theotherskip

the site has moved. it is now at: http://home.comcast.net/~skipnospam/

old post, new link. http://home.comcast.net/~skipnospam/ i just changed internet providers, and moved my web page of head gasket info & the log of failures. hope everyone is well. cheers, (the other) skip

it was a recall: (from nhtsa's web site) Make : SUBARU Model : LEGACY Year : 1995 Manufacturer : SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC. NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 98V315000 Recall Date : DEC 11, 1998 Component: AIR BAGS Potential Number Of Units Affected : 95673 Summary: VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. INADVERTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT CAN OCCUR AFTER UNDERCARRIAGE CONTACT OF THE TOW HOOKS WITH CURBS, DIPS, SPEEDBUMPS, POTHOLES, ETC. Consequence: UNEXPECTED AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT COULD RESULT IN PERSONAL INJURY. Remedy: DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE FRONT TOW HOOKS. Notes: OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JUNE 1, 1999. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783. ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236). more at: http://152.122.48.12/prepos/files/Artemis/Public/Recalls/1998/V/RC-98V315-NN.PDF

i can also vouch for the pela 6000, though i don't know if a subaru really justifies it. i never used it on a subaru, so i'm not sure how much it would leave in the pan, but it is excellent for a tdi engine as dweebus said. you can do the entire oil change from the top of the car. i have also used it on an altima, and then pulled the drain plug and got nothing out. i think it depends how much you move the hose around when you are sucking the oil out. if you are only using it on a subaru, i would say it is not worth it, except that you save youself the chance of cross-threading the oil drain plug. otherwise, the oil change on a subaru was a breeze. i ordered it from globalrider.com. $42 shipped. it can also be used to remove other fluids (tranny, etc), so it can come in handy...

whoops... i stand corrected. from http://api-ep.api.org/quality/index.cfm?objectid=74E2BB59-910D-11D5-BC6B00B0D0E15BFC&method=display_body&er=1&bitmask=002001005000000000 The top of the Donut shows the oil's performance level for gasoline and/or diesel engines. The letter "S" followed by another letter (for example, SL) refers to oil suitable for gasoline engines. The letter "C" followed by another letter and/or number (for example, CH-4) refers to oil suitable for diesel engines. These letters officially stand for "Service" and "Commercial." funny that s for spark and c for compression also lines up...

ah, pat is right on that one. the c stands for compression like the s stands for spark in other motor oils (ie SF, SJ, SL ratings). what would the difference between a commercial and non-commercial oil be? a compression (diesel) oil can be used in spark ignition engines, but not vice versa. diesel engines produce a lot of soot, and compression oils have the ability to keep the soot in suspension. this is why diesel oil turns dark black almost immediately after an oil change.

rodney, it probably is just the head gaskets, not a cracked block. i got told something similar by a dealer before i did mine myself. when you don't stress it too much, it won't overheat. i drove mine for over a month before replacing. i would only get bubbles after a high speed run on the highway. i wrote a site with info about doing it. you can do it with the block still in the car (read 99obw's post linked from my page), but it is easier to do with it out, and it isn't that difficult to pull. you can read notes on how to do it here: http://mysite.verizon.net/vze730qe/Head_gasket_replacement.html

bubbles are only one sign... have you had work done on the cooling system recently (a flush/fill)? you should refill and burp the system (search the board for instructions), then keep an eye on it. since you haven't had any overheating, it may not be the hg... but do keep an eye on it...

thanks... keep signing the guestbook & and including the list when you complain to subaru...there's strength numbers...

i wrote a page when mine blew... http://mysite.verizon.net/vze730qe/Head_gasket_replacement.html that is the write up. the following pages have pictures and comments. hope it helps.

check that you reconnected the air intake hose between the IAC (idle air controller) and the main hose connecting the air filter to the large plastic chamber before the throttle body. there are a couple of connections along the bottom of the hose that are easy to miss, and they can cause a bad idle if they are not connected... hope that solves it...

the other way that oil can get in the expansion tank is if the car had a head gasket failure, and the gaskets were replaced. if they didn't ever clean out the expansion tank, you would still have crud there...

try http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1187

i was originally drawn to the subaru for taking a stand and making alternatives to suv's. but i was very saddened to find that they were raising the ground clearance of the foresters in order to gain truck status to get out of the fuel efficency standards... i also thought one of their older commercials sent very mixed messages. the one where the guy is taking a landscape photo with a view camera, then some guy in a suv rolls up and snaps a picture with a disposable out the window and clicks a shot. the photographer seems annoyed at the suv driver for wrecking his "solitude". the next thing they show is the subaru tearing up a dirt road to find more "solitude" and another place to take pictures. seems very mixed.

you can get the factory service manuals from: http://techinfo.subaru.com/html/index.jsp very worth it. lots of illustrations.