99obw

Have the rotors turned or preferably replaced and OEM pads installed.

Last time I bought a clutch it came with a little plastic alignment tool.

That doesn't seem like an unreasonable amount of time to me, but I work relatively slowly.

I think the links I posted are for the rear bearings only, though the procedure with the front should be similar. I posted the endwrench links to serve as an example of how the job can be done on the car, and also for people with the affected cars as an FYI. I would be curious to know what it will cost to have the parts pressed out/in plus alignment and how that compares to the cost of the hub tamer. It might take several jobs to pay for it, maybe not the least expensive short term option.

http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/OTC-6490.html Endwrench has some info on subaru recommended procedures for doing the bearings. They no longer recommend using a hydraulic press because it may damage the new bearings. I am not sure if the hub tamer can actually remove the hub. I am almost positive it can, but I haven't used it for that yet. In the subaru procedure they use a slide hammer to remove the hub. http://www.endwrench.com/current/Current6/03/Wheel%20Bearing%20PDFs/MSA5TT0201.pdf http://www.endwrench.com/current/Current6/03/WhBearRep.pdf http://www.endwrench.com/current/Current6/03/Wheel%20Bearing%20PDFs/03-50-02.pdf Those may or may not apply to your car, but the information may be useful anyway.

The rear struts, springs, strut mounts, and wheel bearings for our 99 outback are on their way from 1stsubaruparts. I haven't done a whole lot of struts, but the mounts always seem to be in need of replacement by the time the struts are worn out. I would always replace the front strut mounts when replacing the front struts because of the bearing in the front strut mount. Usually I don't replace the springs, but the rear end of our car seems to be sagging especially when loaded with groceries or the dog. It has about 145k miles on it. Doing bearings on a front/all wheel drive is a pain in the neck. The ones I did in the past I did the old fashioned way, with a hydraulic press with the steering knuckle removed from the car. I recently invested in a hub tamer which allows replacement of the bearing with the knuckle on the car. It should almost pay for itself when I do the rear bearings on the outback. I have used it several times already for other things. It is a very versatile set of tools. If I were you I would search around and see if someone rents out hub tamers or similar tool sets.

I can't really answer any of your questions directly, but I can offer my experience. I recently drove a '97 legacy wagon with a 2.2l and a 5-speed. It was more responsive and much nicer to drive than our '99 outback wagon with a 2.5 and AT. The car feels much lighter and should get better mileage. That particular car has been somewhat poorly maintained, and my friend and I are going to do some serious work to it (at my request). It seems to have held up very well to the moderate neglect (no timing belt change at 130k). The only thing I don't like about the legacy wagon is the ground clearance. Heck, my '92 dynasty has more ground clearance. On my road the legacy would have to "plow" significant snow on some winter days. Studded snows would be a must. That shouldn't be a problem for you, but off roading would be very limited. I guess my ideal new gen suby would be an outback with a 2.2 and a 5-speed, or an impreza based vehicle with the same.

FWIW, I have found gas tank leaks on salt exposed cars are most often on the top of the tank or the top of the seam. Gas is volatile enough that if you have a small leak it may evaporate before it makes it to the ground, resulting in only a strong odor.

The gen II outbacks have the phase II engine. Unless you know how to work on engines or have some extra money burning a hole in your pocket I would avoid the phase I.

I haven't done it yet, so I can't tell you exactly where it is. I know the front sensor is upstream of the catalytic converter. My haynes manual shows it being right near where the header pipes from each cylinder bank come together. You should remove it with the exhaust hot, so be very careful. I would probably reset the ECM when replacing it and allow the ECM to learn the new sensor.

That would be relatively easy to do except the final stage of the torque down is based on degrees of bolt turn rather than ft-lbs.

BTW, you want the front sensor only.

It is very easy to do. Go buy yourself an O2 sensor socket. I bought a universal sensor (requires soldering the old connector on the new sensor) for about $45 at http://www.oxygensensors.com. If you want a direct replacement sensor $82 sounds like a pretty good price. $500 to replace an O2 sensor is obscene. Find a new mechanic.

I have never heard of engine failure due to piston slap, though I have heard of some people having the short block replaced under warranty for it. Our 99 does it pretty bad when it is cold. It causes me severe mental distress to listen to the thing as I drive it when it is cold, but I don't know that it really hurts anything. I like to let the engine run at least a minute before I go, and then just take it easy until it quiets down. Who knows what my wife does. It doesn't quiet down until about 3 miles after the coolant temp gauge has leveled off.

Much has been seen on the internet about auto-rx. Maybe a couple more rounds of cleaner would be a good place to start if you think they are sludged up. How about the timing belt and tensioner. I don't know for sure if your engine has one of those automatic tensioners that can make noise on the left side. Has that been changed? Is it nearing replacement time? If it needs to be done anyway that might be something to think about. Edit: Duh, you said EJ22. I am pretty sure the tensioner could be suspect.

Just buy the additive and add it to your gas. I have read that the Techron is much more concentrated when you use the additive in your gas than when you buy Chevron gas. The 2.5 really likes to get carboned up.

I use 87. Make sure you run a good cleaner like Techron through it about every 3000 miles to keep the carbon cleaned out.

At the interval that Subaru recommends. I only mention it because I get the impression from people that I talk to that it is one of those things that people seem to neglect. Another thing people neglect is changing the fluid and filter in the auto tranny.

Could be the cam and/or crank position sensor(s).

Our head gaskets went at the top of a long hill on I390 at 75mph 6:00 AM on a Monday when it was 5F outside taking my 2 year old for surgery. That is the worst any car has ever left me stranded in approximately 400k miles of driving mostly junker cars. But anyway... I don't think you should give up on your car just yet. If you took decent care of it 100k is nothing, even with the POS Phase I. The car may or may not be worth the approximately $1500 it would take to have the head gaskets properly done. I can't comment on the average longevity of a Phase I head gasket replacement because I really don't know. We have about 20k on ours. Some have said that the repair may not always last. I haven't heard much about the auto trannies going, except on the SVX.

Oil is a very complex issue. Check out http://www.bobistheoilguy.com if you are really interested in oil and filters. I wouldn't go more than 5000 to 7500 miles between drains with synthetic oil without oil analysis to verify that going further is ok. I would definately stick to 3000 mile intervals with conventional oil. Some may think I am too conservative with those recommendations but when I take apart an engine that I have maintained it is CLEAN inside. Right now I am doing 7500 mile intervals with amsoil synthetic (10w-30 ATM) and amsoil filters (SDF-20). At the end of the month I am going to switch to 5w-30 for the winter. Of course if you care for your car you will never let a quick lube "mechanic" touch it. Proper replacement of the PCV valve prevents sludge in the engine and prevents oil leaks, so do that too. Air filters also play a big role in engine wear. I recommend using only genuine Subaru parts.

Did you buy that stuff yet? I don't know that I will ever buy another remanned half shaft, every one I have bought has been terrible. I would go new on this. You might check http://www.oxygensensors.com to see if you can get a better price.

I could tell by wiggling the connector on the mornings that the car wouldn't start. The car would always start if I wiggled the connector. The connector was on the outside and I didn't need to remove the fuel pump. That was on a '89 Dodge Spirit, so your situation may be very different. I am just offering it as a cheap thing to check before replacing the $$$ fuel pump. Intermittent problems are the most difficult to troubleshoot.

I recommend using the subaru 11044AA610 for the 2.5L Phase I. Search the USMB for more info.

If the fuel pump is in the tank, which I think it is on that car, hitting the outside of the tank near the fuel pump would also vibrate the fuel pump wire. I had a car that wouldn't start intermittently and the culprit was the connector that went to the fuel pump. I went to the junkyard and bought one for $5 and soldered it in. Worked great. I am not saying that the fuel pump isn't the problem, just that an intermittent electrical connection may be the problem instead.