theotherskip

go buy a lottery ticket, because you just got real lucky! hopefully you haven't bought the car yet, but this is something you definately want the seller to fix. like subiegal said, repairs are expensive, probably at least $700 and can easily go much higher, depending if the heads have warped. you want the seller to change both head gaskets, too. if one has blown it is definately justified to change the other. imho, head gaskets shouldn't be an issue on a car with 60k, but that's a different issue...

i just changed the rear pads on my 97 obw with abs. haynes says absolutely nothing cautionary about pushing the fluid back, but i have heard that is bad. i looked through the factory service manual, but their procedure for replacing the brakes assumes that you are going to install a new set of seals in the caliaper, so that is how they take care of getting the piston back in the bore. what i finally settled on was to drain the brake fluid from the reservoir with a syringe, filled it with clean fluid, then bled the system. after bleeding it, i replaced the rear brakes, using the c-clamp method to push the piston back into its bore. my thinking was that i would only be pushing clean fluid back through the abs unit... on this car (pretty sure), the emergency brakes are a set of drum brakes within the center of the disc on the rear wheels - you won't have to worry about turing the caliapers back in...

a lot of the non-government mandated recalls come from class action lawsuits, from people that get together after being ignored by the company. there aren't many third parties that care about issues like this (that is reliability issues on older cars). consumer reports rates new cars, then also shows some additional data on maintenace and repairs, collected from surveys of model owners, but it is just a summary and doesn't cite specific examples. many manufacturers have had engines that are lemons - just ask a mechanic. sometimes they can be the best source of info on which are good used cars, because they have seen what are the common problems with the different manufacturers and different engines.

i only know for the 2.5, but i imagine that is would be very similary for the 2.2... the factory service manual list trouble symptoms as knocking occuring and poor driving performance (the knock sensor retards the timing, and if it is not operating properly, the computer can retard the timing when it shouldn't be). I'm pretty sure that there is only 1 knock sensor on your car. they list for around $80, but you can find them for around $60 online. it is a little difficult to get to, because it is partly blocked by the intake manifold, but it can be changed without removing the manifold. it is probably the easiest thing to try, because it only costs $60, and you would be lucky to walk out of a dealer with a diagnostic for less than that. i'm pretty sure that if you have further problems, this won't leave you stranded. it may take away a lot of the car's performance, but it will still move...

i think you may have done some damage to the awd system. from what i have read, the automatics are quite sensitive to different tire diameters, and the manuals are a little more forgiving. whenever you install the spare, you are supposed to install the FWD fuse, to disengage the AWD system, and keep it installed until all the tires are the same circumference again (within 1/4"). for now, you should put the FWD fuse in and leave it in. it should resolve the problem and let you get around without the noise.

huh... it is obdII - obd is "on board diagnostics"

you really should be computing your km's per gallon (or liter) for a better idea of how your car is doing. going by miles on a tank has a lot more uncertainty. i keep a running average by always filling the tank until the nozzle stops, and recording the odometer reading. this way, you know how many miles you drove on a certain volume of gas (oops, kms in you case). over a few tanks, you even out any slight over/under fillings, and have a pretty accurate reading.

you need an obdII diagnostic tool to scan the code...

i think i got the kinks worked out with my isp and getting the guestbook running, so please sign the guestbook if you have had a failure. you can reach the guestbook here: http://mysite.verizon.net/vze730qe/guestlog.html hopefully we can get a good list going that everytime somebody writes subaru they can include, so subaru can't keep saying they haven't heard of any problems. i'll make a new post for people to sign after a few others try it and i know that everything is working ok...l thanks, skip

mark - from my understanding, the nhtsa is not too concerned about reliability problems with vehicles. they tend to spend their time fighting automakers over safety issues - things like the throttle body missing bearings, and the bad paint on springs for cars that live in the rust belt (all recalls on my car). in fact, you can look up the 97 legacy ob on their site, and it won't mention the alternator recall, because it is not a safety issue, and was therefore not mandiated by the government. manufacturers sometimes issue recalls to fix defective parts, but it is usually voluntary, at the company's descresion. subaru chose to do this recall because of the high failure rate. i'm interested in continuing the issue with subaru... i had a friend who had a toyota pickup a while ago (sorry, some of the details have failed me). something went wrong (again, i can't remember specifics), and the engine died. he went to toyota for help, and they showed him the door. he had a salvaged engine installed, and was back on the road. 2 years later, he got a letter from toyota explaining that they finally acnowledged the problem, and were reimbursing claims that had been made... he ended up getting the new engine paid for by toyota...

from haynes, compression for the ej22t should be 142-171 psi. on my ej25 with a blown head gasket, i found all to be between 200-210psi, so compression didn't show the blown head gasket. another check is to remove the spark plugs, and pressurize the cooling system with shop air. leave it for a while (4 hours or more), and the coolant will leak into the cylinders, showing you which cylinders have failed combustion rings... turbone- 2 blown head gaskets could put coolant on all four plugs. the car could have been seriously overheated and warped both heads or both head gaskets could have let go. i'm not too familiar with this engine, but the coolant has nothing to do with the intake manifild, right (it doesn't on a 2.5)? so the only place that coolant can find its way into the cylinder is through the head gasket...

you can go forever without the thermostat. it will take longer to get up to temperature, and won't always stay warm, especially if it is very cold out. it only cost about $15 to replace it, so that is probably your best option...

flo... i don't think they need to do a general recall where they fix all cars, but more along the lines of a silent recall, where they give some support to those who have had failures. it doesn't look good for them to be having head gasket failures on cars that are only 4 years old... there's strength in numbers, and organizing helps, so hopefully we'll be able to get a growing list so they can't say that they haven't heard people are having problems...

there's a spot on the top rear where you can insert a screwdriver, and it will pop off. if you look at the outline, you can see a hole where you can lever it with a screwdriver. this could possibly be different because it is an outback, and things can change in 2 years...

crutchfield says the fronts are 6-1/2", and can take up to 2-5/8" deep & 3/4" high. on my 97 you can get to the speakers by just removing the grill.

if you take the valve covers off, there is a hex portion on the cam, which you can get an adjustable wrench over. if you can't get an adjustable wrench on it, you could use a crow's foot on a breaker bar (to work at a right angle). it is around a 25-26mm hex. other methods people have used include using a strap wrench around the whole sprocket (must be a big wrench, and protect the teeth with a piece of the old timing belt), and 99obw used a 2-3/8" 3/4" drive socket, which he welded on a piece of angle iron. the socket fit onto the large hex portion of the sprocket, and he slipped a 3/8" entension through the 3/4" drive hole to remove the bolt. search for his "doing a phase 1 head gasket myself" post for more details. i don't recommend using channellocks like haynes recommends. it is difficult to get a good grip on it, and 99obw broke part of one of the sprockets using that method...

sorry to hear of your troubles, mark. i just got a reply from a letter i wrote to subaru, and they don't seem too sympathetic. they said that they are unaware of any issues with head gaskets failing on this engine. do me a favor and check back on the website in a few days. once i can get my isp to get their cgi scripts working, i'm going to make a guestbook where people can log these failures, and you will be able to print the list and send it to subaru when you complain, giving more proof to the fact that this IS a problem. i'm hoping to have it up sometime next week...

the code is for a misfire of the #4 cylinder. changing the plugs & wires would be the first thing to check before doing further diagnotics. he should be able to check them before replacing them, though, especially the coil.

for a while now i've had the shifter rattle in my 97 obw. it stops if you put pressure on the shift lever, and usually happens in gears 3 & up. i searched and found the old post with the endwrench article which recommends replacing a bolt on shift linkage where it attaches to the tranny. i ordered the bolt and just replaced it (in a fun place!), but it didn't really help. has anybody had any luck in tracking this down? i'm kinda sitting on the fence, because i've been eyeing the short throw kit for a while now. anybody have any experience with these (the subaru one)? does it give you a more notchy, positive feel? thanks for any info...

you should still be in warranty (right?), so you should take it to the dealer and have it documented and have him work it out. you want to have a paper trail of this problem, so that if your warranty runs out, you will still be able to show them that it has never been fixed, even when it was under warranty...

some answers: 1. the bigger problem with the oil pumps on this motor is that the o-ring seal between the block and pump fails, causing oil leaks. while you have the timing belt off, you should remove it, change the o-ring and reseal the pump (use permatex 599 ultragrey). at the same time, you can check the clearance of the oil pump rotor and decide if it is out of spec. the screws on the back of the oil pump should be reinstalled with loctite. 2. tensioner is a judgement call. i reused mine, will probably replace it next time around. one of my idler pulleys was dry, though, so i replaced it. 3. yes, it is an interference motor. valves can collide with valves 4. it shouldn't be any trouble to change the valve cover gaskets in the car. the bolts are short, and you should be able to get to it with a low profile rachet (probably use 1/4" drive) 5. yeah, the plugs are somewhat difficult to work on, but they can be done. i usually use a 3" extension, but you can also do it with the aid of a univeral adapter... 6. the thermostat is on the bottom of the block. follow the lower cooling hose to the bottom of the water pump, and you'll find the thermostat housing 7. cam seals - again a judgement call, but cheap and easy to replace while you're in there. 8. you can get a subscription to subaru's shop manuals for $20 for 72 hours. very worth it (you can download it - it's about 250mb worth of stuff). there is also a pretty good haynes manual available. i recently did the head gasket on a 2.5 motor, and made a website. i also changed the timing belt and resealed the pump, so there may be some info that can help you. you can visit my site at http://mysite.verizon.net/vze730qe/

just get an estimate. it is probably quite reasonable because it does not require a great deal of time. as mentioned before, they have a ton of specalized tools to gently push the dents out. when working on doors, they usually go in through the window (with it rolled down), and can reach most of the door. i've never seen them work on quarter panels, but i imagine they work through the wheel well.

you got off lucky! i dropped a 17.5' wood sea kayak off the roof of a civic i had, and it took the driver's side view mirror with it! there is a company called dentwizard who seems to have perfected it, and do it for most of the dealers in this area. they are also available to the public. you can find more info on their website at www.dentwizard.com . they have a variety of tools to remove dents from most places on a car. it is quite impressive to watch...

they are the same. if you look on the block, a 2.5l motor will be stamped ej25. though there are some different versions depending on model year...

use a marker to mark the heads of the bolts at 12 o'clock. this will help you keep track of the angles. when you back them out 180deg then 180deg again, they will be loose. from factory service manual: Tighten cylinder head bolts. (1) Apply a coat of engine oil to washers and bolt threads. (2) Tighten all bolts to 29 N⋅m (3.0 kg-m, 22 ft-lb) in numerical sequence. Then tighten all bolts to 69 N⋅m (7.0 kg-m, 51 ft-lb) in numerical sequence. (3) Back off all bolts by 180° first; back them off by 180° again. (4) Tighten bolts 1 and 2 to 34 Nm (3.5 kg-m, 25 ftlb). (5) Tighten bolts 3 , 4 , 5 and 6 to 15 Nm (1.5 kg-m, 11 ft-lb). (6) Tighten all bolts by 80 to 90° in numerical sequence. CAUTION: Do not tighten bolts more than 90°. (7) Further tighten all bolts by 80 to 90° in numerical sequence. CAUTION: Ensure that the total “re-tightening angle” [steps (6) and (7) above] do not exceed 180°. bolt 1 is middle top bolt 2 is middle bottom bolt 3 is left top bolt 4 is right bottom bolt 5 is left bottom bolt 6 is right top