edrach

I need a carfax report on JF2AT53B9CE505419. Needs to be carfax which claims to have three records on file; autocheck has nothing ?? PM me if you can help me out here. Thanks.

I'm looking forward to it!

Dr. RX will be working this weekend. I'm not sure of anyone else.

We'll miss you Sparkster. Shed some Subaru light on the infidels out east!

Lynn, Having volunteered to work both days for Doo Wops and Olympus recently, I thought it would be prudent to stay home this weekend and work in the garden, garage, etc. Especially if I wish to head down to Hillsboro on the 30th; I'm considering the school again but haven't decided on that yet.

Same weekend as Primitive Racing's next Rally School. http://www.oregonrally.com/rallycross.cfm http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=Hillsboro,%20OR&wuSelect=WEATHER

Thank you for the thought and planned follow-up. So often here on the USMB there's an effort to fix a problem and then an omnious silence without a final solution. Thanks for planning on following through. Regardless, hopefully the issue is repaired soon for you.

I won't be insulted if it falls into a "none of the above" category. I'm perfectly willing to learn and connect new informtion with symptoms. In any event, thank you for the feedback and let us know what finally fixed it. It's so good when an OP reports back with the actual fix. We all learn from it.

No, it didn't cause steering wheel vibration the first time I had the issue. The vibration was so slight that an experienced (non-subaru) shop couldn't confirm it; but I knew it was there. A later failure on one of my other cars was so bad I thought the transmission was falling out of the car--still no steering wheel shaking. If you don't find anything visible tonight, give it time; it will become more obvious with time.

Reading your posts again, it's obvious that you can do your own work for most of this once you find the cause. Give it time and it should become more obvious. Another consideration is cost. Axles cost about $100 each; a driveshaft is much more expensive. I'm not an advocate of throwing parts at something until it's fixed, but axles are much cheaper than driveshafts. As to the left front boot being torn: was it the inner joint? Outer joint (CVJ) has completely different symptoms when it starts to fail.

Another vote for GR-2s. Certainly the best bang for the buck. But if you have the bucks, the KYB AGX shocks are a step up.

Nipper is correct about time is on your side (and perhaps on the driveshaft also--I've never had driveshaft problems but have seen the DOJ syndrome many times in the last 10 years). Neither the driveshaft or DOJ issue will leave you stranded without warning. Both possibilities will get significantly more severe with time which should point you to the correct solution. Update: Actually I have had a driveshaft issue once with our Impreza. Local shop diagnosed it for me quickly (thank you Pacific Import Auto). After test driving it, they put it up on the lift with the engine running and a tech in the car. Put it into first gear and let the engine idle. You could actually see the driveshaft vibrate as it turned. A trip to the local pull a part yard and a couple of hours under my car and the vibration issue was resolved.

You're correct; but the tip off is that they stop vibrating at trailing throttle; the only question then is which side?

EJ18 engines like in the '93 to '96 Imprezas have MAFs.

One question: If the vibration starts while you have positive throttle (i.e. slight acceleration) and stops instantly when you let off on the gas and comes back when accelerating again I would bet on the inner (DOJ) joint of one of the drive axles. While you are under the car check the DOJs on both sides for a torn boot and/or excessive play. I have seen DOJ failures that are so slight it just feels like wheel vibration (except it goes away when you let off on the gas) and so bad that it feels like the transmission is about to fall out of its mounts:eek:. My bet is on an axle.

203K on the engine. Just for grins, when was the last time the timing belt was changed. Water pumps fail anytime after 100K all the time. If your car has never seen a belt change, it's probably the water pump since that's lots of mileage for one. I'm with the posters on properly bleeding the air out of the cooling system. Air in the system can mimick the symptoms you see.

All things point to a faulty alternator and possibly battery. The screeching noise is likely a seized A/C compressor. Turning it by hand with the engine off doesn't tell you much since the hub is a clutch which is dis-engaged while the engine is off. If you can live without the A/C, also dis-connect the green wire to the clutch to eliminate the compressor. You're in luck if you live in Portland, OR. Check out www.fixmysuby.com. The owner is a USMB member in long standing and will be able to save you time and effort in resolving this problem.

5 lug conversion is pretty straight forward on the rear axle (Front wheels are much more complicated). 5 lug hubs from an XT6 are are straight swap if you use the backing plate, hub, and caliper assembly from an XT6. If you've already done the rear disk upgrade, all you really need is the backing plate and hub; calipers are the same. This applies to the 4WD versions of both the donor XT6 as well as the receiving gen2 Brat.

Wow, entry list as of this morning is already 14 cars! Get your entry in soon if you plan on running this great event.

Bothell, WA.

A really great event for those wishing to have a TSD mini-vacation weekend. Rainier Auto Sports Club announces that Registration is now open for the 2010 No Alibi, June 5-6, running on some of Washington's best gravel TSD roads. This is NOT a Stage Rally, but offers great roads and offers good friends a chance to work on car control and in-car communications. No Alibi 2010 is a 500-mile, two-day tour of Eastern Washington exploring the beautiful scenery, pleasant weather and endless roads of Eastern Washington. You'll see some of the best gravel back roads and some quiet paved ones as well. The event will begin and end in Moses Lake, Washington, and overnight there as well. The course will use all types of roads from highways to wide gravel roads to twisty and dusty dirt roads, however No Alibi roads are selected for their character and are not of the car-breaking variety. visit the Rainier website for more info on this and other events: http://www.rainierautosports.com/events/2010/noalibi/

Thanks for the heads up. But I rallycross this puppy AND use it for my DD. It is definitely safer than most of the new stuff that's come out on the market lately.

I might test this on my '97 when the belts get a little shabbier.

Here's some pics: http://pdxsports.com/go.asp?f=201004RX

Another fine event from ORG. Results are posted at www.oregonrally.com.