'96 Legacy Outback

On May 20, 5:00 pm, Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B > wrote:
> So, I bought a '96 Legacy Outback that has been sitting for about 4
> years. It has 157,000 miles on it. Everything looks good, coolant nice and
> green, brake fluid a nice light brown color, like brand new, oil a little
> dark but not black. Must have been serviced right before being parked.
>
> Now, I know there is a radiator treatment from Subaru that might possibly
> keep head gaskets fresh...? Obviously changing the oil is a no brainer.
> The car has been started and idled a couple times in the last two years.
>
> What else should I do? And esp about any flushing, like the radiator or
> the oil...?

Isn't brake fluid supposed to be clear???

Get the old fuel out of it

So, I bought a '96 Legacy Outback that has been sitting for about 4
years. It has 157,000 miles on it. Everything looks good, coolant nice and
green, brake fluid a nice light brown color, like brand new, oil a little
dark but not black. Must have been serviced right before being parked.

Now, I know there is a radiator treatment from Subaru that might possibly
keep head gaskets fresh...? Obviously changing the oil is a no brainer.
The car has been started and idled a couple times in the last two years.

What else should I do? And esp about any flushing, like the radiator or
the oil...?

On Fri, 20 May 2011 13:11:26 -0700, m6onz5a wrote:

> On May 20, 5:00 pm, Hachiroku ãƒ�ãƒ�ãƒ*ク > wrote:
>> So, I bought a '96 Legacy Outback that has been sitting for about 4
>> years. It has 157,000 miles on it. Everything looks good, coolant nice and
>> green, brake fluid a nice light brown color, like brand new, oil a little
>> dark but not black. Must have been serviced right before being parked.
>>
>> Now, I know there is a radiator treatment from Subaru that might possibly
>> keep head gaskets fresh...? Obviously changing the oil is a no brainer.
>> The car has been started and idled a couple times in the last two years.
>>
>> What else should I do? And esp about any flushing, like the radiator or
>> the oil...?
>
> Isn't brake fluid supposed to be clear???
>
> Get the old fuel out of it


Oh, yeah. Actually, he put a few gallons in last year, so adding fresh gas
should work.

On May 20, 4:56 pm, Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B > wrote:
> On Fri, 20 May 2011 13:11:26 -0700, m6onz5a wrote:
> > On May 20, 5:00 pm, Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B > wrote:
> >> So, I bought a '96 Legacy Outback that has been sitting for about 4
> >> years. It has 157,000 miles on it. Everything looks good, coolant nice and
> >> green, brake fluid a nice light brown color, like brand new, oil a little
> >> dark but not black. Must have been serviced right before being parked.
>
> >> Now, I know there is a radiator treatment from Subaru that might possibly
> >> keep head gaskets fresh...? Obviously changing the oil is a no brainer.
> >> The car has been started and idled a couple times in the last two years.
>
> >> What else should I do? And esp about any flushing, like the radiator or
> >> the oil...?
>
> > Isn't brake fluid supposed to be clear???
>
> > Get the old fuel out of it
>
> Oh, yeah. Actually, he put a few gallons in last year, so adding fresh gas
> should work.

Maybe Techron treatment for the injectors. Maybe throttle body cleaner.
(make certain it's safe for MAF sensors.)
I'd very carefully test the brakes - or just put pads and maybe rotors
on anyway. Don't trust tires if they might be 5-6-7 years old. 2-3
drain-change cycles for auto tranny.

IIRC, the coolant treatment is only efffective for external leaks. Mid
90's 2.5 liters had the 'bad' oil-in-coolant leaks.

On 05/20/2011 09:25 PM, 1 Lucky Texan wrote:
> On May 20, 4:56 pm, Hachiroku > wrote:
>> On Fri, 20 May 2011 13:11:26 -0700, m6onz5a wrote:
>>> On May 20, 5:00 pm, Hachiroku > wrote:
>>>> So, I bought a '96 Legacy Outback that has been sitting for about 4
>>>> years. It has 157,000 miles on it. Everything looks good, coolant nice and
>>>> green, brake fluid a nice light brown color, like brand new, oil a little
>>>> dark but not black. Must have been serviced right before being parked.
>>
>>>> Now, I know there is a radiator treatment from Subaru that might possibly
>>>> keep head gaskets fresh...? Obviously changing the oil is a no brainer.
>>>> The car has been started and idled a couple times in the last two years.
>>
>>>> What else should I do? And esp about any flushing, like the radiator or
>>>> the oil...?
>>
>>> Isn't brake fluid supposed to be clear???
>>
>>> Get the old fuel out of it
>>
>> Oh, yeah. Actually, he put a few gallons in last year, so adding fresh gas
>> should work.
>
> Maybe Techron treatment for the injectors. Maybe throttle body cleaner.
> (make certain it's safe for MAF sensors.)
> I'd very carefully test the brakes - or just put pads and maybe rotors
> on anyway.

pads and rotors don't age dude. elastomers do, so you'd be more on
target if you had said "brake seals". maybe.


> Don't trust tires if they might be 5-6-7 years old.

dude, i know frod have succeeded in brainwashing a lot of folk into
thinking that their known inherently unstable exploder platform's
occupant deaths were the fault of its tires [they're not - no vehicle
should roll just because of a flat. ever.], but you don't need to be
one of them. a tire that's 5-6-7 years old is perfectly fine unless
it's been sitting in an ozone oven baked under u.v. for that period.
[and no, just sitting out in the sun in your texas backyard doesn't
count.] even if you can see anything, surface stuff doesn't matter
anyway. and you'll note that because they're not keeping their sponsor
out of the limelight for multiple wrongful death lawsuits, the rotting
rubber fairy doesn't encourage you to replace all the suspension
rubbers, shock deal rubbers, vacuum, coolant, hydraulic, fuel and oil
hoses, or all body glass sealants, or all the engine and transmission
seals at the same time.


> 2-3
> drain-change cycles for auto tranny.
>
> IIRC, the coolant treatment is only efffective for external leaks. Mid
> 90's 2.5 liters had the 'bad' oil-in-coolant leaks.


--
nomina rutrum rutrum

On May 21, 9:14Â*am, jim beam > wrote:
> On 05/20/2011 09:25 PM, 1 Lucky Texan wrote:
>
>
>
> > On May 20, 4:56 pm, Hachiroku > Â*wrote:
> >> On Fri, 20 May 2011 13:11:26 -0700, m6onz5a wrote:
> >>> On May 20, 5:00 pm, Hachiroku > Â*wrote:
> >>>> So, Â*I bought a '96 Legacy Outback that has been sitting for about 4
> >>>> years. It has 157,000 miles on it. Everything looks good, coolant nice and
> >>>> green, brake fluid a nice light brown color, like brand new, oil a little
> >>>> dark but not black. Must have been serviced right before being parked.
>
> >>>> Now, I know there is a radiator treatment from Subaru that might possibly
> >>>> keep head gaskets fresh...? Obviously changing the oil is a no brainer.
> >>>> The car has been started and idled a couple times in the last two years.
>
> >>>> What else should I do? And esp about any flushing, like the radiator or
> >>>> the oil...?
>
> >>> Isn't brake fluid supposed to be clear???
>
> >>> Get the old fuel out of it
>
> >> Oh, yeah. Actually, he put a few gallons in last year, so adding fresh gas
> >> should work.
>
> > Maybe Techron treatment for the injectors. Maybe throttle body cleaner.
> > (make certain it's safe for MAF sensors.)
> > I'd very carefully test the brakes - or just put pads and maybe rotors
> > on anyway.
>
> pads and rotors don't age dude. Â*elastomers do, so you'd be more on
> target if you had said "brake seals". Â*maybe.
>
> > Don't trust tires if they might be 5-6-7 years old.
>
> dude, i know frod have succeeded in brainwashing a lot of folk into
> thinking that their known inherently unstable exploder platform's
> occupant deaths were the fault of its tires [they're not - no vehicle
> should roll just because of a flat. Â*ever.], but you don't need to be
> one of them. Â*a tire that's 5-6-7 years old is perfectly fine unless
> it's been sitting in an ozone oven baked under u.v. for that period.
> [and no, just sitting out in the sun in your texas backyard doesn't
> count.] Â*even if you can see anything, surface stuff doesn't matter
> anyway. Â*and you'll note that because they're not keeping their sponsor
> out of the limelight for multiple wrongful death lawsuits, the rotting
> rubber fairy doesn't encourage you to replace all the suspension
> rubbers, shock deal rubbers, vacuum, coolant, hydraulic, fuel and oil
> hoses, or all body glass sealants, or all the engine and transmission
> seals at the same time.
>
> > 2-3
> > drain-change cycles for auto tranny.
>
> > IIRC, the coolant treatment is only efffective for external leaks. Mid
> > 90's 2.5 liters had the 'bad' oil-in-coolant leaks.
>
> --
> nomina rutrum rutrum


You may have a point with the brake pads. But swapping them out gives
you the opportunity to wire-brush off any rust, relube caliper pins,
beed/flush the system too.

and her's a snip about tires;

******German vehicle manufacturers (including Audi, Volkswagen, BMW,
and Mercedes) and Toyota began adding warnings about tire age in their
owner's manuals beginning in the early 1990s. They differed a bit, but
the messages were consistent: Tires more than six years old present an
increased risk.

For instance, a Volkswagen manual says: "WARNING: Old tires can fail
in use, causing loss of vehicle control and personal injury. Replace
tires after six years regardless of tread wear. Always reduce speed
and drive cautiously if you must use an old tire in an emergency.
Replace the tire as soon as possible." A Toyota warning reads: "Any
tires which are over six years old must be checked by a qualified
technician even if damage is not obvious. Tires deteriorate with age
even if they have never or seldom been used. This also applies to the
spare tire and tires stored for future use."

European manufacturers developed these warnings based on research
results. For example, the German testing and scientific research firm
DEKRA issued a "special topic" report in 1986 examining tire defects
that resulted in crashes. The study found an increase in tread
separations after two years and a continuous increase from the fifth
through the eighth years, with a dramatic increase in tires more than
six years old. These researchers concluded that consumers should not
drive on tires that are six or more years old, regardless of tread
depth, particularly tires stored for an extended period of time.

The results of another German study concluded that failure frequency
rose disproportionately with increasing tire age . It estimated that a
breakdown of a nine year old tire was eight times as likely as a
breakdown of a two year old tire. The author noted that one reason
"over aged" tires were being sold was the "consumer unfriendly" way
the date of manufacture was coded in the DOT number. The author shared
the results with vehicle and tire manufacturers. ******

more from;http://www.ammonslaw.com/publication...of-aging-tires

On 05/21/2011 07:49 AM, 1 Lucky Texan wrote:
> On May 21, 9:14 am, jim > wrote:
>> On 05/20/2011 09:25 PM, 1 Lucky Texan wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>> On May 20, 4:56 pm, Hachiroku > wrote:
>>>> On Fri, 20 May 2011 13:11:26 -0700, m6onz5a wrote:
>>>>> On May 20, 5:00 pm, Hachiroku > wrote:
>>>>>> So, I bought a '96 Legacy Outback that has been sitting for about 4
>>>>>> years. It has 157,000 miles on it. Everything looks good, coolant nice and
>>>>>> green, brake fluid a nice light brown color, like brand new, oil a little
>>>>>> dark but not black. Must have been serviced right before being parked.
>>
>>>>>> Now, I know there is a radiator treatment from Subaru that might possibly
>>>>>> keep head gaskets fresh...? Obviously changing the oil is a no brainer.
>>>>>> The car has been started and idled a couple times in the last two years.
>>
>>>>>> What else should I do? And esp about any flushing, like the radiator or
>>>>>> the oil...?
>>
>>>>> Isn't brake fluid supposed to be clear???
>>
>>>>> Get the old fuel out of it
>>
>>>> Oh, yeah. Actually, he put a few gallons in last year, so adding fresh gas
>>>> should work.
>>
>>> Maybe Techron treatment for the injectors. Maybe throttle body cleaner.
>>> (make certain it's safe for MAF sensors.)
>>> I'd very carefully test the brakes - or just put pads and maybe rotors
>>> on anyway.
>>
>> pads and rotors don't age dude. elastomers do, so you'd be more on
>> target if you had said "brake seals". maybe.
>>
>>> Don't trust tires if they might be 5-6-7 years old.
>>
>> dude, i know frod have succeeded in brainwashing a lot of folk into
>> thinking that their known inherently unstable exploder platform's
>> occupant deaths were the fault of its tires [they're not - no vehicle
>> should roll just because of a flat. ever.], but you don't need to be
>> one of them. a tire that's 5-6-7 years old is perfectly fine unless
>> it's been sitting in an ozone oven baked under u.v. for that period.
>> [and no, just sitting out in the sun in your texas backyard doesn't
>> count.] even if you can see anything, surface stuff doesn't matter
>> anyway. and you'll note that because they're not keeping their sponsor
>> out of the limelight for multiple wrongful death lawsuits, the rotting
>> rubber fairy doesn't encourage you to replace all the suspension
>> rubbers, shock deal rubbers, vacuum, coolant, hydraulic, fuel and oil
>> hoses, or all body glass sealants, or all the engine and transmission
>> seals at the same time.
>>
>>> 2-3
>>> drain-change cycles for auto tranny.
>>
>>> IIRC, the coolant treatment is only efffective for external leaks. Mid
>>> 90's 2.5 liters had the 'bad' oil-in-coolant leaks.
>>
>> --
>> nomina rutrum rutrum
>
>
> You may have a point with the brake pads. But swapping them out gives
> you the opportunity to wire-brush off any rust, relube caliper pins,
> beed/flush the system too.
>
> and her's a snip about tires;
>
> ******German vehicle manufacturers (including Audi, Volkswagen, BMW,
> and Mercedes) and Toyota began adding warnings about tire age in their
> owner's manuals beginning in the early 1990s. They differed a bit, but
> the messages were consistent: Tires more than six years old present an
> increased risk.
>
> For instance, a Volkswagen manual says: "WARNING: Old tires can fail
> in use, causing loss of vehicle control and personal injury. Replace
> tires after six years regardless of tread wear. Always reduce speed
> and drive cautiously if you must use an old tire in an emergency.
> Replace the tire as soon as possible." A Toyota warning reads: "Any
> tires which are over six years old must be checked by a qualified
> technician even if damage is not obvious. Tires deteriorate with age
> even if they have never or seldom been used. This also applies to the
> spare tire and tires stored for future use."
>
> European manufacturers developed these warnings based on research
> results. For example, the German testing and scientific research firm
> DEKRA issued a "special topic" report in 1986 examining tire defects
> that resulted in crashes. The study found an increase in tread
> separations after two years and a continuous increase from the fifth
> through the eighth years, with a dramatic increase in tires more than
> six years old. These researchers concluded that consumers should not
> drive on tires that are six or more years old, regardless of tread
> depth, particularly tires stored for an extended period of time.
>
> The results of another German study concluded that failure frequency
> rose disproportionately with increasing tire age . It estimated that a
> breakdown of a nine year old tire was eight times as likely as a
> breakdown of a two year old tire. The author noted that one reason
> "over aged" tires were being sold was the "consumer unfriendly" way
> the date of manufacture was coded in the DOT number. The author shared
> the results with vehicle and tire manufacturers. ******
>
> more from;http://www.ammonslaw.com/publication...of-aging-tires
>

thanks for regurgitating the ambulance-chaser's propaganda. i
appreciate that you might not take crap you read on usenet on face value
[healthy], but you need to make the next step and examine the logic.

1. we have a major corporation [successfully] avoiding getting its
executives jailed for proceeding with production of a vehicle they knew
to be a killer, with this smokescreen bull**** about tires.

2. we have that major corporation spending coin for p.r. agencies to
propagate myth and bull**** among a general populace who are not polymer
experts.

3. we have lawyers hungry to make a few bucks.

4. there is no such bandwidth expenditures on any of the other rubber
systems crucial for a vehicle's safety.

i should also point out that tire manufacturers, while welcoming the
windfall of the ignorant being brainwashed into buying more product more
often, also know their polymers and how they age. it is for this reason
that they're happy to sell, without fear of lawsuit or repercussion,
tires that are 4 years old. a friend of mine has just bought a set of
tires with early 2008 manufacture date codes on them. to turn around
and replace them next year is clearly illogical, and not something the
manufacturer themselves consider necessary or they'd be doing much
smaller product runs, keeping lower inventory levels, and you'd be
paying at least twice as much.


--
nomina rutrum rutrum

Hachiroku ???? wrote:
> So, I bought a '96 Legacy Outback that has been sitting for about 4
> years. It has 157,000 miles on it. Everything looks good, coolant nice and
> green, brake fluid a nice light brown color, like brand new, oil a little
> dark but not black. Must have been serviced right before being parked.
>
> Now, I know there is a radiator treatment from Subaru that might possibly
> keep head gaskets fresh...? Obviously changing the oil is a no brainer.
> The car has been started and idled a couple times in the last two years.
>
> What else should I do? And esp about any flushing, like the radiator or
> the oil...?


Brake fluid should be almost clear not brown, brown means there is rust
somewhere.

I would check ALL moving surfaces for rust.
Rotors that haven't moved in 4 years are likely rusted bad. Brake pads
and shoes will rot if they hold moisture for long. They tend to swell
and crumble due to the metallics used in them.

Check the calipers to make sure they are free while you're working on
the brakes. You will also want to check any of the normal wear items.

Tires for dry rot. Especially if they were low or flat.

--
Steve W.

On 5/20/2011 5:00 PM, Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B wrote:
> So, I bought a '96 Legacy Outback that has been sitting for about 4
> years. It has 157,000 miles on it. Everything looks good, coolant nice and
> green, brake fluid a nice light brown color, like brand new, oil a little
> dark but not black. Must have been serviced right before being parked.
>
> Now, I know there is a radiator treatment from Subaru that might possibly
> keep head gaskets fresh...? Obviously changing the oil is a no brainer.
> The car has been started and idled a couple times in the last two years.
>
> What else should I do? And esp about any flushing, like the radiator or
> the oil...?

A '96 would have a 2.2L correct? No HG problems with those

--
John

On 05/21/2011 08:34 AM, Steve W. wrote:
> Hachiroku ???? wrote:
>> So, I bought a '96 Legacy Outback that has been sitting for about 4
>> years. It has 157,000 miles on it. Everything looks good, coolant nice
>> and
>> green, brake fluid a nice light brown color, like brand new, oil a little
>> dark but not black. Must have been serviced right before being parked.
>> Now, I know there is a radiator treatment from Subaru that might possibly
>> keep head gaskets fresh...? Obviously changing the oil is a no
>> brainer. The car has been started and idled a couple times in the last
>> two years.
>> What else should I do? And esp about any flushing, like the radiator or
>> the oil...?
>
>
> Brake fluid should be almost clear not brown, brown means there is rust
> somewhere.

not on a subaru with an aluminum cylinder. brown fluid is primarily the
result of moisture absorption, and maybe a little seal rubber wear.


>
> I would check ALL moving surfaces for rust.
> Rotors that haven't moved in 4 years are likely rusted bad. Brake pads
> and shoes will rot if they hold moisture for long. They tend to swell
> and crumble due to the metallics used in them.
>
> Check the calipers to make sure they are free while you're working on
> the brakes. You will also want to check any of the normal wear items.
>
> Tires for dry rot.

you just mean cracking. "dry rot" is wood fungus.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_rot>


> Especially if they were low or flat.
>


--
nomina rutrum rutrum