BigMattyD

I would get an oem thermostat, and make sure it is facing the right direction when replacing it. After you reassemble the thermostat housing and hose, park the car on a steep uphill grade or jack up the front end, and fill the cooling system, getting as much air out as possible by squeezing the hoses, etc. When it's full, run the engine long enough for it to warm up, then let it cool a bit, and see if you can put any more coolant in the system. Then put the cap back on the radiator. Make sure you then remove the plastic bleeder screw on the passenger side of the radiator. It has a large phillips-style slot for easy removal. After I removed the plug, I put the end of a plastic funnel into the opening and filled the funnel with a couple inches of coolant and squeezed the hoses to burp out any left over air. I think I also did it with the engine running. I haven't had any problem with air bubbles since. Matt

Here's an idea that may have worked: Try jacking up the front of the car. Most of the times when I have had trouble with the steering wheel lock, it is when I have turned off the car, removed the key, then inadvertently turned the steering wheel until it clicks. The reason it takes so much force to turn the wheel past the locking point to loosen it is because there is resistance from the wheels being fixed in position on the ground. If you lift the front of the car, the tires release from the ground and are suspended freely, taking the back pressure off the steering wheel and allowing it to unlock more easily. Granted, this takes more time and effort than just using brute force on the steering wheel, but if you are not the type of person with the strength to put enough force on the wheel to unlock it (sometimes it takes a lot because the power steering is off) this might be a solution. My wife had this locking problem in her Caravan last week, and I had to come out to the car and yank on the steering wheel to unlock it for her. (She is currently pregnant and in no physical shape to manhandle the steering wheel.) Matt D

I have a 96 with approx 125,000 miles. Never had any major problems. No oil leaks or things like that. I wish it had more power sometimes. I think now that it has 125000 miles, it is time to try the bolt-on supercharger idea that I saw Reddevil try. Seriously, though, I can see this engine getting past 300 000 miles if the rest of the car will stay together. (I live in road-salt laden upstate NY.) I change the oil every 3-5000 miles with name brand or generic 5W-30 oil, and usually Purolator plus filters. I try to change the air filter once a year or two. I changed the timing belt, oil seals and water pump at 109,000 miles. Matt D

Josh, Do you have any dyno charts from the pre-turbo engine? It would be cool to see the difference. Great job, wish I had the time, talent, and tools to get a job like that done (and the money) By the way, did you keep track of the amount of money invested into the turbo swap?? Matt D

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=742063 Here is another link to a shifter rebuild post. I did this in the summer, and it was a little difficult due to the cramped space under the car, but I was able to replace the necessary bushings and linkage from the ************ lever to the transmission. I have some good pics of the work I did. They used to be posted on my website, but they may have been erased. If anyone wants them or wants to host them on their website, let me know and I'll get them for you. Matt P.S> Here is the link to the photos I uploaded to the USMB web site: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/photos/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=2562

It sounds like the dealership you are using really knows what they are doing... When it comes to stealing your money!! Of course they offer a warranty on their repairs. That way they get you to keep coming back to get different things fixed when all you needed was a simple repair. Of course, they installed the catalytic converter and O2 sensors correctly... (Even though there was no reason to.) They will say that there was no fault there, but that your car has a more serious problem that needs further diagnosis, and maybe replacing some other parts, etc... This will go on until you have spent thousands of more dollars or until you pick up on the game they play. Enjoy your new parts, but go somewhere else to get your car fixed from now on, or do some diagnostics yourself. Above all things, get that new gas cap today and see if that works. Matt

I think the shop you took it to is either full of idiots, or they had some leftover parts they wanted to sell you... The code you described is for a evaporative emissions leak. The catalytic converter and O2 sensors are part of a whole different system. The most likely cause of an EVAP leak is a bad gas cap or leaks in the hoses in the evap system. But, those repairs don't come with a $1000+ bill. Matt

That seems to be a lot of money to replace the head gaskets. I would think you could buy a whole new engine and swap it for that price. Maybe I'm wrong.. Matt

Yes, it is on the transmission. I had mine replaced at the dealership 4 yrs ago, because I thought I wouldn't be able to do it. That was before I found this website. Matt P.S. Send a message to Subie Gal who can get the part faster and cheaper and send it in the mail.

I have found in my experience with my Subaru vs. other cars I've had, that I have had to perform maintenance and repair on my Subaru at about the same or maybe a little lower rate than on other cars. The big difference, however, is that it is so much easier to work on than any other car I've had. It is normal to replace the timing belt, front oil seals, and maybe even valve cover gaskets at 85000 miles. If you live in a snow area, you can count on rattling heat shields after about 5 years. The climate control lights are a common failure point, probably because the bulbs have a green rubber cover on them that causes them to overheat. The bulbs are cheap and simple to replace. If you like to work on your own cars, the Subaru is a dream. even if you don't, you can find a good, knowledgeable and honest mechanic who will properly diagnose and repair the car for a lot less than the dealer. The only time I ever set foot into the dealership is when I need a part that I absolutely can't get anywhere else. Matt

I did the timing belt, etc in January, and I changed the t-belt, v-belts, water pump, one idler pulley which was damaged, and I removed and resealed the oil pump. I also changed the crankshaft and camshaft oil seals. Replacing the timing belt, water pump, and idler pulley are really pretty easy. Removing and replacing the oil seals takes a lot of patience and effort, but it can be done. You need to replace at least the crankshaft oil seal if you plan to remove and reseal the oil pump. The idler pulleys are relatively expensive, so I would not change them unless they were damaged. If the oil seals are not leaking, I don't think its necessary to change them either, but I did it anyway. You should consider replacing the thermostat and coolant hoses, since they are cheap and you will probably be removing them anyway to get the radiator out of the way. Matt

I agree with grossgary. You need to see the leak occuring to tell what's going on. Either get a friend to help, or turn the throttle mechanism by hand from inside the engine compartment. matt

I live just northeast of Binghamton, NY. It is 3:20 pm. The snow began at about 2pm, and we have already accumulated 2 inches. It is wet, heavy, fluffy/slushy snow. I am sure there will be problems to come. My wife just called to let me know the power is out at home. matt

Just one more reason to love the 2.2. The spark plugs are easy to get to, I think. matt

It is threaded into the passenger side rear of the intake manifold. There is a large rubber hose attached to one end with a clamp, and the other end is threaded into the intake manifold. Matt

The fuel filter is the metal can with two hoses coming out of it on the driver's side between the brake fluid reservoir and the strut tower. I suggest replacing it. It's very simple to do. Matt

Yes, there are a lot of things under the timing belt cover that get hot. The face of the engine block is under the t-belt cover, and the whole engine gets hot when it is running. It does not have to be all that hot to evaporate coolant and cause a white, steamy cloud. The water pump could be leaking coolant into the t-belt area, part of which would evaporate and create steam, and some of which would run down the front of the engine onto the oil pan, then back along the oil pan, and possibly into the jacking plate that you mention. If you have the skill and time, you could remove the timing belt cover and see what's up. Matt

there is a shareware program called: Winrar That will open the archive. matt http://www.download.com/3000-2250-10007677.html This is a link to download.com.

I ate at Taco Bell last night, so at least for now, we have bad gas in upstate New York... matt

I can only say that I was lucky enough to be the first member to post the correct answer to this question, not that I am the smartest man in the universe or the greatest diagnostician of all time... Glad it's fixed. I can bet you were about to beat yourself up for screwing up your car during simple, routine maintenance. Matt

2 years ago, I bought snow tires for my car and my wife's. I got her the fancy, name-brand Blizzaks, and I got Kumho I'zen Studs. The Izen Studs are studdable winter tires, they were about 1/2 the price of the Blizzaks, and I have no complaints with their handling or performance. I have been able to accelerate and brake efficiently in the snow, when most other cars barely move. I did not put studs in mine, there is really no reason to unless you live on an iceberg. I got mine at Tire rack.com, but I don't know if they still carry them. Matt

I recently bought a rebuilt alternator from 1st subaruparts.com. It was excellent quality at a great price, even when you factor in shipping and returning the old alternator. Matt

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=34929&highlight=tick Click on the above link for my ticking story. Maybe it will be some help to you. matt

Check two things: that all the hoses are connected to the air intake, and that none have come off and not been replaced. also check that the electrical connecter to the MAF (the square box) is connected. Matt

http://scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91 The above link is a step by step how-to with pictures and Subaru part numbers for the bulbs. I suffered for a couple years without the lights in the A/C panel, just poking away at dark buttons, and this only took about 1/2 hour to fix. I did not use the subaru bulbs, i used mini-bulbs that I bought from mouser electronics. I would recommend the OEM for a factory-fresh experience. The bulbs have a green cover that you can try to remove and place on new bulbs, but I tore the covers on mine, so the color of the lights in the a/c area does not match the rest of the dash lighting, but I don't care. Matt