look forward to joining the discussions!!!! Cheers, Kevin Cobb Aspen, CO 93 Loyale Wagon 77 FJ40 2F