scampen

Fair enough, 99obw...I agree and have done 80% of the 'cheap' stuff: new air filter, water suction method (to remove carbon deposits), snorkeloctomy (remove factory air silencer), new upstream 02 sensor. Next on my list (today actually): replace plugs and wires, try premium (ouch!) fuel. I'll then take a tally of MPG and see how it comes back. My fear is that I may have bought a (used @ 95K) 1 in 10 Soob that simply has poor mileage/performance. If all else fails, I'd consider taking the car to our local (goober) dealer and see if they can run diagnostics to determine what the deal is... Scott 96 OBW, 2.5L, auto

Sam45, You mentioned a 'better' 25 MPG in your last post...I'm curious as to your MPG before the tune up? I am in somewhat the same boat (OK, car) it seems, but with a 2.5L: 21 city, 23 hwy, and it's driving me crazy! Performance is missing - I don't expect porsche like acceleration, but at least some get-up-and-go! Any reply would be appreciated from you or others! Scott '96 OBW, 2.5L, sloooow

Well, it seems the 96 OB mystery has been solved... the positive battery cable was loose! I had formerly checked the terminals of the alternator for looseness, but had not focused on the battery. After experiencing the same symptoms that my wife originally saw, I popped the hood and started pushing and pulling different wiring harnesses and cables - didn't take long to find the positive battery cable was able to rotate without a lot of effort. To continue to the dialog, though, on the MPG: I heard another Soob owner mention the possiblity of a valve adjustment to help matters. Any input here? Also, I'm a little confused about the major tune up schedule: I saw where the former owner performed the tune up with platinum plugs (at the dealer) at 60K, so thought this was to be done at every 60K. But I read about tuneups at the SOA/MySubaru website, and it mentioned my 2.5L was due for a tuneup at 90K (12K ago). Comments? And, as far as dashboard lights: I inherited mine with blown lights. It was just a matter to go to the dealership and pay for overpriced bulbs (~$3-4/ea) and pop them in after doing minor disassembly to get to them. Thanks again to all for your input on this post! :-p Scott

Will do, Glen [to have alternator and batt. checked]... Thanks for the advice and perspective, all. Scott :-)

Glen, I can check with my mechanic on the CAT and exhaust blockage. As far as the alternator goes, I haven't made any replacements yet, hence the diagnostic question. I would imagine that it's an original part that I got along with the rest of the car when I purchased it back in Feb '03. I did follow up on DurhamBuckeye's recall suggestion, which yielded nothing for my particular VIN. Others, it happened, were affected...for those interested, see link below for NHTSA homepage and search on Service Program Bulletin(s) on your particular Soob. The Subaru number assigned for this issue is WXF-63. www.nhtsa.dot.gov Thanks, Scott

Glen, Also, good suggestions. I did replace a moderately dirty air filter yesterday, and would like to follow thru on checking on further exhaust system blockages...any suggestions on a practical way(s) to do so? I would hope that the valve timing is ok since this was worked on by a knowledgeable mechanic just a scant 6K miles ago. The bucking is not a commonplace thing, just after a couple of the stops that my wife described that the car stalled on. I have driven the OB about 25 miles since the original post, with no side effects seen. I'd like to check electrical connections in relation to the ignition switch, too. Lastly, anyone know if an auto parts store can determine if an alternator's bad, given the hit or miss scenario I've described? If its an intermittent problem, I would think that it'd have to be acting up at the very moment that diagnostic equip was put on it... Thanks for your input, Scott

Wow, two answers that make puh-lenty of sense. I will follow up on this angle and check the alternator AND with Subaru about a possible recall. To 'DurhamBuckeye': "Thank you" To 'Tiny Clark': "Vielen Dank" Scott

My wife drives our '96 Outback wagon with 101K miles and reported the following over the past week while she was out of town: Sometimes, when putting the brakes on, she heard the ignition buzzer noise (as when starting the car), lights appear across the dashboard (like when starting the car), and the car stalls (sometimes) upon final stop. If it does stall completely, she simply cranks it back up (mostly) with no problem, and off she goes, sometimes the acceleration is fine, other times it 'bucks' as she reaches cruising speed. She did describe one time that it hesitated starting, but it finally caught after a few extra seconds. History: purchased used 7 months ago at 94.5K miles. Repairs done since purchase: at 95.6K performed timing belt, water pump, gaskets, and belts replacement; at 97.3K changed out 02 sensor closest to engine to try to improve what I considered poor gas mileage (17-20 city/23-24 Hwy). I've noticed this car has had engine hesitation upon initialy startup and backing out of driveway; on the road, poor acceleration...Flintstones going faster comes to mind :-) Could it have anything to do with the O2 sensor that I changed 2 months ago? Emissions system in general? According to previous owners records, complete 60K service was done on time, so I've still got ~20K to go 'til it needs it again. Fuel filter was changed at 89K. I drove it for the first time since these problems showed up, and, of course, nothing has shown up for me in the3.5 mile commute to work. My next step was to go to AutoZone to see if OBDII code has been set (even thougth dash is quiet), and to contact a knowledgable board such as this one. Thoughts/ideas/comments? Thanks, Scott