lstevens76

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/152944-factory-service-manuals/ Download your Factory Service Manual, that will help a lot. And water lines run through the intake to assist in idle control and other things. They aren't there for regulating air temps.

Ok, I don't believe the ATF filter would be behind the battery (but I could be wrong). The ATF filter is located on the side of the transmission. I'm guessing this is an automatic and being an '05 Automatic should be a 4EAT. If that is the case this was still the Dex III area. I know some people have used Valvoline Maxlife with success. If this is an Outback XT things change because it may have the 5 speed automatic and that's a different beast.

You just need the Y pipe from the new engine or, if the heads are usable, you can swap the heads from your old engine to the new one. You never did say why you were swapping though.

I'm confused as why the dealer even sold this car, let alone isn't fixing it. And if you returned it why would you take an $800 loss? The crank pulley (which on subaru's I've been told/read is not a harmonic balancer) being bad could easily cause you to throw belts, or not having them tight enough as well. You need to fix that P0028 before you even think about the P0420 code. Whatever is causing that P0028 could be systematically causing the emissions code. If it's a sensor or whatever. If it comes back even after being cleared it means something is wrong.

What head gaskets did he use? That was a lot of work currently done and most of that had nothing to do with oil leaking into the spark plugs, nor can you realistically permanently fix that problem. The oil into the spark plug wells is due to the o-rings in the valve cover gasket failing and they will do it again with age (just a fact of gaskets). Although 100k+ is realistic for the replacements to hold. It does seem odd that he replaced the idler pulleys and not the water pump nor the tensioner. I would question the water pump in this situation. If that water pump is at 200k+ miles it could easily be the problem.

Actually I didn't. Now that you mentioned it though I realize someone resurrected it. lol

First, Subaru brakes feel funky until you get adjusted to them. I consistently drive a Dodge Durango, Ford Ranger, Ford Windstar, and Dodge Grand Caravan along with my Subaru. I've also previously driven Hondas and many other cars. The pedal on Subaru's simply don't have the same back pressure as other makes/models, but this does not mean they aren't working well or correctly. Another thing is ABS Brakes do not feel or react like non-abs brakes and if you aren't used to ABS that's an adjustment as well. And you possibly have rear drums. If they are out of adjustment it can cause slower braking and other odd problems.

Ok, I had the direction of flow backwards for some reason. I also agree with Fairtax as well in everything he said. The same situation though regarding flow and pressure. When the water pump moves faster it creates more pressure and more flow which can change a lot of things.

Per what was said earlier it should, but I would stop where you are. As mentioned a lot of people have come up with a variety of possibilities and they differ from the shop. If I understand right you currently have the car at an "Auto Repair Shop". If this is the case, find out if there is a transmission/driveline specialty shop in the area and see if they can do a diagnosis. I'll give an example using a non-subaru. I had a pinion bearing going out in my '01 Durango which was obvious to me but others argued with me about it. Finally took it into a shop that works on rear ends/transmissions to get a proper diagnosis. Turns out it was. Here's the kicker though. The cost to put a used '01 rear end under it would have actually been close to the same as repairing the rear end that was in it, if not more. I went a different route and put an '03 rear end under it and swapped to disc brakes, but a typical person wouldn't have done that. An "Auto Repair Shop" usually wouldn't touch the rear end and would have recommended a rear end swap (had 3 recommend that) for around $800 vrs I could have it repaired at the transmission shop for $700. With a rear end swap I did all the work myself though, which is why I went the route I did. But I'm sure you get the point at the difference between a specialty shop for transmissions and a general repair shop.

The check engine light could be related or could be a separate issue. Sometimes a rod bearing knock or timing belt tensioner knock can set off the knock sensor. I have heard of valve train noise doing it as well. As for cost, it depends on what the problem is. If you have a smart phone try taking a video of the engine running to capture the noise and post it up here. Now, the question is are you going to do the work yourself or pay someone to do it? This car has a Phase 2 2.2L. It will take a Phase 2 2.2L or a Phase 2 SOHC 2.5L as a replacement engine, if it comes to that. If your doing the work yourself: Timing Belt Change and Reseal of the front end your looking at around $250 to $300 in parts. Valve Adjustment your looking at tools you may or may not own. A valve adjustment at a good shop that knows Subaru's shouldn't take more than 2 hours in car, and realistically should be done in an hour. Engine swap will be around $700 to $1000 in parts I suspect. When you swap an engine like these your going to want to replacing the Timing Belt/Water pump in a kit (as above), reseal the front end of the engine, adjust the valves, put a new separator plate on it, and check the rear main for leaks. But take the video. When doing so move the phone slowly from one side of the engine to the other so the noise can be better heard as to where it is at possibly. That will tell us a lot more. I'm throwing worst case scenarios at you.

I figured on this one either: 1.) He had the rad cap off and let it warm fully up to the point of the temperature gauge reporting red line to see what was happening. 2.) He slowly pulled the cap, meaning he let a lot of coolant flow into the overflow before he could pull it. 3.) If he didn't have to do either of the above he should have known at that point it was either a faulty temp sender, thermostat, or water pump. With a faulty thermostat being the most likely culprit. And finally I would be more worried about a possible coolant leak the more I think about this. It almost sounds as if there is air in the system and the reason he was able to pull the cap off while it was running is because there wasn't enough pressure on the system.

Your temperature gauge is before the thermostat in the water system (in through the top out through the bottom). Your thermostat is before coolant goes to the radiator (again, in through the top and out through the bottom). If your thermostat is sticking it will let the inside of the engine heat up without getting fresh water into it to cool it down. Fans can kick on all they want, but if the water isn't circulating they aren't doing any good. And when you put your foot down this can be occurring: Timing belt turns the water pump faster, i.e. pushing more water. the additional water pressure can be forcing the thermostat to open.

Three potential sources: Timing Belt Tensioner Valve Train (These engines are supposed to be adjusted every 100k so it's due for the second, and may have never had the first) Engine Knock - Yes it could still be a knock. What's the condition of the car itself? How much rust, body, interior, etc...? Belt should have been done around 100k and is basically due again as well.

That's why I clarified it by talking about rust and "IF" the car is going ot make it 3 or 4 more years. Some stuff you can't check but a good mechanic can go over all the major items and give a good idea of there condition in an hour or less.

The "Chance" is there, but the possibility is low unless there are already lower end problems. Most of the time when the lower end of an engine blows when a head gasket is replaced it's due to putting rebuilt or new heads on. At 230k miles (380k km) that engine still has a lot of life in it. It's very common for Subaru's at this mileage in the US to receive just head gaskets and keep going for another 100k+ miles. I don't see any reason an engine in Australia would be any different from one in the US as far as the basic build goes. But, rather than take our word for it research. Search this site and others for people that have put head gaskets on subarus at 200k+ miles and have had the engines blow. Edit: The one condition I would agree the engine needs replaced/rebuilt if it has had coolant in the oil and been driven that way. Even a few miles with coolant in the oil and driven can damage the bearings, but you haven't mentioned any coolant getting in the oil.

As long as you aren't and don't need to rebuild the heads you should be fine with just new gaskets. If the Valves, etc... stay as they are it isn't going to change the compression that engine should be at. Where the issues with head gaskets come in is when people put a rebuilt head w/ ground valves, etc... on an aged short block. The rebuilt head is suddenly creating as much compression as a new head and the lower end isn't new so problems can occur. If there are no problems with the valves just replace the valve stem seals, cam seals, and clean up the mating surfaces. That engine only has 230k miles on it and there are many Subaru's on the west coast of the US that are over 300k miles. The question you need to ask yourself is: Do I want to have this car for another 50k+ miles or do I want a newer car? This isn't about the cost of the repair or if the repair will work, it's about whether you want to keep your car longer and avoid that new car payment.

I'm on the other coast so we don't have the rust issues you do. Without seeing pictures of the car and knowing how the rust is (especially strut towers) I can't say for sure one way or the other on this car. What I can say is here a good running late '90's outback with the oil leaks fixed would sell for $2,500+. If the car was in this neck of the woods and the rust from being on the east coast wasn't severe I would say fix it because I know it would sell for at least $1k more fixed. Being over there though I would get all the rust spots checked first, specifically any that can cause it to fail a safety inspection later. If it has at least 3 to 4 years of life left in it I would fix it. If you sell it for $1,000 your going to have to buy a new car. If you junk it for $300 your going to need to buy a new car. If you trade it into carmax your buying a new car. New (used) car payments are usually at least $100/month. In 12 months that's $1,200. If you can fix it for $1,000 and get 2 more years out of it that is a savings of at least $1,400....... Just my perspective.

Your in washington so there should be some members that can help. 100 to 150 for a diagnosis is insane. Call around and try to find a subaru shop you can use or see if there is a member nearby that can loan you a scanner. Better yet you can pick up a decent scanner for around $50 off eBay or amazon and that is what you need to diagnose. You want live data feeds.

You know, I forgot something. If the cruise is still the switch on the dash to the left of the steering column are you assuming it's not working because it doesn't light up? If this is the case go try it. Go find a road you can do 55mph on, hit the cruise button once, and try setting it. If it doesn't work push the button a couple of times just to confirm. It could be the bulb is burnt out.

His other thread is over here: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/154840-things-dont-work/ It's a 2006 Impreza. The 420 could be related to the 28 code. Did you get the codes cleared to see if either come right back? And you won't know anything about the AC until you put a belt on it. It could be the belt was just worn and broke.

I recently saw a forester (think 04) with only 85k but horrible airflow (about 1/4 what it should be) and all that was wrong wad the cabin air filter.

You said "body with that many miles". I've seen more than one beautiful body with little to no "body" problems but tons of other problems. And if they purchased it from Japan and had it shipped that isn't a local reseller. JDM engines are commonly purchased from US resellers who do honor warranties and already have the engines in the US. As for the rest of it, I didn't argue. As a matter of fact I said something along the same lines as you earlier on in this thread. Suspension, steering, brakes are all common problems with a vehicle that high of mileage. That being said though if he does do this he should do the work himself. If the body is as nice as it appears to be in that picture I wouldn't even hesitate to do the work myself and have a nice well built car. The way I look at it in doing the work myself is I can replace 90% of the parts with new and have basically a mechanically new car for a lot less than a new car would cost and I can get rid of most of the abuse or damage from previous owners that way without ever having to deal with long-term consequences of it. I know I may he weird but a really nice body and a trashed drive train appeals to me. lol

Buy one a year old, off lease, whatever. As you said your at break even on your current car, if you get one a year old you'll be in better financial shape with it by not losing the "off the lot" depreciation and paying less.

The problem there is the change interval IMO. I think they need to back that off by at least 2,500 miles and it would help.

Lets start with this one. You purchase a JDM engine from a local reseller and if you look around there are many with a minimum of a 6 month warranty. I still wouldn't recommend this option unless he is replacing head gaskets, but lets keep the information to what people will find. Your on the wrong coast. He is in Colorado and those of us on the west coast don't suffer from all that horrendous salt poured on the roads in the east coast, etc... Even at the mileage it is the body is probably in good shape being a Colorado car and not an Ohio car.