idosubaru

the ABS light is on in my 1998 Legacy GT sedan. when the ABS light comes on, the brakes work fine (though i've never tested the ABS action). when the ABS light goes out, the brakes make all sorts of pulsation noises and don't work very well at all. from searcing it looks like there was a relay issue on older models, but this is a 1998? could it still be the relay? i believe it's behind or under the ABS unit from reading? the codes were read awhile ago and from memory are supposed to be the rear ABS sensor. are these interchangeable from left to right?

even for the nicer model that's really high. maybe if it was 60,000- 80,000 miles, or a manual. but that's fairly high mileage for an auto trans. i've had two 4EAT's come through my hands that failed at 140k - 150k and my wifes coworker is having her 99 Legacy rebuilt right now at 100k. they *can* last much longer, that's not my point and i'm sure there will be posts about a billion mile auto trans, but they do tend to have more issues at 150k than the manual trans. the thing is, cars with damage don't sell well, at all. cars that don't run can be even harder to sell. sellers try the "we'll sell it for full value minus the costs of an engine"...but the market doesn't support that kind of accounting. it doesn't work that way. try $2,000 and when she doesn't take it, be sure to give her your number or stop back in two months, because it will be unlikely to sell unless she lies about the HG. but again, if it's what you want, it might be worth it to you to go ahead and work the deal and get it now. wagons are fairly common and you're in a good market, you should be able to find another i'd think. CCR is in denver, contact them about engine replacement if that's the route you want to go. they are excellent, by far the most notable engine rebuilders in the country, with excellent product, service and support, including full warranty. and yes once the headgaskets are replaced you should be fine if they do the job right and use the updated headgasket. there are very rare cases of engines with block issues or headgaskets that didn't hold, but that is not the norm.

plug around this site or get an FSM is your best bet. haynes manual may do, but i've never used one. they're actually fairly easy to remove as far as engines go. unbolt the a/c compressor and it will swing away, off the engine, just enough to remove the engine without every removing any of the lines or loosing your charge. here's a basic run down from memory: not necessary but it's a good idea to remove your radiator to protect it and for extra room. remove coolant hoses (2 to radiator, 2 to heater core), throttle cables, fuel lines, unplug the 3 wiring connectors on the passengers side, disconnect the O2 sensor, remove power steering lines, remove the one or two vaccuum lines going to the solenoid on the passenger side strut tower, remove power/battery/alternator wires. remove all the engine to trans mounting bolts. unbolt the exhaust headers. remove the two engine mount nuts from underneath the vehicle. that's about it, it's really straight forward actually. just keep track of all the bolts and parts, but otherwise there's nothing at all tricky about it. if it's an automatic - take note of reinstalling the torque converter. it's very hard to see and easy to miss, but if you don't seat it that last 1/8", you will ruin the trans when you reinstall the engine. it doesn't seat easily, the teeth need to line up to fully seat. make absolutely certain it's seated.

front brake job = easy. don't replace your rotors unless you had problems...vibrating, pulsating, or ground down because the pads were too old, you'll see massive grooves, pitting and pieces of metal. i doubt you waited that long? i unscrew the brake fluid reservoir cap to make sure the fluid has somewhere to go. if you're using the bleeder screw you don't need to do that, but i like the added protection of the master cylinder. other than that, it's easy. caliper top comes off really easy, compress pistons, install new pads and you're done. nothing fancy to it at all.

really? an O2 sensor made a difference in shifting? anyone know any more about this?

hey, i was in that car this year too!

3,500 is really high, i wouldn't pay close to that for it. it depends on you, what you want it for and how bad you need a car. i've seen them for $500 before as well, like skip said. i would stay in the $500 - $1000 range, maybe up to $2,000 if you wanted the vehicle.

yep, metal on the outsides of material should indicate newer headgasket, that is an excellent score. baffled on the CEL though. i bet it's the same, but you'll need to have it read at some point. try reseating the wire in that cylinder (front passengers side is #1). you replaced the ignition coil already? you've put new gas in it since buying it right, it's not old gas? i think i'd go through the FSM diagnostics on the cylinder misfire code after making sure that wire is seated. the FSM should have a detailed method of tracking down the cause of the issue.

i have one, they are not rare. i'll second his motion to check tires and for torque bind and then all the basic car stuff. they are an excellent vehicle.

i would disconnect the rear driveshaft myself, it doesn't take very long at all.

do some reading on the internet about charging hte sytem. the compressor does not need to be running for the system to take a charge, actually that was a really bad idea. jumping the terminals of the compressor is never necessary just to charge the system. all you have to do is turn the a/c on and attach the hose, that's it, period. it will reach high enough pressures for the compressor to come on by itself assuming there is enough in there...which it sounds like it is if it was working "some". a completely empty system takes roughly 2 cans, so just putting one in isn't usually enough for the compresor to come on. but by the second can it will. that's some very bad backyard a/c info....you really need to read up some before proceeding like nipper said. also, which vehicle?

never worked on one or taken one apart, all of the ones i've had, you can turn by hand rather easily.

i think yours is one of the coolant conditioner models as well, make sure that's getting added. and have them document the coolant loss...with specific info like nipper said.

nice score mike, that's great! now call jeff and phil and have them help you fix it! you can call me for...encouragement or something. odd place to rust...kind of mid part of the door, not the very bottom? should be an easy fix or just replace the door some day if you want. mental lapse, you must of forgot about the XT??? har har, it's late i should go to bed.

also need a good battery to turn the engine over properly. for example, try turning it over by hand and you won't get good readings (understatement). the FSM relates compression to RPM's...at least the older soobs it does. i know you guys know that, but figured i'd throw it in there.

if your 4 bike carrier is a 2" variety (all of the 4 bike racks are and mine is), don't get a 1 1/4" receiver. you'll end up needing an adapter and the adapters really suck because they only allow you to slide the bike rack to the first hole in shaft. this will make it stick out REALLY far....hitch, plus adapter and insert to first hole, leaving the rest hanging and bouncing. very dangerous and certainly not good for the bikes either, bottom out like crazy. i've done it and it was very unnerving and i damaged a bike... so i went and bought 2" receiver stock, you can buy it in lengths to make your own receiver. it was only like 9 bucks. some plate steel where needed and you're golden. if you still want a 1 1/4" hitch, i'll sell you the one that worked on my XT6...and the adapter too!

thanks, i'm following along. i'll want to have a look at mine as well.

okay looks like i'm hosed. gotta swap trans. how was that guy offering to fix it for $100? he was going to pull the trans and tear it down for that much?

oh right on skip. 4EAT in an XT6 AWD automatic.

my speedometer doesn't worked. it's not the cable and it's not the instrument cluster...so it must be inside the transmission/front differential. i'm hosed aren't i?

the codes need to be read. "car is toast", that's not enough info to go on. he should have the codes read (takes one minute and parts stores do it for free). post back to us what the codes are. worst case, shop charges $50 to do it. did it loose any coolant (easy to check, anyone can do it, requires no tools). did it overheat? is the overflow tank full or empty or where it should be? adding a quart of oil is chump change, that did nothing to the motor. i hear nothing yet that's telling me the motor is hosed. it could be as simple as a spark plug wire or ignition coil. $40 repairs.

good point, i'm not saying they won't work or that they fail every single time...but after working on dozens of engines and different vehicles, the aftermarkets tend to cause problems on EJ motors where the Subaru's (or magnecors) are 100% successful. i've seen brand new, off the shelf, wires cause Check Engine lights and "cylinder misfire XXX" codes. and it's common to see it on here as well, you can do a search to find similar examples. they will work most of the time, but others will work every single time. to each his own on risk, time management, etc.

if you're going into the thousands mark, then just get a CCR engine. highly touted among the Subaru crowd. if i were looking at costs far beyond $1,000 i would just get one of their new engines. comes with a 3 year 36,000 miles warranty and top notch service...those numbers are from memory, but the service is from experience. pretty sure they'll beat that $5,000 remanned price by a long shot and you'll get much better quality and service from them. they know Subaru's and they are active on this board, highly respected. if you want the car another 5 years or more, then this is your best bet in my oppinion and you've got a car that can do that. if the body is in good shape and rust isn't getting bad this would be a great option as the vehicle is capable of many more miles. if it's a manual trans then definitely as they rarely fail. if it's an auto trans and the trans is in good shape then you should be fine as well. have the ATF flushed and replace the spin on, external oil filter. i would want the new headgaskets if i were installing a used block. if you can find any locally, learn how to tell if it has the new updated headgaskets. you could look and see if they have been replaced visually. you could easily come across one with the new headgasket design already in them and use that without replacing the headgasket. post in the parts wanted section here.

same code. taped pins into connector and still getting the code. reset the code, restarted and it was clear. came back within one mile of driving (car was already warm). i'll probably replace it. anyone know if rear and front are the same? anyone know if EJ22 and EJ25 front O2's are the same? i'll find out tomorrow at the dealer, but if anyone knows, fire away.

if the EGR is giving issues, i would check that. they "say" it doesn't or shouldn't cause problems. my 97 OBS shifts like crap with the EGR code im' having. i've replaced the valve and solenoid and it's still doing it. if his is an automatic i'd definitely look into the EGR components first, it definitely effects shifting at least. i'd have the codes checked and address those first. Advanced Auto Parts or Autozone and others will check the codes for free. shops charge $50-$75. ignition stuff comes to mind as well. i would'nt be surprised to see a "cylinder misfire" code come up. the wires should be Subaru only, the only accetable alternative is Magnecor. these engines are unfortunately stubborn like that.