danz75

Wierd that a new water pump would fail so soon. Maybe it wasn't installed right. Did you notice the temp rising? Not sure if improper installation of water pump or bad water pump would introduce air in the system which may have caused the bubbles.

I did the same thing. Since the tranny filter last a long time, I did not bother with trying to find an alternative just to save some bucks.

I had a 98 Honda Accord A/T 4cyl that definitely did not take straight oil. It used Honda ATF which is almost like any other ATF and i knew this because I did the drain and fill x 3 times procedure to get the fluid clean. It was brown when I bought the car so was nice to get it red again. A friend who works solely on Honda cars advised to stick to Honda ATF as the trannys can be a little finicky.

Ii have the CD/WB/FM/AM unit that I pulled from my 03 Outback. I wanted better sound so I replaced all my speakers and head unit last summer. Have been meaning to put it on craigslist but haven't got round to doing so. Let me know if you're interested and we can work out something.

They now have a branch in Mukilteo.

it was replaced with the subaru atf filter. I'll look at it this weekend to see if there's any leaks around there. ATF should be quite noticeable because the fluid is red and not like motor oil or gear oil. When I pulled the diptstick, the ATF was still nice and red so any drips should be obvious.

I do agree that it is a little more confusing. I'll take your suggestion of checking it cold and monitor it over a few months to see if there's any obvious level changes.

When I changed the ATF, I also changed the front and rear diff. I just checked them last week and they're at the right levels. I did look into the overflow bottle but did not notice any obvious gunk. Yes. I've not taken it to any quick lube shops. Apart from the coolant(which I had smart service in seattle do), I've done all fluid replacements myself.

Since I did the conversion to synthetic ATF, I did the drain and fill process 4 times to get as much fluid replaced as possible and I remember clearly that each time, I checked the fluid level at operating temp. It might be possible that I underfilled it but I doubt it since I did it 4 times and had to check it each time. I'll go under the car again this weekend and see if I can find any leaks.

Subject: 03 Outback legacy wagon A/T fluid low I recently checked my ATF and realized that I needed quite a bit more. about a quart and a half. There are no leaks in the garage and the last time I crawled underneath(June 07), I did not see any obvious signs of leaks. I have to admit that I have not kept up with checking the fluids as often as I should be. ATF was replaced with mobil syn dexron III ATF about 2 years ago. No obvious signs of distress with the tranny except that when switching from N to D or R, there is a few second delay for it to engage. I figured it's was normal. I topped it with more fluid until it was above the hot low level and i'm not sure if it's a mental thing but accelerating and climbing hills feels more confident, the gears would not switch to higher or lower until there was enough speed. changing gears also felt smoother. My concern is I'm not sure when the fluid got so low and would it have done any damage to the tranny? the other question is how I would lose so much ATF without any leaks on the garage floor? BTW, in case anyone asks, I did drive around for awhile till it reached operating temp and then parked it on a level surface. Went through all the gears, moving the car a few feet each gear and then left it in P with the engine idling. Waited for a couple minutes for the fluid to settle before putting the dipstick in to check level.

Since I couldn't find any other dexron III synthetic fluid from various brands, i went ahead and bought the Syn ATF that shows mercon v in front. the description in the back says that it's compatible for dexron III. The fluid smells and looks very similar to what the original mobil 1 dexron III syn ATF so I think it's probably the same thing but re packaged. I went around to many different stores and found that syn atf is very difficult to find. and you won't find any dexron III atf of any brand cause the licence has expired as porcupine 73 mentioned a few posts up.

I currently have Mobil 1 synthetic ATF dexron III in my tranny right now and it is a little low. What are my options of topping it off? I am not planning a fluid change till late next year or the year after.

This is what the bottle looks like http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Other_Products/Mobil_1_Synthetic_ATF.aspx but it did not state dexron 3 in the front and said for multi-vehicle use and mercon V on the outside. It does say outperforms conventional ATF and meets GM Dexron 3 and Ford's Mercon and Mercon V requirements. When I bought it the last time, I thought it said dexron 3 on the outside so that's what I was looking for. So it's the same thing but the label has changed?

Is Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF Dexron 3 not as common these days? I tried autozone, walmart, fred meyer, shucks autoparts and they all only had mobil 1 synthetic mercon V ATF(multi vehicle use). I had changed my fluid to Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF Dexron 3 a couple years ago and need to do another drain and fill but can't seem to locate this anywhere convenient. I will try pepboys tomorrow but was wondering if it has been discontibued or just difficult to locate. BTW, I'm seaching for it around the seattle area.

WRXbrakes didn't have em and tirerack did not get back to me. I'm probably gonna just get autozones since they're quite a bit cheaper.

I left a message with WRXbrakes and Luke@tirerack. Hope they have something. subarugenuineparts.com seem to only carry stock rotors which I guess is the next better alternative. Aren't autozone rotors made in china? Import replacement parts is offering this brand CP parts which I have not heard of. They're about $36/rotor. Does anyone know anything about them and how they hold up?

I've been having some trouble locating rear brembo blank rotors for my 03 Outback wagon. I've tried 1. tirerack(would not sell cause they claim it's not available due to different sizes used. Gave them part number and they say it's not in the system) 2.Import Replacement Parts - latest ETA is Nov 31st. Previously was Aug 31st. Does anyone know where else I can get the brembo blanks? I considered getting OEMs but they're a bit more than than brembos. And I've used brembo blanks for all my cars and have never had any issue with them.

Thanks for the info. On the stock speakers, its listed at 22w on the back so I figure the HU is probably rated ~12WX4 to ~20WX4. I am trying to replace all 4 speakers although it's just the fronts that seemed to have gone bad. Looked up crutchfield and spoke to an advisor who told me that I should probably install the 50W speakers which is the lowest power rating aftermarket speakers now. If I want to get anything rated higher, I would have to either change the HU or add an amp. I did a search and read something about having the speakers close to the HU rated power which is why I was trying to find out what the stock HU is rated at. I was planning to purchse a component speaker set but the crutchfield advisor warned me that it's rated quite a bit higher than what my stock HU is rated at so she recommended the lower rated 2 way speakers. I am hestitant to replace the HU cause it's a reason for someone to break in and steal it so I'm looking into amps. But then again, an aftermarket HU will probably give me better frequencies and more power without an amp and will be cheaper. I'm just looking for some decent sound (mostly radio/CDs) and am not intending to make this into a high end sound system. My 03 Outback came equipped with the stock FM/AM/WB/CD HU and 4 speakers + tweeters. Suggestions?

Does anyone know the power rating for the CD/AM/FM/WB head unit standard with the 03 Outback Legacy wagons? I'm trying to find speakers for my car and am looking at options that don't involve an amp if possible. Thanks.

I've called around and got quotes anywhere from $265 to $370. Problem is that they all use different brand of films. Some ceramic, some metallic, some neither. I will probably stay away from metallic since it interferes with radio, nav etc.

Who did you do it through? I probably won't go too dark but I primarily want it so that it'll block the heat

I did. 35% all around for cars. any for back windows and rear for MPVs

Was yours a wagon or sedan? How dark did you go? Was it lighter on the front windows and darker on the rears?

I thought so too but I find that there are very few dealers that use 3M film.

I'm trying to decide if I should tint my windows on my OBW These are the positive things I've heard so far. -Cooler in summer, less load on A/C -upholstry does not fade as quickly(I thought the windows already have UV blockers) -more privacy Any other opinions? I've gotten quotes from the Seattle/Lynnwood/Everett area from $270 to $360. Seems like each shop uses a different brand/type film. They all offer lifetime warranty. Is this a good price range and what type of film is recommended?