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akafriday

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    I Love My Subaru

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  1. Well not new but new to me - thought hare some news I am pretty stoked about. I just bought a 2005 Outback 3.0 R LLBean with only 60k on it! It was bought at a dealer auction in the states and it came from Arizona so it has never seen a winter. Just wondering if anyone could tell me what should I get done / check out right away other than getting it under coated. I am in Ottawa, Canada - winters are long, cold and salty here. Cheers all and thanks in advance.
  2. After reading the comments I will skip the additive route - thanks. Please let me be clear I have no intention of "throwing away" the car. My '98 has transmission issues as well. Runs well enough for now - but who knows when that will go. I suppose if you throw enough money into any car out there you can really keep it going indefinitely. I am going to attempt to replace the gaskets myself once I have a replacement and then sell the vehicle. I think an 03 with only 78k on it is perhaps a good opportunity. If I had similar problems with the newer car I would feel better about sinking some money into it. Thanks for all the responses.
  3. Hi all - posted recently regarding my 1998 Outback 2.5 having the beginnings of a HG problem titled "I think head gasket but symptoms don't support theory" My plan is as follows: I found a 2003 Limited with only 78k on it, and I need to move on it pronto. Dealer is asking 14,500. I am going to offer 12. Thoughts on the '03? Once I have the car I am going to attempt to replace the headgaskets myself on the '98 and hopefully once resolved I will sell it. I could not in good conscience sell it with a sersious problem I am aware of. Worst case it is a junker. Best case - well what do you guys think I could sell it for with 284km on it with new a new gasket kit installed? As always thanks for your opinions. This is a fantastic resource. Cheers to all.
  4. Thanks - dave, I was considering that - but I know that the transmission was slipping as well after a fluid change. It was drained and filled with synthetic and I added a Lucas stop slip additive and it has been fine so far, however, I know that there are trany problems there as well so in addition to the possible HG failure - at this point I am not sure it is worth the investment.
  5. Thanks all for the replies. I already replaced the rad cap - damn bubbles are still there. Going to try a cooling system additive that stops leaks. I know, I know there is no reason to think this is going to work but what the hell. As far as doing it myself.... well it is our only car and my wife would kill me if I had it apart for a number of days. I tinker but I have no illusions regarding the complexity of this job. I am 100% positive, being a first timer, I would miss something be it not torquing something to spec etc. that would leave me doing it all over again. Out of curiosity - is it possible to replace head gaskets without removing the engine?
  6. Thanks Nipper. Is it worth it to fix it? I seen quotes for almost 2k... http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/images/smilies/frown.gif Is there any magic additive worth trying???? This sucks. Thanks for the reply.
  7. 98 Subaru 2.5L Outback 284k KM Now I know everyone will say head gasket but please keep this in mind before reading on: - Mechanic tested head gasket using chemical that tests for combustion gases in coolant and test was ok. - There is no coolant in the oil - checked via dipstick - There is no oil in the coolant - checked in resovoir - There are no visible coolant leaks - There is no indication of coolant being burned and steam coming out the tail pipe. - The heat in the vehicle is perfect. - There are no strange smells. Initially the temperature spiked I immediately pulled over let it cool off and returned home which luckily was less than 3 minutes away. The thermostat, and hoses were replaced with a non-OEM and temperature spiked again. The thermostat was then replaced with OEM and I drove for almost 2 weeks without trouble until today. The temperature spiked again - I pulled over and waited, checked coolant in rad - topped it up (very little) and continued on and had no trouble. I have noticed bubbles in my coolant resovoir and a hissing like air either being pushed out or sucked in not sure which. The hissing is coming from the vicinity of the rad cap. In an attempt to address this I replaced the rad cap but the hissing and bubbles persist. The bubbles appear immediately after driving and gradually disappear suggesting coolant system is sucking air from somewhere. Not sure where to go from here - based on the absence of symptoms supporting head gasket failure I am not sure what else it could be. I would appreciate any advice people could offer. Thanks in advance.
  8. Thanks for the insight people. 2 quick question and I already think I know what your going to say to the first 1) Is it absolutely necessary to use OEM plug wires? A mechanic told me the Subaru just rebrands the NGK plug wires. I know, I know OEM OEM OEM..... blah. 2) Could a "lazy" (thanks for the term Nipper) CTS cause the poor fuel economy I am seeing. oh 1 more 3) Should I even bother with a tune up before spring if I am unecessarily worrying about the mileage I am seeing seeing as how 15mpg seems to not be abnormal? Thanks.
  9. Cheers Nipper! I will be sure to provide an update. I already have the recommend NGK plugs - is there anything special I need to use to gap them? Also what do you feel is reasonable to pay for wires? (2.5 4cyl)
  10. Thanks Nipper - fuel filter done, air filter done, pcv valve done Have not done plugs wires and O2 sensor. Where along the exhaust would i find the pre cat O2 other than obviously before the cat. Cheers!
  11. Hi All I have been through the other threads re: bad gas mileage. 98 OB 261K KMs, currently I am only getting a little more than 400Km/tank (60L) I drive it pretty easy - and the mileage was much better before although it was the summer. Based on info in the other threads on or more of the following code be the culprit: 1) CTS 2) MAF 3) Plugs/Wires 4) O2 Sensor pre cat Here is the dilema (refering to the above) 1) Temperature of vehicle is rock solid heats up fast and sticks dead centre every time - rule out CTS? 2) MAF - no code being thrown - rule out MAF? 3) Starts great even in very cold weather, power is ok to - plugs/wires ok? 4) No O2 code - O2 ok? Not sure where to start here any help would be appreciated. The knock sensor and PCV valve have been replaced - not sure if that is relevant or not. Also after a repair recently I had to disconnect the battery to clear the code. I heard that you are to let the car idle for 10 minutes after this procedure to reinitialize. I did not do this - could this be the source of my problem. Thanks in advance.
  12. Just wondering why my gas mileage became so poor when it became cold? Once I fixed this it was ok again. How does the FTS affect emmissions?
  13. Hi All - finally I had the time to take care of this annoying problem. Here is waht I did 1) Located access hatch behind rear passenger seat 2) Remove outer access hatch and disconnect power to fuel pump. 3) Start engine until it stalls (depressurize fuel system) 4) Remove the 3 fuel lines 5) Undo all bolts and remove fuel pump and fuel pump assembly - I noticed that a wire had come off its contact point which is what I believed to be the FTS leading to an open circuit and therefore the "high input" error 6) Soldered the wire back on and reassemble 7) Disconnect the negative battery terminal for 5-10 minutes. Presto - fixed.
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