idosubaru

after removing the lines, just crank the car over, you'll see which one fluid comes out. don't start it or run it like that, just crank it as a test. i wouldn't use the radiator cooler at all. run the trans lines to the cooler and back. using the radiator adds nothing but more failure modes to your trans...more hoses, more clamps and even worse, your radiator is old or will be at some point and you can't see the internal cooling mechanism to see if it's failing, corroded or compromised in anyway. just use your new dedicated cooler.

youre sure the oil leak is up front? you need the cam o-rings as well, every single one i've seen is brittle and breaks when i remove them now, they're hard as a rock after 20 years. the cam seals sits inside a cam cap. it's held on to the cam carrier with 3 10mm bolts, remove those bolts and slide the cam cap forward. you would want to anyway, makes replacing the cam seals that much easier, you can do it off the car then. behind that cap is an o-ring you'll want to replace. http://www.thepartsbin.com sells a cam seal "kit" that includes the seal and oring. if you don't have it, get it from Subaru. reseal the oil pump while you have the belts off. once the timing belt is off you only have to remove 5 bolts and a nut to reseal the oil pump, that's it. it has a shaft seal, an oring and an oil pump to engine gasket. though the gasket is more like o-ring material. it's the "mickey mouse" gasket, yo'ull see it. there are 5 10mm bolts holding the oil pump to the block. remove those, then put a 1" socket on the back of the oil pump to hold the shaft in place while you knock the nut loose on the front of it. the nut and oil pump sprocket come off, revealing the seal underneath. replace them all...i've seen people replace one and leave the leaky one in there????? leaking on the exhaust if often valve cover gaskets. they are simple to replace but can be annoying since they're really tight. do yourself a favor and get a 10 mm ratcheting wrench to make it much simple. these have nothing to do with timing belt jobs and can be done entirely on their own, just remove all the valve cover bolts and replace the gasket. they are old, brittle and cracking by now and one of hte most common to leak...particularly doing the exhaust burning leaky thing.

you can fit almost everything you need in the hidden trunk compartments. i have an alternator, timing belts, ignition coil with FET, one each of all the timing pulleys, extra relays, fusible links, extra drive belt, tire plugs and tools...eventhough most of that stuff is new in mine it easily stores out of the way. i also have a real jack, they can also fit in the backmost compartment and tools. you don't really need many tools - 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm some sockets, extensions, wrenches and screwdrivers and you can fix nearly anything that would be fixable that is. but yeah, you can't beat wagons for their functionality. that's the great thing about it, you have both! i really like having the impreza OBS for that reason, easily throw-and-go with large items. i have a hitch as well, the XT6 can certainly pull more easier and safer than an EA82 once you have one of those and a trailer.

the owners manual will tell you how large your gas tank is. figure your gas milegae and multiply it out...that will give you a base. 15 gallons times 20mpg, you should easily get to 300 miles per tank if you think you can pull 20 mpg, which most soobs do. like nipper said that light is very accurate, i've tested it numerous times...sometimes i've made it and sometimes i haven't!

good point, i was assuming he doesn't want that expense. he mentioned the prices of used engines around him are not far from a rebuilt. buy a used engine for $1,000, pay $1,000 for headgasket replacement and additional parts and then $$ engine removal and install. that total is likley to be $2,000 - $3,000. Which you and i would agree is reasonable for what you're getting. I'd just do the headgasket myself, but if he's paying labor, CCR might be a better route at that point.

unless it's really cheap i would avoid a used EJ25. paying $1,000 for a used motor that ends up having a bad headgasket would seriously annoy me. at the very least, talk to the vendor and ask if they have a warranty. even with a warranty though you're paying labor all over again to remove/install another one. only you know the kind of risks you like to take, but i wouldn't go that route. i have a couple blown EJ25 vehicles at my house right now, they are very easy to find. 1998 80,000.....blown headgasket. if finances were a concern i would choose the 2.2 swap myself.

what kind of car? are you saying that you don't know if you have air struts or not? have a look at them. you'll either see coil overs or a big black air bag. check the fronts and rears as it is possible to not convert them all. the air tank and compressor is under the front drivers side fender for most (if not all) air suspension subaru's. i'm not sure what you have so i'm hesitant to say "all" just in case i'm forgetting something....

the older generation soobs have a fusible link box in the engine bay. if this is done they will fry one of the fusible links and often that is the only damage. your EJ (forester) will have a fuse box in the engine bay as well although it is set up much differently. i can't recall off the top of my head and my impreza isn't here right now, but check your fuses and fusible links (if any) in this box. after that, check the rest of your fuses, i don't know where they reside in the forester but it's down on the lower left by the front drivers side door for most. ECU damage is possible, but probably not.

sorry to hear about that. with enough effort they may still fix it. they might just be hoping you go away. there's tons of info on here, i'd look through as much as you can. there's alot of good stuff, but impossible to compile it all.

most likely a head gasket. they typically blow very easily if the car is overheated. often times overheatin caused by coolant loss (a hose, clamp, leak or water pump failure) will cause a blown headgasket right away due to the fact that the gasket is 20 years old. there's an off chance, unlikely, that the intake manifold gasket is leaking coolant into the the engine. not likely, but they are much cheaper and easier to fix. if you fix the headgasket, make sure you fix the cause of it blowing. you probably have a bad radiator, hose or clamp or leak somewhere else.

probably wouldn't be worth it if you went through the trouble and didn't fix the problems. i think you might do well to type in "bad strut" or something in yahoo or google and see if you can find some good info on diagnosing bad struts, i do not know. you might get good info too...like "bad struts cause bad tire wear on the inside edges"...or maybe not. i think one would be highly likely...seems odd both struts failed at the same time unless something caused it...like towing or off road driving. has it ever had a hitch? that is a ton of miles and the struts are suspect...some struts need replacing before 100,000 miles, even newer EJ soobs. but it's still a shot in the dark to me.

i'm with nipper, i wouldn't assume the rear diff is bad. the seals often look wet with no significant loss and they very rarely fail...even on 80's subarus they rarely fail. i'd change the rear diff oil...it's probably never been done anyway? and while changing, look for signs...either lack of oil or chunks/shiney metal pieces in the old oil. these would be signs that the diff is bad. i would check here first since it's easy. if it's that bad, just jacking the rear of the car up and turning the wheels by hand may show something in the diff? removing the rear half of the driveshaft would isolate the diff. if you feel "torque bind" in that situation then it's a rear diff issue. most likely only one thing is failing..trans or diff, not likely both of them. $950 is hard to believe for a VC job, i wouldn't be surprised if that price mysteriously creeps up once the final bill is paid if they really are replacing it (another questionable point if you don't know these guys well?).

if anything gets circulated through the system that stuff is best to replace. attempting to clean it out, only to end up ruining your compressor and doing it all over again isn't worth it. particularly if you're paying labor or for new parts. that's why shops won't clean it, they don't want that liability of it possibly (probably in some cases) not working. i just use a pack of generic o-rings off the shelf. i use the closest one that works, never had a problem doing it that way. i've used compressors that have sat. the clutch and bearings can be generally looked over before installing. spin and check for noise, make sure the clutch works...you'll have to give the clutch terminals 12 volts to make sure it engages. then put your fingers over the holes while turning the compressor by hand. you'll feel if it's compressing or not, the air pressure will build and escape past your finger with louds psssft sounds. if all of this checks out, the compressor will likely function just fine. some oil in it won't hurt if you're unsure.

mine lasted about 6 months...that's normal for them to last about a year? i do like the extra light as well.

i've heard good things about them and was thinking about installing them on a 2.5 sitting in my garage as we speak.

yep, i've rarely had much come out as well. if you just drove the car and then remove them, i've seen them spray. so it's pressurized for a short time at least.

i don't add oil unless i think it needs it. i've added a little to a/c compressors that sat for awhile. for yours i probably would add a tiny bit. i wouldn't replace the accumulator, but i take no responsibility for what happens afterwards on your part! actually i had to replace the condensor on my daily driver when i got it last summer. i replaced the a/c compressor and condensor with used ones. i also replaced the orings at each juncture and the schrader valves. working great.

that's awesome they found that out, great idea having it checked. they wanted way too much anyway, i wouldn't have paid $2,000 for that. i'd be wary of any 2.5 liter soobs myself, your girlfriend won't like them much if they loose a headgasket. i have a couple at my house right now with headgasket issues, you can get those really cheap!...get her to stick with a 2.2. check craigslist, autotrader and ebay, avoid dealers and car lots. all they do is buy cars and sell them higher, people are of the oppinion that somehow car dealers end up with *better* used cars to sell...wrong! expand your search area as far as you can, it'll be worth it. it's easier to get exactly what you want and a great deal. i flew and drove home one of my soobs. it was nearly a steal and i put 100,000+ miles on it before it rusted to death. well worth the effort. i bought an impreza earlier this year for a friend for $3,000 with 80,000 miles. i'm looking for another friend right now and am seeing plenty of soobs under $2,500 in great shape with far less miles. one as low as $1,200 with 130,000 miles that looks really sharp.

most on here stick with Subaru parts on the timing belt and water pump for this engine since it's an inteference engine. if the water pump or timing belt fails, they may replace the part, but you'll need your heads rebuilt, some new valves, and possibly have piston damage. most people also have the heads sent to a machine shop. i always do. have them tested, milled, and a valve job. that's another $100-$200 as well. the local dealer here charges $1,500 and that's for headgaskets only. jokers.

might want to start another post so his doesn't get hijacked, don't want to confuse the thread if he's looking for something. maybe a moderator can split this thread? i attach a pressure gauge and go to town. i don't know that i pull it long enough to "boil" the water out of the system or not. maybe 15 minutes, i've heard of some people leaving it all night. i use a cheap vacuum puller ($15) from harbor freight that works with my air compressor. works okay according to the gauges, very easy to use actually. i've got a couple cars and friends driving around for a few years and none have had problems yet. often the refrig pressure decreases down to atmospheric pressure and once it's equal there's no reason for the refrigerant to keep coming out. now i know temp changes and other things make it more dynamic than that, but my point is that they rarely leak to zero and they rarely have all air and no refrig...so, it's not like there's *that much* air in the system anyway. now..i have also done this to completely open systems that i know were full of air...swap a compressor and condensor that were sitting the garage. still no problems either. i'll keep doing it this way until i need to do something else. so far i've hardly spent any money, so it seems pointless to do it any different until i have to. i've never replaced an accumulator or the dessicant. i don't think that stuff can be "recharged", but i don't know. i just replace the bad part and charge it, real simple. frankly, you do'nt even have to pull a vaccumm, i've done a few friends car just by charging it the ghetto way and it worked fine...still working to this day. i'm a novice when it comes to a/c work, but what i'm doing keeps working so i'll keep doing it. i tell all my friends what you're "supposed to do" and what i do and why...so far so good.

no, definitely not. i never do that. just don't get your eyes too close to the fuel lines! it will spray out, but it's not very much, wrap it with a towel/rag as you're pulling it off. definitely not worth depressurizing. i gaurantee you most of the shop guys aren't doing that. i'd rather not turn a 23 second job into 15 minutes.

search the forum here for online subaru parts retailers. 1stsubaruparts.com comes to mind, i can't recall the others, but the search function will pull them up. there's also a vendors forum on here as well, not sure if they are all listed in their yet though.

did you replace the headgasket? i know you didn't replace "every" seal, gasket, and oring so i don't know whether to assume you replaced the headgasket or not. and yes labor is high. a company pays for more than labor...insurance, liability, equipment, warehouse space, property taxes, leases, property, FICA, social security...etc. having your car worked on is certainly not economical...that's why we don't drive Fords! say it takes them 10 hours - 70/hour in labor and 300 in parts...that's $1,000. that wasn't for accuracy, i know it's not right, but it's not that far off either depending where you live.

without seeing it, it sounds reasonable. sounds like you were loosing oil somewhere, probably from one of the front seals...cam or crank. i almost always replace them with a timing belt change. they're only a couple dollars. if you're replacing the engine there are only two good options in my oppinion. a cheap used engine or get a CCR. saving a tiny bit isn't worth the lower quality or used status compared to a CCR engine, warranty, knowledge and service. there are tons of posts on here already about a 2.2 swap, i'd spend some time reading through them. while that may sound annoying, you'll only get a certain percentage of the information here based on what is out there. here's some basics: the easiest to use is a 1995 2.2 from an automatic, but others can be used. if you get one with EGR thats what you want since your current motor has an EGR system. you'll also have 8 bell housing bolts (you can check), but the earlier 2.2's have 4. luckily those 4 line up and work just fine, the only issue is that you'll have one starter bolt. but you can drill and tap for the second or just leave the one. not a big deal, but nice to know. for a better price, it's usually easier to deviate from that 1995 specification, but if you can find one then do it.

i used 87 until my motor exploded, luckily i hit the eject button just in time. so i started using 89...ran much better, an extra 15 hp and 13mpg. this time it made it 10,000 miles before it spit a piston bearing out the exhaust pipe. i upgraded to 91 and oh my goodness it runs like a new car. i smoked a dodge stealth triple turbo the other day with it. i couldn't touch a honda with that 87 junk.