Fairtax4me

Just get a decent clutch kit and have the flywheel turned by a machine shop. Might cost $50 or $60 but it's better than paying $250 for a new OE part.

Maybe there's something wrong with second gear? Have you tried third? No CEL? If not, does it illuminate during the bulb test when the key is turned to run? Also wondering why the engine was pulled to change VCGs? Seems like a lot of work for something relatively simple. durrr... brain fart

Clutch life depends on a lot of factors. Break in, driving style, flywheel condition, clutch quality, rear main seal or oil separator plate leaks, transmision input shaft leaks... thats about all I can think atm of but there are more. Diakin/Exedy makes the OE clutches for Subaru, as well as Valeo. Either of those can be bought on Ebay or other online sources and will be comparable to a dealer bought clutch kit at less than half the cost. Sachs makes a "heavy duty" clutch kit for Subaru which should hold up to more abuse than a stock repalcement. They also have a less expensive OE replacement alternative. Both can be found at Rockauto.com. Sachs builds OE clutches for many European makes including Volvo, Saab, BMW, and Puegot, among others. The AWD models pretty much have to slip, because the wheels sure aren't going to.

Obviously too much fuel/ not enough air. We know that it will idle with a vacuum hose disconnected but how does it drive with it like that?

It's actually not that hard to get to. You pull off the kick panel on the passenger floor. There might be a push clip or two under the dash holding the carpet up, or there might not be, if there is pop them out with a trim tool, then peel the carpet back far enough to uncover the 3 or 4 bolts that hold the ECU cover plate on. I think they're 10mm. Remove the cover and voila. You might have to diconnect the wire harness from the ECU to figure out which pin is which. When you find the corect one mark it, plug it back in and either strip back a bit of insulation or stick a thin test probe into the socket with the correct wire. Connect your VOM and turn the ignition key on. Make your adjustment, put the cover back, fold the carpet back, install push clips and the kick panel. Takes 10 - 15 minutes start to finish.

The FSM says to check voltage at the ECU connector. I don't recall which pin it is but you may be able to find it by searching.

You can pop the bearings caps off and look to see how bad they are. Just mark them so you can put them back in the same spot.

I don't have a part number for it. You can call a dealer with your VIN and they can look up what you need. Or you can probably send an email to the guys at 1stsubaruparts.com and see if they can help you. The problem is there were a couple different designs, and if you get the wrong one it won't work.

You probably better ask the dealer to be sure, but I wouldn't think changing the sway bars would void the warranty. Ask the service department, not your sales person. I was looking at a set of Ralliteks a while back and got into other projects. I;d say they're worth the money. The IPD bars for Volvo sure make a huge difference. I have a friend who is big into 240s, he swears by IPD parts.

I wouldn't worry. I plowed through about 8 - 10 inches of water slush and ice in my 96 at about 40 mph just a few weeks ago. Melt water and chunks of ice from a huge snow storm had clogged up a storm drain on one of our major roads. The whole car got drenched, and so did every other car within about 50 feet of me. It was raining slush and ice on the windshield. The car wasn't even phased. When the wheels finally reconnected with the road it just kept right on going.

Dunno, you'll have to ask GD what he did, it's his car.

Junkyard. I know there are some good U-pull-its in the PNW, other members on here talk about going to them all the time.

You can't get it off the transmission? Did you try twisting it with some pliers? Might have to soak it with PB and wait a day. I wouldn't heat it up. That would probably cook the shaft seal, which isn't expensive, but it's a royal pita to replace with the transmission still in the car.

You do if the bushings are shot. Mine were. The two that were on that dowel pin were practically gone. This is similar to what he has. Just put a new roll pin in place of the old one. I tried the use a bolt method. I had to re tighten it about once a week. The shifter would start to feel loose, not as bad as it had been, but bad enough, so I would tighten it up some more. Broke one bolt trying to get it tighter, and then stretched another. I just finally broke down and put another roll pin in it. No more slop for 2 months now. Also be sure to use new lock nuts on any bolts you replace. You don't need one of those bolts falling out and leaving you or your friend stuck in 4th gear on a busy street. Funny story... not really

This has been an ongoing issue with Saab as well. The older analog OnStar systems are for the most part not upgradeable. They used to have kits that were used to replace the OnStar buttons with blank pop outs for people who wanted the system removed entirely. Apparently there were some issues with other functions of the cars on some years if the On Star system wasn't working properly, so Saab decided to offer a removal and re-programming service. All the switches, wiring, and electronics for the system were removed, and the pop outs put in the buttons place on the dash.

Sounds like a flat spot on the tire. Might even be a broken belt. Do you feel any shaking at higher speeds? (40 - 60 mph)

This: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=103636&highlight=gear

Look at the part number on the side of your current MAF and just match whatever you get to it.

I was wondering what that whole GT-B thing was all about. This would mean that my whole "plugs n wires" theory is out the window. But that opens up a whole plethora of other options for what it could be depending on how closely Subaru monitors the turbo system and what sensors they use to do it.

On some models the linkage has a dowel hammered into it that can't be removed without removing the entire linkage from the car. But even if it were a bolt, there's just no room to get it out. I ended up having to use an air hammer to get the large roll pin out to remove the linkage from the transmission. Subaru sells the whole thing for like $45 or something. But if you get the right size bushings. and the correct size bolt you can grind off the end of the dowel pin, knock it out, and drill out the smaller hole in the bracket to fit a bolt through. Just get the proper sized bushings and you can fix it for like $15.

Which of the three wire harness connectors is the one you suspect? Left, right, middle?

Seems like too narrow of a window when the problem develops to be anything but a sensor. But poor conductivity of the plug wires could also cause a weak spark not to be able to jump the plug gap due to increasing compression as the cylinder and piston rings warm up. Long shot I know, but going "back to basics" really does have to mean going back and checking the most basic of basic components required for the engine to run. It's like saying that the fuel pump must be dead after changing all 4 injectors, and the ECU, chasing a no start due to lack of fuel, only to find out the tank was empty all along.

Not sure if they've covered it, but it's possible it just needs plugs and wires.

I had some fun with this kinda thing for about 3 months off and on. First it was corrosion under the terminals. A week later, corrosion was back. Put new terminals on it, lasted about 3 weeks, more corrosion, same symptoms. Finally it left me stuck in the grocery store parking lot. I got it roll started and took it down to the parts store at night with no headlights (that was fun) because putting ANY load on the battery at that point would cause the engine to stall. (not enough power to run the ignition or ECU) Got to the parts store, started removing the battery, and the positive post pulled out of the case still attached to the terminal. New battery and two new terminals, been peachy for 2 months.

Chrysler, Saab, Toyota, VW, and several others, all have major problems on their hands due to extended drain intervals which have lead to sludge buildup in their engines. That's nothing new, it has been going on since the early 90's. But I can promise you all of those cases were due to extended intervals using conventional oil, or were due to improper or complete lack of changes. Yes synthetic oil will eventually break down and lead to sludge, all oil does. But synthetic oils are full of so many detergents it takes about 15k - 20k miles for even the cheap stuff to get to that point. High quality oils such as Amsoil or Mobil 1 can go for 25k plus and still be capable of 10k more, depending on application, before the oil breaks down to the point where it needs to be changed.