Sewoolf@ptdprolog.net

BTW, 1999 Outback 30th anniversary

I had my transmission rebuilt about two years ago (4eat) and have experienced problems every time we get a lot of rain. I took it back the first two times and the mechanic replaced the speed sensor both times. The car worked fine until the next big rain, then it happened again. Here are the symptoms: The car starts shifting erratically (skipping first gear, rough shifting after that), torque bind symptoms, the speedometer runs while in park almost as if it is a tachometer. Eventually the AT Temp light starts blinking, then I get a CEL. The code is P0715 (Torque converter turbine speed sensor malfunction). The last time it happened I just waited a few days for things to dry out and then drove the car until the CEL went out. The car has been fine for months until the rain we got last weekend. Then it started again. I am almost a 100% certain that the rain is causing a short somewhere in the wiring from the transmission. Does anyone have an idea where I should look and what I should look for? I see no point in replacing sensors since it has been done twice already and the problem comes back every time we get a lot of rain. Your help is appreciated. Thanks

I ended up buying a new caliper semi loaded with the bracket included. The caliper probably was OK but the extreme temperatures it experienced must have caused some damage. Either way, easy repair. Bled the fluid on all four wheels and back on the road. Replacing rotors this weekend since heat warped the passenger front. Sometimes it is just easier to spend the extra money - still less than the local shop.

It is in there and I really don't have time to mess with it unfortunately. I think i will buy another caliper bracket but can't seem to find one that won't take a few days to get here. Anyone know of a place in Allentown or Bethlehem that would have one tomorrow?

Let me rephrase. The top pin moves freely. The bottom is stuck. This is the caliper with two bolts, one bolt on the top and one on the bottom. How do you remove the bottom pin in order to replace it? It does move at all.

99 Subaru Outback Automatic: Right front wheel is heating up which appears related to recent brake pad replacement. The lower pin for the caliper does not move. I am assuming the caliper should slide easily and this id the cause of the heat and smoke. Is it easy to replace the pin and how?

The fuel pump is not working. I'm trying to figure out if power is getting to it. I need to know how to test the wiring to the fuel pump to isolate the problem. Ther are four wires going to the fuel pump. I'm not sure which wire does what.

Car: 1991 2.2 Turbo My car died last week. I'm leaning towards the fuel pump but I am also suspicious of a bad alternator or timing belt jumping. Prior to the car dyeing I would hear belts screeching in the morning when I started it up. It would soon stop but it sounded different than it did before the screeching thing started. The brake light also came on a few times which happened in the past when the alternator died. I wasn't able to pinpoint the source of the slipping belts but it sounded like it was coming from the timing belt rather than the alternator. The timing belt is still intact but I'm not sure if it jumped. At the same time, it doesn't sound like the fuel pump is turning on when I turn the ignition - i can usually hear it clearly. My question is this. How can I test to make sure power is getting to the fuel pump? I already swapped out a relay to rule that out. There are also some wiring issues on the connector at the end of the ignition switch. The car would jerk a lot at times before it died completely. It seemed like it was running out of gas when it died.

I got the car back yesterday. The mechanic didn't charge me anything since I paid a bundle for the rebuild. He said it was the speed sensor. When asked what caused it to go he claimed "wear and tear". The tranny seems OK overall but the shifting is a little rough at times - not quite a slip but close. The car also seems to be using an awful lot of gas. I'll monitor gas use and watch closely for the next few days but I have a feeling more problems are on the horizon. Good thing I have a warranty for a year.

It did seem OK for a little over two weeks before it started acting up except for maybe being a little slow accelerating. I figured the car being slow was just the way the car runs. I was having trouble with the tranny for so long I was just happy that it would go when i stepped on the gas. Plus, I am used to driving a 5 speed turbo prior to getting this car. Forgive my ignorance, but a "harness" refers to wiring, correct? Inside or outside of the tranny? My main goal here is to have enough information to get the repair covered under warranty and argue that the malfunction is a result of their work and not just a part breaking because of normal wear and tear.

I'll let you know next week after the part arrives. but, what would cause the speed sensor to go coincidentally afet an expensive tranny rebuild?

The codes were read by the mechanic and he indicated it was the speed sensor. Not sure if the speedo is working - the car is at the shop and I didn't notice when I dropped it off. The car was worked on by a bunch of Spanish guys at a place called Relco. I was lured by the false promise of getting a bargain. The tranny does have a year warranty but it only covers the worked they origianlly performed, not additional problems like a speed sensor. Hopefully, i learned my lesson this time. It is always best to go to Soob specialist or do the work yourself.

the car is a 99 outback limited ed, automatic. The fluid was checked two weeks after the rebuild and five days before the problem started - it was fine according to the mechanic. The first symptom was a shudder when stopping - it seemd like the torque converter was locking but not fully. Then, it started shifting erratically shortly after the shudder started. Then, the trnny light started flashing and the shifting became more erratic. Then, the check engine light came on and it seemed to stop shifting completely. I'm pretty sure it was stuck in 2nd gear. The speedo was working the last time I looked but the tranny light, check engine light and shifting issues all occured within a mile or so of the mechanic so I really just wanted to stop driving it before it got damaged more. I know replacing the Torque converter is tricky. Could poor installation create this scenario?

I had my transmission rebuilt about a month ago. all the solenoids and torque converter were replaced as well. Last week as i was coming off the highway the car started to shudder as if the torque converter was going. By the time i got to the mechanic the next day the tranny light was flashing and the check engine light was on. The tranny started shifting abnormally and gradually got worse until it barely shifted at all. The mechanic told me the code said it was a bad speed sensor. Is this correct? I'm thinking they did a poor job and don't want to honor their warranty..

No harm intended, it just didn't seem that you had any intention other than to make me feel even worse than I already did for making this purchase, which i found unuseful. I certanly would have been open to your help if it was offered. Anyway, xTurbo is helping me out by doing the repairs. He will be posting a link to some pics later. I would have swapped the 2.2 but it has 223000 miles on it and has its fair share of problems. I do thank all of you for the input and I hope i can pay off my debts before the car is a pile of rust. I would have purchased something from a dealer with a warranty had I known I would be getting a car with so many problems and would be spending the money I'm spending. I am definitely going to pursue the issue with the seller since he was dumb enough to put a PA inspection sticker on the car while the car had some safety issues going on that made his inspection fraudulent.

I've done lots of work on cars myself over the years, but I'm smart enough to have someone else help with this job. However, there is no way you could get this car for 3 g's in perfect condition. The bluebook value is much more than I paid. I know i made a bad buy overall but you are flat out wrong here and really just being negative. I could part the car out for 2 g's if I wanted to. Your input is totally unhelpful and unneeded. A 99 Limited is worth far more than a 96 - 98 standard with the same miles. Yea, you could probably get one for 3 g's on Ebay, but it would probably also have major issues, plus you would probably have to travel halfway across the country to get it. I really don't need anyone to confirm what I already know - so, please only post if you have something useful to say - otherwise, I really don't need your two cents!

As I said earlier, I couldn't find one under $4000 anywhere despite what the earlier poster stated about it being worth $3000 in perfect condition. Plus, it is a limited Edition in perfect condition other than the HG and Tranny issue. I did pay less than $5000, but with taxes and Tags it was five. There is no way you could get this car for $3000 around here if it were in perfect condition. Either way, I did make a mistake considering the problems I need to repair now.

I had similar problems with my 2.2 Turbo and it turned out to be air and a leak. The air bubbles and oily smell in the coolant tank make me lean towards the HG. I hope its something less expensive. It didn't start heating up until I turned on the heat but I still doubt its just air.

I would love to do the work myself but I am willing to admit that this job is too much for me. I'd rather have it done right to minimize continuous problems. I think I will spend the extra money for a warranty next time I buy a used car. This car was $2000 less than another one the guy had which was newer but had more miles. I also found a few others for less but needed some repairs like cv joints, wheel bearings, etc. It does suck - I know I made a bad decision. I still need a good, honest mechanic though... I don't have the option to cut my losses really since I'll need at least $3000 - $5000 to get another used car that could easily end up with the same problems.

I would like to sue the guy I bought it from. I researched the value of this car in the condition I thought it was in and valued it at $4600. I definitely made a mistake but I really can't turn back now. I shopped around quite a bit and did not find too many under $4000 unless the miles were higher and the condition was shoddy. I probably would have been better off either paying more for a newer vehicle or getting a 96 or 97. The car looks good and the interior is in perfect condition - I guess I was scammed. I think there isn't a lot I can do about it now except fix it. I did run across one or two for less with lower miles but they sold before I had a chance to make an offer. Most OBW's after 99 are over five G's.

130,000. The car does run well overall, so I doubt the engine is too damaged. Does anyone know a good mechanic in PA to do this job? I'll probably replace the oil separator plate, timing belt, water pump, etc at the same time. How much should I plan to spend? I'd hate to end up with another huge problem after spending so much cash.

So, I a bought 99 Outback knowing it was likely to develop Headgasket problems but relieved when everything seemed OK on an extended test drive. No overheating, no bubbles in coolant tank. I bought the car two weeks ago. My brakes didn't work the day I bought the car. This turned out to be the master cylinder. Easy enough repair. Then, I noticed some tranny problems after I fixed the brakes. It doesn't always engage immediately when I put it in drive but seems a lot better once it warms up. My mechanic also said it has two oil leaks - one on a valve cover and one at the rear of the engine. So, tonight I'm driving home enjoying my new car. I turn on the heat and the temp gauge starts going up. I immediately suspect HG but hope it is something else. I turn the car off and start it again. It runs cool all the way home. I took it for another test drive and it heats up agin when going up a hill with the heat on. I then noticed bubbles in the coolant tank. I haven't been able to get it to to heat up yet without the heat on but I'm thinking this is just a coincidence. So, I'm looking at replacing Headgaskets, a possible transmission, and I only drove the car about two hundred miles. The car is in great shape cosmetically and probably has another ten years left on it in that sense. Since I am not the original owner, I'm not sure if it is worth the gamble to replace the head gaskets if the previous owner let it overheat a number of times. The carfax is clean but only shows it wasn't dealer serviced - although it does appear to be well maintained. I owe about $5000 as of today including the car, taxes, and my first repair. Is it worth even doing the work considering the engine could have some major problems from previous overheating? I would like to just get my money back and find something else but I doubt I have any legal rights since the car came as is. I am angry with myself and the guy I bought the car from. I had a great experience with my 91 Turbo but it is old and slowly falling apart... Any advice?

I'm surprised the first mechanic inspected it like this. He should be fined but I'm not a confrontational fellow. I really got along well with the guy i bought the car from.

I doubt it is pad kickback. The pressure drops too quickly and resolves briefly. There could be a leak somewhere but I can't find it - the master cylinder is the best bet imo. I will try to bleed again before replacing the master but i never had problems like this with air in the system without a reasonable explanation..

I checked a lot of threads before making this post. I'm fairly certain the booster is Ok but not positive.