Setright

Yep, but the Police don't like it if you drive without one. Haven't had any heat related problems, though. Even on tracks.

Yeah, Texan, those rather puny 260mm rotors won't cut it on a trackday unless they have some slots. Pads are Mintex.

Well, the planet is warming up. However, not because of the influence of us self-obessed humans. Nope, Gaia is merely trying to bring the temperature back up to the average. According to ice boring in the thick inland ice on Greenland, there was a large drop in temperature around the 1860'ies. This coincides with the first systematic registration of atmosperheric temperature by meterologists. So, ever since then a steady climb has prevailed. Narrow-minded, arrogant, tree-hugging types have the audacity to claim that humans are the cause....

For those wanting a close up:

I am definitely with LosDios on this one. Large, boxer-engined, AWD car's are not made to sip fuel parsimoniously My 2.0 liter, non-turbo, Impreza returns an average of 10km/l in winter and about 11km/l in summer. Friends and colleagues brag about getting 15km/l in similar sized cars. Oh yeah? Any of those boring boxes have AWD??? (Liters and kilometers, do the maths yourselves )

The lateset iteration of the 2.5 liter engine has increase stroke and reduced bore. No doubt this allows a bigger seal area around the cylinder top and head surface, so the headgaskets are less likely to be sensitive to skimped maintenance. Subaru's don't have many inherent weaknesses, so you are unlikely to be dissappointed. The AWD system works very well in snow - it doesn't plough straight on like I suspect your Maxima does ?? For fuel economy, I would suggest buying the 2.0 liter model. New engine has 160bhp...but that's a Euro spec engine, where are you at?

"I love it when a plan comes together!"

Head gasket and rear bearings are normal failures. Only in the sense that they are not rare. A properly serviced EJ25 won't bust a headgasket, just because it's an EJ25. "Properly serviced" also means driven with the right amount of circumspection that any car deserves. Never more than 4000rpm or half throttle when the engine is cold. Letting the engine cool down before shutting off after a "fast" run. I think more than a few HG failures stem from unqualified maintenance - and some of that does rest with the owner. Coolant and oil levels need to be check weekly. On any car!

Yeah, your thermostat might be stuck shut. Search the forum for "Coolant replacement", I have done a comprehensive write-up on how to fill these flat-fours.

Yes sir, start with a new rad cap. The explanation above sums of the function nicely :-)

You should try sourcing the Subaru "Sports muffler". Get on the phone to a dealer. It's the only exhaust I know of that gives the right sounds without any headaches.

External, belly of the car. Up on a lift, support tranny with a big jack, unscrew old mount, screw on new mount...

I would expect 120k miles or ten years. So if you are nearing that mileage, it would be worth fitting a new pump.

I would like to hear more about the symptoms. If the rpm don't rise more than normal then the clutch isn't slipping. And I agree that you wouldn't smell it at speed. It might be worth replacing the transmission mount, when they go soft the allow the gearbox to move around to much and that could cause "skipping".

Sid, do you happen to have the part number?? Please!

Hang on, I must have misunderstood? Is this the joint we're talking about: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/Setright/cat2.jpg That needs a cone shaped gasket that you ought to buy from a Subaru dealer. It slides over the pipe on the engine side and then seals against the conical part of the mid-pipe. Must use spring loaded system here, to allow some flexing. If the joint is closer to the engine and the flanges are flat, then you must use regular bolts.

Get a new gasket, metal is good, and smear a thin layer of "Firegum" on both sides. Fit stainless steel bolts and torque to the correct spec - 48Nm?

Many humble thanks for the positive comments Yep, stock 15x6.0 wheels have turned into winter wheels. I still run 195/60R15 in summer, but the rim is 6.5 inches wide, which makes a big difference to the handling. I would fit 205/50R16 for summer, but the tyres cost double and with my mileage, that would ruin my economy. It's funny how the first few drifts get your heart pumping and your mind going "can I catch this??" but after a while it starts to feel natural and enjoyable

Sure :-) These text based discussions can get heated far beyond the intent, since you can't see if people are smiling and twinkling their eyes. Just for info:I am running 5W-30 now, during winter, but in summer I will switch to 5W-50. The thing I need to consider is that a lot my daily work related trips are only about 5-6miles, so the oil never reaches it's full op temp and that means pumping "losses" with the thicker stuff. No, no, no, I am not a last-word guy

Yeah, I am sorry about that. Sometimes when I'm in a hurry, I tend to lose any sense of diplomacy :-) But I do stand on my viewpoint: Mobil 1 5W-50 cSt @ 40 C 104.9 cSt @ 100 c 17.5 Compare to M1 5W-30 cSt @ 40 C 72.8 cSt @ 100 C 12.1 *Sourced from MobilEurope.com I know that you might say 40 degrees C is somewhat higher than where the "5W" is measured, but if you start digging into the spec sheets, you will graphs that indicate that 5W-50 has a higher viscosity further down too.

Yeah, sorry guys, not a Turbo. It would be, but gas prices, car prices and not to mention insurance prices are much too high here!! Nevermind, it will still drift about in the snow and doesn't have any turbo-lag which could harm the control via the right foot :-) This is the car parked at home: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/Setright/PC290013.jpg and with the flash on to highlight the snowfall: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/Setright/PC290011.jpg gravelRX, this is the present best shot of the wheels. Can take a better one if you insist: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/Setright/PA310002.jpg Those are the standard 15x6 wheels wrapped in Bridgstone Blizzaks.

These are taken with a crappy phone camera, but that means they don't bog down the line:

NO! A 5W-30 and a 5W-50 oil will NOT have the same low temperature viscosity. If you really are serious about selecting oil, read the spec sheets. The "xW-xx" is just a general range, not an accurate gauge.

Exactly! After filling the cooling system slowly, you must let the engine run, with the rad cap off and wait for the cooling fan to start. Top off the rad, screw on the cap.

Yeah, considering your location, 5W-30 is probably best. 5W-50 is only really suited in light frost, and of course summer!