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.

the marks don't line up each time the engine comes up to tdc, only every so many revolutions (i'm not sure of the exact number). the important thing to note is the number of teeth between timing marks: for a 97 2.5L ej25: there should be 54.5 teeth between the passenger side intake cam timing mark (at 12 o'clock) and the crankshaft timing mark 51 teeth between the crankshaft timing mark and the drivers side intake cam timing mark (12 o'clock) 28 teeth between the intake cam timing mark (12 o'clock) and the exhaust cam timing mark (at 9 o'clock) this will correspond to the marks on the new timing belt, as well as the old if they are still visible.

try this: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=13239&highlight=breaker+flex+plate look for josh's (legacy777's) post at the bottom, with pictures.

1st subaru parts = auburn subaru, iirc, located in washington/oregon. i've had very good dealings with them...

i don't know if the o-ring is a standard size or not. it is only $2 from a dealer, so it is worth it to know you have the right one. when you remove the oil pump, you should remove the screws on the back plate and retighten them one by one with loctite. nothing will fly apart, but that is the easiest way to do it and not get any gunk in the pump.

the o-ring between the block and the oil pump could also be leaking... search and you will find posts... what do you mean by a harmonic balancer tool? you don't need a special tool to remove it. you only have to loosen the crankshaft bolt. with a MT, put it in 5th and have someone step on the breaks while you loosen it, and in an AT, open the access hole on the bellhousing and drop a breaker bar through the flexplate to keep it from rotating. search and there is info on both...

There are no rear cam seals - only small caps that you can reseal with permatex ultra-grey. but to do that you need to remove the valve covers, which you won't be doing for the clutch. you may add a clutch fork boot. mine crumbled when i removed mine, and the dealer had to order a replacement. it is not a big deal, as you can reassemble it without it and just put it on when you get a chance to pick one up. are you planning to have the flywheel machined? well worth it IMO...

newest failure i have on my list is a 2002 (three of them), though i wouldn't necessarily take that as proof the problem has been fixed... http://mysite.verizon.net/vze730qe/guestlog.html

subaru recommends permatex ultra-grey #599:

I'm not familiar with this site, but as far as I know, the NHTSA doesn’t care about mechanical problems that are not safety defects. From their website: “Your complaint information will be entered into NHTSA's vehicle owner's complaint database and used with other complaints to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.” They do not trend mechanical problems (head gaskets and such), unless they pose an immediate safety risk. They only have the power to issue recalls for safety related defects. It is up to the manufacturer if they want to issue recalls for mechanical problems (to keep their name). The only other thing that can help is to form a class action lawsuit. I believe that owners of a certain Toyota engine did this a few years back with success. I guess it can't hurt, but I don't believe the government has any intervention. I think the only thing that can help is a class action suit...

at least in the philly area, the trade-in value for the car wasn't that good either way. when i went to trade mine in, the best i could find was $4500. this was for a 99obw, 5-sp, 100k, leather, good condition, ding on front bumper. the other trade in offer was $2800. both knew i owed 8k on the car. i let the $2800 dealer know exactly what i thought of his offer. if it still runs, just dump in on a dealer. they are going to auction it anyway. i didn't have the confidence in my car to sell it privately. you probably won't get the money you spend on the repair back selling it... just my $0.02