Fairtax4me

So it all works the way it's supposed to now?

Does the steering wheel pull in one direction when you apply the brakes or does the car just drag of to one side? If you notice the wheel pull it's something with the front brakes, if the whole car moves then it's probably the rears. Did you bleed the brakes at all when you changed the pads and rotors? Do you know how long it has been since that has been done?

No car comes from the factory with anti-foulers on the O2 sensors. Somebody put them there. Why they put them on both? Beyond me. Does the CEL illuminate during the bulb test when you turn the ignition key on?

Is it just rubbing and making a bit of noise or can you feel it drag when you spin the wheel? You may try loosening the cable adjustment at the handle for a little extra slack. If that doesn't fix it pull the shoes out and sand them down a bit.

Well, best advice I can give you now is to find a factory service manual for your car. There are links on the boards here to online sources for these if you search. Hunt through the wring diagrams and find the wiring for the dash lights and pull out the cluster and poke around with a VOM at the wires that are supposed to be giving power to the lights. Then you get to figure out where the power is coming from, if it's not coming from the light switch. One thing that can cause some funny issues is a shorted filament in one of the brake light or turn signal bulbs. One filament burns out but then falls and makes contact with the other filament in the bulb. This feeds power through the working filament into the circuit of the burned out one and can cause other lights in the same circuit to illuminate.

I'm not entirely familiar with which years had solid vs hydraulic yet so I don't know. But either way, solid or hydraulic, oil starvation (which is kinda what I'm thinking) can still make them tick. And it can cause all sorts of other problems too.

Very nice scanners. I tried a 3160 for a few days but just didn't want to pony up the $$$$ that the Snap On rep wanted for it. Found one on Amazon for about half the price but just haven't had the money to get it now because of other projects. Probably not. That sounds more like a plugged cat or fuel starvation.

None of the lights should be on when the key is out. I'm kinda thinking it's a backfeed into the system but it would help to know what fuse (if any) is blown now that has made the lights turn off.

Piston slap should go away, so unless it's the rods (possible on an engine that has been majorly overheated) it's probably the lifters. Did the PO recently change the timing belt or do any other maintenance that you know of? You can look at the belt and usually determine if it is fairly new.

Just hope that doesn't have repercussions further down the road.

Did you buy an oiled filter? Filters with oil on them are notorious for covering the MAF sensor with oil and "numbing it". It won't read the proper airflow when it's covered in oil. You can buy MAF sensor cleaner or electronics cleaner and spray it on the sensor to clean the oil off if that's the case. The other thought I have it, what did you do with all the large hoses that attach to the stock airbox that mounts to the throttle body? Did you disconnect any of them?

I agree with the headlight switch. For some reason the parking light circuit is not receiving power or is being shorted. Check for power to the circuit at the switch.

I agree and understand there are many places that a torque wrench should be used rather than just going by "feel". Lug nuts (probably the most commonly over/under tightened fastener on the car), head bolts, flywheel, even valve covers and oil pans should be torqued to proper spec to avoid warping and prevent leakage, just to name a few. But even with a torque wrench you still have a risk of stripping threads or breaking bolts, especially ones that are 15-20 years old and have been torqued and re-torqued several times throughout the life of the car. Metal fatigues with time and repeated heating, cooling, and other environmental variables that the assorted fasteners on a car are exposed to.

Well thanks for 'splainin' it to a "po' dunk country boy". Now that I went and looked it up (verified my initial thought). I'll still say no, it's not a slip critical connection. The bolts don't bear any substantial load when braking force is applied because of the design of the bracket that the caliper rides in. Even if it does slip there is no chance of failure because the caliper simply can't move far enough to break the bolt. What could break the caliper slide bolt would be over tightening, which is where "tight" comes into play. Everybody has their own definition and feel of what's "tight". So it comes down to personal preference, but basically if you're using a standard size 3/8" ratchet, you won't get a bolt that size tight enough to break without really trying to break it.

How loud is it?

Or break something. Caliper bolts generally just have to be tight. Not entirely sure what you mean by "slip critical". The caliper slides on the bolts regardless of how tight they are, so I guess the answer is.... no?

Hmm, kinda sounds like a short then. Do they stay on when you take the key out?

5 speed! No trans codes for a manual durrr.. Can you move the shifter at all?

Absolutely. 1stsubaruparts.com $99 Or you get 4 or 5 from the junkyard for $20. Your part number is the wrong one. You want this one as far as I can tell. 34160AC030 Can't post a direct link to the $99 which says for outback, but select your year and model and keyword search "coupling". lol I gave you the wrong PN, but fixed it. :-P

Sounds like limp mode. Try to find a way to pull trans DTCs? Any CEL codes?

Probably not bad for a pre-pulled part. How long is the warranty period? If you can get one from a place where you pull it yourself they're usually about 100 - 300 depending on the market. I think it's $175 with a $25 core charge for an auto trans at the place I regularly go to. And they even offer a 30 day warranty.

Tried the dimmer switch? Little wheel type switch on the turn signal stalk.

Probably brake pads. You would be surprised what can pass a safety inspection. You'd think your buddy would have told you what wouldn't pass or what was close to not passing though, even though he passed it.

The pump might as well not be serviceable on these. You have split the trans case to get at it. If that is the case you just get a new (to you) transmission from a junkyard and drop it in. You did check the fluid level on the drivers side transmission dipstick correct? Engine and trans warm, running in park, after shifting through all gears? The passenger side dipstick is gear oil for the front differential. You could possibly try a fluid change, but whether that will fix the problem or not is hard to say. These pumps work similarly to a power steering pump (same damn thing really, just a little bigger). If air gets in them they will whine so fluid level is essential, as is using the proper fluid, as well as fluid condition. Old fluid may cavitate or foam up easier than new fluid simply because it's degraded past it's service life. (which is part of the reason there is a service life to any fluid)

What was the mileage before the trouble that caused it to drop? It's hard to determine what is "bad" without having a baseline to compare to.