wolfhound

i just had a chance to check out my engine again. it seems that the leak is coming from the a/c compressor. any thoughts on what might be leaking on the a/c compressor? i plan on taking it off when this god forsaken rain lets up.

im in a hurry so i didnt bother reading the whole post. when i heard a water noise from my 2003 baja it was because my head gaskets were blown. this is common for these vehicles and the boxer engines are notorious for having bad cooling systems. i would have a mechanic test the exhaust fumes for the presence of coolant. they do this with some kind of test kit (you can also get one at a parts store). if your head gaskets are blown it will allow water into the head and force air into the coolant lines which will cause youre car to overheart for a few seconds before cooling back down. this problem will persist and grow gradually worse and could seriously damage youre engine. in the mean time, burp your coolant by taking the radiator cap off (when the engine is cold) and allow it to run. you will notice it bubbling air out of the radiator. do this until it quits burping (took my car about 5 minutes or several engine cycles). add coolant until your radiator is topped off. this way you can limp it around until you get a permanent fix, but get the exhaust tested. i wouldnt drive too far with it behaving this way. i hope this helps you

im going to check out all of these possibilities tomorrow.

fairtax, i checked the power steering fluid, and it seems to be level. I could not identify the oil pressure sender. im going to try to find it in my manual, and take a look at it tomorrow. However, the fluid does look a tiny bit red in color... do you think it might be transmission fluid? i couldnt find the transmission dip stick either.

i have a mysterious fluid leak and i need you help. for about a month now i have been experiencing a burning smell and some mild smoking from underneath the hood of my Baja. here is what ive discovered so far. -the fluid appears to be oil, though it looks a little opaque -it pools on the top of the engine beneath the drivers side intake manifold -when i last changed my oil the person at the parts store told me my car takes 4.5 quarts of oil, but i checked the hanes manual after the problem occured and it says 4.2. Could this have caused and increase in oil pressure resulting in a blown gasket somewhere? - this time last year, my head gaskets, water pump, and timing belt were replaced. could this be related? -the fluid seems a little opaque. i wonder if it might have some coolant in it? how do i check to see if this is the case? Any help you can offer would be awesome, and feed back in general is appreciated. -wolfhound

i made a sign today that said "Ask me why im dissatisfied with Nettleton Auto Sales", and sat in front of their store playing my guitar and singing bob dylan song, flashing my sign...... within 15 minutes the sales manager came out to talk to me. After insisting that he'd been working very hard to get the problem fixed i told him not hard enough for me to be satisfied. He agreed to have a reputable shop nearby fix it and pay for the costs. Great victory. Thanks for all the help, gentlemen! Victory!

how do you feel about "ask me how bad my ********************* hurts after buying from nettleton auto sales!"

good idea. things look bleak, but at least there is action to be taken.

GeneralDisorder, i like this idea. What should the sign say?

its a 2003 baja. i paid 6800 for the vehicle and was very much pressured into buying it. This is the first time ive purchased a vehicle from a car lot. It has 108k miles on it and i did sign an "as is" agreement. however, i spoke with the state about the purchase and the lady i spoke with said that if i can prove they mislead me about the condition of the car i may have a case. that is why im trying to find and ASE certified mechanic that is informed on this particular issue. my case is that because there was a misfire when i purchased it and because there were coolant issues the problem was preexisting. when i asked them about the problems they said it was mostly like caussed by a spark plug and when asked about the coolant being low they said it was typical on this car because the coolant gets pumped out of the radiator into the resevoir... they lied to me and i cant take this lying down. this is bull************. why is there no protection agaisnt this kind of bull************? someone please get me in contact with an ASE certified Subaru mech so i can get something figured out before i pull all my hair out and lose my mind.

ok, so now the man is ignoring me all togther. does anyone have any suggestions on what i can do now? i will be filing a report with the BBB of Arkansas but i doubt anything will come of that. I have also considered taking him to small claims court to sue him for the cost of repairs. In order to do this i need to speak with an ASE certified Subaru mechanic and get a written report concerning the problem. As this is a common problem with the 2.5 engine it would be excellent if a mechanic would take my side stating that the problem is in fact typical and that since the coolant was low when i purchased the vehicle and there was also a misfire (due to water being in the cylinder at start up) that the problem was preexisting. Does anyone know of a certified subaru mechanic with a good heart that would be willing to at least speak with me over the phone about the problem and possibly give me a written statement that would hold up in court? Has anyone ever taken someone to small claims? What was the outcome? help me out here!

he was supposed to have the car towed to memphis today to have his mechanic work on it and have it back to me by wednesday night. instead, i called him at 1230 and he still hadnt contacted his mechanic. this has quickly turned into a learning experience from hell. if he doesnt make this right i may have to turn Gonzo on him, show up at his dealership everyday and tell customers my story until something happens. i.e. me likely getting arrested. i have the strangest feeling that no matter what i do i will not win. the system is not set up for citizens and consumers, rather it is set up for those that already have money to continue getting more by any means possible.

i'm still waiting on word from Mr. Carsalesman. bump for positive vibrations

Dude, I did none of those things. I ************ed up. I have way to much trust in people. I guess because i know that if i had sold a faulty vehicle to someone i would feel obligated to make things right, i thought i would be treated with the same dignity and respect. But, alas, i am losing faith in the essential decency of the white mans culture. (fear and loathing quote)

thanks for the support gentlemen. this is just about driving me crazy. if it doesnt work out im up doo doo creek

another update. i spoke with the dealer again. the mechanic he wanted to work on it can't do it because he does not have some specific tools you need to change the head gaskets. He is checking on some guy in Memphis, Tn that might be able to work on it, and if that doesnt pan out there is a guy that specializes in foriegn cars not far from where i live. Still no word as to whether he plans to pay for the damage though.

milagae is 108k.

No. I bought it from a small car lot so it is likely an auction vechicle

Update: I picked my car up from the shop i took it to yesterday. I wanted to be certain that it was a head gasket issue, and USMB knows their stuff. According to the combustion test the engine has a pressure leak typical of a blown head gasket. Thanks and props USMB for helping me figure that one out. After i got the results from the combustion test and hydrocarbons were detected in my coolant i took the car back to car lot i bought it from. I told the manager there what the problem was. He said the following: 1. let me take it to my mechanic and i'll have him test it 2. if there is a problem we will work something out on the price (i.e. im going to have to pay cash out of my pocket to pay for a car that i just bought to be fixed) 3. when i asked him if i could talk to the mechanic that would be working on it he wouldnt tell me the mans name. i asked him where he would be taking it and with hesitation he told me the shop across the street. 4. then he said that i didnt need to talk to him (i think he may believe he is a Jedi and can do mind tricks, or possibly that i have the word "fool" written across my head. In short, for some reason, he didnt want me speaking to the mechanic.... I walked over to the shop to find out who the guy was taht would be working on my car, because after all i need to know if this guy knows anything about subarus. while i was in the service office, Jeremy (thats the car lot's manager's name) walked in and saw me standing there and acted as if he was pissed that i had come to talk to the mechanic. When i asked the mechanic about his experience with subarus he said "i can fix anything"... To top it off the service manager said that he just needed to get a quote on the work that would be done so we could discuss "working something out", but they didnt even get me a quote today. So i sat up at the dealership from 1030 until 345 when my girl friend got off work to give me a ride.... especially when i dont have the money to fix it and will be out of a ride for an undetermined amount of time. basically, i hate the way im being treated and its not fair that someone can sell me a broken car and expect me to pay for any repairs that arent my fault. does anyone here have any advice to offer? I'm getting awful vibes from this. ya know, like before you get struck by lightning and the hairs on your arm stand up... it feels like that... metaphorically. also, i looked up the previous owner of the vehicle and messaged her on facebook to see if she knew of any problems when she trraded it in. still waiting to hear back from her.

its a 2003 naturally asperated

maybe if i take my wolfhound up there and make him do some growling the guy will ************ his pants.... except my dog is a giant teddy bear and hasnt growled ever, not even once... i need a scarier pooch. im about to hop in the shower and put my game face on. wish me luck USMB.

could you fill me in on "USMB"? i've never heard of it. i'm a scobby nooby

I'm going to the dealership to speak with the man that sold me the car tomorrow. With any luck he will buy the car back or have the car fixed. In all reality it is my fault that i ignored warning signs of a bad deal. I just got a weird vibe from these guys, but i was pretty impressed with the baja so i bought it any way. I still feel like ive been ripped off though.

I bought a subaru baja on July 1st and only three days after i got it it began overheating. In researching this site i found another post with a person having a problem identical to mine. the prognosis seems to be that the head gasket is blown. this is the thread in case you would like to read through it to get the specifics of the problem http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=113649&highlight=overheating Basically my coolant is disappearing into the head because of a cracked gasket. When i bought the car there was a slight misfire at start up, but i figured it needed new spark plugs. There was also a little fluid missing from the radiator and some extra it seemed in the coolant resevoir. other than that there were no problems. Three days after it started overheating suddenly and cooling back down. A friend of mine suggested bleeding the coolant system of air and trying again. This fixed the problem for about 70 miles before it began overheating.... SO.... A local mechanic quoted me 900 dollars to change both head gaskets which seems WAY high and i dont have that money. Does anyone know about how much i should expect to pay? AND Does anyone know if i can hold the people who sold me the car liable? I signed an "AS-IS" form when i purchased the car, but the sales manager told me that he had been driving the vehicle for a couple of weeks and it was fine, which i feel is likely a lie, since i feel the radiator being low on coolant when i looked at it to be too coinsidental..... I'm in Northeastern Arkansas sorry so long, thanks for the help

I'm jason. Pleasure's all mine. I bought my first subaru. Its a 2003 Baja. I'm really suprised by the handling as i am used to driving front wheel drive cars. I can't wait to take it camping with my dog. If anyone has any suggestions on a skid plat let me know. I took it to the gravel pit and it love the experience, but dont like the sound of a my front bumper taking hits! I would also like to know what people have done with their bajas to make them more camper friendly. Many thanks!