CNY_Dave

The cooler lines should normally be under very little pressure. Fluid gets pumped through the spin-on filter (if present) then through the cooler, then it just dumps back into the pan. Dave

Was that a gallon of alcohol per gallon of gas?

On my 2003 3.0 during 'spirited' driving, some grease sneaks under the small boot clamp. On mine the first boot to go (still driving on it) is the left-outer, I'm up a bit over 170k miles now. Dave

An effective method, but one I would be cautious using. Oddly it's one of those things safer to do with a full tank rather than a partial tank. That said, I may pursue this method for tracking down the cause of my p1443 code. Dave

I would move the tires around to make sure it's not that... wheel bearings hum but usually the noise does not vary during the wheels revolution. Mind you, they can make all kinds of noise and do odd things, but usually not quite what you described, more of a hum that builds in volume and frequency the faster you go. Dave

I *think* you could use any '01-'04 VDC trans. Using a non-VDC trans would probably require changing the TCU and probably the ECU would not be happy as well. Dave

It sees all the pressure, but there is little total force. Call it 35 pounds per square inch, the force on a 0.01 square-inch area plug would be 0.35lbs. Dave

Except for those that have 'em... Anyway, that dead motor may be worth a little to someone who wants to rebuild a spare 3.0 while still driving theirs. Dave

Mileage will take a hit if they upped the ethanol content, or started adding ethanol. Winter blend, eccch. Dave

Valve still works, code is back. So, more than one thing was broken... Dave

I'm often at 44/43 to get the treadwear even across the face. Dave

This thread needs pics! Dave

I'm guessing less the caliper slider and leaning more towards the pad getting stuck on one side. I don't think the whole caliper could rack enough to wear just one corner/end down. But, one of those two things. Dave

I hate mice. So far only critter that has chewed on my wires is a groundhog the dog chased under the car, and it climbed all the way up to just under the windshield. I think since I park outdoors and there is a big cozy garage nearby, they much prefer the garage. Dave

Forgot I don't have a sig- 2003 LL bean with the H6. Dave

There is hose/filter/valve assembly just ahead of the rear bumper on the right side, part of the evap system. I just followed the diagnostic in a downloaded manual. Dave

I've been dodging fixing an emissions code, P1443. Dove into it today, research showed it was most likely the drain valve, and if you connect the green connector under the dash, all solenoids and the fans are supposed to cycle. Was getting power, it didn't cycle, I managed to get it apart and the round slider was stuck in the bore. Wasn't rust, the plastic in the bore had swelled a bit. Poked around, found the hex part of an old clutch pushrod from a '67 GTO I had years back was a tight fit in the loose part of the bore. Chucked it in the drill press, bored the bore just a skosh, it's like new! Dave

Like it's so hard to find a pic of a stuck subie! Dave

Small note to add- wet/dry is better overall, but WD-40 works quite well on 'dry' sandpaper too- it does not attack the adhesive. Now, just doing this on a concrete floor, no sandpaper- that's old-school. Dave

Manual says within one-quarter inch in circumference, which you can measure with a piece of string or a flexible tape measure. You could run radically different types of tires as long as the rolling circumference matched the AWD would be happy- but what would happen hitting the gas or brake when it was slick out, who knows. Now if you are just out of spec and have two tall tires the same size and two short tires the same size, you can put a tall and a short in front, and a tall and a short in the rear, probably best to have tall's diagonally opposite... I'm pretty sure if they were only a little out of spec nothing weird would happen as far as handling goes, and maybe even the rear limited-slip would be happy. Maybe. But, if not poor/desperate and you want it to last as long as possible, make 'em match. Dave

A few '01s and '02s seem to have the early chain tensioner failure, haven't seen that reported on an '03 yet, very few re[ported head gasket problems, it has a regular 4EAT if it's the LL bean, the VDC model has the VDT trans with the center diff, 44/55 power split, and traction control. They make great highway cars as they are geared a bit higher than the 4 cyl outbacks, and it'll pull 120mph stock. 100, 110 are very easy to hit, those last 10mph take a bit of distance. Bought mine with 55K 3 years ago, just under 170 on mine now. I replaced a front wheel bearing, and the oil cooler coolant pipe under the engine is a bit rusty. Dave

Same style on all the H6s. Dave

That last one is the big question- you would certainly not put the pressurized feed through the trans cooler, it's far too small and not built to withstand internal pressure. So, you'd need a circulation pump. I would suggest using the water-oil cooler from an H6, keep the oil where it belongs, bring the water to the oil. In the winter I think there is a huge advantage in having it as an oil-warmer, as well. Dave

Do that with both old pads and put in some sandpaper and you can drive a bit and turn the rotors! Dave