Rooster2

Welcome to USMB, we are here to help one another. IMO, $600 is a good price. Ask the seller if he has kept receipts of work done on the car through the years. That can be valuable information. There is much written on this forum about swapping out 2.5 motors, like the one that you have. Recommend you do a "search" of the USMB. The 2.5 motor version used during model years of 1996 through 1999 have an inherit weakness of blowing head gaskets. It is recommended to replace with the 2.2 motor from 1995-98, with the best plug and play swap using a 1995 model 2.2 motor. That is what I did on my 98 OBW. The 2.2 motor has an excellent reputation for reliability. Recommend going to website www.car-part.com. It is a listing of wrecking yards nationally. Yards listed present all the parts they have for sale and at what price. I have had excellent results buying parts through their referral system. Ooops, I see by the listing that owner has maintenance info. that is good.

+1 on using UV dye that you can self install from the small cans. Since you are loosing that much refrigerant, that is really a major leak. The dye works well to pin point a leak. Don't recommend using any kind of additive to try to seal a leak. I did that once, only to plug up the condenser, so the system did not work at all.

I don't think their any OEM parts available to convert to intermittent rear wiper operation. I have seen after market switches available. However, they require you rewire to a new switch that you would have to add to somewhere on, or under the dash board. Maybe more trouble, then what it is worth.

I don't know the answer to your question, but suggest you go on line to auto parts stores. Look up the part number for what would be a gen 1 model year car, and compare the part number to what would be a gen 3 model year car. If the starter model numbers are not the same, then I would not buy what is for sale on ebay.

Bad head gaskets show up in Subarus as over heating. When a HG breaks, exhaust gas pushes into the cooling system to cause the over heating. So yes, the exhaust will pressurize the coolant system, and can cause the radiator to start leaking. For what ever reason Subarus don't send white smoke (steam) out the tail pipe, or mix coolant with the oil, that shows up looking like chocolate milk shake on the oil dip stick. It is always that darn over heating problem with blown Subie HGs.

Classic description of symptoms of a blown head gasket on the 97 model 2.5 motor. Both my 98 and 99 Outbacks with the same motor blew their head gaskets in similar fashion.

I suggest replacing the starter.

With a Subaru, if you have bad head gaskets, you learn that because the motor over heats. In your posts, I don't see you having that problem at all. Subarus don't break their head gaskets, so that coolant mixes with the engine oil, so very unlikely to see milky looking oil as a result. The dark antifreeze in your radiator is more likely because the antifreeze has not been changed in that car for a long time. Yea, I read that the previous owner said he rebuilt the motor 10K miles ago, maybe so, maybe not. Unless the previous owner showed you work receipts for that work done, then it is only his word that the work was done. Who knows how good he is at telling the truth. IMO, I would not give up on that motor just yet. Change the antifreeze, swap out the PCV valve, and add the cleaners to the oil as recommended earlier. These are all recommendations for a motor that hasn't had much attention given to it in some time. These are all cheap and easy treatments. Worth giving a try before swapping out motors.

+1......fully agree. There is minimal amount of extra labor needed to install a new water pump, at the time of timing belt replacement. It is preventive maintenance money well spent to know that you have a fresh new water pump in your car, vs an old water pump with 100K miles on it, that could crap out at any time.

I had a similar problem years back on an old VW, in that the front marker light lens would fill up with rain water. It would take a long time to fill with water, and I could not see where water was entering the lens. So, I took and drilled a small hole in the bottom of the lens to let the water drain out. That worked well. Eventually, the drain hole would fill with crud and plug up. I would either re-drill the hole, or clean out the crud with a sharp pointed tooth pick.

How much extra wheel well space do you see available on your lifted 99 Leggie?? Will the strut be in the way?? You may want to go to a tire store with a tape measure. Get measurements on tire width and height. It is going to be tight.

I too, don't advise towing a large truck with a Tribeca. It was never made to haul something that big and heavy. A good rule of thumb, is to always tow using a larger vehicle to pull a smaller vehicle or trailer, never the other way around. I have consistently got a better hauling rate from Budget Rent a Truck vs Hertz, Penske, or U-Haul. Suggest you get quotes on line for cost per mile, and drop off fees if ever considering renting a truck, trailer or dolly. Seems like all the truck rental vendors have "deals" going on all the time.

I have two Subies, both with after market gas caps. Both don't click when tight like the OEM cap. Makes no difference, if the cap is tight, and the gasket on the cap is good, then it will work just fine, won't throw a CEL.

I agree with others, don't replace the cat converter. These days they can last the life time of the vehicle. I doubt that the AZ store would remove the check engine code. My experience is that they simply will tell you what the code represents, you have to ask them what code number appeared. In my similar experience, it may have been a loose gas cap. That will set off the check engine light. To get rid of the code, pull off one of your battery cables, wait a few minutes, then reinstall. The check engine light should be off. Make sure the gas cap is on tight. Maybe the tighten cap will solve the problem. If not, get code read again, this time, ask what code number appears. Post what that code number is..........that will help in future diagnostics.

Absolutely make sure you use high pressure hose, and clamp each end two or three times. Using regular hose, you risk the hose bursting.

Hope you have learned that the glass envelope of the light should not be touched with your fingers. Just a small amount of skin oil can cause the bulb glass to over heat, reducing the life of the bulb.

Noise sounds more then similar, sounds the same to me. Video write-ups thought maybe engine got starved for oil, so spun a rod bearing.

What's ailing your car, that you are looking at additives to fix a problem??

+1 on buying Subie parts through listings on car-part.com. I have done this several times with great results every time. Yards are listed by U S geographical location, so easy to dial in on yards in your area.

Does your engine have a rev limiter?? If so, then not over revved. Sounds more like something outside the engine, like piece of metal that is loose and rattling, or tapping against something. Might be good to use one of those engine stethoscopes (similar to like a family doctor uses) to probe around the motor to try to isolate the source of the sound. Motor sounds good, and revs up easily, so those are positive signs, that the motor may not be damaged. A WRX motor in a 914 has to be a good ride! I bet the power and handling makes for a good combination.

IMO, mostly not, ................ with the exception of Marvel Mystery Oil, Trans-X, and Rislone. I use only when needed, not on a continual basis.

Unless he is a Subaru freak, he prolly won't know anything about the Subaru Conditioner product. I don't think it is mentioned in the owner's manual, let alone advertised anywhere. It is just one of those things you hear about when reading posts on this forum. Yea, figured you were talking about the 2.5 motor. Still recommend the HGs made for the turbo model. They are more stout, and should last a long time. Others will prolly recommend the fel-pro, or 5 star HGs. I have heard they are good also.

Have read on this forum, the recommendation of replacing head gaskets with Subaru OEM made for the turbo engine. Access the "search" feature on this web site. Lots written on head gasket repair, as it is a major Subaru short coming. However, if your engine is simply leaking a small amount of coolant, this can be fixed by adding a special Subaru "conditioner" to the antifreeze. The conditioner is Subaru's special "stop leak" product. It works great. If that works, no need to replace head gaskets at this time. On my 99 OBW, I had the head gaskets replaced by a moon lighting Subie tech, who knew how to do the work without removing the engine. When was the last time your timing belt and tensioners were replaced? May be a good time to do that.

Yikes, all that road salt in Buffalo has done a total number on that sub frame. Gotta think everything on the bottom of that car is rusted to oblivion. Replacing the sub frame would be just a start on repairs. Next would be brake lines............etc etc etc

Agree, I reached that point in the past too, where Windex cleaning no longer fixed the button problem. Time to swap in the replacement climate control unit that you just bought.