Fairtax4me

I can update this too. Put the L hose the dealer sold me (807607191) on it 5 years ago sometime after the last post in this thread. Still on the car today. No problems at all. It looks goofy when you put it on, but it works itself out after a day or two.

Napa carries it. About $10 last time I bought one. If that kinks it will block flow through the bypass circuit and can cause overheating.

Air mixing flap is broken or stuck, or the cable has fallen off. Look under the dash, passenger side, and slide the hot/cold lever/knob back and forth and you should see a cable move. Make sure it's attached to the lever for the mix flap. Lever is usually white plastic. If the cable doesn't move, its broken or disconected from back of the HVAC control head. If cable does move, disconnect it and move the lever by hand. It should only move about 1/4 turn, and you should hear the flap as it slides and stops against the inside of the case. If it moves more than that or feels like its very loose, the flap is broken inside.

Parking brake is drum-in-rotor on that year. The shoes get rusty and the friction material falls off. Probably just need new park brake shoes. Remove the rotors, if the shoes are Ok turn the adjuster wheel on the bottom to tighten them up.

Super tack gasket sealant may hold it. Have to clean the seal area very thoroughly before applying. Not sure why an OEM seal won't stay put. I've almost always been able to push the seals in by hand, but with some difficulty, and coated in ATF or fresh oil. Never had one pop out. Possible the cap is stretched, or someone went to town in there with some sand paper trying to clean it out.

Fuse grounds the TCU circuit. Key On, Check at the fuse connector for 12v or maybe 5v on the black/Red wire. If no voltage there's a poor connection at the TCU or break in the wire between the TCU and Fuse connector. That wire sruns straight from TCU to the fuse, so not many places where damage or poor connection can occur. Insert the fuse and check that the voltage drops to 0 or very near 0. If voltage stays high the ground for the fuse is dirty/corroded or ground wire is damaged.

They're so easy to change, its not necessary to change them during a belt job. One thing I do make sure of, is that the crank sensor can be easily removed from the oil pump housing. The housing corrodes and can cause the sensor to get stuck, and often requires destroying the sensor to get it out. I always make an attempt to remove the old sensor, clean the bore and apply antiseize to the sensor and bore, so that IF it goes bad its easy to change. If the old sensor is stuck, leave it alone.

Don't need anything extra. Some people replace the front mounting bracket that the trailng arm attaches to, but it's not necessary if you're just doing a strut lift. Disconnect the sway bar links so you can push the control arms and knuckle down when attaching the strut to the knuckle. Now is a good time to flush your brake fluid, if it hasn't been done recently.

When you push the seal in by hand, does it bottom out in the bore? I don't think there's a drain hole in the bottom of those because the bearing caps are bolted on, but check carefully. If the drain is clogged it will certainly push the seal out. What kind of oil is in it?

Between the marks. As a general rule, if the owners manual says the oil capacity is X.X quarts, that amount should put the oil level right about the middle between the marks. If its above the top mark by more than 1/8", it's overfilled. Overfilling can cause mechanical problems, and consumption.

For a Non-turbo engine, no reason at all. Higher octane Might get you an extra MPG or two if you drive with a heavy foot, but its usually not worth the cost. There are usually more detergents in higher octane fuel that keep things like injectors and valves clean, but you can simply add a bottle of fuel system cleaner once every 3-6 months and accomplish the exact same thing. I buy the quart size bottle of Lucas fuel system cleaner when I can find it on sale and use about 3 ounces in the tank every three months or so. Between the 4 cars I maintain for myself and family, a bottle lasts me about 9 months. I got it last time for about $12.

Sounds like lifter noise based on the description. A half quart of MMO should clear that up. If it doesn't, the rocker shaft assemblies will need to be removed and cleaned, and the lifters cleaned and bled. Its a weekend job for a DIY mechanic, only because the parts are small and takes several minutes to clean each of the 16 lifters.

Don't know what cam switch bank 1 is. If you got a code for it, post up the actual P0 code number so we can look up Subarus definition of that code. If you have a code for the cam sensor, it's probably the cam sensor. Make sure it's plugged in tight and there's no dirt in the pins. Coolant temp sensor could be possible, but usually takes a longer cool-down.

No sealant on the backing plate. Yes, coat the rotors and the inner surface of the plate with fresh oil.

The size should be stamped somewhere on the side of the MC. Might check for that and see if its the correct size. If you have the factory service manual for the car, look in the brakes specifications and it should say which size MC should be on it.

My thinking was that if the MC has been replaced in the past, someone may have installed the wrong one. There were two different sizes that could be used. One had a 15/16" bore, the other a 1-1/16" bore. If I remember right, the Outback should have the smaller bore.

I must have misread that part. I thought just the hose was replaced. If the booster itself was replaced then there must be something else going on. Has the Master cylinder been replaced at some point in the past?

More than likely the brushes on the starter armature are worn or stuck and not making contact until you give them that little bump. Brushes aren't quite as easy to change as the solenoid contacts, but you may be able to pop them out and clean the holes they sit in and get some more life out of it.

Most of the adjustable control arms and trailing arms for these are made with steel heim joints which as susceptible to rust and wear and make noise when dirt gets in them. They also ride much rougher than the stock arms. Outback struts fit in just fine with no other parts needed.

Subaru does specify an orientation for the jiggle valve even on non-turbo engines. Its either straight forward, or straight back, but I don't remember which off-hand. I'm not sure it makes a huge difference, but the wax pellet is offset from center on the thermostat, so correct orientation of the jiggle valve can make a difference in temperature regulation.

I would guess the booster has failed. In your other car, start the engine, release the brake, then turn the engine off. Press the brake pedal 4-5 times and you'll hear it whoosh a few times and the pedal will start to get harder to push. Do the same test on your 98 and if the pedal gets hard to push sooner, the booster is bad.

Stupid auto link maker kept cutting out part of the URL. Should work now. There's a switch in the seatbelt latch that on some cars tells the airbag module when the seatbelt is latched. If the wire for the switch is damaged because of the damaged cover, the airbag module may set a code.

Fans should kick on around 204°F. Should stay on until back down to 194°. Make sure the temp sensor for the computer is changing resistance as the engine warms. Its common for those to fail and tell the ECU its -40° all the time.

The technical term is Roll connector, but yes, clockspring is the typically used term to describe the ribbon cable that connects the airbag cruise control and horn wiring through the steering column. Its a ribbon cable wound around about 6-10 times inside a housing, so it looks similar to a clockspring inside. If you're having trouble with the drivers seatbelt connector, that could be the source of your problem. Pulling the airbag codes will tell you for sure.

This doesn't work on EJ engines. The pump rotor is driven directly by the crankshaft.