Gnuman

Does anyone know of any Subaru supplied "H6 + manual transmission" setup? That would make a real nice car, I think. . . Too bad they only strap Manual Trannies to thier H4 engines. . . Oh, and Al_SemC, your sarcasm is dripping. . Thank you all for correcting this misinformation I was given, and then pased along.

Nipper answered the symptoms, but what a bad "clutchpack" is: there are two sets of clutch plates in the "clutchpack", drive, and driven. when they slip while partially engaged, they get very hot (friction tends to do things like that), and they can even 'weld" themselves together, causing a condition that acts like the solenoid is never releasing pressure. The plates never release from each other.

The solenoid valve is Normally Closed. When you apply 12VDC to it, it forces the valve open, bleeding off the pressure to the transfer clutchpack. When there is no voltage to the solenoid, or when the solenoid activating has no effect on the fluid pressure to the clutchpack (the case of a gummed up valve body/base unit), then you get a forced 50/50 split. This is fine if you are offroad, but it is very bad on pavement, as it places an undue strain on the tranny in general. I'm also working on a tranny with the dreaded bind. When I place the fuse in, I get the light, and everything is fine. When it is not in place, however, I get binding and an awful clatter on turns. I have had the extension housing off and have verified that the solenoid is working, and the clutchpack is not binding. the noise started after putting the housing back together. I had replaced one of the gaskets under the valve body as well, as the one that was there tore when I took the body out to inspect it. What do people think about my replacing the body and both gaskets, to be sure they are good?

The only to relieve the sadness of missing the Forester is to replace it with annother Forester. I also vote for a post 03 model. That was the year they cleaned up the headgasket issue (phase III EJ25).

Mine is a "work in progress" as the original owner did not give a whit for bodywork, unless it was a functional piece, so I have been repairing it a bit at a time. Not all of the parts are the same color. . . I have pics in my camera, but have yet to transfer them. . . Subie Gal gets my vote for the winner in action shots. . . I just wanna know if she has her small aircraft pilots license. .

Posting here as well as the new thread you started. Probably one reason you have not gotten replies is that you have already covered most of the things that we would have recomended. You have cleaned the IAC, but have you checked it for function? It may have simply failed, and is in need of replacement.

Also in my sad experience, stay away from the DuraLast clutches. Lifetime warranty means nothing when you have to replace the damn thing twice in a year. . . Grrrrrr going to put my third one in when I do the 200K refit on my engine. taking the top end apart, and perhaps the bottom end too, to see how well they are wearing, then installing all new seals. No, she does not need that much work. I just like to know the condition of my engine at all levels. When I do this, I'll also be putting in a good Execdy clutch. Preferably one with a higher than stock clamping pressure on the pressure plate. the engine is stronger than the current clutch, so I tend to spin the clutch fairly often. From 95 on, all Subaru Manual transmissions have been fitted with Hydraulic clutches. from at least 90 on all of the turbo models have had this as well.

Check tranny fluid level and condition, and have a look at the pads as well. Also look for debris in the calipers. Without more info, that is the best I can do for you.

Pinny, most of what I was going to say to you has already been said, Why I think you should buy a Subaru instead of a TOYota is in the expected longevity of the car. When you buy most cars, you are thinking of getting something to get you from point A to point B for a few years. Yes, you want it to be comfortable, but it is still a reletivly short-lifespan decision. Buying a Subaru, on the other hand, gives you a vehicle that will last you a few decades. These cars are engineered around an expected lifespan of 400,000 miles before they start asking for major work to be done. just try and get that kind of reliability out of any other car. That said, we get to which one. . . There is a Subaru to fit the needs of just about everyone, so you need to decide which one best fits your needs. You say that you tried the Outback and the Forester. The Outback you tried is the regular Outback which is based on the Legacy platform. The Outback Sport is based on the Impreza platform, which is geared to performance and racing. This means that the Outback Sport will have snappier handling than the regular Outback, but will also be a bit smaller. If ground clearance is not an issue (deep snow is not a frequent event, or you do not do much off-pavement driving), then the Legacy may be a good choice for you as it is less expensive and handles better. Any choice you make concerning which Subaru to buy will be a good one, but let's help you make the best one for you. To do that, we need to know what your needs are in a car that you may be driving for the next 10-20 years. . .

Oh you mean the metal Oil seperator that they had in the first place, and switched to plastic for reasons that will have to be left as an exercise for the class? You mean that one that I replace whenever I discover a plastic one on an engine?

Perhaps the paint guy was a bit "rusty"?

Warm oil flows better (it being thinner and all), so more of it comes out in a given amount of time. If you want to let it sit all night, that is fine, but I recomend that you start with it warm to begin with, so more of it flows into the drain pan. You will not get it all out in any case. The best you can aim for (unless you plan on taking the engine apart and hand cleaning every part) is to get 99.8% of it in two oil changes. . . Having a bit of dino oil in the crankcase when you go to synthetic will not harm anything in any case. Yo just loose 0.5% of the extra protection. . .

One set of green, and one set of black? If so, those are the connectors you want. The largish one that is not connected to anything is for the Select Monitor. . .

It should be and with ease at that. If you manually rotate the camshafts, you will likely not hit anythig hard enough to do damage, if at all. The only time it is moving fast is when the valve tension is snapping the camshaft around, and at that time, the valves are retracting. Hard to do damage (caused by the valves being forced into an area occupied by the piston) that way. . .

The phaze I 2.5L engine is arguably the worst engine Subaru has ever made. What that means is that it is only 2 or 3 times as good an any other engine out there, instead of the usual 10 times. . . The 97 Outback is a sweet beast, and a very capable car. If you get this car bank the cost of getting headgaskets replaced as insurance (do not replace hem until you need, but have the cash handy) agains this worst aspect of the engine. My problem with you buying this car, however, does not come from the engine. i would recomend that you invest in a Legacy instead of the Outback, as the Outback is 3" higher than the Legacy and the Legacy has much better handling than the Outback. Given that your car of choice is a WRX or STI, the Outback will not satisfy you, IMHO. If you look at Legacies, you will find that thier prices are lower than the Outback, on average. This means that you can get more Legacy for the same cash outlay than an Outback of similar vintage. Overall, I think you will be happier this way. The choice is, of course, yours.

Your first Timing belt and it was on a DOHC EJ25. . . My hat's off to you my man, those things are a real PIA. . . the SOHC models are much easier, as you have only one camshaft that is under pressure due to spring tension. Not two that have to be lined up with each other. .

Look under the driver's kick panel, and find the two sets of single pole connectors (one green and one black). Connect the black ones and turn the ignition on (without starting the engine). The CEL will flash the codes at you. count the long flashes for the tens, and the short ones for the ones.

OK, I'll get to your questions one after annother. First off, however, I will mention that 215K miles is over half of the expected life cycle for the phase 1 EJ22 (2.2L) that you have in that car. The block is designed for 400K miles without trouble, given reasonable maintainance. The condition of the car now (spare fitted, instead of a regular tire) does not bode well for maint history. . . Other than that the engine is bullet proof (as was mentioned above). With that many miles, expect things to start breaking, and budget for it. I would still get the car if the tranny is not toast. . . a full sized spare will fit in the spare tire well in the trunk/cargo area, but you will need to remove the convience tray and pack the items in it around the tire, or in the storage compartments on the side of the trunk/cargo area. If you go with a full sized spare, get tires that can roll either way and use a 5 tire rotation pattern. THat way you will have a spare that is the same size as the regular tires. If you are going any significant distance you will want that. All 4 tires on the ground will need to be within 1/4" of each other in circumference, so if the tire that goes flat on you is not repairable and yo need to get a new one, you will need to have it shaved to match the others, or replace all 5. Just something that you will need to watch out for. How is the condition of the rest of the car? Is it nice enough that it is worth the potential problems with the tranny/tires? the manual tranny is much more robust than the auto, so it takes much more abuse to cause torque bind than the auto does, and it is easier to correct the problem (expensive though). Getting a car with that many miles on it I would expect the following: 1) get new tires now 2) I would have the timing belt changed and replace the water pump, just to be safe. 3) check the struts | tie rods | ball joints| berrings on the wheels 4) look for signs of fluid leaking That is for starters. we can help you with other things as they come up after you get the car. Do you do your own repairs, or do you use a shop? If the latter, how are his rates on Subaru repair? HTese things are what yo should be looking at when buying any car with that many miles. That Subaru probably still has quite a few miles left in it, but at that milage, most cars would be on thier last gasps of life.

Under the kick panel on the driver's side you will find two single pole connector sets. One is green, and the other black. The black one puts the ECU in diagnostic mode. Connect these and turn the ignition on, and read the code from the CEL on the dashboard. Long flashes are tens and short ones are 1's. In 92 the connectors for the on-engine wiring harness were changed from the ols style of three connectors to the new style with two. Also in this year, they changed from the grey injectors to the red ones. Not sure on the specifics on how they differ. . in 95 they moved all the connectors to the right rear of the engine and put all of the connections that are behind the TB into them, so you only have to disconnect these to have all of the wires from the engine disconnected. In 97 they also went to solid adjustable lifters, dropping the hydraulic lash adjusters, and making all of the engines interference type, (89-96 were non-interference) The fans act as stated abobe, and are controlled by the ECU (IIRC) based on coolant temp taken at the crossover pipe. You will find two coolant temp senders there to the right of the throttle body (if looking from the drivers seat). The one with two wires is for the ECU, and the single wire one is for the instrument cluster. . . Hope this helps with your questions.

LHD heater cores are solid pipe through the firewall. If the hoses are not leaking, then the coolant is blowing back along the underside of the engine. The only other place it could be coming from is through the water jacket or the crossover pipe. In either case it would be time for a new engine, and you would likely have had other problems before this. . .

The salesman is still alive only because I was not with your friend when she went to buy a car. I certainly hope he is unemployed, though. . .

Pinny, My condolences as well on your loss. As for the "feel" of a clutch, that is often a really individual thing. One of the great things about a Subaru is that they have a really wide power band (the range of RPMs that the engine will pull comfortably), and really great low-end power. This will often make the car "jumpy" or "jerky" with a manual transmission, particularly when driving slow with te clutch fully engaged. THis may be what you are feeling (but I cannot say for sure from way over here. . . ). If that sounds at all like what you experienced, then give the car annother chance, only this time feather the clutch more and with RPM's a bit higher.

How about half that? I found this on ebay (these are the more standard GR2 struts. Non-adjustable) http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/KYB-GR-2-SHOCKS-SUBARU-LEGACY-IMPREZA-RS-4WD-93-01_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33590QQitemZ8007252682 If you search online, I'll bet you can find similar (or better) deals. What year was the car they came off of? OK, I just read back. Did you get the struts off of the '92 at the JY? If so the ones behind that link above will work right out of the box.

I cannot see a car company being sued for liability when someone is going twice the posted speed limit (it was 55 when my Legacy was built). . .

Didn't happen to me (why do I feel left out?). It may be because I play with all the switches until I know what they are for when I get a "new" car. . . I noticed that this switch mimicked the parking light position in the stalk, but I did not know for a while after what the difference was. . . That was how I learned that the headlights go off with the ignition switch. . . I was in a semi-dark parking garage (car-park) when I found out exactly what the switch did. 3 months later, I was able to get my hands on an owner's manual. By that time it was useless. . .