samneric

Well it seems it comes down to personal choice and the cost of a new/turned wheel. I will hunt around. Daredevil: I have not completed the Tranny re-seal yet - I do have it out of the car though. I was scared about pulling it apart until I read and understood the following write-up: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=90182&highlight=easy+transmission As long as you are not pulling gears off the shafts, simply changing the seals shouldn't be to big a deal. Good luck with yours - I'll keep you posted on how mine goes - once the parts come in!!! Steve

Thanks for the advice all, Looks like I get to choose - I will see if I can get a recommendation for a good machine shop or else just find one local. Daredevil - I am in the process of doing the transmission - have it out - just waiting on the seal from Subaru - the parts guys down here, although knowledgeable, tend to be a little forgetful - Its been two weeks since I ordered the seal and I'm still waiting for it to come in..... May start ordering parts from 1stsubaru from now on - only went with dealer for the "convenience"! Steve

Hi, I have a nice new Excedy clutch to fit into my '98 Outback. Question - do I risk having a shop machine the flywheel it and mess it up, do I clean it up with resurfacing air tools, leave it alone or buy a new one???? There is what looks like an oil stain on both the flywheel/pressure plate from what I guess was the tranny front seal leaking. It was leaking badly. I tried cleaning the flwheel with brake cleaner and even emry paper with water but the stains are still evident... Don't want to mess up my 380 dollar Excedy or have to pull the tranny again to fix any issues.... want to make this is done right first time! Recommendations appreciated! Steve

I like the shiney rotors Mine don't look quite so nice! Steve

Cheers, I had that noted about the top one so if the bottom one is the same, that's no biggy. Just need to take all four bolts out of the lower shaft bearing retainer, then the shaft lifts out followed by the diff? Then after changing the seal, simply replace the diff and lower shaft, making sure the dowel is aligned with the hole in the bearing??? Sorry to pester but want to make sure all bases are covered before taking something apart Steve

Cheers, I had that noted about the top one so if the bottom one is the same, that's no biggy. Just need to take all four bolts out of the lower shaft bearing retainer, then the shaft lifts out followed by the diff? Then after changing the seal, simply replace the diff and lower shaft, making sure the dowel is aligned with the hole in the bearing??? Sorry to pester but want to make sure all bases are covered before taking something apart Steve

Excellent write up! I have ordered the front seal for my tranny along with the two drive-axle stub seals. I assume you need to remove the lower shaft and the differential to get at the left hand stub seal - is there any special re-install "gotcha's" about putting the diff and lower shaft back in??? Cheers! Steve

Excellent write up! I have ordered the front seal for my tranny along with the two drive-axle stub seals. I assume you need to remove the lower shaft and the differential to get at the left hand stub seal - is there any special re-install "gotcha's" about putting the diff and lower shaft back in??? Cheers! Steve

Was down at the local Subaru dealer today talking to the veteran mechanics who gave me some advice on replacing the tranny seals.... For the driveaxle seals, he said be very careful about uninstalling and then re-installing the toothed shrouds that hold the seal in. He told me to mark the shroud and the locking clamp with a chisel and then count *exactly* the number of turns it takes to remove it and then repeat when re-installing and I shouldn't be far out with the bearing tollerances in the diff. Just wanted to pass that nugget on if anyone wants to change the driveaxle seals themselves..... Steve

You should really buy the Haynes A/C book - they have a section on retro-fitting R12 systems. I did it on my Brat - bought new compressor and expansion valve and drier.... Problem is: r134a is not as efficient as r12 so it won't blow as cold as a system designed for r134a - no matter what you do. The freon won't lose its kick - the only way freon loses its ability to cool is if it is leaking out. Of course - the compressor might not be doing its job properly either. If you want to troubleshoot leaks you either need to buy an electronic freon sniffer or put dye into the system and use a uv light to spot the leaks. If this is the case, replacing the seals will do the trick but I don't know if you can have R12 added nowadays - it is a dying breed..... By jumping the connection, the precious poster was talking about disconnecting the electrical connector from the dryer and connecting the wires together - there may be four wires - two for low pressure and two for high pressure..... You do need to jump the right ones so you will need the FSM for your year to figure out what is what.... (if I rememner correctly the connections were horizontally opposed to each other) Either way, buy and understand that A/C manual!!! or pay to have it done! Steve.

If you are mechanically minded, its worth buying a set of gauges and a copy of the Haynes A/C manual. That will give you an understanding of what the pressure readings on the gauges mean. I actually bought a freon capture machine, dot3 tank and a freon sniffer. Great investments. Steve

Thanks for the recommendations I am guessing its the front seal because the clutch slips and there is a lot of oil all over the tranny, not just underneath it. I found the GLoyale seal replacement procedure you have linked to in the past and I'm presently getting all giddy about getting back to doing more Subie work Will be posting piccies as always! Cheers! Steve

Aha!!! They still put those silly loose clips between the throw out bearing and lever on the newer models? I figured they'd have fixed that since the EA81 motors.... Steve

Just to quote responses from a post I put out earlier tonight..... Details, details, details!!!! What is the car? Year? Model? Steve

Sorry Again!!! Pollogise for the ambiguity! So tranny fluid and gear oil are not synonomous Gear Oil it is then!!! So, as relatively competent mechanic, is it feasible for me to replace the tranny seals myself? Lot of work in the tranny strip down no probs but don't want to make the same mistake the pros(?!) did on my Brat tranny. Cheers, Steve. P.S. How much for your tranny (just in case)? !

Sorry!!!! Details were a little scant in my enthusiasm for the car and to get it fixed It is a Manual 5spd transmission. The smoke is tranny fluid burning on the exhaust pipe. I only just got the car home but there was a pool of oil under the car after stopping for a break while driving back. Checked the dipstick on the tranny and it is empty Hopefully haven't done too much damage to it on the ride home. I'm going to fill it up with gear oil tomorrow and then take it to a tranny shop who do free inspections but didn't want to have them do the job and mess it up if it needs new axle seals. In the past I was told by my local subie dealer that to replace the axle seals you have to break the box toi get at them and a shop had done that with the tranny on my Brat and did a crap job of putting it back together properly. So to sum up, all I know is that the tranny is leaking a lot of oil and can't tell from where at the moment. Although the clutch is slipping a bit so maybe it is the front seal... Dunno till more research is done but want worse case scenario understood which is why I wanted info on a recon tranny that I can install myself... Steve

Got back from South Carolina with my 98 Outback Drives well cep't for the clouds of smoke from the back!!! Looked under the car and there is a leak which I was told about.... Not the engine though - Transmission. Sh1t I thought - I have a Brat and a shop has already f*cked up the service on the transmission and made it worse than before.... Question - Any reputable transmission servicing chains or should I take it to Subaru to be sure its not f*cked up like that Brat was..... Or is there a place on line I can get a recon 5spd tranny for a 98??? Suggestions appreciated Steve

What is Torque Bind? How can I test for it?

WOW??? This *really* has taken me by surprise - I thought Subaru were better than this - I couldn't believe what I was reading at first. Just bad components from the factory that can be fixed is not TOO bad though...... Wow again. Steve

Hi all, I have a Brat at the moment and am looking to buy an Outback for potential 60 mile commutes. (A/C in Brat sucks now that I converted to r132). Anyways, I have been reading the forums, doing some research. It seems that the HGs are a big problem with the EJ25. So is this as bad as people say? If I were to buy one that had HG probs and I change the HGs, are they likely to hold out another 100K? (I can stand to replace them at that interval) Are they any other serious issues I need to know I would be getting into??? I am reasonably technically minded - I did the HGs on my Brat last year and know that it may be more involved with DOHC... All input is appreciated! Cheers! Steve

Yipee - it was the tensioner bearing - I could rock the pully back and forth with the belt on And the rough idle/stalling that occured after taking off the air filter??? A vacuum leak caused by not reconnecting a pipe - that's what you get for not working on yer car for over a year

Bad bearing - makes sense! the sound is coming from that area - I can test that by removing the a/c belt.... I guess you can buy the bearing or do you need a new pulley??? Where do I buy the capacitor???? Steve

Ok cheers - I will look on the web for a replacement filter. The noise is definately coming from the engine and it doesn't sound like a slipping belt. I've always heard belt noises as a high pitched squeal that is there even on idle. My noise comes in just after accelerating. I will look into the pulleys. The alt belt is fully adjusted to its maximum tension and there does seem to be a little slack - I can turn the pulley - admittedly only a bit - by hand with the belt at its tightest.... Maybe the belt is too big... As I remember, I replaced the water pump when I changed my head gaskets... Steve

Hey all, Been a while since posting since my 85 Brat's been mostly behaving... one or two issues have finally popped up though... firstly... Alternator. The symptoms as they occured... Replaced alt with recon B/A. Everything fine..... few months later I get a whistling noise when the engine revs (sounded cool at first - like a turbo )... Figured it can't be belts cause they are new... Figured alt was playing up.... couldn't afford new one so left it. Next thing... (this has happened before).. the volt gauge starts revving in time with engine rpms.... Still couldn't afford to change alt so left it.... Finally got another recon alt today. 55 amp premium from Napa. When switching it in, there is a capacitor shaped object on the back of the old alt that has a wire going to the alt terminal. I thaught that was a voltage regulator? so I always swapped it on to replacement alts. It has several burn holes in it so I didn't swap it across this time... Installed new alt and started car. Still get the annoying whistling sound but the volt gauge stays level and doesn't rise with engine rpms.... So questions are.... Is that capacitor looking object a voltage regulator? Is it needed? Is there a voltage regulator built into replacement 55amp alts???? What could be causing the annoying whistle?? Could it really be a bad belt and if so, why would a new belt do this so soon???? Sorry for all the questions but I guess I was saving them all up since my last post on the forum.... Any help appreciated! I am certainly willing to take a photo of said object or answer any other questions.... ..Oh Yes... I also disconnected a rather large music amp incase that was overloading the alt and damaging it... Steve

My Brat made 200K today - Pop the champagne !!! Maybe I'll give it a bit of a clean for the occasion