duane b

It's nice that Subaru is taking a step back in time with all this new technology. Anybody ever owned or driven a 1970-71 Datsun 240Z? Nothing but barebones car and a seat of the pants performance. That's what this car reminds me of. Who cares about heated leather and headlights that swivel. It's just more crap to breakdown. Even if cash was no object I wouldn't touch a new Cadillac. What a joke! They should spend more time at the drawing board because for all of their power and luxury, they are F'ugly and useless! All of them. I hope this 2.5L is a diiferent and more dependable design then the Legacy motor. Otherwise, you will be blowing headgaskets the first time you wind up that Turbo to max boost. I wonder if you could buy one overseas and ship it to the USA for cheaper? I had a friend buy a BMW 325i in Germany and ship it over. It saved him over $3K. MEEKY MOOSE: Sorry, Unless there is a SOI (Subaru of Italy), Subaru didn't make that engine they only sponsored it.

that doesn't have a standard radio or floor mats? Article: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/wheels/162083_road27.html 2004 Impreza WRX STi, 300 hp is the most powerful Sub engine in America? I wonder what the most powerful engine ever produced by Sub is? Any guesses? Sounds like a perfect car for my mid-life crisis. I keep telling my wife that when I turn fifty, look out! Anybody ever tested one out? Article: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/wheels/162083_road27.html

Joybell, thanks for the clarification! Actually I'm married to a canadian so whenever her friends and relatives come to town I'm always debating with them about Canada vs USA. It always starts out with "You Americans.....", whatever! 99obw said: "I think I explained that pretty well above." You explained the differential pressure between combustion chamber and water jacket and Phase I and Phase II 2.5L very well. However my problem seems to be between the water jacket and oil ports. Of course I have to plead ignorance if there aren't any oil ports in the heads of these 2.2L Subaru motors but I couldn't imagine they could run without them. I feel lucky that I don't have a full blown HG in the combustion chamber, yet. I've had them before and know what the symptoms are: Milkshake looking oil, fluctuating temp gauge, carbon crap in the rad/overflow, missing or loss of power. Fortunatley I don't have these symptoms, just a few flecks of oil in the radiator/overflow. I have yet to change the PCV valve which might clear up my problem but if stop leak could help I would like to know. A little oil in the combustion chamber never killed a motor but coolant getting places inside the engine other than where it's supposed to be can cause real problems. If oil is getting into the coolant then possibly coolant is getting into other places. Just my thoery. But I suppose I should stop living in denial and face the fact that I will have to spend $$$ on this car in the near future. I think the HG will eventually fail around the combustion chamber and no amount of coolant additive will stop that. Thanks for the knowledgable people on this board.

So technically what's the difference. If the idea of the additive is to fill the porousness of the aluminum block and head material and stop-leak crappy gasket material, why would it make a difference whether it's internal or external? OFFSUBJECT: WRXSUBARU: You sound like a canadian:D I notice you guys don't like to share the "American" label when there is a target on your back. Tell the people that get paid $3 /day to install brakes, seatbelts and airbags on those big GMC products then go home to a village that has it's groundwater polluted legally by a Texico refinery up river, that they live in America.

Let's not forget that GMC products are built in Mexico. Texico has huge refineries there also. So tell that to the next redneck you see at the gas station filling up ($$$) his pickup and accusing you of not buying "American!" Does anybody think this coolant additive would work in a 96 Lecagy 2.2L? I've noticed a tiny little ,bit of oil in the coolant but no other signs of a full blown headgasket.

Why do you feel that turning rotors is a waste? If I can get roughly 100K miles out of my rotors by turning them (legally) two times (~30K each brake job) I think that is just the opposit of wasting money. Time wise it might take an extra hour to have them turned at a local shop. Not sure where you're coming from on that one:confused:

BINGO! The ironic thing is I drive an Isuzu Trooper and I leave the hitch on it. It does not stick out any farther than the spare tire so I think Draco was tailgaiting or not paying attention! Feel lucky you didn't have to pay for damages to his car. Trooper's are one of the most expensive vehicles to fix in slow moving accidents because of all the trim they pile on them. OBWs are probably a close second. I am just coming off of being 'tagged' by State Farm from an accident (minor) that I caused three years ago. But, I was sideswiped by a canadian 18 wheeler on the freeway once (his fault) and State Farm paid the bill and didn't affect my rates at all. The bastard kept going and I couldn't catch him but I had a witness. $1900 for replacing a mirror, a wheel, and some buffing out. Go figure!

BON AMI! That's what click and clack said to use. I went home and looked on a can of bon ami and no where does it say it's a NON-ABRASIVE cleanser.

RAIN-EX? Is that stuff environmentally friendly? Remember, the guy works for the EPA:D I think if you stick to standard brands like Anco or Trico you can find refills everywhere. A trick I heard on 'car-talk' is to clean your windshield with a mild abraisive cleanser when replacing the blades. Your windshield will have squeaky-clean wipes for a lot longer. Dirt, oil, and grit can erode the quality of the rubber in a short hurry. That's why I go through so many refills. One trip through the mountains and the car is coated with sand and dirt I can only imagine how much crud the wipers clean off the windshield in only trip up and back.

Hey I'm from Seattle, too. Do you work for the Washington State Department of Ecology? Anyway back to the subject at hand. I 've found the best way to go is buy the cheapest blades and count on changing them 3-4 times a year. I buy the complete wiper blade from schuck's or something like an Anco or Trico. Then buy 3 or 4 refills and your set for a year or more. I don't care what the wiper companies say, none of their blades last any longer than a couple of months around here anyway. Even in the summer when you're not using your blades (as much anyway) the sun still degrades the rubber wiper over a short period of time. I used to buy into the expensive teflon Bosch and all that but they don't last any longer than the cheap blades. Unfortunately for the winter type blades I can't see how to replace the wiper with a refill, so that's kind of an expensive way to go. They can still get iced up driving through the mountains around here. ANyway that's my $0.02.

OOPS! forgot one little tidbit of info. Do yourself a favor and buy a 6" or larger C-clamp before you start. Use it to gently squeeze the caliper plunger back into the caliper housing before you try and swing the caliper back into place with the new pads installed. It makes life a lot easier. You might want to open your brake fluid reservoir while doing this too. Mine didn't over flow but keep on eye on it anyway. Good luck.

If it's the same as a regular Legacy, it's as easy as preading butter on toast! Once the wheel is removed it's just one bolt removed from the caliper. Pull it up and swing it out of the way. I used a bungee cord to hold it up. Pull the old pads out put the new pads in swing caliper back into position, tighten bolt and your done. Don't forget to put your wheels back on the car, though:D

Yes that is very possible. I finally found it covered in dirt and so it wasn't very visible. Like I said before it is dark when I get home. The diff fluid is fine the tranny fluid is fine. FORESTER2002s: yes you are correct that the amount on the dipstick was twice the distance from the bottom of the dipstick to the full mark. I have since took it back to Firestone, they changed the oil and filter, checked all the other fluid levels, appologized and gave me $11 off the oil change so for me all is well again. There seems to be no adverse affects to the car. Thanks for the responses on this board.

I believe the difference between a TSB and a RECALL is a matter of safety. If a defect will cause harm and a company can be sued over it it will become a recall. If it's just an annoyance that it NOT normal operations then it will become a TSB. If I were you I would take a printed copy of the TSB to the dealership and tell them this is NOT normal operations if it is listed as a TSB. Good luck and let us know how it turns out for the rest of us that may follow. Setting a precedence can make a difference it getting SOA to take care of it.

I believe you mean "Yakima" racks. This is where the company originally came from and I used to live there. A lot depends on the configuration of your factory rail system on the top of your car. Our 96 Legacy has a pretty short (front to back) system and yes we can't open our lift gate all the way. I have seen longer factory rails that were longer than ours that would probably work fine. Or you can buy after market rails from Yakima or Thule. I wish they made a mid-length box that was short enough to work on our factory rails but long enough to hold skis and snowboards. I haven't found one yet. The great thing about the Yakima and Thule boxes is their aero-dynamics. We used one on a roadtrip this past summer and you could'nt even tell it was up there even at 70-80 mph. We were getting as optimum MPGs as we would've without it.

Just my $0.02 (which is probably worth $0.01!) I saw an ad in a car magazine a couple of years ago for Mobile-1 synth oil. You guys might remember it. It showed about five or six oil pans from engines that had been run for a few thousand miles with different brand name dino-oils in them. Typical Penzoil, Castrol, Valvoline, a couple of others, and Mobile-1. Of course the Mobile 1 was the cleanest because that's who the ad was for. But the one that caught my eye was the Valvoline dino-oil pan was almost as clean as the Mobile-1! So I've used that since. It's a heck of a lot cheaper than synth oil. I used to use Castrol in all of my Japanese cars and I still think it's a good oil but I use Valvoline now.

That's a great idea about the bro-in-law as a witness! Do all legacies 4eat have a dipstick for the front diff? Because mine doesn't. It looks like I could put one in easy enough if I could find on at a junk yard. I think that's an awesome idea on Subaru's part to make it easy to check other fluids besides oil and autotranny fluid. Do they use a dipstick for manual trannies as well? All of the other 4x4 I've owned, you crawl underneath the car, open the filler hole, stick your finger in the first knuckle. If you can't reach oil, you're pretty low. It's a pain that not many people do very often. If all you had to do is check a dipstick when you check the oil there would probably be less worn out drive trains. Thanks for all the responses. The car won't be driven today and it goes straight back to Firestone tomorrow. I think we will survive.

Testing to see if this attachment works:

I went to check the diff fluid but, I don't have a dip stick. I don't know if I have an exremely basic model Legacy or what . There is a place for a dipstick but it's got a plug in it. I made an appointment at Firestone and told them the problem so they will check it out on saturday. Side note: Didn't mean to get testy but I don't like to be called lazy! I work 50 hour weeks, then come home and work on my house. That's where I prefer to put my time. It's my investment. I've found that working on cars isn't my idea of a good time anymore. My hope is one day to build a garage on my property then I may do the more mundane car jobs but at the moment I'm pretty busy doing other things. I did ask for opinions and advice and the general consensus of the board is it's not a good situation. A couple said it's very bad but the over all feeling I get from you guys is that I think the car will survive until saturday. If something bad happens I will definitely let everyone know and hopefully everyone will learn from my mistakes. Or we will find out that it's not a serious situation as some might think. Not having enough oil is death to internal combustion motors everyone should know this since oil IS the life blood but in my situation, new owner to a subaru motor which is a special design I just wasn't sure that too much oil would blow the motor apart or whatever. But since nobody has said that they have had had this happen from too much oil I will take my chances. I appreciate all the responses. Thanks.

Who you callin' lazy Willis?!? I bought a newer car so I wouldn't have to work on it. If I thought for one minute that Subaru Legacies needed to be worked on constantly by me or anybody else I wouldn't have bought one. My Isuzu Trooper has been the most trouble free car I've ever owned. I've put 90,000 miles on it without ever so much as changing the oil. I take it in and let someone else do it because my time is more valuable than that. Don't get me wrong, I've owned tons of cars and used to change the oil in every one of them. But I've lost the appeal of getting oily and greasy and having a mess on my driveway. And having a bunch of used oil filled milk jugs all over the place. When it costs me $20 to change the oil from somewhere else it's not worth my time to do it. If you're interested you can come up to Seattle and change it for me and I'll pay you $20 if you think it's worth your time. I just don't think it is. I am more than happy and capable of doing repairs that will save me $$$ when I do them myself. I'm pretty good at brake jobs and replaceing starters, alternators, batteries and all that stuff that is not worth paying someone else to do. But changing the oil just is not worth my time. Especially since I don't have a garage, the weather sucks, it's dark except for the weekends when I'm home, I make enough money to let someone else do it, and the waste factor is pretty high. Since I work for an environmental company I will say that burying yuour waste oil in the back yard is NOT a viable option. Oil seeps down into the groundwater table and since it floats it travels very far very quickly. So if you do your own oil changes take care of the waste in an environmentally sound manner which means take it to a recycler. Thanks for all your responses and advice and remember: just because you like to spend time working on your car doesn't mean everyone else does. There are millions of Subarus on the road and I don't think everyone of them is owned by a backyard mechanic. This website is an awesome resource but keep the name calling to null.

The oil looks fine , it's the coolant that has a few specs of oil floating in it. Firestone usually has done fine by me in the past. But I'm sure it can be a revolving door of mechanics. I probably just got a rookie. I am concerned about the front diff now however. How many plugs does this car have anyway? The reason I can't do it until sauturday is because I my wife drives it for work during the day and I don't get home until after dark. I would hate to fumble around in the dark and pull the wrong plug myself, thereby making the problem worse. Plus measuring hot draining oil out of a drain plug sounds more difficult than waiting until saturday when I can change the oil and filter. It sounds like from all of your appreciated posts that the car will probably survive until then. My bro-in-law works on quite a few 2.2L sub motors and he said he'd help me fix the gasket if it's bad. Figuring out which side might prove challenging though. It seems pretty minor at this point and we may just drive it until it really blows which hopefully will be in warmer days.

Thanks for the concern. I've heard of that happening so I checked the tranny. It's right where it should be. As long as lasts until saturday with no lasting negative affects I should be alright. I think I will take it in and have a radiator pressure test done just to see if there is a leaking head gasket. 99obw mentioned an exhaust test to check for coolant. I've never heard of that, is it cheaper than a diagnostic test?

Thanks for all the replies. Unfortunately the oil is twice what it should read on the dipstick. Don't know how it got there except from the boys that did the oil change at Fire-'stoned'. I won't be able to do anything to it until saturday morning, but it doesn't sound like it will be death to the motor (hopefully) until then. I will clean out the overflow and hope for the best. The oil wasn't in the water when I bought the car back in August and the temp gauge doesn't fluxuate at all so I'll keep my fingers crossed about the head gasket.

I was going through my wife's 96 legacy this past weekend, checking all the fluids and found the oil was about twice the amount needed on the dip-stick! Will this kill the car or will it be O.K. by this weekend when I can empty some out? I also noticed some oil spots in the radiator overflow, would this be caused by too much oil in the engine or should I expect a leaking head gasket? Thanks.

Thanks but those sites aren't much help. I first one didn't show any combos with a 2.2L? And the second I think was for manual trans (1 through 5 speed?) Besides, the car was made in Indiana and those sites were based from Japan. I will try and get a number for the trans. Is this number part of the VIN or is it tagged on the trans itself? I will also get the number for the rearend as well. It will be a few days, though since we have 4" of slush and ice on the gound and I don't have a garage. I appreciate any help. ps. Is this a common occurance to install the wrong ratio trans or rearend in these cars? If those websites you provided are any indicator then Subaru used 4.11 and 3.90 ratios. This would wreac havoc on a clutchpack.