Blue Whale

'96 Outback Wagon, EJ25: gaskets replaced by the previous owner at 135,000 miles.

I had this kind of failure with the radiator in my '96 OBW a few months ago. The all-metal replacement that came from RadiatorBarn.com is well-made, fits properly, and has been very satisfactory. It was $153.64 delivered, which was a better price than I could find on an aluminum/plastic replacement. The only disadvantage is the extra weight.

Those pictures would have been immensely helpful when I changed mine two years ago. It took me a while to find the sensor and a while longer to decide what I needed to remove to get access to it. I'd just add that it isn't necessary to drain the coolant when you change the sensor--you won't get much leakage through the sensor hole. Of course, if it needed doing anyway, why not do it at the same time?

So--you would then be replacing an engine that runs well and has a known history with a less powerful one that has an unknown history, instead of replacing the head gaskets and resurfacing the heads. It might work out well--or not. What if the replacement engine has a burned valve, a leaking head gasket, or a worn rod bearing? It's probably fine, but you won't know for sure; an engine can have problems but still run well (as the one in question apparently does). The yard is selling it cheaply because it isn't known to be worth more; to me, that's the questionable engine. Pre-1997 EJ22's are very good and reliable, but they aren't immune to the effects of poor maintenance, hard use, or occasional bad luck. Since my Outback has the EJ25 with a prior HG failure, and is very solid two years after the repair, I have a different perspective than the folks who shun all such engines. If it's a good running engine with a known history of proper maintenance, I'd do the repair.

Might the compressor clutch be slipping?

I had one go bad on a '93 Legacy a few years ago--just over 100,000 miles, on a trip to Oregon, it suddenly froze up (quietly into the still night, actually); from the way it felt, I believe it was mechanical breakage (with the clutch engaged, slight play either way, then no further movement possible). There was never an AC issue before that, and the system didn't leak then or thereafter (I had a shop remove the R-12, changed the compressor, retrofitted the valves, and refilled with R-134a; the system worked fine). Subarus can have various brands of compressors, so experiences may vary. My '95 has a compressor identical to the one that failed--no problem with that one. Anyway, compressors can fail, and they can fail in a self-contained way as mine did, without damaging anything else.

Subarus are generally pretty reliable, and have been for a long time; I know this from personal experience as much as from Consumer reports. There is an element of luck with these things, and then for used cars there's a history that may or may not be known. The two Subarus that I bought new, a '93 and a '95, have had minimal repair issues. Each did eventually need the alternator replaced, but after a its more miles and years than yours. The '95 has needed a starter, a knock sensor, and a coolant temperature sensor; the '93 needed a power steering pump and an AC compressor. Front outer CV boots needed replacement at about 100,000 miles; of course I did the inner ones at the same time. None of these issues was expensive, except for the AC compressor (new, from the dealer); on the other hand, I did all of the labor myself--such as it was. The '93 needed nothing at all except for routine maintenance before 100,000 miles. Three months ago, I bought a '96 Outback to replace the '93 Legacy wagon; the latter, at 155.000 miles, was in a minor collision that made it a total loss for insurance purposes. This Outback, which I call the Blue Whale, was very expensive to the previous owner: head gaskets, catalytic converter, O2 sensors, coil and wires, thermostat and coolant hoses, and many other things replaced--all at fairly high prices, and all within about two and a half years. As for me--I got it after the money was spent, and with recent tires, battery, fluids, and even wiper blades. At 156,000 miles, everything works well, and the price was very good. I anticipate minimal problems over the next several years, and no car payments. Your Forester probably won't be troublesome forever; it may go for years at a time without needing any repairs, possibly with a new owner who will then have the benefit of the fixes you've made. In the average case, a Jeep is going to need more attention that a Subaru, so it isn't a good trade to make on that basis. It could make sense for other reasons, primarily better off-road capability. In any case, I hope your car difficulties are coming to a close.

I've always preferred a manual transmission too, but found that the five-speed in my '93 Legacy was adequate but not enjoyable, and that the automatics in the '95 Legacy and '96 Outback are just fine: they both shift appropriately, and neither makes its engine seem any less powerful. There isn't any significant difference in fuel mileage, either. The Outback has 156,000 miles on the odometer, and its automatic is still performing very well. To each his own, but I'd leave the automatic in place unless there are problems with it.

From the description, I'd suspect that your ABS (all '96's have it, don't they?) is causing the vibration. I have no experience in diagnosing and repairing ABS--I've only had a car with antilock brakes for three months, and I've had no need to tinker with the system--but maybe someone else here can help.

You said it doesn't even blow any air? Does the automatic control in the SVX turn off the fan when the compressor isn't running? If not, your problem may be with the fan circuit: without the fan running, the compressor clutch won't engage (if it did, your evaporator would be encased in a block of ice after a short while).

My wife and I took our '93 AWD Legacy everywhere, up and down California's central valley in the summer heat and over the Sierra Nevada, enjoyed the AC all the way and never experienced any overheating. In fact, the temperature gauge never climbed above the half-way mark. I never really bothered with cooling system maintenance on that car, except to observe that the hoses were in good condition and the water pump wasn't leaking (it never did leak); all was well until a minor accident made the car a total loss at 156K miles. Those 2.2 engines are not trouble-prone at all. The DOHC EJ25's aren't so bad either, but they don't have that bulletproof quality yours has. Before a long trip, I'd just make sure any deferred maintenance items are brought up-to-date; that way, you'll avoid worries.

I had a 1969 VW Bug that kept its original battery for better than 11 years and about 125,000 miles. Nothing much over seven years in subsequent cars, however.

I'm expecting my all-metal replacement radiator to last a long time. The construction is quite good, and it even does away with the need for the separate top and bottom brackets that were bolted to the original. There's a price to be paid in weight, of course. Still, I'm pleased to see that the temperature needle now stays below the center marks, a bit lower than with the original and also lower than on my other Subarus (past and present) with their aluminum/plastic radiators. The cause for replacement wasn't cooling efficiency, however; it was a sudden leak somewhere between the fins. This was the second time a lightweight stock radiator failed me; the first was on my '82 diesel Rabbit, where the joint between the metal and the plastic started to disintegrate.

The Radiator Barn (radiatorbarn.com) sells all-metal radiators for Subarus, and the price isn't bad. I got one for my '96 Outback for $153.64 delivered. Yours shouldn't be much more.

Popping the ball joint out doesn't affect alignment (provided that you put it back when you're done ), and it wouldn't be easy to damage the boot when prying it out. You wouldn't put your pry bar directly against the joint. It's a nice way to go because there's only one bolt to remove, and it's one that comes out easily. On the other hand, I might try the other way next time for comparison purposes.

Two months ago, I was fortunate to find a local '96 Outback on Craigslist for $2500. 2.5L, automatic, 154K miles, decent overall condition, excellent tires, and a detailed history of repairs and maintenance. The HG's were done at 134K, and a variety of other items were replaced within the past two years: front catalytic converter, oxygen sensors, coil pack, plugs and wires, seals (no leaks anywhere), belts, battery, and more. It was no bargain for the previous owner, but is very satisfactory for me. One thing: the radiator began leaking within the first week. No problem; I replaced it with a better one (all metal) for $145. The car was cosmetically imperfect--minor dings and scratches--though better than average for its age; it needed a thorough cleaning, but everything was and is working properly, and there's no hint of torque bind. I don't think there's any downside to the 2.5L DOHC engine under these circumstances, except that you'll give up a bit of fuel economy for the extra power.

If original, the head gaskets may fail in the near future, or they may not. If they're original and you want to upgrade to the more recent HG's now and be assured that failure is unlikely, you can do that; on the other hand, if you want to avoid needless repairs and keep costs to a minimum, you can just keep up with normal maintenance and only deal with the problem if it arises. Others have explained how to tell the difference between original and newer OEM gaskets; in my own '96 engine, I know they were changed at 134,000 miles (previous owner's records) and I can see on the exposed portion that sticks up that that all layers appear to be metallic. If the heads weren't inspected and milled as necessary (mine were, fortunately), even new gaskets may fail, sooner than you'd like. For myself, absent any sign of a problem, I'd leave things alone and enjoy the car.

I never thought of trying for 120 MPH with the old brown wagon...on the other hand, it didn't LOOK fast, so who would have noticed? Maybe some people have the opportunity and the desire to drive like that, but I don't have either. I can't say I would worry about the S or T speed rating there too much--and speed ratings don't have anything to do with load capacity, either. Those Michelins from Costco are plenty good for people who don't race their 14-year-old Legacys.

In doing this a few times, I've also loosened the knuckle by disconnecting the ball joint instead of the strut; I'm sure the latter will work, but the former takes only one bolt and doesn't disturb the wheel alignment.

This makes little sense to me, as the '93 Legacy isn't any faster than the '95, and doesn't make any special demands of its tires. I have had one of each since 1993 and 1995; a few years ago, Costco refused to sell me any tires that didn't have an H speed rating for the '93, even though the preceding two sets of similar tires had come from Costco. I didn't care about "H" but did want "M+S" so I had to find another tire store, since Costco had no "H" all-weather offerings at the time. I think those Michelins will serve you well--if you can get them.

If it's the same model compressor with the same plumbing, it should be OK. You will at least need to drain out any old lubricating oil from the compressor, as the type used with R12 isn't suitable for R134a systems (not harmful; just not able to do its job). Note, however, that even Subaru dealers have a hard time identifying the correct compressor to order sometimes; we were given one for our '93 Legacy that had the correct Zexel model designation but the wrong pipe fittings. The parts department got it right the second time, though. I did see that our '93 and our '95 had the same compressor, which made an R134a conversion very simple; I asked for a compressor meant for the '95 so that it would come filled with the correct oil, drained the old oil from the receiver-dryer, replaced any O rings that I had disturbed, put on the correct R134a hose fittings, and filled the system with R134a refrigerant. It's worked well for six years, and has been just as efficient as it was with the old refrigerant. My reading at the time of the replacement and conversion convinced me that there was no need to flush out the old lubricant; it was fine to pour out whatever would come easily, and then add the correct amount of the new type (mostly already there, since the compressor was filled with it).