Fairtax4me

I would for at least the 2012+ cars. Ive read a few reports online where people had trouble with the variable timing solenoids from using conventional oil. They were having DTCs set within maybe 1,000 miles of an oil change. Have also talked to a few mechanics at the local dealer who have seen issues with the newer variable timing systems due to lack of oil changes when using conventional oil. That's not to say that it just can't be used. But it does break down faster than synthetic, and can cause problems, so frequent changes are a must IMO.

Newer Subaru engines with the variable cam timing need synthetic oil for proper operation of the cam timing mechanisms. If you use conventional oil you better change it at 3,000 miles or it will cause varnish buildup in the cam timing parts and cause problems. The modern engines are much less forgiving of dirty oil, even though conventional oil is better now than it ever has been in the past. I've noticed the steering on the newer models tends to be a little stiffer. If you think there's a problem see if changing the steering fluid helps.

Should be the same as the older cars. Small black 6 pin connector. The pins are arranged in a U shape like: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Its taped to one of the big harnesses. Should have two black wires with bare spade pins on the ends taped in with it. Usually if you find the two bright green plugs, the black plug will be near them.

You're gonna have a hard time finding full scale scan tool capability without spending several grand. There are a few lower cost options on the market. Look into Autel and Launch brands. Anything that you can get for $40 is basically just going to be a code reader. Live data would be a plus, but it's limited depending on the vehicle.

The knock sensor wire is shielded. If the mouse chewed through both layers of the wire, the signal wire is shorted to ground and will show 0v at any point. If you can find and repair all of the damaged areas of the wire, it should be fine. Worst case you'll have to buy some shielded wire and replace the whole length from ECU to the sensor.

Need to check your coolant level in the radiator. That's first first with any potential overheating issue. Doesn't matter if it was just changed, it could have developed a leak between then and now. 6 months is a long time.

This swap shouldn't require any cutting or soldering to the wire harness to make it work. The harness on the 2.2 plugs right in. Did it not come with the harness? If you got a 2.2 with no EGR the check engine light will stay on.

Did you remove the outer weather seal? That usually has to be removed to get enough room to fit the rollers in. It should just pull up.

It's not that complicated, just time consuming and tedious to get everything set correctly. It also requires a few tools that the average DIYer doesn't have. Seems to me the biggest problem with the front diffs on these is the front pinion bearing. Problem is when that goes out it causes the pinion and ring gears to chew each other up. Clearance between hypoid gears can't be "good enough" it has to be pretty exact or they'll grenade in a very short time. So the challenge when doing a rebuild is to get the clearance set perfectly.

Subaru says 10 years or 105k, but I would only follow that rule if you use a Subaru belt and Subaru OE or OE equivalent idlers, tensioner, water pump, etc. For the aftermarket kits I tend to do a 60k interval like Subaru used to recommend on the early and mid 90's cars. I think you should be fine for at least another year or two.

While continental does make a good tire, my experience with them is that they wear out quickly. A good set of all season tires will get you just about anywhere you want to go, even on some "more that mild" off-road adventures. I think most of what you'll find in the size you need will be an all season tire anyway.

Where did you buy the driveshaft?

Double

See if the idle code comes back. Also try cleaning the IAC valve first. Sometimes they get coked up with carbon and crud and it makes a difference to spray them out with throttle body cleaner or Seafoam. The ECU uses the neutral switch to determine when to set idle speed when you take your foot off the throttle. If the trans is in gear it won't try to set idle. I it's in Nuetral it wil try to set idle. If the neutral switch says the trans is in Nuetral, but it's really in gear, the ECU tries to set idle and can't, and will set a code, though I think its usually a p0500 code that sets when that happens. It also sets idle speed based on throttle position, which is why I asked about that. If the throttle position reads anything except 0% with your foot off the pedal, the ECU can't set idle speed. Another possibility would be a vacuum leak causing The idle speed can be slightly high, and the idle control valve will adjust as far as it can, but can't control the idle speed, so it sets a code. You can often see if this is the case by looking at the engine speed (RPM) readout on the scanner. Proper Idle speed should be on the emissions label under the hood, though in your case you need to look at the label on the car the engine and ECU came from. For manual trans it should be around 700-750 rpm.

Likely there was air in the converter and you just need to add that quart and it will be fine. When adding fluid after it has been very low you usually have to drive the car, then check the fluid again after it has been through all the gears.

Dark/black wheels, to me just looks like nothings there. Fades into the blacktop. Ask any artist what black does in a painting and they'll tell you it creates negative space. That's not to say that it detracts from the painting when used properly, but people tend to not focus on black. Our eyes tend to be drawn first toward bright colors in a painting or picture. A car is no different. Your eyes will be drawn to a brighter area first, simply because it's more visible. I like to see some contrast between the wheel and tire. Depends on the style/vehicle as well, but in general I prefer a silver or bright colored wheel. I did see a WRX STI that was silver with sort of gunmetal colored wheels that I liked. Of course, there are all kinds. Whichever you prefer is what you should go with.

Yeah videos don't show up on my phone either. Not impossible for there to be damage to the diff, but its unlikely. Might be some extra wear in there depending on how much gas pedal she was using, but probably not enough to cause a problem right now. If the noise was coming from the diff you would hear it even with only one wheel turning. There's only one side gear in the diff that would not be moving when that wheel is stopped, and that wouldn't prevent the wheel from spinning. Axle, wheel bearing, or brakes will prevent the wheel from spinning. Noise starts when that wheel starts moving, so the source will be limited to one of those three, and you already ruled one out. Could still be an axle problem, but you'll find out when you get the axle out.

Throttle cable too tight? Someone could have messed with the throttle stop screw on the throttle body. Does your scanner show live data? TPS should sit at 0% at closed throttle.

Vacuum leak or the BPT valve is bad. BPT valve is the black plastic dohickie wih the shiny sticker on top of the manifold. The EGR valves on these almost never fail.

Sometimes the assist spring gets rusty and will squeak. Did you spray that with oil? Lithium spray grease works best because it sticks to it and stays there.

Not uncommon for one wheel to sit still. My guess would be the wheel bearing on that side. Locked up brake caliper probably cooked it. Even if there's no play these can make all kinds of racket. Pull the brakes and such off, pull the axle out of the hub and spin the hub by hand. That one had some very slight play, but it went from no noise to toast in about 5 miles.

Find your leak at the radiator. Either a hose leaking at the clamp or one of the end tanks has split. Low coolant level will quickly lead to overheating on these.

Is that one cable or hydraulic? Ive seen the bushings wear out in the pivot where the pushrod for the MC attaches and cause some awful noise when they get to metal on metal. Have also seen plenty of worn pedal pivot bushings make awful sounds. The pedal has to be unbolted from the box and removed to install new bushings.

I don't know that they had the whole thing heated, but some may have had defroster lines where the wipers park. But even if it's heated that doesn't mean you have to replace it with the same. You could likely install a plain windshield without the heat option and save some money.

Yeah it's the same idea as a cam seal, except the middle isn't open. I don't use any sealant. I wipe the outer edge with clean engine oil or grease and push it in. There is a drain hole for the cam bearing, and you don't want to get that plugged up with sealant. RTV on the outside could be a good fix if you can get it clean enough, as it is tricky to get to with the engine in the car. I figure if the original lasts 200k miles the replacement will last the rest of the life of the car.