[Strange coolant behavior?]

The heater core is located underneath the dash, correct? Does replacing these hoses mean disassembly of the dash?

 

Andrew

 

 

It might be one of he hoses that go to and come from the heater core.

[Strange coolant behavior?]

Thanks for the info...I decided to say the heck with it and get the toothed idler pulley as well as both smooth ones. The car's got 148,000 miles on it, so I figured I might as well go ahead with replacing them.

 

 

 

Toothed idler for the timing belt, lives next to the water pump. Always replace that.

 

Depending on condition, you might need to replace one of the smooth idlers (noisy bearings) and/or the belt tensioner (leaking oil?)

[Strange coolant behavior?]

I haven't noticed a stream of coolant running from the front of the engine to the area behind the oil pan. Are there any other hoses back in that area that could be leaking directly onto the jacking plate bolts?

BTW, I just ordered the necessary parts for changing the water pump, since there's obviously a problem there. Could someone let me know if I've forgotten anything?

 

Water Pump

Timing Belt

Thermostat & Gasket

4 Camshaft Seals

Crankshaft Seal

 

Thanks,

Andrew

[Strange coolant behavior?]

I have a 97 Ouback Wagon (2.5 AT), and I've noticed my coolant level getting low in the reservoir bottle. I later found coolant collecting on the jacking plate bolts, right behind the oil pan. Does anyone know where the leak might be located? I've also noticed wisps of white smoke that appear to be coming from inside the timing belt cover at the front of the engine, causing me to suspect a problem with the water pump. I've never read about anyone mentioning this smoke, however. Is there anything under the timing belt cover that gets hot enough for leaking coolant to be burned?

Thanks, this forum is awesome.

 

Andrew

[Creaky brakes?]

Hi, I have a question concerning the brakes on my 97 Outback wagon. Recently I have been hearing a pretty loud clicking-type noise when I first depress the brake pedal before starting the engine. This click has now become a creak. I was recently told on the message board that the clicking may have been the automatic transmission gear shift lock, but this cannot be the case for the creaking sound. It sounds like it's coming from down near the brakes somewhere, but I can't be totally sure. The brakes do not misbehave during driving in any way, just the strange creaking before starting the car. I have noticed a very slight roughness in the brake pedal travel lately as well...could the two be related?

Thanks for any help,

Andrew

[Balljoint pinch bolt.]

Hi,

I'm replacing the front driveaxles on my 1997 Legacy Outback, and I have broken one of the balljoint pinch bolts. Everything else is finished, but I have yet to drill out and replace the pinch bolt. I'm thinking about either going to the dealership to try locating the same one, or just finding a stronger bolt in the same diameter, length and thread pitch. Does anyone know these dimensions? I didn't bring the one unbroken bolt to work with me and I would like to pick it up on the way home if possible.

 

Thanks.

[Broken Mounting bolt on Oil Pump]

If you have any of the old bolt still sticking out, you can try a trick I often use at the bicycle shop where I work, although it's possible you may need more torque than this: use a dremel-type tool to cut a slot into the old bolt. You can then use a flathead screwdriver in this slot to remove the bolt. Of course, you will have to be very careful not to damage the mating surface of the engine when cutting the slot into the bolt.

 

Never tried it on a car, but it's an idea.

[Unusual CV joint behavior?]

I have an Outback with about 145,000 miles on it, and I'm getting some of the classic sounds associated with worn CV joints. However, I'm also getting a sound that I haven't read anything about. When I get into the car to start it, I often hear one click that sounds like a CV joint when I press the brake pedal before turning the key. Can depressing the brake pedal while motionless cause a click in a CV joint?

 

Thanks for the help. This board is great.

[Raxles.com?]

Holy cow...I just got price quotes from both raxles.com and cvaxles.com. Here are the results:

raxles.com=$149.99 per side

cvaxles.com=$55.00 per side

 

The people at raxles.com emphasize the fact that they use new outer joints on all their axles, but is it worth that much more money?

[Raxles.com?]

Hi,

I'm going to be replacing the front CV axles on my 97 Outback soon, and I came across Raxles.com. They appear to be a good company, from what I gathered at their website. Has anyone dealt with them before? I've read that many here like Cvaxles.com, so I'm considering them too.

Thanks,

Andrew

[Fluid leak around diff. plug (?)]

I took a digital photo of the area, but for some reason I'm not allowed to post attachments, so I'll try to describe it:

There is a lot of what looks like engine oil around the front differential drain plug on my 97 Outback. The stuff is also above and behind the drain plug too, which may have been blown there by driving at highway speeds. It seems like it would be differential oil, but the level is fine. Engine oil doesn't seem to be going down either, but I'm wondering if there are any areas above and behind the differential that could be leaking engine oil. If anyone can help with posting the image, I'd also appreciate it.

 

Thanks!

[CV axles]

Colorado Component Rebuilders, a source for rebuilt Subaru engines, also sells remanufactures axles for Subarus.

http://www.ccrengines.com

[Hub Tamer Goof?]

Hi,

I recently bought a Hub Tamer to replace a front wheel bearing on my 97 Outback Wagon. The instruction manual calls for wrenches/impact sockets in 1 1/8" and 1 1/16". These are both very wrong, which I found out upon return from buying the tools. Could anyone who has the Hub Tamer tell me what sizes the forcing screw and nut actually are? Otherwise, I'll just bring them with me when I exchange the wrenches/sockets.

Thanks!

Andrew

[Inspection hole for felx plate?]

ohhhhhhhhh.....so thaaaaaaat's the plastic plug people have mentioned. my OB has a hole similar to that, but no plastic plug. i was looking all over the place with a flashlight to find this black plastic plug. thanks so much for the pictures! i was hoping someone might have a pic, but i didn't have the nerve to ask someone to go to the trouble of actually taking them for me. is there just one such hole in the flex plate, meaning i have to rotate the crankshaft until i come upon it?

thanks again for the pics!

 

Andrew

[Inspection hole for felx plate?]

Hi,

I have a 1997 Outback (EJ25 engine--Automatic Trans). I've been told there's a special hole on the passenger side of the bell housing for the purpose of inserting something to stop the crankshaft. I had previously installed a Perrin lightweight crankshaft pulley, but after scoring the OEM pulley on E-Bay for roughly $2, I think I'm going to go back to the stock pulley. I would like to find this hole so I don't have to risk damaging the aluminium Perrin pulley upon removal. A few people have tried to describe to me where it is, but I still can't find the sucker. As I understand it, I don't have to remove anything to get to it (is this correct?) Any help that anyone may have for this would be greatly appreciated.