zubricki

Thanks for the torque specs Dj. I saw that I needed the T70 on another thread, but thanks for the heads up. The dealer mentioned that the gasket had two part numbers for a split model year, I'm assuming that's where the copper or aluminum come in. They took the VIN so we should be good to go. Lucky Texan, I'm going to end up just going with the Subaru High Performance Gear Oil. It was surprisingly difficult to find a non-synthetic gear oil without a limited slip additive. For $10/quart it seems like a good way to go here. Hopefully the parts come in on time for Wednesday and I can get it buttoned up and back on the road!

Hi All, I noticed a spot on the driveway the other day and, when I finally got a chance to check it out this weekend, found out it was coming from the transmission. Best I can tell, it seems to only be leaking from the main drain plug. Not exactly sure why that might've come loose, but I don't see any fluid in uphill from the plug so I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that its as simple as a new plug and gasket. While I was waiting for parts to come in from the dealer I started looking into what type of gear oil I'll need to refill with. I learned that this was not cut and dry question as people are going as far as mixing two or three oils together. I don't have a WRX or STI and I don't currently or plan to ever race anybody. My question is what is what type of gear oil will work well without damaging anything? So far I've gathered that I need a API GL-5 grade 75W-90 gear oil. I think I need to stay away from full synthetic and limited slip additives. I haven't been able to find anything that meets these requirements at my local auto shops. Right now I'm thinking I'll just see if I can have the dealer sell me something. Any thoughts? Again, I just need something that won't damage my transmission. On a similar note, does anyone know if there's a torque spec for that drain plug?

Texan, thanks for the tip. Timing belt and water pump were done upon purchase of the car (103k) and head gaskets were inspected by a trusted Subaru mechanic. I'm hoping after this throw bearing / clutch job I can get some good miles on it before the next major issue.

Fairtax, thanks for the input. I've arranged to get it to my transmission mechanic next week and will avoid driving it in the meantime.

Hi everyone, I recently got a 2008 Impreza hatchback with the 2.5L engine and a 5 speed manual transmission. About a week ago I noticed a "rubbing" noise when I depressed the clutch pedal. This being my first car with a manual transmission I didn't think much of it, it was pretty faint. Today, however, that same noise was much more noticeable (I usually drive with the radio on so I'm guessing its been there all along and I just didn't notice it. Now it's a louder rubbing noise and sometimes even whines a little bit. Again, only happens when depressing the clutch, let the pedal out and the noise goes away (or at least gets significantly quieter, maybe I'm paranoid but I swear I can hear it a little just sitting in neutral with the pedal out). So here are my questions: 1. Based on my research thus far it seems to me like this is being caused by a throw out bearing on the way out. Does this seem right? Car has 105k miles on it. 2. Is this something I can let go for a while? I have a good transmission mechanic and can afford the repair right now, but as this is my first manual transmission I would rather continue to make my learning mistakes now then get the throw out bearing / clutch replaced. 3. Seems like this would be a good opportunity to get the clutch replaced, any thoughts? 4. Are throw out bearings considered a wear item or could I have ridden the clutch too much in a matter of weeks to make it die? Thanks in advance for the advice.

Picked up a Subaru today, but not the one I started the post with. Ended up with a 2008 Impreza 2.5i Premium Hatchback with just over 100k on it. This car was way more local, I was able to have a trusted Subaru mechanic give it a thorough inspection (thanks again to the guys at Boxer Motors in Salem, MA!) and the shop I'm buying from is going to do all the 100k maintenance before delivery, included in sale price! Thanks again to everyone who helped me out here, made it so I at least seemed knowledgeable when looking at the car. I'll try to post a pic when I take delivery and I'm sure I'll be back here for help and advice in the future.

grossgary, thanks for the detailed response. That all makes a lot of sense. I was concerned that head gaskets just "go" and the car is done, but after your reply and others it doesn't seems like nearly as big of a deal. Water pumps going routinely 200k speaks a lot the reliability of the brand as most cars don't ever see that point. Thanks for steering me out of unnecessarily replacing water pumps and head gaskets. I have ripped into an engine once and replaced a timing belt (among other things) so it probably is within my ability. Even so, looks like $1000 gets the job done, not bad. I'll see if I can't go take a look tonight.

Thanks for help matt167. Just for clarification, replacing timing belt, water pump, AND head gaskets is up around $2500? The local dealer lists the timing belt and a few other items (105k service package) at $675. I'm assuming water pump could boost that into the $1000 range. Is the extra cost due to pulling the engine to do the head gaskets?

Thanks everyone for the great information. Looks the Impreza OBS I'm looking at will be coming right up on that timing belt which I suspect is also a good time to get the head gaskets redone. I looked at what that job involves and think its best left up to a shop in my case (I'm a weekend warrior mechanic and am comfortable around engines, but this seems like pretty involved considering all the parts that need to be removed just to start the job). Does anyone have a ballpark figure for what a timing belt, head gasket, and water pump job would run? My best guess is 2-3K but that's just an educated guess. I still like the car, but want to know what I might be getting myself into. Also, if I take a look at this car its my understanding any head gasket leaks should be pretty obvious (i.e. external leaking oil and/or coolant from around gaskets). Any other obvious signs?

Are head gaskets something that can be replaced? The only experience I've had with head gaskets was them blowing, the car filling with smoke, and the engine left not able to be repaired. I thought it completely ruined the engine. Seems like a few people have had the head gaskets go bad and then either get them replaced or even do the work themselves. Any signs they may be on the way out? Is it recommended to just replace them with a better set?

If the engine is turning over and still not starting ignore this, if not read on. I've seen similar sounding problems on other car makes. In those cases it had nothing to do with a computer, it was the starter/flywheel combination. As Fairtax4me mentioned, what does the car actually do when it won't start? A click when the key is turned is the starter solenoid pushing the starter gear out so it can hit the flywheel teeth. The cases I've seen where either a few dead spots on the starter motor brushes or a few missing teeth from the flywheel (this would sound like a click followed by a small electric motor noise) . Based on the fact that pushing the car forward got the car started I would suspect that this turned the flywheel just a touch and gave the starter something to spin. Just a hunch, but then again, I would have suspected the dealer to have looked there.

Hi everyone, New to the forum, new to Subaru's actually. I'm in the market for a new ride and have been attracted to the Subaru wagons based on my needs in a car. Found a 2010 Impreza Outback Sport on CL that fits what I'm looking for. http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/cto/5740782979.html Being new to the Subaru brand I've tried to do my homework on this model and am finding mostly good things. I figured this would likely be the best place to ask about known issues with the Impreza Outback Sport though. A couple things I came across (not sure if they apply or not): Burning Oil - Read about the lawsuit and how several engines burned oil that lead to some pretty serious problems. I know the lawsuit didn't include 2010 models but figured I'd ask. Head Gasket Issues - Came across a few mentions about head gaskets blowing out early but couldn't find what years they were referring to. Of course any other known issues that are out there would be great as well (although I'm hoping there are none!). Thanks in advance for the help, with any luck I'll be using this forum more often in the near future!