SaveMySubie777 Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Hello everyone! I am the proud owner of a 95 legacy wagon L with just over 138,000 miles. I got the car almost two years ago at about 114,000. Aside from oil changes, brake and rotor work by my friend, and fluid upkeep, I sadly have neglected my poor wagon. Now I am trying to make amends and work on this car as much as I can with my level of car knowledge and my budget. So I have a list of issues/problems that I need feedback on. For each issue please let me know if you think it is a) a simple enough that I can do by myself with normal tools (no specialty car tools); b) I should have my friend who is very knowledgeable about cars in general, has car tools, has extensively worked on subies help me ; or c) should only be done by mechanic. 1) front driver side inner tie rod needs to be replaced 2) coolant system needs to be flushed and burped (temp gauge reads hot but no other signs of overheating, most people suggest those symptoms are of an air bubble in the cooling system) 3) corroded radiator 4) power steering leak 5) external oil leak (from head gasket according to a mechanic who inspected my car) 6) trunk latch is rusted and now broken so hatch can't open 7) coolant reservoir tank needs to be cleaned (in conjunction with cooling system flush) 8) diagnostic codes (check engine light) for tps sensor and oxygen sensor 9) replace driver side window motor assembly 10) broken serpentine belt replacement and possibly alternator belt as well 11) cleaning battery and elsewhere under the hood, changing old hoses/parts/wires I think there are a few other issues that I don't remember right now. I am starting off by replacing the air filter because I'm sure I won't screw that up lol. Anyways lemme know what you guys think and if you have any questions. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Welcome to the forum. I hardly knew anything about wrenching before I joined this site. But I was sick of paying a mechanic to work on my old cars and I bought a beat up old subie to play with. 1) b 2) a - No tools required. Search for johnegg's thread on burping/purging the system. 3) a - easy to swap in a new one if that's what you mean. 4) a - probably just the o-ring. 5) Your mechanic is most likely full of crap and it is actually a leaking valve cover which is very common. Head gasket issues on '95s are very rare. My engine (EJ22E same as yours) has over 265k and the head gaskets are fine. $30 for a valve cover gasket kit and takes about 15 minutes if you know what you are doing. All you need is a 10 mm wrench. 6) a - easy to replace, just time consuming. 7) a - just unbolt the clamp thingy that holds it and wash it out. As far as the flush you can just drain the radiator or flush it out. Easy. 8) Replacing the 02 sensor is very straight forward. Just get a deep socket or a big wrench to yank it off. It might be stuck pretty good. The TPS can be adjusted, but it is a little tricky and will require a multimeter to check if you adjust it right. If it is bad you can just swap on a new or good used one. 9) This wouldn't be too tricky, just time consuming and very annoying. Are you sure it is the motor? Or is the switch bad. What are the symptoms. You will have to remove the door card to get at the goods which is easy after you have done it once or twice. 10) Alternator belt is easy to replace. Serpentine belt? Do you mean the timing belt or the AC or power steering belt? If it's the timing belt that isn't too bad, but tricky and intimidating the first time you do it if you don't have a lot of mechanical experience. 11) All of that is really easy. Basically you can do all of this stuff yourself if you are willing to learn. You won't even need that many tools. Just a basic set of sockets and wrenches for the most part. Start with the easy stuff and see how comfortable you feel as you go. Get a good manual and download the factory service manual (FSM). Send me your email in a PM and I'll send a FSM to you if you want. And if you have a buddy that will help you that's great for the more complicated jobs. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spooln30 Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 I'm going to start with your cooling issue. I think you may have a head gasket problem. The coolant overflow bottle being full of gunk could mean that there's oil mixing with the coolant and since engine oil is lighter then water it floats on the top and when your radiator cap opens to release pressure the oil will flow into the overflow bottle. Second you shouldn't have air pockets unless you have a leak in the system. You mentioned the radiator is corroded but is it leaking? Gunk inside the overflow aside this could be where the coolant lose and air is coming from. I wouldn't drive the car if its running hot to begin with, it only promotes head gaskets to fail. Where is the power steering leak coming from? The most common leak is the pumps front seal. I've seen this on almost every second gen legacy. Just buy the seal and replace it, it's very easy. The inner tie rod is easy if you have the removal tool, which can be rented at a auto parts store. You will need a alignment when your done and if the rack boot is ripped now is the time to replace it. Matter of fact I would replace all of the tie rods since you'll have the tool and you need a alignment. If one is worn and the others haven't been replaced then they all have the same amount of wear, the rest will soon fail. Oil leak is probably the valve cover gaskets, easy as well. TPS sensor is easy but you need a scan tool with sensor data read outs because you have to adjust the new one when you install it. Just installing it where the old one was doesn't work 100%. O2 sensors are also easy just a tight fit if it's the front one. Cleaning the batteries cable ends is easy just mix some baking soda with water and let them soak for 10 mins. It will work all of the old battery acid. The rest of the repairs are also easy and I think you sound be able to do with the correct tools. GL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 1) front driver side inner tie rod needs to be replaced i have not done this and i have done head gaskets. but probably not for a newbie. not too hard i hear, but probably not the first place for you to learn. 2) coolant system needs to be flushed and burped (temp gauge reads hot but no other signs of overheating, most people suggest those symptoms are of an air bubble in the cooling system) if it does not overheat it may be low on coolant, a clogged T-stat or a clogged radiator. a subaru t-stat and cap probably only cost $25. you can do this. 7) coolant reservoir tank needs to be cleaned (in conjunction with cooling system flush) you can do this. 3) corroded radiator see above. i would flush and check/ replace the t-stat (subaru item, not aftermarket) before i spent any money on the rad. but it is not unheard of for an 18 year old car to need a rad. but check before you spend. you can do this. if you wait until spring when the chance of freezing has passed, you can refill with water instead of coolant until you are sure you have corrected the problem. refilling with new coolant every time you work on the system can get expensive. (or save, strain, filter and reuse the coolant.) when chasing a mystery coolant problem it is not unusual to try several times before you are successful. 4) power steering leak at the pump? this is easy, and cheap. it is usually just an o-ring. you can do this. 5) external oil leak (from head gasket according to a mechanic who inspected my car) probably not the head gaskets, but it could be. the ej22 engine in your car is not known for head gasket leaks. but if they are OVERHEATED severely with a lot of miles they can go. but very unusual for them to leak externally. usually they leak exhaust gases into the coolant. but it is probably not head gasket. i would be willing to bet in to, especially at this mileage. it is probably just oil leaks, valve cover gasket, easy to do even a newbie. cam and crank seals, have your friend do it while doing the timing belt, water pump and all pulleys. parts = $125 from ebay, ''theimportexperts'', labor = an afternoon. you help and learn. or the oil separator plate on the rear of the block. the engine has to be pulled to do this one so unless you have another reason tho get in there this is a big job. have your friend do it and learn with him. but i would do every thing else first and then see where you stand. this will correct all the oil leaks on the front of the engine. 6) trunk latch is rusted and now broken so hatch can't open get a used replacement from a salvage yard or someone here. you can do this. 8) diagnostic codes (check engine light) for tps sensor and oxygen sensor first try some contact cleaner on both the connection to the TPS and the guts inside of the TPS. (TIP: mark the housing of the TPS and the throttle body before you remove it. if you do not re-install it EXACTLY the same way it was it will not work right and will need to be adjusted , probably by someone else.) you can do this. buy a subaru o2 sensor for the front sensor (and a generic one for the rear) and a good boxend wrench, 7/8 inch fits i think, and you can do this. 9) replace driver side window motor assembly it is probably not the motor. usually it is the button on the switch. contact cleaner may help, but a used replacement is the usual fix. you can do this. 10) broken serpentine belt replacement and possibly alternator belt as well serpentine belt? is this on the outside of the black plastic timing cover? those are easy and you can do. the timing belt inside the timing cover .... this is a much bigger job and if working on cars is new to you i would have your friend do it and help and learn. 11) cleaning battery and elsewhere under the hood, changing old hoses/parts/wires you can do this , take it slow and do only one thing at a time so you do not get confused about what goes where and so you do not leave anything undone. go slow, don;t force any thing. these parts are 18 years old, and pulling or pushing too hard may bust something it is connected to or just something in the area. i usually leave these things alone until i have to deal with them. it is not unusual for a hose to split when you are removing it to get to another part or fix. good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snederhiser Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Hello; Recently had a Subie come in for a coolant leak and ended up doing a head gasket job. The antifreeze felt oily and had a brown color. The overflow bottle was contaminated. The oil was a brown color (contaminated). The heads were flat, but had to resurface the block. Parts cost was about $500.00 including a new clutch. This included a complete gasket set, timing set/water pump, used cam, and some hoses. Be sure to buy that friend a few beers, Steven. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Recently had a Subie come in for a coolant leak and ended up doing a head gasket job this happens a lot on 96 - 03/4 ej25 engines. a lot!!! it does not happen a lot on ej22 engines 90 - 96. these engines were built for reliability. things got a lot worse when they started tweaking the design for ''more power''. like when they started building the ej25 in 96 MY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snederhiser Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Hello; This happened on a EJ22 n/a engine. Steven. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaveMySubie777 Posted February 22, 2013 Author Share Posted February 22, 2013 Thank you so much for the feedback everyone! It is much appreciated. I think I am going to start buy replacing the battery, air filter, and the radiator, flushing and burping the cooling system, clean the resevoir tank, check/replace the thermostat, and check the water pump. Based on what I have read on here and other places, an efficient and effective cooling system is very important for car health. And I think it is a cool but relatively easy first clean/swap/replace project (maybe not taking off the water pump, i will have my friend help with that part). Updates soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaveMySubie777 Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 With the help of my friend, we replaced radiator (and the upper/lower hoses + clamps), flushed cooling system, replaced the air filter, and for a bonus asethic touch I removed the seats and completely vacuumed and cleaned the interior. Car runs great now. No issues with overheating and the heat now works after only a few minutes of driving/idling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemingway Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Congrats SMS on your successful repair work. Always nice to get them back in shape and running smooth! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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