turodoggy

I got into a minor accident this week when a deer ran out. Most of the damage happened from losing control and going into a ditch. The rear window shattered, as well as the wiper blade motor housing breaking. Front bumper, fenders, radiator support, etc. slightly messed up. Engine died during the accident. I pulled the right timing belt cover off and the gears literally fell out in pieces. It was a 96 outback 2.5 with dohc, and plastic camshaft gears. I know the work entailed to fix this, I'm just wondering how common this problem is. I just didn't expect to see the both the lower and upper gears in pieces. Oddly the left side, especially the upper gear which appears as though the cam shaft gear was dropped at one point because its missing a piece, is still perfectly fine.

Well I usually seem to lose half the reservoir in one trip when I do lose anything, so I wouldn't know if it is losing it slowly throughout the trip or if one event is making me lose that amount for some reason. I should mention that I always seem to lose the same amount. Half the reservoir (about), and then if I don't fill it, it is just below the low fluid sensor before it causes a problem. The main reason I can't rule out the MC is that if it is leaking into the booster at the beginning of my trip, by the time I stop (almost always 30 + mins driving time), the vacuum could pull up all of the fluid.

I suspected that at one point but at the same time, I don't see enough fluid running from around the ABS pump either. No hill holder. Its a automatic with 4 wheel ABS disc brakes.

Sorry for delayed response. The brake line above the gas tank was good. Its possible to check without dropping the tank. I think I cheated and used my phone to take a picture of it in the spots that I couldn't reach. I haven't seen any fluid at all, still. It also isn't consistent. I went over a month recently without losing 1 drop (I always refill it to the full mark) and then in one day I lost half the reservoir. The only spot I noticed moister was the brake booster vacuum hose. But I'm not sure if its brake fluid, and I tend to think its not, but I'm not 100% sure since there isn't a lot of it. I also pulled the MC off and didn't find anything between the MC and booster. I've pushed on the brake pedal very hard before, and it holds. My main issue is that there is these periods of time that I don't lose fluid. There was a time I had to refill the fluid a few times a week, and other times I go weeks without touching it. I read something about the axle nuts not being tight enough in the service manual or something when I installed the bearings, so I know they are plenty tight. Looking it up again, if I'm correct I went to around 140 ft/lbs torque. Now I know when I took the axle nut off, the passenger side was very easy to get off. Probably why the bearing went bad in the first place. Its why I always double and triple check everything, even if it takes longer, I know I wont have a problem. Is there any other fail points besides the MC and the brake line that would be hard to notice? Its disc brake all around, and I just pulled all of them off a few weeks ago, so I would have known if any calibers were leaking. I wouldn't think its the rubber hoses, it just wouldn't make sense how I can go a month without losing fluid them. I'm going to try to recheck the line above the gas tank again just to make sure something didn't happen more recently and for my comfort. I may just change the MC because I fell that is the most likely cause but its hard to prove. I also remember the brakes having more power to them. The odd thing to me is that I've never been able to lock these brakes up, or trigger the ABS, even from 50+ mph and applying max pressure I can to the peddle. The car defiantly stops quickly though. If i look for a new MC, is there any that would be an upgrade for the 96 outback?

Last year, when I changed the front wheel bearings, I got under the chair to check this spot since I read it was a common leak. Mine looked perfect actually. I think before I got the car, the PO got the car undercoated, so I have minimal rust under there, and this car has been in the salt belt all its life. I already planned on replacing this with the Copper-Nickle lines if it ever got rusty. More flexible, easier to work with, and won't rust sounds perfect to me. I know I was careful of this when I did bleed the brakes. I just checked it, and the brake booster and line look dry, but the part of the intake manifold that the line attaches to was a little moist. I'll probably pull the master cylinder off to double check this. Just the part that confuses me is in the last two weeks, I've been driving the car more, and some days using the brakes more, and I barely lost any fluid in that time, if any actually. I may agree though, the brakes seem slightly weaker than they use to, so the MC may be leaking. I just had all 4 tires off to check the brakes since I am going to be replacing the rears soon, and I know there is no air in the line at this point.

Hi, 96 Legacy Outback with all wheel ABS disc brakes. About one year ago, I had to change the front wheel bearings. I ended up taking the front struts off instead of just the hubs and stuff. The camber bolts were seized, even with a Propane torch and an electric impact gun. I figured anything more and I risk breaking something. This meant the front calipers had to come completely off, and all fluid was drained out of the system. At least I got a full flush on the brake fluid, with noticeable difference in braking anyway. Since then I slowly lose brake fluid. Its not consistent though. I can check it after 1 week and it will still be full, sometimes I check it the next day and its half full. I can't figure out any patterns. I drive the car Monday through Friday, most Saturdays, and only some Sundays, so yeah, I can't see why I wouldn't lose anything in one week, but I can lose half the reservoir in one day sometimes. Typically, leaving my driveway causes the ABS to turn on a little. Slight downhill on a gravel driveway, but never going fast or anything. Otherwise I have never gotten the ABS to turn on, well maybe one time. I drive a lot of highway, and main roads with minimal stop signs and red lights, and a little city driving. Overall not that much brake usage per trip, unless there happens to be a lot of deer out one night (yeah, some country driving). This doesn't change for the days I lose half the reservoir either. That is what confuses me. There is nothing special that causes it to lose fluid, and I almost want to rule out a brake line since it can go without losing any fluid. I've also purposely taken trips where I use the brakes harder just to see if that is the cause, and that doesn't affect it either it seems. Anyone have any ideas of what to check? Sorry if I'm slow to check anything, I have a lot to do typically, and I can't always sit down to type up messages. Thank you

I just want to mention that since these cars have aluminum engines, it is best to use a certain type of coolant. I am using Pentofrost A3 which I got at autozone. It was a little cheaper than the Subaru blue coolant. If I remember correctly, Pentofrost A2 works also, and A3 is the next version, which has a longer life span if its not mixed with any other coolant. The Same goes for the Subaru green coolant, and the newer blue coolant. If you did use a different type of coolant, and you are going to switch to this type, you do have to flush the entire system first since different coolants mixed together can causes more problems. I also got my 96 Outback EJ25 with 130,000 miles on it for about $3,000 and it required some work. Mostly the head gaskets.

I replaced the 15 amp fuse with the 10 amp that was suppose to be used for the a/c compressor, and it doesn't blow anymore after I removed the jumper.

I have some time off today, so I am taking a closer look at everything. All fans are working when connected to the battery. I also jumped the fans from the relay terminal just now, and the fans work from that. The 2 main fan relays and the sub fan relay #1 all have battery power to the switch side of the relay. Sub fan relay #2 looks like it gets its switch power from the line that goes from sub fan relay #1 to the fan. I'm assuming sub fan relay #1 is the low speed, and #1 and #2 together are high speed. I did remove the jump wire, the white with green wire was fine, and i'm just going to throw heat shrink over the pierced part of the wire. The brown with red wire was a little burnt looking, so i cut out that section and going to crimp it together and cover it with heat shrink. I retested all the relays and they are good, i checked the fuses and those are good too. When I was looking for the sub fan relay #1 under the dash, I noticed that there was more wire spices. I will take a better look at which wires are spliced to where. I also noticed some wires that run next to the fuse block that look at out place (red and blue wire), that i'm not able to see where they go yet. Update: After taking a better look under the dash, I noticed any spiced in wires and the two out of place wires were installed for the keyless remote / alarm system. I'm slightly surprised the dealership would do such a sloppy job since I am assuming it was ordered at the time of purchase.

I tested both fans last night, and both are working on both speed. I retested the resistance on the right fan, and it was 1.x today. Maybe the multimeter was getting a good reading with the original test inside the car, and last night I did it outside the car. I also noticed the left fan only runs when the a/c is on and the engine temp is at the trigger point for the fans. I check the fuse in the inside fuse panel for the main fan, and that was fine. I switched it with the door lock anyway, just to make sure. I did see 3 relays above the fuse panel, and i checked the owners manual but its not listed what those relays are for. I will try checking the service manual tonight.

Oddly enough, the fan with the lower resistance is the fan that works, at least on one speed. I would think if the resistance was as low as 1.1ohm when it should be around 16 ohms, it would be tripping even the larger fuse, or not even run. I have a copy of the FSM, just haven't found the diagram for the fans yet, I just know one fan is 120 watts, and the other is 140 watts. This would mean one fan would pull about 10 amps and the other would pull 12 amps at full speed. I am wondering if the right fan is not moving because of an electrical issue. It is receiving lower voltage than it should be, which might also mean it is not getting enough amps to run. I'm going to try running each fan on battery power in the next few days when I have some time. Since the fans share the ground for both the high and low speeds, it probably isn't a ground problem for the left fan, although the right fan might have a ground issue. I do think its slightly unlikely as the two fans ground share a common ground, but I'm not sure without looking. I will try to check the ground wires when I check the fans. The relays would also then switch the positive wire, which is typical in most cars. Yes, the 10 amp (which is now 15 amp) is the only fuse that ever had a problem. The 20 amp fuse is good, I just checked it. I will check the white wire to make sure its getting 12 volts. I will also have to check the wire tap connector locations, I'm wondering if maybe the wire is corroded now from being exposed, the main reason I never trust these connectors, especially in cars. I just found the diagram for the fans. If I'm reading it correctly, it's only showing 3 relays, and the 3rd relay controls the sub fan lo and high speed, with another relay somewhere else in the system. I will have to take a better look at this when I have a little more time.

I personally did the head gasket on my EJ25D. I did my research, took my time doing the job, and carefully picked what parts I would use for the head gasket. I do think it can last longer than 150k miles. I wouldn't want less power than the 2.5 engine, I think it could already use more power. I wouldn't want to put smaller tires on my outback, I purposely got the outback because its closer to an SUV than a car, but with better gas mileage. It did a great job in the snow we had here last year. I put about 10,000 miles on the engine since changing the head gaskets, and the engine still runs nice, although only time will truly tell. Of course I am sure a lot depends on how well the head gasket job was preformed. I made sure to clean everything up, made sure everything was smooth and not warped, and I carefully installed everything. I also use the correct coolant, synthetic oil (although this is mainly so I don't have to change the oil as frequently and I feel a little safer starting the car in the winter time, or driving for extended time in the summer), and I'm going to change them when recommend.

This isn't on a subaru, but on an older Nissan Pathfinder (VG30E) we have, the timing belt is suppose to be changed at 60,000 miles. We are probably at least at 120,000, probably more, right now. Yes it is an interference engine, although it can be changed to non interference. The Pathfinder isn't driven anymore, just started occasionally, so I'm not in a rush to change it anymore. I would give more exact mileage but the speedometer stopped working at some point, and we put a lot more miles on it. It has at least 250,000 if not 300,000. Great engine by the way, it runs smoother than almost any other car i've seen. It starts right up ever time, even after sitting for a year, without the gas being changed, and still idles perfectly. On the other hand, on my Subaru, with the EJ25D, I will replace as instructed. Already did it once with the head gasket, hoping not to it again with the head gasket. Its not hard to change anyway, so I would recommend changing it when recommend.

I did some testing while in Test Mode. I didn't remove the jumper yet, I am at work and will do tonight when I am home, so I can cover up the The left fan only spins at one speed. It receives 12 volts on the outer wire. The middle wire doesn't receive any voltage. I did notice that the multi meter changed to 0.1 volt n sync with when the fan should be on. I swapped all the relays around, and the middle wire still didn't receive any voltage. I could also feel that all the relays switched on and off. The resistance of the fan was 1.1 ohm on both the outer and middle wire. The right fan does not spin at all. The right fan received 11.X volts on both the outer and middle wire. I did check the battery, and its reading high 12.7ish volts. The resistance on this fan was 16 ohm and 60 ohm.

Hi, On my 96 Legacy Outback, I have been having problems with the two cooling fans on the radiator. I've had the car about a year now. Besides the head gaskets needing to be changed (car only had about 130,000 miles on it), I had to change a relay for the cooling fan because the MIL was on with the code for the cooling fans (sorry I don't remember which code). I went through and tested the 4 relays, and only 1 of them appeared to not be working. I replaced it and the MIL went away. During the fall/winter, the MIL came back on with the same code. From googling a list of OBD codes for Subaru, I think the code was P0483 Cooling Fan Function Problem. Also the car will overheat at idle if the a/c isn't on. The thermostat gauge stays perfectly still when moving or when the a/c is on. I haven't seen the cooling fans turn on without the a/c on. If I turn the a/c on, the left fan spins for a few seconds and turns off, it will also repeat this ever time the a/c compressor turns on on its own. The a/c also cycled a lot, but today I cleaned the condenser, and tested the a/c while the condenser was still wet. The a/c ran for a much longer time, but the cooling fan didn't operate more than the few seconds. I have only seen the left fan turn on. When I changed the head gasket, I tested both fans with a multi meter and they both had about the same resistance. I never tested if the right fan was functional, but I know the problem is more than just a bad fan, if the fan is even bad. A few weeks ago, the fuse for the a/c compressor was melted, but only the plastic. I replaced it and since then it has been fine. Also, since I got the car, a 15 amp fuse has been used, instead of the 10 amp that should be. I have tried putting in a 10 amp, and it blows as soon as the a/c is turned on. I took a closer look at the wiring to the four relays, and I noticed that someone added a wire between 2 different relays. The wire tap connector they used also melted. Also, the wire used to make the jump is a solid wire, and it doesn't feel like the wire has any insulation on it. If I remember correctly, and I can check tomorrow, the wire jumps between relay number 4 and relay number 2. From what I understand, the 4th relay controls the a/c clutch, and #1 and #2 each control one fan. I still don't understand what the 3rd relay controls. My goal is to return this wiring back to the factory set up, which I assume would just be taking away the two wire tap connectors. The only reason I didn't do this yet was because I don't know why the jumper wire is there, and if its going to cause more problems than I already have. The previous person to work on the car may have used this wire to fix a different issue, which I am unaware of right now, unless it was just a bad relay, which I already replaced. I know when I went to buy the relays to replace the bad one, they were very difficult to find, and no auto parts store had them, even to order. I am assuming the 10 amp fuse blows because it is now powering the a/c clutch and a cooling fan. I also want to get the fans to operate the way they should. How should these fans operate anyway? Is it the left fan is triggered by the engine temperature senor, and then the a/c turns on both fans? Pictures of the wires for the relay: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9bac62o9qeid86w/AAB92U7Fg2NMY6bsfHdGfBnna?dl=0 I would also like to add, from my knowledge, the car only had one previous owner. From what I have seen on the car, the person that worked on it did a terrible job. Like the timing belt was changed, and one of the camshaft pulleys is missing a piece, which I am guessing was broken when it was dropped. I also had to change the front wheel bearings, more predictably, the right wheel bearing. I noticed that the right front axle nut was not notched to prevent it from backing off. I also noticed that the left outer tie rod end boot was pierced with a tie rod separator. The crankshaft woodruff key was sheared at some point, and the person used a lot of washers on top of the harmonic balancer. I don't know the function of those washers, but I removed them when I did the head gasket, and haven't had any problems. There is more stupid stuff also, but I just gave these as an example of this persons handiwork.