idosubaru

i'll be nice and give you a for instance - i'm looking at two 1997 Legacy GT sedans right now with blown headgaskets. both have 8x,xxx miles on them.

like i said, if yo'ure really interested i'd do a seach of "headgasket" in the new generation forums rather than turn this into a 10 page debate about the 2.5 headgaskets..which always happens. there's no need to reiterate information that is posted weekly. 63,000 miles doesn't mean anything, they go at 20k, 30k, 40k...this isn't an age or mileage issue at all, it's a defect, that's why subaru offered a newer designed headgasket for it and extended warranties and coolant additives (later 00-03 model EJ25's).

nipper said it - dealer is high for repairing gaskets. the independent gave you a better estimate. if the engine wasn't overheated much or often then the block is likely fine...plenty 2.5 headgaskets have been successfully replaced, but i wouldn't attempt it on a car that was driven or ran much with a bad gasket or while overheating as that greatly increases the chance of block issues.

type in headgasket in the search function of the new generation forum, all of those entries are the same 2.5 liter motor in that 1997 legacy you're looking at. i'd avoid that motor and if a $1,000+ repair any time after buying it would annoy you, then you should as well. if you wanted one, buy one cheap with a blown motor and install a new motor in it, don't pay full price for one....unless you don't care about the finance side of things, it's as much a game as anything to me. or....of the two you posted, get the 1995 as it has the EJ22 2.2 liter motor, no HG issues.

$2,100 is high, but what all are they replacing? a "head gasket job" can vary wildly depending on what all they replace. are they doing the clutch while the engine is out (typical on a high mileage manual trans)? that would add a significant amount. going rate is about $1,500 around these parts, $1,200 - $1,600 from most board members. you'll want to make sure price includes a new water pump

i've found it common to still read near zero even with new oil pumps and senders. my point is the original poster probably doesn't have anything to worry about, like the owners manual states assuming it goes up with RPM's.

yep, still available new for around $800 - $900

owners manual, go through one for the vehicle you have, lots of good info in there. it will state that oil pressure reading around zero is normal. they typically read low..near zero. replacing sending unit, resealing oil pump and even replacing the oil pump will help some...but even after all that they typically read low after warming up and at idle.

what he just said. yes yards will sell that part if they have a bad trans. i'd post on this forum in the parts wanted forum as a first step, if price was an issue. if not, then dump the grand and be done with it.

i'd check out NASIOC for all sorts of impreza turbo upgrade info.

steering racks are really easy to replace. as expensive as tie rods are, if you had another rack lying around it would be very easy to put in place. but new tie rods are a nice thing, for safety.

replacing the trans is a bad idea. if money is an issue i'd suggest considering replacing the rear extension housing with a used unit. post in the parts wanted forum and call some yards. if you find a cheap unit that's known to be good then that's an option that would probably run $500.

crack, i forgot the exhaust. that will most likely need to be removed. i have dropped a driveshaft before by squeezing it through and pushing the exhaust out of the way, but doubt that's how you should do this. it'll be in the way of replacing the seal probably. rusty exhaust bolts suck for sure. spray down with PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench as much and often as you can before touching rusty bolts. WD40 is not a good alternative.

flip through your owners manual. it will likely say replace your trans fluid every 60,000 miles or 30,000 under severe duty (rough, dirty roads or towing). yes, replace it and read through your owners manual. if you have any questions, ask here. replacing the transmission fluid should'nt cost more than $100. and definitley do it. i didn't see in your thread if it's a FWD or AWD...if it's AWD you would be very very wise to change it, but you should change it either way. your transmission also has a front differential, not a bad idea to change that, use synthetic gear oil for that - it only takes a couple dollars worth of gear oil for that, much cheaper than the ATF flush.

the rear input shaft seal is just like replacing any other seal. it's very easy but it is annoying to get to. on your back, under the vehicle with limited space. but otherwise not bad. all you need to do is drop the drive shaft, just unbolt the covering if it has one over the driveshaft, then unbolt the carrier bearing, that's the center support for the driveshaft that's held by maybe 2 17mm bolts to the underside of the car. that should give it enough play to pull out of the transmission. as a last resort even pulling the driveshaft out isn't hard at all, just a couple more bolts. once the drive shaft is pulled out, just carefully remove and install a new seal with properly oiled and greased like you would any other seal. take care not to scratch the metal surface when pulling the old one out and seat the other one perfectly straight. make sure the driveshaft end that slides into the trans is in good shape - no rust or anything that would damage your new seal.

that is the proper derivation of "dino". i find that oil from the carnivorous dinosaurs makes my car hard to start.

don't know specifics for your issue, but a loyale is an EA82 vehicle and would be placed in the "Older Generation" forum.

on an XT model, you don't do anything. if the CEL is on, you pop the trunk and the LED in the computer flashes the code, without connecting anything. the loyale doesn't work like this? do i have to use the connectors to be shown the code?

picked up a 92 loyale for a friend of mine. the CEL is on, where do i read the code? i'm always used to the computer being in the trunk, but this is a wagon. i'm guessing EGR code.

i am a drum brake moron, i'll have to defer to others on this one. my advice is swap to rear disc brakes.

thanks emily for putting in words what i knew to be true. i can not understand how this is such an issue? i've never had a problem installing these things, they've always been obvious i just can't recall from memory what makes it obvious.

i'm not sure what yo'ure asking. is your trans bad or you need 4WD? are you doing the work yourself or paying someone to do it. if yo'ure paying someone then get another subaru that's what you want. if you can do it yourself then get a donor vehicle for the swap. first is this a 3AT or a 4EAT? if it's a 3AT then swapping is going to be a very bad idea if you want to retain the auto trans. the 3AT is junk, the 4EAT is much better. the 3AT doesn't have wiring, computer and all that junk that the 4EAT has so swapping from a 3AT to a 4EAT would be a tricky task. assuming you currently have a 4EAT trans: swapping FWD to 4WD is labor intensive but possible. you'll need to swap the entire read end, axles, rear diff, crossmember, driveshaft, center carrier bearing (including drilling the two necessary holes for mounting if they aren't there). sometimes the fuel tanks need to be swapped as well for clearance of the 4wd bits. if it's an auto, the TCU may or may not be capable of working. my guess is yes it would work but i have no proof and you may need to swap a FWD TCU in place.

the impreza Outback Sport (OBS) is available with a 2.2 until 1999 or even later.

timing belts are easy. an independent shop can easily do this job. request a subaru timing belt and water pump if the independent shop is doing the job. they or you can order the parts from 1stsubaruparts.com or other online OEM parts retailers. follow nippers thoughts above.

vehicle, year...are you talking drum or disc brakes? drum i presume??