blitz

I don't accept the premise of the question ...it's overly simplistic doesn't represent reality. Most often things will wear gracefully and exhibit end of life signs - if you recognize them. Other times parts will need to be replaced soley on the basis of usage (miles). Timing belt will give you no indication that it is about to break ...it's gotta be replaced by recorded interval. Also it depends on circumstances. If you don't have indoor work facilities and suspect a critical part will not get you through the next winter, you may want to change it this summer. Tires down on tread depth are fine for errands around town, but not advisable for long-distance highway commutes where high-speed blowouts and hydroplaning could end someone's life. It also depends on finaces. Having extra battery capacity is a good thing during the coldest months ...but not at the expense of feeding your kids or yourself. About 6 years ago I witnessed a car lose a front wheel on the freeway, bang into the car next to it, get flipped onto it's roof by the median divider and finally slam into the back of another "maintenance-free" vehicle which was abandoned along the freeway center divider bursting into flames. In short, I think I witnessed someone die in a sequence straight out of a movie. I LOATH PEOPLE THAT DON'T MAINTAIN THEIR VEHICLES. **** ******!

There's an entire 3rd group putting forth the premise that the problem is merely just an issue with the gaskets themselves ...uh, the spin department at SOA (y'know, the same department that re-wrote the industry standard repair proceedure for properly dealing with these supposedly bad head gaskets as "Add Stop-Leak". **** ******!

How'd you get yours off? Torch?

If the continuity check is "out of range", then a CEL results. If the knock sensor picks up enough noise to exceed the ECU threshold, then the ECU will apply a corrective timing event. I was able to substitute a resistor in place of the sensor on my '02 Impreza, but the same trick refuses to work on my '00 Impreza ...I have no idea why tho. **** ******!

There's a mystery hesitation that some folks have cured by beefing-up critical under-hood grounds (mostly Impreza), and there's another related to the knock sensor picking up piston slap then retarding the timing, mostly on certain years Legacy. **** ******!

Look for oil burning ...the engine could've been severely overheated (read: destroyed) on account of the previous owner continuing to drive with the head gasket condition. Once you verify that the engine is sound, proceed to blow the dealer's mind by bringing up the head-gasket issue, offer a substantially lower figure (don't be insulting), then be prepared to walk. Don't fall in love with this car. **** ******!

Dawsome, totally dawsome ...thanks. **** ******!

Jamie, any chance of posting a picture of one of the drain holes? **** ******!

Kinda reminds me of the twilightzone epsiode with the fellow that demands to go to hell on account of the flames, pichforks and noise being an appealing environment to him ...err when he finally arrives in hell, much to his horror he finds himself in a quiet reading room with a ticking clock. That was hell for him. Similarly, did you ever actually see a vanity plate that didn't say "I'm a wongleflute"? **** ******!

O.T. These questions generally never advance beyond being merely rhetorical, but if you REALLY want to know the answers, just research into the origin, creation and subsequent introduction of methamphetamine, LSD, & crack cocaine into society and you will see an interesting pattern emerge - to wit: An addled populace is a manageable populace. **** ******!

IIRC, the turbo 2.5's have a re-designed thrust bearing to counter long-standing "problems".

Just a thought that maybe you might wanna try filling at another station. I wonder sometimes if low mileage is occasionally attributable to station owners "fixing" the pumps. e.i. reads 10 gallons, but actually delivers 9, etc. **** ******!

I'm thinking T-belt too. One side might retarded by only a tooth ...which'll wreck your cruising efficiency & torque, but it'll come alive when you rev it out. Overall it would feel a little rough. **** ******!

Yeah ...something like that. **** ******!

Two of the windows on my '00 OBS were painfully slow. My first thought was resistance in the connectors, but cleaning and re-tensioning them gave no improvement. What did fix the problem was backing-off a bit of tension on the pad behind the glass. It's located under the interior panel which needs to be removed. The motors used thru a certain era seem a little anemic by design and it doesn't take much drag to slow 'em down. The adjustment is very sensitive - tightening the locking bolt can move it just enough to put it back to "too tight". It took me about ten tries to get it snugged down where it was happy (too loose is no good either). The newer models seem to have torquier motors. **** ******!

Regarding the cinder blocks: They DO have high compressive strength, but they need to be oriented correctly. You need to flip them over a quarter turn from how they are shown in your photo. In other words, situate them the same way they are designed to be used in construction (with the holes facing vertically), then use a piece of wood on top of that. Many people die from the blocks breaking as a result of putting the weight on the wrong edge. **** ******!

The knock sensor is pretty crude, it doesn't always hit the threshold on every engine that comes off the production line. Even if it IS functioning OK, it still has to hear knock before it can react - at which point it throws a corrective "bulk retard" at the knock. Then it creeps back up to normal at a preset rate. My advice? Drive your tank down to empty, then fill back up with same fuel you normally use and see if the knock comes back. It wouldn't put it past the factory rep to have added an octane booster just to get you out of there. It's gonna take a while to purge the GM culture from this once progressive organization. Use stop leak product to fix head gasket. :-\ **** ******!

Several times a year I'll "wax" the lenses with whatever car paint-care product I happen to have laying around. I've been doing it since the car's been new and aside from the requisite stone pits, the lenses look as clear as ever. Apparently the easiest way to "remove" the yellow is to not let it happen. **** ******!

I don't think that it's become clear - any specific reason(s) for the EJ-25 "oil-burners", but they do exist sporadically. I can't help but wonder if it has to do with a casting flaw. **** ******!

You'll probably want to include the ECU as part of the swap. **** ******!

Bore / Stroke / Displacement - first in metric then in cubic inches. -------------------------------- Four-Cylinder Subaru Engines -------------------------------- {2.835 / 2.362 / 59.6} - {72 / 60 / 977} These are EA-52 engines used in 1966-1970 Subaru automobiles. {2.992 / 2.362 / 66.4} - {76 / 60 / 1089} These are EA-61 engines used in 1969-1971 Subaru automobiles. {3.346 / 2.362 / 83.1} - {85 / 60 / 1362} These are EA-63 engines used in 1978-1980 Brats and 1977-1989 sedans. {3.622 / 2.362 / 97.4} - {92 / 60 / 1595} These are EA-71 engines used in 1975-1976 sedans. {3.622 / 2.638 / 108.7} - {92 / 67 / 1782} These are EA-81 and/or EA-82 engines used in 1980-1989 Brats, 1985-1991 XT coupes, and 1980-1999 sedans. They have the same bore and stroke as the six-cylinder ER-27. {3.461 / 2.953 / 111.1} - {87.9 / 75 / 1820} These are EJ-18 engines used in 1989-1996 Impreza models. {3.622 / 2.953 / 121.7} - {92 / 75 / 1994} These are EJ-20WRX engines are used in 2002-present WRX sedans. {3.815 / 2.953 / 135.0} - {96.9 / 75 / 2212} These are EJ-22 engines used in 1990-1994 Legacy models and the 1999-2001 Impreza. They have the same bore and stroke as the six-cylinder EG-33. {3.917 / 3.110 / 149.9} - {99.5 / 79 / 2457} These are EJ-25 engines used in 1999-present Forester, Impreza RS, Legacy, and Outback models; 2001-present SUS models; and 2003-present Baja models. --------------------------------------- Six-Cylinder Subaru Engines --------------------------------------- {3.622 / 2.638 / 163.1} - {92 / 67 / 2672} These are ER-27 engines used in 1988-1991 XT sports coupe. They have the same bore and stroke as the four-cylinder EA-81 and EA-82. {3.512 / 3.150 / 183.1} - {89.2 / 80 / 3000} These are the EZ-30 engines used in 2001-present Legacy and Outback models; also known as the H6-30 engine. {3.815 / 2.953 / 202.5} - {96.9 / 75 / 3319} These are the EG-33 engines used in 1991-1997 SVX sports coupe. They have the same bore and stroke as the four-cylinder EJ-22 __________________ **** ******!

Someone on this board regularly rails against car manufacturers for continuing to feign ignorance on this issue ...oh wait, that's me. Yup, nuttin' mportant - just one nem braken mechanismz. Reckon any ol' low-cost, mild alloy'll work as good as any other. **** ******!

Redline Shockproof Superlight in the rear diff = +MPG. **** ******!

I stared at the word for several minutes knowing for sure that it wasn't correct, but I couldn't figure out specifically how. I had to actually go take look at a package of plugs. As it turns out, Iridian's are indigenous peoples. **** ******!

What Josh said. An over-heated plug can cause pinging, but a correct temp one won't. Should be a BKR6 IIRC. If you towed a heavy trailer on the freeway at WOT or near WOT, that would elevate your plug temp and likely force you to step down a range. If you supercharged or turbocharged your motor and raced with it, that would elevate your plug temp and force you to step down a heat range or two to compensate. Going colder than the stock heat range, on a stock motor, being driven normally will likely result in fouling. **** ******!