JPX

So I left my hood on.....the alternate location for the hood prop rod on the right strut tower made the hood go almost vertical. This was plenty of room to work on (wish my other cars had this). Unbelievable that it was the car salesman that showed me this little trick.

That sounds like a wheel bearing to me.....perhaps even further along it's death than mine were (3 replaced and I'm sure #4 is coming). The sound is a low growling/howling sound at speed. Once the bearing really craps out, then the wheel does not spin "straight" and tire wear becomes a problem. Hub swap is a quick and cheap solution - although it does possess the typical used-part hazard of not knowing how much longer IT will last. But if you at that level with the car in pieces and intend to hang on to the car for a significant period of time, you should go ahead and have a shop press the new bearing in. If you have the time, take the hub off the car yourself and save some labor cost.

It is overkill. I had just repainted the bumper skin and didn't want damage the new paint. I removed the bumper skin and headlights so that I wouldn't scratch anything up or spill fluids on it. When you start yanking on the engine to seperate it from the transaxle, you could roll the hoist into the front of the car. Those dowel pins can make this step quite an adventure. Removal gets your legs a couple of inches closer for digging around the engine bay. It also helped that the bumper was not in the way for stuff UNDER the car too - I jacked up the car only so I could get to the lower left engine/trans nut. Everything else could be done on the ground. Outbacks sit higher, so this advantage is not as great as with the lower sitting sedan. Concerning the warm engine.....I do this for any oil change anyway to speed draining. So this was more of a habit than anything else. Oh, and now that I'm thinking about it, the motor is a funny shape to set down out of the car. You could use an engine stand, but then you can't do the oil seperator plate and rear seal. Skip's engine removal website had a great idea for a box to hold the motor upright. I just balanced it on 4 jack stands.

Change it if you have any access to it. It is too much trouble to have to ever go back in later just for that.

So I have a confession to make.....I have never changed the auto trans filter on my car in all its 135,000 miles. However, I have drained and changed the fluid very frequently. I hate taking those damn pans off - mostly due to the ensuing leaks and mess. All my previous cars required pan removal to change fluid - I like having a drain plug! Maybe I will look in the pan when I hit 150,000 miles out of curiosity.

Fuel filter is right next to the washer tank with three fuel hoses. Just need a philips screwdriver and possibly a pair of pliers to pull the hoses off. About $25 from the dealer I think. Buy new rotors.....but make sure your calipers' pistons aren't sticking.

You've already got a good idea of what needs to be done. To help with your planning, click to see larger pictures from my 2.2L removal. I left the AC compressor and power steering pump and their hoses connected. Just used tie down straps and bungee cords to hold them out of the way. I left the intake manifold on until the engine was out of the car - you probably won't be going this far for clutch/oil seal work. Here is a checklist I made (from combination of Haynes manual, USMB, NASIOC, etc). This list made things feel organized and easier to track progress both at disassembly as well as making sure everything is connected again. Remove bumper skin and headlights Remove belt covers 10mm Remove splash shields Warm engine Depressurize fuel system Disconnect battery , remove battery and tray Drain oil 17mm Drain coolant Disconnect radiator hoses Remove Thermostat housing Remove fan assembly (connectors) 10mm Remove coolant overflow tank 10mm Remove Radiator Disconnect fuel line trio Disconnect MAF sensor wire Disconnect throttle position sensor wire Disconnect breather hose (cleaner side) and sensor (grey mount near transaxle dipstick) Disconnect air cleaner assembly from intake manifold Plug throttle body opening Remove Alternator Remove AC Compressor (put dipstick tube back in BEFORE remounting AC) Strap AC Compressor to body (put AC bracket back on for lifting motor) Remove Power Steering Pump Strap Power Steering Pump to body Remove Ground Cable at starter Remove spark plug wires Remove vacuum line (by air cleaner) Remove heater hoses (x2 by starter) Disconnect brake booster vac line (by starter) Remove Starter Remove hose from PCV Valve Disconnect main harness (by O2 sensor) Disconnect O2 sensor Disconnect exhaust pipe to head bolts 14mm, 18-22 ft-lbs Disconnect rear mount (pitch stopper) Remove Crank Pulley 22mm Remove driveplate to torque converter nuts 12mm, 17-19 ft-lbs Disconnect two lower engine mounts Remove engine to transaxle mounting nuts 14mm, 34-40 ft-lbs ( 14mm swivel socket for left lower nut) Here is a reference picture of the rear main seal - set just a hair lower than flush withg the aluminum flange. Others suggested using a large PVC pipe section (4" maybe?) to drive it in straight. It was not easy getting it in compared to a front seal.

Sticky dowel pins. I yanked and pulled on the motor. A little bit of spackle putty knives crammed in the hairline gap to split everything. When I reassembled the engine to the transmission, I sanded smooth the pins, gave them a little chamfer/bevel with a file and then wiped anti-seize compound on them. Don't want to have to go through that again.

2000 grit sandpaper is appropriate. But it will take a long time in wetsand down the clearcoat - as it should to keep it level. In the end you will need to use a polishing compound to get that last bit of luster.

I changed the seal and o-ring on the rear diff. I'd expect front is similar except for that business of spinning the retainer onto the case (rear uses bolts on the outside). http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=848540

This was the problem I had as well....bearing availability was tough, and still not cheap if it is found. If you tried to buy a new clutch assembly (not the compressor), it will be about $150-250...at that price range, a new compressor/clutch is not too far away. I ended up getting an entire clutch assembly from a junkyard. Just remember to take the pullers with you so you can get it off the junkyard car.

My 1989 VW Cabriolet had an A/C compressor clutch bearing seize. It destroyed the magnetic winding that engages the clutch. I suggest taking a read at how badly I went about this here->http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2289281 A typical compressor's clutch assembly looks something like this: Here is a good write up I found on the clutch pulley bearing replacement. I hope it ends up being that simple for me. http://www.stu-offroad.com/oth...1.htm And here is an interesting article about overall compressor repair. http://www.ryderfleetproducts....l.jsp Theoretically you can change the clutch assembly and bearing without venting the refrigerant. But if the inner winding components got cooked, then you are precariously close to a new compressor assembly. Hope this helps.

Ugh.....I hate doing things twice, or even three times. The Redio Shack bulbs worked great so far (+3 years). If they burn out again, then I go to LEDs....a little pain to set up, but you will never have to change bulbs again.

Have plastic wheel covers? Take it off and stick it back on. I've found if they are stuck on like they weren't tapped evenly onto the wheel, they can make a funny squeaky sound when rolling.

How about new fuel filter? Clogged injectors? Spark plug gap? And as aggravating as it sounds, maybe double check the timing belt placement - if it is off a tooth.

The Drawtite ClassII I have on my 1996 sedan required drilling. I'd be surprised if there were any for this body style (OBS included) that didn't. It wouldn't be until the later generations of Legacy/OBS that they were bolt on.

Check the cross pipe (one end is where that top radiator hose goes) - there are o-rings on each end that could leak. It connects to the top of the head. There is a multitude of smaller coolant hoses running through the throttle body . Plenty of places to leak if you were yanking on anything there.

You might want to check the window regulator mounting nut....->http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=52958&highlight=window+nut+loose

Looks like this underneath? Looks like this towards the front of the engine? Then you might need a new front oil seal.....either Crankshaft or one of the camshaft seals.

Check the keyway on the pulley itself too....Here is BAD (left) vs. GOOD (right). My pulley wobbled bad enough to cause 2 additional headaches: 1. Premature death of alternator bearing 2. Tore apart alternator belt

The heater core gets coolant flow no matter what the temperature setting is. I think this is why the vent air is never truly the same temperature as the outside air. On sunny days, I run the AC for a little bit to cool off the vents. Then I turn it off and it usually works fine.

I need to try the spark plug test. This is an automatic trans car. The flex plate was in good working order at installation - nice ring when you strike it. So no cracks at that point. Visually I cannot see anything like a crack.....but the only part I cannot see in where the bolts hold the plate to the crankshaft. Not looking forward to pulling an engine again, but this may be unavaoidable. Other background noise is the injectors and a noisy "rolling" sound from the alternator bearing. But that knock is quite distinct and different.

This is a continuation of this thread->http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=57733. Here is a link to the knocking sound I cannot shake on my 2.2L rebuild. http://media.putfile.com/Knocking-Subaru-Engine-22L It is similar sound to a large extent as the racket heard on this site: http://www.lovehorsepower.com/SubaruDocs/LashAdjusterReplace.htm I've found one lazy HLA on the left side. I also found a loose rocker shaft bolt on the rocker assembly on the right side. After replacing the HLA and tightening the rocker shaft bolt, I still could not get rid of that sound. I swear the sound is down low.....the sound clip above is recorded from BENEATH the oil pan. But it can clearly be heard from the top center of the engine above the throttle body. Running out of ideas.....might tear apart the right side rocker train again to see if there was any collateral damage from that loose rocker shaft bolt. Any suggestions?

Places like Autozone, Pep Boys and Kragen won't have them. You'll have to go to an alternator/starter repair shop. They can be a little difficult to find online since they are usually mom&pop shops. Here are some possibilities - although I don't know exactly where you are in TN. http://local.yahoo.com/TN/Memphis/Automotive/Repair+Service/Alternator+Repairs

I replaced a perfectly good battery (in hindsight:mad: ) because I thought that is why my starter was clicking so weakly. Ended up being the contacts. Photos of the worn contacts (89,000 miles). $8 worth of copper bits and it started with confidence again! Worn contact on the left, new on the right: To remove the starter is two bolts....super easy, although requires a little flexibility to get to the lower bolt. Can be reached from up top if you can turn the lower bolt that you cannot see but can feel.