phxmotorelectri

95 and 96 have 2 airbags. 97 went to interference even with the 2.2 90 to 95 are very good cars but the 95 & 96 have the newer body style. Have fun, good cars. No big deal to do headgaskets if and when the time comes. Just make sure to machine the heads and everything will be fine. And no, you do not have to remove the engine to do the job. Don't even have to remove the intake manifold. Simple job. Good cars.

I dont know if my other note got through. but I'll bet it is the pinion gear in the center diff... bad cage holding the roller bearings causes this*... the trans itself it ok but the center diff pinion gear is likely totally shot. used trans is how I would fix it, good luck! quick and cheap fix actually... 4-600for the trans and ??? for the shipping. I use the conn. wrecking yard for this kind of part b-c Ive always had good lick w/ them Toms or ??? cant remeber the other names but Toms in Conn has always sent me good parts... for really good prices... * often from running w mismatched tires. yes mismatched tires do in fact hurt awd transmissions of the subaru design. Not a reason to avoid Subarus, just important that all the tires are within 1/3rd of an inch in height. Good luck... have fun. Its only a 4 or 5 hr swap. No big deal.

If we all just changed the darned things at 150k none of this would hapen... to any of us. I've had one fp last 198k. All the others failed (with varying symptoms)(all misleading and confusing) anywhere from 140k (in a big Lexus of all things) to 198 and anywhere in between. I've had at least 8 or ten cars who's fps have failed. None were instantly identified as the fp. By not replacing the fp before it's known universal failure pont causes, no assures much wasted time when such a waste could have been totally averted. By replacing the fp at 150k miles - whether it needs it or not - avoids unneeded repairs - and costly downtime. If this failure is so common (and 100% of all fps will fail before 200k mi) then why is it not a routine maintenence item? Timing belts, oil seals, water pumps are all replaced at 105k, because there is a 100% failure in at least one of these items by 125k mi. It is manditory to do this repair to maintain a warentee, and because this is when these components fail. Machinery can only last so long. Because there is a near 100% failure rate of at least one of these items (all of which must be replaced at the same time because of how the engine must be disassembled for repair). If this is an expected routine and normal maintanence proceedure, then why isn't a (simpler and cheaper) fuel-pump replacement seen as "routine maintanence. Why is it seen as an emergency (and much more costly) repair? Instead of a less costly routine maint item at 150k? A fuel pump and fp relay and filter at 150 k mi should be about $250- 300 max. It should become a normally accepted, run of the mill repair. Think of all the unneeded repairs that would never happen. So many costly and unneeded repairs. Cars reaching higher mileages before people start having to need repairs. A simple fuel pump replacement before it actually fails. Why is this not the case now? This whole thread is case-in-point... QED.... etc, etc, etc... Does any reader know how the following sentence can get more widespread exposure somehow on this website? :: "USMB does hereby encourage all members and readers to replace their fuel pumps at 150k mi in order to avart and avoid unneeded repairs and numerous mis-diagnosis. USMB believes it is in the best interest of it's members and readers to 100% avoid many unneeded troubles. When a simple solution is proven effective, the USMB encourages it's adoption. We feel that changing a fuel pump at 150k, even if is not failing, is a wise move on the part of the vehicle's owner."

HOW TO TELL THE LOW SIDE FROM THE HIGH SIDE: same amount of mass is flowing thru both sides... therefore: high pressure side has a SMALLER tube diameter low side has a bigger tube diameter also: high side is hot and needs to be cooled down soooo: high side goes to FRONT a/c radiator (condensor) in front of the car's regular radiator LOW side comes from the inside of the car ONLY ONLY ONLY connect to low side, you can tell everything you need to know (including the condition of the compressor) just by looking at the low side gage. The new 134-a recharge cans have a check-valve buit into them . If you only need 1/2 of a can the other half can be saved for a year or more w/o leaking. Is this just in California or has the whole country gone to these cans? Even from Wal-Mart some of the 134a cans have a gage built in. A/C recharge is ez; just get the low side pressure to be about 25psi (when the compressor is on). PLUS: you do NOT need to fix an A/C leak if it is only loosing a can every year or two or 3. Come on now: a $10 can of 134a every 2 or 3 years? or... a $200-$500 fix that invariably leads to other unneeded repairs. Come on now; common sense says to just add a can and quit making a federal case out of it. Smile! Your AC has no realproblem at all. It will be fine.

HOW TO TELL THE LOW SIDE FROM THE HIGH SIDE: same amount of mass is flowing thru both sides... therefore: high pressure side has a SMALLER tube diameter low side has a bigger tube diameter also: high side is hot and needs to be cooled down soooo: high side goes to FRONT a/c radiator (condensor) in frontofthe car's regular radiator LOW side comes fromthe inside of the car ONLY connect to low side, you can tell everything you need to know including the conditionof the compressor just bylooking at the low side gage. The new 134-a recharge canshave acheck-valve buitinto them . If you only need 1/2 a can theother half can be saved for a year or more w/o leaking. Is this just in California or has the who;e country gone to these cans? Even from Wal-Mart some of the 134a cans have a gage built it. If so: then just have the low side pressure at about 25psi (when the compressor is on). PLUS: you do NOT need to fix an A/C leak if it is only loosing a can every year or two or 3. Come on now: a $10 can of 134a every 2 or 3 years? or... a $200-$500 fix that invariably leads to other unneeded repairs. Come on now; common sense says to just add a can and quit making a federal case out of it.

you can drive a longlong way IF the radiator cap is off and the speedis kept to 50mph. No pressure = very small leak with a duct tape repair... Old model Ts hoften ran w/no radiator cap... when that was the case the radiator would "steam" away alot of the radiator water... they had to add as much water to the radiator as gasoline in the tank... without a radiator cap even a duct tape repair enables you to travel a longlong time IF you keep the spped down...

Everyone should have their own code reader... my gosh, they are only $45-$60 dollars. Reading a code shouldn't be sich a big deal. A code reader should be given away w/ each new car purchase... never mind, that's never going to happen w/ a code reader maintaining a car has never been easier, but then shops would loose out on a full half of their repairs. AAA figures that a full 50% of ALL repairs are unneeded. I believe that % is correct... maybe even a bit low.

replace the whole half shaft... do NOT just put a new boot on. In 6 months you will see why. OR better yet do what the otherguy said: just grease it everymonthor two until it begins to make noise while turning. HEN replacethe half shaft. Replacing only the boot and it will still start"clicking"within 6 months. I would put it off until it "clicks"... grease it w/o fixingthe boot will makeit last 6mo ... a year... maybe 2 years. dont worry about it if you grease it and it does not click yet. Dont fix it if it isnt broken yet. And a bad boot is just as hard to fix as replacing the whole half shaft. relax its not serious until it clicks...and even after it starts tyo click it will take 6mo to a year until it gets bad enuff to have to replace... then do both sides and NEVER worry about it again for the life of the car.

jc alreadt... its the tbelt. Itsone tooth off. quit looking elsewhere.

For all of us who have owned one or 2 dohc 2.5's we can all attest: the h-g's will go anywhere from 120 to 170. 170 is the max i have seen and I've had two that went to exactlly 170 and then had strange seemingly atylical symptoms. But sure enuff... Yes it's the head gaskets. Bubbles will appear soon enough. You are ssing the 1st stage of failure where it only leaks while under load at high sppeds. It then overheats and dischsrges out the overflow tank after slowing down after a long hiway speed drive. I drove allthe way from Cincinnati to Ann Arbor only to have it overflow and overheat after stopping to get gas. The next day i tried the same experiment after only a 15 mi drive and BOOM... it did the same thing. Yes... do the head gaskets but NO you dont have to do a whole valve job. The dohc engine is soooo nice in some ways but doing a h-g job is muchmuch harder than on any other Subaru engine. Removing the cams... and carefully setting the cam buckets away is the key... also the real b..ch is that one or two (maybe more) of the valves (usually but not always its ehx valves) will need a thinner shil to get them adjusted right. Do this w/o removing the engine is doable... I always do it this way... but many insist that removing the engine makes it easier... it is easier but how many people have a hoist of their own? Don't worry! EVERY dohc 2.5 does this... ALL of them... I just shave the heads... adjust the valves (get an assortment of slightly thinner shims 1st), and put it back together. I've never done a complete valve job on any of them and they are all running well with over 200k. Hve fun... do it once and you'll never have to do it again. We all have had to do this. NO... you dont have to remove the intake manifold... just remove the I-M bolts and the head will drop out the bottom. It's an easier job than it looks like at 1st. BUT MACHINE the heads for sure! Good engine! Rotten & complicated H-G job compared to all Subaru sohc h-g jobs. Have fun...

You are right. The way you describe installing an aftermarket stereo or ? is absolutely correct. I'm just so bummed when I open up an otherwise good car and find the factory plug behind the radio cut upwind of the connector. Invariably the installer got at least one wire wrong and strange things begin to occur. Bad things. If everyone did mods they way you describe this would not happen. On the other hand: I've picked up many cars since I was 16 years old veryvery cheap because of electrical troubles dealers and accomplished DIYers could not figure out. All, and I mean All were the result of aftermarket "upgrades" being installed incorrectly. If people did as you describe a lot of time and money would not be wasted fixing problems that didn't have to happen. On the other hand if everyone did it right I wouldn't have owned alot of very nice cars that I got for a fraction of their real worth. You mentioned that electricity is just electricity... but in modern automotive wiring harnesses the schematics are not simple. A ground is often grounded through another apperatus for resons that can't be explaind through logic. Using what appears to be a simple ground often has side effects that cause unexplainable results. Hence: only use the kind of plugs which you describe. Never cut into or tap into the harness... or better yet avoid aftermarket electrical devices unless they are installed as you describe. Hillbilly installations cause trouble. Big trouble.

YES yes...yes I know my response is on an old thread: but this should be addressed: Timing belt intervels: Timing belts last much longer than water pumps. It is the water pump that needs to be replaced at 100-105k miles. Timing belts can last much longer. If you have ever seen how belts are made you would see that they do not stretch. Old belts may have the rubber "shrink" and it loosens the belt on old style timing belt designs ie; they were non adjustable - but modern timing belts are self adjusting - hence the very long life of modern timing belts because of modern pressure filled belt tensioners. BUT: the discussion on this thread has centered around belt life. This is misleading to the reality of timing belt service life decisions... It is not the belt that fails at 100k miles. It is the waterpump. Timing belts are over engineered. Modern tensioners if replaced when the belt is replaced keep the belt from ever "slipping". Whatever rubber shrinkage occurs on veryvery old belts will be compensated for by the tensioner. BUT: water pumps technology hasn't improved A BIT from 50 years ago. The longest a water pump can last is about 125k miles tops... and most will fail at about 105k miles. Water pumps begin to suffer a loose shaft bushing at about 105k miles. Old water pumps that ran off a "fan belt" had MUCH shorter lifes if a shop deliberatly overtightened the belt...the same water pump that could last 125,000 miles would only last 40,000 miles if a shop intentionally overtightened it... and many shops did this as a matter of policy... Old water pumps make a rattling sound (at 1st it's only at startup and at idle)... ...or... the water pump seal begins to leak. ie: water pump life determines the timing belt life. Not because it causes the timing belt to fail... but because while you are replaceing an old water pump you may as well replace the timing belt. Seriously: the real repair needed during a timing belt job is the water pump. I've seen belts last well over 195k miles but only on engines with water pumps NOT driven by the timing belt. Timing belts with automatic tensioners can last a longlonglong time. But W-P's can not. If the day ever somes that high quality water pumps are made then the timing belt life will magically be made 150-175k miles overnight... with manditory replacement of the tensioner-seals-idlers-sprockets-ets at the time of t-belt replacement. But this will never happen. This is how I know this: My 1st Subaru experience was with a 96 2.2 Outback of a neighbor. The timing belt broke! And it has been replaced 15,000 miles prior to its breaking! How could a NEW BELT break?! Because: Believe it or not: he had decided to "save" money by replacing only the belt (as per factory recomendation) but neglected to change the water pump! ... his reasoning?... He figured that the belt was required by the factory service guide... but the water pump was only "recomended" to be changed... so much for saving a few bucks! The joke is: it is actually the water pump that fails 1st. Final punch line to this story: The timing belt broke in this fashion: it drives the water pump by riding over the flat side of the belt... on Subaru engines for some reason when the water pump hits about 125k miles it actually "freezes up!"... It "skids" across the frozen-up water pump! It skids for about 10 minutes of driving... it starts to smoke... it gets hot... until it MELTS! Then it breaks. Its a new belt yet it breaks! In a 2.2 non-interference engine no damage is done. But the lying shop he took it to told him that his engione was ruined. I had never worked on a Subaru engine before but I dove into this one just to prove to my neighbor that the shop had lied to him... within 3 hrs it was back to running like new... that was 8 years ago and his car is still running fine, passing the smog test, and saving him and his family money. I have KEPT the idler pullies and water pump and the timing belt pieces from this repair for years! To prove that this is what happens when a Subaru owner fails to replace the water pump... To prove that it is the water pump and NOT the timing belt that is 1st to fail and To prove even a new timing belt can't last when an old water pump ruins it. Ask any Subaru enthusiast or Subaru mechanic if he-she has seen this. If they have been around a year or two they will have seen this happen at least once. This is not a rare story... and I do believe it's a W-P story more than a timing belt story.

Arftermarket stereo? I dont buy used subis or any used cars w/ aftermarket radios for this reason. The morons that install them rarely wire them right. Really bad things start happening. Unexpected things, seeminly unrelated things. Stock wiring is pretty complicated. Tapping into it is asking for trouble. This is proof positive. I used to install stereos in college. Then i did work in Detroit (Dearborn) for Ford and Motorola. Some of the work involved wiring harness design. This is why I always leave the wiring harness stock. If you knew how wiring harnesses are designed you would too. Themost injnocent tap into a ground or power supply and this starts to happen. It's because what looks like a ground one second is shared by another component the next. It may seem like a ground while testing it but later it is sharing other duties when other components are activated. it may still be a ground but the ground gets routed through an unrelated component. When you know how harnesses are built you become convinced very quickly to leave them stock. In this case: I would begin by disconnecting the stereo and alarm components until you get it to run w/o electrical smells. Then i would tap into a fused power supply at or near the main fuse panel or the battery itself. I would then ground to the body itself. If you avoid tapping into the harness itself you can indeed stay away from trouble. Good luck... have fun...

RNathan you r in santa cruz? Alot of my customers r from there. I run a resort nxt to dodge ridge ski resort. We go to sc every year. A thermostat is a heat valve in the radiator water hose. Usually in The engine right where the hose connects On most subis its on the bottom . It keeps radiator temp steady. Yes they can get stuck thats why u remove it to confirm If the radiator is bad. There is a upullit in moss landing but used radiators are about 75 dollars. Its not worth it when a new one is 125. cold santa cruz weather... Or vold oregon weather... Hides a bad radiator for years. But go to the valley where its hot and the car will overheat the first time you hit 70 mph. Run the test e/o the thermostat. Then get a radiator. get a new thermostat after u get a new radiator. cars MUST run at the rite temp for the computer controls to work right.. steve at phxmotor@aol

Take out the thermostat. If it still overheats please get a hundred dollar newnew radiator. Stop pretending its something else. It will last for years if you do this. Cars overheat in different ways. This overheating mode is the radiator. New ones used to be over 200. Tgey are a lot Cheaper now. Just get the darned thing delivered thru 1 800 radiator. Eben autozone and napa have low prices now because of 1 800 radiator. But 1 800 radiaror will deliver within 2 to 3 hrs. A hot day driving up a hill at 70 mph that causes an overheat Is the radiaror. A bad head gasket will havee bubbles coming From the radiator when the cap is off. Take out the thermostat... If it still overheats at high speeds Then get the radiatot. Stop hoping its something else. But remove the thermostat 1st and see if It still overheats. If it does get the radiator. It will make you happy.

For crying out loud, This kind of overheat is almost always the radiator. New ones are only about $125.00 Trust me. Take out the thermostat. And it still overheats slowlly mainly on hills and at high speeds esp when hot then its always the radiator. Get a new cheap one. The car will last for years. Dont worry.

Head gaskets for sure. It takes awhile to totally go but you asre seeing the 1st stage. It will get worse within a week or so. People like to remove the engine for this repair but I never do. Its tricky to remove the heads on the dohc 2.5 but totally doable w/o removing the engine. When the heads are out you willfind a couple exh valves too tight. It's important to address this. I've had to replace exhaust shims to get a couple exh valves back to spec each time but i've never had to rebuild a head. Just a simple head gasket job and valve adjustment and it will be ready to go. The darned dohc head is indeed harder to work on that the sohc but I've yet to remove an engine to do this job. Getting the valve adjusted is a pain because no one except hard core subaru owners have an assortment of shims. Bring the too thick shim with you to the dealer and get a couple thinner ones of different thicknesses. It's the only logical way to do it if you are doing the job yourself. It's the head gasket but don't worry, it's normal. The 1st symptom is abrupt overheating AFTER a long drive AFTER you slow down, stop and then start driving again, even if you havent shut off the engine. Bubbles from the radiator (not the overflow tank) come and go in the 1st stages of hg failure of the dohc. It only leaks up under load at 1st but very soon the bubbles appear all the time. 200k mi is very good, VERY good, hg's normally fail on dohc engines at 150-170. I've yet to see one myself that made it to 200. 170 is the normal failure point for the one's I've worked on. I†'s a pretty simple job; shave the heads, readjust the exh valves that need it (check the intakes too just to be sure) and it will be fine. If you do it yourself be careful to lay out all the shim bickets carefully where they will not be overturned by kids laying or dogs running around. Q: why do so many people think removing the engine is needed for this job? It's not all that hard to get the heads in and out with the engine in place. I suppose if I was a shop I'd insist that removing the engine is needed, but since i just do it as a hobby for friends and neighbors, I keep it simple. And i have yet to have a problem doing it this way. Why make the job such an undertaking? It does not have to be costly or complicated. It can be done for less than $200 if you do it yourself. It's not the end of the world and it won't last any longer doing it in place without a full valve job. I've done almost a hundred Subaru hg jobs and probably 25 dohc jobs.They are still doing fine, passing the strick California smog, and running right. It's just a part of owning a Subaru. I've only had to replace a valve once... it was when an exh valve went unadjusted for 160k. It did pit the mating surface a bit. But it certailnly wasn't "burned". Lapping it would have brought it back to life but just for fun I replaced the offending valves. You caught it in the early stage. It will be fine. It's not rocket science and its not brain surgery. It's a car already and it's made to do this repair quickly and simply.

170 k for most 2.5 dohc's I've dealt with. But never more and unsually less. You are right ALL dohc 2.5's will neeed head gaskets. All. BTW: yes I know thios is an old thread.

sorry didnt notice the date

Just remember to change the brake rotors right away when you feel any vibration during braking. it saves everything from wearing out... it really does! Brake rotors are dirt cheap now and sooooo easy to repolace. The whole car will last longer if you keep this is mind. Plus, if you get a chance, it's wise to go to a upullit wrecking yard and grab the things that will go bad. ie; alternator starter maf sensor cam and crank sensor map sensor an injector or two keep this kind of stuff in your trunk and you will never be caught high and dry

I've had ALOT of Subaru's and it's always the headgasket. It's just NOT ALL THAT HARD to fix this. I have no idea why people make a head gasket repair more complicated than it has to be. #1 Are there bubbles coming from the radiator when the cap is off and the engine is running? (top it off w/ water until it is at the very top... wait to see if the bibbles keep coming... they will... this is a bad head gasket... DON'T FREAK OUT! #2 on NA engines you do NOT have to remove the intake manifold. Just remove the 4 12mm bolts that hold each side of the I-M down. Have an extendable magnet ready to help if one drops down. #3 if it is a SOHC 2.2 or SOHC 2.5 you are in luck. The DOHC meand removing the cams ... all the cams... to reach the head bolts. The SOHC engines are sooooo much easier to do a H-G job. #4 assuming it's a sohc continue with the following. #5 after removing the 8 12mm small bolts that hold the intake manifold get under the car and remove the exhaust manifold bolts (leave one on to hold up the exh pipe up untio the o2 sensor is disconnected) and the 14mm bolt that holds the exhaust pipe up. This bolt is about 3 ft downwind of the "y pipe". #6 disconnect the o2 sensor connector. #7 let the exh pipe drop out of the way. #8 remove radiator #9 use a 22mm socket and a breaker bar to loosen the main pully. Use this proceedure: Lay breaker bar on the metal where the radiator once was... on the DRIVERS SIDE... #10 disconnect the plug wires from the coil pack. #11 turn starter motor with the key for ONE QUARTER SECOND... the main pully nut will come right off. #12 remove the belt covers... remove tensioner and bottom pass-side timing belt pully... remove belt PLEASE MARK IT 1st w/ fingernail polish or whatever you like... new belts come with nice white lines to help reinstall it correctally. If the belt is good there is nothing wrong in reusing it. Now is the time to look for oil leaks. If there are leaks replace all the seals AND the O-RING inside the oil pump. It comes off easily and the o-ring is easy to replace. If it is leaking and the seals all look good this o-ring is the cause. I ALWAYS replace it because it always leaks eventually. #12 remove the 6 head bolts with a "deep 14mm 12 point 1/2" drove socket. If you don't have one... buy one! At this point only one or two head bolts will slide all the way out. Keep the other bolts in place and let the head drop out the bottom. It sometimes takes some wiggling but it always come out the bottom without trouble. Even the DOHC heads come out with just a bit of wiggiling. TAKE THE HEAD TO BE MACHINED. 20-40 dollars for each side is a fair price. It will take LONGER to take the heads to be machined than it takes for the entire job! #13 clean the block surface with emery cloth and brake-parts cleaner. The intake manifold gaskets are very high quality. They do not need to be replaced. Maybe your will need to be but I've done this job over 100 times and I've never needed to replace the I-M gaskets once. #14 If the heads have adjustable rockers then make sure the exh valves are not too tight. The DOHC head is a problem because only with the right bucket shims can the valves be adjusted. It's hard to do this adjustment w/o an array of shims in front of you. Subaru heads are normally well made and do NOT need a total valve job done to them. I've seen 300k miles on original heads. But shops will insist you need new seals and etcetcetc. Just make sure the valves are adusted right espetially the exh valves. Hint: if a piece of paper can pass between the valve and the rocker then there is enough room. It will work fine for years. #15 Put the head back on. Do it this way: put the head bolts back into the head put the head gasket in place slip it into place from under the car. it helps to have a person help with this step after it is in place tighten it in 4 passes. very gently tighten it more and more with each pass. Start in the middle and use a X pattern working outward. If the belt is new and the waterpump is new (no "play" in the bushing means it's fine). #16 I ALWAYS check each and every timing belt pully. Take it off and spin it. Listen for silence (means its perfect... if it sounds dry then oil it w/ a few drops of oil and keep spinning it until it gets quiet. If it feels rough and/or makes a dry rough sound then PLEASE replace it. I always pick up a hand full of these pullies when at the wrecking yard. If they sound and feel right they will last for years. You do not have to always buy a costly pully kit if you inow how to check the sound and feel of them. Often the head gasket goes within a year or two of having a complete timing belt and water pump job done. In this case just replace the headgaskets and reuse all the parts. I like the Felpro gaskets. To use a multi layered steel gasket is fine but the thicker Felpro will give you better sealing if the machine shop hasn't left a perfect "mirror finish". I always use ehx gasket sealing paste on the exh manifold gasket when reassembling the exhaust pipe. It assures you will have a quiet engine. One last point: if the valve cover gasket isnt soft now is the time to replace it. Bit the bullet and pay the 35 dollars. You will be happy when there are no oil leaks. And the new v-c gaskets last about 10 years. A head gasket job on all sohc Subaru's is actually very easy after you do it once. You do not have to make it into a costly major production. Paying more money does not get you a longer lasting car. And a head gasket job is always simple, cheap and looooong lasting if you do it inthe manner described. Many shops will violently disagree with this method. They are wrong. It does not have to be complicated or costly. Subaru made it easy to do this repair. Why make into a big costly production? BTW: every car I've ever done this to is still on the road and doing fine. (actually there were a few that got into accidents years after the repair was done... these cars are not still on the road... but doing a H-G job this way works well and its quick and it saves money) I've yet to see a cracked head or a cracked or warped block. Don't fall for shop's scare tactics. Just replace the gasket, machine the head, check for valve adjustment - (mainly the exh valves will get too tight every 100k mi. but check them all to be sure) check the pullies for sound and feel replace the tensioner if it has never been replaced AND... don't worry... the engine will last and last and last... with just this simple repair. #7