Setright

You need the car up on a lift so you can get under it safely. Then have someone else press a cloth over the end of the exhaust pipe to block the flow. This will cause leaks to REALLY start to whistle/roar.

If you're going to try and force your way through a big pile, select a low gear, and don't touch the clutch. If you are just crawling and disengage the clutch, you will get stuck. Keep moving! You also need to be careful about what could be hiding underneath all that snow. Road signs, stones, other cars....

Get the Haynes manual for the 1990-1998 Legacy. The mechanical layout is very similar. Engines are the same. (There is one error in it, the knock sensor doesn't sit in a coolant passage like Haynes says, otherwise I haven't found fault with this book.)

Engine off. Check for loose belts and have a closer look for cracks.

Okay, but please be patient : In April, I noticed some coolant spillage around my expansion tank. YIKES! Thought about HG problems.... Went for a drive, stopped with the engine running, popped the hood and sure enough the expansion tank was full to the brim, and the air hole was letting coolant escape. No bubbles. A quick check on the upper rad hose: It was soft and easy to compress. SO, I deduced that there was no pressure in my coolant system, hopefully due to a bad cap. A few days later, a new cap solved the problem. I note down my mileage during my working hours, because I get a certain allowance per mile. Sometimes, I switch off the engine before I note the mileage. Since the odo only shows up on the LCD with the key in "ON" I need to swing the key back to read the mileage. That's when the temp needle also resumes its readout. My hawk like eyes had noted that the needle was returning to full op temp. I thought it was a warm weather thing. However, after fitting a new rad cap, the temp needle ALWAYS stops short of full op temp after the engine has been switched off even for a short while. SO, it's not a BS theory, it's based on real events. Theory: The pressure in the cooling systems ensures a good contact between coolant and walls, this allows enough cooling to let the temp needle drop after a short switch off. With no pressure in the cooling system, the temp stays higher for longer. It also means risking local boiling inside the engine block, which must be a sure-fire way to stress HG's. The scary thing about rad cap failure is that it doesn't leave many clues. No overheating on the temp needle, just a slow loss throught the expansion tank - which I only noticed because I open the hood at least once a week!

Is there any trace of coolant spill around the expansion tank? If so, your problem could be as simple as a faulty radiator cap. With the engine running at normal operating temp, switch off. Then wait one second, turn the key back to the "ON" position and watch the temp needle. If it rises all the way back to normal op temp, your rad cap is bad. The needle should come to rest just below normal. (All this from the comfort of the driving seat!) OR: I was recently losing a similar amount of coolant, and I could not figure out where it was going!! Turned out there was a TINY leak where the upper rad hose connects to the engine. Most of the time, I reckon the coolant was getting out as steam, but after a 500 mile motorway journey, I noticed the dreaded smell of coolant. There was a small puddle on the engine block below the hose. Took the hose off, cleaned and sanded the coolant pipe, put a new hose on and the coolant level is steady.

VC is plates that are almost in contact, the oil expands as it heats up and forces them together. Split is 50/50, going to a theoretical 0/100 if need be.

If the filler is still leaking, you need to check the PCV system. Excess crankcase pressure is causing the leak. Very worn pistons and rings will cause this too.

I think it's the price we pay for good, sharp throttle response. Newer models have electronic control and trade a smoother transition for a more "laggy" feel. The best way to minimize the problem is ensure good plugs and clean injectors.

Steam? Oil vapour, please :-) TheBrian, to seal that filler neck requires a new o-ring. Undo the two bolts, remove filler, remove old o-ring, go to parts store...

Yep, it's the idle air hose that everyone is talking about! I did this too. Scared the wits out of me!

Unbolt the wipers, remove the black panel (plastic rivets) and you have access to the assembly.

Yes, I would reckon clogged hydraulic lash adjusters. It has gotten stuck with a little bit of clearance. Cold oil is thick enough to mask the noise, but heat thins it and allows the click. Any work done on the car recently? Something oil related that might have freed up some gunk?

Finally something that's cheaper in Europe! Costs about $40 over here.

Thats interesting blitz. I usually drain about 3 litres of coolant and refill with demin water. Drive for a day and drain and refill the full volume with fresh coolant. Ain't that flush enough? Not much of fan of the caustic flushes - unless there is a real problem.

Perhaps this is a better shot of the 277mm disc calipers: http://www.moojohn.com/subaru/caliper1.jpg

Here's a shot of the two pot: http://www.weblumen.com/subaru/images/caliper-hi.jpg Take note of the shape you can see behind your wheel. Does it have that set of arches? Or just a single arch, like this one-pot: http://cybrina.mine.nu/images/Subaru/WheelBearings/brake_remove1.jpg

Does your brake caliper have two or one pistons? The single uses a 260mm disc, the two-pot uses the 277mm. Both are sliding calipers.

The toothed TB follower should be replaced along with the TB. The rest of the followers need replacement IF they are noisy, or with every other TB - for peace of mind.

I want one too !

I think it's a form over function thing. Looks great!

Drive for a while and it'll learn all by itself. A reset won't hurry things very much. Within about a tankful of gas you should find the ignition getting more advance and the engine pulling a bit more decisively above 4000rpm.

Still, replacing a spin-on filter is easy, isn't it? Added peace-of-mind is priceless.

I know I am late, but I'd like to vote for replacement too! I expect an EJ waterpump to last 125k miles / 10 years (Basically, replace the second time you do the timing belt.)

The tech papers from Subaru on the EJ engine series - from 1989 - mentions pin offset to "balance" the forces. Maybe they forgot on newer engines?? My 2.0 EJ201 slaps, too.