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!

Well, I got the engine out today and the separator plate was the cast aluminum one not the plastic. YAY! It had been leaking but the rear main also appeared to have been some what from the oil stains on the opposite side from the plate and the stains on the lower part of the seal. So I really felt like I was put between a rock and a hard place after all I had read about this being a futile effort. I may regret it but it seems like I had no choice but to replace the seal, which I did with as much care and finesse as I could. I tried to match the depth and even the same way the original was put in. I wiped the seal mounting area clean before installing the new one. I don't think I could have done it any differently than any other Subie technician would do. Time will tell, I suppose. I also cleaned the separator plate surfaces of the old sealant and oil and used the proper grey import engine sealant. I set it aside to cure for the recommended time then installed it. I appreciate your input and concern but as the cliche' says, "that's my story and I'm stickin' to it". Thanks!

Well, I have some news and it is good initially....hopefully later as well. I found that my engine had the cast aluminum separator plate and not the plastic one. WOO HOO!!! I was expecting the plastic one, so that was a blessing! So the 2004 oil separators are the good cast aluminum ones. It appeared to have been leaking somewhat, although the rear main had some seepage spots on the opposite side from the separator plate and some moist oil on the lower edge. Hmmmm! SO, I cancelled the order for the new plate that I now didn't need. Then I removed the plate, took some steel wool and buffed off the old sealant from the plate and mating surface, cleaned both with brake cleaner and resealed with a small thin bead of grey acid free sealant for import engines. As for the rear main, I felt like that it had been leaking a little from what I saw on the opposite side from the plate and lower area around the seal. So I felt I had no choice but to replace it. I carefully and gingerly coaxed it out with a seal puller. Then using a small rubber mallet, tapped the new one just as carefully into place a little at a time on each side. I noticed that the seal had an arrow on the face with the usual numbers, which I imagine is a rotational direction arrow for the shaft being sealed. It matched the original one and I even tried to put it in the same place as the one that came out. I don't think it would matter but it may be just me being a little OCD on my part. Anyway, thanks again to everyone for your input. Hope it can help someone else in a similar dilemma.

Well, thanks for the input. I may be leaning toward NOT doing it, given the amount of nays vs. yays, especially if there's no signs of leakage. But I will keep the new seal, for a while. I'm fairly sure the separator plate is toast without looking at it. I sure wish Subaru would make it a recall and reimburse us DIY guys. I would be happier with Subaru as a car company. The motor is coming out today, Good Lord willing, and I will prep the block for the new plate that should arrive Monday. Thanks again everyone!

I'm doing the rear oil separator plate on my 04 Outback sedan. I plan to replace the rear main seal while I'm there and have uncovered the fact that the replacement can give trouble. Is this true or does it have to do with HOW it is replaced? I have a Subie seal, not an aftermarket. My cousin, who is an experienced mechanic, says to pack the back of the seal with grease to keep the spring from coming out. I plan to lube it up so that it goes over the crank smoothly. The engne will be out also so getting access to it will be no problem. help!

Ok, nipper. Now you're scaring me. I've replaced seals in various shafts like rear tranny yoke seals. Is it the depth or straightness or both? I have a Subie OEM seal, not an aftermarket.

Well, I have the engine about ready to come out. All I lack is THE PARTS!!! I went to two dealerships. The closest one didn't have ANY of the parts. The other (20 miles away) had the rear main seal but had to order the rest (oil separator plate & bolts). I guess I should have checked the parts availability first, yet I would have thought if it was a common problem they would have at least stocked a couple. I found an A/C hose there last year when I couldn't find it at the local Subie dealer (I have a hard time calling it that), so I took a chance. I opted to take the motor out because I had a hoist and didn't want to spend all my time on the floor. I'll give another update in about a week when I get done.

Oh yeah! I am all about simple fixes, and it really DID make my weekend! It's the kind of thing that gives a little boost to a guys mechanical machismo. A proper cheap fix instead of the duct tape & bailer wire is what it's all about. I have had it happen the other way around when a simple fix ended up costing me when I opted for the big part, like say, a new radiator, when it might have been just the cap or a hose leaking. The cheap fix should be considered first although it's easy to be tempted to just forge ahead and do the pricey one for peace of mind.

WOO HOO!!! I think I got the Wookie out of the steering pump!!! I was all set to replace the pump with a rebuilt unit and had one over-nighted to my local NAPA store. As I was taking the other one off, I took the suction hose loose where the Torx head bolt mounts the elbow to the pump case. This has a double o-ring connection that pulls out of the pump body. I thought that right there was the ONLY place where I could have gotten air introduced into the pump creating the "Wookie" cavitation whining. I had gotten o-rings at my NAPA store before and took the old ones off with a dental pick to match up to new ones. One of them broke and they were both stiff and flat. Two o-rings cost me 50 cents! I placed them in the grooves and put the hoses back on the pump. After a test drive and a few slow figure eights in a parking lot, all is quiet once again!!!! My wife and I even went out to lunch later in the car and still no noise!!! This is a cheap fix and I do not have any other leaks. Hopefully this might save someone else some money like it did for me!!!

Thanks for the reply. I imagine that air is getting in and it probably isn't able to anywhere except for the low pressure suction piping. If it was on the pressure side there would be a leak and there are none visible. I could have over done the belt tightening since that might be easy to do on the idler pulley tensioning bolt. That may have pulled the input shaft enough to do it. Would loosening enough to take some load off of it that be worth a try?

Hello all, Help, I have a wookie in the power steering! Seriously, I know it's cavitation rearing its ugly head and I did have the top and back pump hoses loose to do the head gaskets with the engine in the car a couple of weeks back. I think the pump is shot and it seems to have been coming on for a while doing the "chewy" sound occasionally. Last night when my wife got home it was constant. I found nothing left loose and the fluid is showing suds and is at the proper level. I just figure it's the pump but I am willing to tap the infinite wisdom of the forum to make sure. No hose clamps are off or loose either. Any idea on the cost of a rebuilt (or new) pump? Thanks!!!