citabrickr

I have rust in the exact same spot on my 02 Outback, as well as a 4" patch right on the left rear wheel arch peak on the quarter panel. Both began as bubbling paint. No other rust anywhere on the car.

I had this exact problem on a CCR rebuilt engine within the first 1000 miles, top left front and right rear both had pooling oil that would run down the back and drip on the exhaust, didn't have the problem long though as that engine finally threw a rod thru the case (making a bigger leak...). Their offered solution at the time was to send it back to them so they could fix it but it wasn't that appealing to pull the engine again and be carless.

Still haven't had time to clean it but have looked it over again a little closer. Oil pressure switch is dry as a bone as is the whole "center" of the top of the engine. Power steering pump is on the right front and that area is dry, no pump or hose leaks. Valve covers are bone dry. The left (driver) side is the worst, with about half a dixie cup of oil (not a small amount!) starting right about where the A/C compressor mount is aft to the knock sensor, that whole area from the head gasket toward the center of the engine is damp, with oil pooling in the stiffening webs, dripping down the back of the head on to the exhaust. Outboard of the head gasket towards the cover is dry. The right (passenger) side is much less, only a small amount (about the amount that would fill the cap off of a bottle of oil) on the aft side, same as the left, from the head gasket line inboard in the webs. PCV area is bone dry, valve cover is dry. Not looking forward to having to tear this thing out on my time, be carless waiting for what may be a roll of the dice replacement under "warranty" that may have operational issues like the other poor bastard posted on his 2.5 thread.

I'm an aircraft mechanic and inspector, I know all about documentation. I got an engine, a lot dirtier than I expected for $3700, some gaskets in a bag, warranty papers and a copy of the bill. Now off to get some brakleen...

This thread is giving me a virtual heart attack having just posted about my "new" CCR engines oil leak on a two month old engine....

Got a reman from CCR and installed it in my 2002 OBW October, have about 6,000 miles on it and have an oil leak on both sides of the case near the head gasket seam, on top of the engine, left side front and right side rear, left front is the worst. It's enough on the left side that it is pooling in the case webs and running back down the head onto the exhaust causing a lot of stink. Not very happy, although they seemed concerned enough to honor it under a warranty...sortof...I just have to take it out and put it back in... Anyone have any idea what it could be besides a cracked case? The wetness starts at the actual gasket seam between the heads and case but I'll need to clean it off well and check again for a better guess. Not much on top that could be leaking that I know of.

Yes, it definitely has a bulb....the console and dash display of the shift position is redundant in the 02 OBW. The 37 doesn't fit, it's too big, just like the guy in the one link found out ( his solution was to just push (force) it in harder) and the other guy never gave a bulb number.

I do have the bulb out, it is not a standard size in either an auto parts store or radio shack, that's why I was hoping someone knew the number, same as some of the instrument cluster bulbs.

Anyone have a part number and where this can be obtained? Thanks!

I just went thru this myself, used a slightly more barbaric approach. Soaked the engine/trans joint with Kroil, was initially using a sharp chisel between them but that's not how I got the initial separation. Had the trans jack supporting the trans and would jack the engine up till it was maybe a half inch high then immediately dumped the engine hoist dropping the weight of the engine sharply till I got a separation. Noticed the old engine and new engine had a small amount of corrosion in the exact same spots on top of the bell housing.

Me again....I probably should have doine a search first, I think I already have my answer. I'm just trying to justify parting with $3K on an engine with only 74K on it....sigh

Hello, Was wondering if anyone has experience with CCR Engines in Colorado. http://www.ccrengines.com/ They were very helpful on the phone making sure I explored all avenues before buying an engine, including giving me a recommendation for a local diagnostic guru. They easily spent 20 minutes on the phone with me answering all my questions. They seem to do an A-1 quality job and since I have pretty much run out of ideas, I think I may be going for an engine after all. I don't have the time to disassemble and play with my engine, I'd rather just get a plug and play, I'm pretty sure I can do the transplant after looking under the hood and perusing the service manual, looks like a long afternoon of work, nothing scary. Opinions?

Ok, here we go again....2002 OBW 2.5 SOHC EJ251 Phase 2 sticker under the hood says "Intake = 0.010" , Exhaust 0.015", the Alldata service manual instructions are: Intake; 0.20 ±0.02 mm (0.0079 ±0.0008 inch) Exhaust; 0.25 ±0.02 mm (0.0098 ±0.0008 inch) quite different....anyone know which is correct? If the tighter is allowed, I'd like to go that way to try to get rid of the damn noise this thing is making. Thanks, John

Hi all, hopefully someone knows of a NON-DEALER shop in North NJ that can actually diagnose and repair Soob engine issues, feel free to post or PM me. Love my car, hate all the dealers! Thanks in advance! John

I had the front brakes and rotors replaced about 20k ago because there was vibration with heavy braking. A week after that, a clicking sound started when i lightly applied the brakes If you got aftermarket pads put on they probably left the shims out, never seen aftermarket pads come with them. They are available from the dealer but they will tell you it's a special order item. They do come with factory pads, which are $$$ but worth it. Get a seta nd have them put on with the shims, your clicking will be gone. JT:drunk:

Mine would lose that much in a week when I had my 96. When I got new tires the dealer buffed the rim beads and I never had the problem again. I have since upgraded to an 02 OBW with much nicer factory wheels and haven't lost a single pound of air, maybe they buy aluminum from a better source now?

Holy crap, they sure did...I just got a Subaru rebuilt a couple of months ago for $78!!

Hi Guys, Just traded my 114,000 mi 96 OBW (nightmare car from hell) for a 2002 OBW that was at a local new car dealer's used lot. The car has 30K on it, but was sent to the Subaru dealer for some "warranty service"...they put a short block in it (!!!), not sure what the original prob was, but the car looks and drives like it was brand new, I love it! Man what a difference a redesign can make, this thing is like a Caddy compared to my 96. Only thing I have a question on is what engine do I have, the SOHC or DOHC? (I know it's a 2.5, but can't really get a straight answer to the cam thing). Thanks for any input. JT

I got the car from a Subaru dealer with 83,000 miles on it, no idea how many prior owners there were, but the car appeared to be in pretty good shape by a standard inspection and test drive, sans the brakes which obviously needed some attention. I wouldn't say I got it "cheap" but I did get the price down below what they would consider offering the warranty for...STUPID ME :brolleye: Yes, it has left me stranded three times.

In 20 years of owning vehicles I have never had a single car like this one. My 96 Legacy Outback is either trying to win some award for most time spent at a shop or a game called locate the world's worst customer service reps. Since buying this car used from a dealer in mid-February it has been back for a knock sensor and major oil leaks (the day after the purchase, check engine light came on 30 miles after leaving the dealer), timing belt, water pump, tensioner, oil pump seals, camshaft seals, valve cover gaskets, plugs, idle air control, ECM, water leaks, brakes (twice to stop the rattling), rear gate handle stopped working, starter, windshield washer pump, catalytic converter, rattling heat shields, inop glove box light, burned out climate control lights...what is with these things? If the car would be even slightly reliable I would probably love it, but this is a real lesson in tough love. I have easily spent over $3000 in maintenance in the last 6 months. Every time I try to convince myself that there can't possibly be anything else that can break the car ALWAYS proves me wrong. :madder: I worked for GM for almost 10 years and never saw a car we had like this, even the damn Chevette. It almost seems like there is no single bad point but it actually seems to have problems in ALL areas. Reading the board does me even less good because now all I see are the things I still have to look forward to going wrong like head gaskets. The dealers? So far, the worst I have ever encountered. Nothing is their fault, they cleared the code so that was what was wrong with it, till it gets towed back in the next day and they don't stand behind their work, "well we fixed what was wrong with it yesterday, this is a different problem even though it's the exact same symptoms and it has the same code..." I'd like to get a newer one but it doesn't seem like they really have fixed any of the problems. How can a company continue to crank out cars that all have the same inherent problems and never feel the wrath of the customer, is it just good advertizing that keeps selling them, cause it can't be customer satisfaction. :moon: Subaru...wake up.