idosubaru

first make sure it's not something simple. you've already verified it's internal to the trans? you sure it's not a throwout bearing or pilot bearing? or not rear diff, wheel bearing related. used $150 yes and yes - drop trans and install a new used one.1-800-634-7964 $150 1-518-893-0151 $200 both in NY.

cracks between valves are fairly normal (i've seen them on every subaru head i've pulled except one that had less than 10,000 miles on it). pressure test is a good idea and they can be repaired as well. you should be golden.

+1 only goes on one way.

i thought you were in ohio.....ohio, beach pictures of soob and PA as location...quit confusing me! i have a house about 20 minutes from gettysburg in maryland. but i'm not there too often....boo for that. were the fogs a direct fit for your existing fogs? i need some for my OBS.

i thought you were in ohio.....ohio, beach pictures of soob and PA as location...quit confusing me! i have a house about 20 minutes from gettysburg in maryland. but i'm not there too often....boo for that.

shouldn't leak after 50,000 miles but like i said sounds like it's a very minor leak. maybe just one seal wasn't seated perfectly? at the 100,000 timing belt change you can have the leaky seal replaced for less than $10, if it's coming from behind the timing belt covers up front, then it sounds like it's one of those seals. or have a look and make sure it's not valve cover related. engine degreasers suck by the way. i can't recall what it is, but there's an excellent product that washes away grim off the engine.

ej20tt, nice hit that's a smoking motor to have in that car. fantastic, congrats.

i'm wrong. there are some benefits. personally, at 239,000 i wouldn't give it much thought, i'd expect the possibility of oil loss to be greater than the chance of reaping enormous windfall benefits. but best to check and he is going to do that as i suggested in my first post. i know they are *supposed to* get better, but i haven't seen it. i had no increase in gas mileage or better cold starts in my vehicles when switched to synthetics (including diffs and trans). that leaves longer change intervals as the deciding factor and that sounds good to me if it isn't using or loosing any oil.

FWD fuse was checked already or you need to check it still? Check that the circuit isn't shorted as well. Probably Duty Solenoid C or clutch pack related is my random guess. The transmission light isn't blinking?

thanks for the details. i don't think you have anything to worry about. if you do, we don't know enough to instruct you. the best thing you can do now is to make sure the oil level is full. check the oil level everything 1,000 miles and see how much you are loosing and let us know. my guess is you're loosing very little. some minor seapage is no big deal and quite common on engines with some years and miles on them. most likely you're only seeping very small amounts and that's what you're seeing. small drops blow all over the bottom of the engine while driving and make large areas look wet, but don't signify serious issues. keep in mind that you can take care of these oil leaks most likely at your next timing belt change. the cam, crank, oil pump seals all reside behind the timing belt and only cost a few dollars. so these can probably be cured at your next timing belt or water pump change for a few extra dollars (the seals run $25 or less). there are also valve cover gaskets that could be replaced as well. to determine exactly where the leaks are, post a picture for us and/or clean the bottom of the engine off real well and check it again later to tell where the spots are coming from. at this point it's probably too wet, blown around and spread out to tell exactly. there's more info on this forum (i think i've posted it 10 times) about how to track down a leak and what they mean...search for those threads if you're interested in doing that.

if they came with the EJ25 like in the states, then watch for HG stuff. i like those 97 legacy GT's, solid car and not much to look out for.

often people don't know what the mechanic or dealer has done to the vehicle. non-car minded people aren't known for their attention to detail on automobiles, particularly after 15 years. highly unlikely the plugs and wires are original and if the air filter has 269,000 miles on it, take a picture of it or mail it to me and i'll post a pic, that's got to be insane looking. i would guess she was told it needed a "tune up" or basic maintenance stuff and the plugs, wires, filters, possibly even the timing belt were replaced at some point. great score on a good car. new clutch even, that's the worst job to do on that vehicle and it's already done, nice hit.

at this mileage it's not worth it, because there's no benefits to see. the money and time switching and possible risk of increased oil loss gains you nothing. knowing that you want to switch, here's what i recommend. if the car is new to you i would recommend driving it for at lesat one oil change before switching to synthetic so you know if it's already consuming or leaking any oil. sounds like you're experienced enough to know, but be sure to change the first couple relatively quickly and keep an eye on the oil color. the synthetic may dirty quickly the first couple of changes.

if it's an impreza outback sport it could be an EJ22. so to avoid confusion you could clarify the model, vehicle and engine. outback wagon should have a 2.5, outback sport would have a 2.2. this is in stock form of course.

oh my monkey nuts you have had an outright nightmare with your poor soob. first - why did they blow the first time and this time? did it overheat due to radiator, thermostat, water pump failing...or something else? a 2.2 shouldn't blow a headgasket that early. and if repaired properly it should not have blown again already. were the heads milled the first time they were replaced? ignore the oil leaks. if you repair the head gaskets the oil leaks will be easy to fix (a few dollars for new cam, crank, oil pump seals and valve covers and you're golden). if you replace the engine then you can replace these seals as well or hope the new engine leaks less. either way...no issue. the steering play at high speed has always in my experience been the steering rack bushings. they're cheap $20-$40 or something and easy to replace. it could be tie rod ends or steering rack related...but i doubt it. crawl under and look at your steering rack bushings, it might be obvious they are warn or even gone totally. grab the rack and try to move it, see what part gives. rear diffs can be found fairly cheap used. a pothole that jacked up your driveshaft? that is no normal pothole then! the gear noise is the only thing that i'm not sure about and would concern me. i'd like to track that down. are you sure it's not your leaking rear diff? they make a fairly consistent whine when they have issues. was the prop shaft replaced after the pot hole? are you doing the work yourself or paying someone? replacing the engine with a cheap used unit if you're not sure about this engine. i'd be concerned after two overheats and headgasket replacements. if checked and done right they should be fine, but i'd be cautious if you don't know and trust the mechanic doing the work. make sure the heads are being tested and resurfaced if you have them replaced. welcome from maryland. i'm from carroll county and have very honest mechanic friends if you're close to that area. i have already pointed a few people from this board to people that i know with excellent results. PM or email for more on that...

did you try ultimate white pages? http://www.theultimates.com/white/ or any other directories? don't know if i'd pay that $20 unless i knew someone that successfully used that site before. sounds like you'll pay the fee and get useless information, or info you can get somewhere else for free.

i'd document everything you can and tell them you mean business. they will likely balk and take forever, delay and hope you crawl away and do nothing. stay on it like a hornet and you're golden. start backing down and you're throwing your money away. ask for a refund. they're probably hoping you just quit due to install/remove/shipping expenses, give up and they make the money. look at ccr or it's nice to have a quality/trusted local guy that you can work with as well. if you paid for it on credit card, i'd dispute the charges, have the credit card company do their thing with them (refuse payment/etc). companies want happy customers when the customer has financial recourse.

if you start tweaking the transmission like this i would highly suggest getting an ATF temperature sensor installed in your ATF line as well and add an aftermarket ATF cooler if needed.

what are you trying to do? add fluid to your transmission that has issues? add fluid to your limited slip rear differential? change your fluid? do you have an LSD rear or front (highly unlikely)? transmission fluid goes in the ATF dipstick hole on the drivers side. rear diff fluid goes in the rear differential holes - there are two, remove the higher one to fill, the lower to drain. the front diff has a separate dipstick which you add oil through as well on the passengers side.

what do you mean by "rebuilt"? what all was replaced and why? the entire block, pistons, rings, bearings were all torn down or just a head gasket job? were all seals replaced? aftermarket or Subaru seals used? do a search on "switching" from dino to synthetic or the other way around on this forum or the internet. you will find oppinions on both sides. pick one and stick with it, it's not like one will make your engine last to 250,000 miles and the other will not. why did you switch in the first place?

i have no idea, but i would think they do. i used the impreza whiteline bushings in my XT6 steering rack. perfect fit.

aftermarket rebuilt/remanned axles are known to be far worse than the stock subaru axles. search the forums and you'll find all sorts of issues with after market axles, clicking, leaking, noises, breaking. i had heard all the horror stories and still used aftermarket axles until i had one that was a couple weeks old blow to pieces while i was driving, almost brand new. the axle exploded leaving no axle to turn my wheel...the auto trans was not happy with that. either expect to replace them, get new Subaru axles or get them rebuilt from MWE in colorado. in my oppinion it's not worth the time to save a few bucks, i'll have MWE do all of mine from here on out. MWE has a link in the vendors forum, check them out.

type of driving will determine your miles per gallon as well. city vs. highway, 50 vs. 75 will make significant differences in your final gas mileage.

listen to GD and clean it, verify where the leak is coming from. if it is the seal then carefully install a new seal keeping in mind the following: i'd install another one. take a look at a trans that isn't leaking and see how far the seal is seated so you don't push it too far or not enough. clean the sealing surfaces, grease the new seal and make sure it slides in slowly and straight. also important if you're having issues - check the driveshaft for any nicks or more importanly rust on the shaft. if it was a used one or ever pulled, swapped or sat for awhile it could have pitting or other issues on the machined part that rides in the seal. might want to hit it with a very fine grit wet sand paper (like for body work type stuff - 400 grit) if there are any bad spots on the shaft.

supercharged ER27 or EG33. turbo's and 4 cylinders are too easy for you now dave! step it up a notch....