blitz

I order parts all the time for the electronic repairs I do, and for the last year and a half I've been running into backorders, backorders and BACKORDERS. There's something odd going on in the economy that I can't quite put my finger on ...like a game of hot-potato or something - whoever gets caught with inventory when "the deal" goes down ...loses. This is something unlike anything I've ever encountered before. My '00 OBS sat on jackstands for three weeks first waiting for a backordered strut, then for backordered strut bolts.

Heat is a major enemy of neoprene seals and fries 'em into tasty bacon crisps. Synth fluid might be able to hold-up under high temps, but don't be fooled into thinking that the seals will come out unscathed. Keeping the tranny fluid temp under control is key to extending the life of the trans. It's no small deal.

The ADBV isn't a brand-specific thing. Some part numbers specify an ADBV, others don't ...including Fram. The Purolator L14460 that I use doesn't have one ...the Subaru OEM fiter (made by Purolator) DOES have one. The sump is the lowest point in the system and the oil pump moves the oil uphill from there. After shutoff, gravity does siphon the oil backwards through the stationary oil pump clearances, back through the filter media, back into the sump. How long does that take? I dunno. The filter orientation doesn't affect it. Whether the ADBV is critical is debatable, but it sure can't hurt. -Learsi

It's three-wire circuit; hot, signal, & ground. There's no way to do it AFAIK other than to drive around with a meter connected in at various places in the sensor harness (at connectors ideally) to spot intermittant readings in the hot, the signal, or the ground. Usually it's one of the connectors that's acting up, but also a wire could be pinched or broken. Most mechanics don't like to be bothered with such time-consuming diagnosis ...it doesn't pay money. They swap parts instead. **** ******!

The ECU can't distinguish between a bad sensor, or a bad /intermittant connection anywhere between itself and the sensor. Electrically, it's the same thing (same code, same end result).

Now that I think about it, I also pulled the plug-wires off at the plugs because they're a tight wrap. **** ******!

I removed only the airbox. You'll find out when you lift up if anything is binding. The fuel lines will probably be the only thingthat gives you any resistance. You only need to come up about an inch or two. **** ******!

On my '02, it was a matter of removing the manifold bolts, then prying the manifold up. It should lift up enough to allow you to scrape gasket material off both surfaces. Just be sure to stuff paper towels into the intake ports first. **** ******!

+2 on the tranny cooler and the synth fluid. It's a mandatory step in order to not fry the trans early-on because of heat. Install a cooler - don't skip it. Also drop your speed a bit because ...I hate to say it, but Subaru brakes suck. **** ******!

That would be right about the same time the 2.5 similarly went from 9.7:1 to 10:1. Might've actually been a tad earlier (like late '99) for the 2.5 ...not sure tho. **** ******!

Stats sticky would be awesome ... but complicated by the differences between North America, Europe, Asia, & Oz/NZ. Also, the 2.2 made a further final jump to 10:1 C/R, but I don't know what year that happened. **** ******!

It appears to be a bad batch of parts (brittle steel). It seemed to be an issue on a cluster of OBW's built during a certain period. I don't think there were any TSB's issued on it tho. **** ******!

Check the most recent addendum to the service manual ("bailing wire, duct tape, and stop-leak"). :-\ The effectiveness of the conditioning process is corollary to the amount of flouride in the water, wink ...wink. **** ****!

Here's the text of the conditioner propaganda. **** ******! --------------------------------------------------------- WWP-99 Service Campaign - Cooling System Conditioner Subaru has determined that certain 1999 through 2002 model year 2.5L equipped Subaru vehicles may experience an external coolant leak from the cylinder head gaskets. This is the result of normal relative thermal expansion and contraction variations of engine parts. As a precautionary measure, SOA is recommending that a special conditioner be added to the engine cooling system to prevent leaks from occurring or to correct existing leaks. Only early Phase II 2.5 liter engines are affected by this campaign. Phase I 2.5 liter engines (some 1999 model year and prior years) are not affected. Countermeasures applied to the manufacturing process for those 2002 and later VINS not affected by this campaign have eliminated the need for this campaign to be performed on those vehicles. In the future, it will be necessary to add Genuine Subaru Cooling System Conditioner to the SUBARU vehicle cooling system whenever the engine coolant is replaced. The updated recommended service procedure as well as intervals for coolant replacement will be added to all applicable service manuals. As a reminder, we will include an update page in the owner notification letters that should be added to the Owner’s Manual and Warranty and Maintenance Booklet. We ask you to keep in mind that replacement of fluids (including Subaru Cooling System Conditioner) during inspection and maintenance services are not covered under warranty. If the vehicle owner has this Service Program repair performed promptly, Subaru will extend coverage under the Subaru Limited Warranty on the vehicle for cylinder head gasket external coolant leaks to a period of 8 years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first. Warranty coverage begins on the date the vehicle was delivered to the first retail purchaser. If the vehicle was used as a demonstrator or company vehicle before being sold at retail, warranty coverage begins on the date the vehicle was first placed in such service. As a further condition for this extended warranty coverage to apply, the vehicle owner must have Genuine Subaru Cooling System Conditioner added to the vehicle at any subsequent cooling system services at the interval specified in the Warranty and Maintenance Booklet under the heading “Schedule of Inspection and Maintenance Services”. Dealers will automatically be sent an initial quantity of Genuine Subaru Cooling System Conditioner. Dealer bulletins and affected VIN lists will be mailed to dealers in early February 2004. Owner notification letters are scheduled for mailing in stages.

You don't mention whether or not the kit includes higher capacity exhaust, but any significant increase in power would ideally need to address that issue. **** ******!