4FOR4

I forgot to mention that the gasket replacement was happening with the engine still in the car. Standard procedure?

A few weeks ago the '98 Outback was hit by a deer. Body damge repair was $3400. One of the things replaced was a cracked timing belt cover, passenger side. They gave me the car back and it ran terrible. Idle had a side to side gallop and after about a week the infamous overheating problem started. I took it back to the repair shop and the frustration began. With all the valuable information gleaned from this forum I was pretty sure I knew what the problems were but I couldn't get the shop to agree and they pretty much were going to wash their hands of it. The increasing volume of my complaining wasn't getting far. I finally had to agree that if they did the testing I wanted and found nothing I would pay, an insurance coverage fear I assume. Here's what they found once forced to look: - Took timing covers off, found the side that had been hit, cover replaced, timing was off by a tooth. They couldn't believe it, never seen anything like it. Thought they had it all fixed gave it back to me. I took it for a test drive and although it ran much smoother I got it to overheat in 20 miles. I brought it back to the shop and showed them the bubbling in the coolant res but they didn't think that meant anything. - They looked at it again and found that the cooling fans had some wiring issues that were missed during collision repair, fixed that and told me to come pick it up. They said they drove it all over and it was fine. I took it for a ride and got it to over heat again within 20 miles. COLOR=red]It really does matter how you drive it, you have to put it under load, Drive it like you Stole It! [/color] - I didn't hear from them for a couple days and when I went today they were in the process of putting the engine back together after replacing the head gaskets. From what I could gather from this shop the symptoms of this head gasket failure are not like others. The moral here is be informed and push for what you want. Looking back should I have taken it to a Subaru dealer for collision repair? Would the insurance company allow that? And the real question: will my Outback ever be the same again?! What other damage occurred due to timing being off and over temperature operation? It makes me sick thinking about it.[

Could someone tell me where oil would be coming into the air cleaner from? The side the PCV comes in is dry (I put a new PCV in a couple of months ago). Is there a breather or something that comes in on the passenger side of it that could be failed?

Spent Sunday afternoon in and under the Brat. - Changed fuel filter by pump; no better. They didn't have the under the hood one. - Bought some Sea Foam and did some carb cleaning. -Dumped some carb cleaner and isopropyl in the gas tank. - Filled it with 93 octane. The dropping out / rough run problem moved to 4,500- 5,000 rpm. You really have to push it in 3rd to get to happen but it still does. What's the concensus? Carb or fuel pump? At what point should you see fuel spraying through the rear (smaller) jet of the carb? While revving I can see the front but never the back, or the throttle below it move. What's its purpose, high load?

I'm having the same trouble wit the '86 BRAT, started about a week ago and is getting progressively worse. I'm going to try the fuel filters tomrrow. Seems to happen when under load, usually at about 3,000 rpm in third and fourth gears. Thought it might be wires but I sprayed the hill out of them and it didn't cause any problems. How do you check for fuel pump problem? Do you have to drop the tank to change it?

Besides the general ugliness of the clear coat peeling and the aluminum oxidizing underneath, the other problem I have is keeping them sealed. When you mount the tires make sure the bead area is super clean and use some kind of sealant, otherwise you'll be chasing leaks and adding air daily.

Happened to me once and it was the outer wheel bearing. The chase just about fused itself to the spindle. I broke it free with a pipe wrench, cleaned up the spindle with some fine abrasive paper and replaced bearing. Back in business!

Vehicle- '85 Brat GL w/1800 engine Previous owner didn't like the carb so he put one on from a 1600 It seems to bog down when given gas and just has no where near the pickup of my stock '86 Brat 1800 original carb The question- Is the no power problem a function of the non standard carb or since it does smell very sulfury, could a fuel mixture adjustment take care of this (running too rich)? I'll admit carb adjustment is not my specialty. Thanks for anything you can offer.

I'm sure what you mean by torque lock but I recently had a problem where on turns the back end jumped around like being in 4 wheel drive on dry roads. Sort of like the tires where sliding due to difference in turning circles front to back. The solution was to replace the torque conveter in the rear differential. After time and mile these things develop small grooves in the spline and the rings get caught in them and can't slide. I don't know if that's your trouble, I didn't see a sysmptoms

I don't know the reason you want to replace the radio, but if it is to gain a CD player, I recently got an original equipment Panasonic (optional in '95-'99) from a yard and put it in the '98 Outback. The wiring harness and bracketing are already there. It took 1/2 an hour and would have been quicker than that if I didn't take the time to wash all the coffee spills out of radio and temp controls from the poorly placed drink holder. The CD player fits right in where the little junk collector is below the radio. One cable connection for power another to connect to existing radio and it was done. Sweet little install, I wish I had done it along time ago. Had to wait for donors in the junk yard I guess. I might add the wife (who's daily driver this is) was VERY appreciative (emphasis on very).

What would I do with all the AWD if I didn't have snow to play in?

It's around 40 dgrees F today. Too warm to get it to not start. Purred like a kitten this morning.

After removal of cup holder and ashtray screws, the trim is loose exposing the 6 radio frame screws, also philips. The front 4 are easy, the last 2 are one on each side of the radio about 3 or 4 inches in. It's a very narrow opening to get to them and the chances of dropping them into the black hole below is high. If you have a magnetic tip or some other trick for keeping hold, use it.

I'll give your suggestions a try Legacy777 By the way, my '92 that I'm talking about has the same paint as yours, they look alot alike. I saw in the marketplace site someone was try to get rid of a spoiler off a '93. It would be a great addition to your car. I'm sure it would fit.

The point wasn't that I wanted to go 60, it was more a general slam to those who regardless of the weather feel there is no need to slow down and that the roads should be bone dry even during a blizzard. The battery has been changed also. When the problem occurs it doesn't even try to spin over, almost like a dead spot on the starter or a key (ignition) switch problem. If you hold the key on though it will suddenly spin like it should and start right up.

The stock tires are designed for stock driving, no real off road stuff but any kind of snow you'll incounter on a "road". Being from Buffalo New York, I've seen quite a bit of snowy weather driving. Your choice in autos has put you way ahead of the curve. All wheel drive is tops. I've been able to get through where 4 wheel drive vehicles (which as we know are really 2 wheel drive) got stuck. And pulled them free with the wagon! Going isn't really your concern, concentrate on the stopping! On slippery and snow covered roads defensive driving is the way to go. Give yourself plenty of room between your car and the one in front of you. Slow down through the curves Don't pump the brakes. Your new Subie has anti lock. When you step on them and the wheels start to slide you'll feel a very unnatural pulsing that will make you want to let up but don't. Practice some quick stops in a place that's open and safe like an empty parking lot. Get a feel for the car and the brakes If the snow catches your tires or you hit a patch of ice and start to slide, remember to steer into the slide. What I mean is, if the rump roast end comes around to the right (passenger side) steer to the right. If it goes left steer left. This will keep you from doing 360s and help you recover. Take your foot off the gas during these moments of fear, but don't slam the brakes on! Slow down slowly. Again something to practice. Above all though, be prepared. Take it from a guy who sat on the Thruway (I90 outside of Rochester) during a storm for 8 hours! The same spot! -Keep the gas tank full -Have water and food (snack bars keep well) -Keep a tow strap in the car for your own use or to pull out others. The benefit of the strap versus a chain is no sudden jerk when it gets tight, more of a sling shot effect -Jumper cables and a few tools are always nice to have. You can never have too many 10 mm sockets. Have fun with the new car. Take care of it and it will take care of you. I have 4 subarus and they are all going strong with more than 150,000 mile. Keep the oil fresh. Now get out there and play!

Thsi the the third year now that with the snow comes starting problems with the '92 Turbo Legacy sedan. It seems to be temperature related, usually happening after sitting all night or after many hours of sitting. You turn the key and nothing but a relay click happens. Hold the key in the start position for 30 seconds to 3 minutes and it will start. When it first started happening I put a new starter in, but problem persisted. Anyone have any ideas? This is my daughters car and I'd like to resolve the problem so the bitchin stops. Other than this problem, which only occurs when it's cold, the car looks and runs fantastic @ 170,000 miles! Considering I live in western NY where they put tons of salt on the roads so the non All wheel drive people can drive 60 mph, that's a pretty long life! Any help would be appreciated

MY '98 Outback has had the same symptoms as yours on two different occasions, a couple of years apart. The first time I assumed Thermostat and changed it. On road test, same overheat. I thought I put it in upside down or something. All of a sudden while going up a fairly steep hill, the temp went back down and was fine, up until this weekend. I think it's been 2 years, maybe just one. This time it actually over heated. This car was in a deer collision a couple weeks ago and the radiator was replaced so it's got new fluids, could be something got stuck. Again though the hill trick worked. I know there's a trick in filling the radiator in these. Instead of going through the radiator cap, which would be the obvious method, you have to take a plastic plug out of the other end of the radiator. I've come to the conclusion that its some kind of vapor lock or loss of flow. I had the shop plug into the computer and no codes were recorded. Try the hill trick, front end up. Also fill from the opposite end of radiator.

MY '98 Outback has had the same symptoms as yours on two different occasions, a couple of years apart. The first time I assumed Thermostat and changed it. On road test, same overheat. I thought I put it in upside down or something. All of a sudden while going up a fairly steep hill, the temp went back down and was fine, up until this weekend. I think it's been 2 years, maybe just one. This time it actually over heated. This car was in a deer collision a couple weeks ago and the radiator was replaced so it's got new fluids, could be something got stuck. Again though the hill trick worked. I know there's a trick in filling the radiator in these. Instead of going through the radiator cap, which would be the obvious method, you have to take a plastic plug out of the other end of the radiator. I've come to the conclusion that its some kind of vapor lock or loss of flow. I had the shop plug into the computer and no codes were recorded. Try the hill trick, front end up. Also fill from the opposite end of radiator.