Fairtax4me

Over filling wouldn't cause the stubs to feel loose. A new axle has new grease in it. New grease is thicker than old grease, therefore you get more drag (resistance) when trying to turn the new axle than trying to turn the old one. The front diff is "open", so one wheel can be completely stopped, while the other spins about twice as fast due to the ratio change that happens when the differential spins. You might not feel this difference in drag, but the effect is that one wheel is basically held in place almost like the brake is on. The other side (lower drag) is able to spin freely because of the action of the differential. Give the non spinning wheel a nudge by hand and see how it reacts. Lots of things can cause vibration. What is happening with the car when you notice the vibration?

You shouldn't need to. But it will be fine to use a few small dabs of silicone sealer in the corners or a quick shot of copper gasket spray if necessary.

For the rough idle use a can of Seafoam in the intake, and make sure all of the vacuum hoses are in good shape.

This sounds all good in theory. But high pressure water spraying all over the engine bay can force water, and dirt, past the rubber seals used to keep water and dirt OUT of electronic connectors. Water invites corrosion, not to mention short circuits.

Buy a Bosch one for half the price it'll last just as long.

Sounds like a bad engine cooling fan relay.

You did realize this thread is 4 years old right? But since we're on this topic. I use about a two foot section of 3/16" i.d. vacuum hose connected to the evap purge line nipple right on top of the intake manifold right by the throttle body. It's the easiest one to get to, and if you come prepared with your own extra length of hose you can put the can on top of the radiator and dip the hose into the can just enough to slurp up the seafoam, while you balance the throttle speed with your free hand so the engine doesn't stall. Do a half can, and kill it, then watch the smoke show. Just be sure to face the front of the car upwind from the exhaust.

Do a leak down test.

Well there's an adjuster in there for the valve lash. That would probably make a good bit of racket all the time if it was out of whack though. As far as the tensioner. Could be possible, but I think the only way to find out for sure would be to pull the covers off and start the engine. Do you have a mechanics stethoscope? Those are helpful when hunting around for strange sounds. edit: It should have been MMO. Marvels Mystery Oil.

Only one potential problem with the lifter theory... Your engine might not have hydraulic lifters. Somebody who knows a bit more about the changes in the EJ22 across the years will have to chip in and confirm. Marvels Mystery Oil. Typo, my bad. The high mileage stuff has extra detergents in it and some other additives that help prevent things like sticking or collapsed lifters. It's the next best thing besides switching to full Synthetic.

Collapsed, sticking, dirty. Some MMM and an oil change should shut it up. Do you use the high mileage mix or plain old GTX?

If it's by the axles it's probably differential oil. Get some non corrosive degreaser (purple power works good) and spray down the area then hit it with a water hose, try not to use too much pressure. Do that a couple times to be sure you get all the grease out of there. Drive the car a mile or so and then look and see if there is a new trail of oil that will lead you to the source of the leak. Probably going to be the axle seal since that's the only thing in that area.

Could be lifter noise. When was the last oil change? What brand of filter do you use?

That is brilliant advice. I was picturing someone digging through wiring diagrams for hours trying to match up which wire goes where and then soldering and heat shrink wrapping a gajillion leads under the hood. It's laughable how simple you just made that. Is there any power difference between the 1.8 and the 2.2?

Whats the average life span of an Optima battery?

Dunno what you're looking at really. But if its the two half circles, that's normal.

Somebody grinding gears constantly. Throwing shifts too quick and wearing out the synchros then grinding the dog teeth down to points. Probably never changed the fluid either. Doesn't really matter what or how it happened, it's shot now. Open it up and see what you find for gits and shiggles.

I'm sure it's possible. One bad transistor is all it takes.

I'll third the cam seal. Do both, and the crank seal while you're in there.

They're not easy I'll tell you that much. Never done one on a Subaru, but I've replaced a few torsion rods on other cars and it's not easy at all. Keep your self clear of the rod when you;re trying to get it into the adjusting hook, if you lose your grip you might lose something else too.

Cars generally only had one O2 sensor until OBD2 came around.

I think it would pretty much have to be a bad ECU if the relay is not grounding. You're absolutely sure the relay is getting power from the fuse block?

No on both. The wider footprint and larger diameter will both work against you for the fuel mileage. Ask someone with a pickup on 32" mud tires how their mileage is compared to their old stock tires. And while the wider tire may hold an extra centimeter of road underneath it, the taller sidewall will fold more, and negate any desirable effect the added width might produce. Not only that, larger tires generally cost more. You're probably looking at an average of $5 more per tire for that size compared to stock. If you want better handling, you get a larger wheel with a shorter profile tire to reduce sidewall flex. If you want better fuel economy, you get a skinnier tire. The thinner foot print means less friction on the road, which means it rolls easier. But it will also be harder to stop.

I was under the impression that it needed to be pulled because of clearance issues. My mistake.

That's about 9.25kpl, or 22mpg, which should be normal for "city" driving. Stop and go traffic, that kinda thing. If that's your highway mileage, cruising ~ 100kph, then something is probably wrong.