Fairtax4me

More like shotgun format and install my size 12 boot up it's back sector. Anyway. Finally got the results this morning. Fuel dilution was moderate at 3.2%, even though it didn't smell much like fuel. But it had lowered teh viscosity of the oil well below normal for the mileage. Sodium well over 1000ppm, indicator that coolant is getting into the oil. (normal according to the help line is something like 150-300ppm, Sodium is an additive in most engine oils) Normal wear metals all very low, 5 ppm or less. Sounds like a fairly clean bill of health besides the obvious.

For my 96 L I could see $1900. I see 99 MY cars with over 200k miles going for $3500 and up ALL the time. I'd have fought tooth and nail for more than $2500.

You got the gyst of it. I haven't found a thread with a writeup guide or anything, but there is some info floating around out there. I started a thread looking for info on this subject a while back: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=114265 For what it's worth.

The jack plate is in the way, and the front sway bar needs to come down. The hoses are a PITA, but once you get the steering shaft Ujoint off and remove the clamps you can pull the rack down a bit and have more room to get to them.

Exactly. Some drivers don't pay attention to gauges. Others don't pay attention to anything at all. If they even notice some random light on in the dash, it gets brushed off as some random light on in the dash that will go away soon. Anyway, was hoping to update this tuesday with some results, here we are on thursday, and I haven't got the results of the test yet. Who knew the USPS could take a week to move a 5oz package from VA to Atlanta, GA? In the mentime I've been fighting with the same wonderful boot sector virus on two different computers. I'm almost ready to give up on PC's altogether.

It's nothing to worry about. Pretty normal for an old car with an aging alternator. Every car I have EVER owned has done exactly this. My Lincoln did it from the first day I bought it with 55k miles, sitting at 78k now and the alternator still charges just fine. My 96 Legacy sedan has been doing it since I bought it at 166k, still doing it now at 187k. There will be other signs before the alternater goes out completely. Slow starting and random lights on the dash coming on (ABS, Battery) are the most common.

The reason for the bubbles is that exhuast is leaking INTO the cooling system. Exhuast gases leak from the pressurized cylinder out into the cooling passages of the block. They then work their way up to the radiator and the excess pressure in the system pushes out through the radiator cap into the overflow bottle. If you have another leak in the cooling system, some or all of the pressure will escape there rather than through the radiator cap. Sounds like the water pump gasket just blew out. Not an uncommon thing to happen, especially if the cooling system has been neglected, or the gasket is oil contaminated. (oil leaking from somewhere above/near the pump)

For the love of god don't buy Monroe parts. They are absolutely terrible. I'd get a set of struts out of a junkyard car long before I paid good money for Monroe's. If you're going to spend the money on new parts get KYB. Strut mounts generally don't need to be replaced. Unless the rubber is falling out don't bother

I think tool rentals run $25 or $30 (last time I rented one anyway) at Autozone. And you get money back when you bring the tool back. The dummy light switch isn't necessary if you have a gauge. Just tape/shrinkwrap the end of the wire so the light will stay off.

Fuel in the oil usually indicates excessive ring wear, or some other condition allowing compression to '"blow-by" the pistons into the crankcase.

Have you tried a new cap and rotor? (stupid question but it hasn't been asked yet)

Matco. I made a video. Sadly, it hasn't gone viral yet. Most any gauge of any kind is never going to be 100% accurate. That's just the nature of mass producing components. Close enough is usually good 'nuff anyway. I figure this one should be at least within 1 or 2 psi. The overall number doesn't bother me that much now that I know it should be as low as it is. Listen to the lifters in the video. They gradually fade in, working up to being really loud, then instantly quiet. Like they bleed down, then blockage/check ball/whatever kicks loose and they pump back up instantly. They do this on both heads. I haven't pinned down exactly which ones do it.

Sounds like this one ^ Called an Inhibitor switch by Subaru. Might just need to adjust the shifter cable. The cable can stretch with age and cause the switch and transmission to not go all the way into the park position. Try adjusting the cable first, if that doesn't fix it replace the inhibitor switch.

The piston seal would be my only real worry since that's the really important part. The dust boots for the slide bolts don't generally have to be replaced unless they're split. But for as cheap as the kit is, new boots are a cheap investment to prevent rusted/seized caliper slide bolts.

Online dealers have what you need. http://subarupartsforyou.com/cp_partdetail.php?partid=13450 Call them with a VIN to make sure you get the right part.

Auto or manual trans? What are the symptoms?

Water pump is driven by the timing belt, so no adverse reaction or affiliation with the AC compressor running. However, When the AC is on the condenser gets hot, thus causing the radiator to cool with hot air, which decreases the ability of the radiator to cool the engine. A partially clogged radiator may not be able to meet the demand of having the AC running for a long period of time.

Nope. Not that I can tell anyway. Just smells like old used oil. I sent in a sample for analysis so we're gonna find out what's in it on Monday or Tuesday.

Out of curiosity, what is the number?

Track down the ground wire that the mouse chewed through? While you have the bulbs out did you check to see if you're getting 12V to the sockets?

Those pain meds kickin' in good today man? I normally change oil at 3,000. It hasn't even made it that far yet.

Why not just make a patch panel? Or cut out the bottom section and replace it with fiberglass so it never rusts again. I think most people just don't care enough to bother. The car's old, it has some rust, it has 200k miles on it, and will probably go 100k more (if they want it to) then be ready for the junkyard or parting out, or get sold to a teenager as their first car and they'll just take it out and wreck it. Owner buys something new/er.

Based on description it kinda sounds like it's misfiring under load. Since you replaced plugs and wires (assume you checked plug gap and made sure it was in spec), do you have another coil pack to try? Timing isn't hard to check, set the crank at TDC and check the arrows on the cam sprockets. They should point straight up. If one is off, the belt jumped on that cam. If both are off the belt jumped the crank sprocket.

Does it have a rubber seal on it? Look on the seal for a part number you can cross reference. Otherwise 1stsubaruparts.com lists it for $18 and change.

So you're gonna weld the center diff I guess? Should be interesting. I wanna say the push type slave mounts to a bracket on the engine bell housing, not on the transmission. I'm not 100% positive on that though. Shouldn't be too hard to find pics floating around out there somewhere.