1 Lucky Texan

most people get full kits from ebay or elsewhere - depending on a few different approaches and 'opinions' - you should at least consider; belt - Gates or Mitsuboshi or dealer (m'boshi may be OEM ?) NOTE! there are reports of a 'generic' belt that fails very early! IF you do the waterpump, I read that most people prefer OEM or Aisin GMB idlers seem to be OK, usually the toothed idler is the first to fail - not the belt. Tensioners - if re-used, should be compressed VERY slowly. over several minutes or the internal seal can rupture. cam./crank seals might be a good idea to replace - must be if leaking. confirm you understand all the marks - DO NOT use the arrow/triangle on the front of the crank sprocket - use the dashed line on the back tab. Find out the tooth count and triple check timing marks and tooth counts (crank the engine around twice with a wrench on the crank bolt) before and after pulling the tensioner pin. Crank the engine around twice again and check the marks and tooth count before starting. do not skimp on the TB service, if valves aren't already bent, they will be when the toothed idler fails (or one of the others. If the present belt isn't severely worn, you could check the tensioner and other parts, retime the engine and run it enough to decide if valves are bent - if they are, at 250K, probably better to get a lower miles engine from a wrech, throw a TB kit on it, and go from there. maybe others will chime in with suggestions. Tough spot you're in but, it's an interference engine and MAJOR damage will result if the TB service isn't done correctly.

it's been a long time since I read; http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/110-gen-2-2000-2004/47896-sleeper-vdc.html but i THINK cardoc was running about 9lbs of boost. here's one of the graphs he got from his VDC 3.0 Outback; but, cardoc went 'dark' and there's really no way to know what the longevity of his engine is.

ideally, tires need to be within 1/4" CIRCUMFERENCE of each other. A different brand tire could easily have a different rolling radius than the other 3.

good point - pull the plugs and try.

wonder what just the airbags are worth? still, it would be a huge hassle where I live - maybe not allowed due to city codes.

coupla times in the past, Subaru was almost done for - and marketing is what saved them, not the 0.5% of the population wanting a quirky car. Whether or not they have totally caved in and given up on quality will always be open for debate (I doubt it) - but it's a poor business model to completely abandon it when you're always being tracked by JD Power, Consumers Union, Car & Driver, etc. You may not last long.

if no one here has a suggestion, you could ask here;http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=29 user ajracerfan over their seems fairly active and you might personal mail him thru the Forum - he is in Buda TX. good luck (I know how hard it is to find good shops for soobs. around here, my closest dealer is 17 miles away and based on experience with my MIL's Forester, they are a joke. )

are those prices from a dealer? from the sound of it, you should pay a different (preferably independent mechanic) shop to evaluate the car. have them break it down into what MUST be done(timing belt service), what you can save up for(while not recommended, you can ride on worn-out shocks for a long time), and what you can live with (like a minor fluid drip) many people have been sold a/c compressors when they just need some o-rings - not saying you have been or will be ripped-off by the present shop, but for the amount of money involved, you may be surprised at the difference in price. For instance, even IF the rack needs replacement, a good used unit from a wreck will be much cheaper than a new one. Subaru steering racks are robust and I rarely read about failures so , a low miles used unit should be fine.

could be breather and PCV hoses are misrouted. I think having the engine checked out at a different shop might be a good idea. ask for a recomendation in a new thread - maybe someone knows of a reliable mechanic in your area. joke; Hill country farmer number 1; "you got any rocks at your place?" Hill Country farmer number 2; "Yeah, we got some the size of pick-up trucks. And we got some big ones too!."

might depend on the nature of the repairs and whether the present car still meets your demands. every car will need struts, ball joints and rotors(many older cars will get a timing belt service too) - but if the repairs seem more related to possible reliability issues, then it may be time to shop for a replacement.

torque bind could be caused by mixed tire sizes. 2000 has either a spin-on filter, or a filter in the fender area near the battery so, can't imagine too many big particles loose in there - still, TB can certainly be caused by electronic and mechanical problems too.

OK - long but good post found here;http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/73353-danger-in-driving-wno-driveshaft-on-awd-car/ It seems a working center diff 'may' be able to move the car with a DS removed, but it's very bad for the center diff. If you have a failed ctr diff that is locked-up, folks have removed rear drivetrain parts and 'converted' to FWD. If the center diff has failed by leaking internally, it is unlikely to move with the DS removed. 9good illustrations in that thread. thanx Fairtax for making me go look!

really? didn't know that - I guess all the power just spins the output shaft ???? why wouldn't the center diff respond as if a rear wheel were slipping and lock power to the front?

nvrmd

wonder if a 'kid' was driving that car? 16 year-old cars are all the same regardless of brand. That is, 99% of their value as possible trouble-free, reliable transportation is dependent on their past care/lack of abuse and their present condition, not their brand. So, shop carefully and have a GOOD mechanic inspect the car before purchase. For instance, torque bind and headgaskets would be areas of extreme concern. You may need expert help in checking the car over. post your city in a new thread asking for a recommendation and someone may know of a good soob-experienced garage near you.

I'd shop for a trans with 1/2 - 1/3 the mileage from a wreck. LKQ or car-part.com .

what sealer was used? external leaks can often be fixed or greatly reduced using the Subaru Coolant Conditioner (a repackaged leak stop) But, I guess I'd wait to see if the product you used works. If not, a thorough coolant drain with a refill using the SCC PER INSTRUCTIONS might be a good next move.

I see experienced folks recommend OEM or Aisin waterpumps.

do the plugs look the same side-to-side?

do what you want of course, but a better project would be a WRX or STI swap into that car. a LOT more readily available parts and software options. you might also enjoy searching for cardoc's supercharged H6 over at subaruoutback.org

the odds of having slipped timing (or, since it was wrecked, cracked cam pulley) are greater than the odds of 2 burned valves yielding almost identically low compression. the crank pulley will come off with 3-4 different techniques - they all work. many people without 'special' tools just use a breaker bar against the frame or the ground and 'bump' the starter. Do you know when the last TB system was serviced? probably needs new rollers and a belt anyway. this forum has helped me a lot, and grossgary is probably the most helpful person on the forum.

3rd gen H6s seem to be a good bet. Again, with used cars, the brand is less of an indicator of future reliability than the individual car's prior care and present condition. Shop carefully, and I'm sure you'd do OK - but getting the used, abused, uncared-for and overheated car is gonna be a bad idea.

if all 6 plugs look the same, but are black with carbon, might be an issue with the PCV system.

confirm there are no lug nut/stud issue or dragging brakes or loose axle nuts. , swap axles side to side. (inspect axles when off the car.) if problem moves with axle - well, there's your problem. (fingers crossed because, easier fix than front diff) do not final-torque the axles with the car's weight on the ground - stick a big screwdriver in a disk vane and 'buck up' against the caliper.

wonder if that smoke smells sweet like coolant? def. check inside the radiator for coolant level. I have also put a small clamp (actually, 2 zip ties) on the small hose going to the overflow at the radiator neck. caboobaru - would the plug look different in a cylinder with a crack as you describe? Would that cylinder get wet with coolant during a cooling system pressure test?