Stevo F

I doubt my son would know the difference between the burnt smell of oil vs. rubber belts vs. brake shoes. Interestingly, the front driver's side brakes were just removed to replace an axle, so I will be checking for anything seized with the brakes. I believe he said he did see some smoke though.Hopefully I'll find out more in the morning when I stop over there, but I'll have limited time to do anything as I'll be going to the office afterwards.

My son who is at college with the '98 GT reported ot me that he began to drive it on a very cold morning the other day and as soon as he would let off the gas the car would downshift (he said it downshifted into first). He also said the car felt a little like it was dragging, like the emergency brake was on.As he turned around and drove it back home he noticed a burning smell and when he got home and lifted the hood there was some smoke coming from area the front of the engine.That's all I know and he is not very mechanically inclined. I happened to show him where the ATF dipstick is right before he went back to school and the car made the 50 mile drive there with no issues. I asked him to check the ATF level and he said he could remove the ATF dipstick (it does get stuck pretty good and you have to work to pull it out). He also said there are no CELS and the AT light is not blinking or staying on.I hope to stop by where he lives Friday morning on my weekly trip to the office, as it's not very far away. Obviously I want to see if there are any ATF leaks. Since this is far from home and the only tools are what I happen to bring, what else should I look for while I'm there? I'm guessing I've likely have it towed to a shop run by an ex- Subaru mechanic about 20 miles from there if I can't do anything to fix it on the spot.

Thank you. You are speaking of the rear subframe? Yes, I wouldn't want to take on replacing that myself, so I will plan look at that to see if there is much rust on it. I wouldn't want to try to use the one from my '97 as either the subframe or a suspension component was damaged, causing excessive camber on the passenger's side now.

Several months ago, my son tried to avoid an animal while driving the '97 Legacy GT, ran into an embankment causing some rear suspension damage and some internal damage to the transmission (damaged the 2rd gear band in the 4EAT). My mechanic has been looking at it in his spare time (and not charging me) so it's been at his shop the past 4 months Since my mechanic's shop was sold out from under him, he (and my '97 GT) will need to be out of there in he next few weeks. Given the bad transmission, as well as obvious (and maybe not as obvious) damage to the suspension and undercarriage, I'm wondering if I should just part it out and find a new recipient for the '95 EJ22 engine that was swapped in (runs great with only 100K miles on it). Ideally I would love to get my hands on a clean '97- '99 Outback Limited that needs headgaskets or an engine, and have my mechanic install the EJ22, but so far the ones I've found that need an engine also are in pretty poor shape overall. I did find another LGT where the motor is toast. It's about 40 miles and over a mountain from me so having it towed would be a must. The seller originally wanted $900 for it, which was way too much IMO, but says he will take $400 to get rid of it. So would this car be worth parting my '97 to fix? It looks clean, My one main concern is the rust (see the pics) and how likely has it spread to the strut towers- I'm not sure how easy it would be to check this when I go out to look at it. Here's a link to the ad below: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/303662747046407?surface=product_details

I just changed the spark plugs on my son's '98 Legacy EJ25D engine. Like FerGloyale said, remove the washer tank and swing it out of the way for the driver's side, and remove the airbox cover along with the MAF and intake tube to gain access to the passengers side. All I had was a 2" wobbly extension for my 3/8" ratchet and it was about perfect for the job, although a fraction of an inch longer extension might have made it easier. I wish the EJ25's had the plugs angled like the EJ22's.

I freed it up pretty well with some PB Blaster, followed by spraying it with lithium grease, then squirted some oil on it. I workes pretty freely for now, but I'll plan omn ordered a new U-jpoint in the near future. Looks like about $115 which isn't too bad of a repair.

You may be right. When I got home, I raised the front wheels of the ground and turned the steering wheel from side with engine off and I felt the stiffness. You feel it every 180 degrees of turning the steering wheel. How hard is the U- joint to remove? It looks like a single bolt holds it on both the steering column and on the input shaft of the rack.

I starting driving the Forester this morning and noticed the steering felt a little hard in a turn. Then it didn’t feel as hard. I turned around to go back home and the steering was hard for a couple seconds then it felt normal for a couple seconds then hard again- all in the same turn. It had power steering fluid and the drive belt is fine. The car steered fine on my 115 mile round trip commute yesterday and every since I bought it too months ago, so it was a pretty sudden thing. So does it sound like the power steering pump is on its way out? Maybe something with the rack? The vehicle has 224K miles and I’m thinking most of the steering components are original.

Since I bought my Forester two months ago, I've noticed a noticeable engine tap upon first starting. You can hear it at idle when it's warming up for a minute or so, then it will be only noticeable under load. It definitely quiets down significantly once the engine warms up, but I can still hear a slight tap under acceleration with a warm engine. She's got 223K miles on the original engine, so I'm thinking maybe some piston slap with possibly a little bearing wear in there? It's not a loud knock by any means (yet). Just wondering if should be concerned at this point or just keep driving it until it gets worse. It is definitely related to engine temperature, and does seem louder upon starting in the cold weather that's now here. I'm running the recommended 5W- 30 oil. My '98 Legacy EJ22 has had a very soft tap when I bought it that also mostly goes away when you drive it- I've always assumed piston slap with that one since the redesigned piston skits on the '97- '98 EJ22 seemed to be known for it. Also, my son's 2001 Honda Accord 4 cylinder acts similar to the Forester- even though a much different engine. My mechanic actually checked bearing clearances and found them to be good. He attributed the tap to wrist pin clearance which he said Honda's are known for but not a major concern. I've never heard of Subaru's having excessive wrist pin wear though.

I actually flushed the coolant, replaced thermostat with Subaru OEM, and replaced heater hoses,a nd filled it with Subaru long life coolant last night. I have the cooling system conditioner but and hesitating putting it in because many people have said it's basically stop- leak and might clog the engine or heater core.

I just bought a silver 2003 Forester XS and I want to two- tone it by painting the lower plastic door cladding a contrasting color. Has anyone done this? If so, what paint did you use that will last and not peel off. I've used Rustoleum rattle can paint on the lower bu,per/ rockers of my '98 Legacy and 2014 Impreza and it's held up pretty well.

Thank you- I ended up buying the car Tuesday night. The owner took $2,200 and has many of the receipts. The headgaskets were replaced at 180K miles by a Subaru dealer. The ticket indicated coolant was leaking onto the steering rack. So far no signs of anything leaking on the garage floor, but I'm going to spend a lot of time with it this weekend, so I'll get underneath and take a look around. The interior needs a good cleaning and the paint could use some detailing I drove it home 40 miles on the highway and it handled great- no way you'd think it was a 200K + mile car

Thank you, everyone. This is a private seller- the situation is it was owned by her sister who passed away last year so she has had it since then. I talked at length with the owner yesterday, who came across as very intelligent. She said she has receipts for something like $5,000 of work over the last several years her sister had it, so I should be able to get more detail about the headgasket and timing belt job. She actually told her sister not to invest so much in an older vehicle, but her sister loved the car. The rust potential is a concern. We previously had a 2005 Outback Sport that spent 9 winters in the Wilkes-Barre area and the front subframe was rusted through, with a lot of surface rust on the rear subframe. The brake backing plates literally crumbled apart in my hands. I ran a VIN report which showed this car was in PA for 11 years, 3 in North Carolina, and 1 in Virginia. I know the EJ251's headgasket failures result in coolant leaks, but are these mostly external? (is checking the overflow tank for bubbling more an EJ25D thing or should I do it this car too)?

I'm going to look at a 2003 Forester tomorrow night. It appears to be a very clean, well kept vehicle but does now have 223K miles (many of them highway) on the clock. The owner has receipts that show , among other things, that timing belt and headgaskets were done at 180K miles (which is my main concern as I don't want to buy something and turn around and have headgaskets done). It also has 4 evenly matched Michelins with 23K miles. Is there anything specific to Foresters or EJ251 engines that I should be looking for? (as of the 7 Subaru's I've owned, I've owned neither of these). I know to check for torque bind, etc... It was in Pennsylvania for 11 years, so I plan to taker a look underneath and the subframes and floors. Is there anything else I should look for on a 200K + mile vehicle that I hope to take to 300K or better? Here is the listing: https://charlottesville.craigslist.org/cto/6703832917.html

Was talking to the owner of the a '97 Outback. Car looks fairly well maintained and the owner sounds fairly knowledgeable, which is pretty rare on Craigslist. Engine supposedly rebuilt 2 years ago along with the work done described in the ad.The thing that makes me hesitate is the amount of rust it has in the pics. I know how to fix quarter panel rust, but when the rockers also start rusting through, like on this one, is that a good indication that the strut towers aren't far behind?Since all my Subies have been fairly rust- free mid- Atlantic cars, I was wondering if those of you in the rust belt would advise to pass on this one, or repair it not worry about it? I would hate to buy a car, fix it up, just to have the top of one the struts pop through one day.https://fredericksburg.craigslist.or...689180057.html

Thank you. That was my thought too. Are these solenoids easy to replace by yourself- any special tools needed? If it's as simple as dropping the pan, identifying something damaged and replacing it, I'd rather do it myself than pay a mechanic.

My 17 year son ended up running off the road to try to avoid a turtle (new driver- rookie mistake). He ended up driving it onto an a grassy embankment then back onto the road. I drove the car home and noticed it would shift out of 1st at about 4500 RPM into 3rd gear and getting it up to 55 MPH is was still in third. It was not giving any CEL's or TPU codes and the engine runs normally. I went underneath today and there isn't any significant damage (just a lot of mud and grass). The transmission pan is pushed in maybe 1/8" or so in the center (after comparing it to the way the pan on the wagon looks), but I'm not sure something that slight would damage anything sitting inside the pan. I've attached a pic of the transmission pan. I also checked the transmission fluid (still pinkish- I did a couple of drain and fills after getting the car last year) and it's at the correct level. Other than this, the car runs and drives fine. The other noticeable damage is to the front bumper and plastic liners behind it along with the driving lights (one is still up there someplace). The other issue is noticeable positive camber to the right rear wheel. i suspect the bottom of the wheel was pushed in during the trip off and back on the road. What suspension part would most likely have been bent, and what would be involved with replacing it?

I'm thinking of getting a used Forester and offloading my 2014 Impreza to possibly a family member(not thrilled with the CVT, but don't want a stick due to my commute- also would like something that sits higher). I kind of prefer driving my old Legacy with a 4EAT to the CVT. I really like the look of the 3rd gen Forester and prefer some of the older technology. What are problems common with Foresters in this generation? I know the later EJ engines still have headgasket failure- is it an external coolant or oil leak (vs. internal like the EJ25D engines)? Are there any other things to watch for? Looking at a few online, most were just at or over 100K miles so I imagine virtually none of them have had a timing belt replacement, so that would be in order. Anything else to watch for? (I'm mainly a 2nd generation Legacy person as well as the newer Impreza).

Most likely due to the winter gasoline formulations used in colder climates. Mine are 2- 3 MPG lower this time of year

Yes, It was totally a bad IACV. I put a used replacement on and everything returned to normal. The idle seems a little rougher in gear, but nothing terrible and idle speeds are normal with no fluctuation. The noise in the intake is gone as well.

Hats off to Imdew! I received the IACV's today. I went ahead and installed one of them (I already had a new gasket) and the idle is now fine. The idle did spike up for a second a couple of times when first starting the car, but didn't repeat when I ran it again (maybe the ECU and the new IACV had to get acquainted). At first I was a little intimidated by the job as the IACV had a lot of stuff in the way. Once I removed the PCV hose (which split due to age, but I got a new piece of hose for it) removed the two coolant lines, and was able to get a socket on the 3 mounting bolts, the rest was easy.

Yes I looked at my '98 EJ22 and confirm the plugs are above the valve covers there too (last year of Phase 1).

Thank you! I looked at the pics again and it looks like the spark plugs are above the valve covers, so '96 it is. Also, to pull an engine do I need a real engine hoist or could I use a block and tackle (the ceiling above my garage has 2 x 12 floor joists above it, so pretty strong. The last time I pulled a motor was when my Dad and I pulled a Pinto engine back in 1979.

I saw an ad for a Phase 1 EJ22 for sale. Basically a longblock (no alternator, P/S pump). Seller says was running well when pulled from an Impreza, has approx 170K on it but has sat 2- 3 years (presumably inside since that's where it is in the pics). He is asking $300 Questions: Seller says it's a '96 or '97- what are ways I can tell which year it is from looking at it? What should I be looking for when I go to look at it? I do plan to ask if he can turn it over by hand, since it is out of the car. This engine could be a spare for our '97/ '98 Legacy's, or possibly to find an Outback with an ailing EJ25D and hopefully be able to swap it. If I'm correct, the EJ25D had dual port exhaust and the EJ22 was single port from 1996 on. If this is correct, do I need to find a single port header somewhere if I wanted to put this into any Outback? There is a nice looking'98 Outback Limited (looks like a 30th anniversary)with what sounds like it would be rod knock, not too far away, that this engine might be a good match for. Also wondering how I should store this thing when i get it home. I need to make room in the garage in front of the cars and set it on the floor- is there a certain way to support it so nothing gets damaged, like the oil pan? I figure I might get an engine stand at some point.

Thank you sir! Hopefully once we get out of the deep freeze here, I can work on loosening the 23 year old coolant lines and see if I can remove the old unit.