heartless

all depends on your location, really - what might cost me 20-30 here in rural northern WI might cost more in a larger metro area. and most definitely go with an independent, not a chain. A chain most likely wont do a repair like that, they would want to sell you a whole new exhaust system. ask around, co-workers, friends, etc.. see what shakes out recommendation wise.. then go in and talk to the shop.

i dont put on the kind of miles that ido does, but in over 20 yrs of Subaru ownership, yeah.. a lot of the aftermarket stuff is junk - especially axles and alternators. i had a forester strut lifted 95 Legacy, and absolutely loved it! ran stock axles and had no problems. make sure the boots dont crack, and if they do, replace them asap - clean and regrease at the same time.. stock axles will go for a very long time. I used new KYB struts & tophats, and OE springs.. awesome combo for most drivers. for alternator - best option, if you cant find an affordable new OE - is to get a used one and find a shop that specializes in rebuilding alternators & starters.. have that shop rebuild the OE alt. it will be far superior to any aftermarket replacement unit. had the alt on my 95 go out.. put in a cheap aftermarket as a temp solution and had the OE rebuilt locally - cost me $140 - a bit more than an aftermarket unit, but worth every penny.. when i got it back it went back in the car, and the aftermarket one went back in its box and up on a shelf.. it sits there to this day. in a previous car i had an aftermarket alt crap out after only 8 months, got a replacement under warranty, and that one lasted just less than a year. the one I had rebuilt locally was still going strong over 3 yrs later when i sold the car - probably outlived the car. almost wish i had thrown that cheap aftermarket one in before selling.. oh well For a Subaru, OEM suppliers are the best option for most parts. even used is still usually better than any aftermarket will be. When those are not a viable option, knowing what is a good alternative will save you money in the long run.

if that is indeed the rear joint, there is no way a new gasket is going to fix it.. not with the condition of that joint. in an ideal world, the best way to fix it would be to replace the two sections - the mid pipe and the muffler section - with rust free, used OE parts (OE is far superior to aftermarket) in a more realistic world, finding a shop that does nothing but exhaust work would be the next best option. they can fix that area right, and usually for not a lot of money. once upon a time i had a similar problem, and the shop i took the car to welded in a patch and only charged me about $30 - took them less than 30 minutes to do, too.

it is a donut type and they are pretty common as for the old bolts, cut them - angle grinder would be fastest, saws-all, even a jigsaw will do the job if you can, go in between the two pipes to cut, but if not, then get as close to the existing flange as you can.

@SLG this is like the 5th new thread/topic you have posted on this issue... please stop hitting the "post new topic" button, and use the "reply to this topic" button instead. It will be much easier for everyone, including you, if everything is kept in one thread.. alternatively, at the bottom, there is a box you can type in to reply directly (in the box it will say "reply to this topic") as for the car... you need to take it to a good mechanic.. preferably one that knows Subarus... and have a thorough inspection done on it.. Any good mechanic can tell you if your tie-rod ends or ball joints are bad, or if its something else - or if it is a combination of things. When you take it in.. do not lead them by saying you think this or that is the problem.. just say it is making noises, you are not sure where it is coming from, and you want it checked over carefully. my money is on bad struts since it happens immediately after going over a bump.

i can confirm that all the way to 2004 Foresters have the central coilpak.. driving one now. and i believe that the 05 MY parts car we have also has the same.. would have to double check to be sure, tho. as to the physical size - makes no difference - if the engine runs, it is fine

squeaking and creaking over bumps are not typical differential noises - that is almost always suspension related.. bad struts, cracked springs, worn bushings, etc. seeing tire wear like you are seeing can also be indicative of suspension problems, as well as alignment. you dont remove a fuse to kill the AWD, you put one in.. which will do nothing for the front diff. in 2 wheel drive mode it is the front that is active, not the rear. real simple test to check suspension - push down on each corner of the car.. when you push down and let go, the car should come up, and settle into normal position - no bouncing.. if it bounces the struts are shot. at 105K you are due for a timing job - asap if it has not been done yet. and that means more than just replacing a belt.. highly recommended to do the idler pulleys and water pump at the same time.

for me, a 95 model year would be the ideal.. has OBDII for diagnostics, but still relatively simple, and non-interference, so no problems if a belt breaks or jumps time.. just realign, and good to go. After 96 is going to be interference - meaning valves hit pistons if timing goes out.. which typically means major head work.. there is a bit of a grey area surrounding the 96MY, and when the interference phase II was actually introduced.. so for my money, 95 is the way to go.

yes, it has the relays, and they are located way up high on the left side.. directly above the fuse panel. Not easily visible thru wiring & dash structure, but they are there. there is a lower dash panel that can be removed under the steering.. take that off to gain better access and have a small flashlight handy. there are a couple of relays up there, make sure you are replacing the correct one.. connector (plug) color is the key. it is kinda awkward to get at, and chances are very high you will get scraped or scratched in the process, but this is 100% do-able for pretty much anyone willing to put in the effort

as long as the wires go to the appropriate places in the connector, they will be fine. color makes no difference, it is orientation that matters

how about bad hose... there should not be oily residue at that junction.

there is nothing evil in his writing - he simply does not have time to explain every detail to someone that is new to this. Yes, he can be very blunt, and often seems rude.. most of us here understand this. Simple line is this.. you bought a car that had problems and had been sitting for a long time which adds to the list of problems. Simply buying and replacing parts that you "think" are the problem will not fix it .. you need to do proper diagnoses and determine exactly what the problem is.. being this car is prior to OBDII, that makes it a little harder, but it can be done. But without properly diagnosing what the problem(s) are, you are simply throwing money and parts at it, hoping it fixes it (this is what is meant by "fixing with Visa"). As for the valves on the drivers side being open when setting timing marks, yes, it is normal and doing exactly what it should be doing. One has exhaust valves open, the other has intake open.. Passenger side will have both fully closed.. When setting the timing on a 4 cyl with a single timing belt, you need to have all 4 positions set correctly or it wont run. 4 stroke engine = 1 - intake (intake valves open, down stroke), 2 - compression ( valves closed, up stroke), 3 - combustion (valves closed, down stroke), 4 - exhaust (exhaust valves open, up stroke) and one last thing... you claim you are living in South America, but you have your location listed as being in Florida.. so which is it? Not exactly being honest here, are you? Last I checked, Florida is not part of South America.

my other half has a 2006 LL Bean Outback with the H6 and just uses a readily available brand of the recommended type - he has had the car for about 8 yrs now, and no issues, so i dont think brand is all that important, tbh. obviously, dont by the cheapest crap out there, but it isn't necessary to buy the most expensive, either.

my 2004 has the same engine as the 2002 did - EJ251, so yeah, there is that possibility.. we have an 05 parts car on hand and it has the EJ253 - but i believe that the head gasket issues remains there as well... I personally have not had a problem with it, but the 2002 i had was done at around 185K - i got it with 214K on the clock others more knowledgeable than i could say more about it, but i dont think the issue was truly resolved until around 2008-09-ish

I am on my 5th "older" Subaru in about 22 yrs... and the FIRST thing that gets done with them when I purchase is a full timing job.. regardless of history. you may have proof the belt was done, but, were the pulleys replaced? how about the water pump? seals? those are often not touched, and on the 2.5s the cogged idler pulley is usually the one to go first from bearing failure. when that happens, you end up with major damage costing a couple thousand to fix. the only way to know it is done, and done right, is to do it yourself - either you personally, or a good shop you trust. dont rely on anything else. my list spans from a 1989 GL wagon (that i paid $150 for and drove for 8 yrs, thanks to this forum) to my current, a 2004 Forester... all were purchased used, and mostly with no real maintenance history. All had somewhere between 155k and 214k on the odometer. A bit of preventive maintenance to start out with prevents a whole lot of headaches down the line.

that long crease will definitely impede the flow of fluid in the bottom.. clearances are pretty slim in that area. might almost be worth sourcing a different pan, as bad as that one is - car-part.com is a great resource

it wont stop circulation, but it WILL cause issues because the thermostat is at the bottom of the system, the correct way to fill a Subaru cooling system is to raise the front end, fill the block thru the upper radiator hose, then attach the hose to the radiator, and fill it. This eliminates possible air pockets above the thermostat. once filled, make sure to fill the overflow to the correct level, and put the rad cap on. then run the car to operating temp.. there is a bleeder screw (plastic) on the opposite side of the radiator from the cap, near where the upper hose attaches, that is the correct place for bleeding off any possible air.. not thru the cap. cap should be on to build the correct pressure for proper flow. when you think you have it filled properly, make sure the overflow is still at the correct level, and check it religiously over the next week or two to maintain the level. as for the timing belt.. definitely find the service manual for the vehicle your motor came from and check tooth counts.. they typically list two.. one from left cam (as facing engine) to crank, and from crank to right cam.. the crank to right cam is very often given as xx.5 - meaning half a tooth.. most service manuals can be found here: http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/

Monroe struts for Subaru are crap - been there, done that. and any "quick strut" is going to be garbage. there is no "easy" route with these cars KYB all the way... strut & tophat, stock springs (matching the strut configuration) I went Forester struts under my 95 Legacy and loved it. but i went brand new all the way.. made my own "quick strut" assemblies so it was an easy job at the car. That entailed the struts (KYB), new springs(stock forester), new tophats (KYB), new spring pads (stock), and all necessary hardware (stock) to assemble the struts off the car.

19 year old car, east coast... yeah, you probably have a very small leak somewhere, and it will very suddenly become a major one... when you do get under it, check very carefully for wet looking spots - my first thought is the junction block in front of the right rear wheel - my 02 Forester (same platform) failed at that spot. it is a relatively simple fix if you have the skills.. just cut out the block (it really is not needed) and splice in new line. The shop that fixed mine had to go inside the cabin, under the rear seat to get back to solid line to make the junction - outside was just too rotten. (i was just too busy at the time to deal with it myself)

yeah.. get fluid level back up to where it should be, and hopefully that will help getting codes read is an important thing to do.. chain auto parts stores can read them for you, usually for free, but yeah, having your own code reader is an excellent idea..and basic ones really are not all that expensive anymore.. alternatively, there are dongles and apps for smart phones that are pretty inexpensive as well

normally, car needs to be fully warmed up - both engine and tranny - before checking the fluid to get an accurate reading - and yes, it is checked with the car running and parked on flat ground. From the sounds of things, it has been seriously neglected... so i am going to guess the fluid is low. If you are loath to actually drive it, you can run it and just shift thru the gears without actually moving... to get the dipstick loose, give it a slight twist.. they do like to seize in because they are not pulled as often as the engine oil dipstick. also.. 4th gear will not kick in until the internals reach a certain temp.. if it is very cold outside it can take a bit to get things warmed up enough.

appreciate the warnings guys, and yeah, normally I do address the timing right away, but this time there was some major difficulties locating & obtaining the Aisin water pump and one of the pulleys for this car and if i remember right it was the toothed one..Aisin kits were also unavailable... assuming due to the supply line issues that are ongoing.. by the time we finally got our hands the correct parts, we were full into winter and currently no access to garage space... again.. everything appears consistent with this car.. nothing suggests anything major has happened in its past - and that includes getting the title sorted out.. dont remember if i posted about that here or not.. but when we went to transfer title online, it popped up that there was a lien on the car in WI records.. I made multiple phone calls, including to the state of Illinois where it came from and according to them, there were never any liens as far as they were concerned. The lady also told me that the car had only ever been titled twice in its life (before us) - once in Kansas when new, and once in Illinois when it moved there. Don't know where the lien came from, but since there was no record of it on the old title it did get sorted out.. It is possible that a number got transposed somewhere, I dont know.. all i know is we do have the clean, clear title now, and that is about all i care about on that front.

While i do greatly appreciate your expertise, I am kind of reluctant to accept bearing wear at this time... altho I am also aware that anything is possible. the light thing is pretty recent and kind of sudden - as in just the last month or so (have had the car since Sept).. it also started just after an extreme cold snap...the light is out while driving at speed (over 2000rpm) but at lower speeds (rpms) is when it flickers, and on full at low idle. I dont go out a lot, but do have to drive some distance when i do go out (30-ish miles one way) so it does definitely get fully warmed up on an outing. there is no rattling, knocking, or other indication that there are any major problems - even on a cold start... doesn't even have the gnarly sounding piston slap that the 02 was plagued with, lol I am more inclined to think that the backing screws on the pump may have loosened up.. (hoping?) It is also due for an oil change, so yeah, I can easily bump up the oil grade - currently has 5w30 in it (recommended grade). 20w50 is probably a bit much for this area this time of year, however.. we can still get pretty extreme cold temps right thru March 10w30 or 10w40 would probably be more appropriate, i feel.. history on the car is pretty much unknown, but going by general overall condition, mileage is pretty consistent with the general condition. i suppose it is possible that the engine had been swapped, but i really dont see anything that would lead me to believe that had happened.. there is a note written in marker on the front cross-member about the timing having been done at 137K in 2013 - and yes, I am aware we are at the limit time wise which is why it is high on the list.

ok, so I dont want to go bigger than a 9mm.. gotcha but again - what years/models?? I have no clue what has AVLS and what doesnt. doing a little bit of google it looks like AVLS did not become a "thing" until 2006?

so.. any WRX is going to have the 10mm? or is it engine specific? 2.5 vs 2.0, or whatever? and would a 2.2 version fit?