Bluestone

I just got some new engine oil filters for my 2000 Leg. Denso brand. They're noticeably smaller than the oil filters used to be. I've used oem and Napa gold previously. Do the smaller filters do as good a job at filtering as the older larger ones?

DBA slotted rotors are incredibly good; I've got them ( series 4000) on the front wheels of my Legacy wagon, along with some ceramic pads. Powerful, fade free braking. http://www.dba.com.au

My 2000 Legacy GT wagon's got water leaking into its map light assemblywhen it rains, obviously from the sun roof area. But where exactly might the entry point for the water be located? The map lights are still working; the water hasn't shorted them out yet (water accumulates in the semi-clear plastic piece and then drips-runs out); and the flip up roof and slide back one both still work so far, so the electrics haven't been affected by the water, yet.

Ok, thanks; car's outside, I'll wait till daylight.

The battery in my 2000 Legacy wagon is loose. I can't figure out how the battery is secured to prevent it from moving around. Does anyone have a diagram or picture showing the battery properly secured which they could post? There's a metal plate across the battery top through which two slim rods, one on either side, pass through with a nut on each end which tightens, and the other ends are hooked. To what are the hooked ends secured? The battery sits on a sort of plastic plate . The plate has a grove in each end. I tried to secure the hooked ends of the rods to the plate but it's not at all secure. When I replaced the spark plugs a while back I did remove the battery for easier access to the plugs but can't recall how I secured the battery after putting it back in. Possibly I left a critical piece out...dunno. Anyway, a diagram or picture would really help.

OK, looks like I managed to get it back in after monkeying with it for a while.

The drop down coin(?) container on the lower left driver's side of the dashboard won't stay shut any more( in fact I can't even secure it adequately into the dash again. Anyone have any ideas/suggestions about securing it once again? Nothing that I can see appears to have broken off. 2000 Legacy.

Before I did my first spark plug change on my 2000 Legacy wagon a while back I was a bit concerned after hearing how "difficult" it was to do but I really found the procedure to be pretty easy. I first moved aside the washer reservoir and the air cleaner conduit, then pulled the battery(some leave the battery in but I removed it to assure easy access). Spark plug access was then a "piece of cake". I connected my spark plug socket to a 10 inch extension and attached that to a flex head socket wrench. Plugs removed quite easily(the previous plugs were not overly tightened). I installed NGK platinum-tipped plugs(#BKR6EGP) , smearing their threads with anti-seize compound. I also replaced the spark plug wires using NGK wires. The whole process was without drama and took me about 2 hours(no need to rush). My Legacy wagon has been running just fine since then. Anyway, quality spark plugs will last a good 30k miles before they should be replaced so plug replacement is not a frequent necessity if engine is in good shape.

Bar's Leaks, a stop leak additive that's been around for many decades uses ground up walnut shells( as I understand) as it's main component. I used it in a couple of Peugeots years ago. Peugeots were notorious for head gasket problems. The Bar's Leaks plugged up the heater cores of those two Peugeots. I've even used "AlumAseal" with disappointing results. The Subaru cooling system additive, however, is a far cry from Bar's Leaks ad AlumAseal. I've had it in my Subie's (2000 Legacy GT Wagon) cooling system for the last two coolant changes, about 60k miles, without any issues. My Subie's Head gaskets seem pretty tight so far, with no evidence of hot running, (knock on wood)even during hot summer days with the A/C on. Occasionally I need to add just a bit of coolant to the reservoir to keep it at the proper level. But the temp indicator always stays in the center of the gauge. So the Subaru cooling system additive appears to be working as intended.

2000 legacy GT wagon 2.5L - MT What's so special about Subaru's coolant that can't be found in any other brand. The stealership prices are just a big fat ripoff. I just hate being screwed out of my hard earned money by greedy scumbags, which is what most (all?) stealerships are, IMHO.

Subaru labeled coolant is nearly $30 for a gallon jug at the stealership. Are there safe alternatives available? (Brand names, please)

I've been using full synthetic motor oil in my Sube since the 3k mile mark. Castrol or Valvoline. Changing it and the filter every 5k miles. A while back I put Red Line 75w-90NS gear oil in the gear box and was amazed at the improvement in gear shifting. So about 2500 miles ago I decided to go for Red Line motor oil. It's expensive, but I found a source for it at about $8.20 per bottle by the case. And no tax or shipping charge. Valvoline or Castrol synthetic sells for at least $6.50 a bottle; so it's over $7.00 with tax locally. For just about $1.20 more per bottle I got Red Line, definitely superior to most of the others..their 5w-40, a viscosity that I prefer in my Sube year round. Since putting in the Red Line, I've found my Sube's engine to be noticeably smoother running; it even sounds smoother. I'll change the filter at the 5k mile mark and top up the Red Line, then change both the oil and filter at 10k miles. I'm so pleased with Red Line oils....both for my Subie's gear box and engine. Well, I'd be a bit concerned with Mobil 1 0w-30 in hot summer temps. I may be wrong, but 0w-30's film strength might be compromised in, say, 90-100˚+ F driving, especially at higher speeds, even though it is a high quality synthetic. I'd research this further, though.

I've always thought very highly of Red Line's SI-1 Fuel System Cleaner; I've been putting a bottle of it into my Sube's gas tank every once in a while. I've noticed that when I do, my Subie's gas mileage increases by about 2 mpg, as well as show a bit more power and even smoother running ....which is not to say that my Sube hasn't been running smoothly, it has....but then I always use mid range gas (89 octane) instead of regular (87 octane). With the SI-1 added to the gas, accelerating from lower rpms in 3rd gear, for example, is smooth as silk without a hint of roughness or lugging. I'm guessing that the SI-1 increases the efficiency and combustion of the gasoline; the formulae of todays gas, I'm sure, leaves a lot to be desired. Of course, aside from performance improvements, it really cleans out the fuel system and combustion chamber. But what factors or compounds in SI-1 would actually account for it's ability to increase gas mileage and improve overall engine running?

Thanks for the urls, nipper. The article at aa1car.com states that one can use a low pressure gauge when adding refrig. I might get one of those, or one that comes with the refrigerant. 25-40 lbs pressure is what to go for. So if I add refreg 'till the qauge read 40 lbs, I will have charged the ac system to maximum efficiency. Hmm, that sounds like the way to go.

Ok, if I use a thermometer, what would be the lowest temp readout at a dashboard vent that I should go for. Since overcharging would lead to ac trouble, I figure I would add refrigerant a little at a time until the ideal temp is reached. I'm thinking about 41˚F with the thermometer inserted into the vent. Does that sound reasonable? Or is that pushing it to far?

My Subie's air conditioner has never needed attention. While it still puts out cold air, it's not as icy cold as it used to be....noticeable a while back when we had a few days of 90+F temps. It likely has lost a bit of refrigerant over time, so I'd like to top it off with some HFC-134a to bring back maximum efficiency. Having no experience with dealing with ACs, and not wanting to run into trouble due to improper technique or procedure, I'd like to know the proper method for adding refrigerant. There are two valves in the tubes going from the ac compressor, each covered with a blue plastic screw-on cap. I'm assuming that refrigerant is added via one of them. Could anyone give me the "short course" or point me to one? I'd be much obliged.

After having fits trying, in vain, to get a correct oil level reading on my Subie over the years, I've finally found the answer. 1) Park your Sube on level ground. 2) Let it sit there for 3 days; a day or two isn't long enough. 3) Then, pull the dipstick out, clean off the oil, and put the dipstick back in. 4) Repeat step #3 fifty times. 5) Then check the oil level. If it seems too low or too high to be correct, that's likely true. 6) If it seems too low, add a quart. If it seems too high, drain a quart. Then, if you've added a quart, drain a half quart out. If you've drained a quart, add a half quart back. 7) Wait three more days. Just one or two days isn't long enough. 8) Repeat steps 3 and 4. 9) If the oil level is either a half inch below or a half inch above the full mark, the correct oil level is somewhere in between there. Consider that good enough because you're not gonna get a more exact reading than that. This IS a Subaru after all.

Well, I, for one, would be willing (here in the States) to downsize to a microcar like the R2 (the type S w/supercharger and AWD looks mighty sweet!). Have you come across any mpg figures for the R2S? I haven't been able to find any. I do think that as gas prices go through the stratosphere, more and more folks will be be willing to make radical changes in their car buying choices and downsize to a microcar like the R2. With Sube's rated gas mileage currently no higher than 27 mpg, with 17-20 around town, that kind of mileage will be unacceptable for more and more of us as gas prices reach $6, $7, $8 a gallon and even higher over the next few years. Here in the Bay Area of northern California, gas is $4-$4.30 a gallon at the moment and diesel fuel has reached $5 a gallon . With diesel fuel prices going even higher than gas prices and the spread between the two apparently getting wider, Subaru's diesel engined Outback, likely being sold in the States in a couple of years, might not be economical enough to drive for many. Anyway, I do think that it's time for the R2 to be offered here in the States.

What I find rather puzzling is why folks who purchase cars with turbo engines in this time of $4 a gallon gas (and headed far, far higher) are concerned about low gas mileage.:-\ Each time the turbo is activated, the car becomes a gas guzzler (requiring premium gas, at that!). And if you're trying to avoid using the turbo to save fuel costs, why did you buy a turbo-engined car in the first place? Subes, being AWD vehicles, are not the thriftiest on gas, anyway. As they say, "if ya wanna play, ya gotta pay". You've paid, what, an extra $1k for the turbo engine model? Ok, so you're gonna have to pay more to run it, as well. Anyway, you really won't know what the best gas mileage your car is capable of 'till you've put, maybe, 5k miles on it, even though Subaru says that it's broken in at 1k miles. It takes a few thousand miles more for everything engine/drivetrain related to really come together, to really reach it's optimum point. That's my tuppence, anyway.

Well clearly, Subaru's gonna have to come up with some high mpg cars if they wanna still sell cars, especially in the US. Ya never know, that might , possibly, mean abandoning AWD, at least in gasoline powered cars. As gasoline prices go through 5, 6, 7 and 8 dollars a gallon in the next few years, turbo engines will become passé (let's face it, whenever a turbo is actuated, the car that it's in becomes a big time gas hog). What's likely to happen is cars with turbo gas engines will plummet in resale value (especially so for the STi) just as is starting to happen with gas-swilling SUVs. As the economy, here, in the US implodes, the unemployment/underemployment rate goes higher and higher and the cost of food skyrockets, (yup, it's all gonna happen...or aren't you paying attention?), folks will be thinking "economy first"; not many people will have the money to burn on a low mpg vehicle (and that may mean any car that gets under 30 or 35 mpg), or even the inclination to consider one. The party's pretty much over, boys and girls; we're in an era, now, of some gut wrenching changes.

I think I've seen someone somewhere (can't remember where) mention a 3rd generation EJ25 engine in the more recent Subes. Is that in fact so? If so, what are the mods in that version?

I've got the Yokohama Avid V4s on my Sube and am quite pleased with them....I'm on my second set. Nice handling and really good performance in rain. They do grip the road nicely. Dunno about ice/snow; I've not driven in those conditions so far. I've purchased my tires from Big O Tires. Their prices seem to be competitive and lifetime rebalancing is included along with tire rotation. Their service has been quite good; one thing that impressed me is their use of a torque wrench to tighten the lug nuts( at least at the Big O that I've been to in Berkeley) rather than an air wrench which many other places use. I've had the experience many times before of finding my car's lug nuts so tight that I could barely budge them. Once, a lug nut was on so tight (having originally been grossly overtightened by a gorilla with an air wrench:rolleyes: ) that I broke a wrench trying to loosen it. I've toyed with the idea of purchasing tires from Tire Rack but figured that after getting the tires I'd have to schlep them to an installer and pay for the installation, and then pay for any future rebalancing, and probably rotations, too. So the ultimate savings in cost wouldn't likely be significant, if at all. The Yoko Avids are are third on Tire Rack's survey of customer ratings for high performance all-season tires, not too shabby. But the Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S tires, rated #1 on the survey, look especially good; I just might go for those next time around. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=AVID+V4S http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Pilot+Exalto+A%2FS http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=HPAS

Besides lower gas mileage, the other drawback of AWD is faster tire wear; AWD reduces tread life by, maybe, 25%. With gas prices going up, up, up and tires getting more and more costly, these factors might be something to consider for the really economy minded. Hmm, maybe I should chuck my Sube for a horse and buggy, a la the Pennsylvania Dutch. Naah, a horse eats like...well, a horse. And the prices of grains are going through the roof. Ah, I know! I'll get a rickshaw, and have one of my concubines power it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subaru_360 Here's a 360 powered Sube that got 100mpg! For some strange reason, it was known as Cockaru.......or was it a Dickaru? I forget. http://www.drive.subaru.com/Sum06_attic3.htm The Microcar Museum has some neat photos of a mint Sube 360. Check out some other really cool microcars there as well: http://www.microcarmuseum.com/tour/subaru360.html

Yeah, 60mph......with a tailwind, and going downhill as well:lol: You'd be risking your life going 50mph in that little fart-powered rolling coffin:eek: