99obw

If I ruin a bushing do I have to pull the entire lateral link off in order to press the old one out/new one in?

Well, I finally tried to replace the rear bearings this weekend. I borrowed an air compressor and impact wrench. Everything I had had apart in the past came apart easily. With a little persistance and the impact wrench the axle nuts came off. What I didn't know was the lateral link bolts are exposed for most of their length on the inner side of the knuckle. In this geographic region that means severe corrosion. I got both of the nuts off easily but the bolts wouldn't come loose from the knuckles. I used a lot of penetrating oil over a 24 hour period. I did manage to get the right side free. I am afraid that if I torque any harder on the left side it will break. I am quite familiar with breaking car parts. I put it all back together. I am planning on buying the lateral link bolts and nuts and trying again next weekend. That way breaking them isn't a problem. I did manage to change the rear diff lube with some fresh Mobil 1 75w-90. What a waste of time.

I would replace the parts I listed above. When I said main seal I meant front main seal specifically. The rear main seal should be replaced when you do the clutch.

Skip, she has a Phase II, does that list still apply? The Phase II doesn't have spark plug hole gaskets AFAIK.

I like to change it out when I do the tranny fluid. Use a turkey baster and remove most of the fluid from the reservoir. Then refill and run the car for a minute, turning the wheel from lock to lock. Repeat this procedure 5 or 6 times. Works really well and only takes about 15 minutes. This technically won't replace all of the fluid, but it will replace most of it, and removing the return hose and flushing it properly is a PITA.

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/usmb/forum/search.php?s=&action=showresults&searchid=30682&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending

I have the 20 cubic foot sears model. It is a little hard to mount, but it works really well. The "kickstands" that hold it open kind of suck, but what do you want for $150. It mounts such that the rear door still fully opens. We averaged 27.7 MPG with that thing on the roof, the A/C on, and the car fully loaded on a trip to Vermont a few years ago.

I don't know what size they are, but let me offer a tip I picked up recently, just can't remember where from, probably from the USMB. Remove the fill plug first. If you remove the fill plug first and can't get the drain plug out no big deal, put it back together and take it to a shop. If you remove the drain plug first and can't get the fill plug out you can't fill it back up.

I don't know that it will work. Has anyone actually tried it? PS: I used my hub tamer again last weekend, but I still haven't used it to do the rear bearings! I am planning on doing them this weekend.

No, the '99 uses the same shims. By loosen I mean that the clearance between the cam and the shim increases. Maybe I am not using the correct terminology.

Overheated antifreeze!!?? I have never heard that one before. At the very least I would warm it up really good and look for bubbles in the coolant overflow. If you are serious about buying it you may want to have the coolant tested for exhaust gasses. Freshly changed fluids may sound like a good thing, but it can be used by the seller to mask a problem. I have seen the yellow markings when they were getting ready to part a car out. Maybe the car was totalled and then rebuilt. You may want to run a carfax. Some good friends of mine are auctioneers, and they pick up some pretty decent cars at auction. They have been at it for decades though. The people selling these cars are very clever, be very careful.

Your right! Done.

That is what I was thinking too Carl. Also the rubber spring seat that goes between the spring and strut mount or spring and strut on some cars.

I do it this way: 1. Start the engine and allow it to fully warm up. 1a. Turn engine off. 2. Drain the oil. 3. Remove the filter. 4. Allow it to drain a minute. 5. Fill the new filter with new oil. This takes several minutes as the oil has to soak through the element. 6. Smear some new oil on the filter gasket. 7. Wipe clean the oil filter gasket surface on the engine. 8. Install and tighten the filter. 9. Install the drain plug with a new crush washer. Using a torque wrench is best. 10. Wipe up any drips. 11. Fill the engine with the proper amount of new oil. I prefer to use ramps but I don't think they are necessary.

Ahhhh, so either they DO loosen or yours were adjusted loose and didn't change much. Good to know.

All of mine were either 0.007" or 0.008", instead of the 0.010" they are supposed to be. None were ok, none were loose. That was at 120k miles. Perhaps I shouldn't make such a blanket statement about the adjustment being loose as my experience is limited. My engine lived up to that point with the oil changed at least every 6 weeks with 5w-30 pennzoil or Mobil 1. It had VERY little in the way of cam or shim wear. Perhaps on some cars the cam/shim wear would be significant enough to offset the valve/stem wear and make the adjustment loose. Only a person who has adjusted a lot of Phase 1 valves would know, and it doesn't sound like there are many of those folks out there. Maybe Emily at CCR knows. Regardless of the wear characteristics, I believe it needs to be done if one wants the engine to last as long as it can. The head gasket advice is worth considering.

IIRC the 96 has hydraulic lifters, someone please correct me if I am wrong. I think the 97 has solid lifters. Assuming you do have the solid lifters, I would recommend getting them adjusted if you plan on keeping the car. I did mine myself, but when I called the local dealer they told me around $400. Dealer A seems to be right on with the price. Dealer B is clueless, with a simple tool the valves can be adjusted in the car. Some DIYers do it without the tool. They should have the tool, but it sounds like they don't. Dealer C is also clueless. When I called my local dealer they made a similar comment. As the valves wear they get tighter, not looser. The wearing of the valve seat and stretching of the stem lowers the clearance between the cam and the shim. Eventually the clearance will be 0, the valves will no longer seat enough to cool properly, and they will burn up. I would find out for certian from someone here if you have solid lifters, then go to Dealer A if you do.

Napa gold is another good one. Avoid Fram.

Not only did I not get the best price on the Hub tamer, but I paid 2.5x what I could have spent! :boohoo: Oh well, the Hub Tamer IS a pretty nice set of tools.

Also change air filter and PCV valve. Have the brakes dissasembled and the slides lubricated. Lubricate the door hinges. Definately have the brake fluid changed with that many years and only 30k miles. Change the tranny fluid (and filter if auto) and differential fluids. I think checking the timing belt at 30k is a waste of time.

Were you hoping that someone would report a scenario that resulted in more engine wear?

No test is infallable. IMHO if the gasket leak is bad enough to cause symptoms, a properly performed combustion gas test should will show the gasses to be present in the coolant. EDIT: I am talking only about the Phase I 2.5.

The outback was quite sluggish this morning at -8*F (-22*C), so the 5-1/2 year old OEM battery is going to be replaced tonight. I had asked my wife to keep a close eye on it, and she said that it has only been starting sluggishly for a couple of days. Seems like I extracted every last start from the original battery without any failures.

http://autoacrepairs.com/134aConversion.htm

If the dessicant is saturated with water then it won't provide any resistance to moisture in the newly filled system. I am guessing that the vacuum can't boil the water out of the dessicant. The receiver/dryer also has an internal filter on many systems. The old R12 oil also collects in the receiver/dryer. I picked up a used compressor on ebay for $105 for the outback. It was in really nice shape, from an '01 forester. A good ac vacuum pump can be had here for around $200. I have seen some used ones go on ebay for around $100. I am trying to talk my stepdad out of 1 of his 6 spare vacuum pumps.