mikec03

You had better trade in your "intuition" for a new one. If available for a good price [ $2000], with only 127K, and without much surface rust, you should run, not walk, to purchase it. The 1995 was/is one of the best subaru's made.

I've owned a couple of the 95's. What to look for: 1. First check to see if the 4 wheel drive is OK. Put a fuse[say 15 amp] in the FWD connection on top of the passinger side front strut. If the FWD light come on [in the dash board], then at least the duty C solenoid is still functional. This controls the 4 wheel drive. 2. With the fuse out, drive in a tight circle. If there is a problem with the transfer case, it will "grab" at the rear wheels. 3. Check from underneath the condition of the rear structural members. Sometimes they completely rust out.

Those of us who have never made a mistake on subaru maintenance should cast the first stone. I cross threaded a spark plug once. I almost got it all the way! LOL

That sums up succinctly and exactly what the OP should do. But first he should find a good indy subaru shop. A good question to ask a shop that claims to be able to fix subarus is: "How many subaru HG's did you replace in the last 12 months."

Ok, first start a new thread. This one is over 10 years old. Second, post the codes if any. And are you sure that the 03 has an MAF. My 02 doesn't.

It's not too surprising that it doesn't work. The hub in the trans could have sheared off or the rear differential could have failed, for example. I had a 97 that apparently had the hub sheared off. It drove fine as a front wheel drive vehicle.

The symptoms do sound like a bad MAF but I'm sure that there are many other possible causes. Not a bad idea to swap it out with a cheap junk yard one. When my 90's MAF went bad it didn't set a code. As far as the fuel pump, when mine failed, the car won't start at all, so I'm doubtful of the diagnosis. What I did was replace the entire pump assembly, which is easily accessible, with one from the junk yard. But you can test the pump by disconnecting the gas line to the filter and tape a coke bottle on and see if you can get gas when you run the starter. And you can also put a pressure gage on the rail, although that's more difficult.

I've had 4 2.2 90's subarus. I have had problems once with with the TBS and once with the MAF. I can't say the symptoms were exactly the same. But I think that your first step is to take off and thoroughly clean the throttle body and IAC. If you take off the TBS, you do have to recalibrate it [unless you replace it with the original and carefully mark it's position]. There are a lot of DIY on the various subaru forums to clean and recalibrate these items.

Incorrect! There are many cars made after 95 which had 2.2 engines. I've owned two of them. The 96 cars were the first year that subaru installed the 2.5 DOHC in the outback. This is the worst engine that subaru ever made. Don't buy it. If the OP verifies that it is a 2.2 engine, then buy it. Be aware that almost all the 90's engines leak oil mostly from the infamous "transfer plate" in the back of the engine, but the amount of leakage is almost always inconsequential and except for the spots on the driveway, it's not an issue.

So, it would be a good time to learn to do the easy things on your car. The problem is that when you take it to the mechanic, the car often won't duplicate a problem. You are the only one with the time, interest and opportunity to do this obvious check which will isolate the problem. People spend a lot of money at shops trying to correct a problem that is not evident to the mechanic.

Bingo!

Of course you can't just put oil on it and expect it to seal. Others will specify the sealant. When I did my 97 I used a gasket from advanced auto, but almost everyone else uses a gasket former on the oil pump.

I put in reman starter from advanced auto in 3 or 4 old subarus [i've lost count], and I haven't had any problem with them. The longest I have had one installed in a currently owned car is about 4 years.

You didn't ask, but just so you know, there is a gasket that you can use on the oil pump, which replaces the sealant. I used it. It didn't leak. No problem,

I am helping the OP. I'm trying to keep him from wasting $2500!

Ok, that's the first step. Now ask them if they have done any 2.2 swaps, which are quite common, and how much it would cost. You will not lose much power with the 2.2 and it is a nearly bullet proof engine. Then you have to decide whether you want to go ahead with it. PS if the "good shop" is the same one that advised you to try and fix your existing engine, then don't do any business with them.

Yes, but since the OP is new to subarus, he probably doesn't know of a good independent shop. I maintain a couple of 90's subarus and my strong advice to the OP is to junk it. The second alternative would be to replace the engine with a used 2.2, but only if he knows of an independent shop that has done a few replacements. But in any case, do not try and fix the 2.5 DOHC engine or replace it with another used one. A used 2.5 DOHC could very easily have been overheated and could fail in a short time. Ditto for the existing engine.

Most likely corroded out brake lines. But do as P75 says and you will see the two brake lines going through the floor under the rear passenger side seat.

Since you got the knock sensor code, you should replace it. It's so cheap, that it's silly to keep it. It's really a PM for a car as old as a 95 even if you didn't get the code.

So do you have any idea where the oil went?

The timing belt and pulleys need to be done at a maximum of 60K miles and should have been done years ago based on time.

Of course. It's in stock at advanced auto and cost about $35.

On the 95, you also have a "transducer" [don't know the proper name] connected the the egr which has a diaphram in it. Its about the diameter of a half dollar and 1/2 in high. The diaphragm inside may be cracked. You should not be able to suck air out the bottom.

Congratulations on getting the dealer to fix the problems. Concerning the timing belt [and pulleys, water pump, and tensioner], There is almost zero chance it would fail during the presumably short guarantee period. So forget about that possibility. You can do some research on it. You can find the location of the original owner and check with subaru dealers in the area if they did a timing belt change on the car. Failing to find any information, then you have a choice: [1] change all the timing belt parts yourself for $200, [2] pay someone to do it for $1000 or [3] just drive for a few years and hope it doesn't fail until you have the experience or money to change it. Most likely it won't fail for a few years. Just so you know in the future, it is common practice to change the timing belt, etc after purchasing used cars since it's difficult to verify if it's already been done. You have to figure the price into the purchase price of a used car. If the timing belt fails while driving, then the car is essentially junk.

I've sold 3 used cars and bought 6, and I've paid/received cash for all. Why would a person do anything else?