jverbarg

The lower hose for the radiator is a bit soft... might be a good idea to replace it too. I still can't get past the fact that I'm seeing small bubbles in the radiator which get worse and worse the faster I rev it. I haven't had a chance to squeeze the upper radiator hose when hot... It was presurized pretty well last night when it overheated, but I was able to remove the cap pretty easily. I drove the other car to work today 'cause I didn't want to be stranded on the side of the road in the storm that moving through right now.

I was checking it pretty often after the last one for about a week and didn't notice any change, it appeared stable. I could try running for the next week and see if it shows up again, but seeing the small bubbles has me very worried. I replaced the TB on it and have burped it well, I think... but it keeps coming back. I guess there is a possibility that there is a high pressure leak that only leaks when driving, when it comes to a stop it no longer leaks. I've never noticed any fluid at all on the ground with it though. BTW, I've ordered a new radiator cap from the local dealer, it does have some crud on it.

Well, I'm pretty sure the headgaskets are going. Every couple of weeks the car overheats. I refill it, burp it, it's fine and a couple weeks later it overheats again. Typically after I accelerate very hard. When burping it this time I ran the engine at a higher rpm for a time and I could see some tiny bubbles coming around. They are not in the overflow tank so it's not a big leak, but big enough to cause a problem over a period of time. So the big question is does anyone have a recommended shop for resurfacing the heads in the Chicago area? I doubt that they are warped or damaged as I've shut down the engine shortly after overheating, but I just want to double-check and do this right. Any one want to come over for a head gasket party?

I left the timing belt installed, put the socket wrench on and used a hammer as my impact 'cause I didn't feel like walking over to get the impact wrench.

1stSubaruParts is Walker's Renton Subaru in Renton. The one time I ordered from them they shipped very late, couldn't get the paperwork straight and wouldn't respond to my inquiry's as to why I got the wrong Tracking number until I threatened to chargeback due to lack of response. Jason at Mike Scarf Subaru is much better, kept me updated as to the status of backordered parts and when it was shipping. I've tried my local dealership as well and it takes them 4 days to rush overnight parts from Lafayette, Indiana to Chicago, and another day to figure out where they misplaced it. And they still wanted to charge me full price after all that! The other ones in the area just plain never respond to part inquirys. Subaru honestly sucks for parts. I never had these kind of issues when working on my Hondas. I'd go back to Auburn, but it seems kinda silly for me to order from a dealer in WA when I know backordered parts are coming from 3 hours away from me. I wish I could find a reliable local dealer.

Too much math for us young'ins

Well, that's an ebay tactic that some people like to use. Bid a rediculous amount at the very end to make sure they don't get outbid by people who will only place reasonable bids. A couple years ago I was constantly bidding against one of those people on several different auctions over a month and they kept winning me out. So when I saw them place their bid I started gradually bidding higher and higher way way past my personal limit. They ended up winning the auction 'cause I got skeered, but by the time I was done we had it bid over 5 times what it was worth. They never bid against me again!

How exactly do you "read" the codes? Would these also apply to my '96 OBW 2.2l 5sp once I know that? My ABS light is on as well and trying to figure out what to look at. Thanks, Josh

Hmm, this thread sounds just like my problem. I'll be checking Knock and MAF connectors in the morning. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=66538

Hey I'm back... I've had the car for a total of 2,000 miles now, bought it with 120k. The first 1500 I drove like a grandma because the clutch was beginning to slip. The last 500 miles, I started off nice and easy to help break in the new timing belt. When driving around more agressively today I noticed that at around 2500 the engine all of a sudden had a lot more power. Didn't matter what gear, when it hit 2500 rpm it would take off. When I replaced the TB I also replaced the spark plugs with NKG, the wires are still aftermarket Bosch. The autolights I removed didn't look bad. There is no CEL on. Since it's so cold outside I'm being lazy and trying to get some ideas to try before freezing my fingers off... Thanks, J

I just did my 96, 4 bolts, two on the drivers side, two on the pass side. The lower starter bolt is in the trans housing only, only the top starter bolt needs to be removed. I used the hoist to lift the engine out of the mount, put a jack under the trans to hold it in position, and then removed the bolts and engine. I used a tie rod puller that had rounded edges to pry the trans and engine apart. There are two studs or pins that help align the two housings and those where very tight. In fact putting it back together the last 1/4" had to tighten the bolts down evenly since I couldn't get it by simply pushing it together.

And then Skip has to go and post a diagram that shows it as one piece (14). I had to remove both crossmembers so the trans would drop and I could disconnect the linkage to replace the knuckle and bushings. I didn't bother with a jack, just let the whole thing drop as much as it could. The bushings in the knuckle where what failed on me, the others were still ok, but I replaced them anyway since I was in there and they weren't too much. I replaced #14 and all #5's in the diagram Skip posted.

I just replaced the Shifter bushings and knuckle on my 96 OBW. It's a pain in the rear. I had to take off all the transmission support beams to get enough space to drive the roll pin out of the knuckle. The knuckle is shown as having replaceable bolts in all the diagrams everyone has, but it's a one piece assembly that has to be completely replaced if the bushings are bad. I think the knuckle was around $60 and each of the other 4 bushings needed where another $3 each. Josh

Finally, after a month of parts that kept getting lost in transit by the local dealer... At least I have another car that I could drive while this one was down. I'm DONE! Subaru's timing belt has timing marks on it so it made re-installing it extremely easy. Started right up with no problems and runs nicely... Now to take it to the car wash and get a good underside wash. Thanks for all the help! Josh PS: Link to a couple pics I took while doing it. http://s114.photobucket.com/albums/n268/snarfattack/Subie/

What they didn't show was the chain holding the Toyota and Honda back Honestly, not too shocked there. Real-time 4wd means front wheel drive with the fuel efficiency of a 4wd. Where are the domestic truck based systems? I've had the front wheels on Ice and had the auto 4WD system in my Chevy Trailblazer kick the rear right in after a rev or two of the front tires. Traction is even better when the center diff is locked. I'd like to see older model Subaru's on there with simply the viscous center diff, not the latest and greatest with VDC on them.

Yup, the rear one is already replaced, it was leaking a bit. This morning I'll be replacing cam seals and the other o-ring. Hmm, the other pulleys spin freely, but smooth. I'll do this to help keep them in good condition. The toothed pulley wobbles off balance and feels like sandpaper so I'm a little late to save that one.

For those who where curious as to the problem causing the leak, The biggest offender was the "O" ring under the oil pump. It was no longer in the shape of a circle, looked more like a heart. Ordered all the parts I hoped I was going to need... But, once I pulled it apart and checked idler bearings, the toothed idler is going bad and I didn't get that one. Anyone have one in the Chicago area they don't need right now? Otherwise have to wait for the dealership to open Monday... Josh

I like the fact that porcupine shows the subaru part #'s in the pics too! I can't promise my pics will be as nice as his, but I'll try to take some as I go along... Water pump is already on the list, so a couple more seals are going on it now. No plug seals on mine, doesn't appear that the valve covers are leaking yet, so I'll leave that for another day at the moment. TB and these seals should keep me busy next weekend.

Hmm, I'm guessing that the rear passenger cam plug o-ring is leaking as well then... I'll replace that, clean it up and see if I'm still seeing significant leakage before pulling the trans and flywheel... Thanks!

New to me 96 OBW with EJ22, 5MT is leaking a bit. Not enough to leave any drips when sitting, not sure if it's using any oil as I've only had it for a few days. It's at 120k miles so I've already ordered OE TB, front main & cam seals, etc... Just wondering if I should check out anything else while I'm in there or if there's a good chance something else is leaking I can order the parts for. The dealer degreased the topside, so not much to see there... Any opinions are appreciated. Thanks Pics of the oil leakage... Josh

Ethanol is the answer for Brazil, but they make it from sugar cane which doesn't require as much energy to make each gallon of ethanol. It needs another 5-10 years here before the technology will be developed enough to make it the primary fuel for the U.S. All in all, I hope diesel makes a comeback as a cleaner, greener fuel. It can pack in more energy per gallon than ethanol. Josh