Setright

Okay, I see that maybe you might think the Edsel grille and that on the new Subes resemble eachother. But society has moved on, and they won't be quite as offended by a vulva on the front of their car. More important: The Impreza is a great car to drive !

Ermmm, what do you mean? "kamaxel" means "camhaft" for sure.

It's a get you home from the middle of nowhere solution. If you decide to go ahead anyway, make sure you use as little as possible.

Yep, the rust thing is a problem like Texan says. Also, winter frost will crack the engine block since water contracts at 4 degrees C and then starts to expand as it freezes!

Yessir, "givare" means to deliver, so that'll be the cam angle sensor. Surely this part is universal, so that you don't have to wait to get one from the states?

As the others say, could be the window sealing problem. Still, it would be worth checking around the windshield for loose bits of trim. Those black seals must be clipped on tight and flush with the glass. I had a windscreen replaced and the dealer didn't intall the correct mounting brackets causing the windscreen to sink too low into the frame. The seals couldn't seal and sat slighty proud of the glass in some areas. I had a cacophony to deal with at highway speeds. Got it fixed though, after another stone cracked that screen....

Yes, keep harrassing the dealer, they better make it work! Things to check: Clutch, is there the correct amount of freeplay? Too much and the clutch won't disengage fully and this will cause hard shifting. Engine running, at standstill, in neutral, push forward firmly on the stick toward third gear. DON'T force it! Then, start press the clutch pedal down slowly, keeping pressure on the stick. About 2/3rds down the gearstick should slip into 3rd gear. Meaning that the clutch pedal will still move down another two inches or so after the gear is selected. If your clutch adjustment is wrong, the stick won't go in until the pedal is almost at the floor. Subaru geaboxes are "recalcitrant" and stiff, making them sensitive to the correct gear oil and clutch adjustment. Also, the presence of two differentials inside the gearbox makes shifting tougher. However, they aren't as bad as yours seems to be.

Olnick, I believe the idea with angle contact speherical bearings is encourage it to self-center, and reduce rattling. It also allows it to deal with axial forces. Like when cornering.

Genuine. Sube parts are quite high quality, that's why the cars last so long!

Well, there is no test as such, but if you get a slight Diesel like sound when cold, worst around 2000rpm, and it goes away after a few miles, then it's most likely piston slap. Loud clicking, that is also present at idle is valve tappets and that would need curing.

My present favourite for winter is Bridgestone Blizzak LM18. Very impressed with this as it's not only capable in snow, but performs far better in wet conditions than any winter tyre I can remember. Danish weather conditions necessitate a good wet weather tyre, since snow is only sporadic. Summer is also Bridgestone, RE720, which again perform very nicely in wet weather.

I have had good results using Shell's pre-mixed 50/50 solution. Castrol doesn't seem to last - had a lab tech analyse it cause it was loosing colour and it was turning acidic after only a few thousand miles. Be aware that you MUST stick with the glycol based stuff, which usually means green or blue. Red and orange has a different base and will sludge up when mixed with the old coolant.

Or to us Europeans: 1.0 - 1.1 mm I would recommend fitting some NGK V-Groove plugs, like BKR6E-11

It's "piston slap" - and normal. The pistons have become so short in the search for less friction and better economy that they rattle a bit when cold. A number of Hondas do this too. Take it easy on the throttle while it's cold. Like only open it halfway and don't rev above 4000.

That test is baloney. The first graph makes the difference between 97 and 100 look ENORMOUS! The authors have felt the need to manipulate their findings, and that makes me suspicious. You can't trust that test.

I would like to express my support for the three previous posts. And just to be sure: THE HUB NUT DOES NOT NEED TO COME OFF!

axxiom, as you can see, there is nothing to fear. I have also run K&N in my cars for big mileages and no problems. The dead MAF's that Texan brought to light is probably what has started the debate again. My Legacy did 70K miles in my ownership with a K&N and MAF, and ZERO problems. The K&N sacrificies a little filtration for a lot of flow gain. (3% points worse vs. a 27% point advantage). However, as mentioned, the bits that slip by are miniscule and don't cause engine wear. From racing mechs I have heard that these bits DO cause increased drag in the oil and therefore cost horsepower in the long run. I change my oil every 6k miles of street driving, so I doubt I am affected by this.

Quit the panic people! As I understand, the car is using/losing one liter of oil for every 3000km. That's nothing. Even the Germans all insist that up to one liter per 1000km is still fine. (Yep, this is stated clearly in VW and Audi manuals). The engine won't die suddenly UNLESS you forget to top off the oil. Keep the car, and always have a quart of oil in the trunk. Monitor the oil level every 600 miles - on a cold, level parked engine. As mentioned, a slighty thicker oil would be good. Enjoy!

Yep, two nuts. A 10 an 12 mm hex reside on the other end of your clutch cable. Center and rear of the engine room. Loosen them and tighthen the 12mm one full turn, and use the 10mm to lock it into place. Depending on your model, there maybe an air filter box in your way.

Commuter, read his post again, I don't think I am wrong. The cams are apparently shifted during opening, meaning increased duration.

Here come my contribution: Valve opening, a glossary by Setright: Valve Timing: Degrees related to the crankshaft rotation and therefore piston height in the cylinder. Indirectly related to ignition timing. Valve Lift: How far does the valve lift off the seat at the highest point. Valve Duration: How long does the valve spend away from it's seat. What RallyKeith explained the first time has been used in MG/Rover engines and is more a question of duration than timing. Valve Overlap: What length of time is spent with both intake and exhaust valves open. Large overlap gives the crappy idle talked about already, but excellent purging of the cumbustion chamber at higher revs. And also plenty of raw fuel into the exhaust - either killing catalysts or making the bangs that makes a highly strung race engine sound cool!

Sounds like the bearings are ok. Bear in mind that you have two full size differentials in there to add to the cacophony. The first gear whine stems from almost straight-cut cogwheels in that gear. Kinda like reverse.

First off all: Maybe the noise is normal. Subaru gearboxes are noisy from new. A continuous whirring is to be expected. Only if it's uneven or punctuated by clacking/rumbling sounds should you worry. In the input shaft bearing is very worn, the car will occasionally jump out of first gear as you engage the clutch and move off. That's when you need to replace the bearings pronto! As for the oil, synth is fine, but different brands have different attributes. How is the shift from 2nd to 3rd in yours now? It should be a little bit sticky/stiff/recalcitrant but not make any crunching noises. My favourite trans oils for Subaru are Castrol "Syntorq" and Valvoline "Synpower". Both in the 75W-90 weight.

Bucking, in my experience is most often an ignition system problem. Most often the plug wires. I know you say they look OK, but don't count on it. There is still the "distributor" on top the manifold and the igniter at the firewall to consider before you can ignore the ignition system.

The EJ20 I have slaps in the morning. And I am not alone here in Europe. My 1990 EJ22 never slapped. Ticked three times on start-up, but it cured itself.