theotherskip

cleaning the air intake seems to have fixed my problem. driving in traffic to work today, and it is barely noticeable, world better than it used to be. it may be that resetting works for people with new cars, but for older engines that are carboned up, a cleaning with help fix things...

i've had good luck with http://www.1stsubaruparts.com . i got all the parts to replace my head gasket and clutch through them. good service and cheap shipping. you can also get the factory service manuals for your particular car at http://techinfo.subaru.com .

you can download the entire factory service manuals from http://techinfo.subaru.com . $20 for a 72 hour subscription. it takes about 5 hours to do with high speed internet. use the search to find old posts with more info about it. it is the absolute best deal for unbelievable information, diagrams, and troubleshooting help.

check the idle air controller, and the hose that connects it to the air intake. good place to start looking...

ooh... a unimog... when i was going around to dealers for quotes on getting my head gasket replaced, one of them tried to tell me that it probably wasn't the head gasket, rather the cylinder liner separating from the block. perhaps that happened to this car. or i blew a head gasket, the owner drove it for a while with it and the journals got trashed. without talking to the previous owner, you'll probably never know. some engines are just lemons. it is possible to tell which head gaskets are installed. if you look where the heads meet the block, you can see the gasket. the external shape of the new and old are slightly different, so if you ask the parts people to show you a new one, you will be able to identify the difference by the part that sticks out between the head and block. the dealer should be able to help you with this, or look at a few engines from around that time. now's the time to beat it to death! it hasn't cost you a dime yet!

the most major issue with the 2.5 is the head gasket. otherwise it seems pretty solid. on this car you have to adjust the valves at 100k miles, which can be costly if done at a dealership. it requires shims which come in a variety of different thicknesses (they go by .01mm increments). as far as the head gasket goes, it is a total crapshoot. i wouldn't buy it without getting the coolant checked for exhaust gasses by and independent mechanic. some people have reported no problems whatsoever with the head gasket, while others have had it fail multiple times. a german magazine put it at around 20%, but i would guess it is probably in the 10-15% range. without solid numbers or any help from subaru, it is hard to get any real idea of the scope of the failures. it is probably worth getting a 3 month warranty to find all of the little things that don't work. i have a 97 obw, and after purchasing it found: a seat heater was burned out, the fuel gauge was innacurate and sometimes quit altogether. then i blew a head gasket after 9 months of owning it. all in all, i like the way it drives and i like the awd, but it has been quite a hassle in terms of reliability. hope this helps...

equalizer: after a lot of internal debate about which head gasket to choose, i finally decided to choose the subaru, even though it is on it's 6th revision. i felt that they are the most concerned with teh problem (whether or not they admit it), and knowing all of the special in's and out's to an all aluminum boxer. on one hand i hated to go with them because of the problems, but i also felt that they were best equipped to solve it! i also used the ...610 head gasket. it seems to be holding fairly well from people who've switched it out...

the center differential (not really a transfer case) is bolted onto the rear of the transmission. it sounds like it got hosed and burned up its clutches. i believe that they can change the diff out without rebuilding the entire transmission, but i know the cost is pretty steep (i think parts or maybe the whole repair are $700, but i'm not sure - i'm going on memory of other people's posts here). if you read through the manual, it will tell you about the FWD fuse. whenever you use the spare tire, you should install this fuse (its in the engine compartment fuse box) to disable the AWD system. by not installing it, the center diff thought that one wheel was always slipping (since the spare's diameter is different), and it tried to lock the AWD system. after so long, the clutches will burn up, and the AWD will be gone. sorry to be the bearer of bad news. to learn more, you can search the archives for things like 'FWD fuse', 'torque bind' and 'center diff'

dealers vary widely. many don't spend too much time at diagnostics, choosing to just throw parts at problems. when you bring them a problem like this, they often don't have good expertise to do a through diagnosis of the problem. your best bet would probably be to take it to an independent mechanic. he can do additional tests like a leak down and compression test to help track down where the oil is going and help the engine run smoother. ask around - there may be an independent mechanic who specalizes in subarus in your area...

sounds like a problem with the transfer case (actually, it's built into the end of the transmission). it could be just an electrical problem with the solonoid, or it could a problem with the clutches. think if any of these have happened to the car: was it towed? with the rear wheels on the ground? did you replace only 1 tire? (all tires must be of the same diameter, or the FWD fuse must be installed). did you get a flat and use the spare tire without installing the FWD fuse? these are just some of the things that can cause problems with the transfer case. if you are up to it, others here may be able to give you more diagnostic info to help you narrow the problem, or a dealer would be able to help...

Solved?? i just finished doing and oil change and cleaning out the trottle body. a few weeks ago, i picked up a can of Napa/CRC Fuel Injectoin Air-Intake Cleaner . this morning i stopped by a GM dealer and picked up a can of top engine cleaner, expecting the intake cleaner not to work. after completing the oil change, i removed the air chamber (large plastic part of air intake before the throttle body). following the directions, i sprayed the air-intake cleaner into the throttle body as directed, then used a paper towel to clean out as much as possible. I then reapplyed more cleaner, and reassembled the air intake. it took a little longer to start, then ran a little rough for 30 seconds, but seemed normal after that. i then took it to a parking lot and tried to get it to studder like it normally would. even when creeping along and then flooring it, it seemed to make considerably smoother transistions, worlds better than how it acted before. i guess the true test will be driving to work on monday. i'll post with the real-world results after i've done some, but for now it seems solved. if it continues, my next attempt will be to use the top engine cleaner... hope this helps...

depending on how long the head gasket has been blown, and if it has been overheated badly, you could probably just change out the head gaskets, possibly get the heads machined flat if they are warped. i wouldn't get a valve job unless you are going to do the bottom end as well. i blew out my head gasket a little while ago. i wrote a site about repairing it myself. you can view it here . There's also a guestbook there where people can log head gasket failures, so it can give you some idea of which years have had problems. you could change the headgaskets and seals all for about $250... just a thought. you'd be the best one to make the call, since you know the overall condition and maintenance of the engine...

i am not aware of any tsb's for this problem. i've searched for my car (a 97 obw). i still have to try cleaning out the throttle body and see if that helps at all. maybe tomorrow...

amen, brotha!

bump... sorry, i'll be out of town for this schindig... maybe next time...

probably just changing the fuel filter. not too much to do at 15k...

thanks for the tips, but i think i am still going to try and figure out how to modify the stock stereo. i've got an old oscilliscope, so it shouldn't be too difficult to figure out the connections. maybe i'll get a spectactular failure and get to replace it after all! i'd hate to spend a lot of money for a new head unit, when i will primarially be using it only for the amp - i hardly listen to the radio (only traffic, stern sometimes), and never use the tape deck - but i always have the cd going. with the ipod, i expect that to take over the cd player's duties... i have seen that xplay too, but i'm not too sure. there is a freeware interface floating around, and i've heard some good things about it, but i'll keep xplay in mind... thanks again...

after months of being unemployed and pinching pennies, i'm employed, and an ipod was the first thing on the list. The biggest drawback to them is that you need a good way to get it to your car stereo. luckily my car has the original tape deck and the cd player add-on, so i can use a tape adaptor for now (instead of those crappy RF adapters, which get interference if there is a strong radio station nearby. but using the tape adapter, i still get a fair amount of hiss, which i'd like to eliminate. which brings me to this post. has anybody found a way to add a line-in jack to the factory stereo? the cd player connector has 7 or so pins. 1 is probably power, 1 ground, 2 signal (left & right), 1 signal ground, 1 a control (to tell it when to switch to cd mode). my current thought are that i would need a way to disconnect the cd player, then tell fool the main unit to think the cd player is on and sending signal. i could then run a 3.5mm connector between the ipod and the head unit, giving me a wire path between them, for much better quality. any thoughts? i know there are aftermarket units out there with line inputs on the front, but most of them are pretty cheesy looking and aren't too many choices (jvc and awia, mostly), and i'd like to give this a try first. Thanks...

i would disagree that synthetic is not good. i put 80w-90 valvoline dino in my tranny and you can feel it hitting gears on almost every shift. it didn't do it with the old oil that was in there (probably original subaru oil). i'm probably going to try the redline as soon as i get some time to switch it out...

a leaking radiator is not the only way a radiator goes bad. if the cooling systems has been neglected (or even treated well), the passages become blocked with corrosion and crud. the only way to really check for this is to either use a spot thermometer or flow test it. a radiator shop should be able to do either/both to tell you the internal condition of the radiator.

a few additional notes... the service manual recommends putting some permatex ultra-grey around the plug to help it seal when you put it back in. if you don't have a gear oil pump, you can just use a piece of vinyl tubing. feed the tubing from the rear wheel well down into the diff. have someone pour the oil in while you check that it is flowing ok and not overflowing. it takes a little while, but works. my plugs were on there somewhat tight, but nothing a breaker bar couldn't handle. i also changed the manual transmission oil at the same time, but have found that there is a little more grinding when changing gears. i think that the oil doesn't have enough friction for the synchros. i think i'll change it out to redline soon. i used valvoline 80w-90 for both since it was readily available and not too expensive...

first thing to check is that the radiator fins are not blocked with dirt, bugs, etc. run a hose through it to deslodge some of the external crud. chances are, if you have the original radiator, it is probably getting old and plugged internally. while the radiator is warm, you can feel around it with your hand to see if there are any cool spots relative to the surrounding area. this can indicate a blocked or restricted passage. you can also have it flow tested at a radiator shop, but your best bet is to probably just change it if changing the coolant doesn't help.

dealers are always looking for ways to pump their customers for cash. follow subaru's maintenance schedule provided in your owner's manual, and you can't go wrong, and it will keep you in good graces with your warranty. if you are comfortable tinkering on a car, you can do most of the things (if not all) on your own. i don't know specifically what is included in the 15k service, but it shouldn't be anything major.

the factory service manual recommends unplugging the hose from the idle air controller, then inserting the tube from the top engine cleaner while holding the rpms above 2k. let it run for 5 minutes after it stops smoking (white smoke from the exhausts). they recommend: Part No. 1050002 GM Top Engine Cleaner Part No. X66-A AC Delco Carburetor Tune-up Conditioner i'm not exactly sure who's part # these are, but that's how it is given in the book...

i cleaned mine a while ago, and have been very happy with the results. there are a couple of changes i would make to the directions that are floating around... the original directions commuter is talking about are here: http://usmb.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1187 the changes i would make are as follows: #1 loosen the gas cap before disconnecting lines. any pressure in the tank will make the gas squirt out of the hoses! not fun! #2 you do not have to cut off the thing he is talking about (using a dremel tool). i was able to lift the contact with a fingernail and move it off of the resistor contact area. there is enough give in the float to lift if over the stops so that the contact is hanging in air. you can just use a fingernail again to move it back when you are finished. #3 use a pencil eraser to remove the corrosion. it works great, and is not too agressive. don't be surprised if some of the contact area has worn away from use over the years. i reassembled mine and it works good. good luck