jarl

I remember someone saying not to use ATF like that... engine oil is designed to let surface slip past each other, while ATF has some friction modifiers to prevent too much slipping I have never used it, though...

Thank you people I ended up buying one from Amazon (Beck Arnley, $44). There were some on ebay for $13 with free shipping, but I can only wonder how they manage to make them so cheap. I read some of the feedback on one of the sellers and a couple of the negative feedback were because of knock sensors falling apart when tightened, so I decided to spend a little more. We'll see how it goes. Next in the list: spark plug wires (NGK) and oxygen sensor (the best deal I have found so far is NGK/NTN as well)... and then a long list after that

I decided to let pass the Impreza of my previous post... which means now I need to take care of some of the stuff of my (wife's) Legacy From previous posts it looks like the knock sensor may need to be replaced (although there isn't a code for it), as well as the oxygen sensor and the spark plug wires. The question at hand is the following: I swapped the EJ25D on my car with a '95 EJ22 from an Impreza, and it looks like the part numbers for the knock sensor are different (22060AA031 vs 22060AA061). Are the sensors different, or can they be exchanged without issue? Thanks!

I saw an ad on Craigslist today for a 2006 Impreza wagon, with the 2.5 engine and automatic transmission: http://annarbor.craigslist.org/cto/3102393737.html We are looking into replacing our OBW for something newer, but the Impreza feels a tad too small (that could be offset by a lower fuel consumption, though... how many MPG can I expect from this car?). Besides the size issue, I was curious about specific problems with these cars. My main concern is the transmission (it has 165k+ miles). The head gaskets were replaced already at the dealer, and there are some extra bits that have been replaced recently. The other problem is the bunch of stickers on the car... I read somewhere the paint on these cars is very delicate, so removing the stickers (and some vinyl lettering on the passenger side) without screwing up big time may be difficult. Finally, there's the price. I thought the $4500 was a good price, but I saw an ad for a similar car (but with manual transmission) not too far from here for $4700. How much is a fair price for a car as described? Thanks!

Just a couple months late Did you fix your problem? If "no" and you have access to a vacuum gauge (or buy one, those are cheap), go to: http://www.secondchancegarage.com/public/186.cfm Check the "Scenario 14"

You'll find both DOHC and SOHC Legacys made in 1999 for the US market. The change in other parts of the world began in 1998

So the teardrop remotes work where the squarish remote with gray buttons was standard? Like in my '99 OBW?

I usually blame that kind of behavior to a low voltage... maybe a bad ground?

I have to ask: what was the magical fix?

Be careful... you may end up opening a can of worms There are plenty of threads in here about replacing the engines (usually EJ25's) out of these cars. Many here will tell you to replace the engine with a 2.2, since the general opinion is that the 2.5 is sort of delicate. You can essentially: a) Go to a junkyard and pull it yourself from a wrecked car. Prices will start from $150 Check Car-Part.com. Prices will be a little higher, and you need to make sure the car it came from died from anything but an engine problem c) Get an engine from Craigslist. d) Buy an engine from a rebuilder. Depending on the kind of engine you want to put you will probably be talking about $1800+ for an engine. On anything but (d) you should expect to have to replace the timing belt, water pump and seals (except rear main... depending on who you ask). And be prepared for the "since I'm there". As for specific rebuilders, one that comes to mind is CCR Engines. Other people may chime in about this. Finally, take it easy on the kid. Unless he redlined it or did something utterly stupid, he most probably didn't "blew the engine". My guess is that he just happened to be driving when the engine got messed up... usually from overheating. EDIT: the '99 is a transition year for the Legacy/Outback. When was your car made? there should be a badge around the driver's side front suspension tower. I think you can find that information there. EDIT2: How much do you like your car? http://www.ccrengines.com/id17.html

I had exactly the same behavior from my car after doing the timing belt and water pump. It was an air bubble in the heater, that cleared itself as I was driving scared as hell trying to get home before the temp needle reached the red zone. I just didn't manage to remove all the bubbles before driving the car. C' est tout.

The FSM's instructions to burp the cooling system include removing one of the block's plugs, but as far as I know no one in this forum do that. That means using a lot of steps to remove the air bubbles. One of the symptoms of an incorrectly burped system -typical after replacing the thermostat- is the heater blowing cold air. Which is why I mentioned burping the system correctly. On the other hand, when I mentioned checking the coolant I said "combustion residues". It's not too hard to check the cooling system for the presence of hydrocarbons, but if you say the coolant is clean, that may not be the issue.

What GD said -about the punctuation- Only need to add: check the coolant for traces of combustion residues and/or the oil for evidence of coolant on it. If you don't find either, try to purge the cooling system CORRECTLY (search the forum for a how-to) and see if the overheating continues. Finally, if the overheating continues, for Pete's sake STOP driving the car until you fix it.

Failing ground(s), probably? The code for the knock sensor may be a red herring.

As a reference, what you are describing are the (+) cable -big cable that goes directly to the battery- and the wire that goes to the starter's solenoid (thin one). The later is just a relatively low amp signal from the starter switch (or the ECU) to energize the solenoid (the coil of what is otherwise just a big relay), which in turn switches on the power for the starter motor. So yes, you are missing the ground

Do not start throwing parts at the car hoping one of them will do the trick. I would probably start with the cheapest approach: look for a vacuum leak somewhere, and make sure all the connectors to vital sensors (i.e. MAF, TPS) are corrosion-free and tight

There are plenty of links to the FSM around here. The electricalsection shows where all the grounds are connected. If you replaced the starter there's a good chance you disconnected the starter motor ground. Look for a loose heavy gauge cable in the vecinity of the starter (just make sure it's the ground, not the positive (+) wire ). I think it's bolted to a bracket held in place by one of the starter motor's mounting bolts. One IMPORTANT thing: the starter motor draws a HUGE current from the battery, and therefore needs heavy gauge wires. If the starter ground is disconnected the electricity will still find it's way, but will do so through smaller gauge wires, and if you are persistent you WILL smoke something. Do not try starting the car until you are sure the negative cable is connected.

Just my 2 cents: After replacing "all" the seals on my 2.2 (except the rear main), it looks like my car is leaking oil from the base of the oil filler tube. The left valve cover is covered with oil, but there's no oil reaching the floor. All it needs is an o'ring, but I've been waiting until I get a larger order to place. So... check your's.

LOL

Google is your friend. Or Big Brother... but that's another story. In any case, google "site:subarupartsforyou.com <part number>" (i.e. "site:subarupartsforyou.com MSA5M1002K" without the apostrophes) The first hit is probably what you are looking for. There used to be a convoluted way of searching for a part, but apparently it's gone.

Will certainly do so... Thank you for the suggestion! The guy I bought it from said he hasn't done the transmission maintenance in a while, but still it was very clear... I hope to keep it that way. It's comforting reading you are getting such an extended life out of one of these cars And now, back to your regular programming. Thank you folks!

Je je... thank you for the replies... I actually walked away from that van... and straight into another one. The ATF on the new one was pristine, so I hope that's an indication of the condition of it. I have avoided Chrysler products for as long as I can remember, but it was due to something I read somewhere about the engines going belly up too often. Chrysler is now the only local (i.e. affordable) minivan left, and we absolutely need one car able to carry people and 4x8. The only other real options were Siennas, but a '99 Sienna is as expensive as a 2006 Town and country, and with the rust in this area I'd rather stay away. AND... I like the stow and go. Oh well... let's wait and see. And cross my fingers PD: It's funny how I don't see any mention of Honda's transmissions. The Odyssey's transmissions seems to fail with an alarming reliability. That is: for some years those are almost 100% guaranteed to fail.

A quick question for a transmission guru: I'm checking a car I may need buy, but when I cleaned the transmission dipstick with a piece of paper tissue I could see some dark streaks on it, and some extremely tiny shiny particles... the question is: is this an indication the transmission is about to go, or just some very old atf that needs to be replaced? The car in question is not a subie, but a chrysler minivan, if it makes any difference. It has 100k miles. Thanks!

Sounds like a Chiropractor-sponsored event There should be someone taking pictures Still, you probably saved at least $150-$200 right there. Please keep us posted

Well... if she gets the money she's asking, good for her. And good luck to the buyer.