mikec03

You can also get the $5 chain wrench from harbor freight, wrap the pulley with part of the old belt, and use the chain wrench to hold the pulley steady while you loosen the bolt. Of course, you could also have loosened the cam bolts before taking off the timing belt, which is what I do, but you would still need the chain wrench and old belt to tighten the bolts when you reassemble.

I drove a 95 for at least 3 years with the fuse in, because I had torque bind. I would take the fuse out when it snowed. I didn't have any problem. Of courses, the manual says not to do it. Some people say that they eliminated the torque bind by replacing the fluid [3 drain and fills]. It didn't do any good with mine.

You are very lucky to catch it before you had real damage. It's always a good idea to change the timing belt and pulleys when purchasing a used car unless you have documented proof that it had already been done.

When I replaced the rear struts in my sons 97 subaru with 200K miles, one of them came apart in my hands. Yet my son never complained about the car bouncing! Admittedly, I could easily tell by bouncing the rear end with my weight that they were bad, and I should of checked/replaced them earlier. Apparently, they were the originals.

I don't like buying a used subaru with the ej 2.5 engine because it could have HG problems. Of course, if the price reflects that, then OK. I have a subaru with the ej 2.5 engine. I have already replaced the HG and, since I have owned it since new, I know it has never overheated, so I'm confortable with it. You will have no such assurance.

I think the guy from the repair shop is really saying that he doesn't know what abuse the car has suffered over the last 130K so he doesn't want to touch it. Your use of the "blue devil" doesn't inspire confidence. He could replace the HG's and then have a bearing fail 6 months later. You might think he was responsible for the bearing failure. It's a tough choice for you. If you could do it yourself, then of course do it. If you have to pay for it, you can't justify paying much. I have a 02 subaru which I bought new that I had the HGs replaced at 90K two years ago. If it starts leaking again, I will let it leak until I can't stand it and then junk it. This is an external leak so it's not the same, but its analogous to your situation.

You are lucky that you have a 96 2.2 engine which is non interference. With a 97, you would have a junk motor. Do you know how old the water pump was, and if so, the mgf. We don't hear about very many water pump failures. You should also use the subaru OEM thermostat.

Congratulations on fixing the problem. I think that really quite safe to fill to fill the coolant via the radiator spout, but I like the assurance of filling the block through the upper hose.

On the transmission fluid, you have to drain and fill three times to get a 90% replacement [because only 50% drains out at a time.] I would do it immediately. Will it help? Probably not but you have to try something. After that, you can also try some magic in a bottle mentioned above. Is a high level causing your problem. Probably not. It's very difficult to measure the correct level in a subaru trans anyway so you may not be correct in that it overfilled. What I do is to measure the amount that I drain out. It should be 4 to 4 1/4 qts. Then I refill with about 4 and 1/8 qts.

I used the aisin water pump on the last timing belt that I did, on the advice of many on these forums. Since it has to last 100k, then a little more cost is OK. Probably just as important is what pulleys are you going to use, especially the cogged one.

To add to what others have said, for the 90's subarus, it could be the starter contacts [or the starter motor], the inhibitor switch, bad battery contacts or other wire contacts, OR low current on the solenoid wire. I had the last one occur on a 95 subaru. It acts exactly like a bad starter- sometimes it starts and sometimes it doesn't. I now have a similar problem on a 97 subaru. Ive already checked the wiring. So, next I going to swap out the starter with a rebuilt one from advanced auto for $68. This is the most likely cause. If the problem persists, I'll then put in a slave solenoid to in order to get a clean 15 v current to the starter solenoid.

If the fuse is in, it means that the car is in 2 wheel drive.

+1 for HG's leaks. Also check to see if there is a fuse in the FWD spot near the front right strut. It should light a light if so but you never know. Then drive in circles to see if you can feel any torque bind. Maybe minor but at this mileage, the struts may be bad, and the CV boots may be torn. There are 4 cv boots on the front axles.

If you use a new, replacement oil pan, I have read that the oil dip tube will not fit very well. Is this true?

Since the symptoms went away when you put in the fuse, the duty C solenoid is OK. The FWD light should also have come on. But in any case the solenoid is working. You can drain/fill the fluid at least 3 times. It may reduce or eliminate the TB. It didn't help with my 95 however. To fix it, you have to swap the transfer case, maybe from your other car?

A 12 in long screwdriver through the flywheel inspection port will hold the crankshaft. I put 130 ft lb on the bolt even though the 90's subaru spec was less then that.

I know this is obvious, but if there is no power at the pump, then either there is [1] no power on the input to the relay [2] no power to energize the relay or [3] a break in the wiring from the relay to the pump. The relay, as you are aware, is in a very inaccessible spot, but you should be able to feel it energize [for about 1 sec] when you first turn on the ignition so you can at least eliminate/verify the no. 2 alternative. Most likely, it's not energizing, and in that case, someone on the forum may be able to direct you to the wire on the computer that energizes the relay and you can trace it back that far. It's a tough problem.

I didn't and it sealed fine. I used an OEM gasket. I would recommend buying it from the dealer and inspect it to be sure it's flat. It's difficult to get in the confined space if it's warped.

The separator plate leakage is well known problem with the 90's subaru. Unfortunately, Subaru used a plastic plate instead of a metal one and most will leak. Of the four 90's subaru's that I have owned over the years, I think that 3 have leaked and the 4'th one may leak in the future. I have never had one that leaked enough to pull the engine. The 95 that I have now with 220 k miles, is leaking a lot but not enough so that I have to refill the oil between 3500 mile oil changes. I'd let it leak unless it approaches 1 qt per 1K miles.

I don't know where the idea came from that you should pull the engine out for a timing belt change? Here is a step by step procedure to replace the timing belt. http://lovehorsepower.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48:1995-subaru-legacy-outback-timing-belt-and-water-pump-replacement&catid=10:subaru-legacy&Itemid=64 The engine bump works just fine to loosen the crank bolt. You should get a harbor freight chain wrench to loosen and tighten the cam bolts. You should buy or rent the torque wrenches for the bolts The Miszumo aisin kit is really cheap! I'll probably buy one for my 95. It doesn't include the tensioner, but with the non interference 95 it's probably not essential. I have no idea what a baffle plant seal is and I don't think anyone else does either.

Here is a step by step procedure for the 2.2 engine. There are some great u tube videos to do it too. http://lovehorsepower.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48:1995-subaru-legacy-outback-timing-belt-and-water-pump-replacement&catid=10:subaru-legacy&Itemid=64

I've owned/own a number of 90's subaru's. The following assumes that you have personally verified that your HG need to be replaced. If its just the separator plate leaking, then I would and have lived with it. If you replace the engine with a 2.2 OR replace the HG/separator plate, you must find a experienced mechanic who has done this work before. That's paramount. A number of posters have said that the 2.2 replacement is easy. However, the used 2.2 motors have a lot of milage on them and you may not be confortable with that, even though the motors should last to 250 Kmiles at least. Alternatively, replacing the HG's is a viable option because a number of the posters have said that the OEM replacement HG for the 90's 2.5 engines are MLS and are a reliable replacement. Maybe other will chime in and agree/disagree. Either way, you are looking at about $400 parts [assumes that timing belt, pulleys etc are also replaced] and $1200 labor. In the first case, you would also have to add the cost of the replacement motor. By the way, my separator plate leakage on a 95 doesn't seem to be getting any worse with time. I don't even have to add oil between replacement at 3000 mi.

Good advice to check all the ground connections. However, if you checked the alternator and found it defective, just go ahead and replace it. It's not unusual for a 17 year old alternator to need replacement. It's not expensive and easy to change.

Congratulations on fixing your car. Just for curiosity, how many miles were on the old timing belt and pulleys if you know. If you bought it used, it's a good lesson for everyone that the first thing to do on purchasing a used subaru [or even other cars] is to change the timing belt and pulleys, unless you are sure that they have been changed. And be very thankful that yours is a non interference engine.

It also depends on who did the HG's. Even dealers have been known to do crummy jobs. I would pass, but that's just me. I did find a 95 this summer with 125K miles, 2.2, that I bought for $2200. I'm thinking that I would not have bought a 97 at that price with a 2.5 and the same milage. I just don't want to deal with the HG's anymore.