Subaru Repair: $8000 of work and still not fixed, Subaru expert, Subaru repair help

Question
Sir:
I have a 1996 Subaru Legacy station wagon with @90,000 miles on it.  It began having problems about 8 years ago at 40,000 miles.  First, the check engine light came on and the car would vibrate (like a washing machine out of balance) when the rpms were between 2000-2500.  if it fell below or went above that the vibrating stopped.  if i drove it on the interstate for 1 hr or more, the problem would go away for a few days.  i took it to 5 different garages since then and spent over $8000 on repair work.  it just keeps getting worse.  one garage said it was an electrical prob, one said a fuel system problem.  the longest it has run without a prob is about 2 weeks.  it began stopping in the middle of the road and i changed the coil to fix that, but the vibration is still there at the same rpms.  the fuel pump has been changed 2x in the past month but i can hear it kick on and off and on and off when i turn the key forward but not start the car.  the fan does the same thing.  the fuel pump also makes a sucking noise (like air thru a straw in an empty cup) while driving.  even 2 authorized subaru dealers have worked on this thing and not fixed it.  now the parts store (napa) says it has to be a fuel pump relay switch or a bad computer.  if i drive 10 miles to the store, i have to let it sit for 45-minutes to 1.5 hours before it will start again depending on the outside temp.  please give me some help if you can.  id really appreciate it.  thank you, donna murphy

Answer
Donna,

Have you spent $8,000.00 to address this one problem or just $8,000.00 overall?

As to what is wrong.  The best bet is to find a good independent Subaru Expert in your area.  NOT the dealer.

Fuel pumps don't fail much on a Subaru, I would have looked for the following.  And Napa is not the best place to buy a fuel pump for your Subaru

1. A intermittent issue with the Mass Air Flow Sensor.
2.  Valve guides that are "shifting" in the cylinder head as this is very common and can go undiagnosed until a real Subaru Expert looks at the car.
3. If A technician can verify the Symptom it should be fixable.

We come across Subaru's with quirky issues every once and awhile but always get to the bottom of it.  Find a Subaru Shop like ours in your area and the car will get fixed.

Justin

http://allwheeldriveauto.com/