SevenSisters

Dittos on what the Soob Dude said. Keep those 1 gens. going!

My price range included water pump, oil pump re-seal, cam and crank seals, tensioner, shop supplies, hazardous material disposal, etc. Sorry for any confusion.

I feel your pain. I believe it was Friday night, one of the networks reported on scams including unlicensed “Curbstone” sellers that sell multiple cars per year as private sellers of the street. According to the report, half of all private sales were people that bought cars, some salvage etc, made them look good, and sold them through private ads. Your chances are 50/50 you got scammed by a pro and 50/50 you got screwed by the little old lady down the street who was told she needed a head gasket by here Subaru dealer. I’d be livid. Save some of your anger though for Subaru, Isuzu, or GM or whoever they are today. The 2.2 block was bored out to give added displacement, seemingly without regard for the head gasket mating surface area. Although it may be an oxymoron, Subaru’s a good car despite being a POS. The Vega had a better engine. See if the friendly seller is a pro and has other ads in the paper and report to the authorities if so. Pay the price to have it fixed or learn to swing a wrench. A lot of people here can give you advice. Good luck.

Thanks for posting a resource I was unaware of.

If you bought this new, you've changed the timing and accessory belts about every 60K and don't need them for another 32K. If not, a quick look for cracking, glazing, or other damage is in order. The acc. belts are easy. For the timing belt you have to remove the cover(s) and look for the above plus any missing lugs. Subaru also has a timing belt minimum width limit. According to people more knowledgeable than me, it would be a good time to replace the water pump and seals (oil pump too), if they haven't been done. DIY, about $200. Dealer, about $500-800. Out of town dealer, priceless. Take your no limit American Express card along.

Are these (diodes & brushes) dealer only parts or an Advance/AutoZone/etc stock item? At 130+K I figure I'm due. Probably on the coldest day this winter.

What's the typical failure mode? Brushes, diodes, or bearings? I'd be willing to carry some parts if I knew what was needed, but not the whole alternator.

Nice looking car. Welcome to the board. You're approaching 120K. Check the owner's manual for recommended items. On the 1st. Generation 2.2's, it was time (120K) for a timing belt with recommended water pump, oil pump re-seal, cam and crank shaft seals. Not sure about the schedule for later models like yours. Check the brake pad and rotor condition. Change the brake fluid too. See if the dealer has maintenance records they can share with you. Maybe some of this work was done recently. Otherwise your list is a good start.

Free advice is worth what you pay for it. When I was diagnosing a wheel bearing problem (noise),I wanted to eliminate any brake noise. I removed the caliper, hung it by a wire from the strut, and shoved and fastened a piece of wood in between the pads so the piston wouldn't pop out when the brakes were applied. I considered it safe for evaluation at low speeds, but am not suggesting you follow my lead. Why not buy a rebuilt caliper and fix it in the driveway?

Congrats and nice pics.

I had to drive about 40 miles with one of mine out. All freeway and rather rough. Changed the oil since I was concerned about gas contamination. No problems that I'm aware of but see what others think.

On the 1st gen. at least, there are brass inserts in the plastic timing belt cover. The bolts sieze up in the brass inserts and strip them out of the plastic. That's why there are just turning. I think you'll have to pop them out.

OK. Who reman's them and for how much? I got a bad injector code, bought a new one for $100 from the dealer, and put it in because I could take any down time. Maybe I sould have a spare if the price is right?

http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/WheelBearing.pdf This is what I went by. Needed a HubTamer and some modifications in the procedure to accomodate the HubTamer adapters. You have to keep pressure off the rollers by applying force only to the races. The conventional way is to remove the knuckle from the car and press out the bearings. Good Luck

Yes, if it's flashihg you may have a problem. It has nothing to do with two different driving modes. It should come on with the other indicator lights at start up and then go out and stay out. If it comes on and flashes , it's trying to talk to you. Check your manual.

No disrespect intended. Brake fluid is highy hydroscopic (water loving) and can pick up substantial quantities of water even in a closed brake system. I addition to lowering the boiling point of the brake fluid and causing potential brake failure, the water also corrodes (rusts) the lines and cylinders. All auto manufacturers recommend periodic changes to reduce these possibilities. Even I, in earlier times, used a C clamp and never bled or changed my fluid. Only when the POS AMC calipers froze up did I read and learn the benifits of changing fluid. What I did bleed out was black and full of rust particles. The calipers could not be rebuilt. Opening the bleeder screws is only a precaution when changing pads/shoes as the crap, if any, dosen't stay or travel in the system. Again, you don't want a little spec of rust to screw up an ABS pump, as remote as that may be. Change your fluid every 3 years and you'll spend less on brake hardware in the future. Good luck.

Look for a M/S designation with the little snowflake emblem in addition. Check out Consumer Reports for a less biased opinion than you'll find here. I like the GY Regatta II. So did Consumer Reports for an All Season tire with good snow capability.

QUOTE: Sasquatch: "I don't know what 'debris' is going to get into a closed system"

Tell us how you wired it.

It is a straight forward job. In addition to the tools already mentioned, you'll need a hefty torque wrench to properly tighten the axle nut. Unfortunately, when someone can't afford a mechanic, they usually can't afford all the tools needed. I look at it this way, if I can buy the parts and tools needed for a simple job at the same or lower cost of having someone do it for me, I usually opt to buy the tools. When the next job that comes along, you aready have some of the needed tools. You'll always need a (really a couple diffferent ranges) good torque wrench for wheel nuts, etc. If you're not inclined to do a lot of your own work, Harbor Freight etc has some cheap tools that may get you by. Good luck.

Not sure what you mean by durabilty. Five ply steel truck tires still get punctures. Sounds like you need Roadhazard insurance. If you want long life, look at the tread wear rating on the sidewalls. While you're there, look at the temperature and traction ratings too. I've always had good perfrmance out of Goodyears and my next set will be Triple Treads. Buy five tire of whatever and another wheel so you have a full size spare you can rotate. Subaru AWD dosen't like tires with different tread depths.

Welcome to the board. You’re getting a lot of reads, but no replies. Hope you are OK after the mishap. I don’t have answers for your questions but note switching from a p-up to a Subaru is a bit of a change. A lot of Subaru owners buy a Subaru for winter (snow) traction or mild off road use. Do you need AWD? Do you haul a load? Do you get much snow in SF? (joke) Go camping out in the boondocks? Pull a trailer? Tell us a little bit about your driving habits and needs and more people will be able to help. I see the Baja as giving a passenger car ride and performance with the ability to haul a load. In the Snow Belt I’d get 4 or AWD. Without snow I may opt for a 2WD pick-up.

Call them. I can't find half the parts on their website either. I've purchased from them with good results in the past.

Good idea. I hope some one from Subaru reads this.

Dittos on a caliper problem. Plan on a wheel bearing now that the hub has been cooked.