JGromada

i like the Icons i just bought

i found a swivel joint extension when used with the spark plus socket is just the perfect length. I use that combination in particular to insert a new plug by hand (no socket wrench) into the engine. A swivel joint is nice because you sort of need to bend the extension to get the plug (& socket) to go in othewise you bump into the sidewalls of the engine compartment. I have always found inserting new plugs much, much trickier than removing the old ones. The spacing is just soo tight. and its not a whole lot easier trying it from under neath the car. I Like threads like this because you get some good ideas.

I need some advice on this. I took my car to this tire place as the Suby (98 OBW) . I also needed some work on the rear brakes. ok fine with this stuff. Dropped it off Sat morning. when they started to do the alignment they told me i had a problem with the left outboard tie rod. I said ok go and fix it. they are open and would fix it on Sunday. Well things started going seriously wrong here. They broke the head off some bolt when trying to install the tie rod end. and then supposedly the ball joint fell apart and somethng else broke. i will go first thing tomorrow to discuss this mess with them. I am pissed.Does any of this make sense to anyone ?

hey you just gave me my day back! i was going to the muffler shop today and now I'm not. I do have a small hole in the middle of the exhaust pipe, but I was planning on just doing a patch job on that.

Fantastic!! so it is just a heat shield? this is such good news! actually i dont think it is a problem , just hear a little bit of rattling (hey i love this board, everyone has helped me so much)

Sorry everyone I am trying to explain but not doing a good job I guess. Here is a picture. (they say a picture is worth a thousand words) You see where that hose clamp is (it is actually rusted off now), On the other end you have the output of the exhaust manifold. That whole pipe is really loose , I can literally turn it like 15 degrees in either direction. the other side is the same. So i suppose because of the looseness there is an exhaust leak right here, and probably a threat of carbon monoxide as well i suppose. Any suggestions? Is that actually a heat shield i am looking at up front? Not post cat!

I've done this on an OBW and I thought this was pretty straight forward. I always heard you need to do three things: Remove fuel pump fuse Crank engine over (will not start) Temporarily remove gas filler cap (fuel line return will vent back to fuel tank and this will alleviate any pressure) Still put a rag under the fuel filter when you loosen it. Use new clamps. So much easier than any other car i have.

No sorry I didn't explain myself well enough. Here is a diagram. You have the piece that bolts onto the exhaust manifolds. Amazingly those pieces look great and the exhaust manifold bolts even look good. I don't think that needs replacing. Part D is the issue. Both the pipes there are loose. (there is no shield or cover) and they merge into the Y piece. I think this piece is around $200. The Y piece goes into the Catalytic Converter. The is going to be a bear because nuts are completely rusted here. (BTW i did take note that the front Oxygen sensor is at the front tip of the first Catalytic Converter.) I am trying to keep this running, but don't want to dump a ton of money into it because the car has like 175,000 miles on it. Question? : Is the Catalytic Converter come in one piece or two? In other words is part C just a single piece? this is from a 95 but pretty close thanks to the other thread listed below:

I was working on my 98 OBW (w AT) , the Oxygen sensors (all this is in a separate thread) I happened to notice my Y- Pipes are really really loose. Not good. and there is no clamps left on anything! I was going to try getting 4 hose clamps (maybe stainless) and trying that, but i was looking for advice from anyone who has dealt with this before. I started pricing replacement parts because it looks like from the down piece on the exhaust manifold to the connection to the front Cat is really shaky. all of a sudden the costs are adding up into the hundreds. HELP!

Wow this thread hits home for me. I think i documented all my problems which are very similar in another thread. Ultimately it will need a new head gasket and it pays to have a good mechanic. I was very thrilled with mine even though the repair set me back something like $1400 (and this was at 119,000 mi)

Ok was under there this morning. I can't get the D*** special socket on the oxygen sensor because of that heat shield. So i got out my 22mm open end wrench, but couldn't get enough torque on it. I am letting it soak overnight with Liquid Wrench and i will attack tomorrow. (almost time for Thanksgiving) I have a Bosch Universal Oxygen Sensor and i think i feel comfortable with the splicing. (least of my problems) I am keeping the front Oxygen sensor and will do that too if i can get that off easily. (thanks for the tip about removing it) My next concern is about the Y-Pipes (always something). I think i will make that a new thread.

Excellent thank you.

I still haven't figured out where the upstream (pre-Cat) Oxygen sensor is? Does anyone have a picture or an illustration they could point me to or share? I am clueless on this. I have replaced the downstream one before, but never the upstream one. thanks

I determined there was an oxygen sensor from the OBD codes. When i went to replace it this past weekend it seems like it was actually broken !?! (the center section could move if touched!) I got a good deal on a Bosch universal sensor.

I want to get an order in tonight so a quick answer would be a great help. I have a 98 OBW with auto transmission. I ordered a oxygen sensor (goes into catalytic converter) the one i got has 3 pins but on the car once i disconnect it there are 4 pins on the connector to the car. I am told by the parts place i ordered from there are two! the front has 3 and the back has 4 pins. anyone confirm this? I don't know where the front catalytic converter would be? any help?

bump , provided data what about muffler shop just replacing the back muffler piece? (has hole in it)

You know thats what my mechanic said. He wanted to know where i got that crappy aftermarket starter (Advance Auto Parts) and he said look for a Denso. He didn't seem to think contacts were readily available. He especially couldn't find them for my aftermarket one. He filed them down for me and then said any more problems go for a new starter and DO check the contacts first prior to installation.

Sorry I should clarify. I have noise and it sounds like its from behind the Cat. I don't think the Cat is bad and even my mechanic didn't suggest that. He did say the back piece was the worst but thought that the center section would end up being replaced because they never come apart cleanly. I always thought cat-back meant the two exhaust mufflers back to the tailpipe. I may check out a local meineke place to see what they say. I kind of don't want to weld whole sections in place though. Details: 1998 Subaru Outback 2.5L 190K its been great, i hope to have it for another 50K. Timing belt done at 115K Yeah Gary I am from outside Baltimore and yes you did help me out in the past. I really like this web site a lot and the people are great.

I went to my mechanic and he diagnosed a bad exhaust. he suggested replacing from the cat back. First of all DIY, Mechanic, exhaust place repair? What do you guys think? If it is a DIY what is a good price for parts costs? and where to purchase? Exhaust work always sucks. i know

i know this is a little late of a response, but i find this interesting since i encountered it as well (head gasket). I got a range of prices from about $1300 up to $3500! I went with the independent mechanic who true to his word only charged around $1300. I was very unhappy with my local dealer ($2400) and the most unhappy with the high end import service place that quoted $3500 (the car was only worth $5000 at the time) as he obviously wanted my money but not my long term business. So what happened?

Ok here is an update. The car went to my favorite mechanic and he agreed it was not the battery after i did another battery swap. He immediately took the starter off and proceeded to check out the starter. He took it apart and noticed the terminals were severely pitted. He mentioned the same thing that some others said here. Avoid no name rebuilt starters. In his opinion they may just replace the specific part of the starter that caused it to fail and don't really fully rebuild them. In my case it was just a little more than a year. He did highly recommend getting a Denso starter if i can find one. Thanks everyone for your help. This site is the best!

Hey just wanted to add my comment. Someone had suggested pushing on the center of the handle rather than pulling up and that worked! I will lube the handle/hinge/lock/etc. thanks for the fine suggestions.

That's an interesting suggestion about the ECU Temp Sensor. On my other thread no one has suggested that. Now where is that located and do you know how much that runs? Are there any definitive checks on that sensor? On my other thread on the tailgate someone had suggested pushing on the center of the handle rather than pulling up and that worked! I will lube the handle/hinge/lock/etc. I will do the PCV as well as my Oxygen Sensor. Thanks everyone!

ok got you, i was thinking the same thing