205k plus on my 1997 Legacy wagon. What's on the maintenance schedule? Repair or replace?

[hop]

I've had my trusty Legacy wagon since summer 2004/115k and now it's almost 10 years later and she's got somewhere in the 205k miles on the ticker.  I couldn't find the maintenance schedule online so I was wondering if there was a 200k service I should pony up for and what it would cover?  How much should it cost ballpark?

 

I have never done the timing belt but I assume it was done before I bought it.  Clutch was done right before I bought it and AFAIK it's fine.  Never touched shocks or struts, only changed the odd CV joint, alternator, oil, filters, brake pads and rotors when I waited too long...  Currently there's a bit of a shudder in the brakes at slow speeds. 

 

Mysterious wiper issues have plagued me since 2007ish.  98% of the time they only work on fast.  1.5% of the time they work as they should w/ "int" and "slow" functioning.  0.5% of the time they don't work at all. 

 

Check engine light's been on since about 20 miles after I bought the car.  I've changed O2 sensors repeatedly but the light always comes back on w/in a day or so.  Mileage has averaged 25.5 mpg over the past 10 years, min 17 fully loaded max 31 so I stopped caring.

 

So there's that.  I'm expecting if I do everything I'll probably be putting at least $1k into a car worth about $2k.  Ideally I'll drive her into the ground.

 

My other longshot option is shopping around for a newer manual legacy wagon 05-09.  I figure we've probably gone long enough to know what the failures on those are by now, right?  If so, what are they?  Are the engines as bomber as the EJ22? 

Edited October 3, 2013 by hop

[AdventureSubaru]

I love these cars and the mileage isn't a worry. My cars are at 276k and 333k at the moment. If the timing belt hasn't been done in 10 years, it's time to change the belt etc.

 

Clutch, shocks etc. I wouldn't worry about unless you are feeling issues with them.

 

Check Engine Light - Have you had the codes pulled? Autozone and most chain parts stores will pull the codes for free. Those codes should give you an idea of where to be looking. Probably no big deal, but always helps to know more. Been driving with that light on for most of the last 4 years.

 

wiper issues sound like a bad relay if it's anything like the one for the blower fan. Probably can grab one from a junkyard for next to nothing.

[idosubaru]

200k is no big deal, very reasonable to expect many more miles.  i'd change the timing belt and coolant with a bottle of Subaru's coolant conditioner.

 

timing belts are due every 105,000 miles or 10 years. so if the timing belt was replaced at 105,000 then it's due again at 210,000.

interference engine - if the belt breaks the valves will bend so want to do that.

 

at this mileage you want to replace with a timing belt kit - belt, pulleys, and tensioner.  someone posted a gates kit on amazon that was only $100, they're usually like $150 - $200 on ebay.  don't want to do this at the dealer - they typically only replace belts and to replace all of that is like $400 in parts alone.

 

many of us also do the cam seals, reseal the oil pump/tigthen backing plate screws, and water pump while we're in there because it's all behind the timing belt and seals are only $7 each and very little extra time to do - crank seal is zero extra bolts, cam seals are one bolt each to get to. use Subaru only seals.

 

the check engine light is no doubt the P0420 code it sounds like, at this point it's probably not worth diving into.

Edited October 3, 2013 by grossgary

[hop]

Dealer?  NO WAY!  I don't have the tools/skills to do it myself so I was thinking of having Adam at http://www.nwrallysports.com in Bellingham do whatever I needed.  He did the STI conversion for my friend featured in the snowboard movie GO! and has a great reputation amongst the Suby crowd in the area. 

Edited October 3, 2013 by hop

[okamikai]

You may also want to check catalytic converter(s), my 98 Forester with 168k miles had both catalytic converters clogged and was doing a serious number on performance. Also, if you live in an area where salt is poured to melt snow, you may want to check all of the chassis parts such as, engine and transmission mounts, bushings, end links, shock mounts, etc. Check all vacuum rubber hoses, water hoses, flexible brake lines, and flexible fuel lines since they tend to crack over time. Have fun...

[hop]

got the estimate back.  Is $1000 about right for this?

 

Timing belt kit (includes timing belt, timing belt tensioner, all required timing belt idler bearings and water pump) Water pump gasket Thermostat and gasket
Coolant/antifreeze Install timing belt component kit with water pump and thermostat
NGK G-power spark plugs Ignition wire set Fuel filter Engine air filter
PCV valve Perform ignition tune up

[okamikai]

If you bought timing belt kit for $198-250 is good, it usually comes with all that, for the rest you should be well under $500 if you didn't buy original. One crucial check up that you should perform is Cylinder compression, this is because of the Head Gaskets, it is rare that it happens but its got some miles on it, new spark plugs will perform better thus increasing the compression on the cylinders, its a rare event but it never hurts to check, also you should do this test before and after the tune up so you can compare results.

[AdventureSubaru]

$1000. seems kinda high to me. Several items on the list are very simple little maintenance things that most anyone could do with a little instruction. 

 

Focusing on the timing belt because it's the one that would seem "necessary" as it's probably a little past due and is a needed preventative maintenance before the belt snaps and the car no longer drives.

 

Timing kits on ebay are around $125 on up depending on brand. A good mechanic shouldn't take more than a couple hours to put it in. I'd avoid the mechanic pricing and order the parts yourself and just pay the mechanic for labor at best.

 

Any thought to doing some of this work yourself? This board contains more than enough info to teach someone who has never even heard of a subaru to perform the maintenance listed.

 

Spark plugs, wires, thermostat, fuel filter and air filter should take maybe an hour total to do.

[hop]

I suppose I could attempt some of the work myself - I've worked on a'68 Chevy (!) and just recently replaced my alternator so I'm only a partial moron when it comes to cars.  Could you guys help me figure out exactly what parts I'd need?  I don't want to get all sorts of parts and realize they're the wrong ones. 

 

What tools would I need (assume I have none)?

 

Would I need to pull the engine for any of this?

Edited October 8, 2013 by hop

[AdventureSubaru]

Almost the entire car can be taken apart with 10mm, 12mm and 14mm sockets/wrenches. No engine removal necessary.

 

For the air filter - just get whatever brand for whatever cost. No tools necessary. Jsust unclip your air box and swap the filter.

 

Spark plugs will require a 5/8 spark plug socket (Around $6. at most car parts stores) and an 89 cent gapping tool. (an a pretty long socket extension) Took me about 20 minutes to do the plugs and wires on my wife's car last week. Will take a bit longer if it's your first time, but it's a good habit to have to save yourself money over time doing it yourself.

 

For the timing job (which would include coolant and thermostat) read this - http://www.rs25.com/forums/f105/t154453-diy-sohc-timing-belt-change-w-pics.html

 

it's pretty well detailed and lets you know the job involved. I'm sure there are similar (or better) write ups on here, but I am doing the belt on the wife's car next week and it's what i had open on my computer. If it seems like biting off more than you can chew, you can always leave this part to the mechanic but still save yourself some $$$ by doing some of the simpler maintenance yourself.

 

But yes, any and all information you'll need can be supplied on this board. I've learned from the ground up using this forum and a few others.

Edited October 8, 2013 by AdventureSubaru

[hop]

found a trusted place in Ashland OR (where I'll be in a few days anyways) that will do it for ~$500.  Will probably have them do the timing belt and I'll do the less intensive stuff myself.