Ionlyhave3suubs

A bad power brake booster can cause these symptoms. A hole in the diaphram creates a vacuum leak which causes rough idle which will be more noticeable at low RPM. Depressing the brake pedal actuates the diaphram which opens the leak, causing the rough idle condition. To test and see if you have a problem there, disconnect the hose going from the intake mainfold (at the manifold end) to the power brake booster. The hose connects right beside the EGR (if so equipped) otherwise to the back of the intake manifold, toward the driver's side of the throttle body. After disconnecting the hose, cap the fitting that you disconnected the hose from. start the engine and see if you still have the same rough idle. You can try depressing the brake pedal, but since it is not connected to vacuum, the power brakes will not work now. If that eliminated your vibration, your problem is most likely going to be either a bad hose going from the intake to the brake booster, or a bad brake booster. Inspect the hose first for cracks, tears, holes, etc. as this is easiest to see and cheapest to replace. If the hose is good, I would strongly suspect the booster. Often bad boosters will hiss or make a sucking sound when you apply the brakes.

Check engine light on? Disconnecting the battery will re-set the ecu. Doesn't take hours though. Won't do anything for you if the check engine light is not on though.

With regard to the axles and vibration. I have replaced the front axles on my 96 Lsi Legacy with aftermarket pieces. They do seem to vibrate more than the oem ones, but only while the car is in motion. It is especially noticeable under hard acceleration. I don't know of any reason why axles would have anything to do with vibration on a stationary vehicle since they are not in motion. I suspect some aftermarket axles are not as well balanced as oem units, thus the vibration while in motion. As far as a vibration while the vehicle is stopped, my first thing to check for would be a vacuum leak. Vacuum leaks will cause this sort of rough idle/vibration. Any recent work done to the engine?

Hmm, I was browsing through frankenmotor information on this message board and ran across a link to Nasioc, referencing the drilled headgasket, and behold the gasket being referenced has been sprayed with the same copper coating that I used. I wonder how many other people are using this unnecessary, potentially leak causing coating? http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1107352 http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=116864&highlight=frankenmotor&page=2

Recent oil change? If so was the drain plug crush washer replaced? Sometimes those will leak some if you don't replace them. With oil leaks a small amount of oil spreads out a lot. Your leak may take quite a while to register on the dipstick.

I have a 96 Legacy LSi that has an ABS light come on sometimes. There is one place I can almost always get it to come on. Pulling in to the school parking lot at my kid's school there is a slight bump. It is a slow right turn with a small bump. Turns on the ABS light almost every time. It will stay on til the engine is turned off and started again. Any ideas what could be causing this and how to correct it (other than the obvious driving another route)?

It is possible for the headgaskets to last over 200k. My 97 outback's originals lasted for just under 230k miles. I understand this is not common for most 2.5d engines though. My other car with the 2.5d HGs failed at about 155k. It is unknown if those gaskets were originals, I didn't know that much about the differences between them. I bought the car with the bad gaskets and I have no maintainence records for it. When I did the gaskets, I went with the fel-pro gaskets. SO far they are lasting, but from what I understand from other members, the subaru gaskets are much better due to their research and development to correct the original design flaw. On my 97 Outback, I botched the job and now I have an external coolant leak instead of an internal leak (used fel-pro again and made the mistake of adding gasket sealant which was not needed, most likely caused the leak). Moral of the story 1) When (not if) you do the headgaskets on your 2.5d, only use Subaru brand 2) Don't take the auto parts store counter guy's word for it if he tells you you need to use headgasket sealant. His job is to sell you stuff, like headgasket sealant. 3) The headgasket job is expensive if you pay someone else to do it. 4) It is not an easy job to do, but it is easy to mess it up. 5) Getting the timing belt back on right is also difficult. If it is even one tooth off, the car will either not run or run very rough. Good luck finding the right one for you. If you buy one that has not had the gaskets done yet (documented with Subaru brand gaskets) plan ahead and set money aside to do them.

mdjdc I really appreciate the offer. Right now I am not in a financial position to buy any more parts and I am working a lot of OT to try to get caught up on some financial responsibilities. I am not sure if I'm going to be able to afford to fix the outback anytime soon (if at all). I have gotten my Lsi street legal again and mechanically sound, so I am not in a pinch for a car to drive. Thanks again

The tick does not sound abnormal. Are you using the correct type of oil?

I recommend replacing the spark plugs with factory spec NGK brand spark plugs and Subaru brand spark plug wires. Other brands can cause poor engine performance. In US dollars I purchased these items for my 2002 outback with 2.5L for a little less than $60 from the local Subaru dealership. I and others have tried other brands of spark plug wires from other manufacturers with bad results. The basic NGK plugs do fine, no need to go with the expensive ones. Good Luck!

Thank you for your thorough explanation of the OEM vs. aftermarket r&d of gaskets and other parts. Please don't think I was doubting your advice, I was just explaining how I came to the decision to go with the brand I did in the first place. As far as the decision to re-gasket the 2.5, I have been looking for a lower mileage 2.5d near me but the only ones available in my area that I have found were out of my price range and/or were "overheating" aka blown head gasket. My financial resources are quite limited at the moment as a are a lot of peoples, so doing the HG repair which I have already successfully done on another almost identical engine seemed the way to get the car going again to last at least one more winter. I opted to do this car first as it has slightly better ground clearance which helped significantly last winter when we got some deep snow. I also already have chains that fit the outback tire size. Water under the bridge now, It didn't work out, so I fixed the almost Valdez size oil leak:eek: on the LSi and I'm good to go, with just a little less ground clearance. I haven't decided for sure what to do with the outback as of now as my resources to buy parts for now are pretty much depleted, and the HG is not the only problem, it has developed a significant torque bind as well. As I stated in my previous post, I do intend to buy Subaru brand HGs next time I need to do a HG replacement. When I get the funds up and If I decide to fix it, I will probably go the 2.2 conversion route, providing I can find a decent package deal on the other driveline components I'll need to fix the torque bind problem. Nipper, if I got you riled, sorry, I didn't mean to.

The majority of my engine building experience comes from iron head, iron block domestic v8s. I was taught by a veteran mechanic that had owned and managed his own shop for over 20 years. He taught me (on the v8s) to use a sealer (different type) on the V8s. I always did, and always with positive result. That was about 20 years ago. Different engines, different techniques. I've used Fel-pro gaskets for years on domestic applications, also with positive results. Always a learning process. I chose Fel-pro due to my years of positive results with their products for domestic applications and the fact that they offer kits. The subaru dealer, at least the one near me does not offer a kit and the parts individually are much more expensive. I see now that the head gasket is something that has to come from the dealer. I wonder though I have also seen another brand held in high regard, Cometic I believe. Are they a premium gasket, or just another aftermarket company? Just curious. As of now my intention ids to get Subaru brand gaskets. I've noticed also beck-arnley gaskets being advertised as if they are oem on the internet. Is that just an advertising scheme?

I have no idea how there is a duplicate of the thread. To answer your question, Nipper, yes I did read my Haynes manual before and during my H G replacement. Mine is a 1998 copyright that I that I bought shortly after I bought the car. In section 2A-17 in reference to the installation of the H G step 12 it says " Refer to the cylinder head gasket manufacturers instructions and if necessary, apply a thin even coat of the recommended gasket sealant to both sides of the head gasket then lay it in place (see Illustration)." Since the fel-pro gaskets came with no instructions, I consulted the parts counter guy to see if sealant was necessary. This was when I did my first 2.5d last winter. The parts guy told me that the H G did indeed need the sealant and that the sealant needed to be applied to both sides of the H G and to the block deck and gasket sealing surface of the heads. Apparently I got bad information from the parts guy. Interestingly enough, the 96 Lsi 2.5d that I did last winter had NO LEAKS after following these directions! Now I find myself replacing the front crank seal AGAIN on the 96 Lsi because the fel-pro piece backed out from its seat:( Removed the fel-pro seal and installed the oem part, also replaced the o-ring and lock-tited the screws on the back.

Contemplating my naval, ways to fix the 2.5d, and the 2.2 conversion (in that order). Allright, to do that 2.2 conversion I need a obviously a 2.2 engine. What else do I need? I am not familiar at all with the 2.2 engine other than some reading I have done. Parts list: 2.2 engine- what year works best with minimal changes? Exhaust changes? I think I read that the 2.2 is a single port design, I know the 2.5 is a dual port. Y-pipe out of the donor car? Will that bolt right up to the outback exhaust? Any ecu changes? Use 2.2 or 2.5 intake? Any sensors need to be changed etc.? The part of Virginia where I live does not do emissions testing as of yet other than a visual inspection to see if it all looks to be there and not disabled (some shops are more anal than others with their inspections). That being said, there is always a chance they will begin emissions testing like some areas of northern VA and NC already do, so I dont want to do anything that will cause a CEL. Anything else? I know a smaller diameter tire would have a similar effect as going to a lower gear ratio, but I have seen Outbacks with small tires and my personal opinion is that they look a little funny because of the gap between the fenderwell and top of the tire. Also I know it doesn't seem that significant, but my Outback is my snowmoblie and I would rather not sacrifice any ground clearance. I have noticed a difference between the snow going abilities of the LSI with 195/60s and the Outback with 205/70s when it starts getting deep. I have a long gravel driveway with a steep hill. I guess I'll just have to live with the power reduction, the work involved in changing gear ratios does not seem worth the gain. I may just go the frankenmotor route. I have to pull the motor anyway. Frankenmotor as I understand it makes increased power by increasing compression ratio. I know a cam upgrade is recommended for best results, but doing it on the cheap, will there be significant power increase by changing to 2.2 heads without the cam change? As I understand the chamber design of the 2.5, it is larger than a 2.2. If one were to put a 2.5 head on a 2.2, would that lower the compression ratio enough to turbo the 2.2, or will there be a valve clearance problem?

Fairtax, do you have contact information for the place in Petersburg? It's 3.5 hours away but I will consider it.

GD no overheats on the motor. Never got past 3/4 way up the temp gauge. The good used 2.2 is not such a cheap and easy fix for me out east. I have read about folks further west finding them for a few hundred bucks, I've looked but not found. I'm also the kind of person that would miss the horsepower. I have read your posts about what a lousy motor the 2.5d is, and know how you feel about them.

Does anyone else use the copper spray. I read somewhere that it was necessary for a proper seal, can't remember where now.

I have used a thick beam run across several rafters in my garage and a ratcheting cable hoist to pull a couple of Subaru engines and re-install. The hoist is much safer alternative though. Just make sure you have a good hard surface to work on so your hoist doesn't sink into the ground.

Oh, I forgot to mention, I have already put in 2 containers of the Subaru head gasket conditioner/sealer. Didn't do the trick.

Allright, first of all I love my Subarus and all 3 of my Legacy series have had 2.5 engines in them. 3 have been the dohc 2.5d and I also now have a 02 sohc 2.5. My first legacy (still have, and the one that is giving me a fit) is a 97 obw with AT. Most of my nearly 190k miles I have put on it since I bought it (used in 99) have been relatively trouble free, until recently. Finally at just a bit under 230k miles the original head gaskets finally gave out. I stopped driving it when that happened. I had just bought my 96 Legacy LSi (knowing it had bad head gaskets) and fixed that along with a few other things. I recently got around to doing the head gaskets on the 97 but I fear I may have skipped an essential step (or so). I did not get the heads professionally checked for warpage. I know the engine and know it was never allowed to get very hot, so I didn't think it was necessary. That is a possible problem. I used fel-pro gaskets when I did the job. I felt confident these were suitable since I used them on the 96 LSi with no issues, no leaks. When I re-assembled the heads to the engine block, I left out the step of oiling the head bolts before torquing them. I used the spray copper gasket sealer on the head gaskets and head and block mating surfaces. I used this also on the 96 LSi and no issues. All of that being said, the car runs ok and is not overheating. The only symptom of a sealing problem is what appears to be an external coolant leak that appears to be coming from the rear of the passenger side head to block seam (head gasket area). It manifests as a steam that appears to be coming out from the head gasket area. I am wondering if it is possible to re-torque the head bolts while the engine is still in the car. I know it is tight, the cams have to come off etc., but is it possible? Is it possible that I could solve the problem by re-torquing the bolts, as in taking the tension off all of the bolts on that side, removing the bolts one at a time, oiling them then putting them back in and torquing them to the proper specs? The body on the car is pretty good still. A few minor dents and dings but not rusty. The driveline is starting to really concern me though. In parking lots it pops and "crabs" in tight turns. I am suspecting a rear differential and/or a front to rear differential problem. I'm getting to the point that I am getting fed up with working on the 97 so much and wondering if it is worth fixing (or trying to fix). I am just not ready to pull the engine out again to mess with the high mileage engine that may have a failing drivetrain behind it. I am not interested in doing a 2.2 swap at this time unless someone has a really cheap good one within driving distance to Roanoke, VA. I would consider building a frankenmotor for this car, but would need a good pair of egr compatible heads from a 2.2. Frankenmotor would need to be a project for later due to funds and the need to get my son's Celica going for him. Ideas, suggestions, encouragement? All 3 are welcome.

Allright, first of all I love my Subarus and all 3 of my Legacy series have had 2.5 engines in them. 3 have been the dohc 2.5d and I also now have a 02 sohc 2.5. My first legacy (still have, and the one that is giving me a fit) is a 97 obw with AT. Most of my nearly 190k miles I have put on it since I bought it (used in 99) have been relatively trouble free, until recently. Finally at just a bit under 230k miles the original head gaskets finally gave out. I stopped driving it when that happened. I had just bought my 96 Legacy LSi (knowing it had bad head gaskets) and fixed that along with a few other things. I recently got around to doing the head gaskets on the 97 but I fear I may have skipped an essential step (or so). I did not get the heads professionally checked for warpage. I know the engine and know it was never allowed to get very hot, so I didn't think it was necessary. That is a possible problem. I used fel-pro gaskets when I did the job. I felt confident these were suitable since I used them on the 96 LSi with no issues, no leaks. When I re-assembled the heads to the engine block, I left out the step of oiling the head bolts before torquing them. I used the spray copper gasket sealer on the head gaskets and head and block mating surfaces. I used this also on the 96 LSi and no issues. All of that being said, the car runs ok and is not overheating. The only symptom of a sealing problem is what appears to be an external coolant leak that appears to be coming from the rear of the passenger side head to block seam (head gasket area). It manifests as a steam that appears to be coming out from the head gasket area. I am wondering if it is possible to re-torque the head bolts while the engine is still in the car. I know it is tight, the cams have to come off etc., but is it possible? Is it possible that I could solve the problem by re-torquing the bolts, as in taking the tension off all of the bolts on that side, removing the bolts one at a time, oiling them then putting them back in and torquing them to the proper specs? The body on the car is pretty good still. A few minor dents and dings but not rusty. The driveline is starting to really concern me though. In parking lots it pops and "crabs" in tight turns. I am suspecting a rear differential and/or a front to rear differential problem. I'm getting to the point that I am getting fed up with working on the 97 so much and wondering if it is worth fixing (or trying to fix). I am just not ready to pull the engine out again to mess with the high mileage engine that may have a failing drivetrain behind it. I am not interested in doing a 2.2 swap at this time unless someone has a really cheap good one within driving distance to Roanoke, VA. I would consider building a frankenmotor for this car, but would need a good pair of egr compatible heads from a 2.2. Frankenmotor would need to be a project for later due to funds and the need to get my son's Celica going for him. Ideas, suggestions, encouragement? All 3 are welcome.

Thanks for the input so far. I have read reviews from tirerack.com and other companies, however I am more inclined to trust the input from the people on this forum over the tire sites. Tire "a" might do exceptionally well on car "b" but unless car "b" is a Subaru, the review of a buyer that posts on the tire site may not be relevant to my car. The Subaru AWD system on Legacies are unique to subarus therefore I am really looking for input from Subaru owners. If not this tire, then which one do you recommend? The price seems reasonable. Anyone have any experience with this tire on a Legacy or other Subaru model?

I have done some looking and have not seen anything like it on the message board. What I am looking for is for our users to rate the tires they have/had on their suubs. Things I am interested in are things like handling on road, off road traction, snow/ice traction, price/value, where you bought them, how long they lasted(so far), what you have them on (ex. 1997 OBW etc.), anything else our users might find interesting. I am currently shopping for tires for my 97 OBW and am considering the General Grabber UHP H speed rated tire 205/70-15. It has been a long time since I have had a set of General tires (my last ones were xp 2000's on my 88 hatch) If anyone has experience, good or bad with the Grabbers, please let me know. I can order these from Sears for $65.55 each. My last set of tires on this car were BFG touring t/a s from Sams club. They lasted pretty decent (not sure exact miles). They still have about 4/32" tread on them, but they are eat up with dry rot. On road traction was acceptable as was snow and offroad traction (for the tire type). I wouldn't recommend this tire for serious offroading or muddin'. Anyone have a better recommendation? cost is a factor, but I don't want to buy something that is no good. http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_09540193000P?prdNo=7&blockNo=7&blockType=G7

According to Discount Tire Direct, they will fit. http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/assignTireVehicle.do?yr=1999&mk=SUBARU&selectedModel=LEGACY&vid=006485