idosubaru

I was hoping someone else would chime in with some better options....but dunno?

"Services" are a poor value but do keep the car maintained. They make a lot of money on services. If you don't mind paying a super high price for little service to be done with it, then that's fine. If you don't mind a little effort to save some bucks, then you can do that too. The best thing to do is simply pay for what you need and avoid the service packages, they are inflated. At 30k I wouldn't be replacing anything except oil and air filter. Don't get services that include them, but rather pay for what you need: Go in at 60,000 miles and say: I want spark plugs, trans fluid, fuel filter, and PCV valve changed. Etc...that was just as an example. She can continue to ask friends or here and figure out what she needs, but she won't need any maintenance really until 60k at which time I would do the trans fluid, spark plugs (if recommended, not sure if those are 100,000 mile plugs like the H6?), PCV valve.

it is always so consistent with oil age and fresh oil always makes it disappear? I would try a thicker oil, even if only for one oil change and see what happens. I've used 20w50 in older EA/ER Subaru's with HLA's.

original poster doesn't seem inclined towards it but the caliper slide pins should be checked...i mean, it's hard to say not seeing the car physically, but they are notably poor design for early 2000's stuff, the ones that have a rubber bushing on the one calipe slide pins. the bushing swells (this happens all the time, i'm getting tired of them) and causes the pin to stick in the bore. thing is - it can happen after a brake job or get worse quickly after a brake job as the rubber bushing is exposed to less or more or different kinds of grease. so that you had rotors/pads changed doesn't really mean much and may even suggest that's a good place to look. i remove the bushings and throw them away, problem solved.

interesting - but jacking the car up and turning the wheel by hand offers no noises? nothing seems obvious to me hopefully someone else pipes up. since it is so closely associated with rotating and the description of the clunk, hub/bearing or axle seems suspect...but not sure... the axles are the same left to right so you could swap axles and see if the noise "moves" as a test. or you could buy a new axle and replace it. if it works then you're done. if it doesn't work then you have a spare axle to put new boots on next time one of your axles fails. if the boot has never been broken and the axle never replaced though i would be very surprised if it was the axle, Subaru OEM axles don't fail very easily.

tire rotation is easy to do so if you have a mysterious thump it's just an easy and free test you can do to rule out a bad tire - they can have a "thump" if they have internal belt separation, etc. i do not think it's a tire, just easy test. Even if the brakes were done they still need to be checked - what do you mean by "brakes were done"? for many shops that means: 1. replace rotors and pads. the caliper slides may not have been greased, the caliper clips are always have build up and sometimes rust that causes pads to hang...etc - were the slides greased and clips at least cleaned, if not replaced. for most shops/mechanics the answers to those questions are "no" and so it needs to be checked if you have an ongoing issue. i have seen 3,000 mile pads warn down to nothing because the pads hang due to a stuck caliper slide or hanging up on a rusted clip. Subaru OEM axles rarely fail...it's almost unheard of. I would be more suspicious of an aftermarket axle than the original Subaru axle with that low mileage on it. Due to the inconsistency of the aftermarket axle supply it is better to keep the original OEM axles - just keep rebooting them and never replace.

that is awesome, looks identical and I doubt Subaru changed it that much, probably same fitting.

rotate tires front to back and see if the noise moves or changes. it is probably: 1. brakes or 2. wheel bearing brakes should simply be taken down to see if a pad is hanging. the caliper slides could be hanging up and the pad is dragging...or other issues. the caliper, pads, and clips should be pulled and inspected. wheel bearings on subarus can be really hard to diagnose, showing no symptoms at all when you inspect them but making noise while driving. a mechanics stethoscope around the bearing area or on the strut spring while turning the wheel by hand *may* reveal something. the infrared temperatures guns are really helpful and my favorite tool for diagnosing subaru wheel bearings. a failing bearing generates more heat and renders the front hub area hotter. comparing readings from one of those guns from drivers side to passengers side will show higher readings on a failed bearing. like 20 degrees or more hotter. you generally have to take a few readings though because the heat generated is so hot it's hard to stay consistent with distance from center, pointing the gun at an angle, etc - but with a couple readings it usually becomes notable that there's a difference between passengers and drivers side. and the nice thing about those guns is you could just go by one and have it handy in your car - test after an extended drive, etc. your description (which is limited in scope compared to seeing the car in person) does not lead me to think it's the trans or axle at all.

does the filter come with the cap and gasket for sure? how did you verify that? what part number did you use - there is nothing listed next to "14"?

so there's no way to use the WRX clutch with a cable set up? what benefit does the hydraulic clutch have over cable. the slave cylinder and hose failures have deterred me from wanting one.

that issue is very specific, not anything Subaru has really encountered before, and is relegated to only the base models (i think), if you buy a limited it won't matter. and it may only be outbacks...i can check later, but which model are you specifically looking at? there is at least one really good thread about it on subaruoutback.org, you should read that thread.

not sure, did you check part numbers to see if they're different? if there's a difference it would only be the flywheel, i'm fairly certain the flywheel is different but maybe i'm getting confused and only the flexplates differ between the two? so if you also have or can get the flywheel, it'll definitely swap.

i've read the codes before, though i don't remember pin number and colors. not hard to find the connector/pin you need - google it for your year and model. the harness you need will be up under the dash somewhere like above the gas pedal-ish. picture attached. this connector may be in your 98 forester and located above the go pedal, use one of the grounding pins with the connector on either pin 1 or 6, i'm not positive. i think it's pin 1...upper left if you're looking at the connector. if you're confused don't do what i do (hint hint)...just keep sticking it in pins until the air bag light comes on!

Right on, I just did one the night I posted while it was fresh in my mind.

+1 i've been doing that for many years, even back on old 80's Subaru's. or use a dremel, etc.

at second glance i think yours is silver....i listed white doors...either way, use that website i saw silver doors on there as well.

don't get any easier than that fix right there. you are in luck. you could fix it for nearly free (assuming you get the stuck door/latch figured out) and run it. with some massaging those doors could probably become operational again. remove inner door panels and push properly from the inside and massage it back out. if you want to repair it nicer: easiest way is to buy two used 96-99 Impreza OBS doors the same color. it is worth a considerable amount of money to simply buy a door the same color over having one painted. it costs $200 to paint and the chance of matching issues is greater. not a big deal, but worth the extra to match it from the start. swap the key cylinders and install your new door. done. some imprezas have manual windows, make sure you get electric if yours has that. i thought all 99 OBS had electric but i could be wrong. http://www.car-part.com to find the closest used WHITE OBS doors to you. looks like you'll have tons to pick from, first couple I looked at in Washington state had white doors available for good prices, look through them all and you might even get a better price: $250 1-800-848-5578 $250 1-800-735-2376 $325 1-800-848-5578 if they don't list the color, just call and ask. a door swap takes a matter of minutes. it's like 4 bolts, a pin, and disconnect an electrical harness clip. i've seen two different Subaru styles and forget the differences, but it's simple. So for two doors - $500 tops you've fixed it yourself. door swaps are easy - once you have the doors you can swap both in 30 minutes or less. have a helper - it's doable by yourself but doors are a bit awkward once unmounted and to line up the bolt holes. ***Technically speaking the insurance will total it and give you a salvage certificate and you have to get it recertified. Comments on that: 1. sometimes they don't do that, you keep your car, go pick it up, and that never gets done. If you're lucky this is what happens and you do nothing. 2. if you do have to get it recertified, simply call your states DMV and find out the process. they'll give you a packet of information or otherwise tell you how to do it and it's not that hard. i know about Maryland and West Virginia and it's not a hard process at all. having done it - they're going to zoom through your inspection if they look at before and after pictures (like they do here in WV), they'll see that minimal damage and just move you along so they can get to more important work. don't let this scare you...it seemed daunting since most folks (that have never tried) paint it as some scary and mystical process...it's not. call and ask, they do many, many, many cars all the time. not a big deal. doubt this matters since buying a matching door looks easy - but here are some notes on non-OBS doors. if you have to buy a different color then plan on $200 per door to paint it to match. then swap the interior door panel as well if it's a different color. an impreza sedan door or earlier impreza's back to 1993 are completely interchangeable and bolt on but doesn't have that two tone cladding and stickers of the OBS.

don't get me wrong that motor is really annoying to do headgaskets in the car, not a good idea at all. but - if you jack it up like i said it gives you lots of clearance and makes it much more tolerable. my prefered Subaru version for the EJ25D headgasket is: 11044AA610 i believe valve cover and spark plug gaskets did change for the EJ25D so make sure you order by VIN or year properly. intake and exhaust manifold gaskets are all the same for 96-99 EJ25D's. be careful as 99 EJ25 in foresters and impreza RS is a different motor, but you probably know most of all that stuff. subarus opposed forces website is a great resource for proper part numbers. ebay for the timing kits $150 - $200 for all the pulleys, tensioner, belt.

great, thanks for sharing. i think i'll just lap them and see how it goes. so bent valves - always obvious or can they be "slightly bent"....like thousandths of an inch out that you can't visually see but would cause issues?

all the options you listed are good ones, just have to see which one fits your personality and budget the best. without running them hot or out of oil they aren't hard to get 250-300k miles...but there's still risk, valves, seals, etc, and suspension, transmission, bearings, alternator, starter, and more to get that far too. you did a wheel bearing job - a headgasket job is more parts and time but otherwise not any more technically difficult. if you loosen the lower motor mounts and jack the engine up it's not that hard to do it without an engine lift. another option is to list it for $2,000 as-is and fully disclose the headgasket issue. you might get the cash in hand instead of a trade in from someone wanting something like this to fix it. my friend sold a 2003 piece of junk 300,000 mile Legacy wagon for $600 with no transmission, engine that wouldn't drive under load and puked oil out the headgaskets, exhaust, rear suspension, differential...and it was wrecked, front hood didn't work, foglights gone, fenders tore up...and the guy was going to "fix it up"..i couldn't believe it, the thing was junk, i had picked it up for my friend just for the transmission for $500 he listed it and it sold, you never know, it's worth a shot. thing is if you do an engine swap you could also recoupe your costs by selling the EJ25. one that hasn't been severely overheated is worth something $400 as is or $800 repaired shoudln't be hard to get for it.

copy, that is what i was preparing for anyway, got the tools all ready for that. i guess most folks don't test this way so probably not much feedback on whether a little bit is normal or not. i have new valve stem seals too so i'll replace all of those and check them. indeed!

water just seemed simple. heads are off the engine.

90,000 mile 1999 EJ22 heads. I have no reason to suspect bent valves, the lower end is bad but heads/timing were fine when I got it. When I fill the intake and exhaust ports with water some of the valves seep water. I realize this is not a good test...but Is this typical build up/wear of the valves/seats that any 100,000 mile motor would have? Or possible bent valves? When valves bend are they always obvious or can it sometimes be an amount you can't visually see?

good, glad you found it. i wasn't on a good internet connection so i wasn't about to go digging for it. it's a great resource. i think the USRM forum area is almost like a compilation of stickys - the important mechanical information and write ups are in there. bookmark the USRM too. sticky's would get cumbersome...brakes, wheels, lifts, swaps, engines, trans, headgaskets...there's just countless things that could be stickied. each person would have a different list of 5 things that should be stickys.

those headgaskets were terrible. as soon as they fail you were essentially stranded due to random overheats. the 05-09's never overheat - you can drive them with leaking headgaskets as long as you keep adding oil. they gradually get worse over a long period of time, you won't be "surprised" one day with an overheat or other random symptom or have to worry about being stranded. if you get one - make sure the heads are bone dry when you purchase it.