KitteesPJs

Well, I went out and looked things over before I read 91Loyale's post (which was incredibly insightful). In light of what I saw, I have to say: never underestimate the power of a FLASH camera. I got up under the soobie and took some pics and video and I can't believe the difference between what I see with just my eyes and a headlamp vs. a flash/zoom camera. I felt like Bob Ballard recording the rusty demise of the Titanic. I owe that Body Guy an apology for doubting him. I don't know that she's ready to be put out to pasture but I did see some disturbing stuff. 91Loyale was spot on, which is discouraging but not surprising since I grew up in Massachusetts and have a LONG history of dealing with rusty vehicles. Just another thing I forgot to take into account when moving back here from the sunny south. [blurgh.] I don't know if it's because I'm new and don't have enough posts under my belt yet, but I wasn't allowed to upload pics here. Instead I put two videos (one of the left side and one of the right side) up at my youtube channel and put the pics up at Flickr: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YArXbJAkSpk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cAVTEQPnTk http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitteespjs/sets/72157626799562348/ Whilst I've been dickering with rust, the lil thing seems to be developing another issue: I drove her for about a week before getting the fuel fill pipe replaced and the oil changed. Her motor at the time was so quiet that I often thought she'd stalled out on me when I came to a stop. After the oil change her motor started making a slight 'ticking' sound when at idle (as if she was low on oil). I assumed she had a taste for synthetic oil and made a mental note to go that route for her next oil change. The mechanic who changed the oil said it was probably the lifters and that was 'normal' for a car this age and not to be concerned (even though it started suddenly after the oil change). To make things even more interesting, I also noticed ANOTHER ticking sound that seemed to be coming through the driver's side window vent. It was very slight and I figured (since she was parked under a tree at the shop and came home with tons of leaves and pine needles and what not on her) that something got into a vent and would work its way out. Well, both sounds have gotten louder but the dash sound now seems to be related to the clutch--if I slightly depress the clutch the ticking goes away. The motor is still louder (with its own kind of 'rough' tick) than it was before the oil change (which I'm still attributing to the need for synthetic oil), but the distinct ticking/clacking noise stops when you touch the clutch. The sound isn't quite as obvious when in gear but if I just put a little pressure on the clutch in 1st through 4th gear, the motor gets quieter and that big ticking noise goes away (doesn't seem to make a difference in fifth). She's sometimes been a bit squawky about going into reverse (on some occasions she'll grind, but every stick I've had has done that once in a while) but until now I've not been concerned about a clutch problem. :-\ I love this little car, she's fast, fun, and handles like a villain's get-away dream. Between the rust, the gas filling problem (which I couldn't figure out while under there—gotta get her up higher and get that tire out of my way), and now a clutch/motor issue, do you think she's destined for the ‘For Sale’ lawn? She's almost 200K (which I understand is nothing to these motors), and she's been well-maintained (I have all the service records), but is it worth dumping more money into something that the rust up here is determined to claim? I'm not made of $ and I surely don't want my mechanic either sobbing in a corner or throwing tools in fits of rage . I just am not sure I'd be able to do much better finding another vehicle with my limited income in this damned rust-filled New England climate. I am SO moving back west myself 91Loyale, as soon as I get a few pennies saved. Once I have first/last/security and enough loot for a moving van (and gas to fill it) I. AM. Outta. Here. Either back to SoCal or I might try Arizona. Lemme know if you're interested in a roomie (seriously).

Thanks again for all your help. As soon as it stops raining up here I'll get on under her and see what I can figure out (don't be surprised to see this post updated if/when I get confused, lol). As to your tips for filling her up, I've tried them all—I've tried every position other than standing on my head with a broom sticking out of my butt and nothing works. Literally have to fill it one drip at a time. 91Loyale, your bring up a topic that I've wondered about but figured was WAY too over my head. But what the heck—it's out there. Can you explain the difference between a frame and a subframe? Is there a 'fatal flaw' with the OBS subframe that makes it impossible to replace rusted panels or somehow rot (itself) from the inside out without appearing to be rusty on the surface? This lil soobie has a small rust spot on each rear wheel well (will post pics if you'd like). They both were bondo-patched but not painted. When my guy replaced the fill tube apparently he did some rubbing up against the right side rust spot which is directly under the gas fill. Well, the bondo area came loose and needs re-doing (something that I thought I might be able to do myself). Before I bought the car I crawled under there and scanned everywhere for rust and, other than typical light surface rust, I found only those two bondoed spots and the fill pipe. I then took it to mechanic A (who did the gas fill) for a post-purchase inspection. He and I stood under the car on a lift and saw no significant rust. I then took it to mechanic B to have the winter tires swapped up for the summer jobbies. Again, we both stood under the car and saw no serious rust. Knowing I'd have to have that little patch fixed before getting a sticker (this coming October) I took it to one of our more experienced body guys to get a price before attempting to do it myself. Well, he came out of his office, and before even reaching the car, proclaimed that the subframe was rotted through and that he couldn't morally fix the wheel wells (said something about needing to use sheet metal but there was nothing to attach it to and the car was unsafe—I wasn't listening at that point, as I was trying to keep from fainting). He told me that he had purchased TWO 99 Sub Impreza OBSs for his daughter and both had no rust other than in those wheel wells which turns out had rotted the frame and completely compromised the safety of the vehicle. I asked him to look to be sure and he just shoved his hand up there (didn't look, just felt around) and stated in no uncertain terms that I should “put it up on the lawn as soon as you get home” (meaning sell it). He tried to explain to me that it was a fatal flaw in the unibody design (or something like that) having to do with the subframe and it wasn't designed to have panels replaced. He said that the rust was so bad that a) fumes were coming into the cabin (through the hatch area), and if the car took a hit, the back half would 'disintegrate' on impact. I was speechless. However, when I came home and looked both in the wells themselves and in the hatch area (even where the jack is hidden) there is NO rust and certainly no area through which I could shove a finger, let alone a hand, into the cabin. Did I misunderstand what he was saying? Is there perhaps rust hidden between the frame and the subframe? All he did was feel around under each wheel well for a couple of seconds and acted as if his hand had poked up into the cabin—which it couldn't have. I wonder if he was just blowing it off due to his past experiences with the exact same year/make/model. Again I apologize for being a 'dumb' girl, but I'm newly single and need to learn this stuff.

Thank you all so much for your advice. I have to ask: is this something I can remedy myself and how would I go about doing it? Do you mean charcoal canister? What does the canister look like? Where is it located? Is it up high at the fill or down low near the tank? Do I need to remove anything (tire, etc) to get at it? Is the breather tube itself plastic or rubber or metal? Do I have to disassemble anything or pull it from the fill pipe or canister? If I just yank it from the car will gas spill everywhere? Can I then just force it back in place or do I need special tools? Can I just ask my mechanic to clean the breather tube on top of the [chatckle? charcoal?] canister and have him understand what the heck I'm talking about? (Are there any single guys in Central Maine looking for work and/or a date? ) If the breather tube turns out to not be the problem, and it ends up being the vent valve being stuck (and thus the tank needing removing at, I assume, great expense) is it dangerous to just leave it as is? I can live with the annoyance but I don't want to risk a great Hollywood explosion scene. Also, what is the chance there's a leak further down (or does the new fill pipe go all the way down straight into the tank)? [i wish I paid more attention to these things when I was younger/married.] As far as I know it is a new fill pipe and my mechanic said that he sees them rotted out like this all the time, not as part of a Scooby problem, but a MAINE problem. (I actually had a neighbor try to sell me his 99 Olds Intrigue and it, too, had a completely rotted fill tube—it wasn't even attached to the car anymore!). Thank you for the link Arty—on my way there now. Dee

I hope someone here can help me. I have a 99 Subarau Impreza Outback Sport. I bought it used with a bad fuel fill pipe (completely rusted out). Before replacing the pipe I couldn't pump gas but a few pennies at a time without the pump shutting off. [Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.] I tried every imaginable position of the filler hose and even tried different gas stations, but could not put in more than drips and drabs until I finally gave up and left. After getting my fuel fill pipe replaced I am STILL having the same problem. I have no (and never have had any) check engine lights on, no messages, no codes, no poor (or weird) performance. She starts right up and goes great. She runs just like a 'normal' car and you wouldn't know there was a thing wrong until you go to put gas in. I just can't fill her up without the pump continually shutting off, literally every few cents (I usually give up at around $10 which is only a couple of gallons). I don't notice any gas backing up the fill pipe, and none splashes out; it just doesn't want to go in. The mechanic who replaced the fill pipe said it's probably the sensor in the tank and that I just have to live with it, but I've been reading about blocked or stuck vent control valves (canister vent valve stuck? fuel vent blocked by dirt dobber? charcoal canister full?). This is basically gibberish to me but it makes sense that some of that rust might have blocked something down yonder. I'm just a dumb girl; I don't know ANYTHING about the mechanics of cars. Can someone here explain it to me as simply as possible (as if I were a two-year old) what might be wrong and what I can do to fix it? Do I just have to live with it? If so, is it a safety issue? Thanks in advance, Dee