sean56a

OK guys, you're going to love this one. The check engine light and holder was missing! I didn't have a spare holder, so I borrowed the 'FWD' holder and bulb. Now my check engine light works and I am currently trying to make it go on again by idling the engine at 1500. Also trying to get the fans on. So far only the driver's fan will spin. Do they ever run independently? If the check engine light is off right now (I disconnected the battery to pull the instrument cluster) does this mean I have no code that the smog tech could find? History codes clear, right? Cheers.

thanks for all the great ideas. I think my first step should be to get my check engine light working. Question: does the check engine light normally cycle on when you turn the key to ON? If so, then my light is definitely burned out.

...and apparently my check engine light is burned out (more likely unscrewed by the guy who sold me the car). But my radiator fans work! I seen 'em!. What is going on here??? TIA!

How interesting. The first repair was done with those OEM gaskets from 1stsubaruparts.com and the second was from the local dealer. I sure hope that makes the difference! Of course as soon as I start driving the thing again the brakes start to stick. If it's not one thing...

This time around it wasn't nearly as expensive as the last time since I didn't bother replacing any other seals. I got the heads re-milled on Friday because I was worried that the last machinist might have messed them up. I also BOUGHT A GOOD TORQUE WRENCH (the kind that clicks). On my list of things that may have gone wrong in the first HG job, using a needle-type torque wrench is #1. Finally, I should note that three of the camshaft cap bolts in the front camshaft cap (with the oil seal) sheared off when I tried to remove them. Most likely I over-torqued them when I reassembled a few months ago. Beware, folks, the front caps get less torque because the bolts are smaller. I'm happy with the recent job. Blew on Tuesday. Wednesday I bought the gaskets. Thursday I disassembled. Friday I got the heads machined and found replacement bolts for my camshaft caps. Saturday I reassembled. Sunday I added fluids and started her up, then went joyriding through the country. Not bad for a newb working in the dirt without air tools.

When I had my heads measured in November they were warped by .003". The spec was .002" so I went ahead and had them machined. I can't imagine that the block is warped if they were so straight. I followed the torquing procedure to the letter but it's possible I made a mistake due to the cheap hand tools I was using. I suppose it's possible that some type of debris landed in there but obviously I was trying to be careful. Granted I am a newb at this so it could have been any combination of the latter two, or the machinist messed up. The 2.2 engine idea is a good one I think. Where's the best place to look for one? How much should a 15-year-old motor cost, and how many miles is too many? Thanks guys!

Well, I've done it again. I think. Several times I drove it ten miles or so, overheated it, bled out LOTS of air, refilled it, then overheated it again (not too hot). Of course this got progressively worse then 100% terrible 37 miles from home. About to go out and do the compression test, but wanted to ask a few questions first: Is there any chance this is NOT a head gasket? What are potential reasons for a repeat blown gasket? Could there be some underlying problem that is causing too much heat? Something else? Assuming it is a head gasket... The tow truck driver mentioned that some heads are fastened with stretch bolts. Should I buy new bolts? Since I replaced all the seals three months ago, can I get away with just replacing the head gaskets? Or do I need to re-seal everything? Thanks folks.

Hey y'all. I wanted to let everyone know that I found the problem. Sorry it took me so long to report. It was a loose fuel injector that was causing the chugging, and an after-market ground wire that was causing the electrical issues. My Haynes manual doesn't cover stuff the ghetto keyless entry system the previous owners installed! Thanks everyone for helping me fix my own car! What a great feeling. This message board rocks. In other news, I think I blew it again after three beautiful months on the road. New problem, new thread, so look out for that on the board. Thanks people! Sean

Thanks for the offer and the ideas everyone. But ideally $12 is what I'd like to spend on the whole project. I'm going to check Pick-n-Pull now that I know I can use models up to '05. Cheers. Edit: So, I checked the Pick-n-Pull site and they have a bunch of Legacys from 90, 91, 92, 95, and 96 around the county. Would those radios work?

Hi everyone, I resolved the problem (mostly!). Thanks for your help. For posterity, I might as well say what it was. The problem was the loose connection to the negative battery terminal. I cut off the little piece of plastic that fits in between the two ends of the loop clamp of the battery lead, the one that the bolt goes through. This let me tighten the clamp down on the worn, skinny post. No problems (other than lingering AT TEMP / AIRBAG lights at startup)...

Hey there, you helpful gods of the Subaru, I've got another question for y'all. Why is my radio dead? So here's what's up: the clock works. Turning the power/volume knob doesn't do anything. Neither does pressing any of the buttons except for DISP and the up/down tuner which controls the clock settings. If I unplug the unit and plug it back in, I get some whirring of the tape deck inside. Is there any way to save this? If not, what's the cheapest possible way I can get back to my tape deck/iPod music!? Thanks folks! Sean

All right. I went to Kragen and had a test run. Unfortunately he did everything from the battery, so if you all need the alternator tested I'll have to do it myself tomorrow. Here are his results: Battery, engine off: 12.8 v Cold cranking amps: 391 Starter: 10.05 v Alternator w/o loads: 13.8 v Alternator with loads: 14.0 v I checked the fuse for my radio; no dice. It's intact. I've been having some belt squealing recently (which, I should mention, is quite a different noise from the high-pitched drone of a whine that I heard once before) so I checked the belts. I noticed that the alternator wasn't properly seated on its mounts. I tightened everything and put the belt guards in place. Perhaps the alternator wasn't turning properly with a loose belt? Cheers, Sean

Hi, I replaced the head gaskets on my 97 Outback a couple of months ago. First time I've done anything this major so I'm wondering what I messed up. Or if it was me at all. I've been having some electrical problems that have popped up one by one and intermittently: Headlights dim when I hit the brakes High-pitched whine coming from engine compartment (EGR valve?!) Airbag light on intermittently Stereo dead as dead; clock works though (I can even set it) Seat belt idiot light flickers on with accompanying, stuttering, alarm noise Car randomly won't start -- fixed by removing the negative battery wire for a second Thanks everyone for your attention. Take care. Sean

bump. I need to fix this by Monday. Vacuum leak? Electrical? Should I just give up and take it to a mechanic? By the way, I ran it for over ten minutes last night and the oil was definitely not milky after. We have liftoff! Still runs like ************, though. TIA

Thank you, everyone, for your help. I'm thinking along these lines now. I checked the oil last night (it had been sitting for two weeks while I had visitors). I ran it for a minute, then drained the oil. Hardly milky at all! Tonight I put in a new filter and oil. Chugs immediately. This leads me to believe -- correct me if I'm wrong -- that the chugging is NOT a result of coolant in the engine. She's idling at 750, doesn't like to rev at all, and the electrical issue with the turn signals (hazards too) is still present. Also the fuel gauge is stuck up past "F". Any ideas on what could be causing the chugging? Perhaps the same electrical problem that is causing the other symptoms? Cheers!

Thanks. A mechanic friend told me as much re: pressure testing the coolant. Though I wonder if it's worth it. The car has had three different loads of oil in it so far and though the last one looked like it had taken care of it for a ten-minute drive, after it started chugging and spewing white smoke like before. Still have white smoke in the oil filler tube. Also looks like there's a bit of an oil slick on top of my coolant in the radiator. All signs point to ----> ************ up.

I did have a slight problem with the ground wire that bolts to the intake manifold. I didn't think I messed it up, but I wasn't exactly gentle either. I'll check it out, thanks.

Hey all, I want to run it in place for a while to see if the coolant boils out. The oil is less creamy on the second change so I want to run it for a half hour, change the oil, run it again, then check the oil for creaminess. How dangerous for my engine would it be to do this? As I said above, it seems as though there is definitely still some coolant in the oil, but I really need to rule out the possibility that I spilled lots of coolant into the oil passages when I removed the heads. What is the longest amount of time I can safely run the engine with coolant in the oil?

I suppose it's possible. I was certainly not aware of destroying any connection...

Creamy again, but less so this time. When I ran it, I noticed some interesting factors as of yet unreported: tach takes 5 secs to register after starting. engine is idling along at 1250. the left and right turn signals are semi-illuminated. if i engage a turn signal, left or right, the tach drops to zero then ticks with the turn signal tick. finally the idle drops if i turn the headlights on. yikes

Quick Q: can coolant in the oil damage the engine? Even a small amount?

Not a significant amount. I poured about 3 oz. in when I changed the oil. I haven't driven it yet, nor run it long enough to really boil off residual coolant if that is indeed the case. The thing is I never had coolant in my oil until now. The engine was overheated severely once. I was hard driving in the mountains and the car died. Then I noticed that it was running hot. I was about 15 miles from home so I did the home trip in legs without overheating the engine too much. The warpage as detected by the machine shop was .003", which is just outside the spec of .002". I'll check to see if the oil is creamy again.

Intake gasket? Really...? I'll keep it in mind. I waited an hour while the oil drained out, then I refilled it. Immediately I noticed the engine running MUCH better. No more chug, no more heavy vibration of the engine itself. Unfortunately I still have white smoke coming out of the tailpipe. Also a great deal of white smoke is leaking out of the right section of the exhaust manifold and I have white smoke in my oil filler tube. :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: How on earth would I have managed to ************ up the head gaskets? Honestly I cleaned the living ************ out of the surfaces, had the heads machined and steam cleaned, and when I installed the gaskets I followed the torquing procedure with great care. There was no way to mess up the gaskets, either. Only one way they fit. Very confused.

ICK. 100% of the oil that came out of the drain plug was light brown and creamy. Could this be left over from the work I did? Or maybe there's some new leak I created? What course of action do you recommend at this point?

Going now. We'll see what happens.