Fairtax4me

That would be a feature of the remote start/alarm system. You need to find the module (probably jammed up under the dash somewhere) and get the model number off it and find some directions for how to program it.

Don't get thicker oil, get a new oil pump if you want to increase oil pressure. 250k on an original oil pump, it will have a fair amount of wear. Try switching to synthetic blend oil such as Valvoline Maxlife or Castrol GTX High Mileage. These will clean tarnish and gunk buildup from the lifters (as well as the rest of the engine). Or you can stick with dino oil and add a half quart or so of Marvels Mystery Oil or ATF.

Well you can't rule it out completely. It might be producing a weak spark which isn't able to jump the plug gap under compression*. Which could be due to low input voltage. But I don't think the ground points for the wiring harness on the engine would affect that. I'd be more suspect of the ground cable from the engine to battery/frame. But you would likely also have starting issues if that were the case. (slow or no cranking) It might also be poor connections or high resistance in the spark plug wires. * From what I understand about wasted spark systems, it is very important that spark plug gap is even across all plugs, and is set close to the lower end of the gap specified by the manufacturer. That will make it easiest for the spark to jump the gap and induce combustion.

Don't be. That's how it works on every American car these days. The idea is that the tensioner can move to take up slack as the belt wears and stretches.

'Tis the reason for the inspection. I should elaborate. If you start bending the belt around and cracks start to appear, then toss it and buy a new one. The main reason rubber degrades is exposure. Exposure to sunlight, heat, chemicals, and of all things Ozone. If stored properly rubber can be stored for ten to fifteen years and still be like new. Now I doubt this belt was stored in such a way that it would last that long, (probably just hung on a hook or stuffed in the bottom of a box somewhere) but it was still for the most part away from sunlight, and kept at a somewhat regular temperature.

Whining at idle could be any bearing on the engine. Take the belts off and spin all of the pulleys by hand and listen/feel for roughness. You can even start the engine without the accessory belts on to help determine if the noise is coming from one of the accessories or from elsewhere (such as a timing belt idler). Yes, a more detailed explanation would help. If you determine that it is in fact the alternator (which I don't see any other reason for thinking that besides something is "whining") 1stsubaruparts.com has the 95-99 alternator PN 23700AA34ARA listed for $67. Might be worth a swap at that price? OR, you can try to find a rebuilder in your area.

If it's still flexible then it's probably OK. On a 94, even if it breaks, you just throw a new one on, retime, and drive away. (no bent valves to worry about)

He gave you the code? Can you post it? If the CEL comes back, take the car to Autozone (or whatever your local auto parts store is) before going back to the dealer. Ask the "counter man" to check the light for you. They can scan the code and tell you what it is. Write down the code letter for letter, and post it here and we can give you some more info about how to go about dealing with it.

I'm not sure but I would imagine they're pretty similar. Might ask the old gen forum guys if they know anything about it. I think the backlash adjustment is gonna be sort of a pita with the trans in the car. I'm not sure if it's something I really want to "play" with on my mostly good transmission. I would think that you should be able to see some marks in the retainer bore on the transmission that might indicate where it was before it was removed. The problem is, even being just 3 or 4 teeth off on the position is more than enough to grenade the front diff. If you can see marks where the lock plate was located on the ring, and find some markings that would show you the depth that the retainer was installed in the transmission, then I'd say you should have a pretty good chance of getting it back to the right place.

I bet I could spend $125k there and still not have enough tools! It looks like they have the cartridges for the old style SM, but I don't see anything for the SMIII. This completely slipped my mind after last weekend. I still need to call the Subaru store and see what they might know about it.

They mostly clean pollen and other dust from the air and catch leaves that make it into the vent opening. The activated carbon type are very good at removing pollution. But they're spendy. $$ I don't know where you got that part number, but Wix doesn't even show a Subaru of any kind on their application list for that particular filter. http://www.wixfilters.com/filterlookup/PartApplications.asp?Part=24857 And searching the Wix site, I don't see a listing for a 2003 outback cabin air filter at all. http://www.wixfilters.com/filterlookup/index.asp I'm also inclined to ask, Have you removed the panel in question on the drivers side of the car and confirmed that there is in fact a filter somewhere behind it?

96 will have a viscous center differential. The rears don't start to "push" until the fronts start to slip. (this assuming that tire sizes and tread wear are equal) The rears really just tag along unless there is a difference in speeds between the front and rear axles. Otherwise why would the front axle shafts be so much larger than the rears?

I hear that. I've tried to fix mine at least a dozen times and they still just rattle again in two weeks. I gave up and just live with it now. They have their benefits, and it looks like more of a PITA than it's worth to me to try and remove them.

Rockauto.com They're pretty good about showing actual parts in their pictures. Looks like the same as what's listed here: http://www.subarupartsforyou.com/cp_partdetail.php?partid=1

Looks like there are two. Exactly where they go is beyond me. Usually there is one behind the glove box.

Autocheck is a 100% valid history reporting service. It's a division of Experian, the credit bureau. However, neither is perfect. Cars are wrecked and repaired every day that don't get reported. They're most useful for finding out where the car came from, and finding previous owners. Oil leaks are common on Subarus, one small leak can leave oil trails over the whole engine which can make it appear that every seal on the thing is leaking when in fact it isn't. On the other hand, it's a Subaru... every seal on the damn thing could be leaking. I don't know that I would have bought it with that many known issues unless the price was just right. The O2 sensor code may be simply due to a pinched wire.

Dealers will often go with after market parts if an OE replacement is not immediately available. Whether that is with the customers approval is another story. Try here: http://subarupartsforyou.com/cp_partlistbymod.php?model=Outback&subcat=Brakes,+Front+Calipers&year=2001

Spring type tensioners typically wear out with time. Some manufacturers even recommend replacing them with each belt change. They will tend to move a bit when the engine is running but they shouldn't make any noticeable noise. I'd replace it.

Sticky piston is a possibility as well. How did I forget that?

Resonance. There can be many different frequencies that cause heat shields to rattle. The will resonate with the vibration of the engine/drivetrain depending on load, engine speed, etc. They might make the noise at other times as well but you just seem to notice it more often at highway speed maybe because you spend more time driving on the highway. What you need to find out is whether it is engine, exhaust or drivetrain related. By determining if it occurs at certain engine speeds, or only at certain wheel speeds. Heat shields are easy to check. Jack up the car (use jack stands) crawl under and tap them with a rubber mallet. If they clang around and make a bunch of racket, or you see them physically move they're loose and need to be either removed replaced or tightened up somehow.

Ok then. Some other ideas... Piston not returning as it should causing the pad to rub against the rotor slightly more than normal. If it were one side I might suspect a failing hydraulic hose. Both sides, could be master cylinder related, or both hoses failing. Might be old brake fluid (though I doubt that in this case). Could be grease contamination due to a bad axle seal. Worn wheel bearing allowing the rotor to shift.

PlastX is great stuff for polishing the lens. I use it with a high speed buffer after wet sanding with 2000 grit to remove the fine scratches left by the sand paper. It also acts as a protective coating similar to wax that will prevent the lens from yellowing if used regularly. As far as the kits go. I've never used one personally, but I've seen the 3M kit used several times by others and the results vary. It all depends on your attention to detail whether it comes out good or not. If you take your time it usually comes out better. I think either one could be just as successful as the other. I did a writeup of my own with before and after pics. My method was to wet sand with various levels of sand paper then polish out with a buffer and finishing pad. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=102339&highlight=headlight+cleaning

There aren't any "directional" brake pads that I know if. Usually if there is an inner and an outer pad they are drastically different and one can't be mounted in the wrong location. What type and brand of pads do you have? Brand of rotors?

That narrows it down quite a bit. Kinda sounds like a loose heat shield. With the car in park engine running slowly rev it up to about highway speed (2,000 - 2,500 rpm) and let it back down slowly to idle and see if you can reproduce the noise while sitting still.

I it leaking from the rubber or around the outside of the sleeve? It's best to put a thin smear of sealer around the outer part of the seal before installing it to prevent leaks between the bore and sleeve.