derekd

The new bolts for the oil separator plate from the dealer have allen type heads while the old ones are phillips - more torque and easier to work with.

I had a post about a month ago on what to replace when the engine was out (96 obw, 144k ej22) You guys really set me up with great advice. I got it together and drove it about two thousand miles and sure enough, I saw the green drip of head gasket (potential) doom on the lower passenger side head gasket. It's only leaked about six ounces of fluid in about 250 miles. I'm in Phoenix now and need to get to Albuquerque to do the head gaskets (in an ideal situation). I have an engine lift in Albuquerque (all taken apart and in the back of the shed). So if I get back alright, I guess I should look all over the pipes and hoses to make sure there isn't an o ring leak or a hose leak somewhere. If I determine (to the best of my ability) that it is a head gasket problem, can or should I do this with the engine in the vehicle? Should I jack it up with the tranny to get at it better, or just leave it just where it sits. Is it overall a time and energy saver in the long run by pulling the engine out?

Thanks for all the tips, everybody! I gotta say, I'm now quite respectful of the whole rear seal issue. I have 140k on the motor which I've had since 120k and the rear seal has a bit of a "goatee" on the bottom where the oilyish clutch disc dust has collected. It's not a full on oil drip, but it's not innocent and clean looking either. I'll go ahead and replace it, with proper respect and trepidation. As for the oil separator plate, do I just clean it up and reseal it? And the parts list to replace from all the posts, great suggestions, the only one I'll pass on, however, is the shifter u-joint. No slop as far as I can tell - but just watch, it may be the next to go... It snowed a couple of inches last night, so my work area is only messed up a little!

Thanks for the advice! I'll put those items on the list of things to pick up or order. For clarification, what should I do with the oil separator plate in back? Check for leaks or remove, inspect and re-rtv? As for the rear case cover screws, that's the rear case on the oil pump, yes? And I wasn't real clear about the tensioner cigar-like device, should I replace it? As for the other idlers, I'll see if they spin smoothly, but from what I read, I should just replace the geared idler. I have new valve cover gaskets and I'll throw new plugs in as well. Thanks alot, Derekd I'm in New Mexico, working in the snow and dreaming of a garage!

I'm pulling my engine and replacing my clutch components, timing belt and front and rear seals on a '96 Outback with a 2.2 with 140k. What else do I replace while I have the engine out? - the tensioner and the tensioner pulleys? (expensive, but cheaper than doing it later) The head gaskets seem fine... What am I missing?

I have a 96 obw manual awd with 135k on it - and BF Goodrich ATs as well. Love it. I also have a 90 Legacy. The Legacy has 182k and is on its second tranny which has considerable torque bind (yeah, I went down the list - tire size, tranny fluid, dutyc/fuse). As a goal oriented sort of guy, I would like to get 100k more out of it. I do alot of distance driving. The junkyard has a 2wd tranny they will exchange for the sloppy awd one they sold me last time. I know it's heresy and just plain not right, but I have too much money in the car already and just want to run it another 100k. I also would consider doing an airridesuspensionectomy to it as well. The suspension works fine, but better to yank it and sell it than to deal with the lowrider issue later I guess. Wow, talk about nuetering a subie! I don't mean to be a heretic! Derekd

So, what do you 2wders get for mpg? - not the awd with the fuse in, but the real 2wd subarus without the added weight of the full awd equipment. derekd

No, I haven't - I have only had the car for a year and I doubt the previous owner did it either. From other posts it sounds like you turkey-baster the reservoir, put new fluid in it, crank the wheel a few times and repeat those steps a couple of times. Yeah, the fluid probably isn't doing what it's supposed to be doing, but the symptoms happened so dramatically and suddenly. It didn't progressively get worse over time. But that is a good heads up about the fluid -

I'm doing some work in Arizona and I'll be back home in New Mexico in a couple of weeks. I have a spare, leaky but working ps pump at home I can put in and try that out. I'm not so sure about the hoses. We'll see. Thanks!

I took off the belt, drove the car and couldn't get it to make that vibration again. I did get sort of an arm workout, kinda like driving my 63 Suburban, just with a smaller steering wheel. When I put the belt back on, the vibration was back and also in reverse, not just drive. I also tried the belt looser and tighter, both had no change in the vibration. I read on a post that SubieGal answered she mentioned the ps hoses as well as the possibility of the pump (although the owner of the car said that the car was run with low ps fluid in it). My fluid has always been at the correct level. Thanks for walking me through this, by the way!

That could be a possibility, although the vibration started immediately after I drove it with no power assist and tightened the pulley. The timing of that would be amazing, but weirder things have happened to me I guess. I'm familiar with the click and clunk of a cv joint on its last days, but this is a real narrow fast vibration with an audible hum that is coming from the front end and is ending up in the steering wheel and not the front seat. It could be the cv, it's just not a sound I've heard before.

Yeah, the pulley looks true. I do have it torqued a bit more than the recommended 70 to 80 lbs but not by much. It couldn't be that it's on too tight could it?

It only seems to do it when I'm in drive, so it also seems to happen when I'm braking in a slow turn or just have my foot on the brake when I'm stopped. As soon as I give it gas, the shudder goes away.

I have a 90 legacy wagon with 180k and awd. I lost my power steering belt/alternator belt while driving yesterday. I was about seven miles from home, so I cranked hard on the steering wheel in the slow turns and got it back to my garage. I replaced the belt (and tightened the loose crank pulley - close call!) and drove it again. Now I have a shudder in the steering when I make slow tight turns, and sometimes it shudders or vibrates when I turn the wheel hard and the car isn't even moving. Did I toast my ps lines or my pump? I bled the ps system (I think) by turning the wheel all the way in each direction several times. There is no leakage of ps fluid and the level is good.

Thanks for the advice Gary, I'll check that out. Yeah, the first tranny died from being towed from Tucson to Albuquerque (8 hours) at about 60mph. The second one had high mileage, maybe 180k or so. I should have tried harder to find a lower mileage tranny I guess. But checking the tranny cooler and the lines is a good heads up as well as the other advice, thanks. Derekd