Dutchboy

Does anybody know whether a rear spoiler presumably fititng the OBW model years 2000-2004, will fit on a 1998 ? I can not think of anything that changed on the top of rear gate (obviously things changed at the bottom and in the middle) between those years. Thanks for any help. Dutchboy

I found out this weekend that the exhaust on my 98 OBW (2.5 DOHC) is leaking right behind the resonator. When I look at the schematic from Subaru, this piece of pipe with a resonator is labeled #12 in the schematic as rear exhaust pipe, but called centerpipe by most I have talked to sofar. According to the schematic it should bolt right behind the cat and so replacing it should be easy. When I look under my car, it seems that there is a 3rd cat with a (2nd) oxygen sensor in it. And worse yet, it seems that this cat is welded to a short piece of pipe that is welded to the resonator. Immediately in front of the 3rd cat are the "spring-loaded" bolts with a flange that connect to the flange behind the second cat. This whole setup looks identical to that described in a previous post: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=16317&highlight=cat%2A Can anybody explain to me why this is, and how I get this fixed without spending hundreds of $$ on a piece of pipe with a 3rd cat in it (how many of these do you need?). As far as I can tell the whole thing is original and it is NOT a CA car but a regular mid-west model. The existence of the 3rd cat was confirmed by the Midas guy I asked about it. exhaust.pdf

Thanks. I finally found it (bolted inside the block would be the only place more difficult) and measured in the car both hot and cold and the readings are perfectly fine (2.3k @ cold, ~300 ohm when warmed up). Still have the problem. Have to start long (5sec) when cold, after it starts it idles high for a couple of minutes/blocks after that all is fine. Any ideas other than leave it alone ? Thanks Hank Dutchboy

My 98 OBW (2.5 DOHC) has difficulty starting (several seconds cranking) in the morning. It only happens when the engine is cold. After it starts the engine idles high (~1500 now; ~2000rpm in winter) for the first couple of blocks (1-2 min). After that all seems to be fine. No check engine light ever. Reading on this board, coolant temp sensors are often suspect on these cars (with this type of problem). Dealer can only check when I drop of the car the day before so I wanted to check the sensor myself. I have the OBW service manual (pdf) but for the life of me, I can not find the thing. According to the manual it should look like the average temp sensor screwed into the block somewhere on the left (when facing the engine). 1] Can anybody show me a photograph or tell me which lines to follow in order to get to the thing ? 2] Can anybody tell me what the readings (resistance in Ohms, when disconnected, or voltagedrop across the terminals when connected) should be when cold, and what they should be when engine is warm ? 3] Any other suggestions for the sort of symptoms ? It is not critical, but I like to keep up with it. 4] Finally, anybody have any good suggestions on OBD2 software for laptop or handheld ? Thanks a lot. Hank 98 OBW (75K)

I posted some directions on this forum on how to get the complete factory manual for your specific model year LEGALLY from the Subaru website: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=10016 For ~$20 you get 3 days access to download the factory manual in PDF format. I have never tried CD's that some people sell on EBay, but I prefer to have the official thing rather than support somebody else's piracy efforts. I wish that Subaru would hand out this $0.50 gift with the purchase of a new car, but I guess $20 is still much better than paying that for the Haynes' or Chilton's. And of course you also buy a hardcopy of the factory manual but that runs ~$200. Best Hank

Thanks for your detailed instructions! It has been raining here as well and my new (for me) '98 OBW was having the exact same problem. From listening to it, I figured that it could not be the doors, but the sloshing sound did not enhance my ride. I was also suspecting the "beams" since I could see occasional dripping at the front or rear wheel well when parked on a slope. I will go out with a tiny screwdriver (as soon as it is dry) since it seems like a terrible place to start rust on your car. Thanks again ! Hank Jedema Jedema@bns.pitt.edu

OK, when I received my original Subaru filter, it measured 80mm. An end cap oil filter wrench 80mm fits indeed perect. The aftermarket filter that was installed on my car before was a 76mm (so there clearly is a difference for filters from different manufacturers). However, I do have to admit that for these cars a filter wrench is hardly necessary, since access is so easy. I used to own a Saab before where, even with a wrench, bloody knuckles were hard to avoid. Hank Jedema

Thanks for all your information. I will wait unil I receive the OEM filter in the mail before I buy the wrench. As was pointed out the sizes of different brands can sometimes vary. So it may be a decent guess to pick a standard aftermarket filter of the shelf, put I don't want to buy the wrong size wrench for the OEM filter as a result of it. I will post the size once I find out. I like to use these type of wrenches. Not to torque the h#ll out of my filter. Even with a best wrench you can still give the filter half or 3/4 of a turn after contact. I like them just because they work well and seem to be the right tool for the job. Hank

Hi, Does anybody know the size of the end cap oil filter wrench (the cap type that fit on your socket ratchet) that fits the OEM Subaru filters for the standard EJ22 or EJ25 engines from the '90s (i.e. non 6cyl) ? Thanks, Hank Jedema Jedema@bns.pitt.edu

The wheels are 15" and they do indeed fit on the hub without a problem, but since the metal of the rim is thinner the lug (cap)nuts cannot go far enough on the studs without "maxing" out. So it looks like I will have to get longer/deeper lugnuts, and I was wondering whether anybody else had found a source for them. Hank Jedema Jedema@bns.pitt.edu

I just picked up a set of alloy rims from a '95 Legacy to put under my '98 OBW for my snow tires. The bolt pattern and offset are the same but the "thickness" of the metal where the lugnuts go is a little less on the Legacy rims. I figured that with a different set of lugnuts it should be no problem at all, but I was wondering whether anybody else has done this sort of a swap, and if so what kind of lugnuts did you end up getting (or from where). Or is this a bad idea or are there better solutions out there ? Thanks, Hank Jedema Jedema@bns.pitt.edu

I recently bought an 98 OBW and started to look for a service manual. Obviously, there is the Haynes manual, but I had this manual for my Saab and it was not nearly as good as the Bentley. In addition to the Haynes manual there are several CD's available from obscure sources on the internet, but I had no clue what I would get so I contacted Subaru. It turns out that they have a great deal setup at their website: http://techinfo.subaru.com/html/index.jsp You can sign up for 3 days of unlimited access to all OFFICIAL Subaru manuals in PDF format for only $19.99. This is plenty of time to download alll the different files (~70MB; individual manuals are divided into ~7 chapters, which are all broken up into ~15 PDF's). It takes a little bit of figuring out, I believe that after registering, you get the option to choose the PDF download option. For my -non-professional- use, I consider this a great deal. I can check anything on my car with the official standards. And because I think it is great initiative from Subaru to make this available (perhaps we can get a service manual PDF on CD when we buy our car in the future), I will support their effort by not sharing my PDF with others (sorry). But if you think of all the valulable tools that you have purchased for your car, this seems like a pretty cheap one.

The heating elements are made in a couple of different sizes, but the standard car size fitted my mirrors very well. As far as the wiring goes, I wired so it gets the the timing from the rear defogger, but not the current (it just drives the relay). The current for the heating elements is drawn from the mirror control circuit, which is where Subaru gets the current from when they add the winter package (according to my official Subaru schematic). I will post another thread for getting the Subaru manual.

I decided that my newly acquired OBW needed to be upgraded with my custom winter package. I looked around for the heater elements (Burco Redi Heat 3801) and found that they are sold for totally unreasonable amounts at carglass shops/body shops. So I contacted the PPG Autoglass warehouse here in town and I picked up a pair from them for ~$7.00 ea! They fit perfect and the cut-outs in the plastic to which the glass attaches line up almost perfectly. Installation is pretty straightforward (usual disclaimer apply: I am not responsible for you damaging anything on your car) once you get used to the total lack of access to the wiring under the dashboard. Splice the 12V wire for the mirror controls and use it to feed a relay. Control the relay with the 12V wire that powers the light in rearwindow defogger switch. This will prevent you from leaving the heaters always on: they will shut off after ~5-10 min based on the defogger timer. Finally, and most challenging, run the wires into the doors and connect to the heating elements. There was a very good instruction sheet on (http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1513). Good luck, Hank