johnceggleston

how much trans-x did you put in? my '00 was working better immediately and almost perfect in just a few miles.

my first wife insisted i treat her that way. it got expensive and then she got gone..

or easier than that, just loosen the vent screw on the top of the rad. this will allow the pressure to escape and slow down the loss of coolant. usually with it burped, from the start, and the fluid topped off regularly it will run pretty well for a long time. less chance of a cold lower rad hose and no heat inside since the the system vents the exhaust gas to the air. PS: does any one have any idea how large the opening is in a ''stock'' t-stat when it is wide open??? a plain flat disk with the correct size hole instead of a stock t-stat (or no t-stat) would give you good circulation all the time. this would reduce the chance of a ''cold lower rad hose'' condition, i think. it would also the engine to warm up, it would be SLOW to warm up but at least it would reach normal operating temp. i don't think a ''no t-stat'' situation will ever do that. my 90 nissan truck never did. it would get warm , but never normal.

i can't believe i'm going to say this since i think some folks on other sites put WAY too much value in it, but maybe a couple more grounds??? i doubt that will help, but i have noticed there are a lot more grounds on the 00 - 04 ej25 than on the 96 - 98 ej25. perhaps the real problem is a loose connection some where. my other guess was an intermittent fuel pump, but i think that would give you a hard start at least every now and then.

radiator has been done.

a test you can try. with the car on jack stands, all 4 corners, disconnect the largest, 16 pin wire connector on the passenger rear of the engine. this connector goes to the trans. with this disconnected the trans will go into limp mode and the rear wheels will be / should be locked to the fronts. (if you drove it on dry pavement it would feel like a 4wd truck with the front hubs locked.) start the car and put it in d, all 4 wheels should turn together. slight variation if you only have 2 jack stands. this could be dangerous if you put the trans in D, be careful. jack up both wheels on one side of the car and place on jack stands. hand brake off. disconnect the connector to trans, place car in N and start the car. now turn the rear wheel by hand, the front wheel should turn with it. you can also do this test with the connector undone and driving it on dry pavement in tight slow circles. because it will be in 3rd gear it will be very slow to go any where, but you should feel ''binding in tight slow circles. if you have binding then the mechanical parts are there and working. no binding means something is missing or broken. don't forget to reconnect the 16 pin plug.

the filter holds some fluid that will not drain out when you do just a drain and fill. not all 4eat have the filter and not all that do are replaced when doing a drain and fill. but it does sound like it was over filled. when doing a drain and fill to change the fluid, i always check the fluid level cold with the engine off just to make sure it is in the ball park. the dip stick has markings for a cold trans, at least the 97 obw and GT do. once i know i'm in the ball park i then warm up the trans and look again. note: the difference between low and high is NOT a qt., more like 1/2 a qt. tips: remove the dip stick and wipe it clean, then WAIT for the fluid in the fill tube to run back down in to the pan. when you pull it out the fluid on the stick will coat the inside of the fill tube. after a few minutes, put the dip stick back and then remove it. read both sides of the dip stick. the lowest level is the real indicator. i have not tried this one but i have heard it will help...... while waiting for the fluid to drain down out of the fill tube, put the measuring end of the dip stick in ice water. and then just before you re-insert it, wipe the water off. something about the contrast between cold and hot helps make the stick easier to read. don't leave the stick in the fluid long enough to warm up.

all legacys 95 - 98 have a MAF, but i was my understanding that they also had a MAP. not right??

got one for an '01?? pm me if you do with pricing.

that's always been my experience with plugs, but i just don't want to have to do this again any time soon.

what year, model of car?? different years have different issues. my wife locks our '01 outback H6 with the remote and the alarm sets. i unlock it with the key and the alarm sounds. this disables the starter. but if i put in the key and try to start it 3 times, it will start on the fourth time, (off to start and back).

the owner's manual also says that thinner oil, 5w30, will give you better fuel economy, but you must protect the car with the right oil for the right temps.

bringing back this dinosaur for related info. VALVE cover gaskets and plug gap. i picked up an '01 H6 VDC w/156k miles and a bad / dead auto trans for $500. i swapped out the trans, don't ask me what i paid for it, but safe to say way more than the car. now the reason for this post, removing the valve covers and installing new spark plugs. this is more than an adventure. it's a b1tch. the lower rear corner bolt cannot be reached easily. and once you do reach it your wrench swing is limited to about 15 degrees. so it is very slow. but the reason for my post, i found some RTV type stuff on the passenger side valve cover gasket. is this standard?????? should i do the same?? i feel like the gasket should seal with out any additional ''stuff''. but this is my first H6 rocker gasket. and second, what is the gap on the spark plugs????? thanks, john

2001 outback owner's manual, page 12-4 Capacities: Engine oil................2.5 liter.......4.2 US qt. (4.0 liters) ..............................3.0 liter.......6.0 US qt. (5.7 liters) the oil viscositiy chart for the ez30 is the same one used for the 98 OBW, it was written for the C scale so i will adjust slightly to the closest notable mark for F scale. (page 11-13) 5w30 (from absolute zero) up to 100 degrees F (40 degrees C) 10w30, 10w40 from 0 degrees F (minus 20 degrees C) up (to temp of the sun).

i tink the dealer cost several years ago was 900 - 1000$. so maybe 1200$ now???? the labor is a little more than pulling and reinstalling the trans, time wise in a shop with a lift. first they remove the rear housing , then they replace the bad parts. not a lot of extra work with the parts, but it all adds up. the parts , depending on what you actually need, will var from $200 to $500?? maybe. you can drive on this for a while. but the worse it gets the more you will notice ''torque bind'' in tight turns and the trans ''relaxing'' as you shift from D to N or P. but the more it does it the more wear and tear you put on the other drive train parts.

i think do the mid grade for a month and keep records, then compare to a month of regular. i don't think one tank of mid-grade is a large enough sample.

i am not familiar with the 92 remote, but on the 97, if you press and hold the unlock button it will unlock the other doors. starting in 00 you press the unlock button a second time to unlock the ''other'' doors. hth

the cam sprockets MAY be spring loaded and want to snap closed. this is your concern. if you can stop them from doing that you should be ok. generally speaking, snapping shut will not hurt anything. but snapping shut when the other cam / valves are open may be a problem. this never happens when the belt is right but if one cam turns while the other is stationary, you just never know. valve to valve can cause damage. but in theory, valves snapping shut usually are moving away from damage. so i would leave the cams alone, don't touch them. and rotate the crank sprocket the shortest distance, left or right, so the key way slot is either straight up or straight down. down is better, but not if you have to go more than 90 degrees to get there. (when the key way is at 12 or 6 o'clock position, the pistons are all at half bore, mid stroke. no way they can hit a valve then. then i would try and get lucky with the cams. turning each one the direction of least resistance until they are all at rest, no tension. (when the valves on a cam are all closed the cam sprocket has a bit of slack in it.) or maybe turning both cams on one side together, clockwise, until one is at rest. from there you can rotate the other cam closed. do this for both sides and you are good to go and can do what ever you need.

i think it is in ''valet '' mode . sit in the car, open the drivers door and hold the unlock button for ~2 seconds. hth.

there are 145 threads with frankenmotor in them, can you give me a hint on which one to read? was his user name matt monson?

this one. 01 outback H6 VDC

hello, jack: is a 96 - 98 ej25 short block with 90 - 95 ej22 heads an interference engine???????????? i have heard that it is the pistons that cause the interference, not the heads, but i have also heard that the DOHC engines were valve to valve interference, not valve to piston. does any one know?? EDIT: i'll start a new thread if you think i should.

there is a condition, cold related, where basically the thing (master, or booster or something) freezes up. i have heard a few possible solutions but nothing definite. so the best advice, if you can't find a solution, is to test your brakes before you need them. it usually does not last long but colder may be worse.

is it both brights or just one side.? check the connector at the head light. try wiggling it with the brights on. they get old and charred and work intermittently. i bought a generic replacement at the parts store for 3.95 and spliced it in.