Finally finishing up the Outback - up soon - back to the diesel

Well, it's been a longer road than I would have originally thought, but I'm just about done with the Outback now. Although the car ran well when I bought it, I needed to catch it up on a lot of maintenance and tune-up items, most of which I detailed in this blog.

Recently, I finally installed the new steering rack boot. As the passenger side boot was still intact, and it's still cold here, I opted to only replace the torn boot.

I also finally replaced the missing exhaust manifold stud. I was going to replace 2, but one hole had apparently been drilled and tapped to a larger size. So, that bolt had to stay in place, for at least the time being.

Next, I replaced the cooling system hoses, which looked original to the car, and then washed the car and cleaned the engine compartment.

Then, yesterday, I got the fog lights working. The factory ones didn't work. I put a new bulb in the driver's side, and it worked for a few minutes, but the passenger side light was corroded on the inside past the point of no repair. Given how hard these lights are to find, I opted to install a pair of aftermarket lights which also use H3 bulbs. I'm pleased with the new lights. They work well and don't look too out of place.

So the next time you drop in for a read... I'll try and have some Mercedes stuff for you. I'm glad to be getting back to that project, and that the Outback is now solid.

The search is on - new daily driver

My last blog post was around Christmas. To recap, the misfire problem on my 1995 Subaru Legacy (which I thought I'd fixed last Spring with a new cylinder head...) returned in late December. Rather than throw parts at the problem again, I opted to cut straight to the heart of the matter and run another compression test.  My P0302 code was caused by low compression in cylinder 2. Cylinders 1, 3, and 4 tested OK.

More accurately, the low compression was causing (over time) carbon buildup in cylinder 2 that in turn interfered with combustion. I bought some Seafoam spray and fogged the engine through the throttle body. I ended up doing this several times. In the end, I probably ran a can and a half through the engine. Just after Christmas, the wife and I took my car to visit my family (200 mile trip). The Legacy made it there without a hiccup, but the CEL came back on while we were there. Thankfully, it didn't blink - it just went on and stayed lit. I had my scanner with me, and once again - P0302.

We made the return trip a few days later. The car drove OK, but I had a few seconds of blinking. Once we got home, I put a can of Techron in with the next gas fill-up, and once again, cleared the codes. I've been driving the car for over two weeks now, and although for some reason the car isn't yet showing readiness, there are no pending trouble codes, and that's in around 1,000 miles of driving. So, in the end, the Seafoam and Techron cleared out the carbon buildup.

The car is perfectly driveable, and I've always known to keep the oil level in check. But, now that I know for a fact the engine is less than 100%, I think it's time for me to move on. The car still has some life in it - a lot of life, probably. But, I want something a bit more hassle-free for the long distance driving I do.

So, I decided to start looking for a new (to me) car. My first choice, obviously, was another EJ22 Subaru Legacy, or perhaps another EJ18 Subaru Impreza. Of course, it didn't take me long to realize that both are an endangered species at this point. There are very few left in the northeast that aren't overpriced high mileage rustbucket. So, I decided to expand the scope of my search for the first time in years to include other makes and models.

My first instinct was to stick with the Japanese cars. So, I started searching for 1990s-era Hondas (Civic and Accord) and Toyotas (Corolla and Camry). Among them, my top choice was the Camry. I quickly learned that most of the for sale by owner ads for the Japanese cars are run by shady small-time car flippers and dealers posing as private sellers. I've been in that situation before - that's how I ended up with my current Legacy.

I test drove a Camry, but it turned out to be a dealer posing as a private seller, so I walked on principle, even though the car seemed OK at first glance (I had reason to suspect hidden problems). Note to that particular dealer - if you want to describe an interior as "mint," take the duct tape off the dashboard first.

I even (against my better judgement), went to check out a 2000 VW Jetta. But, at $1200, it wouldn't even start for a test drive.

I've been keeping an eye out for Toyotas, but a co-worker actually clued me into another car to keep on my radar - 1990s Volvo 850 and V70 station wagons. I've always liked Volvos, but we haven't had a decent one in the family yet. But, I did some reasonably intense research and liked what I saw. The Volvo shot to the top of my list.

I've test driven 2 850s already. I'm still considering the first one, but the second one had too many problems. I have an appointment to test drive a 1998 V70 also, which is essentially a lightly-updated 850.

Even pushing 200,000 miles, these cars feel about 10X more solid than the Subaru Legacy, have a good reputation for reliability (overall, with some well documented problems and fixes), and most importantly, are well within my price range. For the cost of a rusty Legacy, I can get a much nicer Volvo. So, that's what sold me, and that's what I'm looking for.

Of course, if the right Legacy, Impreza, or Camry comes along at the right price, I'll probably jump on it.

Learning when to call it quits...

Well, it looks like this may be the beginning of the end. If you've been following along, you know that I replaced the cylinder head in my 1995 Subaru Legacy daily driver earlier this year, which supposedly cured a misfire issue I;d been having.

As of this past week, the misfire is back, unfortunately. The car threw the same P0302 code again. I did a compression test and verified that I have low compression in cylinder 2. This is the same test I did back in April. I had meant to re-test the car after replacing the cylinder head, but never got around to it. Earlier this year, cylinder 2 clocked in at around 70 PSI. This time, it's showing around 100 psi, which is still bad compared to the other three cylinders, which are showing 165, 165, and 160.

I'm not 100% sure why the misfire took so long to return, but it may be because I cleaned the carbon buildup off the cylinder 2 piston when I replaced the cylinder head. To buy myself some more time, I ran a can of Seafoam through the car this past weekend and replaced the spark plugs. As it is, I think I'll get through the winter (most likely with the check engine light coming on at times). But, come springtime, I'm hoping to be driving the Mercedes project, and hopefully can start looking for a "new" daily driver.

I was hoping for more miles out of this car (I've put around 45,000 very well maintained miles on the car as of now). But, the car has never run quite right for me. I'm guessing that cylinder 2 has been problematic for as long as I've owned the car, most likely due to mistreatment by a previous owner.

Because of the car's overall poor cosmetic condition, including rust, a rear suspension crossmember that's suspect, an aging transmission, an already-patched gas tank, a leaky cooling system, and numerous other issues, it's probably not worth it for me to try and replace the engine, and rebuilding it is out of the question. So, I'm most likely going to end up replacing the car. With what? Time will tell.

Hello, old friend

There's nothing to report on the Mercedes at the moment. I've been unable to touch it for a few weeks, but hope to get a bit done today (Columbus Day). But, I made a quick stop at the junk yard on Saturday and ran into a familiar face...

It was my wife's old 1993 Subrau Impreza. You may be asking how I know this was the same exact car. After all, they made about a million of these in the same color. Well, I only sold the car to the junkyard (this junkyard, in fact) around a month ago, so it makes sense that it would still be there. I know every bump, scratch, and rust spot on the car, as well as identifying marks like stickers. Trust me, this was the self-same car I'd been working on for the past three years.

In the past few weeks, the car has taken a turn for the worse. The month-old alternator that was in the car when I sold it is long-gone, likely now under the hood of another Subaru. Other various engine parts were gone, but the block and intake were still there. Someone really should buy the engine. High miles or not, it's a really good runner with a fresh timing belt.

For whatever reason, the rear and rear right windows were smashed. My guess is some punk just wanted to break windows. The rear wheels were missing (the fronts were still there). Part of the dashboard and center console were gone. The rear seat had been disassembled for some reason. I'm not sure why.

I didn't find the part I originally wanted (a rear cargo cover shade for one of our Legacy wagons), but I actually did end up buying the rearview mirror out of the old Impreza to replace the more worn one in my wife's "new" Legacy. So, after a month in the junkyard, a part of this car followed me home again. The mirror is a direct fit, but the older mirror in this Impreza was, in my opinion, a better design, and less susceptible to wearing out. The later Legacy mirrors tend to get loose and flop around with age.

I imagine the Impreza will sit in the yard a while longer, but who knows for exactly how long. It may be there for another month or two, and then it'll likely be crushed and melted down. But, in the mean time, its parts are going to save other old Subarus.

Junking the Impreza - a lesson in wreck-o-nomics

So, a couple of weeks ago, I finally finished work on my wife's "new" car - the 1995 Subaru Legacy. This finally freed me up to start working on the 1983 Mercedes 240D. Well... almost. My wife's old car, the 1993 Subaru Impreza, was still taking up valuable real estate in the driveway.

In addition to taking up space, it was still on my insurance policy, costing me money every month. My original plan was to sell the Impreza as soon as the new Legacy was on the road. Fate had other plans. In recent months, the car had started to deteriorate sharply.

Back in April, I had to replace the driver's side front CV axle. In June, my wife drove the car on a 2,000 mile road trip. To make sure she got there OK, I replaced the timing belt and idlers, did an ignition tune-up, replaced the transmission fluid, and replaced the fuel filter. In early August, I had to replace the alternator. (Interestingly enough, when I bought the car in 2009, the seller told me it had a bad alternator - well, that bad alternator performed flawlessly for just over three years... until now) Bottom line, the Impreza was starting to nickel-and-dime me to death.

The last straw came the same day that I got the "new" Legacy on the road. One of the Impreza's brake calipers all but seized up. The car would run and drive, but the pad was worn out and was metal-on-metal with the rotor. My wife had told me she'd been hearing an intermittent scraping sound for the past few weeks. I hadn't bothered to check it out, as I was concentrating on fixing the Legacy. Well, the caliper finally froze. Also, the transmission was starting to bang into second gear intermittently.

So, I put the car up for sale on Craigslist. I wrote a long, almost encyclopedic ad, detailing everything wrong with the car. I could have fixed the brakes, but I wasn't interested in putting more time and money into the car, knowing that would likely not

I set an asking price of $800, knowing I'd come down with the price, but not wanting to give the car away. Aside from the usual scammers, the only interest I had was from a college student who wanted to pay less than scrap value for the car.

Knowing I wasn't going to be able to sell it on the open market, I started calling local junkyards. I got a variety of price quotes, but one, located about a mile away from the house, offered me $400 if I could drive the car in. I grabbed the title, pulled our stuff out of the car, and drove it up there. I hate to junk a running, driving car, but it had 326,000 miles on it and needed more work than it was likely worth, including, possibly, a transmission replacement.

We had the car for three years. We bought it with 240,000 miles on it, and drove it 86,000 miles. I originally paid $175 for the car (I did have to replace some parts over the years, but surprisingly, not too much). I sold it for $400. In my case, it just made the most sense to retire it and let its parts keep other cars alive.

I hope someone can make good use of that month-old alternator. Anyhow, here's some photos and video I took the last day I had the car.

The projects continue... and multiply

As of my last post, I had just gotten my daily driver Legacy back on the road after a cylinder head replacement. All went well there, and the car has been back in daily service, seeing around 90 miles per day since then.

So, now that I had transportation again, I decided to get back to working on the Vanagon again. I spent the next few weekends working on it, starting with installing the flywheel on the new engine. Eventually, I got the engine bolted into place and installed.

Finally, last weekend, I got the engine to start, albeit briefly. It doesn't seem to be getting fuel, so I suspect that either the fuel pump went bad from sitting dry for six months (I drained the gas tank when I put the van into storage), or there's a blockage somewhere. I need to do further diagnosis.

But, here's a video of it starting on starting fluid (sounds pretty good for an engine that sat for at least a year and a half):

I would have done more diagnostics this weekend, but I was busy with something else... As you may remember from previous posts, I've been looking for a new car for my wife for quite some time now. I finally found it, and it's something familiar:

No, you're not looking at my 1995 Legacy. This is my wife's... 1995 Legacy. Actually, the only difference between the cars is that hers has an automatic transmission, fewer miles on it (115,000), and has a working air conditioner. I didn't buy the same exact car on purpose. It was just the first decent 2.2L Legacy I've seen in my price range in a while. I've been buying tune-up and repair parts all week and will be working on this car shortly. Once it's done, I'll be selling the 320,000 mile green Impreza.

Here's some video of the Legacy. Enjoy:

catching a break - the Impreza

I debated doing a blog entry on this one, as I don't actually consider it to be my car, but since my name's on the title, and it has a story... I guess it belongs here.

Right before I sold the Rabbit, I was poking around on Craigslist again (see a pattern here yet?) and I saw an ad for a $250 1993 Subaru Impreza listed as a parts car. I was very happy with my Legacy, and didn't need another car around, but I was curious as to what a $250 Subaru would be like. I figured that there was a 1 in 100 chance the car was worth a damn. I didn't contact the seller for a few days, but in the end, I sent off an email to the guy and we agreed to meet at his house.

The ad said that the Subaru had a dead alternator. The seller told me that he had AAA try to jump start it but the tow truck driver told him that the alternator was bad. I got to the seller's house and saw the Subaru sitting in the driveway. It looked like it had been parked in one place most likely for a few months, though the inspection sticker was six or seven years out of date. As best I can figure from the looks of it, the Impreza spent most of that time in the seller's garage. It was far too clean to have spent all those years outdoors.

The right front fender was dented and there was a dime-sized rust spot over the right rear wheel well, but other than that, the car looked very nice. The seller told me that he'd taken it off the road when he'd started working from home years earlier and had only used it occasionally to haul a few bags of trash down to the neighborhood dumpster. I think he mentioned that the car hadn't been started in months.

I popped the hood and took a look. It was filthy, but everything was there. I turned the key - nothing. Completely dead. I pulled the battery out of my Legacy and hooked it up the Impreza. The car cranked, but without much fanfare. Eventually, it did start. The car sounded horrible at first. It stalled, but I restarted it. Eventually, the idle smoothed out a bit and the car sounded a bit better. I asked if I could take it for a spin around the block. I put the car in "drive" (automatic) and it didn't budge. After abusing the gas pedal a bit, the car did move forward a bit under its own power.

From its behavior, I believe, to this day, that the car hadn't been started or run in YEARS, not months, as the seller told me. I think he was mistaken, not lying, for the record. Either that, or I misheard him.

After a few cycles of driving a few feet, stalling, and restarting, the car did eventually stay running and make a loop around the block. I immediately noticed that one of the CV axles was shot. When I parked the car back at the seller's house and shut it off, I could hear the radiator boiling - not a good sign.

Still, the car was clean. I offered $100, and we settled on $175. I called a tow truck and had the Impreza dragged home.

I got to work almost immediately. The gas tank was almost empty, so I made two runs to the gas station with my 5 gallon gas can in the trunk of the Legacy. I filled the Impreza up and added a can of fuel system cleaner. Less than an hour of idling in the driveway, and the Impreza seemed to be running normally. The boiling sound went away on its own. I think it may have been a temporarily stuck thermostat.

I replaced the CV axle (the first one I ever replaced) and gave the car a much-needed full tune-up (plugs, filters, timing belt, water pump, coolant, ATF, etc). When I was done, I was amazed at how it turned out. It was a very presentable little car and ran almost like new.

After daily driving the Impreza for a few weeks (out of necessity, due to a broken transmission in the Legacy), I turned the Impreza over to my wife to replace her decrepit 1993 Legacy. In two years now, the Impreza has been nearly trouble-free. Aside from some basic maintenance (brakes, etc), and having to take the car in to get one of the rear wheel cylinders replaced, it's been very reliable and has covered over 50,000 miles in that time.