stevensocial

So I brought it in to my mechanic who pointed out a boot, not a CV boot, but another rubber boot on the driver's side, about 8-10 inches in from the wheel. This boot's sleeve, where it attaches to the rack and pinion system via a round spring clamp, had completely broken and power steering fluid would spill out of it when you poke the boot with your finger. I was told the power steering leak was likely somewhere internal to the rack and pinion system, and the fluid was leaking out the open end of the rubber boot. Was warned that eventually if i wasn't on top of keeping the power steering reservoir filled, i could burn out the power steering pump. The rack and pinion, new from the dealer is $802, and the labor is about $450, and it includes a flush of the power steering fluid. I feel like I'm getting ripped off here. They just worked on my car 2 weeks ago replacing the timing belt/water pump/knock sensor...now I've got this? I can't believe that the mechanic doing the work missed the power steering fluid leaking all over the floor of the garage bay.

1999 Subaru Legacy Outback wagon, 130,000 miles. Howdy, I had the timing belt/waterpump/O2 sensor replaced on my Outback after noticing severely reduced fuel mileage and repeated CEL with codes indicating replacement of the Knock Sensor. 1 1/2 weeks later, with only in-town driving in there, noticed a groan when turning the steering wheel. Checked the power steering fluid, and noticed it was low. Needed about a half a quart, the groan went away. Didn't notice any hoses ajar from the top-side of things. Two days later, I noticed leaks just behind the front Driver's side tire, looked underneath and all the parts on that side of the axle looked soaked with steering fluid. It was groaning again and I noticed a small squeak at low speeds. Power steering fluid was low, and I filled it with a bottle of the Lucas Stop Leak (I know, don't expect too much from a mechanic in a bottle). The next day, after a day of busy in-town driving, it was groaning again. Topped off the power steering fluid again with a 1/2 a quart, and took it back to the shop where I had the Timing Belt/Water Pump/Knock Sensor replaced. They informed me a couple hours later that the leak was coming from the rack and pinion steering, and recommended replacement of that system...to the tune of $600 dollars all together for parts and labor. Can't get over how quickly the leak started after the initial repair, could there be a connection? Never heard of rack and pinion steering going out on a car. But am worried about what might happen if I keep driving it, just topping off the power steering fluid every couple days. Could the leak affect other areas of the car, especially with where it's leaking right at the front Driver's side tire?

Brought it in to a local well recommended mechanic. He informed me that it was giving an error code 325, indicating knock sensor needed to be replaced. He also warned me that one of the techs noticed an "oil leak coming from behind the timing belt", which could be very harmful for the integrity of the timing belt itself. He recommended replacement of the timing belt and water pump while they're in there. He did warn me that when they open up this can of worms that the idlers pulleys and tensioner pulleys could need replacing too which could up his qoute of $1200 (knock sensor/timing belt/water pump) since those parts cost so much (he qouted me $120 to 180 per pulley). YIKES! Question: is there a timing belt--->knock sensor connection? I don't know, I'm tempted to just get the knock sensor replaced and leave it at that. Thanks, Steven

I had a great mechanic back in Denver who did most of that work me. Since Pep Boys turned off the CEL, it's come on randomly, and will go off every time I fill the car with gas and put the gas cap back on. The car's fuel mileage is still suffering, currently 200 to a tank (usually 275). Bringing it into a highly recommended mechanic in the neighborhood for a once over (Smitty's on Adams street, Normal Heights, San Diego).

Hi, First of I wanted to give a quick thanks to the folks who post and reply to this site, it's been a life (and money!) saver more than once with my 1999 Outback wagon. I recently moved from Denver to San Diego last August (I was commissioned into the US Navy as a doctor/Lieutenant). Back in Colorado my car wasn't the most powerful up and down the mountains, but no big deal, it is a 4 cyl engine. In Jan 08, I had the head gasket, valve cover gaskets, radiator, and water pump replaced after it overheated and bled coolant all over the parking lot at Vail. Has been running great since then. About 6 weeks ago I noticed the car starting to sound a bit "gurgly" when I hit the gas or accelerate. The sound is absent when it's idling or at highway speeds, and dissappears at about 20-25 mph. Hard to describe other than it sounds like the engine is trying to gargle with a mouthfull of marbles, real throaty and rumbly. As time went on, I replaced the air filter, changed the spark plugs, changed the oil, and changed the PCV valve. The sound got a bit quieter but was still there. I even tried some of the "mechanic in a bottle" fuel injector cleaner stuff recommended by a local Pep Boys, no dice. It's a sluggish on uphills, and feels a little wimpier overall. One week ago, while we were having alot of rain, I drove up to Palm Springs for the weekend (about 130 miles away, an elevation gain of about 2000 to 2500 feet, with four adults in the car and luggage) the check engine light came on. I'd been driving at about 70-75 (cruise control was on) in a light rain, no AC running). Luckily we were almost at our hotel, so parked the car over night. The CEL stayed on the whole weekend, my in-laws told us both of their cars had CELs on for years, and they drove fine, so wasn't sure what to think about it. During that weekend, while driving through some moderate grades (everything seems like a grade when you normally live at sea level), I noticed the temp gauge sitting a bit higher than normal (usually sits just shy of halfway), I could watch the temp gauge slowly starting to rise to about 3/4's of the way to overheating and had to drive with the heaters on full blast for the night (luckily it was cold outside anyway). This kept the temp gauge just above normal. Reading the owner's manual, it recommends checking to make sure the gas cap is tightened till it clicks. I did that and the CEL was off the next time I started the car (YAY!). Two days later it's back on, still gurgling, and I've noticed that since this problems started about 6 weeks ago my fuel mileage is suffering slightly (usually 300 miles to a tank, currently about 250-260 a tank). Just brought it in to my local Pep Boys who offer to diagnose CEL for free. They came back with po325 code, recommending replacing the exhaust manifold gasket ($437 parts and labor), replacing the knock sensor ($200), and their "3-step Pro Fuel Package" for $89 dollars. My question is, are these decent qoutes? Can I replace the knock sensor and wait on the exhaust manifold gasket? What will happen if I don't replace the gasket? Is the gasket the source of the "rumbly" sound? Or should I just replace the whole exhaust system to avoid future exhaust-related repairs? Does anyone know a good reliable mechanic in San Diego, preferably close to the Hillcrest area? Again, thanks for all your help folks, and thanks for reading. Steven

I had checked the oil one week before this incident, and it was normal. And like I said, at the time of the rattle, the oil only came up to the bottom dot on the dipstick, with a cold engine. I'll ask the mechanic to do those tests you're recommending.

Hi everybody, I appreciate all of your help and advice. I posted this last Tuesday: I have a 1999 Subaru Outback wagon, with about 115,000 miles on it. She's a great runner, with little complaints over the life of the car. Last summer I had the Timing Belt and Water Pump replaced just as general maintenance, to avoid larger problems. (I once had a blown timing belt on the side of the highway in a snowstorm on my older Loyale wagon, once is enough). Driving it to the ski resort today I noticed my temp gauge was slightly above halfway. It normally sits at halfway, even with the steep mountain driving. I only had about two steep miles to go to the parking lot, where I would have cell phone service again. So turned on the heater full-blast and crawled slowly to the parking lot. The temp gauge continued to slowly rise, until I was finally able to pull over at the parking lot, where my car promptly pissed out a good half cup of bright green coolant. I let it cool down, got underneath to find the large black rubber radiator hose on the driver's side was collapsed like a deflated balloon. It looked like there was a vacuum somewhere and the air was being sucked out of the hose. The coolant reservoir was very full at this point and was not draining into the radiator. I let the car cool, and slowly poured water straight into the radiator. At this point the temp gauge was stone cold. I called a mechanic back in town, who told be to drive it very carefully to his shop. I drove (mostly coasted in neutral) back down the road to town, only giving it gas to keep up speed. I had the heater full blast again. With all this the temp gauge stayed at halfway, and the heater never heated up. Got it to the mechanic, who specializes in Subarus (and still I'm wanting to double-check, I know I'm just really optimistic). The mechanic got the car on the lift, found the radiator hose un-deflated, back to it's normal shape, and no coolant in the back-up coolant reservoir. The main reservoir was still full. He informed me that it was most likely a blown head gasket, which would cost roughly $1800 for starters. He told me that sure, it was drivable but would likely continue to overheat the whole way home, and eventually something far worse (and more costly) could occur. Luckily I had my trusty AAA Plus membership and was able to have it towed the 80 miles back home to my driveway, where it now sits, brokenhearted.[/i] Yesterday, 6 days after it broke down, I needed to move the car. I remembered that it had driven after I'd gotten it off the tow truck just fine. I started it, it had a noticable rattle from the engine. I turned it off, checked the coolant. The main reservoir.....empty, bone dry. Checked the oil....low low low, barely to the first dot on the dipstick. I filled the coolant reservoir with coolant, fresh water into the radiator, and 2 quarts of oil into oil tank. Started her up after that...ran just fine. Drove around my neighborhood...eyes glued to the temp gauge, which was completely normal. Even took it onto the highway for a couple miles...ran like a dream. It sounds completely normal now. Got it home, let it cool down again. Noticed no leaking of coolant or oil. No noticable change in the coolant or oil levels. So what is that?!? I thought if it was indeed the head gasket, it would overheat again and again as long as I drove it. Could the overheating last week be related to the oil running low? It's holding coolant now, so does that mean it's not a cracked radiator hose or radiator. I'm mystified. I'm still taking it into my local shop on Monday morning. They're offered to do a couple tests (exhaust gases in the coolant, etc..) for free to determine if it is the head gasket. And will post what they tell me tomorrow night.[/i] So I've taken it to two, reputable shops in my neighborhood in Denver. Pro Auto Care told me that there were combustion gases in the coolant, and I needed a new head gasket for about $2000. I took it to another shop in my neighborhood for a second opinion. South Denver Automotive rand three tests: for combustion gases in the coolant, a leakdown test, and a pressure check, all for about $90 bucks. All three tests came back not indicative of the head gasket being the problem. Frankly they can't figure out whats wrong with it. The mechanic even told me he took it out and drove it around, to see if the problem would present itself once the engine warmed up. Nothing. The mechanic admitted to me that they had to resort to using something called Fix it or something like that which he explained to me is an online resource for mehanics who are stumped (kind of like Ultimate Subaru), and the recommendations were the head gasket. He freely admitted to me that their tests were negative, but still advised to do the head gasket repair anyway. The estimate was for $1681, OEM Head Gasket set and labor alltogether. Im just confused. I almost want to get a third opinion. Steven

Hi everybody, Just got the car back from the mechanic. Who confirmed exhaust gases in the coolant. Definitely the head gasket. Most likely something that isn't a problem until the engine is hot, gases build up, with the coolant leaking into the head the gases escape into the coolant resulting in the car overheating. The pressure has no where to go but through the radiator cap. Definitely will bring it in for repair tomorrow or Wednesday. The shop will be using OEM head gasket set, replacing all the other gaskets along with the head gasket. I've got an estimate for $1500, with a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty. Mechanic spooked me, telling me that even though I can drive it around town now with seemingly no problems, the fact that coolant is sitting up against the heads can lead to more costly head repairs. This is why I'm getting it fixed sooner than later. It's funny, we're moving to San Diego is a couple months and were already planning on having a moving sale this weekend. Now it's looking more like a fundraiser sale. Wish us luck.

Thanks everybody for your input. A little more info based on folks' postings. The timing belt and water pump were replaced last summer. The oil was checked with a cold engine on level ground. The rattle was likely not heat shields as it was more of a knocking sound. The sound is completely gone now. Drove it again today about 2 miles to school and it drives completely normal. I know I'm asking folks to play CSI here, and rest assured after class today I'm dropping it off at Pro-Auto Care here in SE Denver. They've offered to diagnose for free to ensure that it is the Head Gasket. As for now I'm driving like it's grandma's car, with my eyes glued to the temp guage, and the radio off and ears tuned to any strange sounds. Thanks for the advice on not "pushing" the engine too hard OB99W.

No, no noticable smoke out of the tail pipe, white or otherwise. Nor is there any water dripping out of the end of the tail pipe.

Hello everyone, This is an update...help me solve this mystery. Last Tuesday I posted this: I have a 1999 Subaru Outback wagon, with about 115,000 miles on it. She's a great runner, with little complaints over the life of the car. Last summer I had the Timing Belt and Water Pump replaced just as general maintenance, to avoid larger problems. (I once had a blown timing belt on the side of the highway in a snowstorm on my older Loyale wagon, once is enough). Driving it to the ski resort today I noticed my temp gauge was slightly above halfway. It normally sits at halfway, even with the steep mountain driving. I only had about two steep miles to go to the parking lot, where I would have cell phone service again. So turned on the heater full-blast and crawled slowly to the parking lot. The temp gauge continued to slowly rise, until I was finally able to pull over at the parking lot, where my car promptly pissed out a good half cup of bright green coolant. I let it cool down, got underneath to find the large black rubber radiator hose on the driver's side was collapsed like a deflated balloon. It looked like there was a vacuum somewhere and the air was being sucked out of the hose. The coolant reservoir was very full at this point and was not draining into the radiator. I let the car cool, and slowly poured water straight into the radiator. At this point the temp gauge was stone cold. I called a mechanic back in town, who told be to drive it very carefully to his shop. I drove (mostly coasted in neutral) back down the road to town, only giving it gas to keep up speed. I had the heater full blast again. With all this the temp gauge stayed at halfway, and the heater never heated up. Got it to the mechanic, who specializes in Subarus (and still I'm wanting to double-check, I know I'm just really optimistic). The mechanic got the car on the lift, found the radiator hose un-deflated, back to it's normal shape, and no coolant in the back-up coolant reservoir. The main reservoir was still full. He informed me that it was most likely a blown head gasket, which would cost roughly $1800 for starters. He told me that sure, it was drivable but would likely continue to overheat the whole way home, and eventually something far worse (and more costly) could occur. Luckily I had my trusty AAA Plus membership and was able to have it towed the 80 miles back home to my driveway, where it now sits, brokenhearted.[/i][/i] Yesterday, 6 days after it broke down, I needed to move the car. I remembered that it had driven after I'd gotten it off the tow truck just fine. I started it, it had a noticable rattle from the engine. I turned it off, checked the coolant. The main reservoir.....empty, bone dry. Checked the oil....low low low, barely to the first dot on the dipstick. I filled the coolant reservoir with coolant, fresh water into the radiator, and 2 quarts of oil into oil tank. Started her up after that...ran just fine. Drove around my neighborhood...eyes glued to the temp gauge, which was completely normal. Even took it onto the highway for a couple miles...ran like a dream. It sounds completely normal now. Got it home, let it cool down again. Noticed no leaking of coolant or oil. No noticable change in the coolant or oil levels. So what is that?!? I thought if it was indeed the head gasket, it would overheat again and again as long as I drove it. Could the overheating last week be related to the oil running low? It's holding coolant now, so does that mean it's not a cracked radiator hoe or radiator. I'm mystified. I'm still taking it into my local shop on Monday morning. They're offered to do a couple tests (exhaust gases in the coolant, etc..) for free to determine if it is the head gasket. And will post what they tell me tomorrow night. For you folks out there, what's your best guess? Thanks for your help, Steven

Howdy, I have a 1999 Subaru Outback wagon, with about 115,000 miles on it. She's a great runner, with little complaints over the life of the car. Last summer I had the Timing Belt and Water Pump replaced just as general maintenance, to avoid larger problems. (I once had a blown timing belt on the side of the highway in a snowstorm on my older Loyale wagon, once is enough). Driving it to the ski resort today I noticed my temp gauge was slightly above halfway. It normally sits at halfway, even with the steep mountain driving. I only had about two steep miles to go to the parking lot, where I would have cell phone service again. So turned on the heater full-blast and crawled slowly to the parking lot. The temp gauge continued to slowly rise, until I was finally able to pull over at the parking lot, where my car promptly pissed out a good half cup of bright green coolant. I let it cool down, got underneath to find the large black rubber radiator hose on the driver's side was collapsed like a deflated balloon. It looked like there was a vacuum somewhere and the air was being sucked out of the hose. The coolant reservoir was very full at this point and was not draining into the radiator. I let the car cool, and slowly poured water straight into the radiator. At this point the temp gauge was stone cold. I called a mechanic back in town, who told be to drive it very carefully to his shop. I drove (mostly coasted in neutral) back down the road to town, only giving it gas to keep up speed. I had the heater full blast again. With all this the temp gauge stayed at halfway, and the heater never heated up. Got it to the mechanic, who specializes in Subarus (and still I'm wanting to double-check, I know I'm just really optimistic). The mechanic got the car on the lift, found the radiator hose un-deflated, back to it's normal shape, and no coolant in the back-up coolant reservoir. The main reservoir was still full. He informed me that it was most likely a blown head gasket, which would cost roughly $1800 for starters. He told me that sure, it was drivable but would likely continue to overheat the whole way home, and eventually something far worse (and more costly) could occur. Luckily I had my trusty AAA Plus membership and was able to have it towed the 80 miles back home to my driveway, where it now sits, brokenhearted. I really love my car, and this is the first time it's broken down on me. It has never over-heated before, and I'm only it's second owner, after my father bought it new and put 50,000 miles on it. All you mechanical minded folks out there, is the blown head gasket diagnosis correct? How serious is it? Is there anything else it could be? Remember, timing belt and water pump were replaced a year ago. Is my car done for? Or if I replace the head gasket can I expect to get more life out of the car? I know that head gaskets were the problem for car of this year. I noticed a small patch of oil in my driveway, could it be an oil leak? Poor oil pressure? My wife said that she noticed it smelling hot for the last couple of weeks. And for the folks in the Colorado region, I live in SE Denver, by DU, are there any good independent honest (less expensive) shops I can take my car to for repairs? Thanks for your help, and for stopping by to read my post. I love this website, and recommend to all friends with Subarus. I have to go now, I have to catch the bus. Steven