mikec03

This is really good advice [as is all the advise in the replies]. Be prepared to buy the longest tie wraps you can find. If most of the cover screws don't brake off, I'd be surprised. The lisle seal puller really works nice. I'm surprised that no one mentioned the crank bolt torque. In the instructions for the 95, I think it says 65 ft lb. However, in later years it was revised upward to 130 ft lbs. Definitely use 130 ft lbs.

Actually, anyone could have guessed that. When commodities are high, everyone thinks they will never go down. When commodities are low, everyone thinks that they will never go up. It's better to look at the last 10 years and assume that history will repeat. Plus 1 to that. Right now, diesel is selling for $1.00 more then low octane gas where I live in Wisconsin. Moreover, I believe that the cooking oil used in Asia for very poor people is similar to diesel so this is going to put real pressure on the diesel price going forward. So I wouldn't assume that diesel will be cheaper then gas in the future..

I also have a 97. Before I ordered the timing belt, I took off the driver side of timing belt cover, and looked with a flashlight and mirror to see if it was a cylinder type tensioner or the other type. It only takes a few minutes to remove the driver side cover. Not sure where you get the 3 different types. I have only found two.

My thoughts. If it's not a 2.2 engine don't buy it. If the mileage isn't under substantially under 150K, the cost is out of line.

It's a 99% chance that there is something wrong with the fuel pump assembly. When I had one fail, I just went to the u pull it junkyard and got a replacement. I don't think that it happens too often, so a junk yard replacement will last the life of your car. It's much easier to get the whole assembly they to replace part of it.

There is another thing that you need to check. On these old subarus, the brake lines often rust. You will undoubtedly be checking the oil level frequently [to find out how much if any oil it uses] and when you do, mark the brake fluid reservoir level. You should not see any drop in the level of course. If it drops, then there is a leak.

I have replaced the starters on 3 subarus using rebuilt ones from Advanced Auto. So far, so good. However, I want to caution that on the 90's subarus, sometimes the power supply to the starter solenoid is a problem, and this problem may carry over to the 02 model. Many posters have said that the rebuilt starters are not very good, and advocate repairing the solenoid on the starter or using OEM starters.

Assuming that's the old belt, then yes ignore the lines. When you put the new belt on, you line up the lines with the respective pulley hash marks.

Here's hoping it worked. but probably not. Enclosed utube is interesting.

The idlers were probably not replaced at 120K. The idlers fail before the belt, from what I read on these forums. The best idea is to just get the replacement belt and/or idler from the junk yard, put them on, and then test it for compression. This costs you practically nothing. If there is no compression on one or more cylinders, then you have a big expense, and you have to decide whether to repair it or buy another used subaru for equal or lower price. As you probably know, you most likely bent a few valves, but you might be lucky.

+1 to luckey texan. You need to take off the timing belt covers. You should have done this first. Then check to see that the HASH marks all line up [to approximately 12:00 ]. You can take off the timing belt covers, despite not having great mechanical abilities. There are tons of DIY's that show how its done. Anyone can do it. Here's one: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2111702

I had a 2.2 [a 95] that started to bubble in the reservoir indicating a failed HG. So it happens with a 2.2. It drove ok but it probably would have eventually overheated. The rear frame rusted out at 213K so I junked it before it got worse.

I have an 02. The Goodyear Eagles, as mentioned above, are good highway tires and good in snow and skid resistance. I've had them on for 3 years. I live in Milwaukee and I think that skid resistance is the most important attribute in tires. I didn't get that the Michelin were that good in wet conditions or I would have bought them.

I had the same problem on a 97 subaru. The brake pedal would depress too much but the car would still stop without difficulty. A second pump was solid and only went half way down. I purged the brake fluid without effect. I took it in to a shop who replaced the pads and cleaned the calipers. Problem solved. I still wonder how this solved the problem. A stuck guide on the caliper would only lessen the braking on that caliper and cause the car to pull to one side or the other. It shouldn't effect the amount the brake pedal depresses.

That's a good question. It's unusual, judging by comments on forums, for the coolant to leak but not the oil for an 03. On my 02, the oil started to seep and after 5K it left a pretty nice spot on the driveway, but it never amounted to much oil consumption. I never got any coolant leaking. I don't think that the oil or coolant would every gush out. But it will start to drip so much that you can't stand it. I always fill the coolant reservoir over the fill line. The only thing that could be a problem is that some would "slosh" out if it's too high and you drive like a maniac. Fill it a couple of inches above the full line, cold, and mark the level with marker.

You have really answered your own question. As long as you keep the coolant tank full and it's only seeping, you can drive it for thousands of miles before you need to do the HG repair. Many people who have a coolant leak, don't check the level often enough, end up losing too much coolant, and overheat the engine. It doesn't sound like that will happen to you so keep on driving it. In the meantime, investigate/find a good and cheap indy shop, and you should have a ton of them in Oregon.

Well done video, by which I mean that it is clear and easy to follow. The question is: did the seal leak since the video was made 10 months ago? I have always been afraid to take off the oil pump because to the problem of sealing it, although using the anerobic sealant rather then the rtv would set my mind at ease. Problem of sealing explained: if there is too much sealant used that it may/will brake off an plug some of the oil passages as mentioned in the video.

Here is what I would do given the low mileage. Don't change the water pump Don't change the seals Don't take off the oil pump Doing any of the above will double the time, at least, that it takes to change the timing belt. If later, one of the seal seals start to leak, it's not the end of the world. You will easily be able to see the leak and identify it since it will be in the front [unlike many other leaks on subaru engines]. If one of the seals starts to leak, you will at least know how to replace it, at low cost, with just your labor. Even though I have changed a couple of water pumps, I don't thing that they fail very often and probably never below 150K. I think that changing the belt, all the idlers, and tensioner is a good idea. No one can say if these items are entirely mileage or time dependent. You have an interference engine. Just do it and forget about it for 10 years, given your low yearly mileage. PS. I did take out the radiator the last time. I don't know if it's faster. You have to take out either the fans separately or the radiator and fans together. Either way it's a problem. With the fans, the some of the bolts may/will brake off. If you decide to take our the radiator [and fans together], you will find that the four hoses and clamps can be a problem and may/will need to be replaced. I guess if you decide to not replace the water pump, then just take out the fans and leave the radiator in place so you don't have to fool with the cooling system, hoses, etc. Also, I did go to Harbor Freight and buy their $10 torque wrenches, one for low and one for high torque. I do use them but I go a little farther then the "click" just to be safe.

No. The lower torque specifications were from subaru, not after market manuals! The following are from surbaru service manuals. Crank bolt torque 1996 80 ft lb 1998 94 ft lb 2001 130 ft lb In addition, there was no change in the crank bolt from 95 to at least 02 and probably to the present time.

Just to clarify something for you. If your brother, consulted a 96 service manual, it did not specify 130 ft lb of torque for the crank bolt. I think the 95 specifies 65 ft lb and through the late 90's, subaru kept increasing the specified torque, until the early 2000 cars where they arrived at 130+ ft lb. So apparently, subaru had reports of the crank bolt loosening and increased the torque to fix the problem. Use the 130+ ft lb. Also you will need a 12" screwdriver to easily hold the flywheel, or something like a screwdriver. There are like 1 1/2" long eliptical like slots in the flywheel to insert the screwdriver. It's relatively easy to hold the screwdriver with one hand and put the torque on the bolt [with a cheater]. It would probably be a good idea to order a new crank bolt which is cheap just to be sure that the threads are not goofed up.

I drove a 95 with torque bind for a couple of years. No problem. Normally, I drove with the fuse in. When it snowed, I took the fuse out, and the car was in four wheel drive. There is very little problem driving like this as long as the streets are at least wet. But of course, on an expressway or with completely dry streets, you are putting stress on transmission so you should drive with the fuse out under these conditions. There is little or no need for four wheel drive on an expressway, anyway, where I live in Wisconsin, since usually the lanes are cleared of snow so quickly. I think that the occasional 90's subaru which has a defective rear differential or the "hub" in the transmission sheared off has been driven with the fuse out ALL the time so the stress on the drive train eventually takes it's toll.

The late 90's subarus are really great, and the 95 with relatively low miles should work out well for you. Being in Texas you probably don't have to worry about the problem common in the snow belt of rear brake line rusting or gas fill tube rusting, but here are a few things that I found to be somewhat frequent problems on the 90's subarus. 1. Alternator failure 2. Starter failure. Not only do the old starters fail, but sometimes the power to the starter solenoid needs to be brought directly from the battery. 3. MAF failure. If the car starts to stall occasionally but then run alright for a while, suspect a glitch in the MAF.

The fact that you drove it for a week leaves the stealership off the hook. Sorry but you should understand that "as is" means almost no comebacks. I would put on four of the same mgf tires on the car immediately. Yes, I know, it's $450, but they last 40K + and it's cheap insurance. Subarus don't like different tire diameters, even small differences. It destroys the four wheel drive clutch. When I bought a 95 for my son last year, I immediately put new tires so I follow my own advice.

You won't have a problem in 6 months! The question is whether the GMB parts will last 60K or 105K? I've been using them but I only have about 25K on the oldest ones that I installed. You should get OEM seals for the crank and cam seals.

So you have 254K on your 2001 car? I think that you have got your money out of the car. Since you have the shop on the hook, maybe, one thing that you can consider is swap a used motor in. Don't try to repair the existing motor anymore. Unfortunately, a used 2.5 motor is always a gamble. You don't know if the used motor was overheated, etc? Best, of course, is to buy another car.