dbock

It's 2008

I have a new outback (yes, will sell the 94 legacy with the smoke at the bottom of the hills). It is the base model and I want to add the foglight kit. The dealer checked the kit and said it has no wires so the car must be prewired. Also, it has no instructions. But I can't see unused connectors near the foglight holes and worry about working on the light stalk on the steering column. Has anyone installed this kit? Is the car prewired? Is it easy to work out what to without instructions? Douglas

(sorry for the delay in my reply) I don't quite know how to describe the noise, other than "bearing noise". It is noisy when the clutch pedal is *not* depressed, and the noise varies somewhat with gear. A mechanic who listened thought it was the input shaft bearing.

Thanks for all the replies. What would you expect typical sea-level numbers to be for an engine this age? I understood that when rings go bad they usually show some variation (mine were all in range 145-150 (at 4000 ft = 13% derating)). The variation in wet numbers is probably due to poor technique (teaspoon) when applying oil. I understand that the rings will be worn at this age, but if the valve seals are the weak link (see previous post for my logic) I might get some more miles on that basis without a new engine. Do rings typically last longer than valve stem seals on subarus that have not been overheated? Douglas

Not since I bought it at 70,000 miles. I should have been clearer in my previous post. The smoke occurs only once I accelerate away after the engine braking. There is no smoke on the way down. The smoke lasts several minutes. This is what made me wonder if oil has dribbled (and continues to dribble) past the valve stem seals. It seems to me that oil that gets past the rings would be more likely to burn very quickly, i.e. on the first few strokes.

I have a Legacy 1994 AWD wagon, 185,000 miles. The problem is after a downhill stretch. After 4000' of near-continuous engine braking (we live in a mountain area) the smoke is pretty embarrassing. It lasts for about 5 minutes. Oil consumption is significant all the time, but could mostly be other leaks. The rest of the time there are no visible emissions. I've had this problem for a few years and it has even passed smog between mountain trips. For the last three years I have not lived in a smog-test area, but it seems to be getting worse as the car ages. Here's what I've done recently: - changed PCV valve (with Subaru part) - checked all PCV system hoses and air cleaner - checked spark plugs (no oil on them) and changed them anyway - measured compression. 145 on all cylinders. Given that I live at 4000', this translates to ~165, i.e. in spec. It does get even higher when I add a little oil to the cylinder (190/160/180/175, variation perhaps due to different amounts of oil added?) - vacuum test at input manifold (steady at 16 and goes up then down as expected with throttle). Looks normal after correction for altitude. From what I have seen in this forum, this leaves valve guides. Is this a reasonable diagnosis? Anything else to check before pulling the heads off? Assuming it is, there is other work to do. I like the car, but should I hold on to it? - timing belt (last done 75k ago) - transmission noise when clutch pedal up. I've been advised this is probably the input shaft bearing. A mechanic said (20k ago) that this might go away eventually as there are two bearings ... is it better to wait until it breaks and get another transmission, or can/should this bearing reasonably be changed sooner? Thanks in advance for any advice. Douglas