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Just posting an update in case anyone else runs into this. As I said earlier My 83 Brat had a Nippondenso distributor [Cardone 31-812]. I swapped it out with a Hitachi [Cardone 31-810]. This solved the problem with losing spark at 2-2500 RPM. Thanks to all who gave advice.

Thanks for the tip with the ball joint. I think they are different in 2018. The first step (which I missed) is to use the OBD scanner, and in the menus, select to release all the pressure. What happens is that the parking brake electronically unscrews itself to release all pressure off the rotor. Then you do the brake job. At the end, you use the scanner to reset the electronic parking break to normal position. The guy I was working with showed in a good trick to mechanically release the EPB with a socket or allen head. Good hack for sure, I used it several times. I ended up at the dealer trying to get all the dashboard lights off. That is why with the newer cars I just want to make sure I am not stepping into the abyss.

Was an issue with under voltage once the battery was fully charged it went away

Are you getting a code 55 with the sensor connected?

I replaced the front axle on my son’s 2017 Legacy and it’s super easy. No alignment necessary if you undo the lower ball joint from the control arm and then just pop it out. Probably the most difficult thing is separating the ball joint from the control arm. YouTube removing lower ball joint and you’ll see what I mean. It’s more difficult for me to describe it than for me to do it. That’s weird. I’ve replaced rear brakes and a rear hub on two 2017 Legacy’s and never had a problem. I wonder if the 2018’s are different?

The EGR temperature sensor is out of the car. Multimeter reads infinite ohms when at room temp. Putting it into very hot water - ohm reading appears. Starts at 175k and gets down to 80k, which seems to be way out of range. I think it should start at 400 ohms when cold then ohms drop as it heats up. ???

Alternator has no relation to timing... and changing timing doesn't usually cause misfires anyway. Check for damaged vacuum hoses, loose wires, damaged/worn spark plug wires, etc, that may have happened during alternator replacement.

No funky smoke. Exhaust definitely smells of fuel though. After I've been driving, the hot idle is at about 1k vs when I cold start, it'll sit around 750. Could a vacuum leak caused by the HVAC system cause the EGR valve to not open appropriately? I bought the cheapest vacuum gauge from a decent brand I could find so I'll be hooking it up oil crisis style. Diagnostic tool + fuel savings. I should also note I'm not 100% convinced I'm experiencing a misfire. It very well could be excess fuel in the exhaust burning off causing the illusion of a misfire when I put my hand at the tailpipe. I lack the experience required to say for sure, I'm definitely still learning.

Try the spray test on those hoses? While it’s running spray some WD-40 around the vacuum hose ends all over until you notice a change in idle. No funky smoke from the tailpipe ? A little white? A little black ? Normal ?

Hoping for a known fact rather than a bet.

That should not affect timing. You’re sure you have an identical match on the alternator ? Coil may be loosing its life.

I replaced my alternator and now it's misfiring, does the alternator change the timing at all?

Posted videos from our trip back in June, one long, one short, maybe the best mix of mud/sand/rocks from the UP yet

I’ll put my bet in for interference. But chain timing rather than rubber belt cam timing, so something needs to be pretty catastrophic for valves to hit pistons in this engine - anything is possible though!

I noticed something today while I was leaving work. It's starting to get cold here so I let the car warm up without the heater running. As I was going to leave the first thing I did was turn the heat on. Hmmm. The idle dropped 300 rpm and started to sound like it wanted to stall. Perhaps I have some sort of vacuum leak and that's causing the issues. The EGR valve operates with vacuum. Maybe it's not operating properly due to vacuum loss. Perhaps this is causing my fuel smell? Some time in the next few weeks I'll run a D-check, do a fuel pressure test, and check for vacuum leaks. I've given the entire engine bay the smell check for fuel leaks and didn't find anything. I don't smell gas in the garage either after it's been sitting overnight. I do keep an extinguisher in the car though. :]

I recently had a whole super negative experience when DIY replacing the REAR hubs and CV axles on this 2018 Outback. The electronic parking break needed to be reset by the dealer and other issues. It was costly. As a result, I am a little gun shy to replace the front axles on this Outback. Q1 - is it advisable to get an alignment after an axle replacement? Q2 - is there anything which needs to be turned on, shut off, reset or otherwise completed with an OBD2 scanner when replacing the front axles? I have a decent scanner. Q3 - I have done front axles before on Subarus, but is there anything I should be preparing for or anticipating before I start with the nuts and bolts ? (insert your sage advice here) Thanks, Craig

Interference or non?

Same!

I guess it's a good thing you got that spare 4EAT after all. UP weekend sounds like a blast, I'll have to join y'all again one of these times.

Took five wheel and tire assemblies to Discount for their road hazard warranty. Only one leaked, others had big cuts in sidewalls etc. They'd ordered five new tires as replacements and then swapped them on to my wheels. When I pulled in to pick them up the manager recognized me and came out of the building and met me in the parking lot to tell me where they had them stacked. He asked about how the car did off road, how far we go, etc. Not necessarily a good sign when the tire shop manager instantly recognizes you. Drove the white Outback to the machine shop last Monday and the trans broke on the way there. Shifted hard (which it does the first few shifts when cold sometimes) then no forward or reverse propulsion. Faint grinding noise when in gear. C picked me up and gave me a ride to my house. Drove the Impreza to the scene and we hooked up the tow bar and lights. Towed it back to my house. Drove Impreza in garage, unhooked tow bar, jacked up rear of Impreza, pushed sideways, drove Impreza out, pushed Outback in. That week I disconnected everything from the trans and on Saturday B helped me swap it out. I refabbed the exhaust to get some driveshaft clearance. Used a steel cone to make the muffler rounder, replaced the most bent/crushed piece of tubing, relocated one of the hangers for more CV clearance. While I was doing that B disassembled the auto and confirmed that the input shaft broke. There were also a couple of chipped gear teeth on the center diff (?) planetary but I don't think that was a problem. I found one of them on the drain pan magnet. After driving it a bit I am still getting used to how much smoother it is. I knew the old trans was shifting hard sometimes especially when cold but I still find myself bracing for a hard upshift or downshift that is now super smooth. Perhaps smoother shifting than ever in my ownership. Sunday my wife and I went kayaking with the Impreza.

Long overdue trip report from early October. B and I decided to revisit some of the challenging portions of the trail riding with T in 2019. Friday morning before I left I shoved a couple pieces of hardware cloth between the radiator fans and grill/bumper. We met at Canyon Falls and headed north a little bit and started trail riding. Many of the trails we were on Friday were not on any of our maps and were quite overgrown. One of them stared getting soft and the Impreza started digging in to the mud. I locked the center diff and got out the folding recovery ramps and was able to get back to dry ground. We saw several different Notice of Authorizations posted for culvert and temporary bridge construction for logging operations. Some of these were about ten years old but we'd never seen them before anywhere. Impreza temp gauge started creeping up, the main fan fuse was blown so we replaced that. Not really sure why, it was fine the rest of the weekend. The hardware cloth in front of the fans did keep getting packed up with leaves and other vegetation all weekend, we cleaned them out quite a few times. Unfortunately none of the trails we explored for the first few hours went anywhere so we had to go back to the highway to go north a few more miles to some other trails. We were heading towards a hill on the topo that showed a trail going to the top so I tried to get there. Again wound up on some trails not on the maps and eventually came to a sign with a skull reading Paul Hytinen's trail of no return. That trail was basically a straight shot to the top of the hill. The first section was a fairly long and rocky climb, the only time I used low range all weekend. And yes that's an interior door panel lying next to the climb. We both made it up with no major drama and the rest of the trail was fairly mild. It was getting late so we camped in the little clearing at the top of the hill. In the morning B discovered that his RF tire had gone flat due to a small sidewall cut. He was able to double plug it. One of the first trails he had us go down was fairly narrow, rutted, and muddy but we made it through. At this point his plug was leaking so he replugged it which lasted the rest of the weekend (sort of...). Found a big tailings pile back in the woods. Found some decent campsites along a road next to a neat stream. Went to one of the stream crossings we'd turned around at on a previous trip with a less capable Subaru. Crossed it easily and continued. Went up a muddy climb that wasn't too steep but had a lot of logs that we're guessing other people put down but probably didn't help us. We both made it to the top but then I managed to go a little too far to the right and slide into a soft spot. Shortly after this I had a small stick jammed in my LF brake heat shield making an amazing amount of noise so we removed that. At that point I realized I couldn't open the RF door because the rocker was smashed up. Found an old RV way back in the woods. Went up to Mt Arvon from the west. Parking area was full of golf carts so we continued northeast. Got to another stream crossing we'd marked and turned around at with T but this time crossed easily. Eventually reached an old railroad grade that started out muddy and rutted which we had also turned around at on a previous trip. A little ways east a beaver dam was flooding a portion of the grade. This pond looks like it was probably occupied. Fortunately there was basically a beaver dam on either side of the road. We dug some drains in the dam on the downstream side and were then able to drive through. We were both briefly stuck but some jacking and logs under the tires got us back on the move. Just east of that was a four way intersection. We continued east on the grade and stopped at another beaver dam. This one was a similar deal but did not seem active, they had kind of dammed both sides so we dug ditches on the downstream side. Frog eating an earthworm, don't think I've ever seen that before. After a little draining It was starting to get a little late so we decided to go back to the intersection which had a big clearing and cook dinner. We then drove back to the beaver dam to check the drainage. Just before we got there B's Forester got stuck in a muddy rutted section and wasn't driving and making a noise that sounded like splines stripped out coming from the rear end. I was able to push the LR IB CV back in the diff and he was able to continue driving. We dug some more in the main section and fortunately kept walking to the far end and started draining a short but deep section at the end. By now it was getting close to sunset so we drove back to the big intersection to camp out. CV popped out of the diff a couple times on the way back. We jacked it up each time and were able to get it back in but it didn't seem like it had popped out far, maybe 1/4”. The next morning we started disassembling that suspension corner and got the axle out. Splines on the IB CV had stripped out, fortunately the diff gear looked fine. Put in his spare LR axle, ate breakfast, and drove back to the beaver dam to survey our work. Water levels had dropped almost a foot overnight. Found some more tadpoles and insect larvae We were both able to drive through, the hole at the far end was still deep enough to be deeper than my bumper so it's a good thing we drained a foot of water out of that. Of course just a little further was an even bigger beaver dam and this one was mostly on the downstream side of the road so we turned around and went back through the one that had been draining overnight to the intersection we'd camped at. Headed south and then continued east. Looped around to the other end of the grade and found another beaver dam quite a ways from where we'd turned around. Headed north, found some cool waterfalls. Revisited some other muddy spots we'd turned around at before and got stuck briefly and turned around again this time. A while later on another trail B got the Forester stuck in a frog filled stream crossing. Some jacking and shoveling and wood under the tires got him out. Then we got to another muddy rutted section. We walked it and poked at it with sticks and it didn't seem too bad except for the far end. Which is where I got stuck, somewhat high centered on some small trees that were fallen across the road we hadn't bothered to move. Probably with a little more momentum I would have gotten through. Took us quite a bit of high lifting, shoveling, recovery ramps, and wood stacking to get it on semi dry ground. Then B got stuck a little before where I had. We hooked up our straps and I was able to pull him up to the decent section of trail. We continued down that trail and just before we got to the major dirt road there was an RV and a giant tent set up in the trail. Fortunately there was a side trail nearby that connected to the dirt road and we continued. Our next point of interest was the beaver pond where T had flooded his Impreza in 2019. If I hadn't had it marked on my GPS we would never have noticed it. The road was built up several feet and a new culvert had been installed. The pond was still there but not much risk of flooding the road anymore. We went to a waterfall B had taken us to before, it's probably about a 50' slide and does have a little parking spot alongside the trail but no signs or anything. There's some metal chairs and pots and pans, a legit grill, and other cooking supplies stashed there but probably not enough flat ground for a couple tents so we decided not to camp there. We continued north and found a spot on a side trail to cook dinner and camp out. We headed back south, not long after that B's RF tire had another sidewall leak, this one probably worse than the first. We just swapped on the spare tire. Headed down a long somewhat rocky trail/road and rediscovered the vintage Barrington IL city bus turned camper we'd seen in 2013 and haven't seen since. Also saw an old plow truck parked alongside the road. Drove up to Big Bay and got gas at the station on the south end of town, it's well stocked with groceries and even has a decent hardware section in the back. Stopped at Thomas Rock Scenic Overlook on the way back to the trails. Excellent view, short walk. B wandered us down some narrow trails in varied forests we'd never been on. Headed back west on a slightly more northern dirt road than we'd been on. This one must have been some kind of major route long ago as there was a concrete bridge near the (current) end of it. Drove around the trails in that area, some good fall views but everything was eventually either bermed off or overgrown. By this time we needed to go back to civilization so we headed south on a major dirt road. Stopped at a boat ramp/park to air up and eat PB&Js and checked out an old truss bridge that's only open to pedestrians. We were entertained by the bicycle hanging from the top and ratchet straps underneath. Convoyed down to Green Bay, got gas, ate dinner, and split up for the rest of our drives home. Shortly after we split off I was stuck behind some old man camped out in the left lane. I finally got a gap on the right to pass him and as I was doing so I saw a cop parked in the median. Looked in my mirror to see the lights flashing and the cop pulling out on the highway. He eventually caught up to me and pulled me over. I assumed it was going to be for speeding. He walks up to the passenger window and asked if I'd been having fun off roading. Then says he pulled me over for loud exhaust. Asked if the exhaust was modified or if something had come loose off roading, I chose the latter option. He came back with just a warning ticket and said he was jealous of the fun we probably had over the weekend off roading. I would definitely like to make the Impreza quieter I just don't know how. I do have a slightly larger muffler I want to try but I doubt it will make much difference. I have a little more motivation to try it now though. Overall we had a good weekend, only major repair was the rear CV axle, good weather, almost no rain, almost no flying insects, no ticks. Saw a surprising amount of frogs. Trails were relatively dry, fall colors were neat. Should probably go up in October more often. Over 200 miles off pavement, spent the majority of our time and maybe miles on trails/roads we hadn't been on before, probably a quarter to a third of our time on roads that weren't on any of our maps. Perhaps the biggest portion of just trail riding of any UP trip I can remember. We were on some major dirt/gravel roads but it was a small portion of the time. Probably only 10-20 miles of pavement driving all weekend. Had to go out of our way to get to a gas station. We'd both dumped our jerry cans in our tanks but I was still probably within a half gallon of being empty by the time we filled up. Definitely further encouragement to get the extra ten gallon tank hooked up. Used the weavable recovery straps a few times for recovery, 5-10 times for pulling/breaking logs out of the trail. Radiator fans getting blocked by vegetation was an ongoing issue but fairly easy to deal with. Glad I put the hardware cloth in front, it may have saved the condenser from getting truly packed and folded over with debris. B didn't have that problem, we're assuming it's a pusher fan thing. I plan on putting the two small puller fans on the primary fan circuit. Those shouldn't attract as much debris and hopefully will be adequate for cooling most of the time. Then put the two big pusher fans on the second circuit, probably with a bigger relay and fuse. One morning the clutch pedal was almost to the floor but still worked. Eventually pumped up and seemed to work normally the last couple days and ever since. Mpact clutch disc seems a lot smellier than the one I had before but worked fine. It smelled like I'd been slipping it badly a bunch of times and while I was certainly working it in the woods it didn't seem to be slipping. Only used the low range once but had the center diff locked most of the weekend. Unlocked it a few times for long gravel roads. It did lock itself a couple times but then stayed unlocked all the way home and the next day of driving. Not making any more noise than usual. The next day while driving parts to heat treat in town some hispanic guys in their 20s were stopped next to me at a stop light. They signaled me to roll down my window and asked if the Impreza was fast. I just told them it had a six cylinder. Driver says me too and asked if I want to race. Sure. Light turns green and I let out the clutch at about 5000RPM and it proceeds to slip pretty badly as the car accelerates. Meanwhile their Chrysler 300 front driver is burning a tire. I had a couple car lengths on him but he stayed in my blind spot up to about 50mph when I backed off. The next weekend my wife and I went up north and stayed with some of her family. Impreza cruise seems to be working consistently, I wonder if the connection to the trans was getting loose/dirty. Has a bit of a wiggle when cornering sometimes. Eventually figured out one of the inner lateral link bushings is shot. Trans was noisy on the way back up north but has been quiet lately. Mostly in the center diff portion I think, when locking that it's definitely quieter (when it's noisy). It does have three different models of tires on it at slightly different pressures. Did lock the center diff by itself a couple times after the rebuild but hasn't in a while.

True. Many times I go DIY on my 1991 Subaru Loyale Wagon. But, I have had to take the entire hub assembly and cv axle to a mechanic to get the axle pressed out reliably as I don't have those tools and the know how. And on my 97 Honda Accord cv axle I did not trust myself enough to not mess things up, so I had my local mechanic install it.

Most only know how to replace parts anymore. Hard to find someone who really knows their stuff.

Hey! All good. Happy to hear that. Every problem has an answer. 80% of fixing a problem is knowing where the problem is. A proper Subaru tech with 35 years of experience would have had my problem sorted out within an hour and a half. But those guys are going away.

Great! I had a similar problem today... Went to back up, and no backup lights. Turn/backup fuse blown. Found one of the wires on top of the transmission rubbed through on the clutch bracket.