Rooster2

I have never swapped out a Subie tranny, but have read on this forum, that it is critical to mount & bolt up to the engine correctly to the new tranny. Lots written on this forum about that. To do it wrong, ruins the new tranny, that you are installing, so you gotta know what you are doing, to get it right. My past experience........ about 5 years ago, I had a 91 Leggie wagon. The auto tranny went bad. It refused to shift out of second gear into a higher gear. I didn't have the garage, tool resources, knowledge, or time to swap out the tranny, so I traded it in for a newer OBW.

Well, I think the first thing, is to tell us what year and model car you have? Start with the basic.......is the Check engine light on? If so, get the codes read, then fix what the codes tell you that needs to be fixed.

In the long run, I have found it best to use a Dremel tool to cut off the loose heat shields. Otherwise, seems like no matter what, the shields always found a way to loosen up again.

If it is the tranny filter, it is not a big deal to replace it yourself. It just screws on like the oil filter. I bought one from an auto parts store about 2 years ago for my '99. Cost maybe $30. It looks just like an oil filter, but guess it is made differently inside, or has a different filtering media. Call auto parts stores for availability if your Subie dealer is not close near by. It is not something that all auto parts stores will have in stock.

I just used 2 plastic ramps in front, and chocked the rear wheels to prevent car roll back. That gave me enough room to crawl underneath. I had heard the same concern about not using too much force for fear of stripping out the threads in the pipe. I just pulled down with a steady constant motion, and the 02 sensor came loose.

resist the temptation to drop the pan, as a means of fixing the problem. Dropping the pan, and replacing the gasket is a very nasty job, that often results in a continued leak from the pan, besides to loose that much ATF, it would be darn near impossible for a bad pan gasket to cause that. I am with the others, look for a bad cooler line as the source of the problem. I don't think there is any similarity between Cadillac and Subaru trannys, to gleam any insight on your problem. Suggest adding back ATF, if you want to drive the car to a garage for repair. Don't drive with low ATF. You don't want to entertain damaging the AT.

I had trouble with that on my 99 OBW last summer. I finally bought an 02 socket with an offset to attach the drive. I then added a long bar over the end of the drive for added leverage, and got it to break loose. Prior to, I had squirted well with PB Blaster, a couple of days before hand. I raised the car up on drive up portable plastic ramps to be able to get under the car. Glad you got yours loose. It is always very satisfying to successfully complete a car project.

Let me guess, you got into your car with wet shoes maybe just once or multiple times. The water from your shoes soaks into the floor mats, the heater evaporates the moisture from the floor mats, which then condenses on the cold windshield. I have experienced this, so I recognize the problem.

fuel filter plugged? Put a new one, they are cheap and easy to install. fuel pump going bad? Also, as already advised, a plugged up cat converter can limit rpm, and therefore cause a bog down.

Yes, it is the latest 2 litre Subie motor. Gasoline only in the US. There is a recent write up on the FB motor that was posted here. It also referred to a car magazine article write up. A search here on this forum for "FB Motor," should get you there.

Just gone through this over heating nonsense on my 98. Sorry to say that it is very likely your head gaskets. On mine, I hoped it wasn't, but it was the HGs. Avoid further over heating cycles, as it is very hard on the engine. It is just too easy to warp aluminum engine components. Once warped from over heating, the engine will not be reliable.

I am thinking a dead spot on the starter. When it finally rotates a little, then the starter works just fine. I have had this happen before, so I remember the scenario. Replacing the starter should fix this problem.

Yea, the 2.5 is a great engine, plenty of power, but just plain snake bit with initial poor HGs coming out of the factory. I went over board on saying "inherent risk," I should not have come on that strong. So............okay, let's hear some testimonials from owners with the latest and greatest HGs on their repaired 2.5 motors, saying that they have driven 50K+ miles with no HG trouble, and are confident that their HG problems are behind them.

Sorry to hear your mechanic's results. About a month ago, I had the same dilemma with my 98 OBW, with the exception, that I knew my motor was cooked, and could not be repaired. Exact replacement used 2.5 motors are difficult to find and expensive, and carry the inherent risk of blowing HGs again. I thought about upgrading to a newer car, but my money is tight, and the 98 OBW is still in good shape, so I elected to have a shop install a 1995 2.2 motor. Overall cost came to about $2,000, but figured I couldn't buy much of a car for $2,000. The result is I got a good running 2.2, that is non interference, not prone to blowing head gaskets, and much easier to change spark plugs. The 2.2 lacks 30 horsepower compared to the 2.5, and yea, I can feel the ponies are missing. However, it is not that much slower. I am glad that I have gone the 2.2 route. Just my 2 cents worth of testimonial for what that is worth.

Nice retro touches, I like them.

I have an aftermarket radiator on order with delivery in a couple of days for my 98 OBW. I will certainly check mine to see if it has the odd cuts or not. Sure seems strange to have the cuts, I can't imagine there is much need to have the cuts for heat expansion??

I agree with you. I had a 91 Leggie wagon years back. The seats were much more comfortable then what is in my 99 OBW.

Bubbles in the overflow tank is an absolute dead give away of a bad HG in a Subaru. Standard HG tests on other cars, is to look for oil/water mixture on the oil dip stick, and do compression test. These tests don't work on a Subaru. I hope your mechanic knows that. If a new head gasket is needed in your future, be sure to use an OEM Subaru HG. Other aftermarket HGs just won't hold up for long.

There is a nice 2 page write up on the Subaru BRZ in the latest issue of Car & Driver, the December 2011 issue of the magazine. Their write up speaks highly of the collaboration between Subaru & Toyota, and prolly a nice car for the money. I like Car & Driver for realistic presentation of cars while providing some humor. In their article they denote the Subaru "flat-four revs far more lustily than any non-turbo Subru, but the sound-basically that of an Evinrude outboard chasing small mouth bass-is typical for a Subaru flattie." To me, that description prompted a good chuckle. Now, it is going to be hard for me to listen to any Subaru motor without thinking it sounds like an Evinrude.

There is more than a good chance that you have a head gasket going bad. All 96-99 Subies with the 2.5 motor are prone to this problem. I have read that the problem frequently starts out like yours, it over heats, then is okay for a while, then over heats later. The "laters" then become more and more frequent. In a Subie, when the head gasket goes bad, it allows exhaust gas to enter the cooling system, which causes the engine to over heat. The exhaust gas exits the motor through the radiator over flow hose in the reservoir. The exhaust gas and over heated coolant then spew out of the reservoir, so you find the reservoir empty. If the motor over heats again, check the radiator reservoir. If bubbles are present in the reservoir, then it is guaranteed to be a bad head gasket. I recently saw all of this first hand, when my wife drove our 98 OBW home all super hot and bothered. Yes, it blew a head gasket, and my wife drove on. "Thanks Dear" for just cooking the motor. I am still in the process of finishing the details of having a used motor put in the car. I am not real happy with Subaru for not having a better warning system to tell the driver that the motor is over heating. Sure, the gauge is fine, but it would have been much better to have a flashing warning light added to the gauge, as well as to have the check engine light come on, when the engine over heats. It is just too easy to not notice the position of the needle in the temp gauge. For now, I suggest when you drive your Subie, that you watch the temp gauge like a hawk. If the temp needle climbs to HOT, pull over, and let the motor cool down. That was smart of you to turn on the heater, when you noticed the motor over heating. That does help drain heat from the coolant.

I agree that the standard OBW cloth seats are damn uncomfortable. Gotta believe my 99 OBW seats are same as your 98 OBW seats. They are just a hard cushion without springs. I recently spotted a 2001 Leggie in a wrecking yard. Seats look great, and felt more comfortable. I wonder if those seats will plug and play? Does anyone know if all Subaru buck seats are interchangeable throughout the years?

As discussed by others, the 99 and 00 models had a tranny problem with delayed forward engagement. I don't know that it affects every car those two years, but it affects enough of them to be a known problem.I wrote the original thread about using Trans-X to correct the problem. From my own experience with my 99, Trans-X treatment last one year. The good news is draining and filling the trany with new fluid 3 times, and adding Trans-X with the last fill, will give you another year of good tranny operation free of delayed forward engagement. I am three years into using Trans-X, and the product still performs great. It is just kind of a nuisance to change tranny fluid every summer in my car. I am surprised that the dealer wanted you to make an offer even before getting behind the wheel. That is pure nonsense. I sell used cars part time, and always let a potential buyer drive a car before making an offer. Usually, I ride with the customer on his test drive, and continue to talk about the car in a positive manner.

No need to replace the fuel injectors, for maintenance, just add some fuel injector cleaner like Techron to your fuel tan. Cost about $5 to $6 per plastic bottle. Don't bother with cheap injector cleaners that cost $2 to $3/bottle, they don't work well.

Good thought, I have some silicone grease. I will remember to do that.

If you determine that the pump is bad, and won't ever work again, they are rather a generic automotive items. Years back, I went to an auto parts store, and found a washer pump made for a Ford, was nearly the same as the one on my VW. It interchanged perfectly.