I'm putting a to do list together for when spring comes. My car now has 156,000 miles on it. Here is what I have come up with so far:

1. Bleed and Replenish brake lines.
2. Flush and Replenish Coolant, and add subaru's cooling system conditioner
3. Timing Belt (which will be done by the dealer)
4. AT fluid
5. Rear Diff fluid
6. New Struts all around followed by alignment

Is there anything that should be checked or flushed? Like maybe my powersteering fluid but i'm not sure. My belts and hoses are all in good condition, and oil change is something obvious that I didn't list because I reach 3k miles ever 6 weeks.

edit: couple more questions...fyi I drive a 93 1.8 Impreza.

What type of fluid should I use for the tranny and rear diff. Everything I find when I search is for MT GD's. And can you purchase a subaru tranny/diff fluid from the dealer.

I' too have a '93 1.8L (5sp however). I just purchased it about 3 months ago and the previous owner had it for 3 years but only 10k miles (needless to say he had no idea what was done on the car....he only did oil changes every 3 months). What's on my list, as best as I can derive from various service manuals, is:

- Not just the timimg belt but also the drive belt(s)
- Replace the water pump while the timing belt is off (it's really cheap to do since the timimg belt is off)
- Fuel Filter replacement
- Valve lash adjustment (I'm still trying to figure out if the 1.8L has hydrolic lifters or not (if so, there is no need for the adjustment)
- Inspect/replace the PCV valve
- Inspect/replace spark plugs
- Inspect/replace wires/distributor cap/rotor cap
- Inspect CV boots for tears and leaking

That's about all all I can offer...

-Mike

Okay, I just spoke to a Subaru Tech at the local dealership and the 1.8L engine is basically a de-tuned version of of 2.2L version. Therefore, it has hydrolic lifters and does not need a valve lash adjustment.

-Mike

ok I guess I should replace the drive belts as well.
i guess I could do water pump, but i hate fixing something that isn't broken.
fuel filter i've already done about 15k ago
PCV valve? what does this do and where is it located?
Plugs have been replaced about 15k ago along with wires
all but 1 of my cv boots have been replaced.

I have a 97 1.8L with 165000 km and I just did the valve adjustment it definitely has mechanical lifters. It is not a difficult procedure to adust them.It made the engine quieter,and gave me a contented feeling hearing less noise coming from the engine.

do you think you could get into detail about that adjustment? i have never heard of it

I have a 97 1.8L with 165000 km and I just did the valve adjustment it definitely has mechanical lifters. It is not a difficult procedure to adust them.It made the engine quieter,and gave me a contented feeling hearing less noise coming from the engine.

Wow, that worries me. I actually spoke to a technician that said not to worry about valve adjustments, as the 1.8L has hydrolic lifters.

Larry, I have not been able to find the valve clearance specs anywhere. Do you have them (intake and exhaust)?

Thanks!
-Mike

I found a thread that recommended .2mm on intake and .25mm on exhaust. That is the spec I used and did the adjustment at about 20 degrees engine temperature or room temp. This is celcius temp.I started with number one cylinder at TDC then rotated the crankshaft 180 degrees and did number 3 another 180 degrees and did number 2 another 180 degrees and did number 4. It is not that difficult.I replaced the cover gaskets and O ring seals around the three bolts that hold the covers on.

I just learned how to do it last year on my Honda....I did a "How To" write up on the process....check out the "How To Section" of my website...see link below:

My Honda CR-V Page (http://home.earthlink.net/~michaelpkeefe/)

-Mike

i can't really follow that since it's for a honda, maybe my haynes manual will have it in there, if not i'll just have the dealer do it.

i can't really follow that since it's for a honda, maybe my haynes manual will have it in there, if not i'll just have the dealer do it.

The same basic principles apply, however I would not attempt it unless I had a service manual with clear directions.

However, I've been reading through the actual factory service manual for the '93 Impreza. It references hydraulic lash adjusters all over the place. Granted, I haven't taken the valve cover (rocker cover as it's referenced in the manual) off and taken a peek, but after looking and the diagrams, I can't see how you could get in and measure the valve clearance off the camshaft with the rocker arms and springs in the way. Larry, I'm guessing there's a difference either between the 1.8L in '93 versus your '97 or between the 1.8L offered in the US versus Canada, or both.

I've got some oil leaking between oil filler pipe and the valve/rocker. When I replace that "O" ring, I'll snap some pictures.

-Mike