After the responses here, and all the research I had done I was convinced it was a heat shield issue.......now I really wish it was that simple

 

Drove the car over to a friends house, pulled into his garage over the pit. Got under the car, started tapping around and everything is solid:eek:

 

He walks out and says "nope, heat shield is fine.........your fly wheel however is not fine"

 

When we were able to turn the motor to check different parts of the fly wheel, some parts we could move it nearly a 1/4".:-\

 

Like I started this post with....I don't know much about cars...but when I am told you have to pull the motor to fix this, I know it is not good:banghead:

Well.. you could drop the transmission.. but, it's kind of 6 in One or a half dozen in the other kind of things... Is it possible just some of the bolts fell out and you can replace them without separating the engine from the transmission? Good luck.

That's odd. Check all the bolts that hold the torque converter to the flex plate. There is an access hole on the top passenger side of the bell housing. It might have a rubber cover over it or it might not.

 

If they're all tight then you'll have to pull the engine or drop the trans and investigate a bit further. The flex plate can crack usually right around where it bolts to the crankshaft.

The torque converter was solid, no movement, just the flywheel.

 

At this point I am going to monkey with it a little bit, but will probably end up getting rid of it. I don't know what I am doing, so I can't fix it myself, and value wise it just ins't worth it (to me) to fix. Because of the 500-600 miles I drive a week, I need something with lower miles anyway....and something more presentable for customers (or so my boss recommends ).

 

I am trying to convince myself this is the case anyhow....I would love to fix it and continue driving it....

The torque converter was solid, no movement, just the flywheel.

 

At this point I am going to monkey with it a little bit, but will probably end up getting rid of it. I don't know what I am doing, so I can't fix it myself, and value wise it just ins't worth it (to me) to fix. Because of the 500-600 miles I drive a week, I need something with lower miles anyway....and something more presentable for customers (or so my boss recommends ).

 

I am trying to convince myself this is the case anyhow....I would love to fix it and continue driving it....

 

He walks out and says "nope, heat shield is fine.........your fly wheel however is not fine"

 

ok, so you say you cant fix it yourself (altho I think you may be selling yourself short) but it sounds like you have a "buddy" that can, at the very least, help you.

 

Subaru's are very reliable cars with a little care & maintenance - there are documented cases of over 3 to 400,000 miles put on them with no real major issues, so unless your mileage is WAY up there, you dont really need a "lower mileage" car...

 

Fix what ya got - then you know exactly what you have. buying another used car can be a real crapshoot - you might just be buying someone elses headaches that end up costing you way more than fixing the existing problem would....

 

just my 2 cents worth...

I know what you are saying.....and I agree....and I would agree more if Barb (yes, my Impreza is named Barb), wasn't like a 30 year old lady who has smoked half her life. She may be relatively healthy, but looks like crap!

 

I gotta look at my image (man I hate saying that), if I am driving around customers, and traveling for work......

 

I was quoted $500 to have the flywheel replaced, my buddy would do it for $300. My rule of thumb is if the repair is going to be close to (or more than) 1/2 what the car is worth, it's not worth fixing

 

I am not totally giving up on her, but have her parked for now. I was told that if I continue to drive her, and the fly wheel completely craps out.....that is where I stop.....would it do any other damage? or just leave me where I am?