keith3267

I believe what you have is a dual mass flywheel. The center piece should just swap.

As far as I know, Subaru's are not more prone to this than any other manufacturer. I doubt that Subaru makes their own alloy wheels, automotive manufacturers buy these from vendors that often make wheels for other manufacturers. This seems to be a bigger problem with aftermarket foundries that do not make OEM wheels. Most of the time, the area of concern is around the bead, so a bead sealer will do the trick. The reason is that most porosity is below the surface so it gets exposed when the bead is machined. Usually the rest of the wheel is "net cast" and not machined.

Do you have alloy wheels. Alloy wheels can have porosity which is a casting defect. There is a coating that can be applied to the inside surface of the wheels to stop them from leaking. BTW, porosity, a mild case like yours does not weaken the wheel. It just needs to be sealed and it will be good as new.

OK guys, I am not a physicist so I don't know everything about everything that is worth knowing, but I have been thinking about this and at the risk of sounding like one, I may have come up with a theory. At first, removing the upper radiator hose just doesn't pass the logic test when the hose is completely open to the upper tank of the radiator. But when you fill through the radiator exclusively, you are filling the engine from both hoses at the same time and because of the little dribble valve in the thermostat, you could trap air in the engine. If you fill from the top hose only, then air can escape through the dribble hole and out through the lower hose, eventually the coolant will fill in the lower hose through the dribble hole and then start filling the radiator from the bottom. Does that make sense? You could also fill very slowly through the radiator and the block would fill through the dribble hole until it reaches the upper hose, but this would be very slow as you would not want any coolant to start spilling over into the upper hose until the coolant in the block has risen high enough that all the trapped air is gone. That makes an interesting alternative filling process that might work for someone in a hurry. If you have a camp stove, You could preheat the coolant to 180°F or so and then fill the system through the radiator. The hot coolant would open the thermostat right away so it would fill the engine quickly. You would want to heat the coolant outdoors as outside a pressurized system, antifreeze will give off vapors, a lot of vapors, far below its boiling point. You do not want to do this inside your house. I wonder why Subaru didn't put a bleed valve somewhere in a high point in the engine like everyone else does?

I lived in Japan for three years back in the mid 70's and I would never buy a used engine from there. If you think you have seen traffic jams in the US, you have not seen a no-$hjt traffic jam like they have in Japan. A 7 mile commute took up to four hours one way. Morning wasn't too bad, about 45 minutes but the afternoon commute would last from 3pm to 7pm. At 40k miles (68k kms) the car was smoking like a jalopy and barely ran, had to junk it. If your lucky, you might get an engine from a country car where the miles are not so bad, but generally, the engines in Japanese cars do not last very long, it is a very tough environment for them. I have had bad luck with used engines, but I did get a very good engine for a Toyota from Proformance in Springfield, MO, but I think they have gone from a generalized reman factory to one that specializes in high performance engines now. There was a reman factory in Mass that was actually ISO9000 certified but I don't remember the name of the company. A quality reman engine should last 100k or more, but it won't be cheap. It can be very cost effective on a cost per mile basis if the vehicle is also good for another 100k and other major components are in good shape.

The upper radiator hose is open to the top tank of the radiator, a blind man can see that. nicholi, did you park on an incline the first time? I think the incline had more to do with your success than removing the upper radiator hose. I don't know what NASOIC forum is but I don't click on links that I am not familiar with so I don't get the joke.

Knock yourself out, but you gave this advice to another person, so I will give my advice as well.

You need to do an inventory of exactly what is working and what is not working. Don't go after individual issues, instead have someone trace the circuits on a schematic or wiring diagram and look for a point where they all come together. When you have multiple electric/electronic failures, they usually trace back to a common point. It could be a common power point or a common ground, you have to look at the complete circuit.

Blast a little compressed air up the hose first. I have used a zip tie successfully in the past, but it is difficult. If you can drop the pan below the evaporator, that would be the best way to clean it long term, but in many vehicles, you can't drop the pan without first removing the lines to the evaporator core. Bad design in my opinion.

The negative cable from the battery goes directly to the block, so that ground will be good. Your engine will start and run just fine. Your problems are tied to the chassis ground and that is the one you need to check as I suggested above.

Let me clear up a couple of things. It is the practice of removing the upper hose at the radiator and filling it that to me is a complete waste of time. I do not disagree with filling it slowly or having the front end elevated, many cars today require that, not just Subaru's. I do not disagree about aftermarket thermostats, That too affects a lot of cars, not just Subaru's. The cooling system does run in reverse in modern cars. By reverse, it is the way the coolant flows through the block and heads. It does require the thermostat to be at the water pump instead of the gooseneck like in the old days. Coolant used to be pumped into the bottom of the block and rise up to the heads. Engineers found out if the coolant went into the heads first and then down into the block, they could raise the compression of the engine by at least on point and increase the engines efficiency. Moving the thermostat also provides better temperature regulation as noted and that too also helps the engineers bump the compression a little more as well. I don't disagree with anyone on that point.

I am new to Subaru's, I bought a new Legacy (2.5L) last year. The radiator looks just like the radiators in all the cars that I have owned and worked on for the last 50 years. When you fill the radiator, the coolant will fill the upper radiator hose. I don't see any bleed valves, but I didn't look that hard either. I have owned a lot of cars over the last 50 years, including some not so mainstream models, like a 1960 Borgward and a 61 Fiat Cabriolet. I have also worked on some exotic cars owned by friends. When I hear someone tell me that their car is unique and it takes a specialized mechanic to work on it, I find that they are simply not familiar with other cars. There is not that much difference. The biggest difference in modern cooling systems vs older ones is that most today run in reverse. This is why the thermostat is in the lower radiator hose bung instead of the upper hose gooseneck. (and GM uses crossflow radiators)

Normally the shortblock is completely assembled at a factory, the question to ask is if it is a reman or a new factory shortblock. If it is a reman, who remanufactured it. Some reman companies are very good, sometimes the reman can come from the Subaru factory and are usually rejected shortblocks that were disassembled, the defects corrected and then ran down the assembly line again. The heads are usually repaired by the local mechanic. If the mechanic is qualified, then it should be just as good as a factory new head.

I'd like to know what stopped the coolant from going through that big ole hole in the top tank and down into the upper hose. I have never seen a gate valve on that bung. I have never had a problem filling any vehicle just through the radiator, or in the case of my Saturn, through the overflow tank. That radiator didn't have a cap.

Are you blind? The upper hose connects to a bung in the upper tank. It is completely open to the upper tank. There is no need to disconnect the hose from the tank. Of course it fills from the bottom, but when the bottom is full and the coolant fills the upper tank, the coolant flows freely down the upper hose and into the heads and upper block area, just the same as if you remove the hose and poured coolant down it,

Be sure all the maintenance is done at least a week before the start of the trip. That way, if there is a problem like a bolt not tightened or an alignment not quite right, you hopefully can catch before leaving.

Personally I'm a check the tires and light the fires type of guy. I keep all may maintenance up to date so if I suddenly have to leave on a road trip, I check the tire pressure and inflate about 3 psi above the recommended to reduce heat build up in the tires due to high speed driving, then go. A long trip is nothing more than a series of short trips all at once. If you would not worry about anything happening with the next 5000 miles of local driving, then don't worry about a 5000 mile trip.

Look at the old plug from the #4 cylinder. If it was unusually clean, almost new looking, you may have a coolant leak in that cylinder. A small leak will steam clean the plug tip.

Before you buy that antifreeze on eBay, make sure it is the current Subaru LONG LIFE coolant. If it is the older coolant with the silicates in it, then it is no bargain. Do use the additive as well. Peak LONG LIFE universal coolant does meet the Subaru specs. In my opinion, any LONG LIFE universal coolant will do just as well, but it is your car and your money. Considering that you only do this every five years, is saving a couple of bucks really worth that much to you. Your talking about the price of a single tank of gas here. Do not flush, not even with just plain water. Ethylene glycol is very stable, but the corrosion inhibitors get used up over time. When they are completely depleted, bad things begin to happen, and they happen fast in an aluminum engine. The HOAT corrosion inhibitors used in modern LONG LIFE universal antifreezes can last 7 to 8 years, maybe more in some cases, but you want a margin for error so 5 years is the normal change interval. The new Subaru coolant from the factory has an 11 year life in a new engine, but 5 years after that. If you drain the radiator and block, the remaining coolant wont be much, but it will be uncontaminated. If you flush, no mater how good you think you did, you will introduce minerals and contaminants that will attack the corrosion inhibitors in the fresh coolant and shorten their life. It is best not to flush. I have never understood the logic of removing the upper radiator hose to fill the block. The upper radiator hose is completely open to the upper tank of the radiator so filling the radiator has exactly the same affect as removing the upper hose to fill the block. It is a completely unnecessary step and a waste of time. If your hoses are factory original, and you plan on leaving this coolant in the engine for the next 5 years, investing in new hoses, both the radiator and all the heater hoses and the overflow hose would be wise. Just saying. I would also fill the system while on ramps or jackstands, but I would warm the engine up while the front is elevated so that air could get out when the thermostat opens completely. One last thing, if you buy the full strength antifreeze, be sure to dilute it with distilled water. Bottled distilled water is only about a buck a gallon. Be sure to check the label carefully as some distilled water today has "minerals added for taste". You do not want this. Premix before adding to the radiator, do not try to let the system do the mixing for you. Make sure the mixing container is absolutely clean. If you can't be sure, buy the premix. The cost isn't that much greater when you consider the big picture. My grandfather used to tell me that the cheapest man often ended up spending the most, and he could stretch a buck further than anyone I knew. He just knew when to spend it to save in the long run.

You need two grounds, one to the engine and one to the body. Usually there are several ground straps that go between the engine and the body. You need to find all of them and make sure they are secure. You may even have tow ground wires from the battery, one to the engine and one to the body, or if a single cable, it may have a bare section somewhere along its length and a clip that goes around it and attached to ground.

1/4" circumference, that makes a difference.

WHY??? 1/4" is 8/32", that means all your tires are down to 4/32" tread, they don't have much life in them. In this case, you should have just gotten 4 new tires. When my tires are down to 4/32", I'm looking for a sale on new tires and if the price is right, I'm buying. Keep the best tire in case the new set blows one when they are half worn.

One more note, buy one of those rectangular pans, about 2x3' that people use under their oil pans when they do an oil change. Believe me, if you drop something, you will be glad you have that pan under that wheel/brake. I keep two of those myself.

Do not use anti-seize on the caliper pins, use a synthetic or silicone grease. You can buy the silicone grease packs at most parts stores for about a buck each, you'll need two packs. Where you use the anti-seize is on the "hardware". This is where the ends of the pads run in a groove in the caliper bracket, not in the caliper itself. I usually just replace the hardware, which are the SS clips at each end of the caliper bracket so make sure the pads can move freely when needed. I coat the clips on the inside with the anti-seize. Once you open the system, you have to bleed all four wheels, starting at the back. You will often see advice giving a specific order RR, LR, RF, LF, but that comes from the old days when there was a single master cylinder that fed all four brakes. Now with the diagonal braking system, it only matters that you do the rears first, then the fronts. If you have a helper, have them stand over the master cylinder and keep it full while you have the system open (calipers off). When you install the new calipers, open the bleed screw first and put the tube on as I described before hooking up the brake hose. This will help to keep air from getting into the lines as brake fluid will be constantly draining down. As soon a clear brake fluid fills the first part of the clear tubing with no air bubbles, you can close the bleed screw. Don't try to temporarily block the open end of the brake hose. It is best to spend a minute or two carefully planning each move so that the time from removing the brake hose from the old caliper to installing it on the new one is minimized. Generally, I crack (slightly loosen), then retighten the banjo bolt first, but not too tight. Then I remove the caliper from the bracket and either let it hang from the hose (no one else will let a caliper hang from the hose but I do, but not for long) or use a piece of wire to suspend it from the frame or suspension component. Then mount the new caliper on the bracket. Open the bleed screw and attach a piece of vinyl tubing threaded over a higher point as described. Make sure the MC is full, then with the new banjo bolt and new washers ready at hand (laid out in a convenient place), disconnect the hose form the old caliper and install it in the new one with the new washers and banjo bolt. If the caliper did not come with a new banjo bolt, you can use the old one but you have to have new washers. You want to crack that banjo bolt at the start because it can be really difficult to crack it when the caliper is not secured in place. Be sure to use a torque wrench on the banjo bolt, it can be easily over tightened and leak. Edit: If you don't have a torque wrench, then tighten the banjo bolt finger tight, then 1/8 to 3/16 turn more with a wrench. Use a small wrench so you don't overdo it. You can use one flat or point of the bolt as a guide.

2001 probably does not need new calipers. You don't want to change these if you don't have to. If you replace them, then you have to bleed all the air out of the lines that will get in there. Also the banjo bolt has to be torqued or it can leak. The caliper pins need to be torqued as well but it isn't quite as critical. I've done brakes for 50 years now, but have not done them on a Subaru yet. They are all pretty much the same, but there are a few differences. For example, it was mentioned about getting the rear rotors off if the parking brake is set. That type of rotor was used on early 4 wheel disc brakes but I don't know if Subaru still used them in 2001. The newer type is more complicated to deal with, but do make sure the parking brake is off before you start. If you have ABS, you do need to open the bleed screws when you back off the caliper piston. The front caliper pistons can be pushed back in with a set of 16" channel locks or water pump pliers. One trick I do is to open to first attach a length of 1/8" clear vinyl tubing available from the pet department at Walmart. Its cheap, about $3 for 25'. I cut a piece about 3' long, slip it over the bleed screw nipple, then thread it up over a nearby component and then down to a container. Its important that it loops upward first for at least 2" so that air cannot be sucked back into the caliper. Verify that the Master cylinder is full and then with the vinyl tube in place, crack open the bleed valve. Brake fluid will start to flow into the tube. Just open the bleed screw about a half turn, then pull on the caliper. As you pull on the caliper the outer pad will start to pull away from the rotor. Keep pulling on the caliper until the piston is compressed as far as it will go. If the caliper receeds properly, then that means the pins are free. You can use a large screwdriver to assist in opening up the caliper as yo are going to replace the pads anyway. Note, if you don't have ABS, you do not need to open the bleed valve, but also do not add any brake fluid to the master cylinder as the brake fluid in the caliper will backflow into the master cylinder and it will need somewhere to go. If the rear brakes are the drum in rotor type, you can do the same thing as the fronts, but if it is the newer type, do not do that. You have to remove the caliper, remove the pads and then turn the piston to get it to go back into the cylinder. Maybe you saw that on the You Tube video. Weather you use shims or not depends on the type of pads you buy. My personal preference is Wagner Thermoquiet OEM ceramic pads. Raybestoes is my second choice. When you consider the cost difference between top of the line pads and cheap ones, and the frequency of pad replacement, to me it is a no brainer, get the top of the line. I do not like any of the current house brand ceramic pads. If you do not have ABS and ultra high performance tires, then avoid any high performance pads. I made that mistake once, the brakes were so touchy that barley touching them would lock them up. It became a nightmare to stop in the rain even with my high performance touring tires. That was on my Saturn, the OEM brakes went 140k, the high performance brakes lasted 35k. I do prefer ceramic pads though just because less dust and longer pad and rotor life. If your rotors still are above the minimum thickness, I would reuse them. If you don't have a micrometer to measure them, you can use a straight edge laid from the inner radius to the outer radius of the wear area so that it bridges the lip on each end and slip a feeler gauge between the straight edge and the wear area of the rotor. The rotor should be stamped with the nominal thickness and the minimum. If the thickest feeler gauge that fits the gap is less than half the distance than the difference between nominal and minimum, you are good to go. Pads like the Wagner are already coated and you don't use any shims or anti squeal compound. If you buy a brand that is not precoated, then use either shims or the anti squeal compound, or both. I use both in those cases because I don't like noisy brakes. You can also use Molycoat 77 grease instead of the compound, but do not use any other type of grease, it can catch fire. Before you reinstall the calipers, grease the pins with a synthetic or silicone grease. Unless you change the rotors, you should not remove the caliper bracket, just the calipers. Some caliper designs allow you to only remove only one pin and then awing the caliper up using the other pin as a hinge. If the Subaru allows this, when you get done, still remove that pin and lubricate it. Last, if you did not get any air into the brake lines, calipers or the master cylinder, then you do not need to bleed the brakes, but I would strongly recommend that you gravity flush the brake system. Put a length of the clear vinyl hose on each bleeder valve. Suck out all the old brake fluid from the master cylinder reservoir with a baster or something. Refill with fresh brake fluid, then open the bleed valves and let gravity drain the old fluid out as it pulls in fresh. Watch the master cylinder very closely and do not let it go dry. Open as many bleed valves as you want as long as you can keep the master cylinder full. I usually do two at a time, the rears first. I'm too old to keep up with all four at once, but some people can. More cautious people will only do one at a time, but it take longer. You can see when fresh fluid reaches the clear vinyl tubes, when it does, close that bleed screw. If you let the brake fluid in the master cylinder get empty, then you have to bleed the whole system and that will require a second person and much more time. If you have ABS, then you will need to find out the special precautions for bleeding so you don't damage the AbS pump, but a gravity flush will not hurt it. If you need new rotors, get good ones as well. Cheap rotors just aren't worth the trouble.