theotherskip

96 phase I's were 155hp and required premium fuel. 96+ phase I's were changed to solid lifters, upping the hp to 165. the octane requirement was also lowered to 87.

the recall was for 96-98 legacies

the tire guy is right. you can drive with the FWD fuse in for an indefinate amount of time with no damage to the viscous coupling. under normal driving conditions, the car operates as FWD, only until slip is detected, then the AWD kicks in. she'll do no harm by driving for extended periods of time with the spare on the back and the FWD fuse installed. under no circumstances should the FWD fuse be removed until all of the tires are the same. just search the archive if you don't believe me!

the repair info associated with this board is at: http://www.usmb.net/repair/ other resources include: http://www.endwrench.com/pages/home.html and http://techinfo.subaru.com as for what to do, it somewhat depends on mileage. usually water pump is advised, because it is cheap. tensioners can usually wait until the 2nd belt change, seals are usually recommended (the crank seal as well).

when the alternator is putting out current, the voltage will be around 14.5V. it definately sounds like your alternator is bad.

that totally sucks that you just did a clutch. it definately makes pulling the engine worthwhile if you have to do the clutch. it seems like there has really been a rash of head gaskets failing lately. i know those who have had it fail tend to make a lot of noise, but there do seem to be a lot of us. i'm really feeling pretty crappy about subaru's handling of the whole problem... i wish i had more financial mobility to go diesel vw... but i think i'm in this one for a while...

interesting... seems to go against what i read when i was researching what to do with my car, but i'll be damned if i can find any of the articles i read a while ago. i'll try searching, and will post links if i can find any of them. most seemed to say on a higher mileage engine, you should usually do rings with a valve job, otherwise you will be looking for increased oil consumption and possible bottom end failure. this is not to say that if it needs a valve job it shouldn't be done, rather that if it looks ok, don't think you will be helping it by getting the valves reground... you can get away without removing the coolant crossover tube, but if you get the gasket kit, it includes new o-rings, so it is best to do it while you are there. the kit is really the best way to go, because you can renew just about all of the gaskets & o-rings on the engine.

there are lots of variable to compression tests (block temperature, outside temperature, etc), which is why you remove all spark plugs and open the throttle all the way. you then have an even basis for comparing cylinder to cylinder.

haru - always disconnect the negative first when removing the battery, and in this case, that is all that is necessary. about 45 minutes should do it... if when you remove the positive first, it is easier to accidently short the battery to ground (anything metal on the car).

a valve job is usually NOT recommended. as the engine wears the engine gets "looser", gradually loosing compression. if you get a valve job, you will be strengthing the top end, but with an old bottom end. this added strain on the bottom end can blow it out, or at least add to your oil comsumption. if a valve job is neeed, it is best to do the whole block as well. but with 116k, you should be fine to just put it back together, after adjusting the valve clearances. other good maintenance would include: timing belt (unless changed at 100k) oil pump o-ring & reseal cam & crank seals water pump (again if not already changed) some will say to also change the tensioner, but i fall more along the belief that it can make it to the 180k belt change. just be sure that they (or you) check all the idlers for smoothness and that they don't sound dry. you can have new valve oil seals done when you have the heads checked. alltogether having the heads checked for warpage, my flywheel ground and new valve oil seals only ran me $70 at a machine shop.

me! i see you found it. sorry to hear the history to this car! it seems like there have been a rash of bad head gaskets lately. hopefully if you plead your case well you may get some results, especially with the extensive history of this car... good luck!

i can't remember if it is subaru that has a silent recall for gas caps going bad? i know i've read of a car manufacturer that will replace a gas cap due to it triggering the CEL. not 100% sure if was subaru, but may be worth asking the dealer.

FSM = factory service manual, available at http://techinfo.subaru.com . as for haynes or chiltons, i think that the haynes is much more specific to this particular car. the chilton's that is available covers more years and engines and options, making it more difficult to find what pertains to your particular engine.

many problems won't turn up until the car has reached full operating temperature and the system is up to full pressure. many head gasket problems won't show up until the car is under heavy load, so you won't necessairally see bubbles in the radiator unless the car is very hot, when you typically can't remove the radiator cap. a pressure test is a good way to check out the system while the car is still cool.

first thing to check would be the battery terminals. when there is a thick layer of corrosion, it can cause difficulty starting. if that seems ok, then it probably is the solonoid of the starter goind bad. usually that means just replacing the starter. if you get in a bind where it won't start, you can try having someone tap the solonoid of the starter while you are turning the key. this can sometimes unstick the solonoid, but is a sure sign of more problems to come. the starting problems are probably unrelated to the check engine light. the check engine light could be coming from the bad starts, but you can't tell for sure unless you get the code scanned (autozone and some other parts stores will do it for free).

the 2.2 seems to be a very tight engine with few reported (if any) head gasket problems. i'd be more inclined to check over the entire cooling system for a leak. you can have it pressure tested at a radiator shop and they can pin point the source. they can also check the coolant for hydrocarbons (exhaust gasses) to rule out a head gasket...

on subaru's behalf, they have been reworking the head gaskets multiple times. i believe that since 1997, there have been 6 revisions. to the best of my knowledge, the current one has been around for a while and seems to be working out well for most people. (subaru p/n: 11044aa610). as for reasons for the failures, there doesn't really seem to be a common mode. some people have driven them hard, with no maintenance, some rally their cars, some do all the maintenance and just use it as a normal daily driver. many have had no problems whatsoever. seems to pretty much be a crapshoot as to whether it will fail or not.

dave - the tensioner should be fine to reuse, especially with only 67k on it. as long as they inspect it and it looks in good condition. they should also check all the idlers for smooth operation. i found one that was dry, so i replaced it, but they should be able to use most if not all of them again.

as cookie mentioned, i wrote a site with lots of info about the head gasket failures, a diy repair, etc. you can visit it here. there is also a guestbook you can sign, and it starting to get a list together of people who have had failures. feel free to include it in any correspondence with subaru. when i was researching, i found on a bwm site an explanation of the random overheating. you can search the archives for the exact quote, but it went something like this. after long drives, a lot of exhaust gas tends to get pushed into the cooling system. when you shut off the car, it will turn back into a gas and collect around the heads. as the car cools, the thermostat closes. when it heats up again, there is not gas surrounding the head, and it doesn't absorb heat like coolant, and it doesn't open the thermostat. it will super heat (sometime you can see the system boiling over), then finally heat the surrounding coolant enough to open the thermostat, then the car cools back down. it can send you down the wrong path thinking that the thermostat needs replacing when in it actually is working fine. hope this helps...

i got some relief from this problem on an older (97) obw by cleaning out the throttle body. i used a throttle body and intake cleaner, available at napa and others, and cleaned it according to their directions. it didn't fix it completely, but it definatly made it much more controllable. my engine definately had a fair amount of carbon build up, so it may not help in your case...

yeah... subaru is real good at playing dumb when it comes to issues with the cars, but what do you expect. at least in this day and age, with the internet, we can organize and know that it is not an isolated problem... as for the $1200 estimate, that sounds like a screaming deal, if it includes both head gaskets, timing belt, seals, water pump, etc... it is a lot of work, and parts alone run around $400... you should really lean on subaru, though. with only 4k over the warranty, this is definatly in the negotiable area of the warranty. be sure to use lots of things like "this may just be my last subaru..." and "i never had problems like this with my ..."

sorry to hear it blew. 14 hours seems about right for being in a shop, with all the specalized tools and having done it a few times. you definatly should lean on subaru and put up a fight. mine blew and i wrote a site with some info about doing it. if you are mechanically inclined and have some extra time, it isn't that difficult to do. even if you have it done, if you are planning on keeping the car long term, you may consider doing some additional work, such as seals, timing belt, and water pump. it will add a little to the cost, but now nearly as much as if you have them done separately later. you can get to my site here . there is also a guestbook which you can sign and it has other people who's head gaskets have failed. you can include this when dealing with subaru (who you'll find will be surprised to hear of the problem). subaru - 1-800-subaru-3

DAMN! consider yourself REAL LUCKY you walked away from that accident. you should go buy some lottery tickets or something. i had a couple of near mooses (misses) when i worked in cooper landing, ak. you would come around a bend and surprise! right in the middle of the road. i had heard some stories of accidents, including some fatalities, and usually someone got real hurt. glad to hear you walked away...

i doubt it. you are better off with a 3" extenstion, u-joint, and 12" extension...

changing the timing belt is not that difficult. i thought it would be much more difficult, but it wasn't that bad. one of the most difficult parts is removing the crank pulley bolt, but that won't be a problem in you case. you can see what is in store at my head gasket site . it has lots of pictures of doing the head gasket, and you have to do a timing belt change to get the heads off. it also has how to compress the tensioner by hand. it can at least give you some idea of what you would be in for if you try it yourself. if i recall correctly, the crank sprocket had it's own key built in...correct?