Setright

Have the wheels balanced before going further with that problem. The squeal: Are you certain all eight brake pads are still ok? Maybe an inside rear pad has run skew?

Well, the sound has the characteristics of a main bearing worn thin. Low pitched thud. However, it doesn't seem to keep a rythym. It sounds like it skips beats every now and then. Failed bearings should stick to one frequency. Therefore, it could be a failed timing belt tensioner. Lack of pressure in the tensioner will cause it to knock. Not to mention the possibility of the belt flapping about and making more odd noise. It's possible that higher revs tension the belt up a bit and make the sound go away. Get the timing belt covers off - that means crank pulley must come off - and have a look at the belt and tensioner. On the tensioner you are looking for oil leaks. The belt itself would have an uneven wear pattern, and probably have scuffed the inside of the timing belt covers. Good luck! (Nice recording by the way.)

Green and black pair of connectors under the dashboard. COnnect and follow simple procedure. Search the forum for more info.

Well, even the ODBII cars still have the famous green and black connectors underneath the steering wheel. Connect both, ignition to ON, full throttle, back off to half throttle for a few seconds, then start the engine and drive the car. You may need to get above a certain road speed, but not always. At some stage the CEL will flash at a steady rate, that's the "all clear" signal. If it doesn't do this, then something else is still wrong.

SOunds like an Idle AIr Control valve problem. Search on here, and you should find lots of info on cleaning it

1.40 here in DK

What data are you looking for? It should have 150 horsepower, running high octane.

Well done Dr.RX

It's not just a question of miles, age means a lot too. Especially in areas where salt is used on the roads to keep ice from forming. 30k miles or 5 years, and I would replace the pads no matter how much lining is left.

Replying to one post above this: Yes, the dealer's do seem be stealing the trade-ins, but they in business to make money, after all. Can't fault that. Over here, even a used car sold by a dealer must be covered by a 6 month full warranty. The following 18 months there is still cover, but it's up to the customer to prove the fault was there at purchase time. It's the law, and since it was introduced two years ago, trade-in value has dropped to the floor. The dealers have to cover their rear-ends. Of course, being a cynic, I don't believe that anything in the used car business has actually changed.

WAIT! It's simple: Get a rubber hose that fits inside the dipstick tube, about 1/2 inch external diameter, cut it down to about two foot in length and slide one end into the dipstick hole. The other end will be high up and easy to reach. Attach a small funnel and off you go!

Maybe it's time to replace the ECU temp sensor and the O2 sensor?

With the oil hanging about on the cylinder walls, it discourages more oil from slipping past the pistons. It provides a sacrificial seal so to speak. As well as being less willing to slip past the pistons (or valve stems) in the first place

Because Mobil 1 5W-50 won't burn off so easily. Poster says there no external leaks. Even there are, they have to be quite large to lose that much oil. I suspect burning - maybe through the PCV as suggested. Good idea to replace the PCV and flush all the related hoses.

That's probably 90 KPa, or roughly 0.9 Bar. You might want to a new one, as the seals and spring do weaken with time. Do the coolant hoses go hard once the engine is warmed up? They should. Slight incline bleeding is the way to go.

Yes, please tell us which oil and how long between changes? Off hand, I would suggest trying some 5w-50 Mobil 1.

Check the coolant level at operating temperature. Is it reaching very high? Like to the brim? Is the upper radiator hose hard or soft? The radiator cap seals may be leaking, meaning the cooling system is not kept under pressure, and this forces more coolant into the overflow tank - and makes for soft hoses. Need to a fit a new cap to cure this problem. A 90% sure test: Once the engine is warm, switch it off. Wait two seconds and turn the key back to on, without starting the engine. Watch the temp needle: If it moves all the way up to normal operating temperature, the cap is likely failed and the coolant system is running without pressure. If the needle moves up to a point just below normal temp, the cap is most likely still working.

Outback97! If you intend to keep the car for a long time, and replace brakes someday in the future, I would recommend that you loose the brake bolts and re-torque them with a good torque wrench. 75Nm on the caliper bracket bolts, and 45Nm on the slider bolts. If you really wanna do it right, take the bolts right out and add some copper grease to the threads and sand down the area where the caliper bracket bolts heads contact the hub. Next time, it'll be a snap to open up. The main reason bolts break is that lazy mechanics don't use torque wrenches. Instead they just hand-overtighten everything.

Sounds a bit low for the caliper bracket. I believe I torque these to 75Nm, which is more like 55ft.lbs. Those bolts are quite large for a reason. The sliding bolts take only 25-33 ft.lbs

The noise does indicate bearing failure. It's not a critical thing until it makes distinct grinding noises. They are a known weak-link and my local authorised Subaru importer sells the bearings so cheap I think it must be almost his cost price - a small good will gesture since they know the factory pinched the pennies when they fitted the weak bearings.

As a ball park figure 25Nm. I use a torque wrench on most parts, but not the PCV. Just tighten 'til it's snug and won't move without applying muscle. The thread is conical, so it'll seal well at low torque.

Try the tyre swap first, by all means. However, rear bearing failure is the most common Subaru fault out there. So it's probably one or both of them.

Any age of engine will do this, so it's not a sign of total collapse. However, as engine wear increases, the amount of oil that can find it's way up there will also increase. The best way to keep it down is by cleaning the PCV hoses and replacing the PCV valve. At least three hoses need flushing.

86, I agree, but I ain't sure I follow your math: -2 = 8.40 ?????

The cable should still have minimal tension in it. If it is totally loose then you will have a hard time shifting gears without pressing the clutch all the way to the floor. And even then, the clutch may still drag. I define "minimal tension" as: The ball that rests in the release fork, where the cable is attached should not have any clearance. It should be easy to move around, but should not lift away from the fork.