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Hey all i just acquired this 2000 Subaru legacy outback wagon used and i was wondering what if anything this button is supposed to do? IDK if it had a label/decal if it did its worn off.

Thanks man, that's a heck of a writeup!

I hate trying to remember things. It's not like I've done this several dozen times or anything. lol. I'll try... The thumbnail (I haven't watched the video) shows the drive flange and caliper mount removed. Don't need to do that if just doing pads. The only bolt you need to remove is the little one on the bottom caliper slide pin, then rotate the caliper up. Squeaker goes on inner pad bottom. If you use the pad from the other side of the car, the squeaker will end up on top, and gets mushed by the caliper and makes noise instantly. Pads go in bottom first, push the spring clip in so it goes in the notch in the pad, angle the top of the pad in, do the same with the upper spring clip. The pads will sit perfectly flush and solid on the rotor when the clips are all properly sprung. Any wiggle at all means one of the clips isn't in the right place. Regrease the slide pins every time you do brakes. On the top one, slide the caliper off, wipe the pin clean, coat with fresh high temperature grease (ceramic, often purple - not wheel bearing grease), put a bit of grease in the caliper, slide caliper back on. For the bottom pin, pop it out from the boots, do the same thing. Failure to regrease will cause them to get sticky and trash your pads. Work back and forth and pop boots back on once sliding nice and smooth. A bit of brake fluid also works well for lubricating the boot. Spin the piston in with any available tool until it's almost flush with the casting. Align the piston so the V notches face parallel with the claws, that is, the short way across the caliper, which will be radially in and out when the caliper is installed. When you rotate the caliper back onto the pads, there's a bump on the back of the inner pad that needs to end up in one of the notches. If you have the piston rotated the wrong way, it will end up on top of the bump, and may mush the piston or your brakes will suck until it self-rotates until it lines up. If the piston is difficult to spin in, the caliper is crusty, and may also drag. If you spin it in, then step on the pedal three times to push it back out, then spin it back in, etc, a few times, you can get it sliding a bit better. Or wear your seal out more. One or the other. Spring clip kits are still available and are dirt cheap if you need them. After you put the new pads in, and spin the piston back in, making sure it's rotated to the position where it'll sit over the bump when you tilt the caliper back down, tilt the caliper down and reinstall the bolt in the lower slider. You'll usually need to push the slider pin back a bit to get the caliper down, then wiggle it around to line the bolt up with the hole. Then, with the car off, step on the brake pedal several times until it gets solid. Then do a visual inspection to make sure the pads are still sitting perfectly flush on the rotor. Then put the wheel back on. The brakes will suck at first; I usually power brake for a little on a quick test drive. You may need to step on the pedal hard a few times to get the e-brake to adjust, depending on caliper crustyness level.

A little Marvel Mystery Oil in that boot before you turn it.

Thanks Freddo. I will try next time I'm out in the shop your method of putting it back on the knuckle and see if that works better. I have one of those caliper screw in tools and I did see the boot on it was trying to twist on me so I was being super easy with it. I had been running back and forth over to the passenger side to look how it was installed as a point of reference. I was missing all the pad clips on the caliper on the driver side but luckily the dude I bought this wagon from had a ton of parts that included an extra caliper/rotor that I scavenged the clips from and threw in the parts washer for a few minutes.

What's a year between friends?

Looks like they might be aftermarket headlights. There are variations between various years.

Long video! I leave the caliper bolted to the hub knuckle and flip the caliper up by taking out the lower slide bolt. That piston can be really hard to rotate. You need some pressure on it too. Once you get the first rotation done they usually become easier. I have a multi tool socket that fits the grooves in the piston face. This allows me to apply some pressure as I rotate the ratchet in one hand. Works a treat for me. If the dust boot is damaged you might have dust that can grip the side of the piston. Worse you might have the side of the piston corroding. All the best with it. Not the most fun job on the MY and L series.

So, what's the correct method for getting new brake pads to slot in correctly to the calipers? I have tried following this guy's video but he makes it look stupid easy. I'm either not holding my mouth right or doing it totally wrong.

Solved - hopefully It was my EGR solenoid. It had an intermittent connection at the connector which was in turn messing with my vacuum. I'll keep an eye on it but the CEL that was intermittent was throwing a code 34. I'll also keep an eye on the connection to the IACV. :]

Looking at buying this '98 Legacy OB. I 'think' there was a headlight assembly / housing (not the bulbs) change in the '97-'99 years? Please look at this and tell me what you think. There is something amiss as the side-marker / turn signals don't line up. Thanks

alt belt off, new timing belts and idlers. Starting up cold i have a faint squeal like dry bearing. it goes away after a minute. oil pump feels good, can't tell about distributer, haven't pulled it to check. Anyone have similar problem and advice to save me some hunting?

I'm sure with enough time they are serviceable. I'm not sure what the internals of the IAC actuator look like, it's definitely not meant to be taken apart. The entire valve is a part. You couldn't buy just the actuator even when they were available new. My guess is I'd "just" need to get a coil rewound for it. Something theoretically simple that in practice will prove to be anything but. The actuator I replaced tested okay. But I only tested it cold. The resistance changes as the coil heats up and maybe it was only out of spec when it warmed up? I'll be honest the only reason I was using that actuator was because it tested okay (so I thought) and it was the best looking. I was putting lipstick on a pig but it's still nice to see shiny parts on an old vehicle. :]

Lots of folks add grounding straps too. That old IAC look at all serviceable or can an attempt to cleaning it help? Only because as time rolls one your supply will only lessen. I’m all done with that era but have 70s so I can tell you a bit about all that. More 70s parts out there than your era. That’s when SOA became a monster to the smaller dealers. And new dealers complied to their wishes to scrap New old stock parts going as far as to dent fenders etc before tossing them so they could not be dumper diver take aways.

I just noticed that lots of people have been locked out due to failed logins. All accounts have been unlocked, but if you cant remember your login info, please email me so we can get you a new password to login. Rob turbone@gmail.com

Now the CEL comes and goes every now and then. I'm guessing it's an intermittent connection. I'll have to pull the engine harness and check it. If it's not that then I'll have to check the body harness and the connections. Wouldn't hurt to check my grounds too. :]

And the moral is... Start with the simple, most relevant parts, before looking for exotic complex failures. Not idling? Start with the idle valve. Only if it's not that, then think about pumps and valve springs and injectors and alternators....

It was my IAC valve. On my way home from work I finally got a CEL. Pulled the code and it was a code 34 for the IACV. I replaced the "solenoid" (turns out it's actually a bimetallic actuator that uses a heating coil) and it idles like a dream. Smooth as silk and the vacuum is rock steady, no excessive vacuum flutter on start up. :]

I did not get around to messing with the IAC. I was helping a few friends with their cars. What about the idle adjustment? Maybe my idle is set too low and the computer has to overcompensate. Does anyone have any pointers on how to adjust the idle on an EA82 SPFI setup? Do I have to connect the test connector(s)? Disconnect the IAC? I only have the MPFI idle adjustment in my FSM. This throttle body is a junkyard unit. So the chances of the idle adjustment screw being off are high. :]

Colorado time machine?

Not anytime soon. If it was the same ratio we probably would but I think the 6MT low range swap is going to wait a while. We just tacked up all the links, we'll mock it up and see how the lengths work out. The R160 is a bit narrower than the R180 but those big front axles have quite a bit of plunge travel and not a lot of it is used in the rear.

Are you putting an R180 in the Forester?

B fit and tacked up a set of lateral links for the billet knuckle swap. I turned up some of the pieces for that and a couple of wheel bearing spacers. Sometime in the next month or so we plan on swapping out his rear diff and doing the billet rear knuckle conversion on his Forester.

Not much of an update but the wife got me a roof basket that I had on my Amazon wish list for Valentine's Day. More of cosmetic thing but I like the way it looks.

I bought the injector and once I got it I compared it side-by-side with a Loyale injector. They're the exact same. I vacuum sealed the injectors with desiccant packets. Hopefully they'll last until I need them. I've heard it's the moisture that'll corrode the coils and kill them. Are you asking about that weird horseshoe gasket? For installation I use a few dabs of silicone grease to hold the gasket into the throttle body then quickly flip the throttle body onto the intake. There's Walker brand throttle body gasket kits, I'd recommend those. You get every seal you'd need for a throttle body rebuild. I'd recommend a coolant system pressure test after you install a new gasket. I've learned my lesson on that one the hard way. :]