Setright

The ball bearing test ignores to vital factors: 1) Inside an engine, the oil is delivered under pressure, it doesn't just rest in the bottom of a pan. 2) The bearing contact surfaces form lines, not points.

The full capacity should be 3.5 liters, but I find that 3.3 is enough to bring the level to max during a normal drain/refill. Not all the old oil will drain out. 24mm external hex plug. The rear diff full capacity is 0.8 liters. 1/2 inch square drive internal plugs. 75W-90 in both. Don't go thicker in the gearbox, unless your buddy likes crunching synchros. A 75W-80 is recommend by "Motul".

Sube wrenchers like me, with age-old experience from a Subaru Authorised shop, and three Subes with my name on them, do the following: RedeX injector cleaner - which for me, has produced better results that STP. ATF oils aren't identical of course, but even so, I wouldn't worry about mixing brands. I would however, consider that Subaru has long insisted on running mineral-based ATF's. Check the manual for clarity. They may have made the jump to semi-synth...

Having driven my XT on German motorways, I can vouch for the aerodynamic "problem". Above 125mph it feels like someone is stepping on the brake, when all you've done is release the throttle. It does get to 125mph very quickly indeed, and will indicate 140mph without fussing. All in all, the aerodynamic thing is academic, because there are so few places left on this planet to cruise at such high speeds. What the Forester can do really well, is surprise even Porsches/Ferrari's at the Traffic Light Grands Prix. All the others, like big Audi's, Mercs, and the entire GTi bridage, are almost too easy to outrun

As the others say. Leave it in and consider a change to 5W-30 when summer comes :-)

Sid, are you sure you need it? It's there to prevent throttle bodly icing. Is that a problem where you intend to use the vehicle? Is it indeed a problem where the engine is gonna live now?

Maybe the windshield has been replaced and wasn't mounted/sealed properly.

7500 miles is plenty frequent oil changes. That's what I do, and I subject my car to track-driving, and generally thrash it to the redline - only once the engine is warm of course. The Euro car manuals stipulate servicing at just under 10,000 miles.

We've got 'em over here in Denmark, too! They used to be more useful, and co-ordinate more of the lighting. Actually, my 2006 Forester has it, and it controls the central dash clock, Cruise Control, and trip/odometer lights. So, it's making a comeback

Nice one, Texan

A healthy engine, with working catalysts will have a sweet smell at start-up.

As above !

Just a wee bit further... http://www.surrealmirage.com/subaru/subaru.html

Guys, quit it with the steering wheel jokes! I get the same thing off the Brits, and it's getting old Keltik, try www.surrealmirage.com Josh's site

Pole test or simiulated car from the side? They re-thought the folding of the curtain airbags on the early Legacy models, didn't deploy fast enough. That would give bad ratings in a side on of either sort.

Yes, but nothing fancy. Brake degreaser will work fine, and you're really looking to clean the braking surfaces. Spirits might work too...

Glad to hear you weren't hurt, xoomer! These kinds of situations can play out very randomly with innocent people getting hurt.

My XT has these fitted: http://www.yokohama.com.au/ourtyres/tyre.aspx?tyreid=187 They are good for squealing a lot on corners taken with even a smidgen of "verve". They provide little grip in wet or snowy conditions. In either weather type OH!versteer is the name of the game. On snow the braking is dangerously lacking. Haven't tried them in mud. Of course, I've fitted winter specific tyres for duty during this part of the year.

The EJ25 they're talking about has the plugs horizontal, pointing straight out at the frame rails. EJ22 is easy, since the plugs point upward :cool:

Nice story! I love it when a plan comes together Of course it begs a question: What tyres on the car ??

The battery posts aren't all the same size.

Hmmm. I really should look at the engine block on my 2006 Forester 2.5 XT....it's definitely got new heads compared to the 2004/5 models. Stroke is longer too, and that means a slightly small bore - giving the headgaskets more surface to seal on. Good news for anyone?

Lukas, congratulations on the car! I can confirm for all the non-believers that the EL is a completely new design. The EJ had to bow out because of problems meeting the Euro IV emission regulations. Equeal length intake runners, and exhaust routing around the front of the engine bay to collect 4-2-1 are the main external differences. In Europe, 4-cam AVCS is standard across the board. For those who haven't tried the new engines..... You might like the power - I do! But the engine note has changed considerably and that might dissappoint some - me! The new engines "sneer" more and generally sound more "metallic". Especially above 4000rpm. A more polished, honed and refined sound. Still way better than any other cars in their class, but some of the rumble has been lost. I'm very interested to hear what sort of sounds your exhaust produces Lukas :cool:

The plate is there to discourage foreign objects and water from getting in there. Water gets in anyway and the foreign objects like sand is only a wear issue. Those concentric rings that wear into a brake disc are caused by foreign matter. So, the plate is not essential.

Nipper, I'm with you on the increased oil capacity, but what about the added resistance to motion in the extra pipe/hoses ? What will that do for flow in the engine block?