mikec03

Recently my '95 started pinging on regular gas with no CEL and someone suggested a restricted EGR valve as a possible cause [as was suggested here]. I took apart the EGR and there was about a 1/16" even carbon coating on it. The orifice of the valve is not very large-about 1/4-3/8" dia. and the 1/16" coating could substantially restrict it. So I scraped out the coating with a screwdriver and the pinging has been eliminated.

"Not having sufficient amps" is a really good point. I have been only checking voltage. I noticed that the starter solenoid wire was 12 g and I wondered why? If I have trouble again, Ill install a relay. Thanks.

I replaced my original starter on my 95 subaru last fall with a advanced auto rebuilt one. I did this under a mistaken understanding of a problem I was having at that time. No problem over the winter with the rebuilt starter. But when summer arrieved, the starter started to fail occasionally. about once or twice a week. It would work after repeated tries sometimes taking as long as an hour. I checked the voltage to the solenoid and it was OK. I recognized this as a typical starter failure of which I have had a couple over 40 years. So I went back to advanced auto and replaced the started at no charge. But I immediately had the same problem with the 2'nd rebuilt starter. I was reluctant to believe that I had a second defective starter. So I changed the female connection to the starter solenoid, thinking that there was corrosion inside of it that I couldn't see. But there was no improvement. Finally, reluctantly, I went to the salvage yard and bought an old, non reconditioned subaru starter. This solved the problem. So when bloggers say that you can't trust these rebuilt starters--their right!

I just replaced my '97 gas feed tube due to leakage. I replaced my '95 gas feed tube last year for the same reason! So if anyone still has the plastic guard on the feed tube for their late 90's Subaru, take it off NOW. The plastic guard holds sand and such against the feed tube and promotes rust. If you take it off, you have a chance to prolong the life of the tube a few years.

Far be it for me to act like an expert, but nevertheless I will try and summarize the head gasket problem. If your '97 is a 2.5 DOHC and you drove it to 210K without a head gasket failure, then you are one really lucky fellow. If it is a 2.2, then just keep the car and try to get to 300K. The situation is as follows: The 96-99 DOHC 2.5 engines will almost all fail before 200K because of the head gasket. The 00-early 92 SOHC 2.5 engines will mostly fail before 200K. The early02-09 SOHC 2.5 engines will sometimes fail before 200K. The jury is still out on these cars. I own one, by the way. The above is focusing on the Legacy. The Forester and Impreza are a little different, but the situation is very similar. See Wiki for motors in different models. PS. I have the VIN number in 02 where they switched over to the "new and improved" gasket if anyone is interested.

I think that we can beat up on Subaru for the head gasket problem! It doesn't appear that they have completely solved the problem with the gen II 2/5 engine [judging from the posts on this and other forums] from 2000 to 2009. As an engineer, I think that's too long. If it was just a couple of years, I could be more forgiving. I'm assuming that the stiffening of the cylinder wall in 2010 will finally solve the problem.

While it could be carbon deposits, I don't see anything when I change the spark plugs, admittedly the view is somewhat restricted. Here's a post I found from 8 years ago by GeneralDisorder: ..the fuel delivery system is a feed back loop controlled primarily by the O2 sensor and the coolant temp sensor. When the engine is cold, [before the O2 sensor begins reporting], the fuel delivery is controlled based on the engine temp, and tends to be rich-thus no pinging. I would put my money on the O2 being bad-once it switches over to closed-loop operation, the O2's data is telling engine that it's running too rich. Well, this makes some sense to me since I have good pick up and don't hear any pinging on acceleration when I first start out. I read somewhere else that the O2 sensor doesn't start to report until it reaches 600 F..

It's just hard to believe that in this day of unleaded gasoline that there would be significant carbon deposits in the head! It's even harder [for me] to believe that gasoline additives would remove carbon deposits anyway. Any other thoughts? Surely I can't be the only owner with a 15 yr old Subaru that is getting pinging?

Of course, I meant a ping. The gas is good, the car is tuned up, and the knock sensor is apparently working by reducing the engine power [retarding spark]. Does anyone know how long the knock sensor is in force once it activates? It has to have some sort of delay or it would be continuously clicking on/off. And why am I getting pinging?

I can hear my '95 subaru [2.2] knock, especially when the auto trans shifts from first to 2nd. So far, I put in premium gas and, not surprisingly, it stopped. I have two questions for the experts on this forum: 1. Once the engine knocks, how long does the knock sensor override the ecu settings--5 sec or 5 min or what? 2. Why would it start knocking? It doesn't burn oil so there shouldn't be deposits in the cylinder heads.

In the areas you describe, you probably have penetration or the rust is so deep that you can't grind it out. It will come back unless you get rid of all the rust. What I have done, on 3 subarus, is cut out enough of the metal to squirt behind the metal [say 2"x3"]. In the back and front, I apply naval jelly [phosphoric acid] wash and dry, then rust converter. Then fiberglass, bondo, and paint.

There are surprisingly few posts on this forum concerning rust repair. I just repaired 7 spots on my roof and the bottom of three doors on my '95 Subaru. My technique is as follows: 1. Grind off paint and rust with the 3M black wheel for drills. 2. Naval jelly 3. Rust converter [Dupli color spray can] 4. Precoat spray can- 2 coats 5. Touch up spray can-4 coats [Automotivetouchup] 6. Lacquer If there is penetration, then I cut out enough so that I can get behind the panel with Navel jelly and Rust converter. I find that if there's penetration and I don't get behind the panel, then failure is certain. Of course, this is followed by fiberglass, Bondo, and then steps 4-6. I think that this works most of the time, but there are still failures. Any comments or different ways of doing it. If there is only surface rust. I appreciate that only steps 4-6 are required, but with a 15 year old car, there is often deep rust by the time the paint bubbles.

There is not a nut and bolt involved on the SAME attachment. The only hard part is removing the bottom attachment [nut/bolt-I can't remember] which requires a different socket. I've done two changes on 2.2l engines from the top. On the first one,I tried to use a 14 mm socket on the bottom attachment for 15 minutes before I realized it was a different size LOL!

It's apparent that most of the replies arn't to the point. AlanS clearly intends to buy a new car! So the the question is: Can he expect the '10 Lagacy [2.5l]to run over 200K miles without major maintance? I think so. The main problem for the last 10 years has been a leaking head gasket. And even in that case, it didn't fail catastrophically. In the words of one mechanic, "it's just a bump in the road to 300K miles." So I think it's a reasonable chance, especially since Subaru has reinforced the cylinder wall and put in the multi-layed head gasket for '10. I would buy one myself if I wasn't cheap and didn't already own a couple 2.2l Subaru's.

Look for a 2.2 l engine. I personally would not buy a car with the early 2.5 l engines [years 97 to 02] unless it already had the head gaskets replaced. And even then, I would want to know which dealership replaced them. I own two subarus with the 2.2l engine and I'm very happy with them. And one with the 2.5l engine which I worry about.

I'm kind of stunned that AWD doesn't use any of the US aftermarket or Subaru oil filters [see link].

yea, I had mine welded up. High temperature cement didn't last too long. I have 190k on my '95, so the original gasket did last a very long time.

I have a 2002 legacy. The good news is that there is nothing to worry about in regards to the Knock sensor, the MAF [mass air flow], or the ECM. However, during the production run, Subaru changed the head gasket. Call the stealership and ask if the vin number is before or after the change if you want to know. Subaru offered a 8 year guarantee replacement for the cars before the change, which is now expired [since the change occured in the latter part of 01]. BUT, there are indications that the head gasket change was not a cure all. There are posts from people with 03-05+ with head gasket failures! So an unknown number of Subarus' made after the change will have head gasket failures. This is better then before the change where the failure may be almost universal. I would guess that the failure, from what I've read,will always occure after about 80K miles. Finally, be aware that the head gasket failure for the cars after the change is not very obvious. Mostly, the coolant leaks out, very slowly at first, and evaporates on some of the hot surfaces. You can smell it- maybe. Good Luck.

To answer the original question by vwbuge1 clearly, it doesn't look good for the 2.5 phase 2 engines supplied 2002-2009. One, Subaru has supplied completely new gaskets for 2010 and stiffened the cylinders as noted in the above post. That doesn't mean that 2002-2009 head gaskets will fail, but that's the way to bet! Two, there is already some posts on the internet of owners of 2002-2009 model Subaru's having failed gaskets in the area of 100 Kmi or less. But we know from pre 2002 Subaru's. that many, many of the gaskets will fail at 150 kmi, 200 Kmi, or even higher milage. The late model cars just haven't reached that that mileage yet, as already pointed out by another poster.

.A little more new HG info @.. http://allwheeldriveauto.com/subaru-head-gasket-change/ That's huge. It implies that the head gasket "fix" from 2002-2009 in NA engines wasn't effective! Maybe, all of us with these cars better start budgeting for a head gasket replacement.

Just to summarize and finish off this old post, I did change the CTS [the junkyard didn't even charge me for it]! But it didn't seem to make any difference. So now I'm giving the car a couple tankful treatments of Techron. I'm hoping that one of the fuel injectors is partially plugged and the treatment will clean it out. But the weather in Wi is warming up so there probably won't be any real cold mornings that I can check it out. I'll find out next winter. Thanks for all the help and suggestions.

I just checked out the car on edmonds.com which I think is a lot more accurate then Kelly. There is a $1300 deduct for the high milage for a net value of $1500, basis average condition.

It seems clear that Subaru did not solved the head gasket problem subsequent to 2002. If you read the recent replies to Juston Stobb's blog noted below, you will see plenty of 03's, 04's etc complaining about HG leaks. The more the pity since I own a late production '02 and was hoping I wouldn't have to face that problem. http://allwheeldriveauto.com/subaru-head-gasket-problems-explained/

I was told by my dealer that 2002 Legacy was not covered be the extended warranty! This is because Subaru supposedly fixed the head gasket problem during the '02 production run and that my car was made after the fix. Therefore none of the '03 cars would be covered, contrary to information above. Can anyone confirm this?

Is there a lot of smoke when it finally starts? There is some, but in the cold weather, the condensed water vapor tends to obscure the amount. I'll go to my U-pull-it junkyard Monday and see if I can get a CTS. Thanks for the advice. Thankfully someone put pictures on the internet or I would never be able to find the CTS.