markjw

Ive been having the same problems with new radiators splitting open. My remedy, buy a lifetime warranty radiator from a popular, local chain store and never lose the receipt. As mentioned, it only takes a few minutes to change one out. And if I take my time, I can recover the coolant without too much mess.

Those trim pieces Slide to unlock. I believe they need to move upwards. Even then, it's no guarantee that the fasteners won't break. Good luck.

The top hose is the pressure line. The lower is the return. I'm also about to install a tranny cooler. I was going to completly bypass the radiator heat exchanger. After reading nippers post, I'm going to rethink that idea.

I had a weird engine bay smell from a car (not a Subaru) that took me a couple days to figure out. Turned out to be the alternator over-charging and 'cooking' the battery.

Have you made any effort to purge the system of air that may be trapped in the rack? I raise the front of the vehicle so both front wheels are off the ground, and with the engine running, turn steering wheel lock to lock while an assistant adds fluid to the reservoir.

I had the same problem with my Outback. The power steering was only working intermittently. Turned out to be air in the system. The weird thing is, the problem came on without any work being done to the system. It just started happening one day. I simply followed the "bleeding" procedure detailed on the board here, and that solved the problem.

I never experienced any clunking during acceleration. It was mostly on deceleration and being in a turn during deceleration. And of course, any bumps or dips in the road would bring it on, so long as I wasn't applying brake pressure.

I experienced clunking in the front end of my Outback this past winter. It was intermittent at first, but eventually was constant. My brake calipers were completely void of any grease. The backs of the inner brake pads were worn to shinny metal where they had been shifting rapidly against the caliper pistons in all sorts of driving conditions (except braking). I pulled both calipers and greased as recommended. Problem solved.

I would look closer at the brakes. When the noise begins to happen, does applying brake pressure make it go away? If so, do as Gary said and pull the brake caliper, chk/replace the anti-rattle hardware and grease where it needs it. Don't forget the back of the pads.

Yes, change your fuel filter. A partially clogged one will at the very least over work your fuel pump, shortening it's life. You can't go wrong with a WIX.

I just tracked down a rattle that Mostly happened during deceleration. But, at low speeds. Turned out to be the inner brake pad vibrating against the brake caliper piston, but only when the engine would vibrate a certain way. A little grease on the back of the pad fixed the problem completely. A quick tap on the brakes when I heard the noise made it stop instantly.

I know all the brake parts from a early model legacy will transfer over to your newer legacy. Maybe easier to find a early model donor car in a yard. Of course, the ABS sensor, tone ring stuff is a issue, but the backing plates, calipers and rotors will bolt on and work. I know 'cause I just refitted my '97 legacy with Really nice stuff from a junk yard '92 that had a recent, thorough brake job. But, I no longer have working ABS. I'm fine with that. Welcome!

I had a wheel fall off once while driving down the road. About 5 seconds after I looked over at the passenger and said "you feel something wobbling?". I have no idea to this day why that happened except that the lug nuts dis associated themselves from the wheel studs. So, I torque to at least 90 lbs on everything I own. I haven't warped a rotor yet. But, definitely best to follow factory recommended torque specs.

Take the time to torque the lug nuts. I usually go with 90 ft lbs. that will save your new rotors from warping, again.

Last month I locked the Only key in my '97 Outback, while it was Running! All the windows were Up and I did the same thing, I used a screwdriver to pry the passenger window away from the rubber, and after pounding flat a old socket rail, I was able to slip that in, work it forward between the seem, and press on the switch that rolls the window down. It took me a minute to come up with the idea, but once I did, I was in in just a couple minutes. The best thing was, as I pounded flat the socket rail, it actually 'curved' on it's own to almost the perfect arc so I could reach the window switch with the end of it. Pure luck. And, no damage to the window or molding.

Are the radiator fans working as they should?

I have done the 'unhook oil line' method as well. I've had good success in the past doing it that way on other vehicles, but I won't do it that way again. Recently, I was trying to resurrect a 4eat that had a questionable oil pump. I was attempting to replace the old fluid with new fluid using the pump and unhook oil line method, and although I got the fluid replaced and all seemed to have went well, the car never moved again after that. The pump was then completely toast. So, I decided that the procedure is too much stress for the pump. I simply do it the way that is so often recommended on the board. Drain and refill three times.

Its a 1997 Outback. ej25 DOHC I bought this car a week ago. It has sat for a couple yrs because the PO couldn't get it to 'run right' after he installed a New timing belt. The belt was changed out for preventative maintenance rather than breaking while the car was under way. After trailering the car home, I was able to start it in just a few minutes. It ran like crap. I removed the timing belt without first checking to see if it was even installed correctly. oops! I researched the installation proceedure, re installed the belt and it ran Much better. It still runs rough, but with no 'tune up' effort and two yr old gas, it ran Ok. So, I was super busy today but I was able to sneak out early this morning to mess with the car for a minute. I managed to destroy the plug wires while trying to remove them, I removed all four plugs (NGK), propped open the intake and do half of a compression test. I got 125 out of the #1 hole and 185 out of the #2 hole. I ran out of time. I had to walk away from it at that point so I really don't know what 3 and 4 are. (I can't believe how inaccessible the plugs are in this engine/engine bay.) I did this with a remote start switch so the ign was never on. And, this is my first new model Subaru. Everything else I have ever owned is early Legacy's and older. So, my concern is that since this is an interference engine, the valves were bent during the initial startup a couple yrs ago after the timing belt install. That prompted me to search for symptoms of bent valves. Some say a bent valve will result in Zero compression, others say it will be Low compression. I will finish the compression test first thing tomorrow. I'll do a wet and dry test. Maybe I installed the belt wrong, too. Maybe I am a tooth or two off.

Obviously, t-stats open because the coolant surrounding them starts to heat up, allowing more coolant to flow. When exhaust gasses are escaping from the combustion chamber, entering the cooling system, the gasses seem to collect at the t-stat. If the t-stat is shrouded in exhaust gasses, it ain't gonna open. It's just not designed that way. So, a gutted t-stat simply allows coolant to flow freely and the gasses find a way out of the system. At least that's the way I understand it.

I've been reading the archives about bent valves on interference engines due to incorrectly installing timing belt. I have come up with conflicting information. Specifically, my question is this. If valves are bent because of a botched timing belt install, will the cylinder show No compression, meaning absolutely Zero, or will it possibly show Low compression in relation to how bad the valve is bent? Put another way, if one cyl. is showing 125 psi and everything else is showing 185, could that be a bent valve?

And, when you do finally get your HG fixed, before you run your engine, replace the radiator and possibly the heater core 'cause they will be clogged.

Or, get a set off ebay....Usually a few available there. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Michelin-180-65-HR-390-TRX-New-Old-Stock-Two-Tires-Very-hard-find-/170732246057?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item27c06f5429#ht_1572wt_1392

There is a 'similar' looking one that runs around Olympia/Tumwater. It was on Craig's a few weeks ago.

I have posted this pic before, but not for several yrs. And, since this is "The Awesome Older Generation Picture Thread", I should post it again. This was my first Subaru. Found it under a cedar tree with lots of green moss growing on it and, it had a blown head gasket. Payed $300 for it. Wish I still had it.

Sorry if this is off topic, but where on the left head exactly is the oil port tapped out? I'm thinking it must be the back side of the head.