BigMattyD

Thanks for the reply. I probably don't HAVE to remove the engine, but I think it will be easier with it out. The clearance on the sides of the engine are pretty tight with my car. I've seen some people do it on youtube, but it involved a lot of moving the engine up and down, back and forth, and quite a bit of swearing. Also, I think it would be easier on my back to be able to work on the engine without having to bend over the side of the car. I have an engine hoist already, so I am leaning toward full engine removal. Then I could also check the rear seal or oil separator plate if necessary. I don't know. Maybe I am being stupid changing the HG, but I just think it would be easier to sell when fixed. There is some rust on the rear wheel wells like most other 03 outbacks I've seen, but mechanically it is pretty good otherwise. Matt.

I have a 2003 2.5 L AT Outback Wagon with 170000 miles. I have had a small external HG coolant and oil leak since about 120,000 miles, which has been worsening very slowly. It started on the drivers side gasket, but after a while, the passenger side gasket also developed a leak. It drips on the exhaust manifold, causing a burning smell, and occasionally some smoke. It runs well, but I will eventually want to sell or trade it in, and oil all over the bottom of the car is not a strong selling point! I am finally getting around to changing the head gaskets. When I remove the engine, I am planning to replace any other areas of potential leakage, such as cam and crank seals, valve cover and spark plug gaskets, etc. I changed the timing belt , water pump and thermostat at about 110,000 miles. I also replaced a bad timing belt idler at that time. I am planning to keep this car for probably a year or less, then try to sell it. Is there any need to change the rear main seal, or oil separator plate (as long as it's not the plastic one?) Plugs and wires are recent. I will be replacing the intake and exhaust gaskets, of course. Is there anything else I should be changing? Matt

I have a harbor freight 12 ton shop press that I can use. Is pressing a bearing out and in something I can handle, if I take the whole steering knuckle off? I dont have any of the subaru special bearing tools.

While driving, the sound comes from the front but I can't tell which side. after I got home, I felt all 4 hubs, inside whe wheel. Basically, the center part of the brake rotor. The only one that was noticeably warmer was the front left. I have not jacked up the car to check the bearing noise for sure yet, but I think I may be on to it. It is hard though, to be sure that the extra heat on the left wasnt due to a draggy brake pad or something else.

Thanks a lot, I will take a look at it when I get home. I will try spinning the wheels and feeling or listening for grinding. I have a stethoscope that might help.

Yes, as I search through similar threads, that is what I am seeing.

Here are the details: 2003 Outback Wagon, AT. 166,000 miles Recently, there has been a pronounced humming noise and mild vibration, only when at speed above 40 mph and turning steering wheel to left side. Any magnitude of left steering causes this hum. When I go perfectly straight or to the right, there is no hum. The humming frequency changes with wheel speed but not engine speed. It is a mild, low frequency hum that sounds like rough pavement or tire hum, (kind of like a knobby tire or something). It is a noise that sounds like it is coming from the front of the car, but also a mild vibration felt in the floor of the vehicle and the steering wheel. Additional info: Right side inner drive axle boot is torn, and axle has been clicking mildly on steep right turns. All 4 tires just replaced. Noise is the same with the old or new tires. Wheel alignment was just done at time of tire replacement. No difference. A few weeks ago I had a NY state inspection. No issues noted RE: loose suspension components (ball joint, tie rod, etc.) I feel I should be looking for either worn suspension or steering parts or maybe a bad wheel bearing. Can anyone give me any further direction? Matt

Thanks for the part number. Now I just need to decide when and if I am going to take the time to fix it, or maybe I'll attach a shield to keep the leaking oil off of the exhaust pipe instead.

Hello, I am getting ready to replace head gaskets on my 2.5L SOHC in my 2003 Outback. It has slowly been leaking coolant and oil externally for a couple of years now, and it is getting annoying. I have read that it is best to replace the original gaskets with the gaskets from the 2.5L Turbo version of the engine. Does anyone have the Subaru part number for this version of the head gaskets so I can make sure I get the right ones? Thanks, Matt

Woo Hoo! Easy fix and saved a ton of money! Great Job!

I had a problem with mice in my car last winter. They made nests under the carpet and in the center console, etc. I thoroughly vacummed and cleaned any area I could find evidence of mice. I actually had to lift up the carpet in the trunk, and the access panel for the spare tire, get underneath the plastic in the center console, etc. That really helped. I vacuumed out all their nesting and food storage, and made sure to keep the car spotless. It may also help to move the car and park somewhere else for a while. Matt

Wait, Now hold on a sec, are you a lady, Heartless? If I'd have known that, I'd never have helped you out!!!! Just Kidding, If you are indeed a female, I am glad to have helped. In fact, I have two young ladies of my own who sometimes help me with the cars, but far too infrequently, as they are both absorbed in princess stories and boys and the like. Props to all the ladies out there who are brave, smart, and cool enough to work on their cars! I only hope I can get my little ladies (5 and 6 yrs old now) to develop a love for wrenching on the vehicles! Matty D And Emilee and Bethany!

I just did the rear struts on my 2003 OBW, due to a need to make an emergency repair. The right rear strut's bottom spring seat rusted to the point that it let go of the strut tube, and the spring extended fully, (with an impressively loud BANG!) dropping the right rear corner all the way to the bumper-stop thingie. I ordered the KYB struts from RockAuto, and replaced both the rears. The struts themselves were still working fine, but I saw that the spring mount on the other side was pretty rusty too, so I figured its best to change them both at the same time. As far as I can tell, the KYB GR-2 (or Excel-G as they are now called) are the exact same strut as the OEM. I had a pair of Strut compressors called "MacStrut" that I had bought several years ago. Just to be safe, I bought a pair of the Harbor Freight Screw-type compressors right before the job, and I'm glad I did. On the first spring, one of the compressors twisted into a weird position, and I had to use a 3rd compressor to free it without causing a big problem. After that, I found that clamping a small pair of vise grips on the spring just "uphill" from the lower two-jaw clamp really helps to prevent it from "walking" up the ramp and getting skewed at an abnormal axis. The upper single jaw has the two J bolts with wing nuts to hold it in place, so that really doesnt seem to move as much. To take off the upper mounting nut, I used a deep 17mm socket that I held in a pair of vise grips, and the appropriate long handled allen key, again held with vise grips, to break the nut free, and remove it. Yes, you must compress the spring to do it properly. An uncompressed spring is just too long to allow the top to be mounted. As for mounting the spring compressor while the spring is still compressed on the vehicle: That's a personal choice. I briefly considered it before I removed the strut, but I just didn't see how it would be that much easier. It is very easy to attach and tighten the spring compressors after the strut is removed from the vehicle, and the tightening only takes a small amount of time with an impact wrench and a 24mm socket. I was careful to use the lowest possible torque setting on my wrench so I would not damage the compressors. I found that the HF compressors worked surprisingly well. No complaints at all, and for a great price. Matt

Well it sounds good now. 0.02 amps is 20 milliamps. That is a normal amount of current drain. Good job getting a replacement battery.

This may sound stupid, but maybe you could try sticking them down with some type of adhesive caulk applied to the back side? Like the kind you would use to seal doors and windows from lowe's or home depot? That might hold it down, yet be easy enough to scrape off if you ever wanted to remove it... Matt

Why are you being so lame? Get out there and work, man!! No way, I'm just kidding. No need to undergo heat exhaustion for such a thing. I am at work, and it is over 80 degrees with the AC on in here. Matt

Ok, here's why it didn't work: You need to put the ammeter in series with the circuit you are testing. That is, you need to disconnect the positive battery terminal, then put one probe on the battery terminal, and one probe on the battery connector you just took off. The current actually has to flow THROUGH the meter. You have it in parallel, which is what you do to check the voltage. Do it like this: [(+)bat terminal ]<pos probe---meter----neg probe>[(+) Battery lead wire] So again, the connector on the battery must be removed, and you put the meter in between the battery and the battery connector you just removed. Matty D

Here is from optima website: "The OPTIMA® RedTop® high-performance AGM battery is the ultimate high-CCA starting battery designed to deliver the strongest 5-second ignition power for a reliable start-up every time. The RedTop will outperform and outlast traditional batteries in demanding cranking/starting applications. With unparalleled high power delivery and extreme resistance to the most common causes of battery failure, the RedTop is idea for trucks, SUV's, luxury cars, hot rods, off-road vehicles and other applications that require a leak-proof starting-only battery." I think this battery is optimized for high cranking amperage, but may not do so well for long term low level drain. It looks like their yellow top battery is designed for that: "The YellowTop® high-performance AGM battery is one of the only true dual-purpose automotive batteries available. With premium cranking power and unparalleled cycling capability (rechargeability), it is perfect for modern accessory-loaded vehicles. The YellowTop can repeatedly bounce back from deep power drains to full energy capacity, so it can power plenty of electronics and still start you up time after time. Lower internal resistance also provides more consistent power output and faster recharges." Their Blue-Top Marine/RV battery seems even better suited to long term current drain, but has less initial starting capacity. So, as far as Automotive batteries go, it seems that there is a trade-off between high initial cranking power and long term drain and recharge capability. If you have a modest, but noticeable current drain, and you are effectively deep-cycling your Red Top battery that is designed to be a shallow cycle battery, it will wear out much more quickly than a yellow or blue top. Matt

Yeah, that's what I said. So you may need a new battery, but I would still be on the lookout for a current drain. Perhaps that's why your new battery died after a year. Most Car batteries are shallow-cycle batteries, meaning that they work well outputting a lot of amperage for a short period of time to start the car, but don't take well to prolonged current drain to low voltage levels. Matt

My Gut (and it is a Big Gut:)) tells me that it could be a combo of a current drain from the radio or some other circuit AND a weak or failing battery. I know you said it is only a year old, but it may have some type of internal damage or manufacturing defect that has reduced its capacity to where a constant 1/2 amp draw will deplete it enough that it will not start the car in the morning. Do you have a multimeter you could use to measure the current draw on your battery to see what it reads at home? If you do, you can set the meter to the amps or milliamps scale, then you disconnect one of the battery terminals and put one of your meter probes on the battery terminal, and the other on the battery cable clamp. It should read out how much current drain you have. Of course, you need to make sure the car is off, the doors are closed, etc. to get a good measurement. You could isolate a faulty battery by borrowing one from another car if you have one, to see if that helps. Matt

I know, I know, I'm the best, everyone wants to hang out with me, etc.... I am just glad I was able to help you get that thing fixed without having to spend a ton of money. Now enjoy the hottest day of the year... Matt

0.56 Amps seems like a big drain to me. 10-50 milliamps seems more normal to keep the clock and any other long term memory type stuff alive. you have 560 milliamps! anyway, it seems like there is some kind of drain on your battery, like you said. Now you just need to go ahead and test the different circuits to see which one is at fault.

Excellent! So basically all your tests were normal, which leads to the conclusion that the MAF sensor is whacked out. I am not sure if this is one of the types of MAF sensors that can be cleaned, maybe post a new msg about it, or better yet, search the forums because I know it's been discussed. Does your parts car have one you can swap over? Matt

Another thing I noticed with the third section of measurements is that some of the values you listed were negative numbers. There is no such thing as a negative number on the resistance scale. Double check that you didn't mistakenly have it on a voltage range instead of the ohms. In fact, you should set it on the lowest ohm range you have. Also, test your meter to see how many ohms it registers when you connect the two probes together. Theoretically, it should be zero, but often it reads 0.03 or something like that due to resistance in the leads or internal components. You can subtract that value from your result to get the true measurement. But on the ohms scale, you should never get a negative number. Matt

Ok, The first two steps tested normally, it is the 3rd one I wonder about. Basically, they want you to see if there is a good ground on pin 3 of the connector. Is it a five-pin plug in a straight line like this: 12345? If so, then it is obviously the center pin no matter which way you look at it. If that center pin is measuring close to zero ohms, the ground is good. The other pins readings are off, they should be infinity (no reading or OL, or however your meter signifies an open circuit, but I believe they want you to check it with the ecm still disconnected. That may be why you got those unusual readings for the other pins. Go ahead, try disconnecting that ecm connector and check pin 3 of the MAF sensor connector to ground. It should still read close to zero ohms. If your sensor doesn't have a five pin connector like my 96 legacy did, then you need to figure out which one is pin 3. Also, If you are checking for a connection to ground, you have to make sure your test probe is properly connected to a good ground, not just touching some random bolt or engine piece, etc. I usually wedge the probe into the soft lead negative terminal of the battery to get a good connection. If there is a good ground to pin 3 of the maf connector, your diagnosis is over, and you need to get a new maf sensor. If not, then you need to find where that pin 3 wire grounds to and check the ground connection, or find a break in the wire. From the test results you posted, it looks like the pin 3 wire is grounded, (but the other pins should not have been.) However, that may be because you had it plugged into the ecu. I think it wants you do do it unplugged. A bad maf sensor will make the car run poorly if at all. The ecu will not be able to adjust the mixture. With my car, when the maf sensor was inadvertently left unplugged, it would not even start. Matt