dxrflyboy

It takes a bit longer for the oil to drain back into the crankcase on a boxer engine than one with upright cylinders, since it flows horizontally. So it can be a bit tricky to get the right reading sometimes. Put in 4.5 quarts when you change it and check it cold once in a while. The brake pads have a tendency to seize in the caliper brackets, which will give your brakes a mushy feeling. Rust scale builds up on both the pad plates and the brackets under the pad clips. Sometimes it has to be chiseled away. Coat the brackets under the pad clips and the contact points on the pad plates with antiseize to prevent the rust.

It also looks like 360s are more common than ff1s nowadays. Maybe that's because the ff1s were driven 'til the wheels fell off! You can still find Brats, but ff1s, fahgeddabowdit!:-\

Funny, my folks pronounced it that way for years, too! It wasn't until the '76 was almost dead and we were in our teens that we corrected them!

Your heads may also be warped. You didn't specify whether or not they were resurfaced during the rebuild. They must at least be checked for flatness and machined if necessary.

I would definitely use steel wheels for dedicated winter use. Alloys tend to corrode underneath the clear coat in the bead area, causing leaks. Used steel wheels often show up on Ebay after someone upgrades. You should be able to find a set of used 16" Forester steel wheels without paying too much.

Go to http://www.bobistheoilguy.com.

Subaru uses a good steel sector gear type window regulator, but the mounting bolts do tend to work themselves loose and chew up the door metal around the mounting holes. If all the bolts fall out, the regulator drops down and can come apart. The good thing is that it isn't difficult to put back together if you find all the pieces inside the door. I put some Loctite 242 on the bolts when I put them in to keep them from backing out again. Subaru needs to do this at the factory.

I've tried it, but not extensively. One thing I can tell you is that acetone is the only thing that dissolves it.

I'm more than a bit curious as to why the EG33 was discontinued with the SVX and Subaru started fresh with the EZ30 when they needed an H6 for the Outback. Was the EG33 too expensive to manufacture, was it too big for the chassis, or was there some other reason?

That would explain why we change so many cats on these cars...

I don't know exactly when the problem was corrected. I drove an '03 Baja a few weeks ago with 68K on it. It knocks loudly even when warm.

Have the car checked for oil leaks before you buy it. Older EJ engines such as yours have a phenolic cover plate in the bellhousing area that tends to leak. The engine has to be removed to replace it with an updated aluminum plate. At this mileage, the cam and crank seals may also be leaking. The best time to change them is during a timing belt replacement.

The short answer is no. Your best bet, provided the OB is still drivable, is to bring it to a garage that services AC systems and have them discharge it. All AC service facilities are required to recover refrigerant before opening up the system for service. The equipment required to do this costs several thousand dollars.

A 2.2L Impreza may have a bigger/thicker radiator. The same may also be the case with FWD vs. AWD versions.

P0301=cylinder #1 misfire.

The P0420 code simply means that the cat isn't doing its job. If it was plugged up, the car would barely run, if at all. The only way to fix it and keep the CEL from coming back on is to replace the cat. You will get some HC odor on startup, but it shouldn't be very much or last too long. Having a cat that isn't working will add to the problem. It's hard to tell from your description whether it is actually a problem or not. An injector cleaning may help, but there's no guarantee. If the odor goes away once the system goes into closed loop, there may not be much that can be done, aside from replacing the cat.

Subaru ran out of plutonium.

Brake fluid absorbs moisture, which will lower its boiling point over time and allow corrosion in the hydraulic system. Changing it periodically will ensure the longest life for all the components in the system and minimize the chances for loss of braking due to overheated fluid during long, hard stops. It can be changed without any special equipment. Siphon as much old fluid out of the reservoir as possible and refill with new. Bleed each wheel in the correct order until the old fluid is flushed out (about 1 cup of fluid per wheel should be enough). Subaru brake pads are the least likely to squeak when you apply the brakes. The friction material on some low cost aftermarket pads tends to crack, causing squeaks.

The last time I installed a Subaru wheel bearing was a few months ago. It was packed with the light amber stuff. I packed it with wheel bearing grease before installation.

I don't know why it would be made that way, but it is possible that the two coils have opposite polarities. It would make more sense to me that both cylinders on bank 1 be straight polarity and bank 2 be reverse. Opposing polarities may be necessary to prevent one coil's magnetic field from negatively interfering with the other, due to the close proximity. I'm no electrical engineer, so I'm only guessing.

I don't have the numbers and haven't researched it, but I believe the newer cars are geared a little higher than the older ones. Either that or it's just because the wheels are larger and having the same effect. This would explain the Forester's slower acceleration from a stop.

The biggest problem with the Subaru bearings is the "shipping" grease they are packed with. This stuff is mostly wax. It gels and the bearing is no longer lubricated. Subaru says to remove all the "shipping" grease and pack the bearing with bearing grease before installing it. But apparently, that doesn't happen at the factory!:-\

The back bearings can be replaced without removing the knuckle using a Hub Tamer or similar tool. The long bolt that attaches the radius arms to the knuckle has to be removed (this can be a problem if the bushing sleeves are rusted to the bolt) to disengage the hub from the axle stub. Remove the hub flange with a slide hammer, take out all the seals and snap rings, and "press" the bearing out using the Hub Tamer/similar tool. This tool is a threaded rod with the proper cups/plates/etc. to force the bearing in and out of the knuckle. If you're the creative type, you may be able to fabricate such a tool on your own. Otherwise, the Hub Tamer will pay for itself if you do both back bearings. It will also replace the front bearings without removing the knuckle.

You'll know for sure once you pull the head...keep your fingers crossed!

Is that it? Or is the air/fuel mixture designed to "swirl" in the opposite direction through the barrels?