Rooster2

I try to get tires rotated at 6,000 miles. Yes, rotating tires front to rear, rear to front, keeping tires on same side of the car is what I have been told is the thing to do. Michelin makes great tires that are very round, and don't need frequent balancing. I prolly get a 4 wheel alignment about every 20 K miles. Sooner, if I feel the steering wheel pulling to one side. I make it a point to check tire pressure once per month, and air up any tire that may have lost a little air. If I see a tire that seems to be loosing more air then usual, then I look for a nail in the tire that could be causing the air loss.

I know for sure that the '95 model 2.2 is non-interference. Wife's 98 OBW has that motor, and just last week it broke the timing belt. I had a shop replace the belt, and had no damage to the valves. If you replace the belt, it is a good time to replace the water pump, as minimal additional labor time involved.

The tranny delayed forward engagement primarily affects 99 and 00 models. I wrote the original post abut the merits of Trans-X, and 5 years later, it still helps my car. Best to do three drains and fills of ATF before adding 1 pint of Trans-X, as only half the ATF can be drained from the tranny at one time. Typical drain and refill is 1 gallon and 1 pint. As mentioned, it is good to know what year car your 2.2 came from, and have a good idea when the timing belt was last changed. Otherwise, if the belt breaks on a valve interference model, the broken belt will cause broken valves. That is a lot more repair work and cost, then simply replacing the belt. You may also want to replace the fuel filter. I was amazed how much more power my car developed with a new fuel filter installed.

For what it is worth, I had a Subie tech working moon light several years back replace the head gaskets on my 99 OBW. He did a great job. He was able to replace the head gaskets without removing the engine from the car. I think he loosened motor mounts, then using a floor jack, he tipped up the motor for better access on each side to replace the HGs. Had to disconnect the exhaust system I think.

I swear all those oil change joints operate the same way with up sells on anything they can think of. It is not often that I go to one, but when the weather is just too cold, or too much snow, then I will go to one. Otherwise, I change my own oil and filter. You just have to remember to say NO NO NO to all their up sells. Sometimes, I will even say that I am trading in the car on a new one, so don't want any of their extra services, just to shut them up. They are worse with women, telling them lies about the car being unsafe unless repairs or services are performed. Got to be a special place in hell for those scammers.

All additives for sale to fix a bad head gasket will not work in a Subie. When a Subaru head gasket goes bad, exhaust gas enters the cooling system causing over heating. The heat and pressure from exhaust gas cannot be held back by any additive. When my 99 Outback blew a head gasket, the motor was running just fine. However, i was aware of the grim possibility of the head gaskets going bad. Once I saw bubbles in the over flow, I new for sure it was the head gaskets. Changing t-stat, rad cap, or any amount of coolant burping wasn't going to fix my car. I just bit the bullet, and had the head gaskets replaced, and stopped whining to myself about "why me." I just got over it, paid the repair bill, and motor on. That has been 25K miles ago, and at 218K miles on the odo, my 2.5 soldiers on.

Where do you shop for used tires?? Most tire shops I have been to, no longer display used tires on racks for inspection. Yea, sometime, I have bought used tires from a wrecking yard, but haven't seen much available lately.

+1 on using peanut butter as bait on a mouse trap. I have never found anything better. My guess is the seat is gnawed away with the foam and seat cover material missing. If so, that material is being used by mice to build a nest inside your car. I say MICE, because mice don't live alone. There are always 2 or more around somewhere. Set multiple traps, bet you catch more than one mouse.

Thanks for the testimonials........all good advise. Pretty much what I surmised.........maybe a few $ in savings, but somewhat of a hassle in doing so in transporting tires to an installer, and concern if ever a warranty issue.

Sorry to say, but you have the classic symptoms of a blown head gasket. Please don't drive when it over heats. My wife did that to ruin a motor. Lots written on this subject..........Read all about it in the archives when you search "head gaskets" on this forum. it is the most prevalent problem on Subies 96-99 models. If you drive again, and it prolly spikes the temp gauge in a hurry, look in the radiator overflow catch container. If you see bubbles rising to the top of the container, then you know for certain that it is bad head gaskets.

With 200K miles on the engine, a previous head gasket rebuild, and a recent over heat or two, if it were me, I think I would opt to install another engine. In 99, you have the 2.5 phase 2, single overhead cam, which I think started production in your 99 Forester, and continued well into the 2000-2004+ line of Subarus. Others need to confirm this, but I think a 2.2 phase 2 in the late 20's and early 2000 models will also transplant. It looks like you don't live that far from "The Cities," so you may find a yard around there to buy a good used motor. Searching on Carparts.com for a motor could work for you as well. If you find one, prolly best to pick up the motor, as having it shipped to you could be pricey Let us know how you come out. All here are to help you...........Regards,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Rooster2

I have encountered similar problems in the past with cars, no Subies, but cruise control systems all work the same. Check and re-check the rubber lines and closely examine the actuator for any rubber leaks causing a vacuum leak. When ruling out electrical wiring or switch problems, I could always seem to eventually find a vacuum leak in the system that caused the problem. Some times not easily found, just need to look closely.

There may be some u-tube videos out there that show how repairs are made.........worth taking a look see.

If it over heats again, open the hood, and look inside the over flow radiator reservoir. Let the motor cool down some, then start the car. Look for bubbles flowing to the surface of the coolant in the reservoir. If you see bubbles, it is a good indicator that you have bad head gaskets. The bubbles indicate that exhaust gas is leaking across a bad head gasket and entering the exhaust system. This causes air to build up in the cooling system to prevent antifreeze coolant to flow through the system, so the engine over heats. It is also the cause of why there is no heat coming from the heater. Look for bubbles.........let us know.

I like to read success stories like this. Hope all proceeds well.

No dyno testing done, but even so, if a couple of hp/tq increased, it would not make any measurable performance difference in driving, or even "seat of the pants" improved performance. Biggest draw back is the added exhaust noise. At first it sounds great, but after a short period of time, the noise competing with a good car sound system becomes annoying. Every mod change to a car is a trade off.

I continue to buy from Discount Tire, but am careful. A new friend used to work as an installer tech at DT, and told me horror stories about their counter sales guys. He said those guys work on a salary + commission basis, which I have no trouble with that. However, he said their sales guys can get too aggressive to SELL SELL SELL. This can translate over to selling tires, when current tires on a car are still good for many more thousand miles. I have learned to be careful to not get taken advantage of at DT.

I have been shopping around for tires to see advertised prices at Discount Tire and elsewhere. On line stores like Tire Rack and many others sell tires on the cheap. I am trying to figure out if there is any savings. Sure, I see lower tire prices, and perhaps sales tax can be avoided, but when you add in tire shipping costs, and installation cost at a shop that will mount and balance the tires, then the cost looks the same between on line sales, and just a regular purchase at a tire store. I also have concern about customer service on tires bought on line. What if they shipped a new defective tire, how much hassle would there be in getting the defective tire issue settled? Who pays to have a defective tire returned to the on line store? How responsive are on line stores to solve customer service problems?? Anyone have experience, and stories to tell about their experience of buying tires on line?? Thanks!

I agree with commentary above. If siping were such a good idea, then the tire manufacturers would sell their tires manufactured that way. To some extent they do so, when you see channels cut into the tire tread to push water to the inside and outside of the tire to reduce hydroplaning. To add extra sipping beyond what the manufacturer produces doesn't make any sense.

I have tried several cheapie high flow mufflers on Subies and VWs. Results were a little louder, but no change in HP or MPG.

I had a 95, 2.2 motor swapped into wife's 98 Outback with no issues. I could be wrong, but I think the 95 motor is OBD2, I know the 98 motor was. The swapped in motor was plug and play.

I have used the Trans-X fix for 5 years now on my 99 OBW, and it continues to work well. I have added only 1he smaller bottle containing, I think, 15 oz of fluid. So, a quart added is too much IMO. Trans-X has low viscosity, meaning that it is very "watery," and may dilute your ATF too much. Here is the original write up on Trans-X. Well worth your reading it.......... FIXED!! Trany delayed forward engagement

Yes, it is a shotgun fix approach. Newer diagnostic systems tell you exactly what part is malfunctioning. Obviously, Subies from the '90s aren't that sophisticated. I have never though about, or heard where that sensor is located. The PO 440 lights up on many Subies. Usually, it is a bad gas cap that is the source of the vacuum leak.

Mike, Happy to hear that you installed your filler pipe after a lot of cussing, I am guessing. Your CEL sensing a vacuum issue may be due to a bad gas cap. If your cap is old, the seal may not be tight, so it creates a vacuum problem. Unfortunately, replacement gas caps don't have the OEM teather, if bought from a parts store. More then once, I have left my gas cap at the service station, and had to go back to retrieve it.

Maybe been in a wreck?? Unibody bent??