idosubaru

you need to start from the outside of the motor (valve covers and work inward. oil leaks from valve covers, cam carriers and head gaskets can all end up on the exhaust and burn off. oil leaks tend to flow from the "outside" to the inside of these motors. if it's leaking at the heads...the valve covers won't be oily. but if it's leaking at the valve covers the underside of the motor from the valve to the heads could have oil on it. so that's why you work you're way in. if the valve covers are clean then they are not leaking.... nice to clean the motor underneath good to get the old oil, grease and dirt out of your way. start first on the far passengers and drivers side of the motor (the "outside"). you'll see a valve cover on each end, check that juncture for leakage. if it drips on the crossmember, at the rear corner of the gasket it can leak on the cross member and run down towards the exhaust (but so can other leaks). or pull the covers and inspect or replace the valve covers. a really bad leak at the valve covers will often be cause by an actual crack in the gasket which you can see if you pull the valve cover. if this all checks out then move to the next mating surface going towards the inner part of the motor. this will be the cam carrier and you should find some indications of a sealant application. all the other gaskets/ seals are formed, this one is a sealant application and made by gasket sealer. if there's a leak here then it's the cam carrier that's leaking. if it's leaking at the next mating surface past the cam carrier then the head gasket is the next thing to check. these can and do leak oil without leaking any coolant. seen it myself and drove one for like 30 - 50,000 miles like that and it never failed. after that you have oil pan and rear main oil seal to check. rear main seal is covered and requires engine or transmission removal to replace or even see it.

sounds to me like one of the front axles is blown out. check your cv axles/joints then report back. i know a few people that have taken apart xt and xt6 manual transmissions with no problems though i haven't attempted it myself.

and where's the best place to get this chain wrench...the short easy to use version for these cam bolts? THESE BOLTS SUCK!!!!!!

i posted about this a few weeks ago and talked with someone who had one installed and ended up selling it to get a regular size lightweight aluminum crank pulley because it was causing charging issues. (i think that's why they are cheaper because the demand for them isn't there). i'm going with a full size lightweight crank pulley to avoid any issues. it will still be light weight so you'll get almost the same gains as you would with an underdrive pulley. fullsize pulleys still weigh like a few pounds less than stock and barely anything more than an underdrive. another reason i like aluminum pulleys - ONE PIECE. these subaru pulleys with the harmonic damper on them piss me off as it's a failure point, the very fine rubber ring can detach from the metal. the stock pulley is really two seperate pieces of metal seperated by a very thin ring of rubber. that rubber goes and either your pulley falls apart or you'll have a mysterious charging problem where the inner part of the pulley connected to the crank turns faster than the outside part of the pulley...it slips. very annoying and a failure point that i have no need for.

on a manual you have to be able to lock the center diff (with a button or diff lock turn on some how). if you can't then like he said it will transfer all the power to the rear and just spin the rear output shaft.

it is nice that they have been replaced as the newer gaskets are different and updated to prevent this from happening again. head gaskets should not need to be replaced again if...... they were done properly the first time. on newer cars it's less of an issue because the bolts tend to come out nice and clean where older cars have more dirty holes and bolts that should not be used unless they are cleaned. the parts should have been properly checked before reinstalling the head gaskets - heads checked for warp or milled, bolts cleaned, block cleaned. on some vehicles the bolts are not supposed to be reused, those that do see early HG failure. i'm not familiar with these motors or if bolts should be reused or not, each motor is different. the car isn't overheated. heat destroys headgaskets. they ran it hot after installing the new gaskets. could the new gaskets be damaged? don't know how long they ran it hot or how hot it got.

good job getting it running again. sounds like it's over and tackled but i've had a number of instances like this with stripped blocks and missing chunks out of blocks. it's more common than you might imagine. i've seen it a few times. that engine block is definitely not scrap. a good machine or head shop like mentioned earlier would have been my choice. there are any number of ways to attack this from welding to making an appropriate insert. been there, done that. JB Weld and similar compounds are not as good. they will work but the lifetime of that kind of repair is unknown. a properly made insert or weld will not fail. I consider JB Weld a temporary solution. I've used it exactly like this before in timing belt bolt situations and it will last 10's of thousands of miles. but it also gets very brittle and falls apart if you ever touch it again or over a period of time/miles. i feel time and vibration do not treat this stuff very well. but when i fix something i want 100,000 miles of reliability so my requirements may be higher than yours. that being said i'd want some locktite on any bolt with less than nominal threading to keep it from backing out or working loose. many timing belt holes are deeper than the bolts that in them. so when i encounter stripped bolt holes, most of the time the easy solution is to just get or make a slightly longer bolt to reach more good threads at the bottom. congrats on the fix, looks great!

i see, no money. the rear output shaft of the trans will still rotate, it just won't be turning anything, so you're not going to hurt anything buy removing the driveshaft. let me know what kid of trans it is - manual or auto and if it has locking or FWD buttons, etc. if it's a manual trans you'll have to lock the differential (if it has that option?). if it's an auto trans you may have a FWD option like the older models? if it's an automatic you'll want to permanently *lock* duty solenoid C which will lock the transfer clutches. this will turn the rear driveshaft similar to a locked differential, but it will only spin the output shaft since without the driveshaft it won't be connected to anything. some models have a FWD Fuse but i'm not sure what that does and wouldn't really want to drive the car very far like that. the biggest thing is that you want to leave something in the output shaft of the trans (definitetly if it's an automatic) or you won't be able to keep fluid in the tranny. driveshaft may have two pieces - just remove the rear half connected to the rear diff.

your center diff will not be damaged by removing the driveshaft. you can pick up rear differentials fairly cheap. source a used unit and swap it out. it's an easy swap and they don't fail very often so a used unit should be golden. definitely remove the driveshaft to protect your trans and center diff, but the rear differential will still be turning even if you remove the driveshaft so you'll still hear noises and reach failure at some point.

*** bump *** anyone know if compressors are the same between models?

is this the 2.2 motor? i just did one, very easy as far as timing belts go. the cam bolts can be a seriously annoying part too. the cam just keeps turning as opposed to the bolts coming loose. research the crank and cam bolts and good ways to get them off and you're golden. i've always found the crank bolts easy. lock the flexplate with a large strong metal object and crank off the bolt. don't forget to remove object from flexplate. if you have a manual transmission then it's really easy, just put it in 5th gear and crank the bolt off. a last resort method is to put a socket on the crank and turn the motor over with the start, very quickly. don't do this unless you're creative enough to understand how it's going to work. the socket will swing around with the motor, hit the motor mount and back the bolt loose. works like a charm if you know what yo'ure doing. on the cam bolts, i don't know what to tell you i found them annoying and just made some adequate use of tools in my barn. the 2.2 was much easier than my two timing belt XT6 motor (with the exception of the cam bolts), so go for it. just make sure everything is perfectly lined up, both cams and crank. don't want to put it all back together and find out you did it wrong.

you would remove the fan for timing belts, which is routine for a car with 100,000+ miles. the timing belts must have been done once and the fan would have to come out. but i'm not sure how it was mounted in reverse, don't think that could happen either. i would guess the owner probably doesn't really remember the exact reason or explained it perfect, just that there was an error involving the fan. that's why they paid someone else to do it, because they don't know much or don't want to worry about it themself. it's all subjective guesswork and speculation for us, if you know the mechanic or garage that worked on it...which it appears you have that information then you could ask them. i wouldn't personally rely too much on an independent mechanic. they can be mildly helpful but if you're getting a good deal on a good car i don't think an *inspection* will tell you much unless they are going to do a compression check or oil analysis or something that's very critical and beneficial. but if you pay some shop you don't know well to *inspect* a car i don't think you get very much really. but i can inspect cars myself so if you know very little about cars then it may be a better option for you. that explanation by the owner does make more sense. a improperly installed fan will cause varying degrees of overheating. most cars have 2 fans...so it would depend which one. often, one is mostly a/c dependent. also depends what kind of driving and how the car is used. if you're driving highway speeds alot and the fans don't work you could easily not notice anything abnormal and not know the fan isn't working right. if you're idling in rush hour traffic with the a/c on you'll definitely notice something. but even still these motors are quite resilient at running hot if you're not paying attention to the gauge. in other words it will keep running even if you don't notice how hot it's getting. check to see the color of the ATF as well, it needs to be nice and pink in color. if not you need it changed and it should have been changed at least once by now.

i dont know anyone that would spend 1,000 dollars on something that has no sign of failure???? i'm not very trusting of people i don't know, so i find that hard to believe. working on "a fan" has nothing to do with headgaskets, another reason i'm skeptical. i'd ask to see receipts of that work and then call the mechanic myself and ask him why (and if) they were replaced. not that they have alot to gain by lying about something like that, but still sounds weird to me. sounds like they know something as there were different "updated" head gaskets, though that isn't all that uncommon (can you say dodge neon...iron block, aluminum heads?). $5,500 doesn't sound bad. they go for 3,000....4,000 max on ebay. i'd rather get one for 3,000 and put a new motor in it or get a rebuilt motor from ccr than go all the way up to $5,500 on one unless it was really nice and i was very confident of the maintenance/condition (particularly those dang gaskets). i got my 97 outback for $3,500 with 67,000 miles, but it needs paint and has a rebuilt title. i'd start pricing a timing belt change and add that to your planned costs immediately, you don't want a t-belt failure on one of these motors.

i routinely pad-slap my subaru's with no affect on braking. i've never turned my rotors. i have put over 150,000 miles on front rotors before....that's more than a couple sets of front pads. if you change your pads early enough i haven't had any problems retaining the original rotors. if the rotors worked fine the 5,000 miles before your changed pads why bother changing them just because you get new pads? i realize that years ago it was standard practice to turn rotors, i believe that idea could easily be tested and done away with for certain makes/models vehicles with newer materials and technologies and average to below average driving conditions. i've taken my XT6 off road for all of the 220,000 miles it's been in my posession. i'm not saying this is best across the board, but i've had excellent luck with subaru brake rotors lasting a ton of miles. just did the front pads on my '97 OBS a couple weeks ago and did the same thing. they feel great. nice and stout, just like they were when i got the car. pad-slapping is awesome, quick and easy.

this will be very general since i don't know those models at all. FWD and AWD will both have a TCU. you would need the wiring harness with the AWD trans as it has additional solenoids the FWD doesn't have and i doubt they are hanging there loose. you will need the driveshaft, rear axles and complete hub assemblies. the cv axles goes through the hub in the AWD. there's a rear crossmember to support the rear differential. you'll need that as well.

i'm looking for a compressor for a 97 impreza outback sport (OBS). guy has one from a 96 Legacy wagon. parts sites show different part numbers but will they work? sometimes i know you can just swap the sensor or pulley and be good to go.

they are speaking of the gas mileages listed on the stickers. being 4 cylinders, they don't get outstanding gas mileage. but there are reasons for that. well buillt, safe and AWD will effect gas mileage. the subaru belt is much easier to deal with than most cars because it's right on the front of the motor. but a timing belt is almost always "burried" by most definitions because it's not something a typical person replaces. i have done lots of timing belt jobs but this is not maintenance normally done at home. it's not the belt you can see, it's under the timing covers and probably burried by your definition. i wouldn't consider it burried unless it's internal to the motor block, but i work on lots of stuff. the chevy could very well have a timing belt as well.....if so, the timing belt on the impala would be much harder to replace than the subaru. front wheel drive non-subaru timing belts suck to replace. subaru's have a flat-4 layout which few other companies have, and they are much easier to work on than most cars of similar year and complexity. but don't expect any savings in labor costs, the shops are still going to make their loot. i can change my timing belts in two hours or less. my friends honda's and fords...HA!!! no way, i like helping my friends but HATE working on their timing belts.

if you want to be very technial on the issue look it up on the internet, tons of R134a and r12 charging information all over the place, very easy to find. draining and filling with the same amount will work just fine. get some in the compressor and turn the pulley plenty of times by hand just to work everything around internally. i slapped a compressor on a friends honda over a year ago without adding any oil to it....i didn't recommend doing it that way but he was impatient and insisted on not adding any oil and wouldn't let me pull a vacuum. i don't recommend skipping either of those steps, but his a/c is still blowing arctic air. if the R134a you're recharging with already has oil in it then this really becomes a dead horse. i'd be more concerned about installing new schrader valves on your high and low sides than anything else. they cost like 50 cents and are easy to replace (don't require a special tool) with the system open. they have a small o-ring at the base that is the cause of most a/c problems i've encountered.....although bad compressors are probably equal on that list. i've yet to hear of someone i know only spending 50 dollars on having their a/c fixed..it's always in the hundreds....but i know for a fact that some of those repairs had to be only 50 cent schrader valve failures. i wonder how many 50 cent schrader valves are replaced for hundreds of dollars? with the right tool you can even keep the system closed while replacing and not loose any refrigerant, so no need to pull a vacuum typically.

i would be concerned about these older model 2.5 headgaskets. i'd take your time making this decisions. if this was the 2.2 liter i'd say jump all over it, but it's not. the early 2.5 liter motors had serious head gasket issues for some people. i would want lots of information on the head gasket maintenance and documents showing it was done to that car. this problem can be very tricky to see or pinpoint when it first starts. i've seen cases where at the beginning of the problem it would be very easy to sell it without any easily detectable signs of failure. search for "head gasket" on this forum and you'll get plenty of instances of what i'm referring too. the newer ones are much better, i guess they upgraded the gasket or made changes. others that know more can inform you of phases, engines and which years are better than others. otherwise like mentioned earlier they are great cars and it's nice to know timing belts, water pump, oil pump conditions.

well it's a subaru board but i vote for the subaru all the way. if you want alot of miles out of the car then go with the subaru. if you want good resale/trade in then go with subaru. the AWD is awesome and i haven't bought anything but AWD since i got my first one over 10 years ago. i had FWD always before that. subaru's are high priced but will last to make up the difference. just in case you're not familiar with subaru's at all here are two issues that incur some cost but are worth it. be sure to replace the timing belt whenever it's supposed to be replaced, 60,000 - 100,000 miles (if not sooner than recommended). the chevy may have a timing chain which for most purposes never need to be replaces, but it might have a belt as well i'm not sure. belts are quieter, smoother and offer better gas mileage thats why they are common. you will also want to maintain the tires. rotate them and keep the treads/wear similar between all four. mismatching tires is bad for almost all AWD drive or full-time 4WD transmissions and you don't want to be replacing one of those.

on the broken one, assemble it and make sure everything is in place and moving/working properly. the cap that holds it together has crimps in it, i would suspect that cap cracked when it popped off. if not reuse it, but otherwise you'll want to replace it. you can get rebuilt HLA's (lifters) from mitzpah engineering, look them up on yahoo or do a search here. they are only like 5 or 6 bucks each, not worth installing a questionable old one for that cheap. i don't bother installing them all pumped up, they have always been difficult to install all pumped up in my experience. maybe at first, but by the time they are lying sideways like they get when installed in the engine bay they always seem to have play. doesn't matter, if your oil system is working properly (which should be the case 99 percent of the time) they tap for awhile at first start up but then smooths out quickly. i never have any tapping issues after the first start up gets them pumped up. on removing, they can be really annoying. i just leave the ones that are really stuck in when i take them to a machine shop and they always seem to get them out.

AWD trans don't fair well without proper ATF management, tire rotation, and replacement. i think failure of AWD car trannys are more of a function of maintenance than anything else. we dont' see too many issues with AWD trans on xt6.net so i wouldn't suspect anything more than lack of maintenance over the years. i see plenty of old AWD cars for sale with non-matching tires. ATF flushes and coolers are more prevalent these days as well, which helps tremendously. people are becoming more and more concerned with preventative maintenance. don't know about where you live but back in the 80's/early 90's people in my parts spent WAY less on cars and maintenance than they do now. with higher mileage expectations and better economy i think people are putting more money into vehicles these days.

if the rear diff is going out it depends on what exactly is failing but if you want to keep the car driveable for sure then you'll want to remove the rear cv axles as well. otherwise the wheels will still turn the diff via the axles meaning it will still make noise and fail which could eventually mean your rear wheel won't turn. so in short, remove all three items that turn with the diff...driveshaft and two axles. if it's an automatic you'll want to remove just the rear half of the driveshaft, hopefully it's in two pieces. if you pull the end of the driveshaft out of the rear of the transmission it won't be driveable as it will spill ATF all over the ground. so you only remove the rear half of the driveshaft, many soobs have two piece driveshafts. so remove the last half (connected to the diff) and leave the front half connected to the trans so it doesn't blow ATF all over the ground.

one of mine ripped in half, leaving half the boot down the hole. big fun getting out.

anything possible for the XT6?