Tlag

When you say the engine cut out, do you mean the engine actually stopped and you had to restart it? or do you mean, it felt like you very suddenley ran out of power? If it was the later, it sounds like fuel cut, which is waht happens when the ecu detects a problem in the system and only gives you a kind of limp home mode. As has been said above, whatever happened, check for codes first.

Hi, welcome to the forum. Sorry, I missed this thread. The red oil light on the dash, is not a level light. It is a pressure light. To be honest, its a pretty rubbish pressure light, because the only time it will come on as you drive is when its too late. The only real use for it is when you do an oil change. Once you have changed the oil, unplug the cam position sensor and turn the ignition key until the red pressure light goes out, plug the sensor back in and start the car. Its just a way of making sure you have oil throughout the engine before putting too much power through it at normal rpm. Once you have done an oil change just keep your eye on the levels for a while.

Welcome to the forum. glad your enjoying the car. Its usually at this point that someone points out that we need to see some pictures. :) Dosnt matter what model you drive as long as its a Subaru.

Good advice. Water pumps can and do fail so definitely worth doing

It sounds to me that you thought the expansion tank had to be full so you filled it, only to find it was down again the following day, so you filled it again.? If so, it should only be about 2 thirds full and it will expell the rest so that's normal. The belts that look frayed are either the air con or power steering belt, not the timing belt. The squeal you hear is probably the frayed belt rubbing on something or a pully squeal. I don't think you have anything to worry about

You must have taken the timing belt cover off at one end to see the belt. Can you see any writing on the belt

Ok, the amount of bubbles you describe dosnt sound like head gasket. I would now be looking really closely at a radiator leak. Subaru rads are prone to cracks in the plastic end tanks. With the engine running and at temperature. Look down all the sides of the rad with a torch. Pay particular attention to the end tanks at both ends.

Before going to a garage, do the check on the bubbles in the expansion tank. If you have bubbles, no amount of flushing will cure it. If you do take it to a garage, get them to do a sniff test. That will leave you in no doubts

To flush the system out, drain the coolant, ( radiator drain plug is bottom, drivers side corner of rad, engine side). I then remove the bottom rad hose and the thermostat. Then get a garden hose and put water through the entire system until it all runs clean, put it all back together, fill system and bleed it. Job done.

The metal header tank with the metal cap on is effectively the radiator cap, so you would put it in there, but don't, you will waste money and make things potentially worse by creating a blockage. If you have a lot of bubbles in the expansion tank, it's head gaskets. Rad weld will do nothing for that scenario. There are products that you can add that are supposed to fix head gaskets. However, the fix can last anything from a week to 6 months. Beyond that, it's unlikely to last due to the pressures inside a subaru engine. Having seen inside an engine after that stuff has been used, the clean up is horrendous and you will require more new parts than if you just have the head gaskets done now. ( if that is the problem, of course). The other thing to point out is, if you do use one of those products, it is very obvious to a potential buyer, that you have done so.

Looking good. I do like those lights as well. I've done the oven trick on some Legacy lights and it's always a case of, is it done yet? :)

DO NOT use rad weld. That stuff is only for a leak in the radiator. It won't stop this but could make things worse. By all means, change the coolant and flush it through but don't use any additives. You need to fix the actual problem.

It's quote unusual for coolant and oil to mix when head gaskets go in a Subaru, due to the cylinder bores being surrounded by a water jacket. They usually go at that point which means the combustion gasses are forced onto the coolant system. After a drive, engine still running, flip open the yellow plastic cap on the expansion bottle. (The one attached to the radiator). If you see a lot of bubbles, and it frothing, then the head gaskets are probably gone. Just under the head of that tank is a very small breather hole. If the system is too full of coolant to able able to take those gasses, the coolant will overflow out of that hole, but usually you won't see it because, it happens whilst you are driving. However, immediately after driving, that area will show signs of damp, dirty water marks.

With the ignition on, but not the engine, you should get all the lights on the dashboard on. Is 'check engine' amongst them. It has been known for some sellers to remove that bulb, to hide potential problems when selling. Reason I mention this is that I find it very odd that no codes are stored with the problem you have.

I think black and gold has always been a superb colour scheme, since the days of the old JPS lotus F 1 cars. I'm not sure how a gold fmic would look though. It would be huge piece of gold in a black front end. I've always thought that a small amount of gold detailing on black looks best, but that's just my opinion. Maybe the fins of the front mount in black but the top and bottom tank in gold, if that makes sense. If the lower IC pipes are visible, maybe do those in gold with black hoses too.

Agreed, it looks a lot better now. :)

That looks soooo nice :)

Check the engine mounts. If one has split, the car will pull one way or the other when accelerating or braking.

Had a break from building my engine today. Been to a friends and helped build his engine instead, :)

As above, White is always a pig to keep looking nice. Having said that, when they are clean, they look superb and gold wheels really sets them off. Bmw alpine White is a good choice. The subaru White is too creamy in comparison. In fact most Japanese whites seem to go that way. I saw a white Jag f-type the other day which really was crisp so that may be worth a look too.

I can't help with the part but here's my local subaru dealers number near coventry. 01676 533145. They have always been great for me, even with JDM stuff, which is unusual for a UK dealer

Today started with work underneath So, first job is to install the baffle plate and oil pick up Next was to cover it up again :) With the bottom done as much as I need at the moment, attentions turned to the heads. The Arp head studs first Head gaskets fitted And heads put one and torqued up Then, I couldn't wait any longer, so I had to mock up the exhaust manifold :) It will have to come off again but I couldn't help myself.

The starter motor is a separate issue. That's either the motor or a dying battery

I agree, check for codes first. It's going into limp mode for some reason. It's not boosting right either, so I'm guessing it's MAF related but the codes will reveal all.

Today was a good day :) Got loads done but started with a box First step is a fiddly one, fitting the new piston rings Then on to fitting the pistons. That meant putting the block back on the bench Once all four are fitted, it's time to put the block back on the stand. Next up was the oil pump. Shiney:) And finally for today, the water pump. It's looking good now :)