The Dude

It was overwhelmingly a "girl" car. I also remember it was a really tight fit to make it a mid-engine car. So, GM reduced the size of the oil pan thus reducing the amount of engine oil by a quart or so. Soon Fiero drivers where running their engines out of oil, and I think a number may have caught on fire. GM's answer was to amend the operator's manual so that the oil level had to be checked everytime the car was fueled. In any event, the Fiero was much more "show than "go".

If your Suby has an AT, just install the fuse to experience a 2WD Subaru and torque steer. Torque steering has nothing to do with the engine and everything to do with the fact that the front wheels are doing BOTH the steering and the driving. Most people find the oversteering in a front 2WD car to be more problematic than torque steering.

For accelleration, I would argue that AWD is advantageous even in dry weather over FWD... even a moderately powered FWD car will often have it's accelleration limited by wheel spin when trying to (for example) make a left from a dead stop at an intersection, where an AWD can simply gas-n-go. Nathan Except of course, for the WRX. Apparently a number of new WRX drivers can resist "laying a patch". So, they rev the engine, drop the clutch and.........SNAP off a pinion gear in the manual transmission. It's over two grand to fix the tranny and it's NOT covered under warranty. In a 2WD car excessive power is "burned" off when the wheels on one axle spin. But with AWD all four wheels stick to the ground and the sudden application of force is concentrated in the manual transmission, which can't take it.

Maybe Uniberp got lucky. I tried the exact same tool, and it FAILED before the ball joint came loose. Save, your time, money, and aggro just go straight to the pickle fork and be done with it. The pickle fork, it big, it's dumb, and it has no moving parts-just what you need for the job.

It's basically a heavy two pronged crowbar that fits between the bottom of the "ball" of the ball joint and the control arm. It has a long arm for leverage that you pound on like a mad man with a sledge hammer. Don't be gentle.

This sounds like a great idea. However, during the nine years that I have been on this board a number of people have tried disconnecting the rear drivetrain to get better mpg. The result? Not even one achieved a significant increase in mpg. Almost all had no increase in mpg.

I can't say that I'm a big fan of Auto Zone for parts. But they lent me a pickle fork for FREE when I replaced the ball joints in my 99 Forester at around 150,000 miles. I live in the road salt-free deep south. Even so, it took a lot of heavy pounding with a baby sledge hammer on that pickle fork to remove the stud. I can only imagine the job in the rust belt. What a nightmare.

If would be far more effective to SELL your Forester and buy something like a Civic DX. Of course, then you're driving a Civic DX. There ain't no free lunch. Also, check much you'll actually save with higher mpg car based on your actual annual mileage. For most people, it's less than you think, a few hundred bucks, maybe.

Subaru (Fuji Heavy Industries) has lost money for two out of the last two years. Maybe economic Darwinism will weed out Subaru if they fail to evolve. The present AWD market segment is barely large enough to sustain Subaru. If the appetite for AWD vehicles contracts due to higher gas prices, as I can promise you it will, Subaru could be in real trouble. Four dollar a gallon gas is just the beginning. At ten dollars a gallon we'll all driving Smarts or riding our bikes. Any remaining Subarus will be used only as planters.

I live in South Carolina, so I did not buy my Forester to go in the snow. Subarus have awesome towing capabilities, higher than the other "mini-SUVS". My main reason for buying a Forester is that I wanted a small, yet powerfull car to tow my sailboat. Subaru's reliability rates very highly with me. The excellent handling and the ease of D.I.Y. repairs are real pluses. But I would buy a cheaper, higher mpg 2WD Forester in a heart beat. In fact, put me down for one.

The same thing happened on my 1999 Forester, and now it's my 2006 Forester's turn. When new, the Subaru is one of the fastest starting cars on the market, maybe a second of starter and you're off. Well now, at 50,000 miles, my 2006 Forester needs to crank for a while before the engine starts. But if I turn the ignition key to "on" and let the fuel pump pressurize I'm back to a zippy one second start up. So obviously, the problem is in the fuel delivery system. The check valve in the fuel pump could be broken. The pressure regulator in the fuel return could be shot. Or, less likely, one of the fuel injectors could be leaky. I've run several bottles of Chevron injector cleaner through the system, I didn't really expect any improvement, and I didn't see any. Any ideas? Since I'm not employed as bank robbery getaway wheelman waiting a second or two for the fuel pump to pressurize is not a big deal. I'm not inclined to throw a lot of money or time at this problem.

.......and we wonder why 'Murcan Motors cars are considered the scum of the earth... And how stupid is it to buy American Motors? Ask Renault. The Matador, the Gremlin, and of course, the Pacer, all the automotive equivalents of syrup of ipecac.

I went down to my Suby dealer for a replacement fuel filter for my 06 Forester. I had read that the fuel filter had been moved to the fuel tank, so I wasn't looking forward to the job. The parts counterguy looked at his computer for a few minutes and then said, "it's a permanet filter, no replacement is available. You change the fuel pump along with the filter". Can that be true? Suppose you get a tank of dirty gas. You'd have to replace the entire fuel pump instead of a low dollar replacable filter.

30 k Euros, is that with or without Eurozone VAT (Value Added Tax). Is VAT really 18% in the Netherlands? OUCH!!!

It's obvious when the anti-lock brakes engage. So, I know EXACTLY how many times I used the ABS during the seven years and 200,000 miles that I owned my 99 Forester. TWICE!!! And, it didn't exactly save my life either time. I would have braked safely both times without it. STANDARD VDC on the 08 Forester which means you pay for it whether you want/need it or not. Just more padding on the sticker's bottom line. Maybe by making the Forester into an overpriced, bloated sack of useless "features" the Tribecca won't look quite so bad in comparison.

I have had several Bosch Premium oil filters leak. I even had one relaced for free by Bosch. I THINK that the gasket was too thin on the filters that leaked. I always check the oil level for at least a couple of days after any oil change. This policy save my motor, I caught the leak when it was only one quart low.

I owned a 1999 Forester, and I'd say, yes, 196,000 is a lot of miles. I sold my 1999 Forester at 200,000 miles, and bought a 2006 as a replacement. I don't care if it is a Subaru, ANY AT is is questionable at 200,000 miles. So, figure the cost of a AT overhaul/replacement into your purchase equation. While I thought the AT might go at anytime at 200,000 miles, I thought the engine was probably good for another 100,000 miles. BTW, the only things I replaced over 200,000 miles on the 1999 Forester, excluding normal maintenance items, where the ball joints and a rebuilt front axle. A very frugal and satisfying ownership experience.

It was over twenty years ago. It's a whole different world today.

I used to do business with the hospitals in NYC. I had a sign on my car reading " EXTREME CAUTION RADIOACTIVE ISOTOPES IN CAR". For some reason, no one ever screwed with my car. Like a little ionizing radiation is going to hurt someone. Whimps.

In theory at least, I find this to be an interesting question. My understanding is that the O2 sensor supplies a signal voltage to the ECM. The voltage varies with the amount of oxygen in the exhaust. So, first find the voltage output for a happy O2 sensor. You have 12VDC running all over the car, it should be easy to pick off the appropriate voltage. Feed that voltage to the O2 sensor inputs at the CPU. Your ECU should never know the difference. Since the nominal 12VDC varies a lot, you'd want to build a circuit with a voltage regulator. After the regulator, you'd want a high resistance multi-turn pot, pick off your simulated O2 sensor voltage and feed it to the ECU. I'M NOT RECOMMENDING THIS. I'M JUST SPITBALLING A VERY ROUGH IDEA. Personally, I'd just pop for the replacement O2 sensor. It will increase your MPG, and everyone likes breathing clean air.

You have an ideal situation with the CCR installation if you decide to take that option. 1. You are in the same state as the seller and installer of the rebuilt engine. It will be easy to haul the installer into small claims court if things go bad. 2. You are buying the engine through the installer. There is only ONE company legally responsible for the entire job. Many times if the rebuilt engine goes bad the rebuilder blames the installer for a substandard installation, and the installer claims that the rebuilder supplied a bum engine. The poor customer is left in the middle feeling like a ping-pong ball. Always try to buy the rebuilt engine through the installer. 3. Unlike many in the rebuilt/used engine industry, CCR has earned a sterling reputation. I've been on this board for nine years. I can't recall even one complaint about CCR.

My first suspect would be the replacement bulbs. Believe it or not, manufacturers make bad lots of bulbs from time to time. So, try a different brand of bulb. You can also check the voltage present at the bulb terminals if you want to be sure that voltage is still in spec. Over voltage can kill a bulb in short order.

I have a variance of opinion concerning oxygen sensors. I have used the Bosch "generic" oxygen sensor with great success on my Subarus. You do have to able to properly solder and heat shrink the old connector on to the Bosch sensor.

Sorry, Nipper. It's Sunday, I guess my eyes took the day off. Skip, clean, fresh oil is imperative to any engine with a timing chain, not just the H6. The good thing about a timing chain is that you usually have plenty of chain rattling warning before it breaks, unlike a timing belt that just goes.

C'mon, Nipper. 1st Subaru is a discount parts seller. When Joe Tribeca owner brings his SUV into his LOCAL Subaru dealer for a timing chain replacement are they going to let him bring his own discount parts that he bought from 1st Subaru? I'm thinking not, Nipper. I'm thinking the the local dealer is going to insist that they install local dealership supplied parts at FULL LIST. So, unless Joe Subaru is doing the timing chain replacement on his lonesome, you need to increase your price parts by THIRTY to THIRTY FIVE per cent. And I'd still like to know the number for LABOR for doing the chain replacement at full SHOP rates. Cheap, it's not.