[low rubbery squeak front right 2002 OBW VDC]

The sound was actually much more constant, so my mechanics current thought is wheel bearings. I was doing slow 360s in a parking lot to make the noise for my mechanic and that was his thought, but i dunno. The exact though was, it's getting play because of the bad bearing, so the brake pad is rubbing and i just don't really hear it at road noise/it's not really doing it then because there isn't the lateral force on the bearing. Looking into getting bearings looks like a PITA, since i can't find front hub assemblies, just bearings and hubs.

 

Car has had the wheel played with and looked at, and put up on a lift, and done on the ground as well. Only right turns, only FULLY to the right, eg the power steering needs to be active. The tires have been rotated a few times, i'm positive it is not them, they're MVX4s and you can still see the nipples on the fronts and backs, after at least 10k miles (car came with them 11k miles ago). I don't believe it's the tire. It's a bearing or bushing. Bearings tend to poop out at 80k miles and my car is at just under 83k. I hate guess work like this, but this is the part of a car where guessing seems to be the only way to find out.

 

Strange symptom. I got my brakes done while i had the shafts done because they needed it. Except, my brakes were only a year old. Maybe it's just crap quality from midas (i think i only had rears replaced) but i should get more than 10k miles out of any set of brakes. So.. something ain't right with my rears either. 300-400 worth of hubs, are you in store? God... this is freaking annoying... and costly, i would rather be buying sway bars and skid plates. I could have gotten that for what my brake (rotors and pads all around) and half axle (just the fronts) job cost me..

 

My car was horribly out of alignment for a good part of that year, but that should just mess up my tires, not brakes... right?

[Tons Old School Subaru Decals on Ebay]

Sweet, thanks for the purchase. What color did you want? (silver, black, white, red or dark blue)

 

Lets see... it's a red subaru with gold trim, so i guess black. Or white.. either one will stick out i think. I'd go blue, but don't think it would look quite right.

[low rubbery squeak front right 2002 OBW VDC]

I drive a 2002 OBW VDC.

I hase a noise. It only happens when i have my steering maxed out to the RIGHT direction. Not to the left, and it happens more in forward than reverse, but happens in both.

 

Thought, hey, i lifted my ride 2" it must be a half axle in the front going out. I replaced both of them, along with my brakes that wore out in a year

 

Drove around didn't make the noise. Problem fixed? No, drove to my girls placed and pulled into a parking space at LOW speed, like 5mph or under, and there is this squeak again. It's not constant like it would be if it were rub, it happens like once per wheel revolution. On the right side only as well. No noise on the left.

 

I have two theories now that it's NOT the half axle (ugh.... waste of money there, and that pin is a SOB, had to have one remade because it broke coming out) though both of them were starting to get chewed up on the male ends.

 

Theory 1. Power steering isn't holding up so the tire's slipping a little

Theory 2. Wheel bearing is going on that side so it's wobbling when i turn, and when i go slow it shows up.

 

Any other theories, and or input on my situation....

[Tons Old School Subaru Decals on Ebay]

saw the subaru fish and had to have it. I've been looking for a nice sticker for the back that's not too flashy and doesn't stick out much. Perfecto, and scooby owners will be sure to love it too.

[head back exhaust 2002 H6]

Has anyone done this? I can't find much about it. If i were to have custom heads, and a dual H-exhaust made up would it be worth it? I'd have to remap the ecu i know to get best results. I was also thinking an H type exhaust in instead of a Y pipe and would lower restriction (probably wouldn't even have cats. we don't have emissions checks, and compared to the diesel trucks the rednecks drive meh on environmental impact) and might end up hurting performance instead of gaining? I'd adapt a EJ25 intake to make a ram air or something like that.. or just custom build it with the current one and some cutting.

 

I read a EZ30R had the 3" intake valve, and i notice all the tubing on my EZ30 is 3" on in the intake lines, so does it to have a 3" intake valve? Exhaust and intake really seem to be the only ways to improve this motor horsepower wise, so does all this seem logical?

[Anyone ever figure out about 215/70 R16s and G3]

running 235/70/15's on a lifted legacy outback. they just barely miss the spring perches. so, a 215 should be okay. curtis

 

Would you prefer a wider or narrower tire? What year is that EJ and did you have difficulties with the 15" wheel. I'm an 02 so i have the larger brakes that i was told don't fit 15" wheels. Still like your nudge bar too. Wish the install was a bit easier, and i gotta figure out a commercially available bar that will suit my needs in terms of width that i could make adapters for. Also emailing local truck machine shop, see what they have to say. If i build something easy to install i might try to make a batch of them... Definitely needs to be a pull bar as well as nudge.

[Anyone ever figure out about 215/70 R16s and G3]

Reviving dead thread.

 

Read on AU forums that they run 215/70 R16s on their outbacks of my generation, as long as there is a 2" lift. My car has a two inch lift. I know there might be some differences between a USDM and AUDM car, but i would think the suspension would be the same since they run the same shocks and what not as us. I should be able to run the 215/70 R16 as well with a USDM car?

 

I have also given strong consideration to 235/65 R16 or 235/60 R16, but only AT option is the Geolanders AT-S there.

 

My driving is 95% on highways or interstates, lots of stop and go, and if it's not on road it's at least somewhat maintained gravel roads. Maybe some rare trail runs on vacations. I get the typical midwest winter though, so i have to deal with 3 months of snow a year. So i need a tire that can handle that, and i know 215 and 235 isn't much of a difference in getting me to ride on top of the snow, in fact 215 would probably be better for snow since it would cut in. I could also probably get them siped.

 

What tire should i go with, the AT2 or Geolander AT-S? And don't say BFGs, i'm not gonna take that hit on mileage with heavy tires like that, and they only apply if i can run the 215/70 R16 and cost like twice as much, when the at2s and geolanders weigh the same as my primacy mxv4s. So lets make this simple and vote.

 

1. AT2 215/70 R16

2. AT2 215/65 R16 (my current front runner)

3 Geolander AT-S 235/60 R16

4. Geolander AT-S 235/65 R16

5. Geolander AT-S 215/70 R16

6. Geolander AT-S 215/65 R16

[OBW Bash plate]

Making any assertion of how strong a skid plate is based on thickness alone is silly. It depends so much on the alloy. Since i'm just gonna get a skid plate from primitive, since i don't know anyone with a brake press or H press and brake dies. I've seen what a boulder does to the diff cover when 2.5 2000 OBW car dropped on top of it some deep mud... (al la Brucey) and years of testimonials and the worst i've heard is bolts breaking and that's the ones from the dang factory that needed to be replaced.

[Hole in resonator, CAI decent alternative?]

I got into a collision in january and that was one of the results. I just left it. I'm thinking I'll just make my own CAI, so it will cost about 50$, is this the way to go with a big old hole in the side of my resonator? It still SOUNDS fine, but that's gotta be hurting performance, i would think. Any advice on where to stick my air filter? Was figuring 3" PVC aught to do the trick, and i have a few feet laying around. It's a 2002 OBW H6.

[OBW Bash plate]

seeing as you are basically ralling I would run what the rally cars run.3/8" aluminum.You will need to have a shop bend it because its way to thick to think about bending it yourself.Make a cardboard mock up then measure angles and where the bends should be then go to a shop with those measurements. alternately build it out of 1/8" steel plate.Then weld some 1/2" angle iron to the bottom of it running front to rear to act as stiffening ribs..

the 1/8" steel you can bend yourself (with some difficulty with a vice and a hammer)

 

run the angle iron like this:

 

_________

\/ \/ \/

 

 

3 or 4 full length welded ribs should would great.The angle iron needs to be welded continuously. so no stitch welding.Just don't warp the plate...

 

3/8's seems absurdly thick and would weigh a ton, are you sure they aren't running 3/16th's, because that is what primitive sells, and he runs rally-x. His thinner plates are 1/8" 3/8" is really, really thick. That plate would weigh near 50lbs. Bending involved meh, i'm out i don't have a brake, i would love a brake, but i don't have one. I think i'll just get primitive plates and call it a day, despite their high cost. They're designed for rally, and i guess yeah that is basically what i do, since there ain't no off-road really here. I put a rock through a condenser and it cost a lot to fix (on a 2006 avalon, under warranty but of course it's road damage so isn't covered), plates seem like a wise investment.

[OBW Bash plate]

I know about paul's stuff, but I would like to pay less if possible.

I am looking to make something to cover up the oil pan, the engine bay as much as possible, and if doable cover the bottom of the trans. I run a lot of gravel and dirt/gravel mix, straight lines out in farmland and I may cut through a corn field or hit a log roadd now and then so I don't want a stone or stump to take out my trans or engine. My friend has a plasma cutter so cutting to shape isn't a problem, just need to know where to connect it apart from the four screws I will replace that hold the stock plastic skid.

I also want a nudge bar or tube bumper but I think that is a pipe dream(haha) because no one makes em anymore.. I need a cheaper hobby, need a new camera. But then I will just wanna drive to pretty and isolated places to take photos. So how big a piece you think mike, you have probably been under legacy under carriages a bit longer than I. And what alloy, was thinking diamond plated if it is cheap (like they use for running boards). I also don't think that 1/16th of an inch in thickness is gonna make much difference.

[Gen II vs. Gen III - pros and cons?]

The H6 motor available in G3s does not have head gasket problems, and it's got some power.... just no aftermarket parts. And yeah, side curtain airbags in the G3s, and a stock ride height that is higher, no macpherson strut in the rear etc. Love mine.

[OBW Bash plate]

Wanna cut/bend a bash plate for my 2002 OBW. I just need to go to the scrap yard and get stock, was thinking 1/8" or 3/16" alum, i just don't know how big of a piece i need to ask for. Suggestions on plate size? I want to cover the whole bottom of the engine compartment and possibly a stinger guard for the trannie, and i'll buy one of those widely available dif guards for 50-60$ for the rear. I just really don't need gravel to beat up my undercarriage when i'm going 70mph down a gravel road.

[Aiming headlights 2002 OBW]

Ok, nevermind, i really need to get a haynes for this car. I had the bulb upside-down, which i did not know was possible. Aim is a couple inches off, but i'll take it. The knob that covers the screw on the back is for vertical aim, and the exposed screw is for side to side aim, correct? How the heck do i access that knob covered adjuster? I would like to have the aim perfect (got the masking tape ready)

[2" Lift 2002 OBW VDC H6]

Love the height and there are trails in michigan you just gotta know people but as real trail riding there is always the badlands in indiana

I have a friend in wisconsin who litterally has two logging roads that cross his driveway, i got some places to get muddy other than cornfields, they just aren't too close.

[Aiming headlights 2002 OBW]

What do i have to do, i went from having passenger side light aimed like a foot higher to now having my driver side aimed higher, when i put in a new headlight (and not happy i'm changing a light after less than a few hundred hours of use)

[Brush guard 02 OBW]

Mudrat79 used to make them, and may still, but he was banned on here for scamming people out of their money and not delivering parts. He delivered a lot of excuses though.

 

yeah, i would love one of those bumpers... just don't feel like getting scammed. There was another company, armament inc or something like that, that used to make them but they are gone. There is a place in my town that makes custom metal stuff for trucks, i am gonna talk to them about possibly making me a brush guard, and how much it would cost, or have them make me mounts and use a universal type bar. ANYTHING has got to be cheaper than shipping from AU.

[2" Lift 2002 OBW VDC H6]

car is in shop at moment getting front bumper repainted to match, and headlight aimed, pin stripe put back on, oil changed, bla bla. I'll get pics and measure actual clearance once i get it back. Which should be soon.. should have a bash plate made fairly soon as well. Not going with primitive, i'll just have a friend do it, he's got a plasma cutter so should all be good. Mostly need it for small rocks beating my undercarriage when i'm doing 60+ down a gravel road, so probably go with some 1/8th alum alloy and spend way less than what primitive asks (admitted he makes a quality product from what i can see)

 

Also, i'm slightly sad i didn't go bigger with the lift. I think i should have done 4" and done all the drop blocks, however since i can only run a 27" i might make it 4-6" of lift with a strut extention on the fronts, and add 2 or 4" to the rear, and drop everything down the 2-4" I say all the way to 6" of lift simply because that would give me 4" of clearance on the perch, but i don't think that's needed as i can get ~29" MTs. But if i do that i'll probably be bashing in the rear fender to end any rub, and i don't think there is much room for that, so 2" is good enough. I think 4" might look slightly better, i dunno, going 4" + does increase the amount of work you have to do by quite a bit as well, so i am happy with the 2" lift. Ain't too many rough trails in the Midwest anyway, mostly just gravel and paved roads. I'll have to try to take it out in a field once things thaw and i have a partner to get me unstuck.

 

 

WELL, actually just read a thread from AUsubaru.com and they were saying they were running 215/70 R16s with only slight rub at full spring compression with a heavy load in the rear as long as they had 1.5" or more of lift. Guess i'll be getting 28's on steel... sometime in the future, maybe grab a set of ralitek stiffening springs to lessen rub possibility. Hope i can score some junkyard VW steels as AT2s are cheap, or maybe tirerack will get them in stock soon since it's nearly spring, or i luck out on craigs list or something.

[Davico and Benchmark cats]

Honestly, if your current cat is working fine, and not throwing a code. Don't mess with it. You're not going to gain anything noticeable at all with a different cat. And being aftermarket, your chances are high that it will throw a P0420. I deal with that damn code every day.

 

They benchmarks claim not to throw a code. I dunno about davico. Yeah, probably not gonna see much gain at all. Wish someone would come out with headers for the h6 3.0 that weren't just cat deletes. The 2.5 has em, but i guess it needs them with the header blowout problem it has.

 

Trying to figure out how to spend my money. I need to find some junkyard steels, but i have been taking care of a sick girlfriend and i haven't felt like visiting the scrap yard for some 5x100 16" steels off of dang near any toyota.. even if the offset is 10mm less and i need a hubcentric ring (they're 38mm offset with 70 something bore). Also VWs run the 16" with i believe also a 38mm offset (higher on some passats) with a 1mm difference in bore with any Jetta, Beetle, GTI, Gulf, anything with the 5x100 bolt pattern. Junk yard better be way cheaper than online, otherwise i'll just get new steel for 50-70$ a pop.

[Brush guard 02 OBW]

so i guess there just isn't anything out there. Which really upsets me because i know a really kick butt bumper used to be made...

[Davico and Benchmark cats]

Are they worth it? Seems like not if my current cat system is working fine... they're just 49 state legal so they must have somewhat higher flow.. anyone have experience with em, probably just as cheap to have a custom Y setup made and only run one highflow cat.

[Anyone ever figure out about 215/70 R16s and G3]

Hey, I'm running 215/70/15 on my 97 OBW right now. Not sure about 2000, but I run them fine with no rubbing and extra clearance to spare.

 

Ahh.. i see the difference here, i have 16" wheels, so 215/70/15 is smaller than 215/70/16. From everything i'm reading i'm stuck at 215/65 R16, and i guess i cannot complain about that. Now i just need to justify buying new tires when my mvx4s are such great tires. Need some steels, but nowhere to find em, or used for a reasonable price.

[Anyone ever figure out about 215/70 R16s and G3]

Has anyone run 215/70 R16s on the 2000-2004 OB's? I know my strut perch is a potential problem, i just dunno if it is actually gonna rub on that tire. If not i just go with 215/65 cause i get AT2s in that as well, and i would get probably slightly better mileage, but i'd prefer the bigger tire.

 

I have looked for coilovers for my front macpherson stuts and only found full 4 wheel sets, for lowering, and i want to keep ride height, just have a smaller spring perch so i can run bigger wheels.

 

So basically, has anyone answered this question that has plagued me for months, does the 215/70 R16 fit into a 2002 outback, i'm lifted 2" but it's the spring perch that is the problem with bigger tires, from all i've read. Please someone have this answer...

 

 

oh, and does anyone know the life expectancy of the timing chain on the h6, i know it's a chain so it will almost never fail, but it will stretch after a while, and if so is redoing the timing terribly hard or are there like 30 points i have to line up like on the ford fusion i was working on

[Manual Trans into a 2000-2004 Outback H6?]

4eat handles offroad better.. why do it unless you were gonna do the engine up all performance enhanced. The 220hp~ of a OB just doesn't seem like it needs a 5spd, or a d/r. No stalling on hill climbs with the auto, so i'll take it.

[2" Lift 2002 OBW VDC H6]

Well, right now my front bumper is WAY too gold, luckily my guy found out his paint mixer will match shades, so he's gonna match my faded gold, and repaint the bumper for free. The ride on the lift is so much nicer i can't even begin to express, but that also has to do with the new KYB GR2's as well. I'm gonna have him cut up some 1/8th plate aluminum and make a bash plate, by one of those widely available diff protectors, and strap some plastic in places i don't want rocks to nail, but don't want the full weight of plate aluminum. My car is really designed for crappy roads, so i think i'm gonna stay at 9.9" (not measured, that's 7.9, the stock clearance, plus 2") There are a lot of gravel roads around here, and i'll be flying down em soon. The pin-stripe also needs to go in, but all in all.. this is done. Just need some 215/65 R16 AT2's (27" ordering soon, probably by this weekend, if anyone ever figures out how to deal with the spring perch, let me know, or if i CAN fit 215/70 R16) to finish off the look, along with the bash plate, and eventually a bullbar if i could freaking find someone who made one.. or try to find a vehicle with a similar profile i could borrow from. I know this shop down the road will make me one.. what it will cost is the scary part. Got a new battery too, and a nice scosche negative terminal for sub wiring, tossed in for free because my negative was so horrid and my battery was not correct spec, it was like 3" too tall and had 160 less CCA than my new one, and looked like it belonged in a large lawn tractor or something. Battery literally blew up when he went to start it after it had been in the shop a few days sitting. I'll take the duralast professional that replaced it (supposedly as good as red tops).

So, Without further ado, here are some crappy pics, probably the last snow of the season.

Night shot by lesstutrey, on Flickr

Lower Night shot by lesstutrey, on Flickr

Difficult conditions by lesstutrey, on Flickr

Front left, after lift by lesstutrey, on Flickr

Outback Booty by lesstutrey, on Flickr

 

 

I'll take some more when i am actually awake when the suns up, and my car is home(my car went into shop, then the 06 avalon went in, swapping cars around family members). Honestly, i'm very impressed by my lift, thanks HighGuys for the lift and my buddies at R&R Customs for installing it. With installation fee (friendly discount) and lift kit it was well under 500$ so beats the HECK out of the King Springs, in terms of lift for value. Of course they are better coils... The hood isn't PERFECTLY repaired, but it's close, and i might replace it with a baja xt hood anyway (just for looks) but think a bug guard might cover up the one side that is a little sticky outy by the grill. Insurance guy should have given me new hood, not repair.