3Pin

my 2 cents....work smart not hard. Take em in and get them done.

Welcome and glad to hear you took the plunge. I bought two 96's both with known HG failure around the $ range of your outback and they both are running great after the HG work. They both had a bit of a torque bind as well , but that went away on one with a new set of tires and a flush on the other. Don't forget to replace the seperator plate while the engine is out. Obviously any other seals, H2o pump etc, whatever else makes sense. 96 one 171K 96 two 161K Good luck!

Why don't you like Fram oil Filters grossgary?

I did today. 3 of the 4 nuts that hold the motor were gone. I found one inside the door. I tried to get the mechanism re-aligned, but could not, It seemed jammed almost. Damn!

As I was putting up the electric drivers window today and I heard something go thunk inside the door and now the window won't go down. I searched for info on this and found nothing. Any ideas on what this migh be anyone. All of the rest of the windows work and I hear something when I engage the up down button so I don't think it is a fuse. Sounds like it fell of the track in the up position almost.

I say no more than $350. That way it is a good deal for them and you. There will be more work than you think on this one and you don't want to sink to much into it. I bought two like it. Both needed HG's, but they ran, were complete and had no other outstanding issues. I paid $650 for one and $725 for the other. My two cents

As mentioned numerous times in this formum, buy with your eyes wide open when looking at a phase I 2.5 engine. I bought 2 - 96's, both with know bad headgaskets. Both had 150K+ on them and neither had suffered a major overheat, just the early symptoms. I had both done for about $1100-1200 with all the seals, timing belts and pumps done at that time. Purchase price of one was around $600 and the other $725. They are both running great now. Buy the engine overhaul kit from a subaru dealer that resells parts at a discount like firstsubaru.com for example. In my mind, if the HG hasn't been done on the car, then market value minus the HG job = your offer for the car. If they don't want to take the offer, move on. Another important thing to check is for torque bind. See the threads on how to check and solve TB. Lots of info out there. Good luck.

Confirmed. Both my 96's have the the vacuum diagram on the underside of the hood.

I hit the net and bought a actron obdii reader and it cost me about $50 US. It was a CP 9125 and is the most basic reader. Reads and resets though and has saved me tons of time and dough so far.

I agree with your strategy. Buy a decent car, but with a known problem at a good price. I just bought 2 - 96 subaru outbacks with know HG issues. One was for $600 and the other $725. Fixed em both with the complete engine overhaul gasket kit from 1st subaru and replaced all the other obvious stuff when the engines are out and back on the road they go. I thought about putting in a 2.2 while they were out, but both 2.5's were running so good it made no sense to me. Don't be afraid of the HG thing, just budget for it to be safe when buying one. 96-99 2.5's in Forester and OB's are prone to HG failure. Not any worse than the 90's Dodge Minivan auto transmissions for sure. My 2 cents. BTW.....The above 2 failed at 152,000 and 164,000.

Re:#1 every damn gasket you'll need...serously saved me lots of time and money. While the engine is out, it makes sense to replace all the gaskets/seals you can. Re: # 4 it's called an oil seperator cover. Part # 11831AA150. Should be $12.17 at 1st subauru. Can't comment on 2 and 3 sorry.

You can get a brand new Forester for about $20K. What they are asking is about right, but as they say, everything is negotiable.

Don't forget if you use 1stsubaru, you have to ask for the discount many of us have been getting for quite some time now. Recently, they stopped showing the discounted price on the website as well. I guess Auburn Subaru sold the 1stsubaru website to someone else. I just bought some parts from 1stsubaru and had to mention it or they would have quoted me retail.

I just go to rockauto.com and navigate through the fields and they send me the right parts everytime. Second timing belt and second water pump from them and good so far. Buy a new h2o pump not rebuilt in my opinion though. While you are doing the timing belt and H20 pump, I think the cam seal might be worth doing. Chime in if others think anything else is worth doing at the same time.

Thanks for the name and telephone number. I have heard a couple of peole talk about it, but could not get an exact location and telephone number for the place.

I have a thread asking questions in the same vein just below yours a bit and haven't heard any responses either. The srtip is either held with plastic clips or glued on, but there is only one way to find out I am afraid. I usually take a thin putty knife and a cloth a pry from below gently and see if it comes. Start about 2-3 inches in. I was asking about if anyone has any experience with the two tone color on the lower section of the doors and around the wheel fenders. It looks like the outside lower color is actually a heavy duty adhesive sticker type material. I am going to call 1stsubaru and see if there is a replacement part for it, otherwise, I may just have to grind it off and repaint the two tone color with the stripe back. PITA Best of luck.

I want to repaint my 96 OB after some basic body panel work. The car is green and needs repair and repainting in the green area and the silverish gold section also. It appears that the lower color of the doors and around the wheel well is actually an adhesive based coating or sticker. Has anyone had experience replacing or repainting this two tone section?

Why is the site being taken down?

I had a 00 dodge van with a 3.3 that did the same and it turned out to be a burnt exhaust valve. I hope it is not that for you. A compression test would eliminate that.

I have had 3 240's and 4 subaru's over time (xt coupe, 95 legacy wagon stick, legacy wagon automatic and 96 OB wagon) The 240's are and were tanks, hard to break,easy to work on and not too bad to maintain if you don't go to a dealer. In my opinion, the subies are much more fun to drive though. A 95 or 96 FWD 2.2 is pretty quick, good on gas and reliable. My 2.5, well, I bought it cheap with a know HG issue, but has been great since the repair. I would still vote for the 95 or 96 sedan or wagon with a 2.2 motor though. Less to worry about especially as the new one arrives. Congrats to you on your upcoming budle of fun.

Thanks for all of the comments. Looks like a trailer will work just fine!!!

automatic

Can you tow an Outback in Neutral on all 4 Tires 3-400 miles? I know you can't tow truck it on two wheels, but can you tow it behind a truck?

I wonder if you have a clogged or faulty #4 injector?

Having any starting problems or low battery? Mine did some of what you describe before the battery took a dump.