SoobieDoobieDoo Posted December 23, 2016 Share Posted December 23, 2016 Hey everyone! I've heard Subaru owners brag about their cars for years and now I'm a owner! The good: Today I purchased a 1999 2.5 outback with 101,000 miles. Shes visually in great condition and runs very smooth. Brand new chinese tires and I paid $2,000 after tt&l. One owner out of Philidelphia/Colorado (I'm Texas) and there is surprisingly almost no rust. The bad: Rattling on driver side of engine - oil leaking in several areas dripping onto exhaust causing smoke, stink and stains in my perfect driveway - crusie control doesnt work - alignment is off - strange sound from the rear when i come to a stop. i'm obviously worried about the oil leaks and rattling more than anything and also wondering if timing belt has been changed. What could my issues be and do you think I got a good deal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoobieDoobieDoo Posted December 23, 2016 Author Share Posted December 23, 2016 what is the address of the good subaru forums? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RumbleRumble Posted December 23, 2016 Share Posted December 23, 2016 Oil could be leaking from a few places, The timing cover, the head gasket, oil pan ect. Rattling could be a heat shield, the noise from the rear sounds like brakes. If you can fix all this yourself, yeah not a bad deal, if you cant fix things yourself then no cause you can easily put 2000$ of work in to if a shop does it. Parts are cheap labor is not. Also if you are in the states you have a second gen the "good forum" is the second gen one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeuEmMaiMai Posted December 24, 2016 Share Posted December 24, 2016 remove timing cover and inspect tensioner. those old ones are notorious for leaking and they will cause a noise front that side of the engine.... another place for oil leak is head gaskets. remove diaper and use a light to inspect gaskets and if they are leaking, replace them. I had 3 issues with my 2003 Legacy with 62K on it when I bought it. The guy thought it had rod knock and it sounded like a diesel. I paid 2990 for it. I drove it and I knew that it could not be rod knock so I bought the car 1. Piston slap 2. coolant leak 3. tensioner rattling I had the Subaru dealer replace the pistons and reseal engine along with new timing belt and tensioner. Since then now issues and I have put about 48K on it since that was done. water pump is original, all other seals have 48K on them. Other things that I did for the car 1. Changed the transmission fluid from Subaru to Valvoline. Since then, no more delayed initial 2-3 shift due to accumulator charge delay (TSB on this issue). every time I change the fluid (every 30K) I keep adding Valvoline and I have changed my external filter when the car reached 90K miles as it was 12 years old and those are PAPER filters 2. Changed differential fluid at 60 and 90K next change coming at 120K 3. Rear end links Spring issues to be addressed Power steering steel ring Power steering flush Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLsubedrvr Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 Welcome & good luck w/ your Sube. Price is always relative but an older Sube for 2k can be a good deal. Hopefully your issues can be affordably resolved. As Rumble pointed out, being handy helps. If you can afford to fix it and there are no big mechanical issues, then you have a reliable and versatile car that will get you pretty much anywhere with much less worries about weather issues. The mileage indicates that a full timing belt kit should have been replaced or needs to be NOW. Does the dealer/seller have any repair history? Any old paperwork in the car? The bad: Rattling on driver side of engine - oil leaking in several areas dripping onto exhaust causing smoke, stink and stains in my perfect driveway - crusie control doesnt work - alignment is off - strange sound from the rear when i come to a stop. i'm obviously worried about the oil leaks and rattling more than anything and also wondering if timing belt has been changed. Rattle; Is it all the time, accelerating, or just idle ??? A deep noise or tinny? Oil leaks: (Do before starting car). Put your dirty clothes on, get a good flashlight and a piece of cardboard to use as a "creeper", slide under the car and try to trace the origin. Also check axle boots,(there's 4 front, 2 on ea side. (Look like accordion bellows), those can leak onto the exhaust and smell. You can also locate the head/block junctions which are closer to the center of the engine, those are often leaky and will look very wet & dark. Cruise control: check the fuse first. Strange sound: like what? clunk, grind scraping, vibrating rumble?? check exhaust pipe straps, and stabilizer bar links, both bang around frequently too. Hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osei Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Most common oil leak onto the exhaust is oil separator plate. Axle grease will smell, but will stick all over nearby areas, so easier to see. O. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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