idosubaru

i asked a shop to loosen mine for me so i could do it myself. they didn't charge me. but now i'd do what you said, just pay a few dollars to have it done. that's very odd that the jack under the handle didn't get it loose. i'd bet it wasn't perpendicular or was bending too much, that is bizarre for it be that tight.

intermittent overheating is normal, overheating while pulling an ascent is not out of the ordinary. i would use the search function here and find the detailed headgasket page that's linked, it's not part of USMB. you can also find it from a search engine like yahoo. details a huge parts list, time, prices, where to get parts, part numbers, etc. the "new" headgasket part number will be listed there as well. what OBW just mentioned is very important. compression tests and hydrocarbon tests can prove a bad headgasket, but passing both of them does not mean your headgasket is good. that's the oddity of this motor that really throws mechanics for a loop since passing those two tests "usually" means the headgasket is good on other motors. pulling the motor is a nice way to go but it can be done in the car if you have to.

okay this just happened a week or two ago to my parents. mechanic went to replace one bulb...now none work. be interested to see what the fix is, so let us know. sorry i can't offer and suggestions, except check the fuses?

i'm seeing that the impreza RS changed calipers from 01 to 02. anyone know what the difference is? NASIOC and USMB info only shows 98-01 impreza RS stuff from what i've found, can't find much about the 02+ RS spec's.

they were replaced before, so the wear you mentioned doesn't mean much. Subaru's all come with NGK plugs and for these engines it's a very good idea to stick with NGK's.

not a transmission guy, but is it possible to also source the parts for the dual range transmission? guess it's a long shot, but could you convert a single range to a dual range? the EA82 guts all swap, figure the EJ stuff does too?

it was definitely the first time they were ever replaced, were they NGK's? wondering if someone previously installed some non-NGK stuff. were they all even, about the same? i'm guessing fairly close. i'm not too surprised of that gap after 100k, so i wouldn't worry about it too much if they're all similar.

sounds like classic EJ25 headgasket issues. i would certainly try to rule out other things, but bubbling in the overflow tank once it's hot and after you turn the car off is a very strong indicator. you mentioned "movement" in that tank, so this sounds about right. i'd at least make sure the fans are working properly, there are not any leaks and the water pump/radiators appear to function properly.

lub.lub.lub.lub.lub.lub.lub.lub.lub.lub........crank music....lub.lub.lub.lub..... dude, i didn't even know you were getting a lift, that is so HOT nip. awesome dude.

when removing/reinstalling, just make sure the engine doesn't move while it's out and make sure the rotor is pointing to the exact same position after install as it was before you removed it. take a picture, use paint, a marker, memory if you trust it...etc. "the cap is fouled", what does that mean exactly? as the bushings/bearings go out the distributor can have some play in it or the bearings will just be bad. if you can move the rotor much axially by hand or the bearings feel rough/noisey then you know it's the bearings. they can be replaced i believe, but probably just as easy to find a used one. i'd want a spare before disassembling the disty anyway.

yes there is a chance, i can't give you a risk analysis or exact numbers, but probably a small chance. a mechanic should be able to do a leak down test. mechanics have those tools and they are easy to do, only requires removing the spark plug and moving the cam which is really easy...particularly since your belt is broke! leak downs are easy to do and can be done without a timing belt, unlike a compression test. these are excellent motors, if the vehicle is in good condition it would likely be worth checking.

hmm...you found it even with my typo "C5" instead of "CS". excellent work!

same name, there was one for sale in the past year i believe. i think it was even posted here, but it was not cheap.

your BF is a real whiz kid huh? do not drive it at all, or as little as possible. do not drive it hot, that's for sure. realize your car is over 20 years old. that means all of your seals and gaskets are old. this is a great engine, but new engines don't take overheating too well...old engines, seals and gaskets have even less tolerance. if you've gotten it into the red, the damage may already be done. thing is, you hvae a great engine, these can run a very long time. would stink to ruin a great, reliable engine just because someone told you to "drive it anyway". now...if the car never overheated before...then you had it worked on, and now it overheats. they definitely did something wrong. if it never overheated before, tell the mechanics this and have them look it over, they will know exactly what they did and did not do while they were doing this job. they most likely pulled the engine to change the clutch, so there's lots of things that could be an issue. some basic, easy checks to do right away: is it full of coolant? when it begins to run hot (above normal) are all the fans running at the radiataor? are there any leaks? if you turn the heat on, does hot air come out when it's overheating?

nope, the 1998 2.2's are interference as well, so you're out of luck on that one. in 1997 MY all 2.2's were interference. a friend of mine has repaired a few and other than bent valves he hasn't seen any real damage. which isn't a huge deal, but it is significant labor so the costs escalate quickly. a couple dollars for valves....hundreds in labor.

type of driving is hug. you won't get great results in city driving. no check engine lights? O2 sensor. tune up. plugs - NGK only and the wires have to be Subaru OEM wires as well. if the wires were the cause you would likely have a check engine light though. but still a tune up is in order if there's any age or mileage to that stuff. next thing would be to check your brakes. i've seen mileage go up considerably after a brake job. be sure the caliper slides are properly grease with brake caliper grease when doing the job. this helps keep the pads off the rotors as much as possible.

Keeping in mind this information is old, here is the information off aircraft grade sealant that i know someone used to repair leaky air struts. he was an airline mechanic. Dyna Seal 11120 Sherman Way Sun Valley CA, 91353 Phone 818 982 1650 Dyna-Kit Flamemaster Corp. Chem Seal Div CS 3204 Sealing Compound AM5-58802 Class B-2 1 CA 3.5 Fl Oz Batch A 0002027 probably nearly impossible to get?

before assuming the compressor is toast, check that front bearing. it can be replaced without removing the compressor, there are instructions and details on here. good luck and definitely ping us back on what happens.

NICE - lubricate door hinges, EXACTLY! okay, that would be anecdotal. during that time dealers were experiencing very good profit margins in the parts and service departments, so something was missing there. check out the industry data and you'll see that's not the norm, it's an insightful exercise anyway.

there could be a number of explanations. first of all...how long ago are you talking? there was a major shift in the industry from the 80's to the 90's. if that's when he "found ways", then he just rode the wave rather than did anything overly significant. dealer revenue statistics made drastic across the board changes from the 80's to the 90's. major changes. or it's anecdotal, either way it's not industry wide experience right now anyway. if you don't believe me, go to the bookstore or library o rlook it up online, this information isn't all that hard to find. the numbers are staggering, some years new car sales offer NEGATIVE profit margins, the numbers are really tiny. that's rare that they are negative but the profit margins are really small, smallest margins of their overall revenue. this can go as long and deep as you want it in terms of economics and industrial engineering...there's some cool stuff here. bottom line, new car profits aren't jack, go check out the data. key word "profits". new car sales contribute most of the revenue, but dinky profit margins.

okay the delay thing is for automatics only. torque bind is a binding when going around in a sharp turn. drive in a bunch of figure 8's with the steering wheel turned all the way to each side. do this over and over...you'll feel the car start to slow down like you have the brakes on...or like in a 4WD vehicles that's in 4WD on pavement if you've ever been in one. if it does this, that is bad. it's very rare on manual transmissions but is a rather expensive fix, so good and easy to check for.

was the knock sensor replaced with a new one or a used one? was it tightened properly, that would be a good component to make sure is torqued to spec.

99 Legacy automatics are prone to a delay when shifting into park or drive. i'm not sure if impreza's can exhibit that as well, they have the same basic 4EAT transmission platform, and while having different final drives they are interchangeable. so...start the vehicle from cold and make sure it shifts quickly into drive or reverse. also check for torque bind. tires should match. at that mileage the timing belts components and a transmission flush are in order, so be prepared to do that soon after purchase if there's no previous record.

good point, this gets tricky. they (define they)make more money on the financing of a new vehicle, not the actual sales price of the new vehicle. they make a great deal on financing...which is highly driven by new vehicles, so you are correct. i am not sure how that financing profit gets distributed, but it doesn't all go to the dealer since they are not a lender. a good consumer can purchase a new vehicle such that the dealer makes $500-$1000 on that vehicle. financing and service can greatly surpass that, though i'm not sure what percent of financing actually stays with that particular dealer...but surely the actual lending arm gets most.

the room thing was just a joke, sorry, you can come out now. i've never had a compressor self destruct so i can't tell you how to look or what the symptoms may be. if i were you, i'd plug around the internet (google or yahoo) and see what signs indicate a failed compressor that compromises the system. there are some good resources out there. what i would personally do is just take it apart myself. i'd remove the compressor lines and see if there's anything abnormal in there and inspect the compressor. probalby not the best or "right" way, but i don't really care once something is broke i'll start taking it apart and see what i can find out myself. be on the look out for discoloration (anything not yellowish - the color of the oil) and bits/chunks. bits/chunks are very bad. maybe you're lucky and it's just the clutch or bearing behind the clutch that's going bad. actually the bearings are replaceable without removing the a/c. there's good information on this board about how to do that - you might want to find those threads and see if that could be your problem as well. it's the bearings right behind the clutch/pulley.