Ionlyhave3suubs

Thanks for the info. I already did t-belt and idlers, cam seals, crank seal, v.c. gaskets and tube seals, as well as the oil pump work. I cleaned the bottom of the motor and crossmember after doing those things. I cannot see the exact source of the leak, only that it is coming from behind the oil pan from somewhere obscured by the crossmember. It seems the last time I had one of these out (keeping in mind mthat it was a 2.5d I had out), the oil separator was on the passenger side of the engine(unless I just remember wrong). That is one reason I am a bit baffled. It seems the oil is coming down from the driver's side.

Shawn, thank you for the opportunity to give input. First let me say how as a relatively new user I have enjoyed the site. I have looked at other sites and I believe this to be the best discussion forum of any kind, regardless of topic. Good work to all who are responsible for making this forum happen! I don't have a lot of ideas on fundraising other than simply getting the word out that funding is needed, possibly some sort of posting on the log-in page that simply has what funding is needed for (total cost) and how much is still needed. Maybe separate columns for one time expenses such as a software etc. upgrade, and monthly expenses. Along with that a simple "donate now" button that a user could click and take them right to were they need to go to donate. I am not a computer guru and I won't pretend to be, but I do know that pictures use more memory than text. It seems that the forum has a large amount of pictures, some of which get duplicated in quotes, within the same thread. Is that a significant issue that results in cost? Features I would like to see on the forum, some type of tutorial for new users on how to use search functions, how to post threads, what the conduct expectations are etc. Maybe set it up so when a new user first joins, they are directed to that first, but also having a link where it can be referenced as well. All of these things are things I have had to find out by trial and error. I am still learning and still not very proficient at searching for information on the forum. It is a good forum, I am just not as adept at this as some are. I suggest "donors only" features such as the ability to post ads for things for sale. If someone is going to make money off the use of the forum for advertisement, they should be willing to contribute to the operating expenses. Keep up the good work, and thank you!

My brother's 2000 Outback 5spd has a significant oil leak from the rear of the engine. I have verified this is not "blowback" from a leak in the front of the engine, and have degreased the underside of the engine, crossmember, etc. and have nice fresh clean oil running down from the back of the engine, down the motor mount then down the crossmember. My assumption is rear main seal and/or oil separator plate leak. I believe the clutch is possibly oil contaminated due to clutch chatter, not real bad but noticeable. My experience working on EJ series engine removal and re-install has been exclusively with AT cars, specifically 2.5d equipped cars. Have done clutches on domestics and my old "88 GL hatchback. Here is my question(s) after giving a little history: How big of a job is this? Besides the clutch and pressure plate, and the obvious leaky seals is there anything else I should be looking at fixing /replacing at the same time? Is it best to pull the engine or trans to the job? (I assume the engine, but we all know about rump roast-u-me) How long should this job take for a semi-experienced mechanic? What would be a fair price for the job? (going rate around here is about $700 for a clutch job) Anything else I am missing? I have a good tool assortment, engine crane, garage.

If you have some mechanical skills and can follow directions, you can do this! I'm sure you have heard the sermons on using oem only headgaskets. Believe them. My first 2.5 HG job on a 96 LSi turned out ok with aftermarket gaskets, but my later job on my 97 outback ended up with an external coolant leak. Also make sure you get the heads checked professionally for proper surface flatness. If you are not familiar with the process, money well spent. Yes you can do the job with the engine still in the car, but if it is your first time, I recommend pulling the engine out. While you have it out, along with timing belt and associated parts, its a good time to seal up any oil leaks. One I missed on my first one, was the "oil separator plate" on the transmission side of the engine. there is a oem replacement metal part that replaces the leaky plastic one. If you have the engine out, definitely spend a few bucks there so you don't have to pull it again for that. (On my to do list for mine, I didn't know about it when I had mine out) I frequently have people chase after me to tell me my car is on fire after I park it. I casually tell them, "it does that all the time.":cool:

Is there a way to bench test the duty c solenoid? Just wondering, I am experiencing some torque bind also in my 97 outback and may be digging into it in the near future.

With regard to the 96 with possible belt slippage, these engines do not have spring loaded tensioners like a lot of other modern cars do. You have to manually adjust them.

Looking for sound or performance? A different sound you may get, Better performance, probably not without significant and matching engine modifications. Subaru exhaust systems are pretty efficient from the factory. If you are just looking for a new sound, I would consider a muffler change, perhaps a performance muffler with single inlet and dual outlet. Although I have never personally experienced it, I have had friends who have added dual exhaust to their cars looking for a performance increase and ended up losing low RPM torque due to a loss of back-pressure. This experience has been with non-Subaru vehicles though. Maybe someone else has specific to subaru data.

Pay close attention to your tire wear as well. My 97 Outback was involves in a minor crash where my neighbor didn't see us going down the road, started to pull out of her driveway and hit the rear wheel. Minor cosmetic damage but did some suspension damage that wasn't immediately noticeable. After replacing a bent strut and a 4 wheel alignment, everything was fine. My choice was to take the car to a collision repair shop where they took all of the necessary measurements and determined the only damage was to the strut. I had already replaced the damaged wheel. Unfortunately I didn't catch it quick enough to prevent ruining a set of Michelins:banghead:. Had I paid closer attention to my tire wear, I would have picked up on the unseen damage sooner. Improper alignment can hurt fuel efficiency. It would have to be pretty bad to pull it down to 10mpg.

Nathan, just some ideas, there are several companies (Hooker Headers s one) that make SBC adapter kits, motor mounts, headers etc. to work with a S-10 based truck whether it is a pickup or a blazer or the GMC versions of either one (s-15 or Jimmy). Transmission and transfer case choices that will mate with the small block chevy are diverse based on your anticipated needs and not too hard to find. Lockers, spools and LSD units are widely available and some of the least expensive available aftermarket due to mass production. Wheels to fit are easy to come by and available in many sizes and styles, both oem and aftermarket. S series frames are also available in different lengths, ex. Blazer/Jimmy, S10/15 shortbed reg cab, reg cab longbed... you get the idea. You might be able to find the exact length without cutting or lengthening. +1 measuring tape and junkyard, and pull some measurements. S series frame may be an economical choice. They are plentiful!

The 2.5 motor is more prone to headgasket failure than the 2.2 is. Headgasket failure is a common overheating cause. Very few of the 2.2 engines have headgasket issues.

All of my EJ series Legacies have been 2.5 powered cars. I have loved them all but be aware they do have head gasket issues. Had a 97 2.5 gt sedan loved it, great performer and great handlling, had to sell, had too many cars couldn't keep. 97 Outback, now has a little less than 230k on it now, needs engine work now, probably a complete overhaul or swap. My daily driver is a 2.5d powered 96 Lsi. I bought it knowing it had a bad head gasket, fixed it last year, still running strong, 166k on it now. Only thing I miss that the outback had is the added ground clearance. 2.2 powered cars seem to have fewer headgasket issues, so I hear, but have no personal experience with them. Also have a 2.5sohc powered 02 Outback (wife drives most of the time), like it quite well also. Like the ground clearance, 16" wheels and 5spd. Probably hard to find a 3rd gen legacy in the price range you are looking for. You should be able to find a 2.5d powered car in need of HG replacement and do an engine swap in the price range you are looking for. May have to go to a 2.2 swap to keep it under budget.

Sounds like a good one to pass on. Not well cared for, likely to have hidden problems. BTW the hood supports commonly wear out, even without the added weight of a bondoed on hood scoop. I have had several third gen f-bodies (camaro/firebird/trans-am) and they have all been good cars, but had been taken care of well by their previous owners too. Wow, a 190 mph rx7, sounds like the seller is either full of something brown and stinky, or that car is going to have some serious reliability issues, if it doesn't end up wrapped around a telephone pole. Either way it doesn't sound like a good car for a teen, not to mention insurance costs on a sports car for a teen driver.

Do you have anywhere you can work on it yourself, like a friend's garage or something like that? Some areas have adult education programs at their high school vocational education schools where you can enroll in a course for not too much money and bring your car to work on it. Might be a good option for you if you want to do your own work but don't have a place to do it.

Welcome, Fellow Chevy enthusiast with an interest in Subarus. The majority of my wrenching experience also comes from working on mostly Chevy and other GM vehicles, however I have also had a Subaru or more since about 1989. Have done almost all of my own work on all of my cars. I have just completed restoration on my second first gen Camaro I did almost all of the work except the finishing bodywork and paint. This forum is an excellent source for Subaru repair and modification information.

+1 on headgasket, At the very least It sounds like you are going to have a lot of money tied up in this car, especially if you are going to have to pay someone else for the labor, unless you have a friend that is willing to do it for you for cheap. Most people who flip cars (well the selling type of flipping:grin:) do their own mechanical work to keep the cash outlay lower so they can turn a profit. If you are looking for profit, this car doesn't sound like the best one for that. Not to knock your car, but unfortunately it is just not the most desirable Legacy. Most Subaru lovers desire all wheel drive if its a Legacy, and it has been my experience that legacy wagons sell a bit easier (at least around here). A suggestion for a future flip would be to find a late 90s outback wagon with a bad engine, good body and interior, and do a 2.2l swap. It is a common swap and there is a lot of information on it on this forum. Outback wagons with bad headgaskets are becoming more common as they age and can be had relatively cheap if you are patient and wait for the right deal. Good luck on your flip! Hope you don't get into it for more money than you can get out of it, but if you do, you could always drive it for a while and at least get some use out of it, then sell it.

Is there something different about the Forester engine from the Outback engine? Just wondering.

Something to consider, Investing in a bottle of subaru coolant additive could help extend the life of your existing gaskets, considering they are not even leaking yet. Prices differ from dealership to dealership, but should set you back less than $5 Just follow the instructions on the bottle. If it were my car, and I were pulling the engine to do the headgaskets, I would go ahead and replace the original oil separator with the replacement metal one. You have to buy new screws for it, should cost about $45 give or take for the separator and screws. While the engine is out go ahead and replace the spark plugs. Its a lot easier to replace them when the engine is out. Use the cheap NGKs, the platinums and irridiums are just a waste of money. If you replace spark plug wires too, only use OEM. Lots of folks have had problems with aftermarket. I personally bought a Beck Arnley set for one of my ej2.5d powered cars before I read about problems others have had with aftermarket. I have not had any problems with those (have been on for a year), but best I recall they were not much cheaper than OEM, have bought OEMs for my other 2 cars since then. Kinda waiting to see how the Becks do on the first one since they are already there now.

Definitely go with OEM Subaru. Will post link to my experience with another brand shortly. Has lots of info supporting the use of OEM. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=119154&highlight=hate Nipper gives a lot of information about the benefits of sticking with OEM Especially important on 2.5d engine in your car (like mine)

The most common "no start" scenario when replacing timing belt on these engines is improper timing mark alignment. I have been sure I got mine right before and went back to find that I was a tooth off. Real easy to do on this DOHC design engine that the cams on the drivers side keep wanting to turn while you are putting the belt on as they are under tension. Whenever I do a Subaru ej series timing belt now, I always try to start it before I put the front timing covers back on. I always put the main accessory drive pulley back on the crank and the bolt back in first before trying to start it. It makes it a lot easier to take back apart if needed, and you can turn the engine back to TDC and re-check timing mark alignment in case of a no-start. For the crank alignment, you did use the notch on the back of the crankshaft toothed pulley lined up with the notch at the bottom of the crank sensor for your crank line up, right? I have seem some try to line up a notch on the main accessory drive pulley with the 0 degree timing mark on the outside of the outer, center timing cover. If your timing marks are right, check all of your sensor and other electrical connections. Sometimes these get disconnected while taking things apart and they get forgotten on re-assembly. Good luck! Added after reading above reply, the "crankshaft toothed pulley" I referred to is actually called "crank sprocket" in above diagram.

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=118791&highlight=bucking&page=5 the thread is called 02 outback bucking on acceleration. Try a search for "bucking" should make it easy to find.

Take a look at pages 4 and 5 of this thread, even though the thread is about something else, the info is relevant on pages 4&5 to what you are doing. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=118791&highlight=bucking&page=5 When doing work that requires timing belt removal, I always remove the radiator, makes it easier to get to everything and you can see what you are doing better. Your valvecover gaskets go on dry. I'd remove, locktite, and re-install the screws in the back of the oil pump while it is off. I found 3 loose ones on my "02 outback when I had it off. Sometimes these screws back out.

I am linking to a thread that may be helpful for you. You can learn from my mistakes, free of charge. Best of luck! Hope things work out better for you than they did for me. I would be hesitant to put money into the engine you have without a complete re-build. I would be worried about that engine though. The oil and antifreeze mixing doesn't sound good at all. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=119154&highlight=hate Note post #4 in this thread also. It links to a duplicate of the same thread (don't know how that happened) that has some additional info.

When installing the oil pump seal I prefer to drive it in after the oil pump has been installed to the engine. If you put the seal in first then try to put the oil pump on, it is real easy to booger up the seal (ask me how I know). You can also see what you are doing better when when lining up the oil pump to the crank with the seal off. Before removing any of the cam or crank seals, take not of how deep the seals are driven in. You will need to duplicate that depth the best you can. Take digital pics if you need to. The subaru brand seals are worth the money, if you can convince the dealer to sell to you at their jobber price (price they sell wholesale to auto shops) there is not that much price difference from other aftermarket retailers. My $.02 worth added to the above replies

Good job not being suckered by the false advertisement. Nothing wrong with non-Outback wagons, but if someone is lying about what model it is, I could only imagine what other deceptions they might try to pull.

Yeah must be for the later models. I had a 82 parts car, it never had one of those. My 88 had one, but now that I think back on it, it wasn't there when I bought the car. I wonder where that thing came from:rolleyes: Seems like my Legacy now has 3 that I didn't come with. I better stop getting bigger Subarus, I'm afraid what I would find inside if I got a Tribeca.:-p Beauty of a hatch. Miss my 88:(. That one is the same color as the 82 I had, but my 82 was a 2wd and was in parts car condition when I got it, for spare parts for the 88.