pickn4him

Okay, here's an update. The check engine light stayed off for a week or two and never came back until this past weekend and stayed on. So, I had the wifey go by Advance Auto today and have the code read and it was something about fuel tank pressure (she said). Someone with greater knowledge of the codes might know more specifically. The guy cleared the code and stated that it may be because of the hot weather but I thought the gas cap should be vented enough to take care of that, shouldn't it? Could it be because of the mandated ethanol gas??? Would it be worth buying a new gas cap if the problem comes back, or could it be a gremlin in the EPA hose spaghetti gas vapor recovery emission control garbage? I've not touched any of that stuff and it is a sore spot as you can tell. But anyways, any one else had that problem????

Hello. I am once again seeking the knowledge stores of the forum. I have an '04 Legacy Outback sedan with 127K miles (EJ25 engine). I know this may be covered somewhere, but could a cheaper quality 87 octane gas cause a check engine light? Mine came on one day and hasn't appeared again in the last few days. I try to advise my wife to use name brand regular or midgrade but that don't always happen. I have never replaced the O2 sensors so without investing in a code scanner and pinning it down, I'm not 100% sure. I also had to replace a passenger side rear tire last week after my wife found a big shard of metal that cut a 2 inch gash in the belting. I wondered if that would cause a wheel speed sensor on the ABS or AWD part of the computer to be "confused" since the tires were about 15K miles old and then adding a new tire that had no tread wear to the set. Thanks in advance!

Hello all, I have recently replaced the timing belt, head gaskets and rear main seal on my '04 Legacy Outback Sedan with the 2.5L EJ25 engine as well as resealed the oil pan. I now have a gasoline smell that quickly comes and goes. I have checked, tightened, and rechecked all the gas lines I had loose and they are all in their proper places. I did NOT loosen any at the quick connects on the intake because I am assuming they are not servicable, which means they have to be replaced anytime they get taken loose there. When me or my spouse will smell gasoline, we open the hood and then can't tell or see any wet areas because the gas vaporizes quite quickly, of course. It's pretty concerning and I don't know what else to do but do a wholesale swap on all the hoses. Ideas?

So far I have tried the Lucas OIl PS stop leak. Only the smell has changed to a little differnet smell and has not stopped. I did the pump suction o-ring a while back when it was apparently sucking air & cavitating. That worked like a charm and super cheap!

Well, I knew the head gaskets were bad (leaking). I fixed that. I knew I had another leak and thought it was either the rear seal and vent plate, so I pulled the motor & resealed that. Then I resealed the oil pan and the only oil level that was going down was the steering fluid. It may be just a hose but I may need to dye check it for sure before I go yanking it out.

Thanks. I assume the front exhaust pipe needs to come out too, or not? I may get to tackle this if the weather fairs up this week.

Once again, I am seeking the infinite wisdom & advice of the USMB membership. My rack & pinion is leaking ('04 Legacy) and probably ought to be replaced. I have a Subaru CD-ROM shop manual which states that the steering wheel and u-joint need to come out. Is there any way around that? I can see the u-joint, at least on the R&P end, but the whole thing including the steering wheel & airbag? I don't really mind the work. I did the head gaskets and resealed the oil pan recently. I know there are some folks out there that have done that and may not have pulled the steering wheel & airbag, etc. I gave the Lucas oil leak stuff a try and so far it was a waste of money, so don't go there. It's "that smell" I am trying to fix, as well as the leak down onto the exhaust Y-pipe. THANX

The good news is there are no MOTOR oil leaks. The BAD news is......sigh.......it's the rack & pinion leaking. How do I know? The PS fluid is now on the low side and all other lubricant levels are staying steady. RATS!!!

To answer your question, it is just a matter of personal preference, aka "old school". I just don't care for using sealant alone. I am sure it works and that it went 110K miles without leaking but I really don't see the harm in just using a 1/32" thick gasket material but I still lightly greyed it in on both sides, so it's like an extra layer of protection against ever doing it again for a LONG time! So, chill dude. It's my car.

Well, I have installed an actual oil pan gasket that I cut from a piece of 1/32" thick rubber/fiber gasket material. I cleaned the pan and block surface with brake clean on a rag after wirebrushing the old grey goo off. I gave the pan and block a light coat of grey import RTV, just enough to color the surfaces. So far all is well. The radiator hoses did not have to come off but the shop manual just advised to take the top radiator brackets off. The radiator sort of leaned a little but never really got in too much of a strain. I really hope this is the end of the oil leak dilemma!!! Merry Christmas!!!

Hi, Out of curiosity, I consulted my Subaru Shop manual cd and in the oil pan removal, it states that the top radiator mounts are took loose. I guess the radiator sort of "floats free" with the hoses still attached and without draining the radiator and taking them loose? Sounds weird but almost worth a try. Comments?

Does anyone know of an aftermkt fresh air kit for the '04 Legacy 2.5L? It seems one hasn't been offered or I don't know where to look (more likely). It could be that a universal kit would do, but I don't want a cobbled together piece of junk, nor do I want a bling-bling high $ piece. I just want a better, less restricted, intake which = better mileage and a little more hp. Thanks in advance!!!

Yeah, I have considered the idea of getting a sheet of gasket material and cutting one out. I suppose that the airbox and pitching stopper will have to come loose for that operation as do the motor mounts. Any other items I'm overlooking?

Hey, and thanks for the info. Wish I had known that before I pulled it out but what's done is done. It appeared that there was some leakage from either the plate or the rear main. So, I resealed the plate (after cleaning it) and went ahead and changed the rear main. So far I still have "that smell", so the oil pan is all that's left. That's a job for another day. I think I should have done that while I had it out, but hind sight is always 20/20. It shouldn't be too bad to just lift up the motor a little to get to those rear pan bolts. I just wish there was an actual gasket instead of RTV, but I'm a little old school on that one. I do have a flex-shaft nut driver extension that I might be able to get the bolts out with but I'd imagine it's more about dropping the pan straight down than getting the bolts out. If anyone else has some input or experience on the oil pan, feel free to post.

Well, got the Subie fired back up this afternoon. I had to work nights over the weekend and it sort of delayed the progress. All I had left to do was the radiator and related hoses, the belts and the airbox. I replaced all the ding-y little wire hose clamps I took off for good old-fashioned worm gear clamps! I just love it when I've put everything back together and hit the key and it fires right up! SWEET!!! So far the oil smell is fading. Drove it home from my mom & dads garage where I did the work, and then out again tonight. Had a little oil smell at first, I suppose where the greasy hands were on the exhaust and the residual oil that was still on the crossmember. Tonight it was all but gone. Hopefully it will stay that way! My heart goes out to "outdoor" who has a tranny leak and not a oil leak but the dealer did a oil leak fix. It sure made me check my tranny & differential levels!