NOMAD327

96 with standard shift will be a 2.2 liter, this is regarded as the most durable drivetrain possible. If you get a non outback legacy, some 97 to 99 will have the 2.2 engine. I believe the 96 2.5 had hydraulic lifters and no valve adjustment required, also required premium fuel. the 97 to 99 2.5 all have shim type valve adjustment. 99 2.5 engine blocks are same as the 00 and up models and are allegedly better. The 99 and up automatic transmissions are different having external oil filter and better internals. 96 and some 97 models had a less durable bearing arrangement in the transmission output shaft and 99's have a much better keyless entry system. I have a 99 auto and get about 21 to 23 mpg in everyday use, maybe 28 on trips, this is closer to what most people here claim for theirs. I like the car a lot and believe what you can save on a slightly older model is a better deal than paying more for an allegedly more durable 00 or newer model.

This has been often discussed, You will want to do maintenance on the oil pump while disassembled this far, which is only pennies extra in parts, and most people will also replace the water pump as any future failure will require redoing the timing belt work.

It normally drains a bit better going slightly downhill, and fills a bit better going slightly uphill. I would replace the thermostat if it's been a couple years. Use only a genuine Subaru thermostat. The best engine drain is accomplished by removing the thermostat which is at the bottom below the water pump. All that said, I get pretty good results on level ground. The refill trick is to put a few quarts in the radiator and then remove the top radiator hose. pour coolant down the hose into the engine until the hose is full. then hook the hose up and fill the radiator. You will get at least 90 percent full this way, enough to eliminate any danger of overheating the engine while the motor is warming up the first time. There is a small air bleeder on the top of the radiator passenger side, but I have never needed to do more than these steps. Run the motor till it warms up and the thermostat opens, and you will then need to add just a bit more water to top it off. A good flush will include draining the overflow tank and putting some new mix into it along the way, and I always make sure the heater is giving off heat while I am waiting for the thermostat to open the first time.

My bad, was thinking seperator plate, and talking divider plate with someone here and typed it in wrong.

if you do split the motor and transmission, there is an item called a divider plate which allows oil leaks at the back of the motor. Some years have a plastic plate and should have a metal plate installed in it's place, I would search on the subject for more info.

Back in 2003, My kid just did a replacement of both head gaskets. He did the timing belt spark plugs and oil pump stuff a year before, so that work isn’t figured in, but total labor, fluids, etc. was $450 which would have been about the same even if oil pump work was done. The parts from liberty subaru were $230 including a water pump and thermostat and every other seal and gasket. (only the year old timing belt was reused) $680 total compared to $1300 the dealer wanted without doing the water pump. It was a 2.5 DOHC at 99,000 miles. 97 OBW. I wondered where you were located, because I would recommend that garage as experienced and very reasonable if you were close enough. I am in Danville, which is right on I-80, So it's a ways away for you.

The board has recommended Liberty Subaru in NJ a lot over the years, especially for East coast residents. I bought my parts there and they were all correct, genuine Subaru parts in stock and shipped quickly. The discount and no sales tax more than makes up for the shipping cost. It is a Subaru dealer and they are familiar with what's needed for a given job when you call. You want to use only the latest Subaru head gasket for this work, it's been discussed in a lot of other threads. Where are you located in Eastern PA?

There are some problems with oil leaks at the rear main seal and the valve covers, but the most common oil leak on these motors is from the front oil seal mounted in the front of the oil pump. If that wasn't done on your motor, or if a new seal was installed, but not installed properly, the leak could still be present. Usually if you have a leak at this location, there will be oil drops visible on the bottom of the oil pump directly behind the crank pulley on the bottom. There is usually a lot of oil blown back covering the bottom of the motor and a strong oil odor, sometimes even smoke from it hitting the exhaust and burning off.

They tend to drain a bit better aimed downhill, and fill a bit better aimed uphill. I always did it on level ground without any problems though. I pull the thermostat to get a pretty good block drain. (it's a good idea to replace the thermostat anyway, use only a Subaru one). The trick for a painless refill, is to put a few quarts of new mix into the radiator, and then remove the upper radiator hose at the radiator. Now pour mixture down the hose into the top of the engine. When the hose is full, install and tighten it and then top off the radiator. You will get at least a 90% fill in this manner, and the cylinder heads and block will be adequately filled for the initial heat up. After the thermostat has opened on heatup, it will be possible to add a bit more to top it all off. There is a screw in vent plug on top of the radiator on the passenger side, but I have never needed to use it.

I'll paste in an old response I left from a couple of years ago! Once you remove the windshield washer bottle and battery (can probably just slide it forward on it’s tray a bit) on the left and the air inlet tube and mass air sensor and air cleaner box on the passenger side, access is fair doing a 2.5 in an outback. I would do the front plug first on each side, as they are slightly easier to do. What makes it the most hard is that the plugs are really far down inside the wells in the heads. The rear plugs on each side are harder because the frame rails are closer in the back. My problem was that an extension was needed, but there isn’t room to get one in with the socket attached. You have to slide the socket into the hole first, then slide in and assemble the extension, and finally attach the ratchet to the end of the extension. I immediately removed the sponge rubber plug protector from my socket, the reason being it will be extremely difficult to get the socket off the end of the plug and out of the hole if the rubber is gripping the spark plug. I didn’t want it on for plug removal either, because there is a lot of trial and error with your socket set as to what gives just the right length for getting the socket stack down into the hole. As I recall, what worked best for me was to use a plug socket in the rear, and then use a ratchet with a standard socket on it to turn the hex on top of the plug socket instead of using an extension. On the front plugs, a 3” extension worked pretty well with the regular spark plug socket and a ratchet. There was at least one plug which worked slightly better with a standard deepwell socket instead of the spark plug socket, but that was not a critical must have item! I would recommend having a small hand mirror on a stick or a ladies compact to be able to glance down into the well to see what’s happening. I’ve done a few of these cars, and on each one, at one time or another, the spark plug socket became slightly jammed on some aluminum protrusions of the head that were down deep in the well. The impression is that the threads are pulling rather than the socket is cocked and dragging. If you experience this, Use the mirror to reconnoiter. If in doubt, reverse direction, and the condition should go away if it’s not the threads. This usually happens when it’s just starting to go real good to scare the heck out of you. Going back in with new spark plugs, make sure you check the gap first, then lube the threads with an anti-seize compound. Make sure there is a washer on the plug or you will wonder later on if it was in fact there. The big trick to installation, is to have a piece of rubber hose that’s about three or four inches long and a snug fit on the top of the spark plug. Stick it down over the top of the plug and use it to guide the plug into place. Twirl the hose between your fingers and you can probably get the new plug in half to three quarters of the way which is time not spent with a socket wrench. It’s also much easier to angle the plug and feel it start correctly with the hose. Putting all the stuff back on, make sure the three quarter inch hose that connects to the bottom of the intake tract after the air flow sensor is reconnected, The car will not run without the hose connected, and sometimes it slips off unseen during disassembly, and you don’t even realize it needs reconnected.

There is a code for the contrast color, and it is available. I also have gotten paint dabbers in that color, like most Subaru colors, you will only be able to find them at the dealer in all likelihood.

If the tires you have are unidirectional, do not just switch sides, because then the tires would be running backwards which would cause real problems. The idea of fan blade wheels is to extract air from under the car. I always thought it was a gimmick to a point. I rember Taurus SHO came with similar wheels in 92 and the wheels were all the same, so one side was running backwards all the time. In 93 they made left and right rotation wheels which looked better, but then could not be cross rotated.

I did a deer with my 99 outback about three weeks ago going around 55. Hood, grill, radiator support, A/C cond and radiator and accessory belts and cam covers but not the timing belt. $4500 with all used parts

I've had a couple cars where the clockspring would work fine in warm weather, and trip airbag lights in cold weather. I don't know if it would work the reverse way, but it sounds possible. They are the only item in the system that commonly wears out as well.

The seals will work perfectly in any axial position so long as they are positioned square in the bore and the rubber lip is not cut sliding them over any threads or steps in the shaft during installation. (a trick here is to wrap some thin durable material around the shaft and once the seal is over any bad areas, slide the wrap out of the way. Then grease and slide a bit to ensure the rubber is not twisted anywhere). On a high mile engine, even a perfectly installed rubber seal properly lubed will wear a thin groove at it's contact point with the steel shaft, I believe this happens because microscopic wear particles imbed in the rubber and are held like sandpaper. This only happens at very high miles, and in this case, a simple fix is to slide the seal slightly in or out in it's bore so the lip rubs in a new slightly different spot on the shaft. This assumes the housing design has that axial clearance present that you can do this. If it doesn't leak now, it will not start leaking in the near future.

This is the part where everybody talks about the o-ring and checking the screws on the back of the oil pump. Grey engine assembly RTV is used on the block to pump seal area. When the oil pump is off, the seal contact area of the shaft will be more visible. Should the shaft be scored, pick a slightly more or less deep location to set the new seal so the lip rubs on a new spot.

it's the button on the end of the stick. this messes a lot of people up at first.

93 legacy, all models have 15.9 gallon tank same as my 99 outback. EPA is 21 city, 27 highway, very close to my 99 outback. (It would be 18 city, 23 highway if you have a turbo model). I get 20 to 23 MPG for the most part and can go about 300 miles before the low fuel light comes on. (you may or may not have one, I'm not familiar). Anything routinely below 20 MPG on normal roads with normal driving would indicate a problem, oxygen sensor or MAF sensor, plugs or wires, that sort of thing. Good well inflated tires and clean filters are also essential. I do not consider 20 MPG anything to brag about, and would be very unhappy with even lower numbers.

I would not go by the distance you travel on a tank as meaningful, I would check economy by calculation of fuel in vs. miles traveled. It is better if you keep a running tally over more than one fillup for this. The factor here, is many legacy gas tank senders give false low readings, which will have you refilling with lots of fuel still remaining in the tank. The low fuel light is separate from the gauge readers and in my experience tends to be more accurate. In any case, an AWD legacy should get 20 MPG or better in normal use, and with about a 16 gallon tank, that would be near 320 mile range. Check your owners manual to see what the capacity is. If it is 16, and you never get more than about 12 gallons in, that may be what's throwing it off.

I have been told by upholstery shops that neatsfoot oil is the best preservative, and it does seem to give good results for me. Lexol is a variant of neatsfoot oil and is probably better if you can find it. I've never had any filthy leather seats, have always used windex and a soft cloth for dusting or light water soluble stains. If I had any stained or dirty seats, I would probably look for a product made specifically for leather cleaning.

My legacy outback with 2.5 engine and auto had a noticable stumble right off idle and no other problems. It was a bit worse if throttle application was light. I cleaned the throttle body and plate which were hideously black and tar covered at 80,000 miles and the problem was fixed. I also did the IAC valve which was also bad but seemed to be working. The 2.2 has a different style IAC valve but it serves the same principal.

The newer systems cannot be reset if the cause is still present. They will reset on their own after a certain number of on off ignition cycles with no problems present.

Who was the alleged dealer in Pennsylvania?

There's no reasonable or obvious explaination why some engine designs are interference and some are not. There are some very high output engines that are not interference, and there are engines that can't get out of their own way that are interference. All Subaru 2.5 liter engines are interference, and so are the newer 2.2 engines. (I believe 99 and up).

i have a 99 electronic manual, genuine subaru which covers both engine types and entire car. the transmissions changed for 99, but would otherwise probably be fairly representative of a 98 imprezza. i got it on ebay for around $20. amounts to about 2 ft high stack of paper if all printed. There is also a service where you can download the info from subaru for a limited time unlimited download for a fee roughly in that price range