idosubaru

when pushing the caliper pistons in did you unscrew the cap to the master cylinder? if not, this can blow the seals in the master cylinder. it's not that uncommon for master cylinders to fail during brake work....why would only be speculation but i guess a master cyilnder close to on it's way out gets subjected to slightly abnormal use during brake work and finally let's loose. who knows, all i know is that i've seen it happen a few times. actually i've never seen a brake master cylinder fail independently...it's always been right after brake work, but i've only seen a couple fail. i like to bleed the brakes with air hose that they use in aquariums (you can get it at any pet store or wal-mart in the pet department. this clear air hose lets you see the fluid as it's coming out (and if you loop it around properly you can bleed yourself). anyway...being clear you can see if there's air bubbles in it. if you're constantly pushing air bubbles through the hose then you have a leak somewhere (look for fluid) or your seals in your master cylinder are bad. if the calipers are installed and you're not loosing fluid, in my experience it's always been the master cylinder that causes soft or no pedal pressure. though other things can go wrong, i've never had to diagnose the brake booster or anything else so i can't help you there.

i tightened the bolt and it did slow down the leak considerably....but it was still leaking. and leaking from other places as well (like mjdc suggested it would, good call!) i was using 10w-30 oil. i switched about a week ago to 20w-50 and it hasn't lost any oil since then. maybe it's due to something else and maybe i'll see oil loss shortly but it appears to have "gotten better". i'm going to clean the engine and do a compression test and see what i get and how much it's leaking.

dont pick on jeff...he gets enough of it at xt6.net keep posting about these lifting blocks.....i like the idea.

you disassembled the ECU down to the board and soldered in the burnt out resistor? that's pretty sweet, nice job. messing with the ECU is not profitable, it's been discussed a number of times. the amount of $ and effort would be better spent towards a stand alone like MS. unless you're highly efficient with computer hard ware and software. how did you burn it out? i recall this last week and you picking up another ECU, but don't remember what you did to burn it out.

i replied to your PM, you can copy and paste it here if you think it'll help someone later. but yes, that green is your enemy. clean it out as best you can but it'll usually come back once it's infested the connector. on the couple that i've actually cut the green corrossion even works it's way back the wiring harness once it gets up in the connector. i'd start looking for a non-green used connector.

the connectors or wires to the TPS could be bad. the only time i've seen it, it was obvious because you could just wiggle the connector by hand and the engine would buck, shake, try to stall then idle smooth....all over the place. connector was clean and fine. i worked my way back from the connector and started bending the wire around looking for short, got to a place about 3 or 4 inches behind the connector where every move i made in the wiring would cause severe engine idling issues. i installed another connector with 6-8 inches of wire and all was well. have you ever touched the TPS or throttle body before for anything? the TPS on an XT6 can be cleaned out fairly easily. someone just posted a write up on how to do it at http://www.xt6.net , he said his car smoothed out considerably in drivability.

i'll bet this isn't that new to you. i'd bet you've had similar experiences before...i'm fond of the ones that send emails and PM's asking how to fix something or for advice without ever posting. i usually ask them to start a thread and i'll reply there.

dealer quoted my cousin $699 for timing belt and water pump last summer. i'd say you're looking at $500 - $750 depending on mechanic/dealer/local prices and what exactly you get done. definitely add a minimum of $500 if the timing belt hasn't been replaced or you don't know.

look at your L and H ports and see if it looks "wet" down inside the valve stem. use a flashlight to peak down there. if it does, it would be worth the 50 cents to replace the valve stems or at least tighten them. they have seals at the base and are a very common cause of leakage. funny thing though....i never see "cheap" a/c fixes when talking to others but i know for a fact that these valve stems leak and need replacing.....so how many $1 fixes plus charging end up being WAY more is what i'd like to know! i've stayed away from the leak additives myself, maybe someone else can comment on that for you. i replace the orings and valve stem cores instead.

i look up 80's subaru's all the time on autotrader, did it today. you shouldn't have a problem doing that. expand your range as much as possible...consider flying somewhere and driving it home. i've gotten some of my best deals/subaru's that way. well worth the effort to get a good deal on a great car. there are some subaru's in the northeast, but northeast sucks for rust though....

sounds normal. could be due to warmer temperatures/summer. your owners manual will explain that this is normal, it specifically mentions oil pressure. it could be reading low just due to the sending unit being old/dirty/bad connection. it's the one wire sensor in front of the oil filter if you want to have a look at it. just pulls apart and slides back on. that connections could be bad or the sending unit is old. if it was anything mechanical i'd guess the sending unit first. they are cheap and super easy to replace. you could be loosing some pressure due to age, but that would only be gasket related, not oil pump related. unless something really odd was going on, you will be fine to take your trip. if there are other symptoms, lots of oil loss/leakage, or something like that then let us know and we'll go from there. otherwise you're golden.

if you think about fixing it, i have a 1997 OBS passengers side impact parts car. you can have the shell with the parts you'd need to fix this, doesn't look bad at all. this one would have the front cross member/radiator support, bumper, hood, drivers side doors. if i see a sedan for cheap i'll let you know. i saw something, wasn't a sedan, may have been an OBS for $700 somewhere but can't remember where.

put what back into what? not sure what you mean. you talking about cost to do these things? are you paying a mechanic or doing it yourself?

buy from a private party, much cheaper and better chance of gaining details about the car like last time timing belts were changed, etc. dealers get cars from someone else, add $$$ and sell it. take them out of the equation and buy private unless you see a smoking deal. but it is a rare opportunity to see a deal at a car lot that can't be beat. yes you are right to ask about timing belts. at 100,000 the timing belt and water pump and oil pump seals should be replaced at the same time. the pulleys should be replaced or inspected. replace any noisey ones. you're asking for another 100,000 miles from them, so make sure they are good. other than that, fluid changes are nice. brake fluid, trans fluid, coolant. unless you know for a fact the previous owner did it. unless i know the service history i don't assume anything and do the maintenance items. a basic tune up would be wise as well. plugs, wires (make sure it's OEM Subaru only on these), fuel filter, air filter. cheap stuff and easy to do. http://www.autotrader.com http://www.craigslist.com and ebay and usmb sometimes..

might want to make sure it's the pan. if there's any fluid above the pan, then it's likely coming from somewhere else. the ATF cooler lines usually attach just above the pan and could be seeping as well. spray it all down really well with a good cleaner. after clean up, see where it's coming from.

might need a cleaning/greasing too. i've seen tons of junk get wadded up under the center console and the gear...the older it is, the more likely obviously.

good point, your charge is'nt "used up". it either stays in the system and works or it leaks and doesn't. if it's still working a little bit, it may be that the leak is leaking down to a low pressure and then it holds. if you charge it, the high pressure may cause it to leak again back down again to where it's at now. leaks don't often go away on their own. check out howthingswork.com if you're curious how the charge continuously cools.

here it is....

agree with nipper. 80k is early for major brake issues. subaru's don't typically have many brake problems in my experience. i'd flush the system properly and replace any warn pads first before needlessly replacing parts. have you checked the fluid level? could it be low enough that on a bad hill or corner it sloshed and sucked in some air? i think a basic brake check, pad replacement and fluid flush will get you going just fine. if not, move on from there. calipers can be rebuilt and it is fairly easy to do, though i've never done the 2 pot variety. it's only one seal, the circlip and dust boot for each piston, only takes a couple minutes. but nipper is right, price out your options and see what you want to do. in the ones i've taken apart the pistons have never been rusted or needed replacing. i've scored complete rebuild kits for less than $10 and the ones i've always gotten (Beck Arnley) cover both sides. but i'm doubtful this is your problem anyway.

i'll post it for you nipper. use my yahoo email, click on my name.

this doesn't include the Impreza Outback Sport. these have the 2.2 motor up to 1999 at least. i ended up getting a low mileage OBS with the 2.2 due to the 2.2's excellent recommendations on reliability. it's been great. it is not fast, but has plenty of power as needed. mileage is less than i expected (27 at best all highway miles), but different transmissions and gearing get better mileage (i have an auto AWD). sounds like you should test drive or go check a few out and compare.

quit making me laugh at work!!!! ha haaaa!!!!!!

what freaking causes that burnt valve? i've dealt with the older EA82 and ER27 motors for years and have never seen that even on abused, over heated 200,000 mile 20 year old vehicles.

shaking of the car or steering wheel? does it feel like it's from the front or rear? check the lug nuts of all the wheels and make sure they didn't back out. jack up each wheel and check for play and rotate it by hand to see if it feels tight or like it's catching. (this will point to wheel bearings or caliper/rotor issues depending on what you feel). ball joint maybe, but a long shot.

the ones that i've seen have different adapters, so it is mostly full proof from what i've seen. this is for 134a and 12. i've had no problems charging my own, it's very easy. i have a vacuum puller as well to "do it right" if need be. i'd imagine if you had all the tools available to an a/c tech, they would have high and low side adapters of all sorts and in the hands of a non a/c expert like myself it would be easy enough to accidentally attach to the low side port. but if you're buying a can to charge with, it's going to have the right low side port fitting on it. it will be hard to get the "perfect" amount of charge in there without gauges, but my friends and myself have never had any problems adding some charge if needed. make sure everything else is working fine (the fan and a/c clutch) before mindlessly recharging.