Setright

Hmm, I've not had trouble with my Forester 2.5XT...but that does have a turbocharger to obscure things. Having said that, I've driven a long distance in a NA 2.5 Outback and don't recall having problems getting the revs to drop. They only tend to "hang" when it's cold. There could be differences between Euro and US models. Might be worth visiting the dealer to talk about a possible fault in the system.

Whoa there! Only needs two bolts to remove the starter. Contacts are cheap and easily replaced. If you're not too confident you can just remove the starter and find a shop that will overhaul the starter. Contacts are shared with Toyota's and probably a bunch of other Japanese makes.

Over 160k miles? Starter will need new contacts.

BKR6E-11 ? Check that all the wires are popped back onto the new plugs. A loose connection is likely.

Hmm, unless it is down to MT vs. auto, maybe you guys are just too sudden with the throttle? Approach bend on snow covered road. Step off throttle. Turn wheel into bend. Gently press throttle all the way down, in one smooth action. Wait as torque builds and is shifted rearward. Rear begins to step out. Keep throttle and steering in postion until you've got the desired angle. Swing steering wheel into opposite lock, stop when it feels "heavy" again. Enjoy slide.... Twitch wheel more in opposite direction or smoothly take the throttle back to return to straight-line cruise. Look in mirror and notice that idiot who was tailgating is now keeping a respectable distance (Please be aware that once the rear is going, stepping off the gas again will cause the car to slide EVEN MORE, due to shift in balance. It takes practice to avoid the panic reaction that leads to releasing the gas. Try to focus on keeping your throttle foot still and using the steering wheel to control the car.)

Please take note: GL ratings are specifications that oils can live up to. They are NOT version numbers. One oil can span GL-3 and GL-4, and GL-5 if need be.

I have found positive results with Castrol Syntorq and more recently Valvoline Synpower. Synpower cured a 2nd-3rd crunch in my gearbox, and has kept it away for the full 50,000km drain interval. Needless to say, Synpower went in again.

Nice one. It would be a real bummer if you would've had to pay yourself.

The lower limit is 70%. That means the rim must be at least 70% the width of the tyre. I would strongly recommend 80%-90% for optimum handling.

If there's a hole, and the dent has smoothed out a stamped-in crease. You'll need a new door. Of course, window, trim panels, and all that can be moved over, but I would fight for a new door. No amount of repair work will effectively seal out rust if the panel has been perforated :-\

Subaru manuals recommend snow chains on the front wheels only. Not sure why. Of course snow chains set a very low speed limit.

Strakes, even Setright has room for improvement The latest revision on the purge is as follows: "This will dislodge the few air pockets that are unavoidable and the fluid level in the radiator should drop a little after the burp, top it off. Start the engine again, and let it run until the radiator fan starts running, be patient! When then fan starts running, top off the level in the rad and install the radiator cap - and bleed screw if there is one. During the warm up, a small amount of coolant will spill over the rad filler neck, have a cloth to absorb it." The beauty is that once the fan is running, you can be certain that the thermostat is open and that means good flow and proper air pocket purging

Good advice.

I have access to the dealers tech manuals. I 'll cop a butchers. In the mean time, you could try running the car without the MAF connected and see how it reacts? To be certain of the error code. Reset the ECU, start the engine with MAF disconnected. Switch off, read error codes. 23 should come up again.

Poly bushings will give you more direct steering and throttle response. They may also make squeaky noises, and therefore require lubrication. If you do go with poly, you should really replace all the bushings in the front and rear. If say, you only replace the rear ones, you're likely to encounter unexpected oversteer.

I work Sundays at a dealer her in Denmark now. Yes, satnav can be retrofitted. Steering wheel alignment: the person aligning it hasn't done it right. But if the car doesn't pull to one side, it's ok. But annoying. Tick noise is NOT piston slap. It's the hydraulic lash adjusters in the valvetrain. Normal. Not harmful. I have noticed that the newer variable valve lift and timing systems are more likely to be noisy. Synthetic oil is a-okay

Yewman, you must reset the ECU code memory. Connect both green and black. Ignition to ON. [Various relays will click and maybe your cooling fan will cycle on and off] Throttle pedal to the floor. Lift pedal up to about half travel, hold for two seconds, release pedal fully. Start the engine and drive away. Pretty soon the Check Engine light will either flash steadily indicating the memory is cleared, OR it will flash an error code if the fault remains.

Manarius, this is a European model. It'll have both the OBDII multi-pin port, as well as the plain old OBDI system and codes. My MY2000 Impreza is identical in engine and ECU. Even the latest Subes have the green diagnostic connector. It's a simple, easy access short cut. Useful on for road side diagnosis and such.

Code 23 : Airflow sensor. Circuit is open or shorted. Try disconnecting the cable on you MAF (On or behind the air filter box) and spray some electronics cleaning fluid in there. Let dry, re-connect. Hope for a good connection. Otherwise it may be time to replace the MAF

Noah, can you be certain that these failures are due to bad filtration? I didn't say that a bad filter never killed an engine, just that this thread doesn't contain irrefutable evidence.

Yewman, get under the dash, look for two sets of unconnected electrical connectors. One pair green, the other black. Ignition OFF, connect black connectors. Ignition to ON. If the Check Engine light flashes a cycle of two long and two short pulses, that's code 22 - Knock sensor. Otherwise, you could just have poured some contaminated petrol in there? Recently my car was hesistating at three different marks on the rev counter and I traced it to bad fuel. Bought 98 RON at a garage that doesn't sell much of the stuff and was probably "old" - meaning diluted with water and the like.

Well, being the snooty individualist that I am, my comment on this thread is: I haven't seen any good arguments against K&N filters here. Manufacturers don't put them in because paper filters are dirt cheap, make less noise...and customers can't see the darn K&N hiding in the air filter box. So, zero marketing value. Do consider that STI makes a warranty covered gauze filter. To me, that says it all. If it's good enough for Subaru Technica....it'll be good enough for me

Not all engines have oil-spray cooling of the piston crown. Usually only Turbo Sube engines.

Any "real" 911 is air-cooled (But it does carry an insane amount of oil....)

JohnVT : Do the other cars feature permanent four wheel drive? I ask, because the lack of wheelspin means the clutch takes up the extra power if you race away from lights..