Rooster2

Thanks to all about coolant additives to help lessen hg problems. Has Subaru ever said what percentage of stage 1, 2.5 motors will develop head gasket trouble? Was there ever a recall offering a permanent fix? If I ever have to replace hg, is there a revised hg that is better then OEM?

I recently bought a '99 OBW with the 2.5 motor with 149K miles on the odometer. I took the car to my favorite mechanic who has his own shop. I had him change the tb, front crank seal, water pump, and fan belts. He was very aware that 2.5 Subie motors have a tendency to blow out head gaskets. To help prevent this, he added some GM Cadillac sealant pellets to the cooling system. He said that Cadillac adds these pellets to their new cars at time of manufacture to prevent head gasket blow out problems on their cars. Has anyone here used this product? Was this the best product to use, or is there something better that I should be using on my 2.5 motor? Also, Subie dealers sell some coolant additive product designed to save head gaskets. Is that product good?

I have used KYBs on a number of cars, but not yet on a Subie . Yes, they are a little stiffer then stock, but with that slight stiffness comes excellent handling control. My daughter's Jeep Wrangler needs shocks, and I plan to intstall a set of KYBs. For the money and performance, they are a good value.

Thanks guys......I successufly replaced the knock sensor. It was a hassle reaching in with a drive extension and flex joint (wobbler) to line up the socket on the bolt head. I used some sticky plummers putty inside the socket to pull up the loosened bolt. I used my torque wrench with poor results, as the flex joint would swivel while using the torque wrench. I just could never get an accurate torque reading. So, I just guess at a good tightness, not too tight to break the sensor, yet tight enough to have it work properly. Car now runs better, the check engine light stays off. Thanks again for all the good advise.

Thanks guys, with a buddy's help, we located the knock sensor. It wasn't the easiest item to find. Now, to get it installed next week. Thanks again to all for the help on this project.

Thanks for the advise. I appreciate it, especially the part about not having to remove the intake manifold. Regards, Larry (Rooster2)

I have a 98 Legacy Outback, the check engine light code said I need a new knock sensor, so I bought one. The Haynes Subaru manual says that I need to remove the intake manifold on passanger side of engine to gain access to install the new sensor. Is this true? Man that is a lot of work for such a small sensor with an electrical pig tail. Is their an easier way to install? Any advise will be appreciated. Thanks!

I have a 98 Legacy Outback, the check engine light code said I need a new knock sensor, so I bought one. The Haynes Subaru manual says that I need to remove the intake manifold on passanger side of engine to gain access to install the new sensor. Is this true? Man that is a lot of work for such a small sensor with an electrical pig tail. Is their an easier way to install? Any advise will be appreciated. Thanks!