cagranitz

Sounds like a frozen U-joint on the propeller shaft (ie main driveshaft down the center of the car). I had a bad one on my 2001 with manual trans and it would shake like crazy when taking off from a stop. I had it replaced with a used shaft for about $400.00

Tensioner for the A/C belt ?

I have a 2001 OBW with the same problem. I have done most of the things that Chip mentioned above with no improvement. I had read somewhere that it had something to do with poor or noisy ground connections. Taking that idea, I initially added several heavy gauge grounding wires to important points in the engine bay. This did not improve the problem either so I removed them. Instead, I removed, cleaned and tightened all of the existing engine and body ground points. Still no improvement. It is definitely an annoying problem. I have studied the symptoms carefully over time and it almost seems like the engine computer is extremely over sensitive to even the slightest change in the throttle position (I mean even just 1 or 2 millimeters). It seems like as soon as the computer detects the slightest closing of the throttle it immediately cuts or severely limits fuel delivery, causing a sudden jerk. Or in the case of opening the throttle slightly it over boosts fuel delivery, causing a sudden jerk. I'm not sure if this is coming from the throttle position sensor or some other sensor that detects changes in air flow or pressure. But it definitely seems like some type of over reaction by the engine computer to slight throttle position changes. I think my wifes 2001 OBW with an auto trans has the same problem, it's just muted because the torque converter absorbs the sudden jerks. My suspicion is that someone with the ability to reprogram the engine computer could probably tune that behavior out and make it very smooth.

I had some creaking in the rear of my 2001 OBW. I replaced the sway/stabilizer bar links on both sides, including the front for good measure, and all creaking disappeared. After I removed the old rear links, I could see why they were creaking. When I moved them by hand they made a nasty scraping/squeaking sound.

On my wifes 2000 OBW, the front end was clunking over rough road. It turned out that the rubber bushings for the sway bar were dried out and shrunken a little allowing the sway bar to knock around. I installed new bushings and now it's quiet. There is still a clunk over rough road but only if the steering wheel is turned very far to the left or right. I suspect that may be the strut tower bearing, but I'm not worrying about that one. It rarely occurs.

Could also be poor/dirty/corroded ground connections. Check/clean/tighten all of the various ground connections to the body and engine.

OK, so I didn't notice a response to the initial question of how much rotational play (not side to side, up or down, front to back) is considered normal. I have a 2000 Outback with the 4EAT. I was under the car just looking at things and grabbed the drive shaft with my hand and tried moving it around in various directions. It was solid in all directions except that I could rotate it about 1/2 inch back and forth (ie CW and CCW). Is this considered normal ?

Here in Southeast PA, regardless of the temp, I start up and go immediately. Idling = 0 mpg. Making the engine do some work, instead of just idling makes it warm up much faster. 2000 and 2001 OBW, EJ25, 150,000+ miles, engines run great.

2001 Outback Wagon. I would like to remove the plastic cowl cover below the windshield to clean out the plenum area where the windshield wiper motor is. Obviously I would start by removing the windshield wiper arms. Does anyone have any pictures, illustrations or descriptions on how to remove that plastic cover ?

I have a 2001 Outback with manual trans. I experienced the clutch burn smell twice last winter during a heavy snow storm. Both times I was starting on flat ground but in very deep snow. I stalled it once trying to get moving. But it just seemed like, given the 1st gear ratio, it can require a lot of torque to get things moving in a situation like this. I had to raise the rpm's higher than I normally would to start off, and that of course caused the burnt clutch smell. I think these may be situations where an automatic trans might be better since my understanding is that you get some torque multiplication from the converter.

I like the Bridgestone Blizzaks

I would agree that if Subaru really wants to make an all around more durable car then they need to have much better rust proofing. I have a 2001 OBW that has quite a bit of rust. My daughters 1999 VW Beetle has only a tiny fraction of the rust I have. I guess it remains to be seen if the newer model years (ie 2005 on up) hold up better.

Knock sensor at subarupartsforyou.com - $79.00 Maybe 15 minutes to remove the old one, and 15 minutes to install the new one. Even at $85.00/hr labor rate, $370.00 sounds high. Did they do anything else ?

I totally agree with grossgary's comments about the tight tolerances for the rear sensor. I have a 2001 Outback Wagon EJ251 engine, 4EAT auto trans with 147,000 miles. The car had been throwing the P0420 Cat Efficiency code at widely spaced times (every 3 or 4 months). Since neither the front or rear sensors had ever been replaced I figured it was high time to install new ones. I went ahead and installed brand new genuine Subaru front and rear sensors about 2 months ago. About 2 weeks after I installed the new sensors the CEL came on again with the same P0420 code. I got under the car and looked carefully for any leaks. It all looked tight as a drum. I cleared the code. About a week after that I had the state inspection done and it passed the emissions test with no problems. This would seem to indicate that the catalytic converter is fine. Last week we were on a long trip (1400 miles) with the car. At 3 random times the CEL came on with the same code. The engine runs great, gets good gas mileage, has good power, has fresh oil, new PCV valve, new air filter, and spark plugs that have about 20k miles on them. So it is well tuned. Thus, since it passed emissions, runs great, has new front and rear sensors, and no exhaust leaks, I have to believe the CEL code keeps coming back due to the tight tolerances on the rear sensor. I will simply continue to clear the code when it appears. If it got much worse then I would likely use the anti-fouler trick.

Please specify as much as you can: 1. Consistent 26/27 mpg mixed, 29/30 mpg highway @ 60 mph 2. 2000 Outback Wagon 3. EJ251, DOHC (I think), 143,000 miles, non-turbo 4. Manual Transmission 5. Engine oil Mobil 1 5W30, Mobil 1 75W90 trans 6. Removed front plastic intake piece - used to get clogged driving in snow storms 7. OEM - 225/60/16 8. Removed crossbars, drivers side rear seatback, retractable cover 9. None 1. Consistent 25/26 mpg mixed, 31/32 mpg highway @ 60 mph 2. 2001 Outback Wagon 3. EJ252, DOHC (I think), 144,000 miles, non-turbo 4. Automatic Transmission 5. Engine oil Mobil 1 5W30, Subaru ATF 6. Removed front plastic intake piece - used to get clogged driving in snow storms 7. OEM - 225/60/16 8. Removed crossbars, retractable cover 9. None