My 05 Legacy GT has about 145k miles on it. The CEL came on with PO171 codes. Took it to a local shop and they did a smoke test, which showed air leaks in two hoses and the intercooler. Their price to replace hoses and intercooler is about $1,300.00. They only buy parts from Subaru. They are a reputable shop that is known for doing excellent work, but they aren't cheap.
My car is kinda of beat up and has a salvage title. It's got a leaky power steering pump that I've been feeding pump seal into for over a year, plus a couple other small mechanical issues. I can't see putting $1,300.00 into it. My two options are to try to sell it as is, or fix it myself.
I'm a so/so shade tree mechanic, with an open garage and a good supply of tools. If I can get by with about $500 in parts and not too much headache, I'll do the work myself. That's where my question comes in- how difficult is it to R&R the intercooler? Is it time consuming, but straightforward? Does it have 5 or 6 really difficult or complicated steps? Should it take a newbie 2-3 hours or 10-12 hours?
Thanks in advance for any advice!