johnceggleston

the plugs in the 2.5 engine thread into the head through a hole in the valve cover. so there is not only a gasket around the perimeter of the valve cover there is a circular gasket around the "hole" in the valve cover that allows the plug to reach the head. some one in a similar thread just in the last few days posted a picture of one.

before i spent another nickle or any more time on the problem i'd have the coolant checked for hyrocarbons. this will tell you if you have a headgasket leak. if you do then you are wasting your time and money on other fixes. i'd go to a napa store or the like and ask about a test kit for exhaust in the collant. hopefully it will not be there, but i've read a lot of threads that started as overheating fixes only to finish with headgasket fix. sure the t-stat is an easy cheap fix, but do a survey and ask how many people have actually replaced a t-stat and had that resolve their problem. my guess is the number will be low. the only difference between an air lock/bubble in the collant system and an exhaust bubble / lock in the coolant is that no matter howmany times you burp the system to clear the air out of it, when it's an exhaust leak, it will keep coming back. you can put coolant in ti till the cows come home and it will just do it again. get it tested first!!! then decide how to spend your repair dollars.

the how is almost as easy as the where. there is a rubber hose about 1 inch in diameter coming off the air intake and attaching to the left side top rear of the engine (left as you stand and look at the engine.) there is a clamp holding it on to the pcv valve. the pcv may be a little rusted. hopefully by now you have the new one to refer to, this valve is hex sided just below the hose attach point, (looks like a bolt head) and then there are threads, like pipe threads, where it threads into the engine. disconnect the clamp, remove the hose end, unthread the pcv valve, thread in the new one , re attach the hose and clamp. easy and cheap. good luck.

depending on how soon you were going to try and install your plugs and wires, you might consider buying on line. i paid 60$ local for subaru wires, and apparently they can be had for 45 / 48$ on line. but i didn't want to wait. a chain service center here (va) quoted 250$ for plugs and wires, 105$ for parts and 145$ for labor. way too much for my taste. search for plugs and/or wires and you'll find some good tips on doing it yourself. it may take a little while to do but is dooable and is worht it. i had to buy an extention set for my ratchet to get it done and still saved over 150$. good luck and let us know how it turns out.

looks like ccr came through again. in spite of the mix up they made the necessary corrections and deliverd another great engine. you can't beat that.

first you read before you drill and bolt, but that's not important. what's important is that the bench press victim needs to adequately lubrcated so as not to squeek when pressing. a six pack minimum, 12 pack better. i don't know this for a fact, but my guess is that the reason these guys are looking for a "2 inch " receiver for their bike rack isn't because that's the only size rack avaiable, but because there are tons more 2" receivers on the market. there must be a smaller receiver version for the bike rack. the 2" receiver is a class 3 . the bike rack is going to carry 300(?) pounds max. how much can a bike weigh? there has to be a 1+1/4" version. tell them to ask.

mine didn't leak when cold. not untril the system heated up and the pressure increased. my cap looked ok on the outside, but it still leaked. i wonder if oem cap would last longer (mine was not oem, old or new). i didn't even price it. good luck.

maybe temp sensor, temp gage (does it move at all), instrument cluster connections .... how hot is the heater when you drive it? if it's putting out "HOT" air then the t-stat is working. if it's just mild or warm, then it's not working. i would think the temp sensor would throw a code but i'm not sure. does obdI have a code for temp sensor? check your heat. if you have a cooking/meat thermometer (the kind you stab into a piece of meat) stick it into the air vent and measure. it might be the gage. i wouln't want to do this ... but if you drained it and ran the car the temp gage should spike. "THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS". you could ruin your head gaskets. check your heat. edit: tape a thermometer to the upper radiator hose (so you can still read the temp), this won't be a perfect temp reading but if it goes high ..... at least you'll have an idea of the temp.

we just had this discussion last week. i'd use a new bolt, new pulley and torque it past the spec. i think i'd rather bust the bolt than ruin the crank. one is easier to fix.

search burp*

you can buy seats, if wait long enough and are willing to pay enough you can buy leather ........... ooooooooooo leather!!!!

thanks for the post and info. i'll try it . last week when i changed my plugs and wires, i checked my battery acid level. (champion battery, new this year). it was a little low so i added some distilled water, at least 12 oz. maybe 16 or so total for 6 cells. much more than i expected, i filled until the water reached the "depth gage"(?), mayb just a little more. yesterday when i got in the car i noticed a spot on the pavement, popped the hood and found the top of the battery (just a little) and the battery tray wet. so i guess i should have my alternator checked. if it's over charging my battery, that's not good. what else, if anything, should i check? and can i do it with a multi meter or should i got to autozone? thanks , john

just out of couriosity, what do you change to make a 97 2.2 non-interference? the pistons, heads, valves??? and what makes the 99 so you can't correct it? just interested. 97 and 98 2.2 non-interference engines... what a great selling point. john

the last post dealing wit hwipers "slapping" the car was on the high end of the arc. some one reported that the linkage was worn out and sloppy and that was causing the problem. linkage is located under the apron(?) near the firewall under the hood. should have a black rubber gasket on it the entire width of the engine bay. good luck.

unless there's something wrong with that wheel, you better get an alignment. otherwise you'll wearout your winter tires in the same way. that would be a real waste. you need to solve the problem as soon as the winter tires go on, if not before.

matt, what kind of relay, where did you get it, where did you mount it , and which wires did you splice into to do the job?????? i was thinking about just a pushbutton for the starter, but a relay sound much better. thanks, john

i have a 95 that has begun to act funny. so i'm just learning abou this. but from what i've read so far.... it could be the speed sensor on the transmission, but it's cheaper to pull the speedometer and clean the contacts first. it may be the speedometer it self, but cleaning the contacts doesn't cost if you do it yourself. used speedo are an option to save some money. and i have read that you can turn the numbers on the speedo, but only forward. never turn them back. as far as adding miles for thoses you may have missed this year, even if the spedometer isn't working the odometer may be. so which is it speedo, odo or both not working.? i think in my case it's the speed sensor on the trans, because i just had it swapped and everything worked fine before the swap. john

call them up and tell them you need the ones for abs.

do you hear this rain or shine, (all the time) or just when it rains.? it's hard for me to imagine that 6oz. of coolant would make it low enough to slosh/gurgle. i remember something about water getting inside the passenger rocker panel, (the part below trhe door on pass. side.) can't imagfine why it would sound like it's in the dash so it probably has nothing to do with your situation. good luck.

it may not have anythin to do with the alarm. my 97 obw has an intermitten starter problem. between reading here and fiddling with it i have concluded it is in the electric in the steering column. was hoping for starter contacts, but i don't think so. i think mines in the column. good luck. let us know what you find. edit: i've had pretty good luck geting it stared by turning every thing off, lights, radio, ac, and then trying again. not perfect but helpful.

i wonder if the subaru tour is like the budwiser tour used to be whan you could go and drink beer for free??? maybe they'll let you drive a new car for a while, like maybe 200k miles.

imagine the headache if WV did emission test. do you feel lucky, do ya?? take the risk or play it safe??

merchant tire in va quoted 250$ for plugs and wires replacement. wires were 96$ plugs 10$(?) labor 150$ @ 75/78 per hour. i think this was "retail plus".

how about removing the rear section of the drive shaft for the week end. wopuld that hurt any thing?? i don't jhave the thread but here are some pics: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=50543 http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v204/All_talk/Subaru/4EAT/? some of the parts mentioned in the former post seem unneeded. like "plate under". check out he pics and see what you think. my repair used silicone gasket on the rear extention housing, not factory gasket. definitly use new duty c. if you know what a bad clutch pack loks like can you figure out what a good clutch pack looks like? and if it's your labor would consider used. good luck

when searching car-part.com, everything indicates that 95 a/t is 4.11, 95 m/t is 3.9. the 3.9 shows up in the description of rear "carrier" for 95 m/t thru 97 m/t more often than any other ratio. 95 a/t thru 98 a/t is 4.11 for 2.2L cars. this is not a garrantee. i'd call the dealer parts dept. EDIT: i also found a reference to the 4:44 ratio in the 96-99 2.5L a/t as 40 x9 teeth. if this is the case then the 4:11 ratio will have 37 teeth on the ring gear and 9 on the pinion; and the 3:9 will have 35 teeth on the ring gear and 9 on the pinion. any one know if this is acurate? and is it more or less work to swap a ring gear than a rear diff. ?? my guess is more. but knowlege is power, and more is better. john