roadsubiedog

Thanks. my OP was wrong. it was not th o2 that was high. it was the CO2 that was running around 9.8 . what does that suggest? too lean or too rich?

gee, i didn't even think of the gas filters. yes, there are two. This car is almost showroom condition. it's beautiful sky blue. I will try to post pics if i can figure it out. It's worth fixing. If can't pass CA smog next time , i'll put in an engine. it has 151k on it but doesn't look it. I've been saving it for an emergency. my 99 OBW blew the headgasket and last night a front axle went on my other old trusty 84 ( 308k on it ) this is something i should of taken care of last summer ( I'm VP of the procrastinators club here ) thanks for the filter tip. i'll need those anyway.

Thanks, maybe that's it causing the light to come on. i also suspect the carb bc of the hesitations and bogging down. I took the air cleaner off and it sounds like a spitting sound even though it idles OK. When I drove it sometimes i could get up to speed quickly or normally and a couple time it was rather slow like it was starving for fuel. Darn California with it's new ONE DAY permit only. I think if i had a couple weeks of driving it around after a long layoff it would clean out. Another case of 95 % of the people being penalized bc of a few. rsd

I went from 28 to 35 by taking off roof racks, increasing tire psi, slowing from 60 to 55mph and gliding down hills. 84 gl wagon

would this sensor failing cause the high 02 reading? I think i know where the one you are talking about . there is a plastic heat shield attached to the carb which i had to take off when i took off the EGR valve to clean out and unclog. attached to the EGR asssembly was the sensor . i think.

Thanks. He said it 'may' be the sensor or it might need carb work. the o2 readings were high. i'm not sure what kind of carb it has. it is a E81 84 Gl non turbo. The carb has a single chamber. It has been sitting in garage for about 5 years. I did a tune-up, changed the oil, air filter, put premium gas in it and ran it up and down freeway for about 30 minutes and got it nice and hot. Did notice hesitation and felt like it was bogging down in spots but then it would get up and go and i was running it 65-75 mph. Ca lifornia changed their permit law on Jan 1st. One day only instead of before ( 30-45 days ) I could get a 30 day permit only if the mechanic actually failed it and he told me it would be in the computer as a gross=polluter and then you have to take it to a special station far from here and it's a real nightmare. he did not recommend that.

My other 84 gl had too high O2 level and everthing else seemed to be OK. The mechanic told me it is probably the o2 sensor and that "they are a *************** to get out." and he doesn't do them anymore. 1. would this cause the ECS light to come on after about 15 minutes and stay on? 2. need advice on how to get this out without breaking it and replacing it? 3. what do these cost? he said the o2 level was running over 10 percent and even after being thoroughly warmed up it would not come down. Thanks RSD

RE Your OB for 2800. This is another question. With this econonmy there are deals all over the place. near me is a 99 OB with the 150k xervice just done with brand new tires by a private party for $1000 more than what it going to cost for me to change the HG on my OB. I'm tempted to buy it and shelve my OB until i can maybe get a mechanic from work do my HG this summer for a lot less.

This is what I am seeing. Thanks, I'll use yor strategy.

nada? kelly? any others? the reason I ask is bc I'm looking for another Outback from the 1990's and the price discrepency from these guides can be as much as $1000. I only buy from private parties. thanks rsd

Thanks and you are all right.....i'm just trying to deny the inevitable. I was hoping for a easy fix and after searching and reading HUNDREDS of posts here on similar problems, I see That Subaru missed the boat on this particular headgaskest. Abog; i'll probably have it done at Independent in Sparks. The BBB gives them a A Plus rating. I've had 7 Subies and love the 84's and then spend big money on this 1999 Outback for the family vehicle and then this happens. $2000 plus on a repair is more than i spent on 3 of my old trusty 84's. I'll be very shy on buying a late model Subie again.

update> I took the car to have it checked out and it would not overheat. the mechanic took the probe near the overflo and did not see any high HC . It smogged with no problem . both hoses were hot so I drove home and when i started up a hill, it started overheating again. I put the heater on high and felt the lower rad hose and it was COLD. I just put a new thermostat in it. i didn't see any bubbles in the overflo and the mechanic said he really couldn't do a good check unless it was starting to overheat. i couldn't go back bc i had to get to work in my old trustworthy 84 gl. Can I take the thermostat out and run it OK? I took it out once and checked it in a pan and it opened up . I also flushed out the system and have plenty of flo thru the radiator. I was thinking of removing the stat and try running around the hills and see what happens. thoughts?

Thanks for the advice for this novice. thanks to everyone that has offered suggestions and such. This site is great. I wish I could help someone but I'm not a mechanic. i just love subarus. rsd

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Are you doing it or having a shop? One of the guys at work suggested Independant Auto in Reno.

Well. I payed the DMV fees so I'm good for another 2 years with this guy.

I spoke to a really sharp mechanic who is a Master mechanic ( known for 12 yrs but retired ) and he suggested i go to a wrecker and do a engine swap since i have about 175k on this car. he said with new gaskets, valve job and basically a new top end, the top end would be like new and have increased compression and perhaps put too much strain on the lower end. he also mentioned that once a mechanic starts digging into the top end , he'll maybe find head and block issues and since you already have it apart, you'll just be hooked for a rather expensive bill/ he doesn't like the jap low mile motors and told me i would be better off going to a wrecker ( Reno or sacramento close to me ) and get a motor where I know the mileage of. He said some weckers won't tell you the mileage. that sounds insane. anybody's take on this?

Couldn't believe it and the mechanic was quite surprised that my 84 gl smogged better than average car in CA. *307,000 miles plus * It;s a good thing too since it is my only working car. I have a 99 OB with overheating problems that may be a HG issue. Anyway, I was gonna retire this guy at the end of the month. It's always been reliable. The motor is excellent but everything around it is falling apart, axles, cv joints, lots of irritating small stuff, etc. always changed oil every 3k and really checked things. mostly highway miles so that probably has something to do with this. I love the 84 gls rsd

I thoght i had it licked but today i ran it longer than 30 minutes and as i started up a hill, it started overheating. i put the heater on full and ket it idle and it came down to normal i opened hood and looked for obvious leaks and water was overflowing out the overflo bottle. i watched as a steady stream of bubbles were coming up from the bottom of the overflo bottle. I can;t smell very well so couldn't smell the gases and i forgot to check if steam was coming out the exhaust. I guess this does not bold well.

Yes , a manual. the car was locked, 4WD engaged and parking brake on. It was still that way when I picked it up.

This car is only worth maybe $100-200 , but the fact of the matter is , is that is very reliable and good for snow storms which we get a lot here in the Tahoe area. I have a 40 mile commute. get 30-35 mpg. My reg is only $54 a year and insurance about another $250. I don't want payments on a new car or late model used. Plus i can usually do most of the repairs myself on this 25 yr old car. Newer cars cost a heck of a lot more in all areas.

now for a serious development. we have a major snowstorm in the sierra and the 4 wheel drive no longer works. i never had a problem before the tow. could the tow co. damage the 4 wheel drive? the car was locked, engaged in 4 wheel drive and the emergency brake was on. they said they put the car on a ramp truck but could they still do that kind of damage by dragging it up the ramp?

i tried to find the original thread i started on this subject. i archived the last 1000 threads. can you just type it in somewhere to bring it back? anyway, i want to thank everyone who helped. I think I fixed it. Replaced the thermostat, cleaned the front of heater core and radiator, backflushed it twice and removed the hoses and then replaced everything. Then ran it up and down hills for 30 minutes and the gauge never wavored from normal. heater works fine, no leaks, no bubbles, etc. I'm still gonna test it thoroughly before making my 45 mile commute to work. should I try anything else? roadsubiedog