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As you mentioned I personally would start off with replacing the neutral switch..common problem, It prob. wouldnt hurt at that mileage to give the IAC a good cleaning also...

Good little read..Thanks... Love that engine at the bottom..H6 Turbo...NICE!

+1 Super easy...not sure what year subie your talking about but if its a USDM boxer 4 from like 95-09 the adjuster bolt and lock bolt should both be 12mm..same with the long bolt that goes through the alt/ac bracket..

spark plug wire puller pliers come in handy here..or if you have a set of long reach needle I kind of leverage the needle nose on the valve cover and they usually come off pretty easily...as you mentioned though be careful because I have broken a good share of them...Both of these methods have worked for me so I would def. give them a whirl...

If your 100% sure there are no leaks internally or externally...and your using around 1 quart in about 2k miles..Personally I wouldnt think to much into it..as you mentioned the car has 174,000 miles...

I have an 02 Impreza WRX and a 96 Legacy....granted the difference in size, mileage, and power I like them both for what they are...Obviously they were designed at different times and with different things in mind. I will say I think the older like around 2nd gen. Subarus where extremely comfortable compared to the newer ones....

If it does end up needing cat converters be careful what kind you get/ who you go to to get the work done (if your not doing it yourself). I've seen Subarus with universal cats. welded in place of the stock ones and fitment looked to be horrible, actually on a forester the other day I saw where im assuming a shop took a cut off wheel and cut out part of the trans crossmember so the 02 sensor could properly fit with the universal cats...ridiculous....

I know this prob. wont do anything for looks during the day ( unless you go to a car show or something..lol) but you could get an HID kit for it...Thats what I did with my WRX and I couldn't be happier...Plus they can be had for relatively inexpensive...

Fuel filter? IACV? carboned up throttle body? vacuum leak? ...Is it still missing or just a poor idle? If I where you I would get a scan tool and clear the codes..chances are if its running this poor some code will come back to you after you clear the current ones...

I used shop air on mine..serious PSI.....idk my goal was to try and get like around the button so the air could get behind it and blow any foreign matter out....

check out this site... http://www.cars101.com it might have some answers for you...As for the JDM 2.0 TT Legacies..from what I hear there is very very little turbo lag which im assuming is inherent for a twin turbo vehicle..however I believe they also make less HP than a USDM STI... Either way I absolutely love the way they look.. I also hear they can be had rather inexpensively....

i dont know if its even possible to replace that bulb...obviously im sure you guys have seen the thread on replacing the 3 other climate control bulbs and that isnt to bad...I have tried to disassemble the heater control head and remove the circuit board but i dont see a way in doing it successfully so that when you put it back together it still works...What I have noticed with these units though is if you get like the smallest amount of contamination behind that button over time the light will not work anymore...Ive like tapped my fingers right about the button and the light comes on..Ive done this with many of them...and surprisingly all the lights have come on when i do this..I assume you could try spraying some compressed air back there or something..maybe it will help clean things out a little....

does anything else not work?...how did you check the fuses...with a test light?

check these guys out...ive never bought anything off them but hear good things... http://subarupartsforyou.com/

Ive actually seen a couple 05's with leaking HG's..conicidentally they were both Outbacks with around 60k miles...I personally dont think its been completely resolved but there def. getting better....advice your co worker to pick up a WRX or STI...no HG problems there...

With a little bit of force you should be able to pop it on there...i could be wrong but i believe the number your referring to is the length..which is prob 34.5...I will say this though..some of those NAPA belts dont fit well at all...are you sure the adjusting bolt is all the way backed out and the alternator is all the way pushed down?

Well...this can be debated...Ive heard of successful LHD 2.0TT swaps, however it does require relocation of the steering shaft fore apparently the drivers side turbo will try and occupy the same space..

+1 ^ cars101 is a great site...taken well care of you can get an easy 250k out of a subaru if not more...Also..Whichever model/year you decide on, purchase a haynes manual if you plan on doing any maintenance..I have nothing but good things to say for those manuals...Good luck with you search! (they where still putting rear drums in some of the imprezas in 08)..just mentioning it...

Wow!...That is a first in my book...I have never heard of this...

+1 ^..pretty simple...the only time its a little more difficult to remove is when both fans are one unit on some of the newer foresters and such as to where the upper rad. hose/neck gets in the way....

are you sure you have the correct plug and are probing the correct terminal under the dash?...take a look here... http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/ABS.pdf this might answer some of your questions..

Wow! I learned something new..I never knew this could be done....Ive always disconnected the outer tie rod from the knuckle..thanks for the tip fellas...

If it only runs hot when the AC is on...my bet is a stuck thermostat or a clogged radiator or air in the system... OR is it running hot all the time?As mentioned though if you can pop under the car and see if you notice any seepage coming off of (usually) the drivers side HG/ steering rack boot area that would help us shed a little more light on the situation... we must def. not overlook the basics...Is the radiator/overflow full of coolant? How many miles are on the vehicle? Has the cooling system been serviced recently? You say the cooling fans are working...so they are both cycling on and off?

Good diagram durania!...you know I was thinking that piece is prob pretty important to...I can see like salt/dirt/water etc etc getting in behind the side skirt and causing rust/corrosion...kind of reminds me of the fuel filler-neck cover...

If you have a haynes manual it would def. come in handy now...there are some diagrams in there that would be helpful...also a little slew of tests for the MAF to make sure its getting the 5v ref. voltage and whatnot....