Rooster2

I have a 99 OBW with the delayed forward engagement into Drive problem, so I have read a lot about the issue. In my opinion the problem only affects 99 and 00 model Subarus, and I think only the Legacy model. So, I don't think the 01 would have any delay problems.

Subarus are not known for a bad head gasket causing coolant to mix with oil. Other cars do that, but not Subarus that I have ever heard of. When your 97 model blows a head gasket, it causes exhaust gas to get pushed intothe coolant system, that then causes the over heating. Air bubbles (exhaust gas) in the radiator over flow tank is a sure sign of bad head gaskets. There is a good chance taht the over heating caused the radiator to leak, not the other way around. Since you don't like, or want to keep the car, then I guess that selling it "as is" is your next step. Kinda surprised you would take the time to post your trouble, since you simply want to get rid of the car. Seems more likely that you like the car more then you have said.

It is an easy swap to install a new radiator. I did it on wife's 98 OBW a few years back. Check out both the top and bottom radiator hoses. If worn, it is a good opportunity to replace them. The tranny ATF gets cooled through the radiator, so you will need to add some ATF that will be lost in the swap.

bad coil??

Don't know for sure, doubt it, as the car bodies are not the same.

I don't recommend a turbo model. They are fun to drive zoom.........zoom, but are prone to need repair at high millage.

Yes, I watched the video to ascertain that something internal is either bent or broken in the latch mechanism to prevent it from operating properly. Others have given you good advise on how to install a replacement unit. Good Luck.

It appears that something is bent or broken in the latch mechanism. I have had a similar problem with another car in the past. Not knowing how to fix the latch, I went to a wrecking yard, bought a lach. Installation was not difficult, and that solved the problem.

Nice work, but sounds labor intensive. Were there any Subies around in wrecking yards, where you could have bought an entire hatch, and swapped that in?? Would think that would have been a lot easier.

The guy posted from the UK. The 2.0 displacement motor was sold widely outside the U.S.

I have been pleasantly surprised with the quality of Walmart batteries. I have bought their top of the line with a 3 year warranty for both of my OBWs. Both are going strong, one with 5 years of service, the other with 4 years of service. It still shocks me to see that the price of batteries has gone up about 35% in the last 4 years. Yea, the price of lead has gone up big time, but is there really a lead shortage to justify the big price jump? What gives??

hmmmmmm......that is an interesting thought. We bought the car used many years ago. I can't ever remember the brakes acting like power steering brakes. You may be on to something. MCs don't cost much, I may swap it out to see it that is a fix. Thanx.

A history update.........brakes have felt like manual brakes, not power brakes for some years. Last January, I had brake lines replaced at the rear, as they had rusted out. Work was done at a shop that I trust, and felt they did a good job of bleeding the brake system after installing new lines. As stated earlier, the brake booster unit was replaced about a year ago. Still, the brakes felt like manual brakes even with a new brake booster. The brake pedal feels good and solid, when brakes applied, so I don't get a sense that the master cylinder is the problem. Front pads replaced within the last 10K miles, so I think the pads are okay. Still a mystery to me. The car's brakes make the car good and driveable, and not a safety issue. Still, it would be easier having power brakes once again.

Good advise, I will give it a try. Thanx

Took me a while to get around to working on this. I checked the vacuum hose for vacuum, and it seemed just fine. I replaced it anyway, but found no imprvement. Brakes conntinue to work just fine, but just don't feel like power brakes. It still takes some extra effort brake pedal effort to stop the car. I replaced the brake booster, but that has not fixed the problem. The problem is on my 98 OBW. I also have a 99 OBW, so I can easily tell that the power brake function is not working well on the 98. Any suggestions..............Thanx

what about the water pump is it possible for a water pump to work Intermittently? No, water pump works full time, when motor is running. can my water pump pulley seize up and then break free? seize up again and break free again? or does that never happen? No, water pump works full time, when motor is running. would the belt just slip past it and keep spinnin? No, that could not happen. The next time you start to see the temp gauge climbe above normal, stop the car, open the hood, and check for bubbles in the rad over flow tank. If you see bubbles, it is a sure bet that it is a bad head gasket.

read dip stick when car is on level ground, after it has set a while, with motor turned off.

says he swapped in a 2.2 that is phase 1, so would not be OBD2 equipped, so code cannot be read. Agree with you that the actual engine temperature needs to be determined. Swapped in motor with after market cooling parts, and rigged in resistor can't be relyed on to create an accurate temp gauge reading. Seems strange that the fans never come on. Something is not right about this. Are you sure the fan is getting power??

Since the over heating problem is not consistently severe, but randomly, there may not be sufficient hydrocarbons in the cooling system to show up on a test, so it still could be bad head gaskets. I am also guessing the owner is ocassionally replacing coolant, after experiencing a coolant boil over, so that too could lessen hydrocarbons in a test.

I am betting it is a head gasket problem. Subarus with 2.5 motor in 1996-1999 cars are famous for bad HGs. Having blown head gaskets in a 98 and 99 Outbacks, I have some experience. A blown head gasket won't present itself all the time, but most likely to do so, when stressed at highway speed, or climbing steep grades. Then, the temp gauge spikes to HOT in a hurry. Bubbles in the rad over flow is classic symthom of a bad head gasket. It is caused by exhaust gas leaking through the bad HG into the cooling system, so produces bubbles in coolant, and causes motor to over heat. I don't think trying a new T-stat will help the issue. Some people have removed the T-stat, and driven for a while to mitigate the over heating problem. But, that is not much fun driving that way in winter, as it results in minimal cabin heat. What ever you do for the present, do not drive the car when the motor is over heating. Continuing to do that will destroy the motor. Subarus don't like to be over heated. There is a much written on this issue in the archives of this forum. Use the forum "search" feature to do this. Read what others have written, and I think you will come to the conclusion, that bad head gaskets is your culprit.

I have had similar good luck with reman starters from Advance Auto. If you buy on line, there are Advance coupon codes available to reduce cost considerably. Simply pay on line, then stop by the store for pick up. Hope they have a store nearby for you.

If I got a second hand EJ25 from a wrecker what other parts would you recommend?Obviously I need to do an oil change and new filter. My water pump probably needs replacing too. Anything else? Well if you decide on an EJ25 from a wrecker, it will need to be from a 1996-1999. Hopefully find one from a car that has been in an accident. That at least gives you comfort that the engine was running at the time the car became a wrecker. All EJ25s from that time era have the weakness with head gaskets going bad. Subru replacement head gaskets were upgraded over the years, so new head gaskets reduce the weakness to some degree. It is always a good idea to replace the timing belt, idlers, pulleys, water pump, and oil seals before installing the engine. When completed, the engine should be good for 160K km. This all adds up to a lot of work, when you know the car's value is 2500 NZD. At some point, you have to decide if you want to take the time and money to repair your car, or take the same amount of money and apply it towards buying a replacement car.

Is it possible for a car to travel at high speeds with a blown head gasket? The answer to that question is YES. My wife did exactly that with the 2.5 in her Subaru. She drove on the freeway for so long at absolutely HOTwith a blown head gasket, that the radiator melted down somewhere to leak out all the coolant. Still having absolutely "cooking" the motor, it would start and run, and could be driven around for a mile or two, before the temp gauge would move to HOT. At a repair shop, my mechanic told me that the heads were warped, and fluids were leaking elsewhere from the engine block. There was no doubt the engine was trashed. As Imdew posted, here in the USA, it is common to replace the 2.5 motor with a 2.2 motor from a wrecking yard. That is exactly what I did with good results, plus installing a new radiator. However, as you have said, the 2.2 motor is uncommon in NZ, so that option is unrealistic for you. From your posts, I rather gather that you drove for quite a while with the motor over heating, so the over all condition of the motor is so uncertain, and potentially unreliable, if only the heads were replaced. If it were me, I would either replace the motor, sell the car as a "parts car," or retire the car to a wrecking yard.

It is not possible to see "look into" the spark plug hole on a 99 Subie while the engine is still in the car. The engine would have to be removed from the car to do that.

Does your car have the 2.2 or 2.5 motor?? Do you have any idea of how long you may have driven with temp gauge maxed out HOT? The longer driven HOT, the greater the damange potential. If you don't know for how long, then assume the worse. The result as you know is warped heads, and also potentially bad connecting rods, because of poor oil lubrication. It has been reported on the forum that in this situation, a connecting rod has broken wiithin just a few thousand KWs to really destroy the motor. The basic problem is when a Subaru motor out of the 1990's blows a head gasket, it permits exhaust gas to enter the cooling system, resulting in over heating. Both my 98 and 99 blew their head gaskets on a 2.5 motor. That is the weakness of head gaskets on the 2.5 motors. I guess it really comes down to how much are you willing to spend to put this car back on the road again??