can ya help a girl out?

Alright so I'm just starting out here with pretty much everything. My parents aren't helping me out with vehicle repairs so I'm opting for the do-it yourself mode since that is more affordable. But because I'm just starting out there is soooo much i don't know, so here go:

what I have:
1994 Subaru Legacy 2.2L AWD Turbo

Problems:

1: Oil leak: So far I've read a few threads in relation to this, about a year back some guy told me my gasket is leaking and it's dripping onto my exhaust manifold thus causing a burning smell and a tendency to smoke. I won't go into the details of this some guy, but he wasn't taking my money. Anyways my dad and every place I take it say it's not really a big deal, but i think it is, annd even if it isn't , it's annoying....
sooo, question here is: assuming i find out which specific gasket it is, is this easy enough for me to do myself? assume it is any possible gasket that would produce a leak that would infact land on an exhaust manifold (any)....okay 1 down was that specific enough with as little information as I have?


2: Shuddering: when I break, there is an extreme amount of shuddering. This only happens when I break and not when I make turns. I read an earlier post regarding Toque-Bind posted by "Yeeha" in july or sept. his response to the post included a detail about malfunctioning solenoids in early legacy models. but the overall response detailed teflon coated bushings rubbing up and wearing against the aluminum housing....
question: could this or something else be the result of the shuddering?

finally: my check engine light comes on, and then goes off. This happens randomly, and for no apparent reason. Sometimes it's after I do a long distance drive (maybe 200 miles) sometimes it's after 10 miles. It doesn't happen all the time, and when it does come on it stays on for various amounts of time before it then goes off. It seems to be happening more recently but in general this has been happening for about a year and a half.
question: Are there any reasons more likely than others for this problem and should I have a professional check this out?


I apologize for the length but any help is sincerely appreciated.

[QUOTE=mell2021]
1994 Subaru Legacy 2.2L AWD Turbo

<<<1: Oil leak: .... i find out which specific gasket it is, is this easy enough for me to do myself? >>>

You need to find out which gasket it is before there is an answer. There are lots of gaskets it could be. Could it be that there is a small leak from the inboard CV joint boot that is leaking grease as it spins around?


<<<2: Shuddering: when I break, there is an extreme amount of shuddering. This only happens when I break and not when I make turns. I read an earlier post regarding Toque-Bind posted by "Yeeha" in july or sept. his response to the post included a detail about malfunctioning solenoids in early legacy models.>>>

Yeeha was talking about transmission problems. If you have a shuddering when you use the BRAKES (note the spelling and refer to www.m-w.com as needed), then the problem is in the brakes. New pads, resurfaced rotors (or new rotors) would likely be a minimum.

What color is your brake fluid? Does it look nearly clear or more like Coca Cola? Refreshing the brake fluid is good preventive maintenance.


<<<finally: my check engine light comes on, and then goes off. This happens randomly, and for no apparent reason.>>>

Get on over to the Legacy777 homepage:

http://www.surrealmirage.com/subaru/subaru.html

and click on 'notes and tips', then on 'engine related' for the procedure to check the error codes for the onboard computer. This is a DIY procedure.

Nick

1: Oil leak: So far I've read a few threads in relation to this, about a year back some guy told me my gasket is leaking and it's dripping onto my exhaust manifold thus causing a burning smell and a tendency to smoke. I won't go into the details of this some guy, but he wasn't taking my money. Anyways my dad and every place I take it say it's not really a big deal, but i think it is, annd even if it isn't , it's annoying....
sooo, question here is: assuming i find out which specific gasket it is, is this easy enough for me to do myself? assume it is any possible gasket that would produce a leak that would infact land on an exhaust manifold (any)....okay 1 down was that specific enough with as little information as I have?


From my original post. (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=487050)
If it is running down the front of the oil pan, it most likely is the front oil seal. Mine did the same thing for a long time until I couldn't take the oil smoking anymore. I had a shop replace it at 84,000 miles, but it needed replacing again at 108,000 miles. I did the second replacement myself and it has been fine at 136,000 miles on the odometer.
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/6/web/618000-618999/618555_51.jpg http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/6/web/618000-618999/618555_52.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/6/web/618000-618999/618555_53_full.jpg

Similar problem could be on the cam seals as well. Oil pan gasket is a possible leak source - but I would be surprised if this is the problem.

It is a difficult job for a beginner. But if you could work on it on your own and can spare a couple of days with the car down, it would be a great way to quickly learn how to work on this kind of stuff. I suggest a Haynes manual to read up on this:
Haynes.com (http://www.haynes.com/na101.html#anchor569303).

One more thing - check the valve cover gaskets. These can be prone to leaking. These are very easy to replace and above all CHEAP compared to to other possible sources of oil leaks. Start here first. Then you can work your way into tearing the rest of the car apart looking for the leak.

thanks for the suggestions I'll have to take some time this week and follow through with those (sorry for the spelling error...hehe sometimes I type without thinking......what can i say right?)