Setright

Well, I have lost confidence in Redline. The 10W40 oil I have just poured in makes my car sound slighty like a Diesel at start-up. There seems to be a faint piston-slap on acceleration. It has only been in for 100miles, but it's going out in the next few days. Mobil 1 0W-40 is going in for the winter.

Yeah, I have sworn by Mobil 1 for 14 years, but they won't commit to extended drain intervals. "Go by the car's handbook" is the usual line. Redline costs the same as Mobil 1 over here, so purchase price is not the issue, but "total cost of ownership". If Redline will last twice as long, with a filter change half-way, then it will be far cheaper in the long run. Castrol motor oils have taken a dive in quality lately, going by the Sube, Honda and Audi boards here in Europe, so I although I run Castrol in the brake system, gearbox, and cooling system, I am reluctant to use their engine oil. Castrol WILL commit to extended drain intervals, but then that incorporates oil sumption to the tune of a quart every 1200 miles. So "SLX Longlife" is not an option either.

Okay! The latest word from Redline, whom are very kind to answer all my impertinent questions, is: They don't submit to API testing because to comply they would have to alter their additive package, and this would degrade the protection offered by their oils. It would also represent a considerable cost, which of course would be passed on to the consumer - us!

Sounds like a headgasket. The leak is presently too small to allow oil to cross it. Fix it soon :-)

Drive til warm. Park on level ground. Disconnect the negative battery terminal for thirty minutes. Re-connect. Start the engine, and let it idle until up at normal operating temperature. Stop the engine. PRESTO! Warming the engine first cuts down in the idling time later. Doing it on level ground ensures oil flow. The reason for idling til warm is simple: The ECU ignores some sensors, O2 for instance until the engine is fully warmed up.

The piano, has been drinking.... Tom Waits Pardon me Keith, I must have blacked out for a second there

Keep the silicone on the rubber only. It can mess with your paint.

The main thing to keep in mind with a permanent 4WD vehicle is that towing must be all wheels up on a flat bed. Brake tests must be on four wheel machines, and the same goes for "rolling" emissions test beds. Any situation that involves only two wheels moving, while the other end stands still will spell destruction for the central differential. That includes handbrake turns! "4WD" vs. "AWD" is a definition debate. Manual gearbox Subaru's are permanent four-wheel-drive in logical terms. Sube calls this AWD. Oh, and although the 2WD Camry has the potenial for better fuel economy, that is the ONLY thing going for it in this contest. The Sube is better on all other counts. In my most humble opinion :-)

Neglect. If the service book is filled out, and the timing belt replaced at 60k miles. Check the level, colour and smell of the oil. There must not be foamy sludge inside the oil filler cap. Check the coolant level and colour. No residue in the surface! Make sure you look underneath the car, to check for badly repaired accident damage, rust, and oil leaks.

Uhm, well thanks. But I was asking about Redline :-) So far the answer from Redline is that the oil is NOT submitted for API testing. I have written back asking "why?".

Just a resonator. Sends air pulses back to the exhaust port to encourage gases to leave the cumbustion chamber.

I would expect that it fits, no problem. If you have welding equipment at your disposal you will be able to get it on for sure. Oh, on the early model, that lump in the center section of the exhaust is not a cat. But it is on the later models. Not sure on what you will find inside your 1993 model, probably a cat. Even so, the mounting points are the same.

Yeah, I already sent an email. Was just wondering if anyone here had any experiences with Redline engine oil. AMSoil doesn't have the API seal either, but to me, that is not conclusive evidence of anything.

Cant see why injectors would whine. I would suspect an intake manifold gasket leak. A small hole that causes a whistle/whine.. Whinining is usually gearbox stuff.

Okay, so I have already bought and will be pouring in Redline's 10W40 oil this evening. My question relates to their "modest" marketing. On the bottle it says "Recommended for API SJ...". Recommended? Does that mean it's not actually API approved? "Contains Polyol Esters". Contains? That's a little vague! Is the oil Polyol Ester based or not?

Yeah, stick with the old refrigerant, but fill it up. Don't replace the CV pins, undo the lower knuckle bolt to remove the axle. Both mentioned, but I am just adding my vote. Suspension: Dampers/shocks are probably worn. Springs should be fine, they are quite strong. New dampers will NOT affect ride height. Stock dampers will improve the handling quite a bit - I know, I have tried. However, a set of slightly stiffer KYB dampers will make the handling more neutral, by lessening tiresome understeer. "Float" over shallow bumps at high speed will also diminish. If you can get KYB, do it!

Engine coolant temperature sensor? Although the not starting AT ALL and the lack any relay clicking is not consistent with temp sensor. Does the car have an immobilizer that might be acting up?

Whiskey? IN SCOTLAND? I don't believe it :-)

I would reckon that 20W-50 is bit too thick at start-up, even in California. Try some 10W-40 or 10W-50 if you can find it. Air-con compressor cycles on and off, which means the temp is not constantly cool. So off-hand yours sounds normal. Redline NS is fine. Castrol Syntorq is even better! 75W90 API GL5 is the correct type. As for wheelspin on dry roads, forget it! Dealer CV boots are the best bet. You've got a few hours of fun ahead of you changing all of them...and probably a grazed knuckle or two :-)

Brake and Battery light on? Alternator is bad. Most likely it's the "diode bridge" or rectifier that's burned out. You should be able to find an exchange part. Swapping the alternator is pretty easy. Just remember to disconnect the negative terminal on the battery before you start working on it. 12V isn't going to make your heart stop, but if you cause a short circuit with a wrench it will get hot enough to burn your hand!

ABS Pump runs a self-diagnostic cycle during start-up. This can make a whirring noise for a few seconds within the first minute of starting up. For some reason it's louder in the morning. It's listed in the owner's manual.

Josh, with a window it doesn't qualify as a "cubicle". Keep it quite or Dogbert will come and paint over your daylight!

Love this feature. However, no-one has mentioned another major advantage: It's a Mercedes competitive feature, so when someone is dissing Subarus you can mention that only Benz and Sube hoods can do this! I also like to declare that I want a car with a boxer engine and four-wheel-drive. My wallet makes the Porsche vs. Subaru decision! By the way, get your hands on the previous model S-Class Benz and open the hood to 90 degrees. HOLY SMOKE! It's like standing next to a high rise building, the hood is SO long!

Cracked blocks are not commonplace. Your headgasket(s) are the most likely culprit.

Yes, but there two. One is for the dash temp gauge. Once you get the new sensor it will be obvious!