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Well let me ask you something. Are you certain that all those seals meet factory specs by just looking at them? If so, you are a mechanical genius. As far as assuming; it is easy to Monday morning quarterback, but I can't count how many times in 40 years of bending wrenches I have found a replacement part to be different and be told that is was just superseded. It's just not reality to expect that a mechanic in a busy auto repair shop would stop what he is doing based on some vague suspicion that the 5 dollar seal is sub-standard because it looks different. You can't call the engineer in the plant in China and ask him about it, and I promise you an ebay seller won't have a clue. If the seller of the parts aren't supposed to be held responsible for the crap they sell, then who is responsible? Bottom line; the part is sub-standard by design or manufacturing process, so I won't buy from that parts house again. I have had good experiences with other online parts sellers such as importexports and west end engine supply. I have noticed in the past that mizumoto undersells almost everyone on kits like this. Now I know why. As far as the money; it cost me a lot more than the 40 they refunded to get it right. If I had bought the part from the local auto parts supplier or the shop themselves - they would have covered it 100% Good luck on your job, you may need it.

Read the post above yours

Yep, clicking, clinking- clacking... whatever. It makes noise inside the rack when the steering wheel is moved a few degrees back and forth. Notice I said 'inside the rack", so it is not the U-joint or the tie rods, It doesn't really matter anyway, since the backlash adjustment is not accessible with the rack in the car.

It was not the tension spring that was missing. There is a metal sleeve that supports the inside wall of the seal- that was missing. The shop that did it ,said they noticed but assumed it was a superseded part. No, since I supplied the part, they did not warranty the work, but they were very gracious about it and did not charge me any extra labor to go back in and replace the faulty seal. I paid them an extra hours labor anyway for their trouble. Not their fault. I want to maintain a good relationship with them, since they are so accommodating and technically proficient. I will avoid Mizumoto from now on. I recall checking with importexperts but maybe they did not have the kit I needed.

That is an air bleeder screw. It is an aftermarket radiator. That screw should tighten enough so that no air or coolant escapes. Since it is plastic, it could be easy to crack. If it won't tighten shut easily, remove it when the engine is cold. There should probably be a rubber O-ring there. Check that the O-ring is not torn or broken. Before screwing it back down, put a light coat of vaseline on the O-ring and the threads, That should take care of it unless something else is broken.

My garage is full with another project, so I sent my Honda to a shop for the timing belt job. I bought the kit from a vendor on ebay that has been mentioned here before- Mizuomoto. Big mistake. After the job was done. the crank seal started leaking oil immediately,. I was not leaking with the old seals. The shop pulled the seal and found that it had no metal reinforcement on the inside of the seal, like the original or the one they bought from the local parts store. This is gonna cost me a lot extra to pay the shop for this cheap quality seal. I won't make that mistake again. Hope no one on this board does either. Mizumoto offered a 40 dollar refund.

How long is "long term" to you? The biggest problem you face is the effects of bad gasoline. Fuel stabilizer is okay, but will not prevent build up of junk in your injectors and filter. I would drain all fuel from the tank and filter. Pull the injectors out and get as much fuel out of them as you can. You could leave them immersed in stabilizer with the injector ports plugged. If your tires hold air okay, don't worry about jacks. That was for old nylon tires. Modern tires will be okay for a year if fully inflated to max pressure. Rodents can be a problem as someone mentioned. Keep plenty of rat poison around the vehicle, but be prepared to find a dead on in the car later. I actually built sheet metal skirts that went around the tires on my plane. If you are up on jack stands, you could do the same.

Inner tie rod changed, really didn't need it though.

I'll have to look later when I can get at it. Any backlash adjustment would have to be made with the rack in the car, other than the initial setup. I did find something on the Forester board about this.

Definitely in the rack. Not the mount bushings ( although there is like a 1/16th in movement0 not the U joints., I adjusted the backlash on my Mercedes years ago. Different kind of box, but same concept. Took care of the wandering problem right away. I can't find the adjustment screw on the actual rack now. I saw it in a diagram somewhere. As I recall the procedure on another rack was to loosen the lock nut, turn the screw until it got tight- usually an 1/8th to 1/4 turn, then back off a tad and tighten lock nut. If only I could see the screw on this one, I'd try it.

Thanks. Have you ever adjusted one? Would excessive backlash account for clicking in the rack, when moving the steering wheel back and forth slightly? New tie rods made no difference.

Anyone know what that adjusting screw on the steering rack is used for? I saw it in the parts diagram for my 2000 O/B

Anyone have a part number for the subaru part? None of the online parts places I have checked, have them listed.

Well maybe what I read about them feeling hard was wrong. Was the installation like Grossgary said?

I've read about whitelines and doubt I would like them. Sounds like they make a harsh ride harder. This is my first outback, and compared to the Lego, it feels like a truck, even with new shocks and good tires. Hopefully I can find rubber aftermarket and order them with the new boot for the axle.

Looks like I'll need to replace the steering rack bushings. Anyone done this job can give me a heads up on it? Also, are they available after market, or will I need to go to Subaru for them?

Bought a 2000 Legacy OB wagon with the 2.5 SOHC. Is there some way to tell from looking at the head gasket tabs if the gaskets are original or newer ones> The car has 154K on it.

had that on my 98 w/2.2 Found where a mouse had chewed a hole in the hose at the evap cannister in the back. On my 2000 Impreza, a new gas cap solved it.

If I understand correctly, it has 4 screws to mount it to the bumper? Where do the other 2 screw into, besides the dimpled area on the front of the bumper?

The only experiences I ever had with stuck valves on a boxer motor was with a BMW motorcycle engine. It had a broken valve spring,. Once on a small airplane lead deposits kept an intake valve from closing. In your case, either a broken or extremely weak valve spring is possible, or some trash on the valve seat ( unlikely, since our engined don't have leaded fuel). If it is smooth and has good power on the highway, bent valves are highly unlikely. We need more info. A simple cranking compression test is a good start. You can do it yourself with an inexpensive compression tester that screws in the head in place of the spark plug. Ask if you need further instruction with that.

Well how do the dealers prepare them in states with front plates/ Do they install some kind of bracket?

I do see two small dimples. Are those for a bracket to screw in?

I bought a 2000 Legacy Ob from out of state. Our state requires front plates, but I cannot even see any mounting holes for a bracket. Anyone with a similar year go and ideas? I don't want to just drive screws into the bumper. Doubt they would hold very long anyway.

The one that is on there is not cracked, but leaking a little from the gasket. I've heard that the plastic ones get brittle over time and crack when reinstalling after changing the gasket. Guess I'll just bite the bullet and pay the stealership.

I live 50 miles from the nearest dealer. They sell at full retail too. Around 50 bucks for the plate and screws after a 100 mile drive -R/T