idosubaru

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.

if you strike out elsewhere, check the tires and wheels as a last resort, but i'd bet money that's not the cause. you say that until you find out it's something completely unrelated to anything we've mentioned. go get dirty and bust a knuckle, waste and hour and it will end up being a fuse.

that's what i thought, i've swapped numerous shafts before with no issue so i was surprised to see this happen. the joints are fine, they are brand new and freshly greased and worked fine in my other XT6...so i can't imagine them being the cause. not much rust at all to speak of. i'll try changing the orientation just because it's easy and check on rust/seating of the flanges while i have it off.

actually joost, that was the first thing i did. seemed like the best solution. couldn't get much room to weld based on my skills, my welder, thickness of the rod, limited room, angle to get it up in there...the weld didn't hold and it was being cumbersome. it was sticking down as much as it was out, no way to get close to a 90 degree rod on it for good torque. the newest (and last) monster bolt i have to face is the drivers side tucked in the back by the motor mounts, no way i'll get a good angle or weld back in there...i don't think so anyway, but i'll look again. i think i'm going to drill this one before i mangle the snot out of it like i did the other.

so we should rotate/flip windows say....every 50 years?? i've seen those old windows, neat stuff.

fuel lines are super easy. fuel filter is on the drivers side rear of the engine bay, up high. can't miss it. follow it, it will coincide with 2 other rubber hoses. two are screwed on clamps, unscrew them. the other just needs a wrench/pliers. very easy and you can't miss them, this takes about 24 seconds.

1991 AWD AUto XT6 the closest ujoint to the transmission was bad, so i replaced both halves of the driveshaft with one with new ujoints. the joints on the replacement driveshaft were all good and moved fine when i installed it and i even greased them since it has new greaseable ujoints on it. this driveshaft ran fine in my last daily driver with no vibrations at all. now it vibrates in my new XT6. the balance weights are still on it. if it is a balance issue....the front one can't really change how it's mounted, the carrier bearing is what it is. so the rear half is the one i can change. what should i do, i have three options: swap it around, end over end unbolt the front (by carrier bearing) and rotate it 180 degrees unbolt the rear (diff side) and rotate it 180 degrees

nice, that's not good! i still haven't seen that yet even working on older generation 80's subarus.

i actually had my first one out in under 2 hours total time as well. it's not that bad really, i find them easier than the older generation subaru's. the only caveat to that is rust...if you have rusty exhaust nuts and engine mounts then things can start to suck bad real quick..i'm dealing with one right now like that.

no it's easy. on the passengers side rear of the engine you'll see the plugs, simply unplug them and you're done. the hood doesn't have to come out at all, just prop it up really high with the stock prop rod, it has mounting points for holding it up higher, perfect for pulling the engine. technically you can do this all...remove engine and/or replae headgasket without removing the radiator. but it's good and easy to pull it. it's like 2 extra bolts to get it out and 2 electrical connectors for the fans. very easy. don't remove the fans, don't remove the overflow tank...juts remove the entire radiator with that stuff still connected to it. it's easy to damamge the radiator if you levae it, best to take it out and yo'ull have a little extra room too. 2 14mm engine mounting bolts, 6 14mm exhaust nuts, unplug electrical connectors, 4 engine to transmission bolts (starter bolt is one of them), remove the other starter nut and pull it. then all the little stuff...intake hose, fuel lines, throttle cables, coolant lines...easy stuff. if you do it in the car you do'nt have to remove quite as much...like fuel lines and some hoses and the throttle cables. unbolt the entire intake manifold from the engine and pull it up away from the engine block ,propping it up and out of the way. remove whatever you need to get enough room to work and that's it...leave everything else connected. it'll give you just enough room to work without unhooking a bunch of stuff. of course drain the coolant from the engine first so coolant doesn't rush down into the engine when you lift it off the block.

i figured out west you wouldn't likely have rust. look at the rear hub assembly...follow all points that attach the hub (the thing that has the wheels studs on it and your wheel bolts to)...follow anything that connects that part to the underside of the car. you'll notice the cv axle that goes to the rear diff, it's bolted with one bolt to the strut, then you'll notice going towards the front of the car a long arm. where this arm bolts to the vehicle it has bushings inside of it. i suppose some horrible struts could be suspect as well. with that many miles i'd be suspicious of them. they would certainly be far easier to deal with than those bushings....well maybe without any rust those bushings are easier...i wouldn't know out here on the east coast!

well i got one off, the one that i was focusing on. i attempted to weld a larger nut to it and the weld broke off. but the bolt easily came out after hammering a socket over what was left. turned right out. i suspect the heating from welding probably helped it come out. the next 3 came out with a 6 point socket. now of course i have one left....it won't come out at all. it's tucked in there tight. welded a nut to it, 6 point socket...i'll have to try something else.