charm

Never did follow up with this... Swapping the front O2 sensor didn't do a thing and I am still, 4 months later, battling the 420 code. Since I've replaced the cats and front O2 sensor twice in the last 18 months and 20k miles and the rear O2 sensor once...I'm going to cheat and use the antifouler trick. However, I am still concerned that something else is going on to trigger the code. I suppose it could be that I used aftermarket cats, again, and they're doing it. But seriously? These, unlike the first replacements, are supposed to be good cats. Besides, the mechanic that did this was my cousin's husband, now they're getting divorced so, I can't really go back there anymore. Back to Smart Service where I pay too much but everything always works right. Perhaps if they're actually fixing the thing, I'm not paying too much?

First of all, I would NEVER suggest using a tape adaptor, ugh. I would suggest using an inline antenna aux unit thingy. But, you would still need to run a second power wire to charge your ipod, that is true. However, there are other options still...like a new stereo. On the mid-range scale, there's what I put in my Outback... http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Pioneer+-+50W+x+4+MOSFET+Apple%26%23174%3B+iPod%26%23174%3B/Satellite+Radio/HD+Radio-Ready+CD+Deck/8715731.p?id=1199496560341&skuId=8715731 With the triple DIN opening, I wanted a double DIN deck and my options were rather limited. After a year with the unit I'm still not sure I love it, but the ipod controls are its best feature. For a lot more money you could get a nav unit. For a lot less money you could get this one, regularly $109, but it's currently on sale... http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Kenwood+-+50W+x+4+Apple%26%23174%3B+iPod%26%23174%3B-Ready+In-Dash+CD+Deck+with+Detachable+Faceplate/9198628.p?id=1218056721138&skuId=9198628 Granted, you still need to get the wiring harness to make the install 'clean' plus the insert pockets to take up the space of the old changer. But, for under $200, you will have a very cleanly installed car stereo, no hacked wiring, and ipod controls. So, like I said, visit your local car stereo shop and check out the options...there are several.

Go to your local big box electronics store or car audio shop...there are easier ways.

I'll keep an eye open for those lift threads coming soon! Thanks. Like I said, just a thought from somebody clearly not following the changes to each model except what's on the outside.

I was at the stealership parts counter the other day and noticed how much taller the new outbacks are compared to my 2000. Some of that appears to be in the body, but they do have a good bit more ground clearance. Any chance somebody has looked to see if the struts from '09 or even a '10 outback fit a 2000?

Or anywhere in Seattle for that matter. I do the same. I have new ones on the car now and the old ones in the garage. When the new ones are ready to be replaced, I'd like to swap them with the freshly machined old ones (assuming they meet spec).

Just put in a new Subaru reman axle. I was going to rebuild the one it replaced but it's not a factory axle...according to the sticker on it. Any opinion on AUP axles?

If I had known it was THAT easy to swap an axle I would have never paid to have had it done! The pin was kind of a pain, but not too bad. Otherwise the hardest part of the job was jacking up the car and putting it on jack stands (not hard). I do have 1 question that may necessitate pulling everything back apart. How much and where should I have lubed everything I was putting back together? I used the only grease I had, the grease that Subaru sold me when I bought the CV boots. I put some grease on all the splines. Should I have used gobbs? Gobbs and some are accurate and technical measurement terms, btw. I'm now gonna pull apart the old axle and reboot it.

I even have a set of boots from my Imp that never got installed. I like the idea of going with my gut and then swapping the other one if I'm wrong. Assuming I get it right, is it worth rebuilding myself so that I have a spare when the next one goes? Or do the severe vibrations I'm getting mean that it's permenantly done?

So I'm already to run out and buy, or order a new axle. Was even considering two. I put the car up on some ramps to identify which axle is toast and all of the boots are intact. One is a little cracked, but not severely enough to make my car feel like it has a flat tire when accelerating. Based on this thread and what I've read elsewhere, it seems like it's an axle...but how do you identify which one? My hightech diagnostic device, the buttmeter, is telling me it's the right front, but eyes can't confirm or deny that. Do I just replace both fronts and cross my fingers?

2000 outback, 165k, auto I've done my homework and it sounds like I'm good either way. But, I still have a few questions. It's Sunday so I can't just call and my curiosity is getting the best of me. -Cost. It looks like MWE axles run, I think I saw $75. It looks like CCR's engines include shipping, and it looks like you buy the MWE axles from CCR, does the axle cost include shipping? The only online supplier of Subaru axles had them listed at $350. Is that correct? $350 vs. $75 for, what looks like based on what I've read here, similar quality. -Shipping. With a Subaru axle I can get in my car, vibrate my way a few miles down the road on my bad axle, and get one from the dealership...no problem. What's the turn around time on a MWE axle? Do I need to return the core? I've found mixed opinions on using an impact wrench on the axle nut. Has anybody seen anything bad happen from using an impact wrench on the axle nut? Without an impact wrench, it sounds like getting that bad boy off is by far the hardest part of the job. Any other advice is more then welcome. I tried doing this once before on my Impreza without an impact wrench and gave up. Spent $250 at the mechanic for new boots instead. Since then, I have acquired an impact gun and have discovered that I can do this by removing the strut bolts and not trying to seperate the ball joint. (Might have been easier if I owned a fork.)

When comparing prices just make sure you're comparing apples to apples. Smart Service traditionally charges a bit more, not $1000 more, but more. If you've got a great and trust worthy mechanic, spending an extra 10% or so is worth the piece of mind. I wish I could find the receipt from my head gasket repair. They spent 3 days with the car and the list of parts replaced took several pages. I'm going on memory on all of this, but I seem to recall something on the order of 15 hours of labor on mine, not 6. At a shop rate of about (guessing) $70 per hour, that adds up to over $1000 in labor. With multiple pages of parts ranging in price from a few dollars, like an oil filter, to a water pump, $100(?), getting to nearly $3k isn't tough to do. My point is, if what you're looking at is ONLY the headgaskets and maybe the timing belt, $2900 is robbery. For that service, I seem to recall Smart Service (do a search on the forum for them) wanting about $2k. If the shop you're dealing with is one you have an on going relationship with, you trust them, and the list of things they're going to do to the car covers several pages, $2900 can be worth it. Included in that higher price needs to be genuine Subaru parts, and references for the shop from this board and other places. Good luck and be wary of those that make blanket statements on this board. It's bitten me in the past.

Do I have this right? To remove the axle, both sides: -remove the top camber bolt (after marking it) and lossen the bottom one. -remove the pin from the tranny side of the axle -the axle comes right out Is that it? It sounds like it'll take longer to get the axles and put the car on jack stands then it will to replace the axles.

I just found a post describing this and, like you said, axles it is. Obviously, I could do this for less money if I did it myself. I seem to recall that most folks strongly suggest using a Subaru axle. Is there another option? Does EMPI offer as good a quality? Are they easy to get locally or would I have buy online? If I do it myself I'll do both fronts. If I take it to the mechanic I'll have him figure out which one is bad and just replace that. How many miles can I drive the car like this? I've got about 180 on it now and would like to do about another 200 before I Tuesday when I have my appointment at Smart Service.

I paid about that for my headgaskets here in Seattle. BUT...that also included a complete reseal of the engine, valve adjustment, timing belt, water pump, tensioner pulley(s), etc. Essentially, when I drove away from the shop, for $2900, I had a nearly new engine. It's been running great for the last 40k. Although there have been other strange and wonderous issues not related to the motor.

2000 OBW 165k miles auto tranny Shuttering, shaking, more of a vibration really. It only happens when accelerating and not when holding a steady speed or slowing down. It sorta feels like I have a tire severely out of balance or a flat. Power seems fine, according to the speedo, it's accelerating normally. I can't tell by feel or sound because of the shaking. It does feel like it's idling a little low, but it does that when it's cold outside. I (still) have a P0420 code which like has something to do with the giant dent in the bottom of the front cat. Not sure it's related since I don't have a power problem, but thought I'd mention it. The rear struts are new, the fronts are likely stock. The engine doesn't seem to jump like I have a broken motor mount. Any other ideas?

Oh yeah. It was cleared after the latest O2 sensor was installed. It was good for 4 days or about 250 miles. Prior to that, the code had been cleared and came back after a day. Same thing the previous time. The time prior to that it was about 2 weeks. The same 2 weeks that followed the replacement of the cats.

I thought I'd start another thread for this so that things start fresh. As a result, here's the vitals... 2000 OBW 2.5 auto 158k miles. New front o2 sensor last week. New cats a few weeks ago. New rear 02 sensor about 2 months ago. Car runs smooth, gas mileage is currently the best I've ever seen. Head gaskets replaced along with timing belt and every engine seal at 125k. New plugs and wires, air filter, fuel filter and sea foamed just before the cats were replaced. No other codes besides P0420. Guesses? What do I look to next? I can't replace anything else in the P0420 stream can I?

The mechanic ran everything today. Everything checked out pretty normal. The guess was the front O2 sensor...and it is just a guess. The reason for the guess is that the plug on the O2 sensor was damaged when the last new catalytic converters were installed. The shop that I will never again let touch my car, Buckey's in Shoreline, WA, forgot to plug the O2 sensor in after installing the cats. Instead, the wire harness was draped over the axle and the plug was resting on the brand new cat. The plug melted a bit. Bucky's just scraped out the melted plastic and plugged it in. I was too sick of their crap to argue. The theory is that because the plug is damaged it's intemittently losing some connectivity. Again, it's a theory. The codes were reset and we'll see if the CEL comes back on. The car runs smooth as silk and there are no codes other than the P0420 so I seriously doubt the misfire. Whatever it is, it's hiding really well.

OB99W, is that link (http://www.catalyticconverter.org/news/news_page.cfm?Key=catalytic_converter-&News=120) saying that bad spark plug wires can through a P0420 code? With all that I've read on here about using only Subaru or Magnecor wires I've been a little paranoid about the fact that my mechanic installed OEM NGK wires. I just don't see how they would cause a P0420 code and not any other code.

It was a P0420 code. Took in to the shop this morning and the mechanic found a small exhaust leak. Tightened things up and reset the code. CEL came back on a little later. Not sure if he scanned to run the numbers on the O2 sensors. Perhaps something it off. I'll run it back to the shop tomorrow.

Just an update. I did buy and install the Bosal cats. They were installed about 2 weeks ago. The check engine light came back on this evening. Good thing I got the smog check done today around 1! Because of when the CEL came back on it has not been scanned. I'll update to confirm it's another P0420 code tomorrow. Just my gut telling me it's the problem. Although the mechanic did mention that when he read the codes he read a misfire in the #3 plug. But all the plugs are shiny and new (wires too). We'll see what the OBDII tells me tomorrow.

Take your car in if, like me, you don't have the tools and know how to analyze the system. Have the mechanic run the diagnostics to ensure that you need cats. I'm told, that most P0420 codes are the result of bad O2 sensors. While I ended up replacing both of mine, they weren't the problem. Go through the above steps first, they're much cheaper than the cats, even the aftermarket ones, and the work is probably needed anyway. After that, DO NOT TAKE YOUR CAR TO THE CHEAP MUFFLER SHOP!!!!! Can you tell I did this? I just replaced my cats for the 2nd time in 18 months. I forgot to look where you're from but if you're from the Seattle area, don't take your car to Bucky's! I have 2 mechanics that I take my car to. One is a Subaru only shop and the other is owned by a relative. I get a discount at the one owned by the relative. This later shop recomended a Bosal setup. It's a completely assembled unit minus the O2 sensors (the bungs are attached). The rate of failure on it is very low (similar to the Subaru unit) which is why my relative is willing to install the Bosal instead of the OEM unit. All of the other systems he's looked at for Subarus, the rate of failure is much higher and he won't sell them. So, as somebody who just went through this process for the second time in 18 months, go through all of the steps and don't be afraid to go to the more expensive shop, it's likely to cost you less in the end. Oh, and if I had it to do over again, I new Bucky's was doing a crap job while they were doing. I should have had them pull the car off the rack, loaded it onto a flatbed, and had it towed elsewhere. Would have saved me around $1000 and a lot of aggrevation.

Owners manual? What is this wonderous device you speak of? I was recalling there was a brand of plug to avoid and you answered that well...Champion. I'll go with NGKs and the OEM wires. Still need to pick up a vacuum gauge and check my vacuum lines. Upon visual inspection, everything looked good. But eyes can only tell so much.

Replaced air cleaner, fuel filter, and ran a can of seafoam last night. The cats are being replaced as I type. The seafoam seems to have triggered a misfire on the #3 cylinder. I'm hoping that some gunk just fouled a plug. Forgive my laziness but which plugs to buy? I know to buy copper and nothing fancy. I know to buy OEM wires. Where? Is it significantly less via the internet vs. the stealership?