MischivousSlpwlkr

This forum hasn't steered me wrong yet, and I am hoping today isn't the day that changes. The other day I was driving my 1996 OBW 2.2 5spd back to my home state of VT from boston when I started smelling something burning. I thought it was just engine oil, so I ignored it (it was leaking all over the rear of the engine/front of trans and burning on the cat). But then I started hearing whining noises, and then something started slipping severely. I popped it out of gear to get off the highway, and when I tried to put it back in, it wouldn't go. I had to get towed home. Leading up to this, the trans slipped out of 4th gear whenever I coasted, and I drove the car for way too long with leaky tires that were impossible to maintain at the same pressure, I know I should've replaced them sooner, but I'm a poor grad student, and before that a broke ski bum, so it wasn't a priority. I think my trans is gone, and I think that I should probably have the clutch replaced as well while the guy is in there. I've found a mechanic (that a friend knows and trusts) who has a used trans that he will sell me for $300 (though he said he could prob drop that a little), plus $200 for instalation. Then another $200 for a clutch kit, plus $90 to remachine the flywheel (he said this is necessary for a new clutch. I haven't heard of this before). So, I'm looking at about $850 there. Then, right before this happened the car failed inspection b/c the rear cat is shot. prob about $200 to replace that, and before the rear cat started leaking the check engine light was always on. It only shut off after the exhaust leak started. So I'm afraid once that is fixed, if the inspection guy is overly scrupulous, it may cause more problems. So I'm looking at at least $1000 in repairs to get back on the road, and possibly more if inspection is a problem. The car has 187,000 miles, but I've had a bunch of front end work done recently, the timing belt, water pump, front seals, new tires, breaks are good. Only other issue I'm aware of then the trans/clutch/exhaust is that the valve covers appear to be a little leaky, cruise control is broken, and obviously a bunch of interior lights don't work. If I were to scrap it I think it is only worth a few hundred, and there is no way I could afford a car over $2000 if I were just to say screw it and start fresh. What should I do???? :-\:(:(

I'm planning on running an inverter off it, but the most I'll ever be plugging in is a laptop. This is mainly for cellphone chargers, etc...

I guess it could be that, but it looks like the wires go up the harness coming out of the back of the stereo and go away from the stereo to wherever those wires might end up on the other side. Regardless, any opinions on what the best way to hard wire in a couple of new power outlets would be? I'm thinking I might just tie right into the existing wires that go to the existing power outlet. Is that an okay thing to do?

So yesterday I decided that I would fix my 12volt outlet, and add 2 more while I had the dash open before I leave to drive cross country on tuesday. All went well with the stock outlet, reassembled it, replaced blown fuse...back to normal. I noticed that taped up next to the wires for the outlet was another wire harness that terminated in one of those white clip/2spade jobs connected to nothing. Potentially perfect for what I'm trying to do here. So i got out the electrical meter to see if it had power and accidentally touched both spades with the same probe. DOH! A spark flew, so I know that it was live, but now its dead, and I can't seem to track down a fuse for it anywhere. The wire seems to run into the stereo wire harness, more or less, but the stereo still works, along with everything else, and all the fuses in the box are still good..... Anyone have any idea where I might find a fuse for this? Thanks!

So, after almost a year without any major problems it seems like the water pump on my '96 OBW 2.2L has crapped out on me. I was leaking lots of coolant, so I took it into a mechanic who pressure tested it and said that the only place coolant could leak from in that part of the engine is the water pump. Not having the $500+ to replace it along with a timing belt, I elected to continue driving the car, filling it with coolant as needed. The other day, it started to overheat on my ride home, so I pulled over, let i cool down, and then got home. Later, when the car was cool, I tried to refill the radiator, and found that it wasn't empty like it usually was when the car would start to overheat. I'm guessing this means that the water pump isn't pumping any coolant at all now. Is this correct? Anyways, I have a bunch of questions for you most excellent folks: 1. Does this business about the water pump sound right? 2. If the mechanic is only a few miles down the road is it safe to drive there? 3. I'm thinking about attempting the job myself, though I really have no experience working on cars beyond brakes and oil, I'm fairly handy.... Is this something anyone with the inclination can figure out? Will I need many tools beyond standard wrenches and sockets? 4. Regardless of who does the work, I'm gonna get the parts myself. I'm def. gonna do timing belt+water pump. Should I do seals too? (They don't seem to be leaking right now...) If so which ones? Where's the best place to buy this stuff online? OEM or not? 5. A guy I work with who works on cars on the side said he'd do it for 400bucks if I got the parts -- Thats for the pump, seals, and belt. Good Deal? Oh yeah, I've got 172,000mi on the beast. Thanks a lot for your help!

So today I was on my way home from work in my 96 OBW. I work at a jobsite towards the top of a windy mountain road. After taking the first turn, my steering wheel started to jerk HARD a few inches back and forth. I stopped the car, and got out and everything looked okay from the outside. The problem continued for the next five minutes. I then went around another turn and the problem dissappeared as quickly as it came. Any ideas? I know that my cv boot blew out like 2 thousand miles back, but thats all I got. Keep in mind that I live in the mountains so aggressive driving on winding mountain roads that are unpaved sometimes is the norm for my driving.... Any ideas? Thanks!

When I replace it, I plan on using a rebuilt axle, from either an autoparts store, or I'll order one on the interweb from an axle rebuilder I suppose. Any thoughts on the best way to go? I am NOT looking to spend a lot of money. Also, will the noises get really bad right before it goes? I.E., will it be obvious that it is about to go bad?

So the first thing I did after buying my new 96OBW in Brooklyn was test it out by driving it back home to Colorado. It did great, but I did notice that my right cv boot had ripped about half way across nebraska. A few months and a couple thousand miles later, I'm getting sort of a clunking noise when I turn to the right. I'm wondering: Does everyone agree that it is most likely my cv joint? How long do I have before the joint goes completly? What will happen if the joint fails before I replace it? If/When I decide to replace the cv axle, what special tools will I need? Will I be able to do it myself? Thanks guys!

Can anyone tell me how to find the timing marks on my '96 OBW 2.2l? I'm gonna go in there and check the timing/condition of the belt later today, and I'd rather not go in blind....Thanks!

Yeah, it was the PO420 code. My a/c blows warm air....the heat and fan seem to work just fine....

This is my second thread on this board. In my first one you guys were great in helping me buy a new soobie. Your all so unusually nice for messageboard people. Thanks again! Anyway, the new car has been great, but I'm having some problems with it. Its a '96 OBW with a 2.2L. The other day I was on the highway and the ECL came on. I brought it to my dad's friends place to borrow his scanner and the catalytic converter code came up. He said it could be either the CC or the O2 sensors. He reset it and it stayed off for a few hours, but came on again. I'm about to drive it xcountry home to colorado from my parents place in NY. The good news is that once in Colorado I won't have to worry about passing emissions inspections. The bad news is that my ECL is on. So, what I'm wondering is: Is this a problem? Will this make the car go into limp home mode? Is there anyway to ignore or workaround this code so that my light goes off, so that if another serious problem arises I will know about it (and not just ignore a constantly on ECL)? What should I do? Oh yeah, and my a/c doesn't do anything...any thoughts on that? Thanks guys!

A final update to my saga: A few hours ago I found a new posting on craig's list near me. '96OBW, 2.2L manual, and it looked great. The engine looked waaaay cleaner. No front seal leaks, just a tiny bit of oil dripping from the valve covers and the oil pan. $2400 later I am the proud owner of my very first Soobie! WOOHOO! The Ac doesn't work, but I thought for the price, and everything else I've seen considered, it looked damn good. Thanks a lot for all the wise words, and wish me luck! MchSlpwlkr

So, I really appreitiate the advise thus far, and I got some more info on the vehicle. I saw a reciept showing that the timing belt, water pump, and crankshaft seal were all replaced at about 100k (its now at 127k). A mechanic told me that he thinks that on that 2.2L engine, the cam seals would not be leaking to the timing belt housing, and that the problem is likely the oil pump o-ring. He says this is a much easier and inexpensive repair. Does this make any sense? Thanks again for the help everyone.

Okay. So I've decided there's no way I can do this on my own. Dealers are quoting the repair at $800-1000. Should I go for it anyway?

Its not the seal that I'm worried about...Its the fact that if oil is dripping from the timing belt housing gasket, there is oil in the housing, and that the timing belt has probably been comprimised. Meaning that the vehicle may need a new timing belt in addition to fixing the seal. I guess my question was, is it just a normal $2 problem when cars to have oil that looks like its leaking through the timing belt housing, or is it a deal breaker? Please Explain!

I know I started a similar thread about this, buuuut.... I know this is a great motor, but the one I looked at had lots of oil that appeared to be leaking from both the drivers side cylinder head and from both sides of the bottom of the timing belt case. Is this REALLY BAD like I think it is (don't wan't my timing belt stewwing in oil and grime) or is it normal for this "bulletproof" engine to leak like this?

For a few weeks I've been furiously looking for a Soobie wagon to replace my dead Jeep. I thought I had finally found the one today. Its an '96 outback wagon with 127k, a new clutch, and a new timing belt. And what I was really excited about was that it had the 2.2L that everyone here raves about instead of the 2.5L that everyone says blows head gaskets. And the price was right. It didn't smoke at all when revved up at the operating speed (the first of the cars I've seen that didn't do this) It even handled well. The transmission sounded a little worn, but I was willing to overlook it until I looked under the vehicle. I noticed a very good amount of oil on most of the bottom of the engine. When I traced it it seemed to not be coming from the pan, but rather from the driver side cylinder head. Okay, its probably just a valve cover. No big deal. Then I noticed oil drips on the bottom of the timing belt case, on both the passenger and driver sides! And thus, instead of buying my dream car, I walked away disappointed again.... My question is: Is this as big of a problem on this car as I think? Or, is it a common problem inherent to the design that doesn't effect really effect the timing belt. It is a timing belt and not a timing chain, right? If it is a belt, is there anyway the oil could be dripping from BOTH sides of its case, and yet the belt is dry and not stewing in oil and grit? Also: Is smoke from burning oil when you tack the car up to 5grand or so something that most all of these engines do over 100K, or is it reasonable for me to believe that I can find another that won't smoke when I stomp on it a little? Finally: Are there any specific flaws that I should expect to find in all Subarus, but ignore b/c they won't effect longevity, and how about the things that I might miss, but really need to look out for? BTW, I've got $3500 to spend, and I really want to find a manual trans wagon, in the ny,nj,ct area, and, I need it within a week. :-\ Any help or words of wisdom you guys can give me will be much apprietiated! Thanks!