lhrocker Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 Well, upon driving home last night, within 2 miles of my house, the A/C in the car started to lose it's cool. After that, it sounded like a belt was broken but the car ran fine. Upon pulling into my driveway, the car stalled. I restarted the car, pulled in and got out. I smelled something kind of burning, like either oil or some fluid, but it was too dark. This morning, I looked under the hood and under the car and found that there was coolant on the floor. I drove it to the local shell, and upon looking at the car, the radiator is shot and the water pump is original. So they will now replace the radiator, water pump, timing belts, oil change, coolant and spark plug wires. The reason for the wires is I told them I have hesitation in starting the car when it rains and they said it's probably bad wires. So, I'm in for almost $900. I bought the car with 107k on it and it now has 189k in a little over 2 years. I hope that this is it, but if I get any tranny issues in the future, it will be time for a new car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 i hate to add to your list and price but at that mileage you'd be best to replace the noisey or bad timing pulleys (one is surely to be old and have noisey bearings). if you plan on keeping the car awhile, this is highly recommended. you'd be a forever subaru hater if you pay all of this and then a bad bearing fries your new timing belt in 6 months. takes the mechanic no substantial amount of time to check the pulley's while he's in there. the sprocketed pulley by the oil pump will be the most likely to sound noisey and need replacing. others should be checked as well. dont' forget the 5 dollar thermostat with all of this too. same thing...no point in new radiator and water pump only to have the 5 dollar thermostat fail and overheat/blow up the motor. done right this joker should get you another 100,000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnuman Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 That last line should read "Done right, this [car] should get you another 100,000 miles' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 Well, upon driving home last night, within 2 miles of my house, the A/C in the car started to lose it's cool. After that, it sounded like a belt was broken but the car ran fine. Upon pulling into my driveway, the car stalled. I restarted the car, pulled in and got out. I smelled something kind of burning, like either oil or some fluid, but it was too dark. This morning, I looked under the hood and under the car and found that there was coolant on the floor. I drove it to the local shell, and upon looking at the car, the radiator is shot and the water pump is original. So they will now replace the radiator, water pump, timing belts, oil change, coolant and spark plug wires. The reason for the wires is I told them I have hesitation in starting the car when it rains and they said it's probably bad wires. So, I'm in for almost $900. I bought the car with 107k on it and it now has 189k in a little over 2 years. I hope that this is it, but if I get any tranny issues in the future, it will be time for a new car. 82,000 miles and 900.00 thats not bad. Its not fair to critisize the car. You dont say what year it is, but it may have been due for everything anyway (with the exception of the radiator). It just sounds like a typical heavy maintanece, which is timing belt, drive belts, water pump, cam and main seal, t-stat. Il would say thats about right. Make SURE they do the cam, oil pump and main seal. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 nip, nipper, NIPPER... the title of the thread says 1995. Brothers of the Board, I think it's time for intervention with the Nipster. Step away from the pain meds! 82,000 miles and 900.00 thats not bad. Its not fair to critisize the car. You dont say what year it is, but it may have been due for everything anyway (with the exception of the radiator). It just sounds like a typical heavy maintanece, which is timing belt, drive belts, water pump, cam and main seal, t-stat. Il would say thats about right. Make SURE they do the cam, oil pump and main seal. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 nip, nipper, NIPPER... the title of the thread says 1995. Brothers of the Board, I think it's time for intervention with the Nipster. Step away from the pain meds! huh? grr one feature here gets me in trouble, and thats the fact you loose some detail depnding upon the way you respond. and NO ONE touches my pain meds (even if they dont work anymore). Sure cut the thread so it looks like i cant do math BAD :-p (we know i can't type) and he still needs to replace the seals nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 Why not do the work yourself? If your replacing the radiator and hoses anyway,it makes it really easy to do the timing belt and water pump. Is the timing belt origional? Is the water pump making any noise? Is there any reason to replace them other than the place told you they needed replacing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhrocker Posted May 7, 2006 Author Share Posted May 7, 2006 Doing that kind of work is kind of "over my head". I can do regular stuff like tuneups and taking small things apart, but I don't have the time to do something like that. The water pump is original, and the car has 185,000 miles on it, so I think it was the thing to do. The timing belts may or may not be original, but at 185k, it's not a gamble I'm willing to take if the work can be done anyway. So new radiator, timing belts, water pump, coolant, and labor came out to $850. And it is running good now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 I do admire those that have done these projects on this board but it is also good to hear that you know when to say when! As a brain surgeon once told me, confidence lacking competence is very dangerous. Doing that kind of work is kind of "over my head". I can do regular stuff like tuneups and taking small things apart, but I don't have the time to do something like that. The water pump is original, and the car has 185,000 miles on it, so I think it was the thing to do. The timing belts may or may not be original, but at 185k, it's not a gamble I'm willing to take if the work can be done anyway. So new radiator, timing belts, water pump, coolant, and labor came out to $850. And it is running good now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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