Rooster2

Do both vehicles have 15" wheels?? I have a 98 OBW, so I know it has 15 inchers. Wondering if the Legacy may have 14" wheels??

Not long ago, I got some bad gas that had water in it. Not a lot, but enough to affect driveability. Instead of using dry gas, I added a gallon of E-85 to a full tank of gas. The alcohol in the E-85 did a great job of fixing the problem. I think galline anti-freeze is contains mostly alcohol. So, I thought the E-85 would work.

Did a google search for Subaru of Indiana Automotive Inc. (SIA). Went to their site..........http://www.subaru-sia.com/ and read how to schedule a plant tour. For anyone interested, you need to call the manufacturing plant in Indiana to reserve a tour time. Tel number is: 765/449-6250. Tours are only on Mon, Wed, and Fridays, and start at 9:00 AM, lasting a little over an hour. A buddy and I are planning on doing the tour.

Not sure where to post this question on what forum, but here goes.................I drove by the Subaru assembly plant near Lafayette, IN. last weekend. It got me to thinking, that it would be great fun to take a tour of the plant. How can this be arranged?? Any cost?? Anyone on this forum taken a tour to be able to comment what the tour is like?? I live less then an hour away, so it would be easy to get there. I do remember several years back that a tour was organized for USMB members, but I could not react fast enough to sign up for the tour, so missed that opportunity. Thanks for any comments.

When last time plugs and plug wires changed??

I wrote the original post about Trans-X nearly 5 years ago. My tranny still functions great with a Trans-X "fix" once a year. You wonder if it will last forever, I don't know, but so far so good.

If negotiations deteriorate, then my approach is to threaten a law suit............. My past successful verbal threat uses the "if" word to utter a conditional threat, that is softened by saying "hate to", so I say............ "I would hate to have to take you to court over this, but if I have to, I will. ............I have never had to take anyone to court, but that is the type of claims that small claims courts are designed to handle. Good luck............be tough!!

If it is a responsible reputable shop, they should fix the bearing at no extra charge to you. Hard to believe the tech thought the work was done correctly with that much wobbly play.

The Subaru "conditioner" is simply the marketing term of what Subaru calls their coolant stop leak product, that they advise adding to the cooling system to prevent coolant loss when head gaskets loose their seal. The sealer does a good job of stopping coolant loss, so the engine doesn't over heat due to coolant loss.

You should be ok with the $30 aftermarket unit. That is what I spent for an aftermarket for my 99 OBW. Do you remember if the 2nd unit had more spring winding coils then the cheapie?? The minimal coils on the cheapie indicate that it is a poorly made unit. The better units have more coils, and therefore there is more coil to insert into the block upon installation. More coils do a much better job controlling the thermostat's action. Next time, when you see that the motor is beginning to over heat, stop driving.... open the hood and look at the radiator over flow reservoir that sits on the side of the radiator. With the engine running, do you see bubbles rising to the surface of the coolant in the overflow tank?? If so, then that indicates a head gasket problem. Older Subie motors did that...........However, since your engine is I think you might have the 2.5, single over head cam. Head gasket problems are seen as a water leak out of the motor that forms a wet spot or puddle on the ground under the car. Hope this info helps...........

Did you replace the thermostat with a genuine Subaru OEM model, or top of the line after market thermostat? If not, it is the "cheapie" low budget after market thermostats that cause problems like you are describing. The cheapies don't open and close properly, and can cause over heating.

Nice rig....Does the radiator function well at its present location?? IMO, it looks a bit awkward where it is mounted. You would get better air flow if you swapped radiator and spare tire mounting locations. Something to think about.

Trevor, Welcome to this forum.........I hope we can help you. Suggest you pull the oil dip stick to see what condition the oil is in. If really dark, then get the oil and filter changed right away. Any garage or oil change joint can do that. Yea, I agree it is time to replace the timing belt. Eleven years is time enough. You do not want to have the timing belt break while driving, as it will damage the valves, and that is expensive to repair. Suggest you write a new topic on this forum, asking if anyone can recommend a dealer or independent garage in the Santa Barbara that does good work on Subies. I have been able to advise Subie owners in the Indianapolis, IN area, where I live, when asked.

Ask to see a repair receipt from the owner confirming that the head gasket has been replaced on the 99 Subie. That is the weak point on the motor. I have both a 98 and 99 with the same motor as the 99 you are looking at. Both blew their head gaskets, it is repairable at a price of about $1,700. Nice if you can see a receipt that the HGs have already been replaced. Other then the HGs, the Subies are good reliable, fun to drive cars.

Maybe a flat spotted tire?? Suggest driving for a while.........see if condition continues, or goes away.

Sounds over priced to me, though it appears to be in good shape. It is not the top of the line model, as it has cloth seats. I bought my 99 OBW about 6 years ago for about $4200, with normal yearly depreciation, I would guess that about $3500 would be a fair price. Maybe used Subies cost more in Montana, but I can't imagine that much more.

I had the same problem years back with a VW. I did what you, and drilled a small hole in the bottom of the lens. That worked just fine. Every once in a while, the lens would start to fill up with rain water again. I would use a tooth pick to push through the drill hole to remove crud that was blocking water flow. I prolly did this for 10+ years, and never did anything to the leaky gasket. Finally junked the car with 300K+ miles on the odo. My 84 VW Quantum was one of my favorite cars of all time

Not a normal failure............ It is easy to see if the A/C compressor pulley has a belt on it or not, that needs to be replaced, Also rotate the tension pulley. If it spins easily then it is good, if difficult to spin, then it is telling you the bearing has locked up inside the tension pulley, and needs to be replaced. None of this is hard work to do it yourself, or have a knowledgeable buddy do it for you. If you need advise on how to do it yourself, let us know, we will walk you through the repair.

I have never heard of charging a system at the high pressure port. Yea, I guess it would work, but sure don't want the system running when doing so.

No temp sensors in or on the radiator. That helps to make it easier to replace.

Good call from your cousin regarding ghetto approach to purge the system. I will remember that. That would work better then simply filling the system, then using a small screw driver to push down on the schrader valve on the low pressure side to release atmosphere and 134a. I would then refill with 134a, and call it a day. The EPA and environmentalist would hate watching me do that. Yea, also a good idea to wipe off the crud from around the O ring connections. Cleaner is always better. I have a package of green O rings, but prolly better to pick up a new package. It would be my luck, that my existing package would be missing the replacement size I need. Thanks again grossgary.

With an estimate of $1400, is that to replace the tranny? I would bolt in a used tranny for a lot less money. I like Texan's advise about doing 3 drains and refills of ATF with an additive to see if that fixes the problem. However thinking about this................................I always thought that the cruise control system is vacuum operated, and not interactive with the transmission, but maybe that is not true with newer cars. However, if still simply vacuum operated, then I don't see how working on the tranny can fix the cruise control problem. If that is the case, then the CEL for the tranny is a separate problem.

Thanks for your advise. I am going to replace the O ring at the pipe junction with the condenser, and the 2 O rings at the compressor, charge with 134a, and see if it holds the refrigerant charge. I have replaced O rings before on Audis, so I am sure it is the same on a Subie. Maybe I will get lucky, and simply replacing O rings, and this will solve the problem.

Thanks Grossgary for the advise. Yea, shops charge what they can get away with. With a shop paying wages, rent, insurance, utility bills, etc, they have no choice but to charge what they do. Fixing an A/C unit with a 50 cent O ring is something only a DIY owner can and will do. The reason I took my car to a shop is that I don't have any way to draw a vacuum on the system, or professionally install the 134a refrigerant. Upon further looking at the leaking area, it appears that the leak is at or very near the connection junction of where the "metal pipe" attaches to the bottom corner of the condenser. So there must be an O ring there that is bad. Guess I could replace the O ring, add more dye and 134a to the system to see if that fixes the problem. It is a gamble, if it fixes the leak, then I am happy, if not, then I am out the money for the dye and cans of 134a. Even if I fix the leak, I would need to have the system vacuum evacuated, and then new 134a installed. Doing A/C work is never that easy or cheap. I did take the cap off the "Low" port, and depressed the schrader valve. Doing so produced no Hiiiiiiiiiiiissssss, so I know the system is totally empty of refrigerant. Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated. I would like to get the A/C fixed now, and not wait till Spring. Thanks...............Rooster2 Larry

Yea, fill the radiator, run the car to operating temp, then look for leaks, especially if you see water dripping on your driveway. My last motor swap required a radiator replacement. It is really an easy job. Just unclip the front grill above the bumper, remove four bolts, two bolts on the side for the automatic tranny coolant if you have an auto trany, pull the top and bottom hose, then lift the radiator up and out. Easy to remove in about 10 minutes. Lots of inexpensive replacement radiators available on line. All are made in China. I have had no problem with my chinese radiator.