The Dude

Good observation. I own a Forester, and I'm still trying to find a truly significant difference between the Forester and The Impreza Sport Wagon. An inch here or there really isn't much of a difference. Maybe next time I'll buy the Impreza and save a couple of grand.

To me, it's a no brainer. Replace the headgaskets. You have a seven year old car with 100,000 miles on it. You want to to spend as little money as you can to keep the car working for as long as you can. I'll spare you my rebuilt engine horror story, but just let me say that rebuilt engines are NOT risk free either.You could replace the headgaskets one more time and still be up $1,0000 over a 2.2L engine transplant. Some people might find the Legacy to be underpowered with the 2.2L powerplant. The 2.2L is a great little engine, but they break too, just no where as often as the 2.5L DOHC Phase I. So, you spend $3,000 for a rebuilt 2.2L, and 6,0000 miles later the 4EAT AT blows up. Now what?

It's great the way people share knowledge on this board. I just finished my first Subaru ball joint remove and replace, and I thought that I would write a few notes on my experience. Replacing the ball joints on my 99 Forester would have taken about twenty minutes a side IF the ball joint studs were not so difficult to remove from the control arms. I live in South Carolina, hardly any snow or road salt here. I can just imagine this job on a car that had gone through six salty New England winters!!! I tried a ball joint "lifter", which is a kind of puller. FORGET about buying a ball joint lifter, it is a complete waste of time and money. No way can this tool generate the force required to remove the ball joint stud from the control arm. I ended up with a can of PB Blaster, a big pickle fork, a "baby" sledge hammer, and a real tired right arm. Anyway, the job is done and except for the stud problem it was pretty easy. Another thing, I waited way too long to replace the ball joints, they are completely shot. A Subaru has nice tight steering. When you notice the car getting blown around by the wind at highway speeds, it's time to replace the ball joints. The car will still steer perfectly at lower speeds, imprecise and sloppy steering at highway speeds is the tip off for ball joint replacement.

Interesting, my 99 Forester AT does the SAME thing. It always has, even when brand new. My Forester now has 177,000 miles on the clock, so I won't be too worried about it. Here in South Carolina, snow is rare. I am aware of only two times in the seven years that I have owned the car that the AWD "kicked in". Once the AWD kicked in, the car easily climbed the very steep icey driveway. True, I don't live in snowy Vermont, but I'm not going to worry very much about the minor AWD delay on my car.

Nice posts. I'm just about to change the ball joints on my 99 Forester. I decided to buy a ball joint/ tie rod end LIFTER (only about $12). With a lifter you can pop the ball joints and tie rod ends WITHOUT destroying the rubber grease boots on these components. It should be a much more useful tool than a pickle fork. Somtimes you may want to pop the ball joint without having to replace it. As far as I know, a wheel alignment should not be required after simply replacing the ball joints. I don't see where you would be changing caster/ camber or toe in/ toe out. If I am wrong on this, please let me know.

Do a "search" because there is a lot of good information on this board on this subject. I just R&R the front driver half axle on my 99 Forester. It was fairly easy. The biggest problem for most people is probably getting the axle nut off. I live in SC so no rust here. I needed a torque wrench with a higher limit anyway, so I went to Habor Freight and got a 3/4" model for about $70. I removed the anchoring bolt from the front bushing on the stabilzer bar, loosened the pinch bolt and popped the ball joint out of the knuckle. If I have to do the job again, and I probably will, I could do it in about 1/2 hour tops. Do not forget a new roll pin and axle nut. There are probably at least fifty threads on this subject, so read a little first.

Kinda reminds of of the line "When I go, I want to go like my mother did, in my sleep. Not screaming, like the passengers in her car."

Thanks for for the follow up, that way we can all learn something on this board. I'm very sorry to hear about the cracked block. It doesn't seem to happen very often, even on the dreaded 2.5 DOHC Phase I.

By far, the cheapest, and probably the smartest, way out is to repair the engine. Head gasket replacement usually runs about $1200 at a dealership. It's much less expensive if you are able to do the work yourself. CCR is a great organization, but I would not spend around $3500 to put a rebuilt engine in a seven year old car with high mileage. Plus you live in New England. Road salt induced body rust will soon be rearing its' ugly head, if it has not already done so.

California appears to be a pretty expensive place to live. Next to Japan, maybe the world's most expensive real estate on a fault line. Anyway, I would check on the price of replacing a burnt valve. About $1200 is average for head gasket replacement in most places, and to have one valve replaced is about the same job. I'm guessing, but I'd say $1,500 tops. Several people with the 2.5L engine have replaced their head gaskets with the engine IN the car. So, I'd say that you could probably do the same.

Sorry, but I would bet the farm on a head gasket failure. Classic symptoms, and the exhaust gas "sniff" test often doesn't identify the problem until it's worse. Smart move to fix it now. Don't wait for it to warp the heads or crack the block.

Sorry, it's the Fumoto drain valve. This valve is highly recommended by many on this board. Changing the oil on your Subaru involves untightening the drain plug, installing a new crush washer, and then torquing the drain plug to spec. You install the Fumoto valve one time, then a flick of a secure lever drains your oil. Easy, clean, no crush washer, and no possible chance of cross-threading your drain plug.

If the engine has an EXTERNAL head gasket failure , a radiator sealer of some sort might help. Imdew is on the money, the only cure for an internal head gasket repair is to physically replace the gasket.

Overall, these cars are above average for ease of owner maintenance and repair. For example, I replaced the front half axle on my 99 Forester last week. About one half hour for the job, not too bad. I routinely replace the oil, filter, and all the fluids on my Forester. I replace the spark plugs, hoses and drive belts. About the only thing the dealership has done on my car was the timing belt change at 100,000 miles. At 200,000 miles I think I might try changing the timing belt myself. If you don't have one, buy a torque wrench, you'll need it. Also, I HIGHLY recommend a Fumuto valve if you change your own oil. Pay attention to your tires, and rotate them as directed. Good luck. The monetary savings are secondary to me. I actually find it more convenient to service my car. Plus, I know the job was done right.

Surprize!!!! Strap wrenches come in different sizes. The small size strap wrench works great on the oil filter in my Forester. Ya, the air filter housing is a very tight fit. Use a genuine Subaru air filter, a lot of the after market filters will not fit. If this air filter thing has got you a little bent out of shape, you might want to pass on changing the spark plugs.

In normal driving only 10% of the power is directed to the rear wheels. So, the C solenoid is 90% energized. Do you really think that just another 10% to the C solenoid is going to kill it? I don't.

Yes, now that you have four matching tires it is very unlikely that you will cause additional damage to the clutch pack. If you wish, you may drive the car a given distance in AWD and then drain and refill the AT. It may help, or you may just be out four quarts of AT fluid. I certainly hope that you fix this problem with just a fluid change. BTW, a clutch pack replacement is not the end of the world. It is my understanding that the AT doesn't even have to be dropped for this repair.

Most insurance companies REQUIRE you to report an accident within a given period of time. If you fail to report the accident within the time requirement, the insurance will REFUSE to cover any aspect of the claim. Right now the person you hit says, "No problem". But the statute of limitations for personal injury claims is three years in many states. So you don't contact your insurance company within the required 48 hour period, six months from now the person you hit sues for whiplash. Sorry, but you are so totally screwed. You're on your own for attorney fees, court costs, everything, including the amount awarded to the plantiff, if any. The really ironic thing that will kill you is that you actually had insurance during your accident but you waived your rights to coverage. It depends on the insurance company, but many will not increase your rates UNLESS a claim is filed by the other driver. So you may be able to preserve your coverage without increasing your rates. At least check it out with your agent. BTW, if there's a police report, your accident is a public record. I would report it.

A "leak down test" performed by a skilled mechanic might give you some insight into the problem before you open the engine. I would do a compression check at the very least. Also, if you have the 2.5 L DOHC, were the valves adjusted when the head gasket was replaced?

First off, nothing would please me more than if DoMeSuuby was able to resolve this problem with nothing more than a fluid change. I do not own common stock in Fuji Heavy Industries, and I am therefore indifferent to the dollar amount of automotive repair parts sold by Subaru of America. "Unlikely" means less than half. And yes, I believe there is a less than a 50% chance that any given car beset with torque binding will become fully operational solely by changing the fluids. It is clear that the most frequent cause of torque binding is mismatched tires on the car. The first step in trying to solve the problem would be to check the tires. If I remember correctly, they must not differ in circumference more than 1/4". The clutch pack is located in the tail section of the AT. If changing a fluid is going to fix the torque binding, then the AT fluid alone should do it. There is another possibility of which I am admittedly uncertain. I believe the the AT aluminum tail shaft housing on earlier model Subarus would wear prematurely and cause binding. I am not certain what MY the aluminum tail shaft housing was replaced with one made with steel.

If you do not already have a copy, buy the Haynes Subaru Legacy Service Manual. This manual gives detailed instructions on changing the fluids in your car. I have found the Haynes manual to be an invaluable resource, I recommend it highly. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that changing the fluids in your car will resolve the binding issue. It is probable the clutch pack in your car has become worn. The clutch pack usually becomes prematurely worn as the result of running non-matching tires on the car. Subaru's specs for tire matching are VERY, VERY tight. I believe that a clutch pack replacement should run under one thousand dollars. My car has 175,000 miles, and I live in almost snow-free South Carolina. Would I pay to replace the clutch pack, or would I just put the AWD fuse in and continue to run the car until the wheels fall off? It's a toss up.

I'n not saying that you are wrong, but could you cite the source for your information? Your information sounds suspeciously close to the OLD Subaru recommendation that an AWD AT could be towed with all four wheels on the ground for a maximum distance of 31 miles at a maximum speed of 20 mph. Subaru NOW recommends that AWD AT cars be towed with all four wheels off the ground ONLY, as on a flat bed towing truck. Make it easy on yourself, if you own a Subaru AWD with an AT insist on a flat bed towing truck everytime.

If power was removed from the duty c soleniod the clutch pack would be fully engaged. In other words, the default state of the clutch pack is fully engaged. The normal operating condition for the 4EAT transmission is 10% drive to the rear wheels. Therefore, the duty c soleniod is ALWAYS energized. The FWD fuse merely fully energizes the duty c soleniod so that the clutch pack is fully disengaged. I would doubt that the transmission or associated components would be subjected to additional wear from being placed in the FWD mode.

If by "risks" you mean mechanical damage to your car, then the answer is probably no. Obviously, the car will handle differently in FWD mode. Generally binding is caused by a worn out clutch pack.

Never assume that a clutch will be handled under warranty. Most car manufacturers would rather french kiss a hot tail pipe than honor a clutch warranty. If there's an actual broken part, you're probaly OK. If it's a wear issue, they'll try to stick to the owner almost everytime. Funny, because most car manufacturers will honor an AT warranty without even a word.