jp98

Oil change hoses and a tune up go without saying,. I am the kind of person that plans something out 6 months ahead of time just to make sure that I have all the necessary parts. The nearest Subaru dealer is 60 miles away.

I am in the process of obtaining parts for a timing belt change on my 98 Outback with the 2.5. I ordered a kit that includes 1 tensioner, 2 upper idlers, 1 lower idler, 4 camshaft seals, 1 crankshaft seal, water pump, and the belt. I also plan on doing a coolant flush and change along with the thermostat. So what am I missing that should be changed out along with the above list. The engine has 156,000 miles on it. Head gaskets have been redone and no noticeable problems.

The trick to putting in a additive that is thick as molasses is to warm it up first and then mix it into some of the fluid that it is going into. You'll get a better mix that way and it won't just pool up at the bottom of a pan and just sit there.

If you really want to get rid of them then do it in Oregon. Don't forget to also list them in cities in Washington if it is near your location. When I bought my Outback I actually looked all around Arizona to find one cheaper but only found a few that didn't pan out.

I have always had a problem reading the transmission dip stick with brand new clean fulid so here is what I do. I'll take a 1/2 gallon clear plastic jug that is clean on the inside and poor the drained transmission fulid into it and mark it. The 1/2 gallon jug is usually too small to get all the fulid in into it so I'll mark it when it gets full and then empty it and then refill it from the drain pan. I'll then remark it with the second fill. Then I'll just fill the jug to the first mark with new clean fulid and then poor it into the transmission fill tube using a funnel with a long tube extension on it that I picked up at the parts store. Then refill the jug to the second line and then into the vehicle. You should now have the same amount back into the transmission that you took out and as long as you got a correct reading with the old dirty fulid everything should be good to go.

I think that after I had one junk yard one go bad I would of went to the dealer or a autoparts store, even if they cost twice as much. At least then you know that you have a good one for another couple hundred thousand miles.

I haven't see one that is just plug and tow but ETrailer has a kit for your car.

I read on another forum that some are having problems with Wix filters. Remember if you read it on the internet then it has to be true.

Was it a mechanic shop or a body shop? I have found out that body shops do great work on the body of the car buy don't know anything about the mechanical aspects of it and will butcher anything that they touch besides the body. The same can be said about a mechanic shop. They can work magic on the engine but when it comes time to do any work on the body they are quite ignorant If nothing else and you want to fix it yourself, get some solder, a iron, and heat shrink tubbing and do it right. .

I have to admit that I came up with a bad OEM thermostat straight from the dealer. But my problem was that it stuck open and I found out on a road trip to where there were no other Subaru dealers to get another. I put in one from NAPA and it has ran fine for the last 45K miles. I'm about to do a coolant flush and have mixed feelings about another dealer thermostat or just go with another one from NAPA. On a side note is anyone here old enough to remember the test kits that auto parts stores used to have to test thermostats? It was a coffee cup with a electric heating element that they stuck into the cup with water and the thermostat. You could watch it open right up on the parts counter.

Usually that light will not come on until you have a total failure. When my alternator started to go out the light never came on. They don't call it a "Idiot Light" for nothing.

Before you pull the alternator check and see if your parts store can test it while it is out of the car. All of the parts houses around me NAPA, AutoZone, O'Rileys, and Carquest can't. But I do have a alternator rebuild shop that can that is only 30 miles away.

All paint does is hide the rust and all bondo does is cover up the hole that the rust created while the rust keeps on eating metal. The only way to take care of rust is to cut it out and place a piece of sheet meatal or a repair pannel in its place. Then some bondo and paint. As they say rust is a cancer and the only way to get rid of it is to cut it out when it is on a piece of metal.

Would you mind sharing the web site where you got it from? At that price I might be interested.

The price difference is dealer vrs aftermarket. To make sure you get what you need just take a tape measure and measure the length of your exsisting cable and check the new one.

I have been a fan of constant torque clamps but they are a little bit spendy.

Click on his user name in a post that he made then you will see where you can send him a PM

I have found that when ever you have a wierd or strange thing happening with anything electrical in a vehicle is to check your grounds. A bad ground or one that is grounded through something else will cause all kinds of freeky problems with things that you would never suspect.

Don't rule out a radio problem. In my Outback I am lucky to carry a signal from one of my local stations over 40 miles and through a canyon. In my pickup I can carry the same station for another 50 miles through the canyon and beyond.

About 10 years ago I needed a battery bad and was out in the sticks. I picked up the cheapest battery that NAPA carried. To this day my outback still fires up with no problem. I did find out one day that if you have someone replace your windshield to make sure that the door are shut. The next morning the battery was dead but a few hours on the charger and all was well again. Now watch, I just jinxed myself.

I thought about that after I submitted my answer and wondered if you were in that situation.

You might just try some maintenance on that battery. Check the water if you can, clean the terminals and put a charger on it and get it up to a full charge and see if that helps. I know on my diesel pickup putting a trickle charger on it when I am not driving it for a while to keep the batteries fully charged does make a difference.

I'd get the company that did it for you back out and have them check it out. None of the windshields that I have had replaced ever had that kind of a problem and I have replaced a lot of windshields.

I was just going to say that if you have access to a torch that it may help, in both getting the pinch bolt out and the ball joint out also. When I did mine on my Outback the driver side came out without any problems but the passenger side was a fight for a while. That was until I picked up a chisel set to use on my impact wrench to spread the metal a little where the pinch bolt goes. One other thing, when you use the liquid wrench or what ever you use to loosen the crud on the bolt, tap the area with a hammer to help drive the liquid around the bolt to loosen up the rust.

I have always just loosened the lugs nuts a little and drive over a curb to break rims loose on trucks. It should work the same with a car.