theotherskip

when i did the valve clearance check on my car at 72k, one of the exhaust valves was at .005" (spec is .010"). i wonder if the 105k interval is too long... i just got a letter back from subaru after writing them about my blown head gasket. they said "We are not aware of a know condition with head gasket failures at this time." they seem to care less and less about customer service...

i'm working on a site for all those who have blown a head gasket on an ej25. i pulled the motor, did the timing belt, seals, etc. i also changed the clutch. you can visit it here . i broke down the time it took, etc. i would estimate about 8 hours to remove the engine, 1 hour to change the clutch, 2 hours to inspect components and change the timing belt, and 6-8 to put it back in. this is probably on the heavy side, working alone. it is reasonable to get it done in a weekend, though. the only variable you have is if you will need to machine the flywheel. i had mine done, and recommend it if you are not replacing the flywheel. you may have difficulty getting this done on a weekend. you may also find bad idlers, etc when doing the timing belt, as i did. it was hard enough finding this from a dealer during the week! i chose the subaru clutch, and have been so far pleased. it was a little harsh during break in, but it seems to be smoothing out nicely (about 500 miles on it so far). i also got a new pressure plate and had the flywheel turned. aside from the throwout, replace the pilot bearing ($7). mine was very notchy after 72k.

you can download the factory service manuals at Subaru Factory Service Manuals . it costs $20 for a 72 hour subscription. it is worth every penny, then about a thousand more. it is far better than any haynes or chilton's manual. in order to download the complete set, it will take you about 5 hours - it is around 800 individual files adn 250 mb. if you don't have broadband access, now is either the time to upgrade or mooch off a friend. but they are the best deal out there... you may consider pulling the engine rather than pulling the transmission. it isn't that difficult overall to pull the engine, and it will make changing the rear main seal a lot easier. pulling the tranny is difficult because you have to remove the driveshaft and 2 half shafts. you could do a lot of other maintenance at the same time while you have the engine out (valve clearance, timing belt, etc) if it needs it. just food for thought.

this is from the 97 legacy fsm. it will hopefully give you some idea of what you are looking for... it is on the air box, and the fsm says that you have to discharge the system and remove the box to get to it?? i haven't done it and haven't really been in that neck of the woods of my car, so i can't give any more help...

Ratty2Austin: the key that keeps the sprocked from rotating on the end of the crankshaft was pretty securely attached to my crankshaft. i don't know if this is the norm, but mine was tight, so i didn't bother with it. on a civic i had the key was removeable, so it could be easily replaced (also lost, but that's a different story). probably call your dealer and see if a replacement key is available. as long as the sprocket engages solidly (it shouldn't be able to rotate much at all), i wouldn't worry about it. i know it is too late to help you now, but i usually don't remove something until i have a pretty good idea of how it works. when i took my timing belt off, i spent about 20 mins marking the belt and noting the position of different marks and such. this tends to be lots of help when reassembling. saved my butt lots of times.

this may be apples and oranges, but on the 1997 ej25, the crank sprocket for the timing belt had a few marks. at first, i though the timing mark was a triangle on the face of the sprocket. but this pointed down (180deg) away from where it should have been pointing. then i found a line on one of the "lobes" (i don't know what to call them) that give signals to the crankshaft position sensor. that line lined up with the timing mark. I made sure that i had it all figured out before i removed the belt. Hope this helps...

clutches are not usually covered by extended warranties anyway, since they are consumable like brakes, so the dealer was most likely just feeding more bs onto the fire. since you have a paper trail from while the car was under warranty, keep pressing the dealer. if they continue to fight you, try some of the legal routes, to see if they can put pressure on them... you can find many resources online for your particular state - things like lemon laws and consumer resource centers...

thanks for the bump, i'm doing the same... anybody who's done similar work (timing belts, valve adjustments, head gaskets) have any tips/tricks that they think should be added? hocrest - i'll have to look for the pine barrens meet - that sounds more my style. thanks for the info!

have you pulled the code from the abs computer?

suzam - your neighbor probably had one of the tow rigs that tows off the front of the car's frame, leaving all 4 wheels on the ground. you can tow a 5mt all day long with this setup, as it will get all the lubrication it needs, and the center diff will have even inputs from the front and back... carl - the difference between the front/rear and center diffs is that the center diff is a limited slip. when either the front or rear turns when the other isn't, it will try to get the other one spinning. both the front & rear diffs are open, so they can have tires of different diameters without burning up like the center (limited-slip) diff would... When you install the fuse, it doesn't matter where the donut (spare) goes.

manuals can NEVER be towed with 2 wheels on the ground - it will absolutely destroy the center diff, and possibly pull it self off the tow rig. you can either pull it with all 4 wheels on the ground (under 6 miles), or with all 4 wheels off the ground (either on a flatbed or dolly. the same goes for automatics, but for different reasons. when you tow an automatic with the engine off, the tranny fluid pump is not operational, so no fluid is being circulated, and it will burn the tranny up.

you should be able to find the thermostat located on the evaporator unit, which is located in the ductwork under the dash. it is generally located behind the glove box. You will need to remove the glove box, blower, then open the ductwork to get to it (not a fun job overall). when you get to it, be sure to note exactly where it is placed on the evaporator, as its placement is important - the temperature varies as you move across the evaporator. but you should first check that you are not low on refridgerant. often the compressor cycling more frequently is a sign that the refridgerant is low. i'm not sure when the refridgerant was changed from r-12 to r134a, but if yours is r-12, there should be a sight glass on top of the reciever/drier. look through the sight glass, and if you see lots of bubbles, the system is low. if the system is at normal charge, it will have just a few bubbles. if it is 134a you will need to have it checked with a pressure gauge...

i'm probably going to post it to the usrm once i've gotten done with editing it and any additions anyone else may have. there's a bit more i want to add, but i won't get to it for a few days. the only local event i saw was a race day, and that's not really my thing. if there were more trail days here on the east coast, that i'd be in for!

I'm trying to get a web page together for info about doing a phase 1 2.5L head gasket replacement. I recently completed mine, and took lots of pictures in the process. I put a couple of pages together with parts prices, suppliers, information sources and some other info. It includes pictures of the teardown and some of the tips and tricks along the way. the page can be found at: http://mysite.verizon.net/vze730qe/ i'd appericate any feedback or any other info that anybody thinks i should add to the page. hopefully this will be a resource that peope can use to decide if they want to take it on themselves, or at least give them a better idea of the work involved... thanks for your help (i know it still needs work in the grammer and spell checking areas - i'll fix that later, but i wanted to get any opinion up to this point)

i don't know this engine, but how's the coolant temp sensor? that could make it run real rich, since it never thinks the car has warmed up...

bled the clutch, lots of crap came out with the old fluid. but pedal feels much better. the new pressure plate has a lighter action to it. i'm still not too sure about this new clutch. i'm getting a little woried that it will develop the cold clutch judder. after about 100 miles, it still seems to be a skip & grab when cold. it could be having the flywheel resurfaced, though. i'll give it some time...

the system will normally be under pressure (around 12psi). if you open the system while it is pressurized, it will spray coolant. the safest way to open the system is to wait for it to cool (at least 3 hours), then open the radiator cap slowly. after verifying that your radiator is full and burped properly, you should make a pencil mark on your expansion tank, then drive the car for a 20 mile run to get the system fully heated up and up to pressure. then check the expansion tank. the level should have risen. if you see bubbles coming from the tube connected to the radiator, either you haven't completely burped the system, or you've got problems (head gasket, etc).

thanks... i took it out last night, and it seems to be getting better. today i have to bleed the clutch, as it feels slightly spongy. i guess i'm just not used to a new clutch!

i think you may be missing a section. for my 97 obw, it was in a different section titled "1997 legacy manual supplimental abs 5.3I system" specific section that has info about pulling codes (in great detail) is [T6A0] 4-4d, sec. 6 "Diagnostic Chart for On-Board Diagnostic System", subsection D - "trouble codes" you may have to see if you can find this elsewhere, such as from techinfo.subaru.com

wow. the new board is quite snazzy. thanks to all the people makin it happen! in other subaru related news, i got the motor put back in my car today, and things are running quite smooth. no leaks, the gasket seems to be holding fine, and the clutch seems to be smoothing out (i just drove it about 25 miles with lots of starts and stops). tomorrow i will bleed it, as it does feel a bit spongy. thanks to all the posters who helped me along the way. special thanks to 99obw (whom gave me hope i could do it after reading his thread) and commuter. i took lots of pictures and will be creating a web page with lots of details and tips and tircks. once i get my film developed, i'll post a link to the page and take any additions anyone may have. thanks again to everyone who gave advice...