idosubaru

Entire XT and XT6 parts manual here: http://www.subaruxt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=12803

the parts manual is posted on subaruxt.com

dropping the tank is terrible in the rust belt and anyway, this is an easy and common repair. I've done it, i just talked my neighbor through it who had never done it before, and he got it done without much issue himself, i didn't even go over to help. 1. Buy stock hard line at any auto parts store and fittings and borrow a tubing bender (free from many national chains like Advance Auto) 2. Remove the rear seat and you'll see an access panel to on the passengers side where all the brake line fittings are - remove that access panel. 3. Run the hard line from that access panel to the appropriate caliper, bending it as needed as you go. 4. Splice the connections in place. 5. When you go to bleed a system that has been emptied it will TAKE FOREVER. I would get one of the assist devices - you'll literally have to pump the brakes 50 times and go through the bleed sequence 4 rotations sometimes to bleed a system tha's been emptied while driving sometimes. Another option that's really easy and can be done in like an hour, and it's my preferred method of doing it now: run the hard line myself - drive the car to a shop with the EBrake - and have them finish up the fittings. I hate doing those flared fittings and they probably have better tools, certainly less damaged than the free rental stuff - and certainly better practice as they do this all the time. It's so cheap it's not worth me fiddling with it. But I have done it myself in the past and my neighbor friend pulled it off last month too if you're die hard DIY like I am sometimes too. No way you want to even think about dropping the tank ever unless you absolutely must. You'll have rusty fasteners, sheared bolts, and issues trying to drop a tank in the rust belt areas. You're already dealing with rust issues - the line leaking - more than likely there's plenty more rust to go around.

How the oil is checked matters not as long as: 1. it's at the full line the first time when the test starts 2. it's checked the same way both times I think the issue here is #1, rather than how the oil was checked. Maybe verify that before the car leaves the lot when the test is first initiated? I wasn't trying to be dismissive, i fully understand this issue. And I understand you're trying to get a warranty replacement here, totally makes sense to follow the books. That's why i suggested asking them to watch/check the fill level on refilling. You don't have to suggest that in a demeaning suspicious way - but just a double check. The FSM calls for an odd amount of oil - 5.1 quarts. If they're filling from bottles - that 0.1 quart could easily be hard to document, measure. All that said - it wouldn't void your warranty, nor would they check or have to know. And I would want to know as much as possible, more than that them. knowledge is good because i know how to interpret it myself and make better forward thinking decisions than a shop generally will with one size fits all approaches. Oddly consumption is a benign symptom, the possible issue is carbon build in the combustion chamber affecting valve cooling, ignition, and over time can cause misfires. Nasty burning combustion chamber gives black sooty deposits everywhere: http://www.submariner.org/thepno95/Pictures/Subaru/Engine%20build/EJ25D%20swap/Cobb%20heads%20and%20cams/No2%20and%20No4%20head.jpg A clean, well running engine should have more tan and less black: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Subaru-EJ25-Cylinder-Head-/252548056145 The owners manual does allow for 5w-30 and 5w-40: "If 0W-20 synthetic oil is not available, 5W-30 or 5W-40 conventional oil may be used if replenishment is needed but should be changed to 0W-20 synthetic oil at the next oil change." I'd run 5w-30 or 40 a time or two, even if i had to pay for another oil change on my own clock - just to see what happens. As soon as the warranty is up i'd be switching to thicker oil and I'd probably switch even sooner to limit the amount of internal burning in the combustion chamber. Tolerances and materials engineering are such that it is possible to run this light of an oil - it's just rolling dice for those to all go perfectly in real world situations. Surely/hopefully that improves as they figure this out but so far i'd be formulating my own best approaches.

it's a generic title given by the site, so it doesn't necessarily mean anything. i'm sure there are well versed people in NC, but as with any high capacity people they're probably hard to find/have access too - they usually aren't short on work/projects/opportunities and aren't enamored by general public wanting low cost services from top notch experience.

Here's what I do for reliable daily driver usage of an XT6: Timing components will strand you so I like to put these on the list first, it includes related items that require the same labor: new timing belts regrease the pulleys (new kits are $400 or you can source bearings/have them pressed in) - i use a needle fitting and squirt some grease under the face seal for $3. new water pump and Subaru OEM thermostat new cam seals and cam cap orings reseal the oil pump - gasket (mickey mouse) and shaft seal crank shaft seal These are often problematic but usually won't strand you so these are second: replace the coolant temp sensor connector if it's brittle or corroded connections underneath (common issue). there are generic fuel injector plugs that are identical and have a pig tail. replace alternator connector if it's brittle Same here - basic tune up stuff that should be done anyway: plugs, wires, cap, rotor, air filter, PCV, fuel filter, drive belt Clean and regrease brake calipers and make sure the pins aren't sticking, boots aren't cracked, clips aren't rusted. Use SilGlyde or high quality grease, much better than the common permatex generic stuff in stores. With that - you've got a very reliable daily driver. Fuel pumps and alternators are ancient or unreliable aftermarket replacements by now so those are noteworthy, but that's true of nearly any aged/high mileage Subaru, even a 200,000 mile 2006 Outback.

And, you're welcome.

Here's the issues you may run into with resurfacing: 1. dealers don't typically resurface. some do, but most don't. so they're going to balk at the request, no fault of theirs it's just outside their nominal ops. 2. dealers dont' resurface in house - they use local automotive machine shops. the problem with that is machine shops have a policy that if you only resurface the heads, they offer no warranty on them. they only warranty the heads if you do a complete valve job and pressure test for $500+. Both of those are entirely unecessary on your car - because THE CAR IS RUNNING - there is no need for a pressure test/valve job - even with blown headgaskets pressure test and valve jobs are pointless on those engines (without specific, compelling issues). So it ends up getting filtered through 3 different people before you hear it - machine shop guys, to Subaru guys, to service rep - then to you. too long of a chain to get this right. *** Dealers that do resurface will know they can just have them resurfaced and you're good to go. So the dealer who doesn't typically resurface is likely going to say: "Sure we'll have them resurfaced if you pay for that, since it's outside our normal repair. The shop charges $500+ for that." And they may say they can't do the repair without the machine shop warranty. Which is complely silly but you can't fault them for having a blanket policy to protect themselves from installing sub-par parts either. So you need to find a way around that. If you walk into a machine shop (something i've done countless times at various places, even places that don't know me) - you just tell them you want the resurface and dont' care about any warranty. They don't care, they mount and resurface and are good to go. So you have to think ahead a little and be pro-active to get a resurface only (should be $50 - $150). A. ask the dealer if you can take the heads yourself to a machine shop - maybe even call around and find one so you can tell them you have a preferred place. you can even call the dealer service department - ask them who they use for machine shop work, then call that machine shop directly so you're working with a place that typically does SUbarus. B. ask the dealer, and explain all this, and ask them if they can get a resurface only, not all the other unecessary items.

Resurfacing the heads and replacing the HG on an engine that probably has never been overheated (best guess for yours)- should be money. Go for it. It's hard to say if/when it will progress. In general OEM installed 00-04 headgaskets with oil spots don't progress fast. 05+ engines progress quicker. But it's hard to say and could go either way. If the dealer doesn't make the 00-04 and 05+ distinction - they've definitely seen them progress fast and have quoted plenty-a-customer a headgasket job for oil spots.

timing tensioner timing failure - belt, pulleys. turbo component failure? do those engines have variable valve timing actuators/solenoids? If it's jumping timing and sitting in your driveway with jumping timing, maybe it jumped timing in the past and bent some valves.

nope. Subaru rotors actually easily last the life of the vehicle. literally. i have 260,000 on my rear rotors. the only reason to replace the rotor, and I mean the only reason, is if you have vibration during braking. which is always the front rotors on any subaru prior to 2005 - i don't have enough experience yet with 2005+ to make the same claim but i'd guess it'll be similar. i'd guess rear rotors maybe could fail or have a compromising situation and do the same, but i haven't seen it yet. so on nominally operational rear rotors i doubt you'll ever see it. otherwise run them, even if they're not perfectly flat, that matters not. you'll be hard pressed to find intelligent and quantitative rotor information though. i'm shocked how low grade rotor knowledge experience tends to be. most of it is archaic, anecdotal, and armchair quarterback regurgitation. for all the terrible advice and hyped up comments on rotors - go find me a rotor failure....oh wait, it never happens. unbelievable how short sighted and slow to learn people are even after many decades and hundreds of thousands of Subarus on the road. Remember i'm talking specifically Subaru's here - that's all i work on. I know nothing about anything else.

didn't they wax seal the dipstick so you can't tamper with it? i would ask them if you can watch them fill it with oil and check the level, or verify the dipstick level before they seal it. Personally I'd also be running something other than 0W-20 oil - I'm shocked at all the oil consumption complaints and so few people try to up the oil weight. i'd go 10w-30 or even a 40 as a test.

hey bud, i'm good. nah i dont' have anything along those lines. i'd convert it to cable clutch while you're at it if it were me. the hydraulic clutches are more maintenance and failure - slave cylinders and hose and bleeding. if you do go with hydraulic I'd get a new slave cylidner and hose.

It's 4 years past due for timing belt replacement - Timing belt replacement is 105,000 miles OR 105 months - whichever comes first. Dealers don't typically replace the tensioner and pulleys - so if they do it you may have a tough decision. If they replace the timing belt and you pay for the tensinoers and pulleys ($200) - that's a fantastic resolution. If they'll only replace the belt, that's unfortunate, while pre-200k tensioner and pulley failures aren't common, they aren't rare and leave you with 4 digit head/engine repair/replacement. It's wise and I would do it personally but if it came to a tough call, I wouldn't even care about the water pump - pre 200k failure is much rarer than the items above and catastrophic damage from it is even more rare (again, unlike tensinoer/pulley failure). As to paying for a full on headgasket job and resurfacing - you can ask if they'd simply charge you for headgasket job minus labor...not sure how they handle that. If we simply add up headgasket repair, subtract the "complementary timing belt and valve cover labor" - because it's required for headgasket replacement, it is labor that *must* be done to remove heads, and add additional parts: $1,500 headgaskets and resurface (keep in mine dealers don't routinely install turbo headgaskets or resurface) -$500 timing belt labor -$400 valve cover gaskets labor +$200 for timing tensioner and 3 pulleys = $800 total final cost. That would be an excellent deal - for a top notch headgasket job, full timing kit, and VCG's. Not sure - I wouldnt' think they'd generally operate that way with labor costs - but for the sale of the car/customer service there's a good chance they might offer somethign along those lines if you've played nice to this point.

actually i'm sure he'll find one, they can't be that hard to find, those don't have much demand.

Hi! It's me from MD/WV! i should be able to get him a button.

It's a 4WD manual XT6, it's been converted from air to conventional struts with Subaru units of unknown origin, he'll need to look at them and see if there are part numbers. Correct - only 4WD's have air suspension, FWD is conventional strut/spring.

you probably have piston slap, a slapping timing tensioner, or rod knock.

you're probably fine. you're probably confusing inches and millimers Intake = 0.008" or .20mm Exhaust = 0.010" or .25mm I would say most Subaru people go by inches, so the mm measurements above are probably confusing.

stalling, low on oil, knocking - sounds ominous but best not to guess: 1. "low on oil" - you need to tell us exactly what that means. low on the dipstick still means there's a fair amount of oil in the engine oil pan - even not registering on the dipstick, there could still be oil in it. if you had to add 4 quarts to bring it up to full - that's a completely different story. 2. "overheating" - how badly was it overheated? just went up a little bit? or you didn't notice until steam was billowing out the car and it was bucking, then looked down and saw the gauge pegged in the red? 3. Check engine light - read the codes, see if there are any pending codes (even if the light isn't lit yet) in the states most national chains read the codes for free, cheap OBDII scanners are only like $35 on ebay and well worth having on hand, i've got a few. with a little work you can even work on nearly free/cheap laptop connectors or phone adapters via blue tooth on amazon.... lots of options. 4. knocking could also be piston slap, timing tensioner, flex plate....but lower end failure is more likely if caused/related to recent events....we just don't know yet if they're related.

there's a few threads on subaruxt.com - i know huck has a good one too somewhere, but here's another: http://www.subaruxt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=13816&p=153489&hilit=rear+struts&sid=b019b0169a9d1c57268c709d0ba7ecd9#p153489

yeah most places are going to be clueless about XT6's. **the rears are the only hard part.** i think 4WD are shorter than FWD, make sure you have 4WD rear struts, i don't know what's on there, i didn't buy/install them, i only removed them from a parts car. in the past - a few people have cut a coil and a half from the rear springs to level the car out to match EJ or FWD XT6 front strut heights. you can also flip the top mounts on the rear struts to lower them a little bit - i'm not sure if that was done on those or not. Fronts are easy - EJ fronts lower the car from stock and you have lots of options there - impreza/legacy sedans i presume will be the shortest struts/springs if they vary? when you get yours - pull the 1" lift off the top of the strut tops (and mail it back to me!) they were on the car I pulled them off of, i left them so the car would remain level for the previous owner. could you also close the gap by simply getting larger wheels - 16" Subaru wheels are a dime a dozen now - get a set of those? that's what most of us run.

the Phase II EJ22 is the same as Phase II EJ25's - same valve part numbers, etc. Basically they're the eact same heads except number of exhaust ports. look for any 00-04 EJ25 valve clearance spec/procedure, it's the same.

the shop quoted $400 - $500 for less than a hundred dollars and an hours work. they're going to do pretty well if you go with them. moving forward mechanically, take note: i would drive the car a little while and see how much the headgaskets are leaking - take pictures/document if they get worse over a short amount of time. i'd want to know if i'm doing a headgasket in a year or less or far off in the future before i move forward with other maintenance. here's why" the timing belt and valve cover gaskets all have to be removed to replace a headgasket. so you generally want to avoid doing the valve cover gaskets now if you'll need headgaskets soon. you'll essentially get "free labor" on the valve cover gaskets and timing belt if you do have the headgaskets replaced. if you do the valve covers now for $500. timing belt for $700. that's $1,200 - you're already close to headgasket replacement costs. a complete headgasket job should be $1,500 - $2,000 (if it includes valve covers, timing tensioner, pulleys) if you end up needing to go this route make absolutely certain you ask here first - you want turbo headgaskets and the heads resurfaced. most places don't know that and only seldom resurface - it should be done every time on these.

It's hard to say - if the spotting seen is 2 weeks since cleaning, or over the past 3 years - those are two different things. I think this comes down to miscommunication. Ideally two things should have happened: 1. you or an independent looked at the HG's before purchase. or you talk to the actual subaru person who did and ask them to show you. 2. the dealer would have said something like, "There is some wetness, but it's mostly residual and you won't have any issues for 50,000+ miles"....or something like that. or get something down in writing - but then "any HG issues" is somewhat ambiguous - you would focus on "any", they would focus on "issues". no one did either 1 or 2 so we're just left with a he-said she-said and both parties made a mistake - sounds like a wash and you have to live with th decisions. a post-purchase inspection is honestly a terrible idea, i'm not sure who recommended that, but that's awful advice. i would never suggest or be party to a post-purchase inspection - too many arbitrary and subjective possibilities...particularly on a 10+ year old vehicle.