My Baja is on the road

[harleyjohn45]

As you may recall, last November i purchased a 2006 Baja Turbo from a car dealer in Longview Texas. The car gave immediate CEL's and the Turbo was broken. I drove the car from Longview to Alto, NM in what I assume was limp mode. It's been a long journey, but last Saturday we got if fired up. The car runs great and It's very quiet, I still have one one code a P1941 (EGR). I ordered a new code reader, hope it helps. AS recommended I pulled the oil pan and found lots of shrapnel, that is not a good sign. We shall see. The car is now tagged and registered in New Mexico, so at least I'm legal. Plenty left to do, but a lot of it I can do. I will post pictures when I learn how.

[harleyjohn45]

I've been doing a few little things. Yesterday I drained the trans fluid and when I tried to remove the dipstick, it was stuck. I managed to break the yellow tab, so today I will pull the dipstick tube and repair that. In my 83 years I have never had a stuck dipstick. First time for everything, it seems to be a common thing on Subaru.

[mike-tracy]

I'm glad your car is working and on the road, and glad your turbo worked out. I've owned almost 30 subarus and have never broken a dipatick. Maybe you should lay off the gym

Unfortunately it really sounds like your vehicle had absolutely the bare minimum of maintenance it's whole life. Since you are it's new caretaker, all that deferred maintenance is now on you.

[ZUBAJA]

My first Subie, a '98 Forester, I couldn't find the yellow dipstick. Figuring it was automatic and maybe those were only for manuals, I didn't pursue it any further. The car was passed down to my daughter, and about a year ago she calls me "my car is making a terrible noise, I was able to get it off the road and into a parking lot". Long story short, I ended up finding the dipstick, covered with grime and it was bone dry. A boneyard transaxle from another '98 saved the car until she moved up to a 2010 Forester. "Yes Virginia, they ALL have differential dipsticks"

THIRTY Subies. That's impressive. Dennis

[harleyjohn45]

I'm glad your car is working and on the road, and glad your turbo worked out. I've owned almost 30 subarus and have never broken a dipatick. Maybe you should lay off the gym

Unfortunately it really sounds like your vehicle had absolutely the bare minimum of maintenance it's whole life. Since you are it's new caretaker, all that deferred maintenance is now on you.

Thanks Mike the car pulls strong.

[harleyjohn45]

My first Subie, a '98 Forester, I couldn't find the yellow dipstick. Figuring it was automatic and maybe those were only for manuals, I didn't pursue it any further. The car was passed down to my daughter, and about a year ago she calls me "my car is making a terrible noise, I was able to get it off the road and into a parking lot". Long story short, I ended up finding the dipstick, covered with grime and it was bone dry. A boneyard transaxle from another '98 saved the car until she moved up to a 2010 Forester. "Yes Virginia, they ALL have differential dipsticks"

THIRTY Subies. That's impressive. Dennis

Today I pulled the transmission dip stick tube, I had to drill several holes in the dip stick to get it out. I'm in the market for a new dipstick, there are none available. There is no reason parts should be unavailable for a 14 year old car. I have a 1930 Ford and can buy every part for it.
I can actually repair my dip stick to last until I can find a good one.
I messed up my engine oil dip stick tube, so I bought a new one. It's 1/2 inch longer than the original. Tomorrow I will repair the original and put it back in the car.
I was told the automatic transmission oil has not been changed since new. The car shifts perfect.

Dennis are you saying your front differential was out of oil?

[mike-tracy]

I don't know who you talked to about the dipstick and tube, but here are the part numbers:

Dipstick tube:
31080AA110

Dipstick
31088AA160

O-ring for the dipstick and tube (you need a total of 2)
806910030

I found them at my local dealer's website:
https://parts.rentonsubaru.com/a/Subaru ... 54-02.html
You can order them online yourself if you want to. I don't recommend talking to whoever told you they didn't make them any more!

[harleyjohn45]

I don't know who you talked to about the dipstick and tube, but here are the part numbers:

Dipstick tube:
31080AA110

Dipstick
31088AA160

O-ring for the dipstick and tube (you need a total of 2)
806910030

I found them at my local dealer's website:
https://parts.rentonsubaru.com/a/Subaru ... 54-02.html
You can order them online yourself if you want to. I don't recommend talking to whoever told you they didn't make them any more!

Mike, the parts are on order. We have a Subaru dealer in Albuquerque, that's 3.5 hours away.
Thank you very much
Next time I'm in Albuquerque I will stop in and visit with them. We usually go to Autozone and order parts. I repaired my old dipstick and it will do until I get my new part. That transmission tube is a bear to get in and out of the car.

[harleyjohn45]

I don't know who you talked to about the dipstick and tube, but here are the part numbers:

Dipstick tube:
31080AA110

Dipstick
31088AA160

O-ring for the dipstick and tube (you need a total of 2)
806910030

I found them at my local dealer's website:
https://parts.rentonsubaru.com/a/Subaru ... 54-02.html
You can order them online yourself if you want to. I don't recommend talking to whoever told you they didn't make them any more!

Mike, the parts are on order. We have a Subaru dealer in Albuquerque, that's 3.5 hours away.
Thank you very much
Next time I'm in Albuquerque I will stop in and visit with them. We usually go to Autozone and order parts. I repaired my old dipstick and it will do until I get my new part. That transmission tube is a bear to get in and out of the car.

OK, CEL is gone, AC is cold, Axel boot repaired so now the Baja is daily driver status. Transmission oil changed. I have to order the oil for the differentials. That should be about it, this vehicle proves than anything can be repaired. If it is not a reliable vehicle, then I will get rid of it. I'm a cheapskate and these cars are not cheap to repair.

[harleyjohn45]

mike-tracy:
My post sounded like I ordered the parts from Albuquerque, I ordered the
dipstick from Renton Subaru. They were very nice and I recieved my part quickly.
I was not very clear.

I have to get a handle on how much oil my Baja needs. The owners manual says about 4.5 Quarts. I put that amount in
and it barely touched the dipstick. A member said dipsticks can vary, so I ordered a used dipstick off ebay to compare.
The seller said it was for a 2006 Baja.

My Turbo seems to kick in at about 3k RPM, does that seem right.

[mike-tracy]

I'm glad my local dealership treated you right! I've noticed that Subarus with their rounded oil pans are more sensitive to level ground than other brands. If you're not on flat ground, I'd recommend changing that. Also since the engine is horizontally opposed, oil doesn't drain into the pan as fast as an inline or v-engine. I'd recommend waiting an hour or two after running the engine, to check the oil.

Turbo fully spooled up at 3k rpm sounds about right. I would recommend getting and mounting a boost gauge so you can see if you have any vacuum leaks and verify the turbo is hitting boost target. Plus they are fun to look at.

Lastly, you mentioned raw fuel smell in the garage. Thats a combination of being in a warmer climate, and your charcoal canister not working efficiently to capture fuel vapor any more. The canister in question is under the bed, behind the rear axle on the passenger side. It's a black plastic box. If the smell bugs you, Subaru will happily sell you one for $250

https://parts.rentonsubaru.com/p/Subaru ... AE03A.html

Rock auto has a better price for an aftermarket replacement: $142 to $179
https://www.rockauto.com/en/parts/subar ... ister,5180

But before you buy anything, I'd recommend double checking the engine bay for cracked or degraded vacuum lines.