mjreilly

Wasn't Simple Green marketing originally as a degreaser? matt

Plastic bag stuck on the exhaust manifold or cat? Worth a look. cheers, matt

Vacuum leak? Maybe a hole in a vacuum hose? Should be pretty easy to find, listen for hissing and feel around. cheers, Matt

Since his is starting with gas dribbled into the TB maybe it is something else but a bad coolant temp sensor can cause a no start condition when the engine is hot. I had it happend to me and it drove me crazy for weeks until I replaced the sensor. Maybe the time it takes to undo the air intake and having the air intake off is allowing the extra gas to evaporate. Of course, why would it then start with more gas dribbled in. Maybe the extra time it takes to do the above is allowing the engine to cool down and the engine temp is getting in line with what the sensor is reporting to the ECU. Hmmmm.

I'm still pulling for the coolant temp sensor. My 95 Outback would often start right up when cold, I would drive a short distance for gas and it wouldn't start up at the gas station. Like Nippler said, if it's getting spark, it may be the coolant temp sensor telling the ECU it's dead cold when its not and flooding the engine. good luck, matt

If it's only happening when the engine is warm it could also be the coolant temp. sensor.

Is the spare tire fully fastened down? Maybe that could be the thumping. cheers, matt

I believe the the ECU has a fuse that you can pull to cut power and reset it without losing radio/security system settings. As to which fuse and whether its in the fuse box inside the car or under the hood I dunno, maybe someone else can chime in with that info? cheers, matt

And AWD.

Check the solenoid/starter, battery & cables. If those are all good, check the ignition switch. cheers, Matt

Couldn't this be an issue with the cam/crank position sensors? If the ECU doesn't think the engine is turning over, it's not going to supply fuel? Correct or way off base? Anyway, good luck, matt

The position of the climate buttons pretty much guarantees that they get splashed with whatever you put in the cup holders. Cleaning sounds like a good option to me.

95 is the 2.2L, it's really just a Legacy L with two-tone paint, "active safety package" (AWD, ABS) and a decal on the back hatch. I've been thinking going the same route, swapping in 96 outback struts to get "real" outback lift. Great find, good luck, matt

I was wondering about this last year with my 95 Outback Wagon. I did some googling and I found this column from the Car Talk guys and it put my mind at ease. I've read elsewhere on the web that the dealer airbag inspection is a visual inspection of the airbag covers and nothing else (well, probably making the ABS light is functioning properly). cheers, Matt

I had a 1980 Pinto when I was in highschool. It had a defect where the lobes of the cam would wear down. THAT was painfully slow. I can't imagine any modern automobile not being better.

To be fair, it's not just Subaru or Subaru fans that forgot this, it's all of the U.S.A.

As Outback_97 mentioned, speed and driving style makes a huge difference in mileage. Wind resistance increase as a square of your speed so your cruising speed on the highway makes an enormous impact. I have a 95 Outback 2.2L and if I'm taking a long highway trip I set the cruise at about 68 mph and I'll end up getting 27 mpg, not too shabby considering the size and age of the car and it's AWD. The other big factor is your use of the throttle when driving around town. If your drive like a granny (no offense to the grannies out there) you'll get better mileage. I have a Ford Focus with a 5MT and 2.3L engine that makes a surprising amount of power and it's amazing how driving style affects my mileage. If I shift with the idiot shift light (i.e. keep the revs way down) I can get 30 or more around town. If I open it up and have some fun it can drop as low as 24-25. cheers, matt

I think the point is increased gas mileage, nothing wrong with that.

From what I've gathered reading these boards, 99 was the first year with the Phase II SOHC 2.5L in the forester, which fixed the blown headgasket problem of the Phase I DOHC and replaced it with the leaking head gasket problem. The fix for the leaking headgasket is the Subaru goo in the coolant. cheers, matt

Thanks for the info. cheers, matt

What is different, suspension-wise between Legacys and Outback of the same generation? I was under the impression it's just the struts and maybe the springs. Where is the frame member spacer? cheers, matt

The tests I could perform with my $15 digital multimeter were, according to Haynes, check battery voltage with car off, should be ~12, check voltage at battery terminals with car running, should be ~14. Mine was 13.9 so I have the alternator tested at autozone and it passed. This was after changing the battery, starter and battery cables. As I said in the previous post, the hard start relay has solved all my problems. Even though it passed, I have a feeling my alternator might be slightly borderline but I'm getting by right now so I'll wait. matt

This is the post I used when I installed mine. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showpost.php?p=410405&postcount=6 I bought the 20 Amp automotive relay and inline fuse holder at Radio Shack. When I was searching through to find the post that helped me I was reminded of some other things to check: bad grounds/battery cables. I had replaced mine and still no go so I put in the relay. It's turned over every single time since. good luck, matt

I have a similar intermittent starting problem that was solved with a "hard start" relay at the starter solenoid. I figure the ignition switch contacts are worn/corroded to some extent. Would almost always start after much fiddling with the key. I installed a relay at the starter so the ignition switch triggers just the relay which in turn triggers the starter solenoid. good luck, matt

I thought that for the turbo in the XT premium is "required" but for the H6 it is only "recommended."