nipper

Not to pick on you, but since you want to profess some sort of knowledge you need to know what your talking about: Honda: http://www.aa1car.com/library/gasket_failure.htm http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3828/is_200208/ai_n9147036 You can do the HG in the car, but its easier to take it out. The dealership where my engine was reabuilt did it inside the car. BTW I am an automotive engineer, so I have a reasonable idea of what and why these failures happen. I am not condemming all open decks, just open decks with thin cylinder walls or specific design criteria that we are not privy to (read educated guess). Not all subarus get 106 K timing belt changes, there are earlier that get them sooner. Also there are earlier subarus that may develop cracks between the valaves that may be a problem. Wikipedia is not an engineering journal (not even a car magazine) and not always 100% accurate. Secondly you are still saying that all cars blow HG at 100K which is WRONG. 15% (20% in a study in germany) is not 100%. Also HG's that blow after 140,000 miles on any car is more likely due to age. There are many of us that don't have HG issues. I went 191,000 miles on mine before the engin threw a rod (old age). There are many others on here that can say the same thing. I really dont see any redeeming value in this becoming a FAQ as it really isnt accurate. This topic has been discusssed and will continue to be discussed by people with many many years exp in the field at all levels. this is more alarmest then anything else. Subarus are not "especially prone" to HG failures more then other cars with HG issues. The one that is "especially prone" is the dodge neon with an almost unheard of 80% failure rate (its actually considered to be 100% but i dont like absoloutes). When people come here asking abour HG issues we tell them that its aprx 15% 2.5L DOHC that have internal leaks and about the same 2.5L SOHC that have external leaks with an aprox repair cost of 1500.00. Piston slap has absoloutly nothing to do with head gasket failures. Your comment on a compression test is wrong, as it is not the raw value of the numbers that are important, but the relationship to each other that is important. On overheating, if the radiator is clogged from old age the car will run hot. If the T-stat fails to open that can cause over heating, which in turn can blow the HG (this is true of ANY car of ANY vintage). Failed water pumps are rare, but do happen. That is why we now have temp gauges on the dash instead of idiot lights, to monitor the engine. Subaru is not a big car company. They don't have a lot of engine choices. Nothing personal but your post is a bit on the overkill side. Also we have already critqued the "disasters" thread which was also overly alarmist. Sorry for being blunt, just i see alot of misinformation mistakes and contradictions. Why buy a car that will blow head gaskets at any time?. "I'm using Wikipedia's data + infering from stuff I read, for ex that the gasket blows on all cars 96-02 around 100k:" You cant say that then quote the 15% refernce later on. Lucky this isnt a term paper or else i would have to give you a poor grade. nipper

If the solenoid contacts are shot, yes they can. Good news is that the contacts can easily be replaced. nipper

WHen you get them dont leave the store (if thats where your buying them from) without counting the splines. It will save you a trip or two (don't ask how I know) nipper

do the cables under th car move when somone pulls the handle. Can be that the cables are forzen from lack of use. going backwatds works when you have self adjusters, which i dont think the parking brake does. nipper

torque bind should be an 850.00 fix nipper

take them out or loosen them up so you can count them is the best way to do it. Should i guess this is your only car. i've gotten the wrong ones a few times. you can also call the dealers part department and ask. nipper

ok another question, does the handle pull all the way up with no affect on the brakes at all? You may be adjusting it in the wrong place. If this is a rear drum, you can cause the shoes to drag by over adjusting the service brakes. There is the cable adjustment that really should be done if the car brakes properly. nipper

Can also throw off the abs with the awd. Situation even gets more critical with traction/stability control (just a general comment) Just remeber young man, we dont want you coming here complaing of torque bind in the future :-p nipper

your dog's breed is fog light? nipper

oh that, i havent been able to figure it out yet ... i would like the laptop interface though. nipper

ok lets back up a bit, do you have rear drums or discs? nipper

hehehe but mine is a euro spec fog :-p no one likes a showoff nipper

ok im confused. Where did you make this adjustment? nipper

Thats like asking if anyone got sold a set of tires because they wore out. Yes thats a reasonable repair depending upon the problem. They can stck close (over heat) stick open (no heat and poor gas mileage) or be sluggish. Anythying with a gasket can leak, and its a prudent thing to replace the t-stat when the gasket is replaced. nipper

i didnt say it fixed the problem :-p nipper

that film of grease is only for storage, not for use. Clean them and pack them with wheel bearing grease. nipper

command feature? nipper

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?p=577504#post577504 see i told you it was a recent thread nipper

They were correctly done at the time. BUT (big but) for some odd reason (read sarcasim) Subaru changed the torqing method of the head bolts. So i wouldnt call it an assembly error, as much as an engineering error. nipper

er um did you check the voltage in the battery? How old is the battery? Also check your starter connections. Can be the starter thats the issue. nipper

No Fuse, this is a manual. Lets hope the shudder is just a wheel bearing, brake caliper, or cv joint. Now worse case scenario is that its torque bind. Check you tire pressures, make sure the tires match and are the same brand. Torque bind in a manual is terminal, unlike an automatic where there are things we can do to try to treat it. And before anyone says it, the clutch pack in the manual is sealed so no conditioner will help. :-p nipper

We just had a recent post on this someplace. Search Relay, as i dont think ABS will work as a parimeter. nipper

Good to hear, thanks for updating us. nipper

No your cutting it at the power to its brain. You wont get a light. trace the wires yourself, but like i said use a latching relay/switch. And also remember just because YOU dont feel your out of control, the next person that drives your car may be, and may be counting on the abs (like mom). nipper

I rented a top of the line volvo (there are some stories i need to save so i can paste them) last year. I had it for 10 days, it had all the bells and whistles and awd. It had traction control with an itsybitsytinsywheeny light to tell you when it kicked in. I had to read the owners manual to see what the light meant. The roads were snowy, but didnt look that bad (on 80 in PA). I shut off the traction control. I almost turned white whne i realized how bad the raods actually were. The TC was masking how slippery the roads were by not allowing the usual warning signs to occur (spiunning tire or slight hydroplaning). Traction controlo may be all good, but it can't change the laws of physics. The way ABS may make people feel overconfident (and them not understanding how it works), TC makes it worse and hides how bad the conditions are. The feedback loop is gone. Now if you want to disable your ABS you just need to put a switch in the line to from the fusebox that feeds the ABS. NOw i HGHLY recomend using a latching relay, so that everytime you start the car, you have to shut off the switch. Also you need this reset if anyone else besuides you ever drive your car. ABS is still a huge godsend when one or two tires loose traction and the others dont. That is possible for 10 months out of the year for most people. ABS also helps on dry ground. We can all find worse case sceanrios for when air bags suck, abs, seat belts, double locking doors are bad. But for the other 99% of the time they are good. nipper