Rooster2

Beyond the brakes, I would check the ends of the half shafts to see if the dust cover boots are not torn. For sure change the oil and filter on this car.

To be getting only 10 mpg, I am thinking that your motor isn't running well. Any chance that the spark plug and plug wires need replacing? Also, PCV valve, and air cleaner? Prolly good idea to steam clean the motor to get rid of any residual oil that's hanging around. Also, like already mentioned, pull codes if your Check Engine Light (CEL) is on. The codes will lead you to what mechanically needs to be addressed.

I have purchased and installed new batteries that have been very low on water, that have caused trouble. You would think it would be full since it's new. It may be worth a look to see if there is enough water in the battery.

First rear engine Outback that I have ever seen............. Body looks great, shouldn't be too hard to put back together, if all the parts are there. Keep us posted on your latest project.

Take great care when reinstalling motor. The motor must be seated correctly to the automatic transmission. Otherwise, the transmission will be ruined if improperly seated. Others hear can tell you specifically how to do it correctly.

the only down side to all of this is the that resale value is not very high. so you will have to drive it to get your money out of it. the car is not worthless but it has a limited value. but fix it and drive it for 50k - 70k miles and you will be glad you did. Not to rain on your parade........but I'm thinking that your car is 21 years old. At some point you have to be concerned about how much repair money you are willing to put into a car that is this old. Like said above, unless you are wanting to drive this car for a long time, and put on a lot of miles, you may want to consider the value of dropping a lot of good money into this car. I have seen a number of old complete respectable decent looking cars that have just entered a wrecking yard. They weren't wrecked, but asking the yard owner, and he will tell you that the engine or trany is bad. It's something to think about.

I remember that Subie engines were used in ultra light airplanes, but don't know if that was the earlier 1.6, 1.8, or the 2.2?

At the time of over heating, suggest you look to the inside of the radiator overflow container. If you see bubbles, then it confirms a bad head gasket. I have read where others having your problem, have loosened the vent screw on the opposite end of the radiator from the rad cap. Loosening that screw vents off some of the exhaust gas that accumulates in the cooling system, and helps the engine from not over heating. Some of the coolant is lost doing this. It's certainly a band-aid approach, but a consideration. I see that you are new on this forum, and glad to have you join us. There are many others on this forum that are Subaru pros that know a lot more about Subies then me. I am sure you others will have good advise for you as well.

I had the same problem on a 91 Subie. It turned out to be a bad head gasket. Your 2.2 motor does not have a reputation of developing a bad head gasket like later model Subarus do, but none the less the 2.2 will blow a head gasket. The major clue was your saying that the heater blows cold air. That results from the bad head gasket allowing exhaust gas to enter the cooling system. Enough gas causes a big bubble in the cooling system. A big bubble does not flow through the heater core like radiator coolant does, so no flow, no heat. The hot exhaust gas also causes the motor to over heat. If the HG is not completely blown, you can prolly drive the car on short distance trips, and not at high speed. You must keep an eye on the temp gauge, it it starts to over heat, you will need to pull over and let the motor cool down. Otherwise, driving with an over heated motor, will ruin the motor, but I bet you prolly know that.

I have had good results with Advance Auto Parts store ceramic pads at all four corners of my Subie. I bought their store brand ceramics. Price was reasonable.

I would add a can of fuel injector cleaner to the gas tank. Use the good stuff costing $6.00+ The cheap stuff is mostly alcohol, and doesn't help much.

Does sound like rotor warpage. Do both rotors need turned when this happens? If it is only one rotor, then I would suspect that one brake is slightly dragging due to a caliper piston not fully releasing pressure from the rotor, when your foot is off the brake. If that is the case, replacing the caliper should solve the problem.

I think all brands of antifreeze will work in a Subie. Just so many cars now with aluminum engine components that all mfgers. make antifreeze compatible with aluminum. I use Wallmart's house brand with no issues for years. Even says on the label that it is compatible with all engines. 20 to 30 years ago, there was a compatibility problem, but now solved. Orange stuff in the cooling system is a mystery. Maybe PO put an additive in to address HG or leaking rad or heater core.

I am thinking that driving lights can not be wired up to existing wiring to headlights. Driving lights pull some strong amps that the existing headlight switch, wiring, and fuse system are not designed to handle the higher amperage pull. New wiring, in line fuse, and dash mounted switch is the way to wire up driving lights.

No, the heat shield can not cause a CEL to come on. The heat shield has nothing to do with the operation of the car. It's sole purpose is to prevent a grass fire should you ever pull in and park in an area with high grass and weeds. The heat shields prevent the weeds from coming into contact with hot exhaust pipe, which could cause a fire.

I use the Bosch Platinum, single electrode model. They never need to be gaped before installation. With such a hot spark going to plugs these days, I don't think that gaping is that important anymore. Seems like anything that I have bought already has a decent gap as set at the factory. Plugs that I pulled out of my OBW with 148K miles were very widely gaped from wear, and had to be way out of gap spec, but still performed well enough.

I had similar problem, a few years back when I replaced the plugs after buying a used 99 OBW. Pretty sure the plugs and wires were original, with 148K miles on the odo. The wires seemed shrunk wrapped to the ends of the plugs, and the plugs nearly bonded to the heads. I had to rip and tear the plug wires off in order to get a socket to go over the plug. Same result you had, kind of a creaky sound caused by rust and corrosion. I think that is called galling. Once I had a plug break loose, then I would slowly loosen, then tighten, then loosen a few times to finally be able to unscrew the plug. Just take your time, and slowly remove the plug with out torquing the drive handle at an angle. Upon replacement, I used antisieze cream to lube plug tightening, and to prevent galling in the future for plug replacement.

Looks really nice for $400. It is a Limited, so it has the leather interior. I have same in a 98 OBW, those seats are so comfortable. They do require some cleaning and conditioning to keep from cracking. Dropping in a 2.2 is a good choice. When replacing the TB, suggest you replace the tensioner pully as well. You don't want the old one to sieze up on you.

I disagree on opening the bleeder when retracting the caliper piston. That is unnecessary. Keep the bleeder closed when tracting the piston, will push the brake fluid back through the line to the m/c reservoir. The fluid level will rise slightly in the reservoir. If the reservoir is already filled to the max level, then remove the reservoir cap, and wrap a rag or paper towel around the reservoir to catch any over brake fluid flow. The bleeder should be opened only when you want to drain dirty brake fluid from the system, and replenish with new. Otherwise, you make work for yourself at pad changing by having to bleed air out of the line.

Lots of rats???............oh that doesn't sound good at all. All rodents like to chew on wiring to sharpen their teeth, and build nests everywhere. I hate to think what damage they could do to your car's wiring under the hood, or seats if they get inside the car. I have seen what damage mice can do over one winter to the interior of a car. Rodents can enter the interior of a car via the smallest of openings. If they can squeeze not much more then their noses into an opening, they can wiggle the rest of their body through the opening. Any chance of parking the car elsewhere for 2.5 years? Irregardless, if it were me, I would consider selling the car, and buying another car after 2.5 years.

I agree with you, but like said, it was an aftermarket radiator added to an old Subie with 200+K miles on the odo. The holes just did not match up. However, I think the car will find its way to a wrecking yard before flexing with the chassis takes out the radiator due to cracking. It prolly would have been a good idea to wedge some rubber between radiator and chassis, before cinching together with cable ties.

I had the same problem some time back. My problem was that the mounting holes did not match up. I secured using nylon cable ties. This worked just fine in securing the radiator tightly, but I wasn't proud of the red neck look. So, you might try this approach. It is important that the radiator be tightly secured, otherwise it can cause rattles, and the flexing can eventually cause the radiator to leak.

The caliper bolt I am referring to is the one bolt that secures the caliper to the bracket on the lower side mount. On the upper side mount is the slide pin that lets the caliper rotate up and out of the way to be able to change the pads.

I agree that there is a caliper problem. Either the caliper is bad, and not releasing, or like said, the hill holder is partially engaging the caliper on a continual basis. Even with a new caliper, it could still be bad. Especially, if it is a rebuilt unit from Autozone. I buy a good amount of stuff from Autozone, even though some of their rebuilt stuff sometime turns out to be junk. However, they always stand behind their product with a good lifetime warranty, and will replace what they sold you without hassle at no cost. I would take the caliper, rotor, and pads back for free replacement. Upon installation, make sure the hill holder mechanism is either made to work properly, or fully dismantled. I don't think anything with bearings would be causing your problem.