The Dude

Over drive simply means that the output shaft of the transmission is turning faster than it's input shaft. PERIOD. Both AT and MT can be overdrive transmissions. Lock up is something different, and only happens in ATs. At lock up the TC goes from inefficient fluid coupling to solid mechanical coupling, like a MT. This is almost always a very good thing. Better mpg. Ineffecient fluid coupling creates heat, the AT killer, lock up greatly reduces the amount of heat generated by your AT. An AT is most inefficient, and generates the most heat, at low speeds or when stopped in gear.

Get the coolant tested for exhaust gases. The longer you stretch this out out, the more wiggle room the dealer will have if things go sour. Chances are you're going to need some independent "proof" to get the dealer to do anything for you anyway. You think your "out" is replace the head gaskets yourself. Well, what do you know about the engine in your car? Has it been overheated? Does it have warped heads or a cracked block. Has anti-freeze gotten to the crankshaft bearings. Let me tell you, once YOU work on the engine the dealer is going to disclaim any responsibility for it. Hopefully the dealer is a sraight up guy, but if he isn't everyday you drive that car gives him more opportunity to say, "The car was running fine when I sold it to you. You must have done something to it. How do I know how you drove it once you left here?". Since you're kicking about $57 for a coolant test, I'm going to guess that you wouldn't feel too good about getting stiffed for a $3,000 engine swap. The clock is ticking, I can hear it from here.

Sorry, but if you have the infamous 2.5L DOHC engine, AND bubbles in the expansion tank, you can almost bet the ranch on having blown head gaskets. It's a fact, just accept it. IF the dealer installed a replacement engine, he probably installed one with blown head gaskets. Where did he get the replacement engine? Can he produce documentation for the replacement engine. ACT NOW. Because this has the potential to really get really ugly. Get anything the dealer promises in WRITING. I hope you got his promise to the swap the original engine in writing. I hope the dealer is an honest guy, and takes care of the situation. But I have a bad feeling that the dealer may try to stick you in the middle. Get a book on Small Claims Court, and read up. Hope for peace, but prepare for war. BTW, I had dealer try to stick me with a bad rebuilt engine. I ended up taking him to small claims court. You'll know real soon if you'll need to do the same thing. The dealer's tactic will be delay, delay, delay, promise, nothing written, delay, delay some more, and hope that you get frustrated and just go away.

.......it's nice to speculate about what may or may not have happened. Me, I'd probably take the car for a spin, then park it in the driveway, put the AT in neutral, and maybe jack up the front wheels. Then I'd try spining one of the wheels by hand, and see if the pads were dragging on the disc. Or maybe I'd take the car for a short spin and then check to see how hot the discs got, which would also tell me if the pads were dragging. Although this is quite possibly a case of defective discs or pads. I wouldn't be too surprised if the problem magically disappeared with the new discs.

Yes, the Subaru 2.5L DOHC is an interference engine. That is an excellent question to ask, and I wish more car buyers asked it. Because an interference engine is a spectacularly stupid idea. In exchange for a very small increase in horsepower the owner is risking the complete destruction of the engine. It's not just the timing belt breaking that will destroy an interference engine. If the water pump seizes, if the tensioner gives way, if one of the idler pulley bearings craps out, if an oil leak (and there are plenty of oil leaks with a Suby engine) degrades the timing belt, you are soooooooo out of luck. Interference engine failure doesn't happen every day, but it does happen. And when it does, get out your check book.

Look at it this way. Your car in running condition is worth maybe $5,000. What could you sell it for with blown head gaskets? Even $3500? Probably not. So, you may actually be ahead by repairing, and then immediately selling the car. I am not an expert on used cars, others on this board may have more qualified opinions than mine on used car values. Nothing is guaranteed, but it is very likely that if properly repaired, your present engine will last at least another 50,000 miles (2 years driving). If it was my car, and I own a 1999 Forester with 185,000 miles, I would put the absloute MINIMUM into the car necessary to keep it running. That means NO overhaul or valve job. Chances are very good that the shop will try to sell you on an overhaul or a valve job. Like my car, yours is way, way past the 2 or 3 year old 70,000 mile trade-in sweet spot. My goal is to run my car for as long as I can for as cheaply as I can, safely of course. If your goal is to keep this car for a long time, well beyond your two year time limit, you might want to consider more extensive engine work. But it sounds like the love affair with your car is over, you want two years of "breathing space" and then out.

I'm pretty sure that you have the infamous Phase I DOHC 2.5L engine. If so, the conditioner is not for your engine, nor will it do you any good at all. Chances are that you have an internal head gasket leak. You might want to have the coolant checked for exhaust gases. Monitor this condition closely, as you do not want to cause damage to your engine through overheating.

I'm not commenting on this dealer specifically. I've been reading this message board since I bought my Forester on 01/99. I wish I had a nickel for everytime some poster has written about buying a used Phase I Subaru off a dealer's lot and having the head gaskets mysteriously blow out on the drive home. On several occasions the poor slobs have had their stranded Subarus towed improperly and ended up with trashed transmissions as well. Talk about a perfect day. And don't pop the cork on that champagne so quickly. You're still not not home free and clear. How many times has that engine been severely overheated by the previous owner? I'm willing to bet a few times, at least. Do a search and you'll see where a few Phase I Subaru owners say that their head gaskets have been relaced four times. The head and block may have been severely heat stressed. Corrosive anti-freeze could have gotten at the con rod bearings. While the immediate problem of the head gaskets has been repaired, you may very well have an engine with a drastically shortened life. At best, you have a engine in an unknown condition. Was the engine repaired, or just patched? The next 50-60 thousand miles will tell the story. Don't get me wrong, I hope that the engine is permanently fixed, and that you both live happily ever after.

I would agree that there may be some benefit to using synthetic motor oil in a turbo engine. But the original poster was asking about synthetic ATF. Anyway, I've owned a car with a turbo, and I know that one of the biggest problems is having the oil carbonize in the turbo bearing. That's why you have to "simmer" a turbo engine after a hard run. You want the engine, and especially the turbo unit, to have a chance to cool down. So here's my question. If you shut down a hot turbo engine, without "simmering", is the sythetic oil tough enough so the oil WON'T carbonize in the turbo bearing?

Studies, like the one done by Consumers Reports, have shown NO benefit to using synthetic engine oil over regular dino. Regular oil and filter changes, using any type of oil, are the most effective way to extend the life of your engine. So, I do not use sythentic motor oil. BUT I do use synthetic ATF. Why? ATF gets MUCH hotter than engine oil. The superior thermal stability of synthetic oil actually has a benefit in the much hotter enviornment of the AT. Most people have seen burnt dino ATF, it turns brown and smells "burnt". But an engine will sieze way before it gets hot enough to burn even dino engine oil. Also, I change my engine oil every 5,000 miles, but the ATF only every 30,000. So so more expensive synthetic is much more cost effective in the AT. I've got money to spend, but not to burn.

My 99 Forester has been great to own, and a blast to drive. It tows my 20' sailboat without even straining. I've tied 18' pieces of moulding to the roof rack. I bought an utility trailer so I could use my Suby like a 4 wheel drive pick up truck. I'm within shouting range of 200,000 miles. Other than routine maintenance service, I've only needed two front axles (CV boots), and two ball joints. But, I'm in buying mode for a new car, and my next car probably won't be a Subaru. In fact, it will probably be a Toyota Matrix. WHY, that Forester has been great to me? Well, things change. I've actually seen gas under $1 a gallon while I've owned the Forester. Those days are gone forever. I consider $2 a gallon gas to be cheap, gas is only going up from here. 25 mgp isn't bad, but it won't cut it when gas is $3 or $4, or even more a gallon. I need more mpg, I'm keeping my next car six or seven years, and I see expensive gas in the near future. I don't like interference (self-destruct) engines. Say what you want, they can, and they do, crunch valves. I also don't like timing belts, ESPECIALLY on an interference engine. The Matrix has a non-interference engine and a timing chain. Maybe I'll have to replace the chain at 200,000 mi, maybe not. Here in the deep South Suby dealers are far and few in between. If I break down in rural Mississippi I could be hundreds of miles away from a Suby dealer. Also in the deep South you don't need AWD like you do in Minnesota or Montana. I'ts always a plus to have AWD, but I don't actually NEED it. It been a great seven years with the Forester. And I know that a Forester will blow the doors off the 1.8L Matrix. But I think it may the smartest decision for me.

Remember me? I'm the guy who recommended installing the FWD fuse. Ok, it's most likely the center diff clutch pack. It may just be the "C" duty soleniod, but don't count on it. At the dealership it will probably cost you around a $1,000, maybe more, to have this fixed. Call the service dept, say you suspect that you need the center differential clutch pack replaced and get an estimate.

Install a fuse in the FWD fuse holder. Does the problem go away? If it goes away it's a center diff problem for sure.

.....You engine probably would be full of bent valves and maybe a couple of damaged pistons. You might have needed a new engine. But since your 2.2L engine is an older non-interference type all you suffered was a little inconvenience. Of course, your engine doesn't have the 0.5% HP boost that comes along with an interference engine. What do think, was worth it to have an engine with an imperceptably smaller amount of HP to avoid a $3,0000 or more repair bill? BTW, ALL current Subaru engines are INTERFERENCE engines, so don't count on being so lucky with your next Suby.

What the hell do you call a person living in Polecat Hollow. A Polecat Hollowian? Just curious. Anyway, the howling from the rear is almost certainly the rear differential AKA "the pumpkin". Not that it will cure anything, or stop the noise, but did you check the oil level in the rear diff? USUALLY, if there's oil in the diff it will run for a long time, driving the car's occupants insane with the ceaseless howling. FIX the leaking tire, it's only $10 to fix a flat, and you might save the car's center diff. You don't want two problems, do you? And single moms, just like single dads, have made choices in the past that have lead them to their present situations.

I suspect torque bind. Do a search on this subject because it has been posted on a thousand times. BTW, it's "mechanic". If you call a mechanic a "machanic" you'll only piss him off. Hint: it's not a steering problem.

I think $225 is about average for the job using a rebuilt axle. I replaced the axle on my 1999 Forester for $60, but I enjoy working on cars. The axle over the exhaust pipe is the one that ususally goes, the heat from the exhaust degrades the rubber more qucikly than the other axles. The two rear axles on my 185,000 mile car are original, so they can last a while.

At the very least check for external leaks. That's a great deal of oil, I would guess that you have an oil leak. Put some clean pieces of paper (I like flattened corrogated boxes) on your driveway or garage floor. Take the car for a drive long enough to fully warm up the engine. Park the car car with the engine compartment over the paper. First thing next morning check the paper for oil spots. Easy, right?

If you want someone to blame for your head gasket failure, blame Subaru. That is where the blame truly lies. At most, Jiffy Lube was an innocent bystander while your car suffered a time delayed drive-by shooting.

As far as piston slap goes, the only practical solution is a high quality, really loud in car sound system. As for the gas gauge, it is most likely one of the two gas level sender units found in the gas tank. This is a fairly common problem with Subarus. Do a search on this subject, there are a number of ways to fix the problem.

The knock sensor retards the engine timing when it detects knocking. This has the effect of decreasing the octane requirement of the engine, and hopefully stops the knocking. Bottom line, the knock sensor is broken, giving a false positive signal, and your engine is retarded.

I hope that I can be of some assistance. You have an intermittent problem. That's the worst kind, because most mechanics don't have the time or the patience to wait for the car to fail and then trobleshoot the problem. So they "guess", that's why you have a new battery. First, the best time to troubleshoot the car is when it has failed, stalled and will not restart. Think of the car's electrical system as a tree. The battery is the trunk, and circuits branch off into smaller circuits like branches in a tree. So, when the car stalls see if anything is working, because that knowledge can help a lot. For example, will the starter "crank"? The safety flashers are probably on their own dedicated circuit. It sounds like you're loosing almost the whole electical system, so the fault probably isn't too far from the battery. A car battery only has 12Volts but a ton of amps. So be careful with all metal objects. NO RINGS on your fingers. Read up on the subject before you start. Be safe.

It's your car, so do as you please. But when you get serious about fixing this problem get a DVM (digital volt meter) and a schematic of the car's electical system. When the car has stalled, and will not restart, is the best time to troubleshoot the problem. When the car is stalled, does anything have power? This could be as simple as a loose connection or a loose fuse connector. If your car stalls on a busy highway you could have a serious problem. You could be just guessing and replacing parts for a long time. I don't know why, but it bothers me to see you going through all this, when some time with a DVM could at least point you in the right direction.

Hi Buddy. There is a reason I responded the way I did. No lie, a number of Subaru owners have had their transmissions destroyed by improper towing while they were waiting for their owner's manuals. Subarus are great cars, but they certainly have their quirks. I hope that you have the same good luck with your Forester that I have had with my 1999.