99obw

Just a WAG, but our outback has a vibration around 30 mph that I think is the front diff bearings. Try and wiggle the CV joint where it enters the transmission. How much does it move? What is the general condition of the axle assemblies?

Actually I think that would most likely be the rear O2 sensor.

Well, the outback had another MIL tonight, P0400. I cleared it and I am going to wait and see.

To disable it disconnect the compressor clutch wire. It should have a connector that can easily be unplugged. I would wrap both connectors with electrical tape or something to keep them clean. Make sure you tie them out of the way so they dont cause a problem.

Nope, only two brothers. She is one of a kind. She has to be to put up with me.

I just replaced the OEM battery in our car. It was still performing fine for the most part, but it gave a sluggish start one 0*F morning and out it came. It had never been run dead or jumped. I felt a little funny about pushing the battery through it's 5th winter and had little tolerance for any perceived degradation of performance. A battery failure resulting in a jump from a stranger of questionable knowledge when my wife is alone simply isn't worth the $60 to me.

FWIW, 1stsubaruparts shipped me almost $700 worth of parts for my friend's legacy for $15. It can take a couple of weeks to get the parts if they don't stock something that you have ordered. I have yet to find a parts source with lower prices or better service.

My wife and I went out last night and ran into a bit of lake effect up near Rochester. It was very slippery and I kicked the rear end out a few times. She went "Wow, that's cool". So now she wants to learn how to countersteer.

IIRC there is a procedure to disassemble and check the condition of the oil pump. Check the manual.

This manual covers both the 2.2 and the Phase I 2.5. ISBN: 1563923262 My cams all turned smoothly when they were reinstalled. Did you use assembly lube? I would make sure that you got the cams back in exactly where they came from. EDIT: Make sure the cam caps are all back in the correct place too.

I have been running the autolite platinums in my dodge for almost 30k, very happy with them. I would not run the autolites in a subaru but I see no reason to not run them in domestic makes. I am on my third set if NGK platinums in the outback at 60k intervals with flawless performance.

The Phase I DOHC was manufactured up until '99. It is a good engine with chronic head gasket problems. 200k should be no problem, in fact I am hoping for 300k with ours. Some others have higher mileage on the Phase I than we do, so perhaps they can comment.

So my wife is sitting here with me looking at the new front end, and she loves it. So it really doesn't matter what I think, because the seven seater will be her vehicle. And she says that she isn't worried about head gaskets and wheel bearings, because I can fix them. Doh! She is very excited about the seven seater, as am I.

From the article... ************************************************* The front end will appear on a production car in 2005 with the launch of a seven-seat vehicle. "It will be on every single Subaru vehicle that we make, so that when you are going down the road, you will recognize that is a Subaru product," said Fred Adcock, executive vice president of Subaru of America Inc. "We think that is a driver in our attempt to become a premium brand." The "common look" is prominent on premium ranges that Subaru is striving to emulate, he said. ************************************************* I wish they would concentrate less on looks and more on head gaskets and wheel bearings. I don't want a premium brand. Most existing subaru owners would agree. They are going to price themselves out of their existing customer base.

Simply because I think better products are available. I think using it as an internal engine cleaner may not be the best, as it works rather quickly and can dislodge chunks of debris, potentially causing more harm than good. It will thin the oil, possibly out of grade. Many engine cleaners that use similar ingredients advise not to drive the car with the additive in the oil. It may be ok as a fuel additive, but I find it's use unnecessary. Interesting thread...

I have been using it as an after-run oil for model airplane engines for about twenty years. Works great as an air tool oil. I would not add it to a car's oil or fuel. If you want to clean your engine use an internal engine cleaner such as AutoRX. If you want to clean your fuel system try Techron.

I am sorry if this seems harsh, but people like him annoy me. 1. His experience is inconsistent with mine. This was discussed at length recently. My guess is that he doesn't like to do it. 2. My experience with many makes has been that water pumps tend to last 120k-140k. 200k-300k!!! Ok, yup, sure. I hope for your sake that not replacing it wasn't a mistake. Water pumps don't seem to give much warning in my experience. A siezed water pump can destroy your engine via timing belt failure. To save $100???? Hmmmm. 3. This is the only item where I think this guy wasn't out of line, but coolant is cheap so if I drain it I generally replace it. 4. Tightening bolts to fix a gasket leak is not my style. My summary, this guy likes to cut corners. This is what us perfectionists refer to as the "good 'nuf" personality type. I like to do everything such that the repair lasts as long as possible. This guy wants you back next week, month, or year. Fundamental difference in technique.

I would recommend basically the same procedure but use fogging oil instead of wd-40.

Our 99 outback with ~150k is quieter with amsoil 5w-30 than with either pennzoil 5w-30 or mobil 1 5w-30. Some mornings it doesn't slap at all regardless of temp. On one particular -10*F morning I remember that it sounded fully warmed up as soon as I started it. I think the viscosity and cold flow characteristics of the oil can make a difference. The piston slapping seems to have leveled off, but the general rattles seem to be getting worse every day. I do notice the same behavior with the engine not becoming completely quiet most days until the coolant temp gauge has been at normal for several miles.

I would dissasemble the brakes and make sure that all slides and guides are properly lubricated. Bleeding them couldn't hurt.

Turns out my wife got the mail saturday, and she has had the bolt and nut ever since. Thanks rallynutdon!!!! USMB rocks!!

the other 30% is water, which sort of defeats the purpose. The isopropyl dry gas is cheap, I use that.

Nope, this last weekend was a bust because of family obligations. It looks like I should be able to get the job done Saturday morning. The bolt and nut from rallynutdon haven't arrived, if I don't see them tomorrow I will get one at the local dealer.

What code is being set? You can pull the code by either buying an OBDII scanner or having a parts store like autozone pull it for you. Without the code it is hard to know where to start.

I like to fill my overflow tank to the max line when the engine is warmed up.