jtendzone Posted December 2, 2004 Share Posted December 2, 2004 I have a 98 Outback Legacy and recently have had to replace the front and rear brakes and rotors and now the engine recently started smoking and the mechanic said it was bad valve covers leaking onto the exhaust. Does this sound right or do you think this could be related to the recent recall I saw about late 90 models having to do with the CV Boot(??) and leaking.... The mechanic said the job was mostly labor because of what needed to be removed to get to the valve covers to replace??? Also i would like to replace all headlights and fog lights and the dash light for the air system has gone out.... Can anyone give me some feedback and point me in the right direction? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbhrps Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 My 97 OBW leaked oil into the spark plug wells on 2 cylinders on one side. It was more annoying than anything else, and yes its mainly a labour expense, removing plumbing for the air intake, windshield washer tank, plugs and wiring to get at them. It appears to be pretty common as the gaskets age. Why do you want to replace fogs and headlights? The lights in your AC/Heater controls are a fiddley/time consumming, but not impossible job to do yourself. Buy the bulbs from the dealer (very tiny, not too expensive, and exclusive to Sub's), and search archives here for threads on the subject. There are some good step by step outlines on how to do it. They work, because I used them to do my own successfully. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtendzone Posted December 3, 2004 Author Share Posted December 3, 2004 Thanks for the reply, I do not know much about working on engines etc. but have several friends that are mechanics etc...Do you reccomend getting the Haynes Repair Manual for this car?? Is it worth having as a resource to potentially diagnose problems etc.? The headlights just seem to be dimmer and I thought I could upgrade the quality of light... Also since it appears that my Outback has reached an age that will require more attention I thought I would educate myself and try and save some money... Thanks again..this Web forum seems to be for the experienced car person but very informative! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerFahrer Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 Yes I recommend the Haynes manual. It's really not that good, but you can't get anything that at least has instructions and pictures any cheaper. This is where I love the EJ22's, the spark plugs are on the side of the head instead of going through the top of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbhrps Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 Jtendzone, No need for you to make any apologies for not knowing much about engines, etc. Why do you think so many of us are on this forum? We're certainly not all experts. As a group we're only too eager to help out. Keep the questions coming. As for your headlights being dim, why not start another thread on the topic and see what suggestions you get? Welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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