paulo

2000 Legacy GT wagon 193K km's I just took my car in for a quick oil change at the dealer where i bought the car. They've called me to say that the two tire rod boots are torn, and it'll be $680 to replace them along with the tire rods. Might as well if you're in there, they say. Seems steep. If I am going to spend that kinda dough, should i just wait until I hear the sounds of the tire rods being shot? I understand its a knocking and maybe crunching sound when turning? There are currently no signs or sounds that this was even an issue... Thoughts? Thanks in advance!

hey all, thanks for the replies. i haven't narrowed it down yet, but will be taking it to the subaru dealer for a second opinion. my mechanic, one that i have only just started going to regularly, suggested that the the seal between the crank cases leaking is 'classic subaru' issue. (?) i still am 100% sure that the smell is identical to what was identified to me as burnt axle grease i had a couple years back, but the mechanic said that he could see where the oil was burning up on the manifold and where it was dripping from. either way, can someone speak to this seal being a classic subaru issue? somebody posted earlier that this is actually rare? if it were that seal joining the crank cases, and it could very well be as he did see where it had been leaking when it was hoisted, is the only way to fix it by pulling the engine?! i can't imagine that that would be cheap. suba9792 - the engine hasn't ever been rebuilt as far as i know. i put on the last 110K kms and bought the car at 75K km's. i just put $2K into the thing, the thought of another $2 to $3K is killing me. thanks all. happy holidays to everybody at ultimate!

hey all. i have a 2000 legacy gt with 190,000kms i recently had the timing belt done, front rotors replaced, and cv boots replaced. after getting the cv boots replaced a new smell began to emit from the car, always noticeable when the car comes to a stand at a light or parked after driving. it was the same smell i've had once before that was traced back to axle grease dripping onto the exhaust. today i had the car back to the shop to pinpoint the cause of this odor. the explanation i got minutes ago is: (be patient with me, i get my car serviced, i have limited knowledge of new issues) -the engine is basically in two parts -the leak is coming from a seal that connects these two parts -the leak is engine oil, and its leaking onto the exhaust causing the smell -in order to stop the leak, the engine will need to be pulled. -cost estimated $1500 to $3500 -its an issue the mechanic has seen before, and suggested coating the seal in silicone to seal the seal. he called me back to say that that can't be done as he can't even get at the seal as the cross member is in the way? so....is this making any sense to anyone? i thought for sure it had to do with the CV boot repair as the smell started almost immediately following the work... thoughts?

but easy enough to adjust? i hope...

hey guys, once again, i'm super impressed with this board. thank you for all your input. i should clear up my definition of 'fixed'. there was nothing wrong with the timing belt. i just completed the maintenance. the mechanic took it apart, the belt was in good shape, and all the seals were in great shape. better safe than sorry i suppose. the noise, it is more obvious when turning. even when i have the car idling and i rock the steering wheel back and forth, the whine seems to grow an then subside with the motion of the wheel. i did a few circles around a traffic roundabout last night too, and the sound was louder, then subsided as i straightened out coming out of the roundabout. so, not knowing too much, i'm thinking that a belt for the steering could have been put back on too tight? thanks again gents.

hey all, i have a 2000 subaru legacy GT, wagon. i've just had the timing belt changed, along with the related parts like the water pump. for those wondering what the costs on timing belts are, mine came in at $850CAD. seems high to me, but i paid it. the dealer quoted be $1,200, so the $850 seemed reasonable. anyhow...i'm now hearing a whining sound, and its driving me a bit mad. i like my car to sound the same, it gives me comfort. new sounds stress me out. i'm only about 50km's into the new timing belt. even the wife noticed it, so its gotta be noticeable. can i get some input on what this sound may be? could it be from the new belt(s) and just needs to loosen up over time? could this all go drastically bad if i just take the wait and see approach? any thoughts from the experts out there will be a big help. thanks in advance.

Hey all, I am buying Subaru crossbars for my roof on a 2000 Legacy GT wagon. Noone can tell me what the max weight I can load onto my roof. One roof rack specialist said that the stock rails that run the length of the roof are the limiting factor, not the cross bars. Can anyone help me out, as far as max load on the roof? Thanks all!

turned out to be a leak in the bottom of the radiator that only really leaked when warm and moving. so...thanks everyone, i appreciate your help, as always.

thanks for the reply gross, i have looked under the car but haven't been able to squeeze right under there myself. i can't see any sign of coolant coverage on any part of the underbelly of the car. i failed to mention, the check engine lite came on last week, then went off after about 4 days, then reappeared last night. the car runs fine, all systems operate smoothly. with each of my gaskets, the tell tale sign was the water running sound behind the dash and the frothy coolant resevoir...neither of which im getting.. the gaskets were both replaced, at seperate times by a subaru dealership shop. thanks again.

hey all, 2000 subaru legacy GT - i get my oil changed every 5000 or 6000 kms. in that time, i've had to fill up my coolant reservoir at least twice. i've had both headgaskets replaced, there is no froth in the reservoir, or the other signs that it could be the gasket. any ideas?? the only change lately in what we've been doing, is running the AC more often. we get that usual water run off in the garage each time after parking the car, but aside from that, the garage floor is clean and there is no sign of leakage. last time i was in, they did a pressure test and there were no signs of leakage in teh system. thoughts? thanks all, in advance.

2000 subaru legacy gt wagon, 155K kms. about 8 weeks back, i noticed a high pitch whistle like sound when accelerating and already above 3000rpm, mostly when 'flooring it' the whistling sound is more noticeable now, and the car is slow to respond to the gas being punched. sluggish until it connects and takes off. today, the engine light went on when going up hill. the car would not respond to being pushed, it just hung out around 3500rpm. no connection where it eventually responded to heavy gassing. im one of those guys that gets serviced at the dealer, and have lived up to all but the 148K full on $900 tuneup. so...that said, i have had it serviced very regularly to date. any thoughts? thanks in advance!

haha...are you taking the mickey out of me?! as i said...im pretty new to this whole 'self-diagnosis' business. im just wanting to cover my bases...even them basic ones. after a week of watching the levels, i think i should be good on the leaks, aside from maybe an external hg leak. im going to add the stop leak, get the coolant flushes and refilled and begin my summer road trip season. awh yeah. thanks.

this morning it thought i would check for bubbles while the car was running. i started 'er up with the rad cap off, and watched....there was no bubbles, but the coolant level raised right to the top of the spout that holds the rad cap. common sense tells me that this is normal, and that it would normally just drain into the reservoir tank.... the fluids rose to the top of the spout within one minute of starting the car on an even surface in my parking garage. it spilt over slightly before i decided to turn the car off and wait for levels to recede. again, im an amateur, and just at the beginning of my relationship with coolant, and understanding said coolant. tell me please....this is normal, right?

has anyone had any dealings with these folk? this is the warranty provider for the legacy i picked up used two years ago...

just another quick q for you two sub masters.... with a coolant leak, would the coolant that is being lost drip to the garage floor? i have had newspaper out the past few days and nothing has appeared...

thanks nipper, you're always helpful i've been a bit neurotic this past week with the coolant, and have checked the coolant before and after driving...it always appears the same...bubble free. the temp always rises to mid-level within a few blocks, then holds steady. i don't drive too far to work, so its hard to tell. i took it out for a 30min drive last night at speeds between 60km/hr and 90km/hr and the temp still held steady at the mid way point.

2000 legacy Gt wagon....i have been warned by my mechanic that i have an external HG leak. when they warned me of that, they also wanted to give me the possible worst case scenario...and said i may also have an internal issue. i had the gurgling and low coolant levels. they bled the system and added some coolant to my existing coolant. the gurlging has stopped. the coolant level in the overflow seems to sit in the middle between 'min' and 'max' when hot, and hovers right at 'min' or slightly (1cm) above 'min'. the levels under the rad cap seem consistant. so...that all said....how rapidly would one lose coolant with: a) external hg leak internal hg leak i wanted to watch the level before adding the conditioner....to see how rapid the loss was. i guess it would depend on the size of the leak, but my coolant levels seem to have held steady for the past week. i guess im just trying to figure out if i have 'issues'.....car issues.

hey everyone... i know...this topic is an old one, but its a good one too...right? here goes: i have a 2000 legacy GT, wagon, 101,000 km's .... when the engine is cold and i am getting going in the morning, i hear the gurgling. i have tried burping it, and the gurgling seems to come back eventually. i took the car in today to get regular service and asked them to look into the gurgling, possibly bleed the coolant, etc. the dealership then calls me to let me know that i have an external head gasket leak (common for this car, ya?), and that they are now warning me that i may have an internal head gasket leak as well due to the gurgling symptom and the coolant levels being low. the thing is.... i have no mayo like substance in or on the cap where you add oil. i took a sample of the coolant from the overflow, let it sit, and it doesn't appear to contain any oil (should there be seperation?) the only bubbles that appear are when i squeeze the rad hoses..they are big bubbles, not little ones. i have never had the white exhaust. temperature always holds steady at medium. the car still has the same power as always. everything seems normal. so, i drive out of the dealership lot this afternoon, car temp is cold...and darn gurgling again! i'm hoping that it is just an air pocket remaining? and that things are ok? again...im an amateur. so....can i get the opinion of some expert folk? how can i atleast rule blowing/blown hg out? thanks! paul.

hey everyone, i have a 2000 legacy gt wagon. i have noticed just recently the sound of running water when i accelarate and the engine is cold. it sounds like it is coming from up front, in the engine area. when i let off the gas the sounds seems to stop. to me...it sounds like i am retaining water somewhere, and that the accelaration is moving that water around whatever 'compartment' it is in. that said, its not a 'water sloshing around in a pale' sound...more of a 'water running freely' sound. *bizarre* does anyone have a reasonable explanation for this new sound? weird, i know. thanks so much.

you're gonna want to invest in nokian wr's. i live in vancouver, bc...so our conditions are quite alike. i took my 2000 legacy gt into the mountain in the okanagan last year on christmas day....driving the unplowed roads with those tires was one of the best gifts i've ever had! they set me back $1K canadian...but they have a guarantee of 100,000km's. i can't wait to hit the slopes this year....these tires take all the stress out of getting to the hill.