idosubaru

i think it's about the right price considering it has a cracked windshield, dings and crinked hood. you can always use KBB to value a vehicle, gives you good general place to start. you don't see many RS around, so if that's what she wants then it's a great deal and the timing appears right. as far as a late model subaru it's not a great deal, but the RS is hard to come by. particularly one with some issues that drive the price down where you want it. i would guess it would be a long time before you see another running, driving RS in this price range. i'd test drive it for a very long time, the headgasket issues don't always show easily. make sure you drive it at operating temperature for awhile. make sure the temp gauge stays pegged right around the middle where it's supposed to (not too low and make sure the heat works well)..basically signs that the thermostat has been removed. if the radiator, water pump or thermostat was recently replaced then that's a flag of sorts.

i think it's about the right price considering it has a cracked windshield, dings and crinked hood. you don't see many RS around, so if that's what she wants then it's a great deal and the timing appears right. as far as a late model subaru it's not a great deal, but the RS is hard to come by. particularly one with some issues that drive the price down where you want it. i would guess it would be a long time before you see another running, driving RS in this price range. i'd test drive it for a very long time, the headgasket issues don't always show easily. make sure you drive it at operating temperature for awhile. make sure the temp gauge stays pegged right around the middle where it's supposed to (not too low and make sure the heat works well)..basically signs that the thermostat has been removed. if the radiator, water pump or thermostat was recently replaced then that's a flag of sorts.

not every one has headgasket issues, so they may be originals. hyrdocarbon test is pointless on this car. i guess you can and if it's really bad it may show up, but these headgaskets typically pass the hydrocarbon and compression tests when they start to fail. that's why so many mechanics screw them up...replacing water pumps, radiators, thermostats multiple times, etc. that being said, you should be able to look and see visually if it has the newer updated headgaskets on it. down below/behind the steering pump a part of the headgasket protrudes out of the engine. i believe....that you can tell if it's the new style or original just by looking, not even removing any parts. the old style will just be flat headgasket material, the new style will be the multilayer style. if it's that old, it's probably obvoiusly peeling and layered. we should get some pic's of that up...i keep meaning to take some in my garage.

good point, since most EA82 and ER27 heads in use today are running with cracks, i would bet most do, it is cost effective to not worry about them for sure. i always have them repaired so "those that tried had problems" isn't true, but i'd agree it may be overkill. every one that i've worked on that i know of, is still running with no issues, some with quite a few miles. there's probably few shops experienced with this, so it probably is wise to skip this step.

the anaerobic sealant i got from NAPA is a set of squeeze tube sealant and a can of applicator spray. not sure if they're all like that or not?

very common. non turbo heads are rarely deep enough to cause issue. i've taken many to the shop and they have never come back not usable. turbo heads i would expect a higher failure rate on, but i haven't come across enough to really know much about those. in any event, they are common and definitely fix them. i use an aluminum head specialist that has extensive experience with aluminum heads and subaru heads. they were very familiar with fixing those cracks and they use stitch pins to fix them, they claim that's the best and proper way to fix those cracks. i've actually posted info on those before, part and size numbers...but it's a kit of sorts and probably only used by the machine shop world. welding is another option.

easy. do it. that alternator should have lasted longer, did you have a battery fail? i've seen quite often batteries and alternators failing together...within 6 months to a year of each other on friends/family vehicles. i'd check your battery, consider replacing it, or check/replace the terminals, the jokers that bolt to the battery. with good, clean connections and terminals, batteries will last a very long time and alternators will as well.

anaerobic sealant is the proper sealant to use. it doesn't run the risk of coagulating in your oil supply if any happens to get in there. regular Permatex products and RTV that most people use will work, but it's more risky. i don't think this is true, permatex ultra grey is typically used, but it is NOT anaerobic. the anaerobic stuff is expensive and requires the applicator spray as well, but you don't need much of it, i'd stick to it. there's a picture on one of the XT6 groups of a guy who used permatex stuff and it got caught in his oil supply lines...i believe at the cams. he had severe ticking and found the glob of sealant wedged at the cam oil supply between the cam and the head, blocking oil supply to that cam. properly used it'll work, i'm not trying to sound like it's the end of the world, but don't be liberal with it if you're using the other stuff.

know anyone in the states? have them source/collect the parts for you? then either cross the border or have them shipped or something?

to all the "open" and what not discussion and other comments, there are people driving around in 2WD right now due to a locked/failed torque bind equipped trans. i don't think that's characteristic of an open diff. i don't know the technicalities but i know it works. that may help those with real world problems and would certainly reduce stress on other components once it's "completely failed", whatever that means!

Frams suck, period. it's not that every single filter will ruin your engine or cause problems...so yes you can run them without experiencing issues, that's not how it works. of course if every one ruined your motor, they wouldn't be in business. it's about poor design and quality. you want filters with 99.9% reliability or 95% reliability..making those numbers up of course. i'll shoot for anything but fram or an aftermarket, repainted fram. actually i use exactly what nipper mentioned...puralators and wix.

right on, piecing together will be expensive. the yards around here all sell the complete strut, so for cost, that's the way to go. $40 for the entire assembly.

awesome, look forward to it will!

PM...incoming!

that's insane. like i said earlier, you can source struts for not much money. i bought some last year for $35 each...not that hard. certainly not a reason to pass on an otherwise good car. $40 in new jersey here: 1-800-735-8464

so you want an actual full size wheel to use as a spare, not a stock spare wheel right? the ones i have are off a 1997 Subaru OBS, will they work? do you want 1 or 2 and do you want tires on them? i can pick them up next weekend.

AWESOME! cheers to an easy fix and working center diff hotdog!

AH HA!! that's what i was missing. thanks a bunch, that really clears up what was confusing me - i thought both the drum and rear disc set ups had separate ebrake components. awesome, i have an entire vehicle at my disposal so i should have everything i need...even the ebrake if i have to. if anyone knows whether you have to swap the ebrake cable for sure, let me know. i haven't seen any conclusive evidence here or at nasioc either way. but i have seen people say "you need the ebrake cable".....but i'm wondering why on that as well.

he brings up two really good points - use a 6point socket on this and make sure it's really tight when you reinstall. preferrably make sure you're torquing it to factory spec's and make sure the spec's are right, i've seen incorrect info posted on these before.

is it possible you just don't have all the air out of it yet? i guess it's loosing coolant you say? or maybe it's still settling? you reattached everyting to the radiator properly...hoses, fans, wires/sensor....

better wrenches. breaker bar. 3/4" socket. a decent 1/2" socket should work fine, but they are very tight and one of the toughest bolts to knock off. if your socket is bending i'd get another socket wrench, i've done dozens and dozens with the same 1/2" sears craftsmen and it's never bent or broken. the easy way if you're having problems is to let the starter do the work. be very careful and make sure you know what you're doing. place the socket on the crank bolt. rotate it around until it's solidly resting on something solid...if it's not long enough, use a pipe over the handle of the socket. then disconnect the coil wires so the car won't start. then bump the starter motor...as quickly as you can. just enough to turn the motor over. this will knock it loose, then finish by hand.

do you mean full size wheels identical to yours to use as spares, or two full sized spare tires? i went from 15" to 16" wheels on my OBS. if the original spare (it came iwth 15" tires) is not the same as my 16" wheels now, then i'd like to get an appropriately sized spare for my 16" wheels. in which case i'll send you the old spare for the cost of shipping. it's not here or i'd check the diameter. i used to have a set...and think i still do of 15" stock steelies as well. i'd also send you one of those for cost of shipping. they are at my other place in another state, but i'll be there this weekend.

why is it necessary to swap the ebrake cable? i can't just remove the cable from the hub and reinstall it once i'm finished the rear caliper install? and do i need all the ebrake parts from a disc equipped vehicle or do the ebrake components that are in there now, stay there? since this is the wifes car i'm trying to minimize down time.

it would have signs of overheating as well...i see no mention of that? have you checked the timing belt pulleys and tensioners? maybe one is loose or jacked up and causes a problem under load? i'd still expect it to be off teeth but what i'm reading seems scattered.

nipper said everything i would have said, but more succinctly!