sonofbuster

been doing a fluid swap and got under there to do the second round plus the filter (OEM). drained OK but filter is permanently on there. and now somehwhat crushed thanks to my crappy filter wrench. i guess the new one will go on the dash as decoration. started with plenty of daylight but after searching for 45 min for my 3/8 for my other filter wrench and then the actual struggle with the filter i'm all strapped out with flashlights and a headlamp. now the gasket to the filler tube that attaches to the ATF bottles has decided to swell and now i have no choice but to make a mess or i starve since i need get to the grocery. crushed ATF filter should be no problem, right? it's not dangling on there -- oh, it's on there GOOD, as a matter of fact. just a little.. crunched. shoulda watched football instead..

i dropped off the kiddo at daycare this morning and when i got back in the car and started it up, i got a faint wisp of smoke out of the AC vents and something-burning smell. it faded quickly and i drove to work (not very far) and checked under the hood. nothing out of the ordinary except glops of dark goo surrounding what i believe to be the CV boot on the passenger front side. i assume the grease had splattered on the exhaust or something and burned off causing the smell. this just started today so any chance i can just bandaid the boot for a while or is there more to it? thanks for the advice!

i'm wondering if this is normal for these engines, but my 2001 OBW (h4) has a slight 'lurch' or shudder in the 30-40 MPH range and, as best as i can tell, abouts the 1500-2000 RPM range. it feels like i'm pumping the gas pedal when i'm actually holding it steady and it doesn't seem to happen when it's cruising along -- just when accelerating or slowing/accelerating in rolling traffic. i don't feel it in the pedal itself nor do i hear it. i just feel it coming from the engine area. i've had a very intermittent CEL for a while but now it's more frequent. not sure if the two are related since i get the lurching regardless. i'm picking up a cheap OBD reader to see what's up with the light. i'm wondering if it's a transmission issue; real rough shifting or something. or something else someone may know about. i have a bunch of ATF waiting for warmer weather so i can do a fluid change. maybe that'll help. in the meantime, if anyone has insight into this weirdness, let me know. thanks!

i tried using a wiper that was recommended (15" 600-series Valeo) and the tip completely misses the upper part of the rear window. basically, it's not conforming to the shape of the window as far as i can tell. the rest of the blade doesn't do much good either. i have Valeo Ultimates (bracketless) on the front and really dig em so i'm thinking of trying one on the rear in a 16". anyone else try this and can confirm if it worked?

OK. thought it was fine too. i found a Beck/Arnley Transmission Filter that Advance Auto says is a direct OE replacement. $13 doesn't seem too bad. never heard of that brand, however.

i noticed that this light does not go out immediately when starting the engine. it does not blink, just steady for maybe two seconds or so, then goes out, everything's fine. never comes on when driving. car seems to be OK on the road. i saw a thread on pulling codes with some specific steps and i may try that on the weekend. also saw several threads on 16 blinks, but this is definitely not that. no torque bind that i can tell. only thing that concerns me is that i changed the oil the other day and drained some nice, dark stuff so who knows what the other fluids look like. is the transmission fluid easy to change (as easy as the oil on an '01 OBW)? thanks!

the front windshield washer fluid pump doesn't work; no noise, no nothing. the rear works fine, however. i looked under the hood and discovered that the electrical contacts, mainly the female end, were pretty gunked up. couldn't really get into the plug with a brush so i'm thinking about just replacing it. does anyone know if that cable has connectors on both ends or is it wired to something? thanks!

i've asked my mechanic buddies but no one seems to know of a real Subie specialist in CT. i have an appointment at a dealership on Friday for timing belt and some other stuff but i want some more options if this thing needs more work. i was quoted $375 for timing belt, $160 for tensioner pulley, $500ish for water pump and oil pump if needed. seeing some other people's quotes for all that plus more PLUS head gaskets is just a few hundred more, i'm thinking area prices are inflated even for dealerships. if anyone knows, i'd love to hear. thanks!

i was running Mobil 1 oil and filters on my Toyota and have a bit still left unused since that truck left unexpectedly. i assume i'll have to get different filters but am i good with the 5W-30 Mobil 1 stock i have? any particular brand filters recommended? thanks!

anyone have a picture of the 'tabs' to look for as installed in the engine? i have no symptoms of the HG issue and have a appointment into the shop at the end of the week for timing belt work, but i'd love to see for myself. thanks..

i dun did it. i now own a blue 2001 Outback Limited. it's an H4 so i'm hoping it doesn't develop any HG issues. it runs great so far with a few minor non-performance issues that i'll address as i have time. thanks for the help!

so i test drove two 2001 Outbacks, both H4; one Base, one Limited. is this binding at the steering wheel or the car just stops rolling? i did the tight circles in both directions on the Limited but got nothing out of the ordinary. not sure what the binding is, however, so not positive. as far as the head gasket leaking indicators, does anyone have a picture of the common leaking areas? i stuck my head under the hood of both cars after a test drive and found nothing leaking. also checked under the car and no leaks, front to back. the first car had some rattling when on the gas. the motor also sounded a little 'brrappy' when accelerating. it drove fine otherwise and was very clean cosmetically. the dealer services all the cars on purchase with new timing belt, water pump, and some other stuff so the price was reflected accordingly, if a bit over the top. the second car had some dings exterior and a couple bubbles of rust, also very clean inside with some minor issues. i could tell the hood had been painted upon really close inspection. the salesman didn't know why and there was no report of collision on the Car Fax. this engine ran great, smooth, quiet. BUT, there was a rattle in there too. not when pressing the gas, and somewhat random and not even audible once driving. almost like something was loose. i asked the salesman about timing belt and he had no clue if had been done and produced a few service tickets from their shop showing what they had done. all four brakes completely, and some a/c belt work (i think). i haggled down a few hundred on #2 and put a deposit on it to pickup Tues. after reading another thread about 'death rattle' i'm paranoid now. i'll sleep on it now... THANK YOU everyone for the information so far. this site's been VERY informative.

what kind of mileage are you getting in strictly city? how about on the highway only? seems the EPA estimates vary by several MPG depending on where you look.

roughly how much would getting a timing belt done cost? should the water pump go too? and how do these Outbacks do in snow with all-seasons? we don't get much snow in CT, but i may drive around in the country to do some skiing. noting too hairy. maybe. thanks!

hi there. i just lost my trusty Tacoma to a careless driver exiting a school, so now i'm in search of a wagon to replace it. i've been poking around this site and cars101 trying to see if there's anything to make one model year/trim more desireable than the other. so far, all i can tell is that there is some issue with the engines having leaking head gaskets which would cost quite a bit to replace. in addition to that possible problem, what else can i look/hear for in these cars that might raise a red flag (aside from obvious strange noises/lights)? any spots under the hood or body i should check in particular? also, will CarFax/Autocheck reports indicate if the timing belt was replaced? all the cars in my price range are going to be due or past due for a belt so if i could know for sure that it was done, that'd be sweet. what i want (if it helps): a wagon, kid hauler (2001's and up have LATCH, i believe), better snow ability than my 2wd truck, ability to take a trailer hitch (for a bike rack, not to tow). engine-wise, a H6 would be nice in passing situations, but i can live with a 4-cyl and assume it'll save me in gas anyhow. look forward to joining the million other Outback drivers in CT.. thanks!