nipper

did the last owner weigh 400 pounds? nipper

Just for the record im an Automotive engineer with a speciialization in the area of power transmission (drivetrains). My weakness is computers/emission controls, (but im good at multiple failure codes), Also the proof is in the pudding. Seems there are alot of subarus here with the original trannies, running on standard with hydraulic fluid, with no problems. When they do have torque bind 90% of the time a flushing with a regular trany fluid seems to fix the problem with no other action required. Also on an older tranny the last thing you want to do is to totally de-gum it, as that gum is helping to hold the paper clutches together. Now if this was a brand NEW transmission, or one with less then 30k in it, i would not have a problem with synthetic tranny fluid. and i still disagree. BTW having a diffence of opinion is NOT starting a flame war, its just a discussion nipper

2- Wind chill has to with the evaporation of water on a animals flesh, hence why it doest afect machines. Weather extreems can be very hard on rubber parts, especially if you dont let the car warm up. 3- Anything over 120K, Head gaskets can go bad on any aluminum engine. 4- HG are copper. Things dont break off. Water coolant passages are much larger then oil galleys, so i doubt thats what happened. HG sealant wont make the job any harder. The aditive is just stop-leak. nipper

With a swapped engine, i dont think the warrenty is valid anymore. The warrenty usually covers the car and its original equipment. You would have a hard time proving the replacement engine had less then 100k on it. Also i thought (i may be wrong), i thought by 2004 all was fixed. I would try the conditioner first and see if that stops the leak. My next question would be how well do you know the replacement engine? IS the HG leaking externally and how bad. nipper

Synthetic transmission fluid and manual tranny fluid is BAD. The transmissions in both cases need friction to operate. There is no reduction in pumping losses in transmissions with synthetic oils like there is crankases. Wet clutches in automtic transmissions and gear synchros in manuals need drag and friction to operate. i still say a flush with the recomnded tranny oil had a 90% shot of fixing the problem. In transmissions friction and drag are good things, in an engine its a bad thing. nipper

this is one of those "as long as we are there" things. Before i can answer, when was the last time the timing belt was changed, and was the water pump replaced at that time. nipper

im not sure if this will help. My 98 legacy was totaled, so i bought a 97 OBW to replace it. I love the car. It has a higher ride, i think better handling, and more power then my 2.2. My leagacy kept hitting curb stops, the outback doesnt. Its easier to get in and out of, and had a nicer interior. i like the higher ground clearance. My only complaint is the wind noise from the roof rack. My OBW has 182K on the orignal HG and tranny, and im sure it will go another 180K Now who would pay for the HG repair? if the dealer fixes it it sounds like a deal, if its a As is ... i would have to think about it. nipper

95% of the time, its just a bent valve or two that have to be replaced, but that still adds a huge repair bill. Its important that if you get a flashing CEL that the car be checked out . One of the causes for a flashing CEL is the cam and crank postions sensors being slightly out of synch ... caused by a timing belt with some play in it. Timing belts need to be changed before thier service interval. Rarely in the last 15 years do youhear of one breaking with no other cause that was properly maintained. nipper

The initial torque buind probably could have been fixed with a tranny flush. Oh Well The seat issue was fixed in 1997 1/2 and all the replacement parts have the fix. This is something that wont be in the typical online parts catalog. You need to call a parts department. nipper

well if its not the wheel covers, check the heat sheilds, and its possible its the universal joints in the driveshaft going to the rear wheels. nipper

Also make sure the HVAC drain hose is clear. SInce your in phoneix not much water to take out of the air normally, so you may never notice the hose is clogged untill it rains. nipper

if you can see the drip my gut tells me its the main seal behind the crankshaft pully. The main seal and cam seals need to be replaced, and the poil pump resealed. It gets disturbing when you park the car and it looks like its on fire. You should replace the seals before it gets that bad. i speak from expeireince nipper

when you go over 100K on a timing belt you are living dangerously (or 80K). The 2.5L engine is an interfernce engine. The belt breaks, many things can bang into each other inside the engine. At the most a timing belt should never go more then a few thousand over the interval, if that much. There is way too much money to loose by letting it go to long., and that damage is 100% avoidable nipper

OK only about 15% of the 2.5L have bad head gaskets. Once a a car gets over 120 -130K any aluminum engine can blow a head gasket due to age. Anytime you get a used car, especially a 4 cyl engine aluminum from any mfg can blow a head gasket. nipper

If the waterpump seal is leaking that badly, there is a very good chance of a total failure of the pump. Thats a warning sign telling you "change me now". Antifreeze is also a lubricant for the waterpump. What is she refilling the radiator with every day. Also aluminum engines can not take repeated overheatings. WIth it being only two weeks, but not being told how many miles, its a 50/50 chance on whats going to happen. nipper

check all your fluid levels. what is this raised filter thing, the power steering fluid resevoir? need a better description of the leak or smoke location. There are many things can leak that can cause smoke. Very little oil makes lots of smoke. Popular leak is cam seals and main seal. nipper

your motor is dying or the drive is binding. Either way it has to be replaced. nipper

SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what is the year and mileage on the car grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr my guess is that it is cam seals and or main seal nipper

i agree. Also you can get a face full of oil from some cars due to crankase pressures, air movement etc. ALso its impossible to tell when the crankase is full with the engine running nipper

Both are correct. They can be done at home, but if you have never done it before (pressing anything at home) i would suggest the machine shop. Yes the bearings need to be packed. The stuf they are wraped in are just to protect them from rust and has no lubricating values. nipper

ive used hair shampoo, seems to work better then anything else around... nipper

ill trade you my semi working heated seats for your heated seats hehe

They need to be removed for "valve work" nipper

*puts on detective hat and blows bubles out of his Sherlok Homes pipe* Extreeme weather changes can cause weakened parts to fail. You have coolant blow out plugs in the block. If it did freeze, and thats a big if, bad bad person for not checking the mix.A plug would have (we hope) started leaking. Sudden cold to sudden hot will do damage on almost anything. Wind only has an affect animals, not so much on mechanical things (unless its a 70mph gale). You dont give mileage on the car . If its over 100K its just one of those things. Another possability is that the already bad hose finally blew and took the HG with it

Yes there are very few things in a sooby that have thier own harness. See if you can go back to the donor car or another car with heated seats and grab the console switches. They usually go in the little pocket for coins, or in a switch blank. Look under the seats. and i hate you for having working seat heaters... nipper