alias20035

All of the 1997-1999 Outback have non-functional hood scoops. Their sole purpose on the car was to collect water and soak to top of the engine causing some reliability problems. There were a few recalls to seal the hood scoop.

There may be nothing wrong. My diff is clean except for the back cover. You could be leaking a very small amount of gear oil through the seals. Are you seeing oil spots on the driveway? Are you leaking gasoline, or leaking CV joint grease? Is the tailshaft seal (back of transmission) leaking? What viscosity geal oil did you use? It should be GL-5 75w90 or 80w90 and not Automatic Trans Fluid. Redline is good oil and should not cause any problem (nor should any other brand of oil). There is a small vent on the top of the diff somewhere near the input shaft, I am not quite sure as I have never had a "vent" problem, nor any problem requiring dropping a diff. If the vent is clogged pressure will build up in the diff as it heats up and fluid will be expelled. When it cools down, air and moisture will be sucked back in due to the vacuum effect. Also if you drive your hot diff into deep water it will cool the diff causing a vacuum and causing it to suck in water through the seals. There are optional vent kits which are essentially a long tube which ensures that the vent is above water. For the Hitachi R160/R180 differential these kits seem to connect to the upper gear oil fill plug, I am not sure what they do to the stock vent, perhaps seal it. It is possible for water to displace the oil and not impact the level. My outboard motor suffers from this problem. It takes about 1 litre of gear oil, and at the end of the season the oil level is perfect but when I drain the oil it is up to half water. Subaru had a recall back in 1992 to replace the manual transmission dipstick, yes the dipstick. The dipstick also serves as a vent and some cars suffered from a blocked vent, which caused a pressure increase within the transmission causing the tailshaft seal to fail. Geal oil would be lost and often the transmission would get a "hot" gear from which the driver could not disengage.

The timing belt covers can be repaired with epoxy, or with fibreglass if required. Just be sure to clean the cover with grease remover, and then wire brush the area light to provide a good surface for the epoxy to bond to. Before you put it back together I recommend that you remove and inspect the crankshaft key (half circle of hardened metal which locks the pulley from freespinning). Compare the width of the key and the pulley to ensure that there is no slack. If any slack replace the key and the pulley if required. Read my earlier post regarding what can happen if the pulley comes loose. If your removal problem was taking the crank bolt out your pulley and key are most likely ok. Be sure to use anti-seize on all bolts such as timing cover bolts, and to use threadlock on some bolts such as the timing belt tensioner.

All Wheel Drive was available as early as 1987 (maybe even 86)on some GL (Loyale) and XT vehicles, however most of these models sold were shift on the fly 4wd. The Legacy's AWD/4WD logo was designed so that the A would look like a 4 and the 4 would look like an A if you get my drift.... No one understood AWD back then... "Full time 4wd" Legacy's are All Wheel Drive, and they in fact use the same clutch pack system as used in current models. The 1989 Legacy 4EAT/AWD transmission was used until 1997/98 when a major revision was introduced, and the 5MT with its viscous center differential from 1989 is virtually unchanged (aside from 8 bolt mounting).

The door mounted speakers are crap. Adding the tweeter kit will add a bit of treble and change the imaging, but there will still be no midrange punch. Subaru does sell upgraded speakers for the doors. But for the price of the upgraded speakers and tweeter kit, you can get a better set of aftermarket speakers. For a while I used my Infinity Kappa coaxial speakers in the front of my Outback, and the sound was much improved even with the stock radio. The tweeters on the Infinity Kappa's rotated so I was able to aim them for proper imaging. I aimed the tweeter at the dome light, so that the left tweeter was not overwhelming. One thing you may note is that very few audiophiles mount there tweeters up high, this is because high mounted tweeters usually lead to poor imaging. Mounting the tweeters as far as possible from the drivers ear (which usually dictates a low mounting (note the kick plate speaker mounts in audiophile cars)) provides the best imaging. In my opinion, high mounted tweeters are just eye candy. Spend $100-150 on a good set of 6.5" coaxial speakers and you may find that you get the sound you desire. You can install component speakers for a lttle more bass, but I recommend mounting the tweeters low and close to the midrange driver. Aftermarket speakers will most likely require you to modify the stock plastic speaker cage, but this is easy to do with a hand saw, tin snips or in my case a dremel. The magnet on the stock speakers is pathetic, so no aftermarket speaker magnet will clear the plastic cage. I you decide to go the aftermarket route for the head unit, you will need to upgrade speakers anyways, so why not do the speakers first? Some of the new head units (Alpine in particular) push out better than 20watts RMS, which is very good. Unless you spend a lot of time in the rear, I recommend leaving the rear speakers stock. Spend money on front speakers, head unit, amplifier, subwoofer first and then invest in rear speakers.... Don't bother with the Subaru subwoofer, it does very little.

I made an error in my post, my head unit is the CDX-C90, not the CDX-900. It sounds great, or should I say it DID until my sub died. The great thing about it was that the bass was clean and powerful, but not overwhelming, and the bass was not that audible from outside of the car. No waking the neighbours!! I added 12 sq ft of dynamat to quiet the car, but I found that Subaru had done a pretty good job already. Only the doors, tailgate and roof needed Dynamat. All other surfaces had dynamat, 1" of foam, or thick underpadding already. I did look at Infinity subs, but I am sure whether I like them or not. Ideally I would like to listen to one in my car, since the car will greatly influence what the sub sounds like. The top of the line Sony stuff I got was out of a wrecked Sony demo car. Strange that Sony was using Boston Acoustics speakers though... The Infinity Kappas I got were cheap ($70), and sound quite good, but no match for the Bostons. For the subwoofer I may use fibreglass and MDF to build a custom box on the left side of the cargo area. I would have to remove the storage cover, relocate the jack to the underfloor compartment, and relocate the 12v outlet to the other side. But it would give me an opening to extend a custom box into to make room for a 10" subwoofer magnet. If I have calculated correctly, I should have about 0.7 cu ft. The good thing is that I would loose absolutely no space between the wheel wells, which is my goal. I want a box to accept up to an 7" depth 10" subwoofer (most are 4.5-6"), but the wheel well protrudes only 5" into the cargo area so I need to get the 2-3 inches from the jack storage compartment.

These spring expanders are not recommended for Subaru's. I have seen two problems with them: broken springs (the expander creates a stress point) spring comes out of spring cup and slashes tire My 1993 Legacy needed new rear springs after six years. Seems to be a common problem. The rear springs are not that expensive. I did switch to KYB GR2 struts and ride height did improve, but I still needed new rear springs to correct the stance. If you think Subaru springs squat a lot, check out the older Dodge/Chrysler/Plymouth minivans.... Overseas most Subaru's have rear air suspension, wish we had that here in North America. I did find extra electical connecters near both of the rear springs on my 2001 Outback, I think they are for the air suspension that is on the Australian Outbacks which also have dual range (low/high gear) 5MT transmissions. An ideal setup would use a steel spring for reliability and an air bag to assist with heavy loads. I am working with a friend in Australia trying to identify the components of the Australian rear air suspension. Hopefully it is something I can retrofit. I did see some aftermarket air springs for Subaru's on the web, but I can't find the site anymore. Not sure if they were replacement air shocks for the 90-94 Legacy LS models....

As stated by others only a few major problems with 97 Outbacks. EJ25 engine blows head gaskets. Figure on $600-1000 to fix. It is likely that the head gaskets were already changed though. You can get a coolant test get from an automotive parts store, it has test strips that you dip into the radiator fill (pressure cap). One strip will change color if combustion gases are present in the coolant, and another will change if oil is present. Combustion gases or oil in coolant = blown head gasket. You can also pressure test the coolant system to test for leaks. The 4EAT auto transmission has a tendancy to suffer from torque bind starting anywhere from 60,000 to 120,000 miles. A rebuild kit for the AWD system is required and costs between $700 and $1000 installed. The rebuild kit fixes the problem permanently (almost all of the time, there are a few exceptions). As with the head gaskets, this may have been done already as well. Once the vehicle is warmed up, drive in a straight line at 15 MPH and then turn tightly in both directions. If you feel any unusual binding (vibration and feels like the brakes applied) this is torque bind,and there could be a problem with the AWD system. Check the tires, they must be the same model and size on all four wheels. Other problems are mostly minor and involve leaking camshaft, crankshaft and valve cover seals (usually replaced during a timing belt replacement). Coolant temperature sensor, EGR valve, and other odd electical goodies can fail as well, but are not usually expensive to repair. Are there service records? Always a good idea to walk away from a deal if there are none. You can check the valve cover for signs of removal, if you find any then the head gaskets or valve cover gasket has been replaced. Also check the automatic transmission tailshaft for signs of removal, if it has the rebuild kit was most likely installed already. If the car is 5 speed, there aren't any common problems to worry about, although the clutches are sometimes have a judder problem (seems to affect all Subaru's regardless of model year). If purchasing from a commercial entity (the garage) you should have a 30 day/3000 km warranty (this is law in Canada), not sure about US laws though, may vary state to state. I looked up the blue book value and it varies from $5500 to $7700 depending on mileage and condition.

The brakes on the 2000 Outback are too small, and they easily warp. Subaru realized their mistake and installed bigger brakes on the 2001 Outback, the new brakes are 1" bigger in diameter and this is very significant (works out to about a 30% increase in both cooling surface and pad contact area). BTW: 2001+ models also got an outside temperature gauge. You should switch to the 2001+ brakes and this is quite easy. You will need the calipers, rotors, pads, shims, backing plate (dust shield), and pad retainer (the bracket which attachs to the hub and holds the pads and caliper). Complain enough and you might be able to get Subaru to foot at least part of the bill, I know several people that have had Subaru cover half the cost of upgrading. You should be able to find these brakes from a scrapyard, but be sure they are not in any way damaged. The only downside of the 2001+ brakes is that 16" wheels are required (ok since the 2000 alloy wheels are also 16"), but some people put 15" winter tires on their 2000's because they will fit and cost a lot less. Installing slotted/drilled rotors wont help. They will still warp and these types can not be resurfaced. I would get the bigger brakes from a 2001 model and see how you like it. If still not sufficient then install "Mintex" brake pads to go along with the stock rotors. The Mintex pads do not offgas (which is the real reason for slotted or drilled rotors), and will give a better feel. They will not stop the car any faster though. The Subaru pads are tough as nails, and last a very long time. I am on target to get 70-80k miles out of the pads on My 2001 Outback. My car is 5 speed though, and automatic vehicles are much harder on brakes. Subaru brakes are not weak, if fact they are generally considered to be more than adequate. Subaru's are known for a soft brake pedal, and this is due to the dual stage brake booster. You can fool around with the brake pedal adjuster rod to eliminate some of the softness, but be sure not to tighten it the point where the brakes begin to drag. If you still warp the bigger 2001 rotors, it not a brake problem, its a driver problem. Repetative hard braking (more than three hard stops in succession) will warp any non race brake. Also running a wheel through a puddle with hot brakes is very bad....

First of I love McIntosh products, but my Outback did not come with one. If I could find one from a scraped car I would try to get my hands on it. As for amp location I don't think it would be in dash, as it appears to be quite large. See the photo in this link I got the info I need, which is that the McIntosh subwoofer provides good bass but not as much as I would like. And that a single 8" should be enough for what I want. BTW my system comprises of: Boston Acoustics Pro components in front Infinity Kappa's coaxials in rear Sony CDX-900 (top of the line Sony with 24 bit Burr Brown DAC's (same as McIntosh)) Considered by many to be the best head unit ever built. Sony T70MX 6 CD/MP3 changer eMpeg hard disc MP3 car based unit Sony Mobile ES 7557 5 channel amp (again top of the line Sony, and considered to be one of the best amps available) (75w x 4 + 240w x 1 RMS, 150w x 4 + 500w x 1 peak) My subwoofer is currently an old dead Rockford, which I am looking to replace with an 8" in the same location as the McIntosh 6x9. While my system may not sound like the McIntosh, I don't think you would be able to qualify that the McIntosh system sounds better, just different. I have seen the McIntosh speakers up close and the do not look like quality units... At least no where near the quality of my Boston Acoustics. But I know that appearances had very little to do with acoustics. But when I see shiny plastic cones, I gotta wonder.... Keep in mind that the McIntosh system was held to a $2000 budget so some comprimises must have been made. Also McIntosh had to make serious design comprimises to fit the system into the Outback, as the car design was already complete. On the forthcoming 2005 model, McIntosh had input into the design of the car, and the specs look a lot better: 14 speakers verses 11 (not sure what the extra speakers are for, but they are using a better more powerful subwoofer, perhaps even 2 of them) 300 watts verses 200 Much cleaner dash install, doesn't look like an add on component like the current one. Cassette unit replaced with 6 CD changer, and in Japan includes a MiniDisc player (most likely will not be on US model).

It is common for these covers to break. The nuts are built into the rear cover, and often the bolts rust in place. When removing the rusted bolts often the rear cover is broken, or breaking the front cover is necessary. The only way to prevent this is to remove the timing cover bolts when the car is new and coat the bolts with anti-seize compound. Repeat the application of anti-seize every three years and everytime the covers are removed and you will never have one of these bolts seize. No seized bolts = no broken covers! You should use anti-seize compound on virtually every bolt on the car, except where threadlock is called for. If bolts are old and rusted, use liquid wrench to free them before attempting with a wrench. Preferably apply liquid wrench the day before the repair to allow it to soak in.

Three things are needed to run an engine: air, fuel, and spark. Looks like you guys have talked about spark and fuel, but not air. AIR: My 1993 Legacy had a odd occurance with its idle air control valve. At some red lights it would idle very erratically, and sometimes it would stall. Sometimes I could prevent it from stalling by opening the throttle, other times opening the throttle would cause the engine to stall. The ECU stored no codes, but the dealer diagnosed the idle air control valve. It was expensive, so I tried disassembling and cleaning the valve with brake cleaner. I put it back together and the car ran fun for more than 300,000 more kilometers. I am not sure if the idle valve is the same on automatic and manual transmission cars, sometimes they are different. The idle air control is on the passenger side of the intake manifold. It is a round gray (may be another color on your car) plastic component about the size of a 35mm film canister with two screws holding it in place. You will note that if the screws are loosened it may be adjusted. If you want to clean it, mark the part so it can be replaced correctly. Remove it and you will find a metal round valve that is magnetically opened and closed. Clean the cap and valve with brake cleaner and reinstall. This trick worked for me, but it may not always work. I have heard that moisture gets into the valve, freezes and then cracks something in there. Will your car start and run ok if the throttle is stlighly open, but then stall or run erratic with the throttle closed? If so it is most likely, but not always idle air control. Idle Air Control failures seldom store an ECU code, unless the electric wire is disconnected. There is no provision in the valve for it to validate that the requested opening angle matches the actual opening angle. You could have a bad air flow meter, but the ECU will usually be able to use its internal air/fuel map and other sensor readings to compensate. The ECU will also store a code for this failure. FUEL: If the engine runs ok at speed with no noticable loss of power your fuel pump is probably ok. Your fuel filter could be clogged, but it is somewhat rare for a fuel filter to cause an engine to stall unless it has ice in it. Never disconnect a fuel line and turn the key to on, it is not a valid test of anything... and it is dangerous. You can tell if the fuel pump is working by having someone place their ear on the cargo area floor immediately behind the passenger side rear seat. When the key is turned to on, the fuel pump will run for 2 or 3 seconds to pressurize the fuel line, you should be able to hear this. No noise = bad pump or wiring to it. After you determine that the pump is at least priming the fuel line, you must check fuel pressure. Do this with a fuel pressure guage capable of reading up to 100PSI. Release the fuel pressure by disconnecting the fuel pump wiring harness under the back seat bottom (I think this applies to all Subaru's). It is on the passenger side below some insulation. Then start or try to start the engine. This will release the pressure. Allow engine to die (if it started) and then reconnect the fuel pump wiring. Install a T pipe fitting into the fuel system between the lines into and out of the fuel filter (easiest way). When the key is in the on position (do NOT start the engine) the pressure must be above 35PSI (not positive, but 35PSI seems to ring a bell). I think 47 PSI is normal with a 35 PSI minimum for your vehicle (it will be in the Haynes guide). If no pressure, you have a bad pump or blocked line. If low pressure you have a blocked line, bad pump or bad fuel pressure regulator. Note that since we bypassed the fuel filter by installing a T for the fuel pressure gauge, the filter can not be determined to be bad. If it is more than 2 years or 30,000 miles old, just change it.... SPARK: If the engine was running fine at 3000+ RPM without storing a misfire code in the ECU, your coilpack, wires and spark plugs are ok. Coilpack failures almost always occur at high RPM leading to misfire, at lower RPMS, they just seem to work ok. I would diagnose any stored ECU codes, as sometimes the ECU will go into limp home mode, which can cause starting or stalling problems. A bad purge control can cause stalling!! As can a problem with the EGR valve. Your tranny slipping when cold could be normal. In cold weather the ECU will signal the TCS to slip the transmission. With this slip the engine and catalytic converter will heat up quicker to reduce emmisions. If you have a bad O2 sensor or catalytic the tranny may be in the slip mode for too long or in some cases all the time. The ECU will terminate the cold temperature TCS slip signal as soon as it processes good data from the O2 sensor and the engine temp reaches normal. The sound you recorded doesn't tell me much. Other than it sounds like the starter is straining to crank the engine. You could have a weak battery or a warn starter. Or Perhaps a blocked catalytic convertor. Some Subarus suffer from blocked catalytic convertors, which will cause the engine to start to run extremely bad, and then stall and not be able to be restarted. I see this all the time on old Subaru's, which yours would qualify as being. I would feel for exhaust pulse at the tailpipe when the engine is cranking. If none are felt I would disconnect the Y Pipe from the heads of the engine and see if the engine starts. If is starts shut it off immediately, as you have identified a clogged catalytic convertor and running the engine with the Y Pipe disconnected is extremely bad for the engine. A new catalytic convertor for your car is very expensive, at least $600 from Subaru. You might find an aftermarket model for lot less but the afternarket ones that I have seen are not well built. How long you want to keep the car will determine which one to get. If your car ran really bad with little or no power for 5 or 10 minutes and then died and could not be started, this is the likely cause. It could have been immediately verifyed because the catalytic converter will be glowing red it is blocked. I don't think timing is a problem. Your car has a crank and cam angle sensor and would detect this. You can check timing easily by removing the left and right timing belt covers (nothing else needs to come off). Turn the crank with a 22m wrench clockwise to TDC (notch on the crank pulley matches marks on center belt cover. Note the location of the camshaft pulley marks, they should be at 12 o clock matching the marks. If the pulley marks are at 6 o clock, rotate the crankshaft one full revolution again to TDC. The cams should now read at 12 o clock. Remember that the crankshaft rotates a twice the speed of the camshafts, which is why the camshaft can read 12 o clock or 6 o clock. Hope this helps....

I sounds like it could be torque bind, or another problem with the driveline. Given the age and mileage on your car it is likely that you have a worn out torque transfer assembly (the AWD system). I am not sure why the noise would disappear when you shift into neutral, and then return when you rev the engine. Perhaps the duty solenoid has failed and when you shift to neutral the clutch pack release a bit, and revving the engine increases hydraulic pressure in the transmission causing the clutch pack to bind again. Try the following before doing any work: 1. If all four tires are NOT the same model and size, install four identical tires. 2. Inflate all four tires to the recommended tire pressure. 3. Check differential gear oil level (front Dipstick/rear upper plug). 4. Check ATF level (dipstick) note the hot and cold marks, and smell fluid to see if burnt. If burnt you need a minimum of new fluid, and perhaps transmission work. 5. check axle shafts (all four) for torn CV boots. If a boot is torn and has been driven in that condition for a while the CV joint may be bad. A joint may still be bad even with a good boot. Do you get any clacking from an axle when accelerating through a turn? If so you have a bad CV, if not your CV's are most likely ok. 6. You could have a worn wheel bearing, the rears are prone to failure. Is the vibration in your seat or steering wheel? If steering wheel, it is likely a front bearing. If noise is more pronounced on left turns, it is likely the right bearing and vice versa. If the vibration is from the seat it is likely a rear wheel bearing. Someone will need to sit in back to listen to which side it is from, it can be difficult to hear which side from the front seats. 7. Drive car in a straight line at slow speed (15MPH) and then turn sharply. Does the noise occur during the turn? If so you have torque bind, or a worn rear differential, or a problem with the driveshaft. 8. Measure the tire circumference. Subaru claims that all four tires must fall within a 1/4 inch range otherwise AWD system failure will result. In reality the AWD system is not that sensitive, but the closer the tires are in circumference the better. If you have greater than 1 inch between the smallest and largest tire, you may have a tire problem. Unless wheel bearings or tires: You should check the driveshaft for worn U joints, do this by grabbing either side of the U joint and trying to twist in opposite directions. There should be no play whatsoever. Check the driveshaft hanger bearing, verifying that it is properly bolted to the underside of the car (I have seen these loose), and that it has no play (pry against the driveshaft with a pry bar). The clutch pack discs will develop a rough surface over time that caused torque bind. This can be corrected by driving in tight circles at low speed in a parking lot. Doing 25 right circles followed by 25 left circles can sometimes help. Some people suggest up to 100 turns, but it shouldn't be nessessary. If 50 turns does not correct the problem, you have a more serious problem that requires removal of the tailshaft. Given that your diff had no fluid (and I assume you mean rear diff), it is possible that you destroyed your diff. It will have to be checked for play, which is not easy to do. You need three hands to check free play, and some free play is normal: Lock the input shaft, and check play between right and left output shafts by locking one side and turning the other. Lock the output shafts and check play on the input shaft by turning it. Used rear differentials are easy to come by, just be careful that the ratio matches your car. Also be aware the the viscous locking diffs have different output shafts, do if you have LSD get a replacment LSD, and if not get a regular diff. Diffs on Subaru's are very durable, unless they are run without oil. You can upgrade from a regular diff to LSD, but more parts are needed (axle shafts?) If it is your front diff, it is not uncommon to have the fluid run low and not read on the dipstick. Drain the fluid and verify its condition. The drain plug is magnetic, are there any metal shavings on it? Some shavings on the magnet are normal. Clean the plug. refill the transmission with oil and drive for a day. Drain fluid again, are there new metal shavings? If so you may have a blown front diff (quite a rare problem). If your front diff is shot you may wish to install a whole used transaxle assembly, just be sure to get one that has a refurbished torque transfer assembly (post 1998 repair kit), or refurbish it yourself. If it is not your tires, wheel bearings, clutch pack, rear diff, or front diff, you most likely have a failed torque transfer assembly. Either the duty solenoid has failed or the torque transfer seals are worn (most likely). This things always fail on high mileage pre 1998 Subaru's. Most of the above checks that I noted can be done for little or no cost. I like to eliminate everything else before considering torque bind within the transmission, as I have seen conditions where something else causes torque bind.

In front of the driver's side front wheel. Pull back the fender liner to see it.

You can't check compression with broken timing belt, If the timing belt has slipped you may loose some compression because the valves are not opening and closing at the correct time. But if it is broken the engine will not run at all. All accessories can remain in place. To verify the timing belt condition and alignment, you can just remove both of the outer (left and right) belt covers to inspect, nothing else has to be removed to do this. Removing the center timing belt cover requires removal of the accesory belts, the AC belt tensioner, and the crank pulley. The radiator fans come off first to make room to work in. To pull the fans: remove the radiator overflow, loosen the 4 lower fan shroud bolts (I think newer models don't even have lower bolts), and remove the upper fan shroud bolts. I recommend the Haynes manual as well, it also details how to check camshaft/crankshaft alignment (to check timing belt slippage). If replacing the timing belt, I recommend a Subaru belt since the belt is marked to match the alignment indicators on the pulleys. Makes aligning the new belt super easy. I have not seen aftermarket belts with these alignment marks, perhaps they exist, I have just not seen one.

New car's take time to break in, so expect mileage to improve. My 2001 Outback 2.5H4 5MT gets about 10l/100km combined city/highway driving. My best highway mileage was about 8l/100km, and worst city mileage was about 14l/100km. In MPG (US gallons) it works out to: average: ~25mpg best: ~32mpg worst: ~20mpg The Outback is heavier than the Legacy, and with its increased ground clearance not as aerodynamic. Legacy's tend to get better mileage than Outbacks. 5MT models get more consistant mileage, but 4EAT's will do better on the highway because the engine revs about 400rpm lower at 75MPH when equipped with a 4EAT.

I am on my second replacement clutch as well. The original clutch had a relitively minor judder problem, but its covered under a TSB so I had it changed. The replacement was fine for 5000km and then I had a major judder problem which happened whether I was alone in the car or not, so I don't thnk it was a subconsious thing, although I do understand and accept your point. The odd thing was that my judder problem happened both when the clutch was cold and hot. The clutch was replaced again, this time with a new flywheel. The original flywhell was simply resurfaced first time around. I only have 2,000 km on the third clutch, thus far no judder. Everyone says all Subaru's have a judder problem, but I don't agree. I have more than 700,000 km of driving experience between my 1985 GL, my 1993 Legacy and now my 2001 Outback. Only the Outback has a judder problem. My 1993 Legacy was destroyed in a deer collision with 466,000 km on the odometer, it was still on the original clutch, although it had just started to slip...... I think Subaru went to cheaper components around 1995. Or perhaps they changed to a less toxic and less effective clutch lining, I think my previous Subaru's used asbestos. Changing the clutch requires disconnecting the battery. If dropping the transmission, the starter must be disconnected, and it is not wise to work on the unfused wires connecting to it

If the crank bolt doesn't loosen: If required I put a 18" long steelpipe on my 1/2 breaker bar, pull hard and strike it with a rubber mallet. Usually works in two or three blows. The crank bolt is 22mm BTW. Some mechanics jam the breaker bar against the chasis and crank the engine. I don't like this technique.... Be sure to use thread lock and a torque wrench to reinstall the crank bolt. They have a habit of working themselves loose, which can destroy the crank seal and oil pump, and in some cases the crankshaft. Off hand I can't remember the correct torque. Can someone provide it? If the pulley wont come off: It has most likely rotated over the crankshaft key. You might need to use a chain wrench (wrap the pulley with a rag to prevent damage), or use a rubber strap wrench. Rotate the pulley clockwise to remove (the direction of crankshaft rotation). Spraying liquid wrench into the crank bolt area can help as well. You will need a new crankshaft key, and most likely a new pulley as well. Inspect the pulley carfully verifying that the notch matches the crank key width. I replace the crank key everytime I remove the crank pulley (you are supposed to do this) and have never needed much effort to remove the crank pulley since starting this practice. Most of the time the crank pulley "overrides" the crank key when the crank bolt is loose. Never just retighten a loose crank bolt, always remove and inspect the pulley and crank key, as a little driving with a loose crank belt will damage both. Just retightening the bolt can jam the pulley on the crank.

The phase II always leaks from the lower left side, I have never seen a leaking right side. Has anyone seen a leaking right side?? The Phase II suffers an external leak of coolant, unlike the Phase I which suffers a blown head gasket with coolant entering the cylinder, and cylinder gases entering the coolant system. I have seen a few blown Phase II head gaskets, but only due to loss of coolant from an external leak causing overheating, and not from any other cause. Has anyone encountered "blown" head gasket (not just an external leak) on Phase II's? It is probably a good idea to change both gaskets at the same time, since it is lot of common work to change both gaskets such as removing the electric fans, timing belt, etc. Changing the left side requires 80% of the work to change the right side as well. Some Subaru dealers were changing both sides, but now most just change the leaking side. I suppose SOA clamped down on warranty claims.

If its worse warm than cold, then the seals have probably failed. The aluminum case expands with heat, and thus any leaking seal gets worse. You need the redesigned tailshaft to correct this problem. Failing torque transder seals is a universal problem that occurs at about 120,000 to 150,000 miles. In 1998 a redesigned tailshaft with a steel sleeve was introduced, and I have not seen this problem in great frequency on these newer models. The older model had a steel to aluminum wear surface which is not good because aluminum is soft and is guaranteed to wear out. The fix-it kit has a steel sleeve to eliminate any wear to the aluminum case. Keep in mind that the 4EAT requires hydraulic pressure to release the clutch pack, when the seals are gone, there is insufficient hydraulic pressure to prevent torque bind. Even with the 4WD fuse in the torque bind may not be eliminated, it may only be reduced, it depends on how bad the seal is. Sometimes a failed duty solenoid is the cause, but if car has the first generation 4EAT and you have high mileage the seals are definitely gone as well.

Among my group of friends and coworkers there are about 30-35 Subaru's of various age. With this large group of Subaru's it is possible to make the following generalized statements about Subaru's: They all suffer from piston slap, some worse than others, no adverse effects (exploding engines) noted thus far. One of my friends had a timing belt fail on a 2.5 DOHC, and the valves were broken by a piston hit, and there was damage to the piston and cylinder wall. New long block was required.... No timing belt tensioner problems noted. I have heard that this is quite a common problem, but I have not seen among my group of friends. The first generation 4EAT (changed to 2nd gen in 98/99), all fail with torque bind at about 200,000km. $800 for the redesigned tailshaft, no subsequent failures noted since aside from failed duty solenoids. Failed bearings inside the 5MT affects 50% of models at about 250,000 km or so. Causes a buzzing sound from the transmission, but transmisison can still last forever with this noise. Some 5MT transmissions have a problem where it pops out of gear, sometimes 3rd, somtimes 5th. Seems to affect Impreza's the most. Rear wheel bearings are a common problem, perhaps lasting 140,000 km on originals and then 60,000-100,000 on replacements. The replacements never last as long as the originals. I got together with a few friends to invest in a Subaru bearing replacement tool, very worthwhile.... Rear wheel bearings on Foresters last maybe 50,000km. They suck..... replace the original ball bearing ones with the roller bearings from the Legacy, and no further problems. Aside from the torn CV boots, and the occasional center driveshaft hanger bearing failure, the driveline is very reliable. Loyales/GL's with SOTF 4wd suffer from U joint failures, but not the AWD models. Subaru electirical systems are pretty much bulletproof, aside from occasional coilpack failures (perhaps 10%-15% failure rate over 200,000km).

There are two tranny mounts, the single lower one that you mentioned, and the transom arm (anti-pitching arm) above by the firewall. Both wear out and are generally replaced as a pair. Verify that both were changed...

Unusual that they would change the short block due to piston slap given that Subaru's policy of late has been: "Piston slap is normal when the engine is cold. Get used to it, we are not going to fix it" Perhaps the piston slap not a simple cold engine problem, perhaps the piston or cylinder was defective and it was constant piston slap, both hot and cold.

More like wont fit at all....... The SVX engine is based on the EJ22, but with the extra cylinders it is about 6 inches longer, maybe more. There isn't six inches of space between your current engine and radiator. You would also need some custom compoents like an engine crossmember, engine mounts, and stiffer front springs to handle the extra weight of the 3.3 H6. And then we get into wiring harnesses and ECU's..... and exhaust... the list goes on and on. For nearly the cost of a whole SVX I am sure it can be done, but why not get the lighter and more powerful turbo 2.0 H4 instead? Do you really have to have the car 3 FEET off the ground to pull a trany, I have never had to get a car thet high, What is the reason for this? Can be done with less, you just need enough space to pull the transmission back at least a foot (prefereably more) to remove the clutch and flywheel. The transmission bell housing needs to clear the firewall. 4 16" jack stands will probably work, but I wont vouch for how easy it is to crawl under there to do the work..... If you need to due other engine work, by all means pull the motor. I have done it before, but I needed a friend to align the transmission to the engine from underneath, while aligned the engine to the transmission. While operating the engine hoist you can't easily see what you are aligning. I have lift access, so pulling the tranny is quicker for me.

Agreed, unless you happen to be due for a brake fluid change and have the time to do it the "official" way.....