seabright_sc

No, Clutch was replaced less than 20 K ago.

Well, my '97 GT sedan with 151XXX occationally pops out of first once in every couple of weeks. Only when Im accelerating from a stop, letting out the clutch, when the car just starts rolling. I pop it into gear and no problems... for another couple of weeks. All maintenance is complete and on time except for this last 150K which I'm a little late on. Is there an adjustment or signs of worse to come, or just mild nuisence. I've owned the care for 10K and it has alwys done this.

Same thing happened to my honda civic. It ended up being the seal on the driver's tail light! Might want to check that.

Well, I currently own a 97 GT sedan. 148xxx excellent mechanic condtion. And I'm thinking of selling the GT and purchasing a forester in the same age/price range. Forester seems a little more friendly for camping/baja trips. But I'm intereted in the pros and cons. ie-gas mileage difference, cargo capacity, overall handling, etc. Thanks for any input.

Don't know if Santa Cruz is too far out of your way but Rick's Auto Shop is Awesome. It's just Rick and his son. He works on nothing but Subis. I've been a loyal customer for 10 years have have recieved nothing but fair, honest, and excellent service at a reasonable price.

I've got 147,XXX on my 2.5 1997 Legacy GT and I have never had any problems and no qualms about taking it on a long trip.

Thanks for giving me the peace of mind. This is my wife's car (she drives around our baby) so, ya, I'm a little concerned. Any other experts have opinions before we head off on a road trip? Thanks!

The mechanic said that the stud is NOT blocking the flow of coolant. How would I know if this is the case? No overheating or cooling issues? With a repair/patch such as is... do you think issues will come up sooner or later. ie- if alll seems well in the first month am I good to go? Thanks!

Ok... So here's the out come (thus far). I take the car to an aquaintance who has a muffler shop. Good guy. He say's there is no way to do anything to the head where it's chipped because it's too far gone. The exhust manifold can not be attached to the head on that front bolt. He's honest and says he can try to retap the head and insert a stud a little closer in. He calls a subaru mechanic and asks if he can drill in there to insert a stud. The guy says, "ya.. plenty of metal up there." He does and... hits the water jacket and out comes the coolant. Ouch. So inserts a new stud into the head using JB weld to seal it. Very meticulous guy and welds some other loose exhaust stuff (to take care of minor rattling) and puts new gaskets/bolts on both heads. Parts and labor=$161 He is very honest with the situation and feels that it will probably be fine explaing that the "hole" is plugged with the stud and the JB Weld is used as a sealant as opposed to the plug itself. Mind you the exhaust manifold is attached to the stud) He also says that it could leak as well. We haven't pressure tested it but it has idled for 30 minutes running the A/C and driven about 25 miles on the highway and so far so good. No leaks of exhaust or coolant Would you trust this repair and travel on a 800 mile road trip? Save up for a new head? Or am I in the clear?

Ouch! My wife's 1996 OB 2.2 manual had an exhaust leak... I could hear it. When searching around I also noticed a torn CV. So I find a shop who will do the work on Saturady and first I drive to the dealer who sold me a reman axle with two new boots and proceed to the other shop for instalation. This shop may be fine but they're not my regular mechanic, however they were the only folks open on a Saturday. He called me to say... "come take a look." On the passenger side, underneath the car where the exhaust meets the head, he shows me an area of the head (the bottom front corner), where the exhaust is connected to the head, that is cracked off (about the size of a thimble). He hasn't tried to loosen the exhaust bolts/nuts because he wants to soak them in wd40. (part of me thinks that maybe he cracked it while trying to loosen the bolt, but I guess that's a moot point as of now). He said that he wont know until monday when he can get them off but I may need to replace the head (I'm assuming to fix that exhaust leak). This engine is in prime shape and well maintained and it seems like a spendy and big job that can be fixed/jimmy rigged without replacing the head. I already told him that if the head did need replacing I would feel more comfortable taking it to my longtime Subaru mechanic of over 8 years. He seemed to understand. I don't want to get screwed on a big spendy repair that may not be necessary. However, We'll probably keep this car for another 5 or so years. Help!

Another vote for the $4-7K Car. "timing belts replaced timing belt pulleys/tensioner replaced cam seals replaced water pump replaced (mileage depending) coolant flushed transmission fluid flushed plugs, wires, cap and rotor (cap and rotor only on some motors) check brake pads replace battery (if old)" All these items (and maybe even a cluch) should be done by 120K. Once they are done they're good for another 100K. It's best to buy a vehicle at 130 or even 140 if it's had all the above done vs. 100k and it's up the above maintenance. The 130 K will probably be less expensive and all those items may add to another $1000+. Subis will give you little problems up until at least 200+K I wouldn't even be afraid to the headgasket issue. Maybe you'l find one that's been taken care of already, or maybe the subi you own wont have the problem. If the price is right, a HG issue (if it arises) ss still minor compared to the $$$ yopu'll save vs. owning a newer car. I've bought all three subis (1986 GL wagon, 1996 outback, 1997 GT sedan) with around 130K and the cost of ownership has been minimal. All three were single owner and dealer maintained:)

Oh ya, does anyone know where I can find the key code and how to get a new orginal made (not a copy). I'm now using a marginal spare.

My wife has the 96 outback, I have the 97 Legacy GT. I lost my keys including the Key FOB. So I reprogramed my spare FOB for my sweety's car thinking it'd reprogram the FOB. Well guess what. Now my FOB opens and locks both cars. UGH! No good since both cars are parked side by side on the street. AND there is no way my sweety will simply remember to lock up after she hops in her car. I'm assuming the only way to get around this is to buy a new FOB and program it for my car. Anyone have a spare for sale or other suggestions? Thanks!

First subi- 86 gl wagon...owned from 125-195K problems- none other than basic wear and tear items distributor was the exception at 190K 2nd subi 1996 2.2 manual outback- bought last year with 125, now at 135k no problems 3rd subi 1997 GT sedan 2.5 manual with 140K High mileage Subis dont scare me... almost better if you purchase them like I do... from the original owners, dealer maintained, and at 120k(ish) they've all had the timing belt/water pump/clutch/seals... all the spendy maintenance items that wont need to be done again until after I sell my car. I've found that the 100K-120K relm is when you need to put $$$ into the vehicle... then they tend to go strong until many of those items come up again.

Cosmetic only... unless someone can prove otherwise.