idosubaru

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.

that's a fair price if it's in great condition. i'm not saying you can't find one cheaper and i wouldn't pay that much for it, but most people aren't in the same position i am in either. it will need timing belt, water pump and probably a timing pulley or two unless the previous owner has documented changes for those items. that's about $500 worth of work and it's an inteference engine, so you do not want to neglect that if the work is unknown. keep that in mind when negotiating. also keep in mind, if that's what they're asking, they are probably somewhat flexible. KBB and ebay will give you a very rough indication of value. KBB tends to be high, ebay tends to be low.

were the wheels/tires balanced? rotate tires and see if the vibration changes. keep an eye on the vibration as it related to speed, braking, accelerating, and coasting. there are many possibilities, the inner CV axle joint is very prone to causing vibration.

of that list he just mentioned i would not have the coolant changed myself. i'd have it flushed at the 100k/105, service with the timing belt and water pump. just a coolant system flush alone usually runs $100. i'd expect an indepent would take care of those items for $300 range...problem is finding a good service person, dealers by no means automaticallly count as "good".

jumpering a/c stuff is bad, go to your room! you can not do that with the compressor. those systems are in place for a reason. not too mention forcing the compressor on is very dangerous. at this point you're probably looking at replacing most components in the system and starting from scratch. i'd quit using it right now and diagnose if you want any chance of having an easy fix. all of that noise could mean bits and pieces are blowing all through your a/c system (black death mentioned earlier). if that's the case you can't just replace the compressor. any compressor you install will be likewise ruined by the particulate matter left in the system...so you have to essentially replace a lot of things. now, maybe it's not the internal goodies, you'll have to check.

the problem with that is they are usually stuck due to corrossion and rust. which is usually also attended by very poor threads. most of the time the threads protruding beyond the nut are nearly non existent and really don't take a nut at all. if they do they are typically very loose and won't take much force at all. welding, grinding and drilling are your only options for really bad ones. if they come out any other way, they're not that hard to get off. with bad ones (and i mean bad), you're really trying to get something on there solid enough to shear the bolt, they will not come out of the block at this point. and you're not going to shear the bolt with wrenches/vise grips.

mileage services are a huge money maker, that's where dealers make tons of money. dealers bank on and count on service for a huge percentage of their income. they don't make much at all on selling new vehicles, percentage wise they make the least money on new vehicles as compared to service and used vehicles. you're really paying $600 for nothing...or maybe $50 worth of work at most. dealer is not required at all...actually nothing is required, i would like to see your service manual as i don't have them all memorized, but you probably need very little if anything at all. look through the 60,000 mile service interval yourself listed in your owners manual and see what you'd like done. you shoudn't need any more than an oil change, change your trans fluids and maybe spark plugs/accessory belts. if you have the 2.5 liter EJ25 engine, then your big service interval is 105,000 miles. i'd have everything done there, coolant system flush, timing belt, water pump, etc. that will run$600-$1,000. this vehicle/engine doesn't typically need much of anything prior to that - maybe spark plugs, brake work, etc, but the engine and trans typically don't need anything. the problem with "services" is that you're way over-charged by design. they list a 120 point service including all sorts of inspections and such. the problem is, those inspections literally take less than 10 seconds and they really don't check anything. i mean...if your brake fluid, power steering fluid or diff fluid were low, you'd be leaking oil, it would be burning off your exhaust and something wouldn't be working right. it's is very, very odd for a 2005 with such low mileage to have any issues. it's like saying "check seats for irregular wear, inspect ash tray, etc..." a bunch of bogus, minor, unlikely things to check...except it's in engine, transmission, and chassis terms that most car owners don't understand. but it's equally basic and rediculously benign. at most, list the 60k service interval stuff for us here, and we'll help you decipher it.

okay i've had to do this a number of times and just recently did it to multiple bolts on an EJ25...very annoying, but i guess i'm getting good at it and hope my awful experience can help someone else. i think i even posted a thread about it. anyway...speaking from significant experience about what does and does not work: welding a nut will work. actually what i also do is weld a steel rod to the stud and just use the rod as leverage. the result will likely be the same either way - if it's rusted and seized as bad as mine were, it will just shear the stud off though, but at least the exhaust manifold will come off that way and it makes removing the engine easier. grinding will also get it off. and Cobalt drill bits are the way to go. i used all three of those methods to get the ones off i had to deal with. do not waste your time, money or effort on anything else than the methods listed above.

be careful with rockauto.com - i like them, but their database sucks. you have to be sure you're getting the right part, it will list the wrong part for the vehicle you enter, does it all the time and i find it lacking. if there's any hint of smelling bad...which happens quite often, i go elsewhere. try http://www.thepartsbin.com.

over the long term air tools are awesome if you have the room. a nice starter set can be had for $200 - $300 that has everything you need. but...you definitely don't need air tools for a brake job. if anything they help mostly with removing the wheels, not the actual brake bolts. the wheel lugs come off zip-zip with air tools...super nice to do. like they said, you don't have to remove those 17mm ones to replace the pads. if you didn't have any vibrations and the rotors aren't severly grooved there is nothing wrong with reusing them. i personally would not have them turned. either reuse them or buy new ones. be sure to grease the slides (the rubber boots that allow the caliper to slide on the arms. use brake grease only, nothing else. and keep your WD40 inside for household stuff and junk it for working on cars. PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench...or Deep Creep are all far superior. don't let the fact that they look and smell the same and come in similar cans lead you to think it's the same...WD40 is lacking for automotive work. but...i've never had a socket or wrench break when removing those 17mm bolts, that's very odd that yours did. i wouldn't consider that normal and i've done it with rusted, sitting, parts cars and i almost never use air tools on those because they're never that hard to get off and the access isn't good. use a 1/2" wrench and a pipe over the handle for leverage, i've never had one break that way.

excellent.

yep, even in the 6 cylinder XT6 2.25" is really too big in my oppinion for daily driving unless you spend a lot of time in the high RPM range.

if they are available talk to one of the online retailers, particularly the ones that are members here..like jamie from subarugenuineparts.com i believe and see if she'll ship internationally, im' sure one of them will. there is no "freight option/ground" anymore from the states, it's all air shipping options only, so that has increased international rates significantly. but you can get the parts and they'll get there quicker and those shouldn't cost that much.

$5,500 is a reasonable price for that vehicle if it's in great condition. the 99's have some strange quirks to them...the automatics have a common delay into gear issue that is not easily fixed. the two people that i know personally that have a 99 have this issues (one just had her trans rebuilt less than a month ago) and the other had it replaced...only to still have the same issue with their used trans. and the local mechanics have seen it before as well. as far as i can tell it seems the 99's have this issue far more often than other years, even 98's and 00's. the speedo likes to quit working on the 99's and of course the headgaskets. and check for binding as well. is it the SUS or a GT sedan? if it's a two-tone then it's an SUS sedan, not a GT i think. either way, both are great vehicles.

here's my post about ABS and the information i found to do the job. i had never touched ABS stuff before and these links i found through searching walked me right through it. i used the search function to find it. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=76811 good luck and hopefully it has some codes for you!

you haven't mentioned yet if the ABS light is on. if it is, you can read the code and be done with this. all you need is a piece of wire from your negative battery terminal. ground that in the appropriate pin and follow the directions (very simple). you should download or look at the subaru ENDWRENCH ABS information. everything you need to know is there, it's silly for us to look up bits and pieces and post it here. those articles are completely and even detail differences across models/years which we can't do from memory. there are multiple threads posting all of this, spend a little time and get the right information and it'll take you a couple minutes.

awesome you got the rears to work, good job! i picked up that aircraft sealant but don't have it with me right now. hopefully i'll remember to get the name/information off the tube when i'm home tonight.

awesome, glad it worked out for you. great follow up and info on the TCU, thanks for posting that.

check level, fluid flush, get the easy stuff out of the way. i've seen them go for a long, long time like this. annoying, but i wouldn't consider it trashed just yet, keep an eye on if it's getting worse or not.

nice john, i've never seen your XT6...well not counting the black one anyway! hopefully you'll drive it next week when we meet up? i really like white, probably one of my favorites, is that pearl white?

common, probably passengers side right? it's not that hard to do, removing the turbo bits is the most annoying part to me. do it with the engine in the car and use air tools. with air tools your cam tower and head bolts come out and go in so much quicker and it's easier to do the job correctly (mainly - cleaning the head bolt holes). tons of information on here about EA headgaskets. use Fel-Pro permatorque headgaskets and snug them about 5 pounds more than spec's, they do not need to be retorqued like the Subaru gaskets. well worth the savings in time, that is very common and trusted method for those of us that have done a lot of engine work. or..if you have someone else do it, make sure they use those headgaskets and explain why. it's not a bad job, but it is time consuming. paying a few hundred dollars for a shop to do it would be annoying considering you can probably just go buy another one. the turbo's blow headgaskets fairly regularly by this age...the systems are getting old and heat kills headgaskets. having your turbo and cooling system in top condition helps avoid that. keep that in mind as you complete this job, that's one advantage to doing it yourself. a mechanic will replace the headgaskets and maybe a few other things, you can replace all of the hoses while you're in there.

edit your post, erase your password and change it anywhere else it may be the same.

awesome vehicles, super cool commuter and road trip cars. not the funnest to drive as they are large and don't handle great in those terms, but ride really nice for long trips. very, very expensive and hard to find parts. windshields are hard to find and run $500 - $700 for instance. transmissions go out fairly often, i wouldn't expect yours to last as long as you own the vehicle. not because you can't take care of it...but it has 15 years of previous owners to deal with. if you get it, change the fluid and install an aftermarket transmission cooler immediately. wheel bearings go out like nobodies business...replace and they can easily go out again in less than 1000 miles. read up on why that happens and how to mitigate that. be sure to read up on all of it's quirks, particularly the expensive and recurrent ones.

for the steering rack bushings (based off that picture, they'd be held in place by bracekt "21"), newer generation stuff works on the XT6 and XT6 stuff fits in an EA82...so, is it possible those rubber bushings will work on older models as well or could you just convert to EA82 power steering? that bracket "21" in moosens pictures look very much like EA82 stuff...one is round, the other is square-ish.

you should check yours and see if it's been replaced or not, you may already have the new style headgaskets, you can tell just by popping the hood and looking in the right spot. either underneath by the exhaust manifold or just behidn the power steering pump. at the head to block mating surface, part of the gasket protrudes and you can tell if it's a multi layer metal style or just the old standard headgasket. and yes...the newer style headgasket is far superior to the original. i haven't seen any reliable sources quoting percentage of failures. that's not to say nipper isn't reliable, he's one of the most reliable sources on this forum, but i haven't seen a solid analysis anywhere. it might be 5%, it might be 40%, i don't think there's a solid method for assessing that. when i stop into the subaru shops they typically have a few HG jobs going on simultaneously (3 last time i was there), in a very small city of less than 40,000 people. i am constantly looking and buying subaru's and blown headgasket 2.5's are not hard to find at all. the last legacy i bought actually had new headgaskets on it...which is why you should check yours like i mentioned before worrying about conditioning it, etc. i would not use that cadillac conditioner. they use some junk engines in their cars, i wouldn't want any of their additives in a subaru. and like they said, additives really only help the late phase II 'external leaking' engines. additives have not been known to help the phase I engines at all. timely replacement of cooling system components like nipper mentioned and flushing your system is more valuable in this case.