Johnnz Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Just after opinions really... we bought a 1992 subaru legacy (150,000kms) for NZ$1850 a couple of weeks back... turns out it wasnt the best automobile purchase to be made since the cam belt replacement job (including new water pump and oil/lube job) cost us NZ$1077 This old car only does 6.74km/litre of fuel which I think is in large part due to its aging auto transmission that seems to start in second or third half the time. There is no blue smoke visible from the exhaust though so it seems that the engine itself is ok. Just a few days ago (before getting the bill for the cam belt and other work) my girlfriend was driving along when the tank on the side of the radiator burst open splitting top to bottom. I'm not sure if I can get it out myself to save on labour costs at the garage (it has to be sent away to the city to get a new tank crimped/welded on) - would I be able to do this job with a socket set and other assorted tools? So, the question of economics is... should we sell this car after getting its cooling system functioning again (I guess if we are patient we might be able to get $2500 for it?). We have only had it for about 4 weeks so it has obviously been a money drain till now, but considering its fuel economy is so poor its not really going to pay for itself in kind, is it?? All opinions much appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manarius Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 You got a really bad deal on replacing the cam belt. You got charged about $200 (US) over what it should have been. You should also be getting better gas mileage than you're getting. May I suggest new spark plugs, plug wires, air filter, and fuel filter. Replacing the tank on the side of the radiator should be a very easy job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 sounds like you paid a premium price for the cam belt, water pump replacement. i don't know the exchange rate though or your area, so maybe that's about right. but at least they did it right, best to do the water pump while yo'ure in there if you're keeping the car for the long haul. as for the transmission, have the fluid changed. the radiator issue could have caused issue with the transmission since the ATF runs through the side of the radiator tank. have the transmission fluid changed and install a new radiator. radiators are VERY EASY to install. remove the hoses (screwdriver) the fans (some 10mm sockets/wrench) and like 2 12mm bolts (socket/wrench) and then disconnect one electrical connector. takes no time at all to replace a radiator. do not try to repair the side tank, it's possible but it's an annoying job. just replace the radiator with a new one and you can do it yourself. hopefully the engine didn't overheat when the radiator busted. be sure to install a new thermostat and radiator caps since you've already addressed the rest of the cooling system - water pump and radiator. a tune up should help your mileage - plugs, wires, and air filter. these are great engines and it should last quite a long time, so in those terms you could get a good value over the long haul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Grossgary has good advice. The radiator is simple, except sometimes it is a pain to get the ATF cooler lines loose from the radiator; smaller hands (than mine) and patience really help. On my 92, which has 2 cooling fans, I didn't even bother messing with removing the fans: I just unplugged the 2 connectors (one below each fan shroud) and pulled the fans with the radiator. I also agree to not bother trying to repair the radiator. It would be a far better investment of both time and money to get a known-good radiator. If you can order one and install it yourself, it should be less expensive then having a shop remove, fix, and replace your existing one (which might not be repairable anyway). As far as fuel economy, you might want to consider changing the EGO (O2) sensor, assuming that yours is so equipped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnz Posted August 13, 2006 Author Share Posted August 13, 2006 Hi all, Thanks for the tips and advice. I decided to go the DIY route and remove the coroded old radiator and replace it myself after paying the premium price last time (and finding out that the fan belts hadnt even been replaced at the same time as that other work was done ). So, I called around numerous car wreckers in the nearest city and got hold of a guy that assured me he had an as new radiator for our 1991, automatic, non turbo Subaru Legacy for NZ$150. So we made the trip down there (4 hours return), but unfortunatly this morning when I went to instal it it turned out to be 35mm too tall:banghead: . I called the guy back who sold it to me, and he was surprised to hear of a different height radiator, but I wont hear back from him until he gets back to work tomorrow to find out if he has one of the shorter ones. At least we got to visit my sister down there so it wasn't an entirely wasted journey. Oh, and I was wondering what the procedure is for bleeding the transmission oil and radiator cooling fluid once I get it all back in? Does anyone have some links links where I can find step by step procedure for that? Cheers, -John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger83 Posted August 13, 2006 Share Posted August 13, 2006 Get rid of it. Aging AWD cars are not good bets on a budget. Is gas really cheap in NZ? Fuel costs in the US are about US$0.12 per mile or so, plus overhead. The IRS rate for car use is over $0.40 per mile. Soulds like buying a brand new radiator at the dealer would have been less expensive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnz Posted August 14, 2006 Author Share Posted August 14, 2006 Got a call back from the guy we got the radiator from and he has sorted us out a new one which he is freighting up for us. Turns out that our legacy must have had some frontal damage in the past and had the mount where the radiator sits built up to accomodate the newer (mid '90s) radiator which is shorter. Gas isn't cheap in NZ - at least 25% dearer than in the US too: See this graph: http://www.bp.co.nz/about/pricing/index.html Still looking for tips on bleeding the cooling system etc. Cheers, -John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rweddy Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Still looking for tips on bleeding the cooling system etc. Cheers, -John. Look at this post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nub Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 John, For what its worth, I get about 9km/litre quite consistently from my 92 legacy (auto) wagon.. and its in good nick. cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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