blitz

The finicky knock sensor on Subarus will sometimes pick up engine resonance at a specific RPM resulting in sudden "corrective" timing retard. Do a USMB search or a net search on the subject, there's quite a bit posted about different methods of either reducing the signal passively or mounting the sensor on a rubber bushing to dampen it's physical coupling to the crankase. I think most of the documented cases applied to an earlier year Legacy than yours, but I'm convinced that the problem still exists in certain individual cars, just to a lesser degree than it did previously.

Man, I've never had a battery go that long. My OEM battery's heading into it's 4th winter and I can tell already that it'll be it's last. I could probably push it through a 5th year foolishly ...but I won't.

A couple years back, I recall one of the import mags lamenting about some particular suspension bushing on their long-term test WRX being in need of replacement after 40k abusive miles and was manifesting itself as(paraphrase) "a dulling of the razor sharp WRX Impreza handling characteristics". So no, it doesn't seem to be anything hazardous, but I actually was perceiving a subtle deterioration of handling even before any clunking was audible. This may be something for GDA/GGA Impreza owners to keep an eye on.

Thanks all. Based on your responses, I'm fairly more certain now that it IS the large rear rubber bushing on the drivers side control arm. It also confirms what I'd thought about this not typically happening to Subaru suspensions, at least not at 50k miles. Basically after a left turn, I'll get a single clunk near my feet as I straighten out the wheel and the weight transfers back to center. I've actually been underneath 3 times to see what I can see, but I ain't a seeing anything abnormal on the surface. When it warms up outdoors I think I'll pull the bushing retainer off and have a look at the rubber, it's probably split.

'02 OBS Impreza, 50k miles. I'm beginning to hear a clunking coming from the driver's side floorboard that sounds suspiciously like the clunking noise I used to get as a result of worn control arm bushings on my old '89 Colt at approximately the same mileage intervals (every 50-60k). We have some really nasty, pot-holed roads here in Michigan, so the effective wear on my suspension could be roughly eqivalent to 80-90k for that of normal condition roads. This being my first Sube, I was curious as to whether control arm bushings are typically a service item at approximately those intervals. Subaru refers to 'em as "lateral links" rather than control arms. TIA

Clarification/retraction: DO NOT shoot H.S.S. (health and human services officers) on site. My comment was irresponsible. Rather just expose them for the sadistic thugs they are. More parental love, less Federal "love". Thank you. Apologies for the off topic rant. I'm just pissed cause I'm stuck with a 2.457 (it's not even a true 2.5). :-\

Ritalin is a close chemical cousin to Cocaine. They both act on the same brain centers, and are both equally addictive. Needless to say, they both cause the same bizzarre behaviour, and the changes are permanent. e.g. Dillon, Klebold, et. al. The pharmaceutical industry is stringing-out a high percentage of children at a tender young age. Shoot ALL H.H.S. officers on sight. They are criminals.

It should be easy to fabricate a vacuum nipple from a piece of tubing of the correct diameter (copper, brass, aluminum, whatever) and cut to the proper length. Drill the correct size hole in the intake pipe at the right location, then secure the nipple in place with some high-temp epoxy putty (available at Home Depot or reasonable facsimile therof).

canedog, the engine blankets are designed to be used in conjunction with a block or pan heater to help hold in the heat generated by the engine heating device, especially if the vehicle is out in the wind. The blanket could also be used to retain a greater degree of engine heat for a short period after being driven.

Like Sios, my '02 OBS 2.5/ 4EAT returns 24 city - 27 highway in warm weather. During the winter, the city figure drops to 21 or even 20 when I'm trudging through frozen drift in the lower gears. You're not throwing a check engine light are you?

LOL!!! I do lurk a bit on BITOG and I've seen the comments about moly-containing oils tending to help the slap, but I haven't experimented. I'd like to try some Schaeffer's, but it's not available retail.

Well... I really have two choices: 1. I can remain productive by pretending the slap isn't there. 2. I can put my life on hold while the dealer pretends the slap isn't there. I'm fairly certain that the moly coating on the piston skirts is in place primarily to keep the slapping noise down during the period that the finance institution owns the vehicle, but it wears off rather quickly. The slapping motion of the piston which is a function of piston dimensions, to wit: 1. Short skirts. 2. High ring-pack position. 3. High wrist-pin position. 4. Barrel shape. is actually occurring from day one, albeit just not audible.

Mine started slapping very faintly at around 20k, and has been getting a littler louder every winter. It doesn't seem to matter what oil I use, but is rather a function starting temperature. It doesn't slap immediately at startup, but builds in intensity as the temp gauge climbs toward the "normal" mark, then begins to slowly diminish over the next 2-5 miles (depending on outside temp) as engine heat becomes saturated and uniform.

You too? I had to drive a 16" rat-tail file through mine, and I still wasn't sure I'd get it off. Absolutely the tightest, most stuck-on filter I've ever encountered. I had AT-fluid running down my elbow into my armpit, on my shirt, in my hair. Still glad I changed it though.

Seems like almost all shops will overtighten lug nuts. I always bring a wrench along, loosen, then hand re-tighten immediately. I'll do it right in their lot before I drive away.

Yeah there seems to be a conscensus that the '02 model year (and to a lesser degree '03) had a lot of vehicles with spark knock, lean stumble, etc. Someone one alt.autos.subaru posted that after taking the issue up with his dealer and not backing down, the dealer eventually installed thicker head gaskets that dropped the c.r. between 1/4 - 1/2 point. He claims the car runs fine now. I have no idea if these gaskets are avaibable to the dealer as part of a TSB on this specific problem or what.

We're basically saying the same thing. So we've basically just got a semantics argument going at this point.

WAWalker, it does both. Cat efficiency is determined by the ECU's counting and comparing the crossing rate of the front and rear sensors, then calculating a "crossings ratio". If the ratio drops below a given threshold, the cat efficiency code is displayed. The long-term fuel trim is adjusted by the ECU's shifting of the Lambda target in response to the averaged voltage taken from the rear sensor and logged at the end of each driving event (engine start to key off). The Lambda target is the reference number which the front sensor shoots for as it actively controls real-time fuel mixture.

The first thing I'd be checking for is an exhaust leak at a point somewhere after the first O2 sensor but before the second O2 sensor. This would cause the rear sensor to send a leaner-than-normal signal back to the ECU which will then adjust long-term fuel trim upwards (richer) to compensate. If the leak has slowly grown to the point that the ECU can't effectively compensate for the discrepancy anymore, it will be "out of range". Mind you, that any leak before the rear sensor would be causing the car to run slightly richer than normal, so you'd probably be taking a hit on fuel economy if this were actually your problem. My second guess would be the ever-present connector-integrity problem on modern cars, especially salt-driven ones. In other words you may just have a connector between the rear sensor and ECU that isn't making good or consistent connection anymore.

I'm coming up on 50k miles on my '02 OBS, and it being my first Sube I can't compare it to any other. Your observation of soot in the tailpipe confirms that the soot in my tailpipe is normal. With a used car, you'll generally have a choice between two odors; cigarettes or rump roast-crack sweat, take your pick. I do believe that you're getting the longer end of the stick there. I've taken a few long trips in mine (18 hours straight through from Salina, Kansas to Detroit once), and I find the car to be really comfortable with the seat moved way back and reclined by about three notches. My general impression of the car so far is this: A really rigid, good-handling chassis with a whole bunch of rattling, clunking and, vibrating parts attached to it. I have this constant cloud of head gaskets hanging over my head. Styling is a small step backward from the '97 - '01 IMO.

Setright, API certification is prohibitively expensive for independant oil blenders, probably by design. Redline makes a good product, but it's overpriced IMO. As far as synthetics go, Mobil 1 would equal it's performance in practical terms for about half the price.

"Big Brother Arrives In Cars In Form Of Black Box" http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Oct-31-Sun-2004/news/25109888.html

I'm assuming that the tank being filled is inactive during that period and for a short period thereafter to allow water to settle back to the bottom. However the smallest sediment particulates are gonna remain in suspension for a while afterwards. It's likely that I've gotten fuel many times within thirty seconds of the tanker having pulled out, and have never known it. To me it's just another of life's potholes. You're never gonna miss 'em all, but you still try to dodge as many as possible. Control what you can I guess, and be prepared for what you can't. Something like that.

The siphon's located a specific number of inches from the bottom to allow for condensate, which is why it's important that the condensate level be checked daily. I recall routinely reading three or four inches of water with the instruction to immediately phone the station manager if the reading reached a given figure (six?), but I don't recall the exact number. This was at a corporate-owned Amoco which was corner-located on a major metro Detroit intersection. I was never informed as to how the level was kept in check, whether by siphoning out the condensate, or by gentle, continuous emulsification (dry gas).

I did work at a filling station for a short period after I graduated high-school and one of the duties of the evening shift was to check the fuel level AND "water" level in the tanks with a long measuring stick. It was more of a muddy, rusty, nasty looking crud than clear water. Then again, this was quite a while ago, back when the tanks were steel rather than fiberglass.