the_bard

Bingo... according to my wife's 2000 Outback Wagon owner's manual, off the top of my head. If you want to know the exact temp's, I can get them for you.

Went through fine, Kevin. Thanks again! Report doesn't give me a reason to stop looking at the OBW, so I suppose that's a good thing *grin*.

Sounds like I'll be sticking with the Phase 1, then. With all that extra effort, there's no way the dealer's gonna be willing to work around the other problems. The constant CEL will be a problem, too. I'm supposedly getting the car at wholesale price ($3k), and he's willing to replace the engine for $1k. Not sure where he's getting the engine from, but he's assured me it's a low mileage replacement. From his story, he bought the car at auction, without knowing it was dumping coolant. He had his guys swap out a headgasket (not both?!), a water pump, etc. He claims he's losing money on the deal (probably), but he wants to get rid of it It's still dumping coolant internally... I took it for a quick test drive to make sure the tranny was fine, and it was billowing white smoke out the back. Really bad on start up (it's been sitting for a while), but tamed down after a few minutes. I'm not sure why they only swapped out the one headgasket, but I'd feel better with a replacement engine (though I'd like to know where it's coming from). Only other problem with the car regards the e-brake handle... the ratchet mechanism that locks it isn't working, though there's tension on it when you pull the handle. The button to set it is missing, too... I'll end up handling that myself, assuming I can get the car off the lot once I've bought it, without being inspected by them (10 day extension sticker, anyone?)

Fired off a PM.

Didn't even think of CCR, though I should have. Just fired off an email... we'll see when they get back to me. Thanks!

I've heard the same... you can only drain so much of it out while it's sitting. Not sure on the exact amount, but there was a recent thread on the subject. To get as much of it out as possible, you end up doing partial changes (drain, fill, circulate... repeat). There was also some thoughts on how to get the tranny fluid to circulate while you're filling and draining, all at once, to remove all the old fluid, but if I remember correctly, it involved having the fill side pressurized. Anyway, do a quick search, and you ought to find something.

Quick background: I found a '97 Legacy Outback just a mile or two away from my house. It's sitting on their back lot, in good shape body-wise (no rust underneath... woot!). The engine's toasted, though. Dealer says they bought it off auction, discovered it overheats, and replaced the water pump, radiator, and head gaskets, but it stills overheats. They're willing to swap out the engine for me at a very reasonable price ($4,000 for the car after the swap, 126k miles on the chassis). My question: Rather than slapping another Phase 1 in there, would it be possible to slap a Phase 2 in there, without swapping the ECU or having to rewire? If there's a chance for headgasket issues down the road, I'd rather deal with the external leak than the internal.

We bought the wife an '00 Legacy Outback on Monday. She drove it back home, leaving me to drive ahead of her in her '96 Saturn SL1 (*cough*). She needed to get it registered and inspected this morning, while she was at work, so I got to drive it in return for getting everything in order. And oh... I've fallen in love, I swear. It feels solid & rugged. The suspension's so smooth, the engine's so quiet... no road noise at all when the windows are rolled up. Didn't feel as long as it looks, either, just like my old Loyale. I didn't mind the auto tranny, either... we seemed to jive, shifting when I wanted it to shift (or near 'bouts, at least). I did notice that it seems to lose energy fairly quickly while coasting... take my foot off the gas, and it slows down quickly. Makes it nice going down a steady grade, but it made me wonder if a caliper isn't sticking. It's not pulling, nor do I smell hot brakes *shrug*. Overall, I like it. A dealer a mile or so down the road has a dark blue Legacy Outback, '97 or so, that they just swapped out the engine in (126k on the rest of the car, not sure on the replacement engine). They're asking $4k for it, and I'm going to take a look at it Thursday morning before work. 5 spd, too. So much for my obsession over the Impreza Outback *grin*.

Ran out earlier today to take a look at a '96 OBW with a 5spd in it, cheap. Body's ok, rest of the car is good, that EJ22 runs like a champ. Problem was the tranny... Whenever the car's accelerating (off the clutch & on the gas), there's a bit of a background grinding noise. Let off the gas, and it disappears. Back on the gas, and it reappears. When you shift into third, let off the clutch, and back on the gas, the shifter itself forces itself back into your hand, hard. Shift into fourth, let off the clutch, and accelerate: No problems. Lay off the gas in fourth gear, and it occasionally jumps out of fourth, grinding gears. It'll stay in fourth 'long as you're holding the shifter in fourth. There seems to be a lot of travel in the shifter period, accelerating & decelerating. Lay onto the gas, and the shifter moves a considerable distance. It's got 161k on the odometer... but my old Loyale (232k, if I remember right) had less slop in the shifter than this OBW has. The dealer's only asking $2750 for it, so he's not concerned with getting anything repaired on it, even with me mentioning the possibility of raising the asking price to get it repaired first. He had had the clutch swapped out after he had picked the car up, which may or may not be a cause. Seemed to me like the tranny mounts were loose/worn, or the clutch may have been misaligned (just tossing out ideas). The rest of the car's in good condition, so if this something easy, I'd like to entertain the idea of picking it up. Any thoughts?

I actually haven't ran across an OBW with that cold weather package, yet. Wouldn't mind seein' an OBS with one *grin*. Wait... I'd like to see an OBS for sale in NY, period. It's nice to know that I can swap out the mirrors fairly easily, too. And if they're physically compatible, I can't imagine why the wiring would be incompatible (when I'm talking about Subie's, at least... if I was talking about my Cougar, it'd be a different story).

So the dealer sold the '97 OBS that I was looking at, the same day I was approved for the loan. Found out by calling them to drop a deposit on it *kicks myself in the arse*. Anyhow, I'm looking at '96 OBW that's local. I wanted an OBS, but they're just too hard to find in the NE. Next closest one I can find is in NJ, and my likelyhood of getting that one quickly is small (there's a couple driving up from NC to take a look at it Monday, which is the soonest I could look at it). There's the whole out of state thing too, paying double sales tax, etc. I've seen the '96 OBW for all of ten minutes, gonna take a test drive on Monday. Looks in good shape, 160k miles on her. Only issue that the dealer brought up was that he had the tranny try/suceed to slip out of fourth gear while he was accelerating onto the highway. Gonna check that out. The non-interference EJ22 will be nice, though. I don't like those non-breakaway mirrors... anyone know if they can be swapped out with the breakaway style?

There's a black extension that doesn't go anywhere on the EJ22 in the '97 OBS that I'm looking at. It's just past the MAF, sitting there, no sensors or hoses. I can't figure it out for the life of me. Anyone have an idea what it does? Just curious...

Probably too good to be true... I'd definitely want to see some tests run by an independent reviewer. They definitely don't have anything remotely scientific on their site, just a bunch of market speak which means very little. On the other hand, they're claiming that the roughly $50 tube of "Gel Revitalizer for Gasoline Engines" will last 60k miles. I can spend that on one dinner with the wife, and it won't last nearly as long . Might be worth it to dump a tube into it every 60k, just to see if it works. God knows I've thrown more money at more stupid stuff before (computer hardware? Blech).

I've been looking all over the NE for a '96 Impreza Outback (Sport), for two reasons: The '96 EJ22 is non-interference, so if the T-belt decides to go south, I don't have to worry about hunting down another engine or start looking into a serious overhaul. It's got the disc brakes all the way 'round. Problem is, I've been able to find only one '96 IOS around me... which is overly expensive. 94k miles on it, and they're asking $7,000. I could probably haggle them down, but I'm debating whether it's worth it. There's a '97 out in NH that I could pick up... not that bad of a drive, considering the route there happens to coincide with the route we have to go to pick up my wife's new car ('00 OBW w/ 95k, $8500 for reference). With 89k miles on her, they're asking $5400, which is a lot more reasonable. Considering that they haven't swapped the T-belt on it yet, I could probably talk them down even farther, which is an advantage of the lower starting price. So it comes down to two questions: If the '97 EJ22 throws a T-belt and eats itself, will I have any problems swapping a '96 EJ22 in there, without swapping the ECU (don't want to deal with wiring issues)? If so, I might just spend some time hunting one down, and take my time with some minor rebuilding while I've got it out, then slap it in at my leisure. Can I swap the rear drum brakes out for the disc brakes (if I can find a donor '96 IOS, I may as well)? I'm concerned about the bias & the ABS, if I do swap 'em out... no sense in creating more problems. Thanks guys ;o)

Too bad it's not the Impreza Outback (Sport), and a year later... you'd have a buyer right here . I'd agree, though... unless you're hooked on her, and it doesn't sound like you are, I'd start looking around for something else. The only (logical?) reason I could see for pouring money into it ('specially if you're not doing it yourself) is if you want to keep the car around, and aren't questioning getting a replacement. I've done drum brake repair on a few cars, and it wasn't anything horrible. Same goes for radiator hose replacement & coolant flushes. The only suspension work I've ever done had been on my '93 Cougar, which was a pain in the arse (would've been better if I'd have done it right, though... ). Good luck finding a preowned Baja, btw... I've been looking in the NY area idly, and haven't found any. I'll admit, though, I've been searching for that OBS (or Impreza Outback, depending on who you're talking to, and what year you're talking about), around '96-'97, and they're rare enough. Seem to be plenty of Foresters around, though, at least around Albany.

It's a shame some of us more electrically orientated types couldn't slap a temperature sensing device (I'm thinking about thermistors) together, to tell the temp on that VC or CP. I imagine it'd be difficult to tell the actual temp of the CP, but the VC ought to be easier, since we want the temp of the fluid. I imagine we couldn't measure the temp of the casing, since it'll either be cooler or at least introduce some time lag, but even that would be better than nothing. If we could find a way to drill into the case, tap the hole, and run a probe into it... N.B.: I haven't had any coffee yet. Nor have I actually seen the guts of an AWD system. But I thought it might be an idea. P.S.: Disregard the CP stuff above... heat doesn't kill the clutch pack (well, I suppose if there was enough heat), wear does, so stickin' a temp. monitor on it won't help at all. Thanks, friendly_jacek.

I'm still looking over the '96 Impreza Outback w/ 208km on her... and I realized one thing that I hadn't checked out or noticed was the functionality of the AWD system. I'm not familiar with AWD, just the pushbutton 4wd that was in my old Loyale. It's fairly reasonable to check the basics on the body, underbody, exhaust, engine, tranny, to make sure nothing's making any odd noises or not working. When it comes to the AWD, I've got no clue . Is there any way to check it? I can see someone running it with the spare on it, toasting the VC, and the dealer just slapping a new set of tires on it to cover it up. I didn't see any sort of idiot light regarding the AWD operation... so there's got to be some way to test it manually, short of goin' muddin'. On the other hand, I could just take it out for another test drive, and find the local mud pit... P.S.: Props to the recent Tires & Xmission post to remind me about this...

Update, and a shameless bump... They sold the '98... did some talking about the '96 Impreza Outback with some buddies down at work. Most were like "208 thousand miles! No way!"... these came from the relatively auto-ignorant crowd. One went "$3,500 for a 208k mile Subaru? Sound's 'bout right." The last went "200k miles on a Subaru? I don't know Subaru's, so I'd say no. But I know Volkswagons and Volvos, and if I was offered one of those like that, I'd take it." Besides, I took another look at it tonight, and went "I love this car." So I'm gonna go for it... they might have sold the '98, but I've got them looking for another one for the wife. Gonna talk to the guy I'm getting the loan for, and see if we can't split the loan up, so I could pick up the '96 before somebody else grabs it. I realize most of this post is meandering, but it helps organize my thoughts and plans. And if you've reached this far, thanks for listening

Hey guys, me again . The wife and I have been trying to replace our current transportation ('96 Saturn SL1, '93 Merc. Cougar) with something(s) else. I've been trying to inch her towards an older Subie for me, and whatever she wants for her, but that hasn't happened. What has happened is the two of us looking at a pair of relatively newer Subaru's - a '96 Impreza Outback for me and a '98 Legacy Outback for her. We were quoted a price of $11k for both of them, total. I don't have many questions regarding the Impreza Outback... the '96 should have an EJ22 in it, non-interference if I remember correctly, and a 5 speed tranny. It does have rather high mileage, 208k, but it appears to be all highway mileage. The body could be in better shape, but barely, as it has no rust at all... just a few paint scrapes on the hood that don't appear to have passed through the primer. Underside looks incredible, no rust there either, just some slight surface rust on the exhaust just before the muffler. Bottom of the engine looks very clean, just some slight surface rust and no oil. The rust appears to be old, not new, so I doubt that they cleaned it. Interior's intact, just needs some touch-up cleaning & mending. Engine purrs quietly... no obviously horrendous noises, though one heatshield 'bout the Y-pipes was loose (dealer stated he'd replace that before we bought it). Clutch seemed tight on the test drive. Haven't asked about the last time the timing belt was changed, but as long as it's a non-interference engine, I'm not going to go ape$h!t over it. 4 new tires. Original offer was $3450, we talked him into $3500 total (tax, licensing fees, etc.) He also threw in a 30 day extension on the basic warranty, so it's good for a total of 60 days (Woohoo .) Anything I miss? For the wife: I haven't seen the actual car yet... we're getting a loan to cover for both cars, and imagine it'll be a lot easier to grab both from the same dealer. They did some hunting for us (about five hours worth), and managed to find a '98 Outback with 98k on her at a "cooperating" dealer just outside Syracuse. The '98 should be in immaculate condition, according to their description. Our dealer plans on sending a man up to check the car out tomorrow, at which point he'll go over the car and call us back with the info on it. If it's good, he'll purchase it and bring it back to his dealership, where we'll inspect it, and decide to pick it up. This should have the 2.5L in it, and I plan on inquiring about whether the timing belt's been changed, and if any work on the headgaskets has been done. Total price on this ought to be $11k minus the $3500 equaling $7500, which sounds about right, assuming the car's in the shape it's being advertised for. Anything else mechanical that I ought to be concerned about? P.S.: Just remembered... the dealer did state that the '98 just had a wheel bearing replaced. I didn't think much of it, but I figured I'd throw that out, too. Edit: Corrected title.

My sympathies on the loss. Sounds like he went out doing what he loved, and it was quick... from where I'm sitting (all of 24 years of experience behind me, not countin' the one I'm working on), that sounds like the best we can hope for. Hang in there, and if you need anything, just holler. I've got a feeling the bets on a "Reformed Subaru Church" happenin' are right, too . It's something in your blood, that you're stuck with, I think... it bit me, and you put me to shame .

Well... walked past it tonight, and the great City of Troy has posted signs stating they will be "cleaning the streets" tomorrow, from 7AM 'til 3:30PM, and as such, parking will be prohibited there. Read that as: the City of Troy needs more parking tickets to fill their coffers, since the streets aren't much cleaner afterwards. Judging from the attitude of the owner, it'll probably be towed off tomorrow, and he won't be interested in paying the tow fee & ticket, unless I can/would get in touch with him before then. That attitude's got me a bit concerned too... it doesn't take too much creativity to imagine him using that same approach in caring for the car. God knows what else is wrong with it, and the last thing I'd need is the wife complaining about another problem with one of my cars. I hate to let it go like this, but it's just not realistic right now. Besides, the wife already shot it down, and I'm getting too tired of arguing with her. However, before I gave in, I made her promise to let me pick up a Brat, hatch, or older wagon as soon as we've got the space to do so, and the loan for the new Subie's paid off. We'll see.

Sounds like it has issues. And not to sound like I've got issues, but I missed the red-green-red bit. What's the red, some sorta of inline fuse? :-\ (Hey, if I don't ask, I won't know, right?)

I think I'm gonna skip on it. I don't have the space to be swapping out an engine, unfortunately. While it'd be great if it was just the head gaskets, I'd have to dig in there just to find out that he managed to warp the block when he overheated it. Besides, the wife's trying to talk me into picking up something newer... late 90's Outback Sport or Wagon. I just don't want to deal with another loan. I'd like to own my car ;o). Ah, well. Whatever happens, happens.

I'm still thinking about picking up that '90 Legacy sedan that's a few blocks away from me, mainly 'cause it's dirt cheap . The current owner overheated it badly. On a long distance trip, driving back home, a coolant hose blew. Rather than jerry-riggin' it, he continued to drive home, and overheated the engine bad enough to have it stall on him just a few blocks from home (get-home-itis ). I've looked at the car myself, and it seems to give off the tell tale signs of a headgasket leak. Owner says he took it to Pep Boys, who stated it "had an internal coolant leak." They quoted him an exorbitant repair estimate, so he picked up a new car. As a result, I could pick it up for less than $100. This sounds great to me, since I'm willing to dig right in there and get dirty, trying to get it fixed. How realistic is this, though? Performing a head gasket swap on an engine while it's still in the car, on a side street? I might be able to find somewhere local that'll let me store the car on a level area, off the street, for a week or two, but I haven't gone searching yet. Regardless, I wouldn't have the access to a garage. My other worry concerns the heads... if he's driven it to the point where it stalls, how likely is it that the heads are warped? The engine still runs... it does have issues idling, since it drops a couple hundred rpms intermittently. Got that white exhaust whenever it rev's past idle, too. Any suggestions from anybody who's got more experience than me?

I dunno... is this truly the lady's "only means of transportation" in the near future, or does she have the cash/credit stashed away to pick up something else, and is only waiting for someone to tell her that it's not worth the effort, and she ought to pick something else up? If so, I'd say hand it off to the single mom. Otherwise, fix it for free or dirt cheap for the lady, and let her know if she has more problems with it in the future, you'd be willing to buy it off her.