blitz

I've noticed that all the official Subaru fuel consumption figures are higher for '06 than for previous years. I guess the smaller oil filter is to keep the exhaust heat away from it. **** ******!

I question whether the "startup clatter" is related to the use of an oil filter without an ADBV. **** ******!

Iran a feeler gauge through my 2.5 at 30k miles and it was .001 over the median figure, but still well within the +/- spec. I adjusted it down by .002 figuring maybe there'd be another long-term creep of .001. Iran a gauge through my 2.2 at 80k and it was .001 over as well, so I just said the hell with it and left it alone. I'm guessing that once the initial wear metals get smoothed off nothing much changes after that, outside of failure. **** ******!

Gary you can do it from the top, but your wrist will need to be able to bend at right angles while still maintaining a good grip on the gauges/ tools. IIRC, the exhaust valves at the rear of the engine are the most difficult to get at. From what I've seen, the clearance is really stable on well-mainained Sube motors. **** ******!

It looks like one of them trash cans that you step on the pedal and the lid flips up. **** ******!

I ofter wonder where evil originates from and how it comes to invade the hearts of certain people just like a disease. The only problem is that the quest has made me just plain annoying, ...but I mean well.

After thinking this one over for a couple days, one thing springs to mind that would change with your vehicle as it sat for some time ...is the saturation level of the evap canister, but I can't see how that could have any effect on a hesitation tho. Another possibility might be some sort of vacuum leak in/or around the intake manifold or one of the vacuum lines. Possibly the leak swells shut when driven to fully saturation hot, then "retracts" over the course of several days of inactivity? I dunno. **** ******!

I really ponder at times the sort of politics that must play out in the inner sanctums of auto companies when glaring issues like this go "unnoticed" year after year, after year, after... It only took 40 years or so for the braintrust of the big three to quit pretending that peoples heads weren't bouncing off the metal dashboards:banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

I noticed the lower shroud is torn-off the steering column and the ignition lock appears to be broken. I'm curious, is that how it was started? **** ******!

Oh yeah man, several times. It's just cheap plastic crap but it works really well. I actually learned about that device on USMB about 2 years back ...somebody posted a link to it. Harbor Freight carries it too. **** ******!

Get one of these and don't look back: Lisle #22150 http://www.automotivetools.com/online-store/scstore/p-LIS-22150.html **** ******!

No worries. IMO, a 15W-40 fleet-oil (Delvac, Delo, Long-Life, etc.) is some of the sweetest stuff you can run in a sube. I'd probably limit it to starting temps of 40*f or higher. **** ******!

I've never used the GM top cleaner, but my understanding is that it's a bit more intense than Seafoam, both in it's cleaning action and the aftermath (caustic tailpipe fumes after startup and breakdown of motor oil). GM's instructions include a mandatory oil change afterwards. **** ******!

I've actually been wondering aout this. I was sorta under the impression that a FWD, 5-manual, EJ-18 Impreza would be pretty frugal on fuel. Weight is what, mid-2600 lbs. range? It's gotta be capable of 26-27 city, no? Does anybody have one that can comment on fuel economy? **** ******!

Alright, apologies ..kissy, kissy. :-p **** ****!

My posts are for everyone Gary not just you. The choice to read or not to read remains an individual one so nix the "straw man". It ain't flying. :-\ Here's the condensed (retard) version of my completely on-topic previous post. Ready? Here goes: DON'T REMOVE THE DAMPER. (Why? Read the previous full-version of my completely on-topic post.) **** ******!

It's exactly that lack of though that gives rise to mis-information. I'm all for well thought-out explanations, so allow me to finish my thoughts. 1. Harmonic dampers are not pulleys. 2. Pulleys are not harmonic dampers. 3. Sometimes the components and functions of a harmonic damper and pulley are combined together, ala Subaru. The harmonic damper is sometimes incorrectly referred to as a harmonic balancer. It performs absolutely no balancing function whatsoever. The harmonic damper is sometimes incorrectly referred to as a vibration damper. It performs absolutely no vibration damping. The harmonic damper does one thing and one thing only: It damps the peak fundamental torsional resonance of the crankshaft. The crank rings like a bell, to wit: it has a fundamental frequency and a harmonic series. If you tapped on the rod journal with a brass hammer, you would hear a distict note. When the engine's speed matches-up with the crank's fundamental frequency, phase-coherence develops and the crank begins to torsionally ring (essentially twisting and un-twisting). Not good ...it forms stress-nodes on the crank and also feeds harmonic energy back into the rods in a direction that opposses their direction of travel. It's no secret that Subaru seems to put a lot of thought into engine longevity and apparently thinks the damper should be there. Understandably, if the damper/pulley unit isn't robust enough to last the life of the rest of the engine, it should probably be replaced before it fails. IMO, it shouldn't be removed from the equation by replacing it with a pulley. **** ******!

I'm on board with Wayne's intuition ...seems like that sudden-loss-of-power thing that EFI systems do when the fuel filter gets a wad of crud in it. **** ******!

It's generally advised to do any chemical "top-cleaning" towards the end of an oil change interval because of the deleterious effect on the oil's TBN reserve. **** ******!

a.k.a. "Harmonic Damper", a fairly standardized part throughout the auto industy for the last 60 years or so.

Either that or the top rings are finally unstuck from their carbaceous mire of cheap 5W-30 varnish ...maybe a little of both. **** ******!

Lack of power and shuddering under power suggests a misfire under load. When's the last time you've service the plugs and/or wires? I 'spose the coil-pack on it's way out could cause that too. **** ******!

Two things come to mind: I'm almost certain I recall reading a TSB regarding 4EAT lock-up clutch "hiccupping" under the type of condition you're describing. I don't remember the year(sd) or model(s) affected. Customers complaining about it were given a TCU re-flash. Subarus EFI programming tends to re-engage the injectors abruptly when transitioning from off-throttle coastdown back to on-throttle cruise. Subaru really is the king of annoying software glitches. **** ******!

Some of the best UOA's on BITOG are invariably semi-synthetics (Motorcraft, Syntec-blend, etc.) ...better than full synths. I'm not capable of explaining why that is tho. **** ******!

It's been three tanks per vehicle. Not a large increase in my '02, but my '00 jumped noticeably. The best city mileage I've gotten in warm weather without A/C is 23 mpg. It's still been kinda cool here (40*F), but I'm getting almost 25 mpg. The smell isn't the exhaust, but while filling. I can barely smell the exhaust now with these efficient cats nowdays. I ain't complaining! **** ******!