nickb21

I'll second loosening the lugs just a bit, rolling the car and hitting the brakes, it's worked for me in the past. Nice, I'm not crazy! That's exactly what i did, very liberally coated the 'hat' part of the rotor and it has been working great!

"The Outback is now only available as a wagon, while the Legacy is only a sedan. While we doubt that the goofy looking Outback sedan will be missed, the Legacy GT wagon might be." Is that right? Hrmm... from page 2: autosite

Could be worse... http://www.autosite.com/content/shared/articles/templates/index.cfm/article_page_order_int/1/article_id_int/2176 Maybe see if you can swap with someone from AU? http://www.subaru.com.au/models/outback/

You should be fine since it's the same generation and model. In addition to the exceptions noted above, there are differences in the wheel offset between the New Gen models. Mainly 48 vs 55mm, not sure if that is a significant difference in the long run. There is some good info somewhere.. lemme see if i can find it. update: Figures, it was in the sticky FAQ -- http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showpost.php?p=426386&postcount=8 Looks like another good reference here, but maybe more impreza specific: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=216055 Enjoy.

Well that sucks ... next time maybe!

Hope I'm not out of line, but if you happen to find a brown/tan tow hook cover (removable piece on the passenger side of the front bumper) for a 00-04 outback, It would be awesome...

I currently have the NGK v-groove's (copper) in my OBW, ran NGK's g-power's (platinum) previously. Both seem about the same. I ran the g-powers about 40, 45k or so and they were in very good shape when i pulled them. G-powers were cheap, maybe 4 bucks a plug. Might be worth a look as an alternative to the lasers. I picked them up at NAPA.

Yup, porcupine is right on. 2003 should be the same setup. While you're in there I would replace the 2 spark plug grommets in the pic. As well as the valve cover gasket and the gaskets that go to the valve cover bolts (5 or 6 of these i think). You didn't mention how many miles; but if it's near 100k it may be worthwhile to check the valve lash while you're there?

For the rear you can use the diff. Up until recently I was using the frame rails on either side. But there is a jack plate located in the center, just past where the plastic 'skid plate' is. It's about 6x6 inches square, works great! Pads are suprisingly easy, don't forget to lube the slide pins while you're there. Hope that helps.

Not sure what the harness could be off-hand; heated mirror, mirror motor control thing? I have an '02 OB and the ODO and Clock stay on when the key is out, Temp does not though... maybe they changed the behavior?

Thanks for everyone's comments, they're much appreciated. Okay, so it rained again last night, and I got the same behaviour. Pulled the ABS fuses and the same thing happened. Now, oddly enough I did notice that the shake/grind was only under moderate braking. When I really put my foot down the shake and the grind went away and everything was smooth... not sure what that means! gbhrps, I flushed the brake fluid at 60k, (15k ago), maybe I still have air in one of the lines? I have checked the rotors after normal use to see if one was hotter than the other, but they seemed okay. Might be a good idea to check the pistons though, thanks for the suggestion. Any other thoughts? I know of a good local Subie shop, might be time to drop by! Thanks again!

I'd say about 10k or so. They don't seem noisy to me, but I don't drive the car often for extended periods. I haven't heard her complain, so they can't be that bad! I'll second the other stuff nipper said.

Hmm, cheapest Autozone lists is ~40, but that's a good idea. I have the old rotors I took off, maybe I can get them turned for cheaper and then test. I torque the lugs to ~68-70 ft-lbs, star pattern. Tires have about 15k on them. I took apart the calipers and relubed the pins, they seemed okay, not sloppy. What else can I check on them? ABS kicking in> I don't think so, but I hadn't thought of that.. It's kinda like a roar/grind. I don't brake very hard so it shouldn't have seen any wheel lock-up. Next time it rains I'll have to pull the ABS fuse. Thanks for the help!

Put on brand new rotors when i did the pads. I took a dial gauge to the rotors (a weekend of two ago), and they seemed flat, but I can't be 100% sure I used the gauge right. Shake is definitely in the steering wheel.

Okay, so I've noticed a very odd problem on my '02 OBW (75k)... Occasionally, not always, when i brake moderately to heavy in the heavy rain I get a grinding type noise (does not sound like metal on metal), and a pretty bad steering wheel shake. The harder the braking, the louder and more violent the shaking. When I brake in the dry I get an occasional shake, kinda like a 'warped' rotor, but no noise, and not as near as bad of a wheel shake. The rotors and pads are pretty new (oem), maybe 5-7k old. Rotors are smooth, I don't see any odd patches. I recently pulled the calipers off, and check and re-lubed the slide pins. Any thoughts? Could this be suspension related at all? Thanks for the help..

A year ago I was in the same spot, at 60k my RE92's were getting worn and I wanted something decent for winter. Your list of 4 are pretty much the same ones I was looking at. I ended up ruling out the Conti and TripleTreads due to cost at the time (not to say they aren't good). I have the Traction T/A's on my sisters Legacy L, great wet/dry tire, seem to do okay in the snow. Ended up getting these locally, they were the cheapest of the bunch for me. I ended up putting the Yoko Avid V4s on my '02 OBW, they are great in the rain and on dry road. Steering feel is a bit different than the stock tires, after 15k the tread looks pretty new still, and they're quiet. They do okay in the snow as well, made it up my fairly long driveway, through 12 or so inches of snow. Price came to ~$95 mounted and balanced locally. Not sure if this would impact your decision, but you won't be able to do a 5-tire rotation with directional tires. Might also want to look at the Bridgestone Potenza G 009. IMO, you won't find an all-season that is better than 'decent' in the snow. I'm only out on badly snow/packed snow covered roads half a dozen times a year here, so I couldn't justify dedicated snows. Hope that helps some.

Has this just started with the colder weather? I notice that during the colder months I'll get more of a 'knock' (not really a tick) on startup that goes away. I've noticed a ticking sound on my '02, but i'm pretty sure it's just the injectors... I believe that a bad timing belt tensioner might also tick excessivelyif it's bad. Def let the dealer know, esp with such low mileage.

Only in the US Impreza/Forester

Looks like an Outback Sedan. The Legacy's are definitely lower and the body work is a bit different. Fog lights are a give away. Is it badged as a Legacy?

I'm not 100% positive, but I thought that the 00-04's used MAP's and not MAF's. I think Subaru went back to MAF's in '05 (at least in the Legacy, not sure about Impreza). One of these days I'm just going to run some Seafoam through my '02...

What is up with that grill on the OB models? Looks like something off the Chrysler Crossfire.

There is a thread on scoobymods as well... but you don't need to login to see these pics: http://www.northursalia.com/modifications/drivetrain/tfluid/tfluid.html Don't need to remove all that stuff to check the level or change the fluid. But it does make changing it easier.

It's on the passenger side, underneath the airbox. Definitely not the easiest thing to get to.

Unless they gave the drive by wire to the impreza/forester first, the '04s should still be the normal cable driven throttle. Maybe something is gummed up where the cables are attached to the intake/throttle body? Or maybe the cruise is causing the cable to jam? I remember an earlier recall for the Legacy's that was for some kind of cruise control cable "clip"...

I wouldn't trust anything that is a traditional bulb and says xenon (how can coloring a bulb increase light output?). I've been running XtraVisions for ~2 years in a '00 Legacy and so far they've been great. http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/HighPerformance/Xtravision/ I don't think they're quite as expensive as the SilverStars. You might also check out http://www.danielsternlighting.com/ I've heard lots of good things.