hawksoob

I've always heard that if you use a fuel system cleaner, especially after not having ever done it or if it's been a really long time since it's been done, it's a good idea to change the fuel filter. That cleaner can free up a lot of crud and gunk which can clog up the fuel filter.

Wouldn't a clogged filter lead to dirty injectors, which would be a cause for poor economy? Found many quotes like these on the web: Fuel filters become clogged with dirt and debris during normal operation and should be replaced to increase performance, extend fuel pump life, and aid in fuel economy To ensure an fuel efficient engine, “be sure the air and fuel filter are clean” Dirt, sand and other impurities can clog your fuel filter and starve your fuel injectors. Starved or clogged fuel injectors can impede engine performance and reduce fuel efficiency. One step to ensure optimum fuel econmony, “Change fuel filter per manufacturers recommendation” Replacing your fuel filter, PCV valve and breather element every 12 months or 12,000 miles could help eliminate problems like poor performance, poor fuel economy and excessive oil consumption A clogged fuel filter will strain your fuel pump and interrupt the smooth flow of fuel into your fuel injectors, causing them to perform less efficiently ... But while the car might run only slightly rougher, all-out performance and efficiency of your car will suffer greatly

Volkswagen doesn't even include fuel filters on their maintenance schedule. They refer to them as "lifetime" items, as in "Most people don't keep their cars anywhere near 100K, so why should they bother replacing such a thing? They'll think the car is really low maintenance and cheap to own." So, there are many VWs out there with many thousands of miles on them with cruddy old fuel filters that have never been changed, and likely never will be. Shame. Such a cheap and easy part to replace to regain power and fuel economy.

My father's Chrysler Sebring was having horrible hesitation problems. It would downshift and rev high and bog down on inclines. I sprayed some Valvoline Synpower Carb and Throttle Body Cleaner into his throttle body and cleaned it out really well. He called me the next day thanking me profusely for fixing his car. :cool: There is one particular hill he goes up on the way back from work where it always hesitated and downshifted. It didn't do it after the spray. My girlfriend was getting a CEL on her Volkswagen Cabrio, along with a hesitation. Autozone OBDII scan said Idle Air Conrol Sensor. I cleaned her throttle body with the Synpower stuff...CEL went away that evening and hasn't come back yet. Hesitation is gone. I'm a big believer in the TB cleaner.

Armor-All Car Wash Concentrate in that Mr. Clean dealie. It's about $5 for a half gallon bottle whereas the Mr. Clean soap is about $6 for a pint and a half. It works just the same (has the anti-streak formulation and everything), and I like the convenience of the device. I have had nice results from the Eagle One Wax-As-You-Dry, but it's not quite as simple and quick as they claim it to be. I think if you follow their directions, you can get a somewhat dull finish. If you put some elbow grease into the "as-you-dry" part, it does a fine job.

Yeah...the hoses were a bear when I did mine. I used a pair of pliers with a rag wrapped around the hose so as not to cut or tear it and just pulled and turned and pulled and turned until it eventually came loose. The other tricky thing for me was the little rubber gasket that goes around the outside of the filter. If you don't get that back on just right, the clip that holds the filter in place won't clip firmly enough and the filter won't stay put as it should.

http://www.ravensblade-impreza.com/modifications/index1.html Click on "Drivetrain." Second tip down. Pretty simple write up for a fairly simple job.

Do a search on "viscous coupling" and you'll find some of the imfo you're looking for.

I asked about the old one. He told me that there's really no way to tell if it's bad or not by just looking at it. It either works or it doesn't. I almost insisted I have it just as a keepsake, but I was just glad to get it fixed. My original estimate was $1100. When I first took it in to be checked over (couple of months ago) The attending mechanic said he couldn't find anything wrong other than my tire pressures were all over the place: "One's 27, one's 19, one's 32, one's 22" Uh...dude....I check them almost daily in an almost unhealthy compulsive way. They are 34 in the front and 33 in the back. So, basically, for the check up I was charged $90 to be told I may need new brakes soon and to have my tires pumped up to the "proper" pressure of 38/36. Oh, I also wanted them to check a steering bushing that had apparently rotted away from previously leaking oil dripping on it and was hanging out of its perch. I was told, "He just pushed it back in." Riiiiiight..... I later found while underneath changing the oil that the rubber that was hanging down had been simply cut off. Needless to say, my first experience with this dealer was not the best. I took it back a month or so later and talked to the big cheese service manager. Told him what was happening and then let him drive my car while I knew the problem was occurring. He immediately said, "That's your center differential/viscous unit. Seen 3 or 4 of them in the last year or so." He had an estimate for me in 10 minutes or so. (Although I was a bit concerned when he said, "Now, this MAY be the fix, but there also MAY be more to it. We won't know until we get in there." Then, he offered me a dicsount considering the story I told of my displeasure on my previous visit. After that, I took it to a nearby independent that specializes in Eurpoean and Asian motors to see about a second opinion. Big Subaru banner right there amongst those for Mercedes, Saab, and Toyota. They were A. somewhat familiar with what might possibly be the problem but B. unsure as to the actual procedure and part needed to fix it and C. unable to come anywhere near what the dealer had quoted me. They were very skeptical that I could get done what they perceived needed to be done for under $2k. I called a few other independents and none of them had a clue what was going on. Given this, I decided to just take it to the dealer and be done with it. The service manager told me that half of the owners with this problem decided to just sell their vehicle and buy a new one because of the expense of the repair. I wouldn't have considered that. It drove beautifully before and it drives even better now. (I wasn't sure that straightaway driving would be affected by this problem since the differential only comes into play with different wheel speeds, but it seems like the AWD is there more than it was before. I does drive better in all ways). Driving the 2004 Forrester loaner they gave me made no impression on me whatsoever in terms of, "You know, a new car would probably suit me better." (Perhaps if they had lent me a WRX, the story would have been different. But, since I can't afford that, anyway, it would be a moot point.") I'm happy with my 9 year old OBW.

Well, a new VCU and $921 later (as of about 20 minutes ago) no more binding/grumbling on sharp turns after a long drive. Hope this one lasts 150K!

subaruparts.com Do a part number search on38434AA021

I have gone over and over various possible solutions to that exact same problem and finally looking at posts here and elsewhere, and getting an assessment from my dealer AND and independent specialist in Asian autos, my viscous coupling unit needs to be replaced. It is going to cost roughly $1K to do the job. The part is $450 (I've seen it online for $401, but this is not a DIY job for me, so it's going to have to be a dealer ordered part). It is a sealed unit and the silicon fluid cannot be replaced or refilled. The unit cannot be serviced. I'd say, even if it could, the labor involved in pulling the heiney out of the tranny PLUS rebuilding the unit would be close to the cost of replacing the unit. My thoughts are this: It took over 150K miles for this thing to wear out. If I can get another 150K out of it for a grand? Why not? Averaging 12,000 miles a year, that comes to less than a quarter a day to get my VC back. So, looks like my new goal is to make it to 300K!

A friend of mine had similar symptoms with her Nissan Pathfinder. It was the MAF. She found a salvaged one online for about $100. I'm told they can be cleaned, if not totally dead. Not sure how one would go about cleaning it, though. Also, perhaps cleaning the throttle body?

Haynes' instructions for replacing the clutch cable include "Lubricate the cable." Does not, however, mention the type of lube to use. Anyone? Also, anyone have any tips/additional instructions on this R/R? Thanks

PCV filter?

Heh...My car would start and immediately shut off, over and over again, after I had replaced the O2 sensor. WOULD NOT stay started. I realized that as I was finagling around to get a good angle on the wrench while loosening the sensor, I had completely disconnected a vacuum hose.

Yes. According to cars101.com, power door locks was standard on the 96 Outback. Remote keyless entry was an option.

Heh....just reading the link I sent you, noticed it says that keyless remote entry was a $225 option.

On mine, you can use the clicker remote or use the key. Mine is pretty standard, and it DOES have remote keyless entry. It is also supposed to open all loocks when the driver door is unlocked either with the key or with the lever on the inside. There is such a thing as a valet key for the sedans (opens only the driver door, but not the trunk, for obvious reasons re: valets) but I don't know if that was available on the Outback. Being a wagon and all, this would be pretty pointless. If you want lots of nifo, check here: http://www.cars101.com/outback_archive95-97.html#1996%20Outback

Does that particular model 5sp have a cable actuated clutch? If so, with the car running (and sqeaking), grab hold of the little fork thing where the cable adjustment nuts are. See if the squeaking stops. I began to hear similar squeaks this past week and I've had all might belts tightened or replaced recently, so I knew that wasn't it. I had recently adjusted the clutch cable because it was a bit too loose. That's when I noticed the squeaks. I tightened it up a bit and the squeaks went away. Just a thought.

http://www.kbb.com fill out form get info

I've mentioned this before. I had the same thing. Switch was fine, bulbs were new, etc .... When one day I noticed one of my brake lights was out (following the girlfriend whos wa driving my car) and I replaced that bulb. After that, I noticed that the reverse lights were working a gain. Figured maybe the brake light bulb completed a circuit or something. Worth a try.

Hmmm... the bottle I have doesn't indicate as much, and has dilution instructions on the bottle (depending upon climate). It's one full gallon of 100% Subaru brand antifreeze.

Up until recently, my 96 OBW was ticking all the time. Not just at start up and a little therearfer. ALL the time. Morning, day, night, afternoon ... tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick (that's a lot of ticks). This past weekend I changed my oil and poured in some Castrol GTX 10W30 instead of the Valvoline Maxlife I'd been using for the past 3 or 4 oil change intervals. Within two days, ticking is gone. Maybe the moly in this oil that's apparently lacking in the VML? Doe no ... (I'm fairly certain it's not a matter of oil being lower at the time of change due to consumption at the end of the OCI. It was doing it even after my last change with 4.2 qts of fresh. Plus, I'm not leaking and it checked full even up to the time I changed it, so little or no consumption.) Nevertheless, I'd say definitely experimenting around with different oils would be a good start. Needless to say, I was very happy to find gallon jugs of the GTX at Autozone on sale for $4.99 each (when purchasing two).

Subaru brand. $10-$13/gallon at the dealer. A good bit more than Autozone brand at $4.99 or whatever, but you buy it only once every 2 years, so what's a few bucks in savings? It's silicate-free and is what most people will recommend for your Subaru radiator. Better to spend a couple of bucks more now than have to spend lots more later if something gets messed up because you used a cheap coolant with loads of silicates and phosphates that could gum up the works. That's what the voices tell me, anyway ...