subarulegacy

oops, there is some non subie pictures mixed in there as of right now.

Here is a link to pictures of the car, I have probably 15 to 20 up-

@porcupine73- ya when I started this thread I was pretty well irritated! Lol, I don't mind putting some work into it, its just to bad people can't be honest about things.

Everyone seems to bee states away from me on USMB! Anyone from kansas city?

This is the part im thinking im going to get- http://www.amazon.com/Fel-Pro-VS50555R-Valve-Cover-Set/dp/B000C2AO1Q/ref=au_pf_ss_2?ie=UTF8&Model=Legacy|64&n=15684181&s=automotive&Make=Subaru|13&Year=1996|1996&carId=001. No one in town has the part available, so if i have to order it, im going to order it online for cheaper. I need to borrow something to lift the car, and look to see where else it is leaking, make sure this is the right fix. Annddd, its raining, so the fixing is postponed

haha i had a feeling!

Ummm. . .I was going to post pics, no clue how to upload them on here from my computer. And I can't find anything on here on how to do that.

I'm hoping to avoid having to take the engine out, I simply dont have the tools for that. When it eventually does come out, im going to do everything at once that could require engine removal. Im totally with you though, that mechanic made me totally broke for like a month, i had basically $0! Anyway, Im starting today in a couple hours! And just have to say, this forum is worth its weight in gold! (or more than that. . . it doesn't weigh anything. But you smell what im steppin on!)

gotcha. So, its really making sense for it to be valve covers. When I go to do this job, lets say saturday about 3pm, would that be a bad idea? How long does it take? And if I don't finish before it gets dark, is it a problem to leave it overnight not done? Last time I did something like this we started about 4pm and were up till 3am because we couldn't stop once we started. . . bad idea lol:Flame:

Ok doing some research on effects of bad valve cover gasket. It sounds like this is it. From what I know the symptoms are 1. oil leak 2. engine stumbles or misses 3. smoke. The legacy has all of these! Questions, does the smoke continuing after the engine is shut off match up with this? What are other things I should check to make sure I am totally sure I am fixing the right thing?

Soo it seems like everyone on this forum either lives in WI, CO, or WA. Whats up with that? lol So this weekend ill try to post some pictures of the car+what I end up fixing so ya'll know what we are working with.

@shawnw- ok i will try that.

@theloyale- yep. . .if you trust the odometer. Title says another 100,000. I prefer to believe the odometer is right.

oh ya 156,3xx and counting on the odometer.

Yeaaa im with you on the rebuilt engine thing. But I learn things the hard way. . . school of hard knocks university of life. as far as the sway bar goes. . .you serious? Orrielly's wanted to charge me like 60 bucks for that! Glad i didn't. . . . But I would hope that the sway bar improves the stability some. . .going 70 you kind of notice it, especially on the Kansas City Highways! Autocross:brow: . . .naw probly not. But I have challenged a buddy of mineat the drag strip! Sooo tempting, I would love to smoke my friends 5.0 mustang in this. . .right now not even close! But. . .i need to stay focused lol get it running right first.

@theloyale-ok got ya. This car is confusing, you say "over the years", but this engine was actually recently rebuilt. Yet, theres all this we are talking about. But then again its not that surprising, when I brought the car into the mechanic (that i can't afford no more lol) he said that someone got in there and really messed with the car, Im assuming its the same guy that rebuilt the engine. As in, literally there are stupid things missing, link pins for sway bar, just gone, and something else, my mechanic put a new one on for free (forgot) but ya. . . . But hey I always wanted a project car, this isn't what I had in mind, but hey you gotta roll with it. So, I will be fixing this guys mistakes, or poor workmanship for awhile. Thanks! your really helping out

And to everyone, I found a place i can work on the car! I can't believe I hadnt thought of it sooner. . apartment complexes are bad places to work on cars. Anywho Ive got a barn/garage area I can use. Also something I just thought of, if it is the valve covers thats causing the smoking/ leaking then if that gets fixed, hopefully my oil leak is fixed too! Which means no replacing anything that requires the engine to be pulled. Progress i suppose

@SchwarzeEwigkt- thats what im trying to do, make a list and start on the most important 1st. I am now pretty committed to sticking with this thing and getting it working well and dependable. Thanks!

@theloyale- i drove it a bit and saw that there is indeed no vibration on the shifter ordinarily, but it does happen occasionally. I guess when I noticed it I just jigured thats how it was all the time. . . odd. As far as the smoke goes, your basically saying that if i just tighten everything up that should help? Im i getting that right?

I am not on a hill for sure, but when I am driving down the road the shifter does vibrate (don't they all though?), but the reason i notice it is it does feel a little off. . . no clue how to explain it, and a whining noise accompanies it usually (not always!) when I notice it. Valve covers. . . no clue. But it is more likely to smoke whenever i drive it harder, at higher rpm's. Sometimes I will shift it into a lower gear than the auto chooses. (automatics are incredible annoying to me!!) Which again makes me wonder if it could be more serious than a bad boot.

So list of things that need done, starting work this weekend. 1. cv axle/ smoke issue (confirm whats wrong +repair) 2. brake work 3. sway bar 4.exhuast leak (this weekend ill probably do the "redneck" temporary fix, i dont have the stuff to do it right yet) 5. rust spot 6. it needs a radio! that is all. . . for now

Ok so good and bad news, good news is its probably not a head gasket, because I realized that the smoke continues after the engine is shut off. Im thinking its more likely that its grease being sprayed onto the exhuast. The bad news is a discovered another POSSIBLE issue, it doesnt happen all of the time but occasionally when I am shifting into Park there is a sound (assuming from tranny) that happens when you go past Reverse that sounds like someone dropping a hammer on the ground. Any ideas on that? I am going to hopefully do some work on it this sunday, if I can get a mechanically inclined friend to help me out.

Bad boot? That may be something. . . when I got the 1 axle replaced the mechanic said that the other one will be going bad because the guy just threw the boot back on, no grease. I didnt think that would cause a smell, get onto exhuast?

Sooo, am I right that white exhuast most likely means bad head gasket? I get white smoke from under the hood (because of exhuast leak is why its under the hood) occasionaly at stop lights. Maybe it happens more and I can't tell because I am moving, I dont know. The smoke smells really bad, I would describe it as the smell from when you run over something to big in a vaccuum, burnt rubber or something. It never ends! If it is the head gasket im going to start saving for a new car, drive this one till it dies but im pretty much done putting money into this thing.