99obw

Thanks Carl! I may consider those if I can't find the Subaru part. I have a mity vac brake bleeder so doing them by myself isn't an issue.

I used razor blades to get most of it and then lightly with 600 grit sandpaper to finish up.

Does anyone know the Subaru part number for the rear brake caliper bleeder screw? I have talked to two dealers and they both insist that the screws are 26238AE000. That is the correct number for the front calipers. The front screws have an 8mm hex on them, the rear screws have a 10mm hex on them. They are getting pretty rusty and need to be replaced. Thanks,

If you can free up the shaft on one of those you can have the old motor that came out of our 99. The internals are all good AFAIK. The shaft is frozen and the housing is broken. It's yours for free, pick up or pay shipping from 14517.

This is a very common failure in this part of the country. I have replaced the motor on our 99 outback and my friends 97 legacy wagon. I installed a '96 junkyard motor that I bought on ebay in our car, it is making a bit of noise after about 6 months but still working. I don't think it will last very long. Next time I may buy a new motor. Perhaps if I get the time I will dissasemble the current motor and lubricate the shaft. http://www.1stsubaruparts.com has the motor for $99.71, list is $132.95, Subaru part number 86511AC101.

Over time that leak will really make a dirty mess out of the immediate area. I would also have it fixed.

Well, ASAP was a couple of days ago. Went in fairly easily. Works great so far. Hey!! We have a brand new car with 9 miles on it!! I will try and report back as the miles accumulate and let everyone know if the intermittent failures are gone. (Fingers crossed)

Some may call me crazy, but I have been changing it every 30-50k miles. I will have to cut it open next time to see if it is only a screen or if it has some real filtering media. All of the tranny filters I have seen on other makes have had media appearing to be cellulose. The filter you desire is Subaru part number 38325AA032.

http://www.1stsubaruparts.com has them for $96.56. That is what I will be buying when I replace our alternator. I don't know who rebuilds them or what parts they use. You may want to give them a call and ask them, they are very helpful. I have come to the conclusion after years of maintaining and repairing my own cars that the weakest link in a car is the parts store part that gets put in it. I have even started buying OEM parts for my '92 dodge. The parts store stuff is just garbage.

My DTC Lookup utility says "Catalyst Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank 1)" I would start by clearing the code. If the code returns then I would replace the rear sensor. Perhaps the cat is actually bad, but the sensor is a much cheaper place to start. AFAIK the replacement interval for Subaru O2 sensors is 100,000 miles.

I would concentrate on the front sensor, the rear only verifies the catalytic converter. My understanding is that the voltage should oscillate slightly and be centered on 0.45V. A lot of times a lazy sensor will degrade fuel economy but not trigger a MIL. If in doubt replace it. Has your fuel economy decreased? Have you had a MIL?

Amsoil doesn't need me to defend it, but I must add, virtually any modern oil and filter changed at the proper interval will prevent the kind of damage you describe, so it's likely that something else was the problem. It's impossible to be conclusive with a sample size of 1. Using any oil for extended drain intervals requires periodic analysis to determine the oil's suitability for continued use. I think that Amsoil misleads consumers by claiming that their oils can be used for 25k miles without insisting on periodic analysis. Some of the more reputable dealers may be trustworthy, but the company as a whole leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I do really like the 5w-30 ASL and 10w-30 ATM products though.

Not exactly. Of the common conductors silver is the most conductive by a small margin over copper. I have heard only complaints about Bosch platinums myself. I personally have had excellent luck with Autolite platinums in other makes. I feel a bit guilty putting Champion plugs in my lawn mower, I can't imagine putting them in a Subaru.

For those of us in the salt belt the cartridge is of no use because by the time the strut is worn out the spring cone has rusted away.

I think Amsoil aimed at the top selling competitors when they commisioned this test. I would like to think they didn't leave out any competitors that would have beat them, but maybe they did. I kind of enjoy seeing Mobil 1 put in it's place where I think it belongs based on my experience with it.

I wrap old accessory belts around the crank pulley to protect it and then hold it with a chain wrench. Others either put the car in gear and have an assistant hold the brakes (manual tranny) or wedge something in the bellhousing (auto tranny).

Well, I can't disagree with Subaru, but I can say that I have done the job twice without the special tool with no damage to the valves. YMMV

The NGK laser platinums hold up really well. Right now I am looking at one of my 60k mile old PFR5B-11 plugs. It looks just like the day I put it in, except darkened a bit too much from a bad O2 sensor. I am a little too cheap to try the iridiums.

Nope. Solid lifters.

I have done the timing belt job and then the head gasket job, both on the Phase I 2.5, which you have. I had done several other timing belt jobs before I did this one. I have been working on engines for about 20 years (my first job was a timing chain on a 400 pontiac with my mom when I was 9). I don't think the timing belt is that hard, the head gaskets are a bit tougher. If you feel up to it, do it, it's not that hard if you follow the book. Just don't be mad at me if you goof something up. Regarding the valves hitting things. In the haynes manual it tells you to first bring the engine to TDC for cylinder #1. I use a compression tester to do that. Then, after you remove the timing covers, turn the engine clockwise until the timing marks align. If you do this, the valves will not hit when you remove the timing belt idler. I don't know what will happen if you don't align things properly.

I don't think you are being an @#$%. You can't guarantee that the Mobil 1 is actually ending up in the engine, they could pour it into another container and give you back the empties. My gut feeling is that if you have to take those kind of precautions with a dealer, find another dealer. If you have no choice but to use this dealer then the things you mention seem like a good start. Back when I had to rely on people to do work on my cars I wanted to rig up some sort of recording system to record video and audio. Expensive and impracticle, but wouldn't it be cool to catch them doing something and say "Well lets go to the instant replay".

Based on the results of this interesting test I personally would hesitate to recommend the PureOne, (GASP), the Fram did better. It looks like the Napa Gold is ok, and the Mobil 1 looks pretty darn good. I wish the guy had tested an Amsoil SDF, but I would expect the results to be similar to the Mobil 1.

I disagree. IMHO unless a person does excessive idling or has an engine management problem, fuel contamination will not determine the end of life of a synthetic oil. More than likely it will be TBN (total base number) or insolubles that determine that. TBN is a measure of the oil's reserve alkalinity. As acidic combustion byproducts are neutralized by the oil the TBN falls until the oil must be replaced. Amsoil 10w-30 has an initial TBN of 12.34, while Mobil 1 has an initial TBN of 8.57, and Pennzoil 7.40 (all according to Amsoil). I think oil needs to be replaced when TBN reaches 2-4. Insolubles are simply the "crap" in the oil that the filter doesn't remove. Of course scientific analysis is the only way to know when an oil is worn out. I find that analysis doesn't make sense for me, so I have been changing the Amsoil every 7500 miles, certainly a very conservative interval. I think I have my courage up to do a 15,000 mile interval with 7500 mile filter changes this winter.

I agree, testing a high-tension wire with a low voltage will only tell part of the story. I don't test spark plug wires, instead I replace them every 120k miles, or every other plug change in my case. I use only OEM parts.

From the FSM: Resistance value: #1 and #3 6.43 — 15.01 kohms #2 and #4 6.67 — 15.57 kohms