keith3267

Is there a bleed valve on the engine? If there is, it should be near the thermostat or the upper hose gooseneck. It does sound like you have air in the block somewhere. It's not a big thing that you did not replace the thermostat, but they don't last forever so I for one always replace them when ever I open the system up like that. I never reuse coolant and with it going on $15/gal, I don't like buying it twice. In your case, I would have also replaced the hoses, all of them. Once and done is my motto for the cooling system.

My preference is to get a tire depth gauge and rotate the tires when there is a 2/32" difference between the deepest and shallowest tires. This keeps the tire circumference within Subaru specifications and minimizes the number of rotations required. If you don't use a tire depth gauge, then you establish a tire rotation schedule for every 7500 miles. That is you set the schedule for current mileage plus 7500, 15k, 22.5k, 30k ect. You should rotate the tires with in 750 miles of each target (+/- 10%). So if you put the tires on at 62k miles, you would set the schedule for 69.5k, 77k, 84.5k etc. If you did the first rotation at 70.2k instead of 69.5k, you still target the next rotation for 84.5k (83.75-85.25k). You follow the same logic for your oil changes as well. As for the pattern, I like many other prefer this pattern. It is the correct pattern for directional tires. Your tires are not directional tires so the rear tires can be crossed when moved to the front if you desire. Its not supposed to hurt them, but I'm old school and old school guys do not change the direction of radial tires once they have taken a set. In the early days of radial tires, changing direction for high speed driving (in other words, backing up is OK) would cause the belts to delaminate. This is not supposed to happen with modern radials.

This is a good thread with a lot of good info, I just would like to point out that the Subaru throttle body is no different than the throttle bodies on all vehicles of that era. The only difference between it and the newest throttle bodies is that the direct link, that is the cable no longer exists. All new vehicles are throttle by wire. The problems you have had with yours is common to all makes and models. If you go to a general car forum such as cartalk.com, you see this complaint on every model when some uninformed person "adjusted the idle". Some models are more inclined to have a gummy build up behind the throttle plate than others, my Saturn needed the throttle body cleaned about every 10-20k miles, I did it myself, its not hard to do.

I thought the TV was to support the rear view camera. Makes since if you are watching TV in your car.

The backup lights are right next to the license plate where the camera mounts, so it is very convenient to use the power wire for them to not only power the camera, but to switch it on and off when you go into reverse. I don't know why you would have to tap into the parking brake switch wire.

The intake for outside air is under the cowling in front of the windshield on the passenger side. The cowling is that piece of plastic that goes from the base of the windshield to the weatherstripping under the hood. You have to remove it to get to the windshield wiper motor and linkage. It is held by some type of plastic fastener. Some of the fasteners used may have to be replaced so you may want to stop at the dealers parts department first to get a couple of spares. Under the cowling, you will find a horn that is about an inch tall where air enters the HVAC system. The blower motor is directly under this horn with a blend door between them. At each corner is a drain that goes behind the inner fenders in front of the doors. It is possible that one or both drains are clogged allowing water to fill the cavity and overflowing the horn and entering the blower motor and leaking down to the carpet below. You should be able to clean this out. Worse case, the horn has rusted around the base so water does not have to fill the cavity first. You can caulk small holes if it has. Doors leak. All auto doors leak. They have small drain holes along the inside edge at the bottom just outside the weather stripping. Check to make sure those holes aren't blocked up. If they get blocked, the door cavity fills with water and the water spills into the interior through the speakers.

I just put an aftermarket MAF sensor in my 97 Nissan Pick Up. A new OEM MAF, if the dealer could find one is $460, a reman OEM from NAPA is $430. New aftermarket ones run from $20-70 each, I chose one that cost $40. I read all the reviews first and about half had no trouble and half had problems. Mine worked fine, after a couple of days. I removed the battery leads while changing the MAF so that the computer would have to relearn its parameters. Those who had issues I suspect did not take this step first. Taking the computer back to the factory defaults should help it reprogram quicker. It took a couple of minutes for the engine to settle down and idle normally but for the next couple of days, the engine would stall on the first idle after a warm start. Now it runs like normal and no more stalling after the computer learned all the parameters of the new MAF.

The cathode is the center electrode, the anode is the ground strap.

There is another little trick I have heard of, but not tried myself. After you profile the anode to match the cathode, then you drill a #7 hole through the anode in line with the backside of the cathode. People who have tried it swear by it, but I haven't tried that myself. Something that I have done which is common on racing engines is to file the anode back to the center of the cathode. You do not round the edges on this, you leave them square. The downside it that the anode and cathode will erode rapidly so you may only get 5k out of the plugs, but then most races are somewhere between a quarter mile and 500 miles so a short life is a mute point. Personally I go iridium now as they are inherently superior to any anode shaping of an iron or copper tipped plug.

The new axles come out of China and most of the time, they are better than any remans out there. You didn't mention exactly which model/year you have so I would suggest you try autopartswarehouse.com and look for new EMPI brand axles. They are few bucks more and are Chinese made, but I have had good luck with them and so have some others that I know. The Cardone and GSR brands, not so much. Remans have always given me the most trouble though, most seem to be reboots of worn out old axles with a stiffer grease to mask the wear. They don't last long.

If you remove the knuckle from the vehicle, you can take to just about any shop that does welding. They can weld a hardened washer onto the broken end of the bolt and then take it out, the hardened extractor will not be in the way. If the threads in the knuckle got bunged up, they can be drilled out and a helicoil put in their place. This is a whole lot cheaper than a new knuckle and bearings.

I had a set of gauges from Harbor Freight but the connectors were so poorly manufactured that they did not fit on all the R134 systems that I had. They were very tight on the ones they fit on and would just not go on some others. I bought a cheap set from AZ and it fit all the systems but gauges were not very good. I bought a better set at O'Rielly's and it has worked very well for me. The good set only cost me about $20 more than the one from Harbor Freight. I would get a set of these gauges if you are comfortable with working on an AC system. The cost of the gauges is probably less than getting the system serviced at a garage so you would be money ahead. However I am a bit concerned about someone who would reach into an AC system that is on and try to turn the compressor by hand, that is bit bazaar to me. There is a relay that turns on the AC clutch. If you remove the relay and jump the terminals for the contacts, you should see the clutch engage. If the engine is running, the compressor should start working, but you have to be very careful here, if the charge is too low, you will damage the compressor. I would put gauges on first. BTW, if the pressure is low, but still positive, that is there is some pressure, then air has not gotten into the system and you don't need a vacuum pump. The vacuum pump is for systems that are completely empty and air may have gotten in, or the system is opened up. If the system is very low, you should replace the schrader valves. Some refrigerant will escape, but as long as you get the new valve in quick enough, air will not get into the system. You do not want to remove a schrader valve if the system is pressurized as you could be badly injured.

I think you are looking for problems where none exist and that is why you are spending so money on your car. Check your owners manual for the service interval on your coolant, its 11 years in the newest models but yours could be as little as 5 years. Do replace your radiator cap, even if it isn't bad, and I don't think it is. When they go bad, you see the temp gauge rise when you go uphill, but considering the damage even a little overheating does, you want to head this off. But that percolating sound almost always comes for heat shields. As they get older, the bolts holding them get a little rusted. The heat shields are thin sheet metal so they heat and cool rapidly, and when the heat or cool, the expand or contract. When they do that they move under the rusted bolt heads, but they don't move smoothly. The sudden movements under the boltheads makes a metal on metal percolating sound. If you are running the AC, it makes a percolating or boiling sound when the engine is turned off as the pressures on the high and low side equalize. BTW, if you are not experienced in changing coolant, or have a friend who is to help you, you should get this done at the dealer. You have to drain the block as well as the radiator. Do not let anyone "flush" the system, that does more damage than good. You will never drain all the coolant out, but you don't need to. Ethylene glycol does not get used up. What gets used up is the corrosion inhibitors. A little used corrosion inhibitors left behind will not do as much damage as minerals that get introduced by freshwater flushing. Chemical flush products can do a lot of damage to your system and must be avoided. Most of these attack rubber and other seals. When you get through draining and refilling the system, you need to know where the bleed screw is and how to bleed the system. BTW, If you do decide to do this yourself, use either Subaru or Peak brand universal long life coolant. Peak is the closest to the Subaru brand coolant.

I got that Toyota engine from ProFormance in Springfield MO.

With that many miles, I'd suggest a reman longblock from a company with a good reputation. It may seem like a lot of money at first, but when you amortize this cost over the extended life of the vehicle, it results in the lowest cost per mile. This only works if the vehicle is in really good condition to begin with. You will need to make sure the ATF is drained and refilled every 30k, small price to pay for lots of miles. If the current ATF is not a bright red, then you will need to do the three back to back drain and fills, then just one every 30k thereafter. At this number of miles, you may also have to replace all the struts as well. Even with these additional costs, you will be money ahead in the long run. But if it is running good right now, keep an eye on the coolant level and oil level, every day and save your pennies. Check eBay for reman long blocks at least once a week. Sometimes the reman companies will sell off old stock as the pool of eligible vehicles dwindles. I got a reman for an old Toyota from a top reman company for $250 + shipping, less than $400 all together.

Make sure thats oil and not ATF. Check your transmission for coolant in it. If this is oil, you should clean out the reservoir and see how long it takes to get oily again. If it takes awhile and the car isn't loosing much oil, I would just drive it until it becomes a problem.

Rear disc brakes are real complicated, unlike the old rear drum brakes. There are so many variations on rear disc brakes, it is hard to judge without looking at them in person. If your rear parking brake is a tiny drum brake inside the rotor, then the caliper is likely to be the problem. If the outer pad was the only pad worn down, the the caliper pins got stuck and the caliper did not need to be replaced. The caliper pins needed to be checked for straightness and if OK, then lubed. If not true, then they would have been replaced and the new ones lubed. The dust seals should also be replaced. If the parking brake uses the disc and pads, then the issue could have been in the parking brake and replacing the caliper probably would not have been necessary either, but might have been the less expensive way to go. The labor to repair the parking brake could go higher that the cost of a new caliper. Once the damage is done, the pads and rotors on both sides have to be replaced.

Does it make a clunk when you go from reverse to drive also? You need to let the dealer look at this. It could be something that is minor right now but could lead to a major repair later. The dealer should be given an opportunity to take care of this while it is cheaper to fix. If he blows you off and it becomes a major repair later, he will pay for that mistake.

It doesn't have an emergency brake at all. An emergency brake was a mechanical brake that you could use if your hydraulic brakes failed. This is strictly a parking brake, it releases automatically when you put the transmission in gear and touch the gas pedal. It cannot be set if the vehicle is in motion. I agree, this was not a good idea and Subaru may come to regret the decision to use it when some slick lawyer argues a case where a client got hurt because they could not use the "emergency brake". Never mind that the client may have been drunk, speeding and the hydraulic brakes were working just fine, or that the vehicle was at a stop sign or light and got rearended by a drunk, speeding, uninsured driver.

Have you priced a subscription to XM radio? It is really expensive. My Legacy came with XM and 4 months of service of which I listened to it for about 5 minutes. For a one year subscription, I got an iPod dedicated to the car and downloaded stuff from my iTunes on my computer, most of which came from my CD collection, but a few from the iTunes store. I find that if I like a particular song from an artist, its cheaper to use the iTunes store than to buy a whole CD just for one song. I have also digitized some of my favorite albums (vinyl). But for the best information and pretty good prices at all price points, got to crutchfield.com. They are the best. EBay can be risky although eBay does try to keep their sellers in line, craigslist is very caveat emptor.

2014 Legacy Premium. What I dislike, the seats. I also dislike the fact that Subaru (and all other manufacturers) do not have a feedback system to get information from their customers. If they did, they could design much better cars. They really need to listen to the seat complaints because most people really love or hate a car based on comfort, more so than performance or economy or even reliability. I know you can't design a seat that fits everyone, but the use of memory foam does cover a lot more variables because it molds to the person. Anyone who has a memory foam mattress or mattress topper can attest to that. I do like that the vehicle is more accessible for people with disabilities. Something in the design of the doors makes it easier for people with limited range of motion to get in. I hope they do not loose this feature, but to go along with it, the Legacy needs to be able to carry one of those powered wheel chairs on a hitch on the back. This is a pretty marginal feature currently as the Legacy is not rated for towing. I get pretty good gas mileage as well, 28.5 - 31 mpg. I keep records. Most of the time I get around 30 mpg.

You might want to do a quick check of the alignment. Here is a quick check method you can do in your driveway. It applies to all cars and trucks. http://www.tercel4wd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2273

I think one big problem is that the manufacturers of all makes and models expect the driver to be constantly looking at the instrument cluster instead of the road. Its hard to notice a light coming on or a gauge creeping up until it is too late. They put a chime to alert you if you don't buckle your seat belt, door ajar or god forbid that a $100 battery might go dead from leaving your lights on, but a $6000 engine? Not a peep. They should program the chime to sound off anytime the engine or transmission is in danger from low oil pressure or overheating. Maybe there would be fewer owners needing head gaskets prematurely. Hey Subaru, ya listening?

If you are burning a little oil, the catalytic converter will finish oxidizing the smoke so you wont see it, but that will in turn eventually ruin the cat and then you will see the smoke. I agree that the oil control rings could be the cause, but you don't usually see issues with them in an engine that is as clean as you describe. The oil control rings get carboned up from infrequent oil changes and infrequent oil changes usually leave a lot of sludge under the valve covers. I think I'd be looking for a bad seal somewhere. Some times they can be hard to detect because they only leak when the engine is running so you don't always see the oil spot under the car. One commonly overlooked leak is the oil pressure sending unit. If you see any oil on the terminal of the sending unit, it is leaking. When they leak, the spray oil out in a fine mist so it doesn't always accumulate on a surface under the hood and the oil doesn't come down in drops. Front seals will sling oil away from the engine, but you would see some oil build up on the nearby surfaces such as accessories and fenders. Rear oil seal leaks are really difficult to notice.

The old school way of breaking in a rebuilt engine, which worked for manual transmissions of the day, was to take it out on the road and do ten 30-50 (50-80kph) runs in high gear at full throttle. This would seat everything right away. Then back to the shop for an oil change. Its really difficult to reproduce those parameters today. The key is to put as much pressure on the rings as possible to get them to seat. Never run the engine at a constant RPM for any length of time and do not run at high RPM or allow it to overheat until it is broken in.