Pgh_Scoob

Hey so I was looking around online last night and came across an 05 3.0 outback ll bean wagon with some high miles on it. 230k I know subarus 2.2 and 2.5 are really reliable... 2.2 practically indestructible but am unsure of the 3.0 with that many miles. I has been a one owner car with regular maintenance supposedly so I would expect it to be in decent shape but was curious to whether anybody had any input for things to look out for. Also is this timing belt or chain... If chain does it need to be serviced with this many miles? Do these have head gasket issues? And how reliable are the transmissions in these things. It was stated that these were all highway miles which in turn should mean the engine and trans could be rather reliable but just looking for a little input. Thanks Greg

Hey I am not entirely sure what is going on with your issue but a couple of things popped into my head for easy checking and diagnosis. First) Have you checked your wheel bearings? I dont know if this is really even a practical place to start but I have seen and heard some crazy noises coming from bad wheel bearings and its simple to check. Just jack one wheel at a time and grab the wheel at 12 and 6 o'clock and easily shake top to bottom... Any perceivable movement would be signs of bad wheel bearings. Second) Jack up the rear end and spin the wheels while listening to the rear differential to see if you hear anything out of the ordinary and you could try that for the front differential as well. You might have to have all 4 wheels off the ground at the same time in order to do this but Im not certain. Worst comes to worst try only the rear and then get the front up if needed. Greg

Did you test drive your buddys car prior to taking apart the brakes??? The rear parking brake is a shoes and drum setup inside the rear rotor so if it was left on only the drum in theory should be warped.. which I personally have not come across and Im not certain but I dont think the parking shoe compound is the same as the brake pad compound and potentially would just wear down quickly but not create excessive heat... And if he was able to drive around with the parking brake on then it was way out of adjustment and not really doing much (could be the drum in the rotors being at or past its max diameter spec)... I did this with my 96 impreza one time and when I took it all apart thinking I destroyed my shoes there was actually no true damage/harm done just much smaller parking brake shoes. Adjusted them up and my car would not anywhere with my E-Brake on. So if you are driving at like 25+ MPH and hit the brakes does the whole car shake? Or just the steering wheel or as your coming to a stop do the brakes feel to be dragging/catching. If the whole car shakes at 25 MPH its most likely the front rotors being warped. I just did this on my car because it was driving me nuts. I just machined the rotors and have been good to go.... But if it feels like your brakes are dragging as you come to a stop it is most likely the rear rotors being warped. I have misdiagnosed this as front rotors in the past and after repairing and test driving the issue was still there. Throw rear rotors on and it was gone... Also if the rears are solid rotors I would just go ahead and replace them, Never had much luck with machining solid rotors. And machining the rotors all depends on what the mic specs compared to manufacturer specs are. And if your close to the minimum machining spec just replace them... Most people dont consider the fact of how thin these can get and in one instant of heavy braking (like on the highway) can warp them severely. Oh and one more thing to keep in mind is the balance on the tires. I still had a bit of a shake on heavy braking after doing my rotors and went ahead and checked my tire balance (which was out quite a bit) and now I have nice smooth braking at any speed Hope this helps, Greg

IIRC you get a LSD with the 91's as well... Correct?? Great work by the way. I have always been a huge fan of these. Greg

Great thanks for all the input... Now the issue is 1. Never got a response about the 02 OBS and 2. There really are no around my area for a decent price. I did talk to a trans shop with a good reputation which quoted me around $750-$900 to rebuild but that also includes removing and installing. All of the transmissions I have found were around $1100 or so and no type of warranty.. SO should I go for the rebuild with a warranty or still continue looking for a used one for a decent price? Greg

So I just found a 02 outback sport that the front end is wrecked and am really interested in picking it for the trans but not sure if it will work with my baja.... But I was reading around on nasioc and someone said that as long as you have the rear diff you will be fine to swap both... So if that is true does anybody know what the ratios of the 02 OBS would be. Also is there the potential for it to have a LSD? I am under the assumption that the Baja's came with LSD or is that only certain model year options? And if so, Do I really want to lose the LSD for the impreza Rear Diff. Oh and also I am assuming that the engine would be a direct fit minus a few things being swapped over.. Correct? still need to research that but was only going to deal with the transmission first and then go into possible engines. Either way Thanks for any input guys Greg

Oh really will the older outback one work???? I didnt think it would..... Very nice to know I have seen a few parts car around the area for cheap with 5 speeds but didnt realize they would fit. Now I will definitely keep an eye out for one. Which models have the 411 or is there a way to easily tell... Vin code? Or markings on trans? Thanks Greg

Yes I have thought about just replacing that bearing and resealing but with my personal experience I dont feel fully competent in tearing apart the trans and not f*****g it up or simply missing signs of gear failure as well. I asked the guy I took it to for replacing my clutch about tearing apart the trans and doing that bearing and seals but he was worried that once he got in there it would be more damage to internals and not just the bearing. Which he learned from already going through this with another customer. Thats why Im just looking to replace my trans with a lower mileage one and hope it doesnt have the same issue. Or develop this issue with 10k of its life. The only other option would be to get a completely remaned one but that will cost so much.... Thanks Again, Greg

I am not familiar with the h6's at all but from what I just read it sounds like a head gasket issue... Even though all of the test and checks have come out fine this is what I suspect to be happening. This is coming from a coworker (55 yr old tech) who had this exact issue with is daughters forester. It is a very small internal laek that is only allowing small bits of combustion gas though but when it does get through the gases get caught in the t-stat housing ( if this is under the timing cover like the forest and other 2.5's) All of his block tests and everything never showed anything and he eventually just pulled the heads I believe. There is also a video explanation about this on youtube that I came across a few months back. The guy described the exact symptoms of my coworkes car and had the same results. I hope this helps, Greg

Hi all just looking for some wisdom for what to do with my transmission. I have an 03 5 speed baja with the notorious input shaft bearing (IIRC) failure. It growls really bad and my shifter likes to wobble all over the place but still stays in gear. I was just looking around online and noticed a low mileage 04 impreza ts trans for a really good price but dont think they are compatible. I am not certain but for some reason seem to think that the front and rear diff ratios are different than my bajas. Am I correct with my thinking or are there different option amongst the baja and impreza lines that do offer different/compatible transmissions. Any input would be appreciated, Greg

Ok great!!! Thanks.. I was almost positive that there was a difference in height but wasnt sure if it was due to struts or springs... Unless the spring are different as well?? Thanks, Greg

He So I have some old 97 impreza obs struts sitting in my garage and have them listed on craigslist and some one is interested in the but they have a 95 fwd impreza.... My concern is from the fwd to awd.... I know that all of the parts match up for awd but just wanted to make sure that they are the same for fwd as well. I know you guys know your stuff and I could get a quick reply here. Thanks for any info, Greg

Hey for checking the sway bar bushings and endlinks just have the car flat on the ground and pull and yank on the sway bar itself and on the endlinks.....If there is and bit of play they can cause quite a bit of noise but would not effect steering necessarily unless they are really bad or disconnected.... I drove my 98 obs with no sway bars for quite a awhile and there is a huge difference...but a little bit of play will mainly just cause noise... For your braking...Is it a thump through the pedal??? Which will be slower the slower you go...Or does it feel as if your brakes are almost dragging or thumping but in your butt???? If its distinctly in your pedal the most likely its your front rotors...Warped ones can look perfectly fine but are still in fact warped.. For the dragging and in your butt feeling is most likely in the rears.... This is not always true but general rule of thumb from what Ive been taught and personally condemned on customers cars has usually been true. Hope this helps.... Greg

Hey from reading your first post does it feel at times like the ABS is almost kicking on while braking over bumps? Also have you checked you sway bar and sway bar end links for play? And finally how many miles do you have and have you ever replaced the struts and mounting plates????? The reason I ask is because I finally had the chance to solve my "clunking" noise earlier today. I had replaced the previously questioned bushings and links due to lay but still had a bad clunk. Today I picked up a junkyard loaded strut just to test, prove, and fix my cause for the clunk which was the mounting plate bushing being worn out allowing the strut to bounce around in the strut tower. Someone before me tried to correct with just a strut and I have missed this call on a customers car in the past. I hope this helps. Oh and for checking the front end is definitely a good idea and replacing anything with play. Also tierods are really simple just remember to hit the spindle where the tie rod sits to break it free if its stuck. Dont smash the head or mushroom it out because at points if you do that their really tough to get out. And lastly go get an alignment afterwards. Good luck Greg

Hey this baja is so awesome!!! I have seen it over the years onilne and always thought it was amazing. I think Ive seen quite a few of your posts on scoobytruck...IIRC but either way ts a cool car. I did have a question about your snorkel setup.. I have been think about putting one on my baja but still havent figured out how to seal and water prof the fender after cutting the hole for it. Also are you using steel piping for the rest or is it PCV Piping? Thanks Greg

Yeah I have read a write up on this mod. It is really cool and is something I would definitely do if I get into an auto again. I have also heard good things about the 4EAT with the 4.11 for crawling And from all of the responses I realize that going into a D/R swap is completely over kill for what I am gonna be using it for. This is going to be a daily but I want to be able romp around in the woods confidently when I get the time. Greg

Hey thanks for the quick replies.... Yeah mine would be a DD and wheeler whenever I get chances to. I was unaware of the ea trans being primarily fwd....I would be using a 5 speed dont know if I said that earlier. I know the 4EAT is the 90-10 split most of the time but the 5 speeds are a true AWD which is true for all the new gen subarus....right? But if the old 5 speed ea trans are primarily FWD then Im not very interested and if it is over kill for a DD then I will just stick with going with a rebuilt or good condition used one. I was toying with the idea of trying to import a new gen D/R from Australia but with shipping and taxes and fraudulent listings I gonna stay away from that which is really unfortunate....Would be awesome though Oh and scott I am gonna need to talk to you about the 2" lift you offer for the new gen subarus? I was also wondering if I go with the 2" for now and later on want to go with the 4" lift d you offer just the additional pieces needed to do the extra lift or would I need to pick up the entire 4" kit Thanks Again Greg

Hey so I have been pondering this idea for a few months now and was wondering what input the more knowledgeable folks on here would have to say. I was reading around on one post a little while back and one person mentioned missing their d/r in a baja. I was always under the impression the the only d/r that is available readily in the US would be the old EA series transmissions.....Please correct me if wrong. And with those transmission connecting them to the newer EJ Phase 2 series engine just cant hold up to the extra power... Again correct me if Im wrong.. So if they can hold up to the power of the 2.5 then how difficult is it to swap into the new gen subarus. How much work is required as far as Computers? Axles? Rear DIff? Adapter plates? And I guess tranny mount? Im thinking that should be about all of it...Correct? I have read on here of people swapping the d/r into 93-01 imprezas and many swapping in the Ej engines into all of the old scoobs with these transmissions. Im just not sold on the idea with all of the newer gen computer controls. Any how....If anyone has any input I would greatly appreciate it or even know of any good write ups about this. Thanks, Greg

Hey after reading this...Yes the ball joint could be part of the problem but with that when is the last time you had a TRUE 4 wheel alignment. The reason I ask is that my 97 obs 5 speed had a similar characteristic. I had pretty worn tires but no cupping and my car felt great after doing the alignment. I was able to do mine myself and knew it was all dead on but depending on your ability if you go to a shop just be specific that you want all 4 aligned not just a front toe and go. Hope this helps, Greg

Hey thanks for all the replies and yeah I was afraid that my engine was going out the main thing is that my car has severe cancer on the rr quarter panel and its not worth putting. money my engine when the body is rotting away. So I was just trying to to find some possibly quick solutions for fixes but I might be getting an 02 forester if everything go according to plan...but thanks again for all the input. Greg

So in the past couple of days my mpg has plummeted from averaging 20mpg on strictly inner city driving, but now it is 12mpg and thats with stretching it. I actually ran out of gas the other day for the first time ever in any of my scoobs. Also my car is in theory running beautifully, nice smooth idle and not a scent of gas. So a little history of my car to why this might be happening... About 2k-2500 miles ago my spark plug blew out of my head on the number 2 cylinder. so with trying to same money and needing my car running again I tapped my head and heli coiled it and put in a new plug. I used wheel bearing grease on the tap to catch as much f the metal shavings that I cold (actually worked quite well) and sprayed down the cylinder walls as best as I could and got a magnet to get out the (rest) of the shavings. It ran pretty well but was a little rough at points so I put in some of the restore compression along with a fresh oil change. My car ran fine but about 2 weeks ago fouled out the spark plug on the number 2 cylinder and the heli coil did come out with the spark plug when I pulled it. I put the heli coil around the new plug and put it in and the car was running fine again. I did check my car for rediness status to get emissions done and saw that I had pending codes of cyl. 1 2 and 4 injector low voltage but no check engine light. So there is a little history of my car and Im pretty lost as where to start. I have been wanting to replace the fuel filter just for maintenance but I dont know if this could be the issue or helping with another underlying issue. Or could it be that my head is shot??? Any help would be greatly appreciated, Greg

^I see no reason to why they wouldn't fit. I used the 03 forester strut and all the holes to the hub were the same so it should go for the new and I cant really think to how different a camber bolt would be from one generation to another.......Also update, my sway bars decided to be self adjusting after about 2k miles of bouncing around and went back into place:grin: What a difference it made... Also had to tap my number 2 cylinder because my spark plug decided to blow out:-\ and it recently fouled out the one as well......But thats a whole other story. sorry for going a little off subject. Greg

My Scoob is back on the road! Total time was about 7 hours Things I would suggest to prepare for: 1 The hard line running from the wheel cylinder 2 Wheel cylinders ( mine due to bleeder screw being seized) 3 Brake hose running in between hard line from wheel cylinder and proportioning valve ( Flare nut was seized on left side) This is all from a car that has lived its whole life in south western pa where the salt is unforgiving. Might not be an issues if your in a fair weather state. But so be it I got her up and running and sitting so pretty! Now Yeah I ended up using two washers in between the strut and mounting plate, maybe a little more effort than needed but it works. No sway bars connected, ride really isn't that bad some bigger dips and pot holes are a little rough but all in all good ride. I was actually really surprised at the ride comfort, didn't know what to expect and am very pleased. My alignment does not seem to be that far out either ( I know it is) but no bad pulls and a rather straight steering wheel, with this being my daily though I am going to address that with in the week.....hopefully... I need to take a couple of pics to post up in the next couple of days. Got a couple from yesterday with my car hanging in limbo on the lift while I was trying to figure out brake lines. That reminds me the hard line coming from the drum is a very small line, the line I ended up using is a pretty standard large diameter line and now I have a spongy pedal. It brakes fine but is it the really small line that give the stiffer pedal? Greg

Hey so I have embarked on my journey to lift my impreza. What I used and how it's going: 03 forester struts and springs: Swapped out the top hats for the rear. mainly because I didnt have the time to order spacers. I used a couple of washers drilled out to fit the gap between the mounting plate and strut shaft. 97-99 ( I think) Legacy outback Trailing arms brackets and trailing arms( came with the brackets) For now I dont have my sway bars connected. I need to get longer endlnks for the front and after a bit of confusion and wrong parts being pulled ( first set of trailing arm brackets and swaybar brackets off of a regular legacy not the outback) I got to find out that they never got the correct sway bar brackets. So that needs to be addressed.. As a bit of a bonus I found out my front struts had camber bolts in them or did that come from the factory? If not would I be able to swap those out with the rear bolts to help with the rear camber issue or will that completely throw out my front end alignment? (It was a bit of a long day and only got longer) And after I thought it was all said and done finishing tightening up everything, I hit my brake line gong to my wheel cylinder with my wrench and then see fluid seeping out..... and then my wheel ctylinder bolt and bleeders were rusted to crap and seized up. Ended up getting new ones and installed them, so I got that taken care but still need to deal with the brake lines. One of which completely stripped what trying to unscrew it. So I have not had a chance to get my scoob on the ground and see what the new stance looks like. It will be soon. Then the next issue is tires. I wanted to try and put some 235-75-15 on but sized some up in my wheel well and theres no way for that now. So Im going to check into some 215-225 60-65 15 and see how it goes. Other than that I should be good to go for now and hopefully I will have the scoob rollin tomorrow. I will keep you guys posted and try to get some pics up, Im real envious though looking at all your rigs with clean quarter panels. Mine are rotting away with cancer. Oh and one last thing I HATE RUST, RUSTY BOLTS AND SHARP RUSTY PIECES OF METAL!!!!! Luckily I got a tetanus shot a few months back. Thanks, Greg