sid_vicious

The 1/2" breaker bar works fine, but there is actually a socket called a pipe plug socket that is just a plain square. The retention ball on ratchets and breaker bars can get in the way a little, though it's not really a problem. I thought about finding a 1/2" pipe plug socket just because having the perfect tool for the job is a good feeling, but I don't think it's worth buying anything when a breaker bar fits so well.

anyway, back to the issue...maybe the temperature sensor for the gauge is just acting funny and causing weird readings. i would think air temperature from the vents would be the way to test this. if the air is warm and your temp. gauge is still low, it's incorrect. (right?) andrew

I have read some great reviews of Phoenix. I also have had good luck at Foreign Car Specialists. There's a mechanic there named George who has a good reputation as a Subaru guy.

Do you smell any coolant in the cabin or vents? A heater core leak introducing coolant through the vents could account for the rust on the bolt. I had a water pump leak that trickled onto my oil pan, eating up the finish and allowing it to rust quite impressively. Andrew

There are at least a couple people on nasioc.com that have swapped between automatic and manuals. Maybe check out their posts. It seems to be an endeavor that can quickly accumulate time and money. Looks like fun nonetheless. Andrew

I have noticed low temperature readings at idle on extremely cold days. 0 degrees is pretty cold, especially with wind chill in addition. I don't know if it's cold enough to prevent idling from keeping the temp needle up though. BTW, do you have a preferred Subaru mechanic in Madison? Andrew

Yeah, it doesn't matter where the small hole in the thermostat is. I recently replaced the water pump and t-stat on my 2.5 and at first was startled by the fact that I did not note its orientation when removing the old one. I later came to realize that it could not possibly matter, as it just needs to open and close properly. Stuck it in and all is well.

The only place I've found one of those separate from a set is online. There are usually a number of them on eBay. I think they're a common size for Mercedes-Benz oil drain plugs and other import plugs.

I have read some of your other posts regarding the lift, and it sounds like the way to go to lift the car without a body kit (or in addition to one). I hope you don't mind me posting a link to the gallery page you posted a while back: http://homepage.mac.com/jegiii1/PhotoAlbum1.html The car looks sweet.

I don't get it...the longer the pipe, the less torque?

Hi, As the suspension components are beginning to wear out on my 97 Legacy Outback, I'm considering going with the Scorpion lift springs. I've searched the forum quite a bit and found that the springs have a slight trade-off because the extra lift reduces the downtravel of the OEM struts. I know the KYB GR-2's (OEM) work fine with this small exception, but is there a taller strut compatible with the Outback that I should be looking into? Thanks!

I think the Haynes manual recommends that a firm push with the thumb deflect a drivebelt about a quarter inch. Of course, a firm push for one person might not be the same amount of force for another, so as you can see there is definitely a grey area for drivebelt tension. I've gone with the Haynes method and have had no problems.

I'm looking for a set of brake pads for a '99 Legacy Outback Limited, but I cannot find them on OEM parts websites. The drop-down menus include brake pads for the model year, but say "exc. Limited". They do not provide an option for the Limited model. Does anyone have a P/N for the limited pads? Why do the pads for the regular outback not work? This is only for the front...rears are apparently the same. Thanks.

I'm pretty sure that's normal. I noticed it when replacing my front driveaxles, and it's still present with the new ones in.

I actually had a chain wrench, but the chain was not long enough to wrap around both of the pulleys (there is not enough clearance between them to wrap it around just one). I'm not a big fan of it anyway, it did a great job of chewing up my crankshaft pulley and I had to get a new one. I wish I had known about wedging a screwdriver in the flexplate earler... I also have a strap wrench that I tried on the camshaft sprockets, but the flexing of the rubber strap wouldn't allow me to get enough torque to break the bolt loose. Just when I thought I had everything.

The special tool was about $130 plus shipping. It was easy to justify after pulling my hair out for a few hours in the garage. Plus I figure I will use it again for lots of other engine work in the future. The cost of the tool is less than the labor alone would have cost if I had taken it to a shop, so I'm ok with it. It does seem like it would be easy to make though.

Well crap....I've got everything off up to the camshaft sprockets. I didn't break the bolts loose with the timing belt on because the Haynes manual said not to do that. However, I'm just about fed up with the Haynes book because of things like this: they say to hold the camshaft sprocket with "a suitable tool" while loosening the bolt. The picture they show is of a channel lock grabbing the hex on one of the RIGHT side sprockets. Of course, the left side hexes are recessed and a channel lock gets no purchase on it. Suitable tool my butt. I've tried everything I can think of...large channel lock on the pulley with a piece of old belt around it, strap wrench around both pulleys, etc. I'm going to order special tool #499207300 from SPX-Kent Moore and be done with it. That was a nasty surprise....

Thanks guys...the job begins tonight! Hopefully tonight and tomorrow will be enough time for me to get it done.

Hi, I've posted a few questions in preparation for a water pump and timing belt replacement on my 97 Outback EJ25, and I have come up with another. I'm probably psyching myself out more than anything... I plan to change the camshaft seals while I'm in there, and I have gotten widely varying replies about the likelihood of the camshaft sprockets (especially left side) rotating when the belt is removed. Some make it sound like the things are going to jump right when I take the belt off, while others say that they will not move at all. These varying replies alone have me a little worried about screwing up valves, but here's another concern... My question focuses on the event that the camshafts do in fact rotate, but while I have the sprockets removed for the seal change. How will I find the right orientation for putting the sprockets back on? Are they keyed so this will not be a concern? Also, the Haynes manual (which I have seen debunked on many occasions here) specifically says not to rotate the camshaft sprockets by hand more than a few degrees. I think I recall someone saying that they had to rotate theirs a half turn to get timing marks back in order. Is it OK to make this big of a correction (as long as intake & exhaust pulleys are rotated in their respective clockwise/counterclockwise directions)? Sorry for all the questions, but I'd rather not have to repair any interference damage that may be caused if I make a mistake. Thanks for the help, Andrew

A full size spare fits in the storage area for a small spare? I never tried taking out the plastic tray, but I should. I bought a full size spare a while ago and wound up never taking it on trips because it doesn't fit conveniently. I'll have to check that out...I was thinking maybe strapping it to the roof on a cargo rack would also be a good way to go.

I'm about to do my first timing belt and am wondering about the severity of the tension on the left side camshaft sprockets. I got a response in another thread that said putting cylinder 1 at TDC on its compression stroke will align things so that the camshaft sprockets will stay put. Did you do this and they still wanted to rotate due to valve spring tension? Andrew

I found the two heater hoses at the firewall, but didn't see any traces of leakage from them. This led me to wonder about the possibility of a leak in the heater core itself. If this were the case, where would the leaking coolant go? Could it find its way down to the jacking plate, where I am seeing collection? On a side note, there is most definitely coolant leaking from the water pump, as it is slowly dripping from the timing belt cover. I understand that this leaking coolant could be blown back to the jacking plate area during driving, but again I'm totally confused by the lack of a trail leading back across or around the oil pan. I'm making such a big deal about this coolant on the jacking plate because I'm getting ready to replace the water pump and do all the other convenient service at the same time, so I definitely want to make sure I find the source of any and all leaks so I can fix them and be done with it. I think I've checked just about everything, so I'm almost ready to chalk it up to the water pump leak, but I would greatly appreciate it if someone could answer my question about where a leak in the heater core itself would wind up. Thanks again...I'm learning so much on this forum. Andrew

Does anyone know why my Haynes manual includes removal of the intake manifold as part of the engine removal procedure? Is this necessary, or can the engine be pulled out with the intake manifold on it? (After all connections are removed, of course). Andrew

OK, thanks for the peace of mind. I knew the timing belt change procedure was a precise and delicate one, but I was pretty surprised by the language used in the first EndWrench article about how the camshaft sprockets must not be allowed to move at all. Thanks again, Andrew

Hi, I'm currently in the research phase, preparing to replace the water pump and related seals on my 97 Outback wagon. I've noticed a couple differences between my Haynes manual timing belt procedure and some links I've found to official Subaru literature. The first thing I noticed is that this EndWrench procedure (http://endwrench.com/pdf/engine/FtTimingBeltReplaceF00.pdf) goes to great lengths to make sure that the camshaft sprockets are held in place with a special tool while the belt is off, because the left side cams are under tension when the timing marks are lined up. If they were left free, they would rotate and possibly cause damage because it's an interference engine. My Haynes manual did not say a word about this. What's the deal? I then found another EndWrench article that, like the Haynes manual, does not make any mention of holding the camshaft sprockets in place (http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/TBeltEWWin05.pdf). On top of all this, I did not see anything about bringing cylinder 1 to TDC in either of the EndWrench articles. This is one of the very first steps of the Haynes procedure. Just when I thought I was ready to tear into it......can anyone help me out? Andrew