idosubaru

yes this kind of failure can "come and go" so to speak in terms of the TOD. that yours is there one day and not the next is nothing new to the subaru's i've driven and worked on in the past 15 years. HLA noise is usually a sign of some other problem as you can tell from the replies, so the diagnosis isn't necessarily a science. the oil pump is relatively easy to fix so replacing the seals that cost a few dollars is well worth the effort. if it's quiet now, i wouldn't worry...well i wouldn't worry either way as it's not good for you. if it comes back, try some more MMO, Seafoam, ATF and no skimpy skimp on the oil changes K?

i bougth a wrecked OBS from a guy and he has a new VW jetta diesel and said the car is okay but he doesn't care for it too much. when i go pick the car up i'll try to ask him why.

found your other post. drain plug is under the car, just like the oil plug, but a little further back. drain and fill through the dipstick. 75W-90 gear oil is an all purpose grade that would work.

vehicle info. auto, manual? fwd, awd? diff or trans?

yep, very easy to do and straight forward.

john made a good call above, he must have something preventing the nut from actually bolting up as much as it should. threads bunged up or something. he should be able to check the threads or nut for damage. the axle is cast iron so no worries about stripping it like aluminum stuff(it is possible, but would require some serious effort), that's why i just crank 'em down nearly as hard as i can.

the impreza outback sport is the "short" guy, it's not a full sized wagon. sort of like a hatchback/half a wagon type. i don't know all the particulars, years, models, etc exactly. you're right, the full sized wagons are legacy outbacks, sorry to confuse you.

sorry...actually i can't recall exactly which model it was. impreza outbacks (impreza outback sport/ OBS) are smaller than legacy outbacks (full wagon). i think it was an impreza outback, but don't really remember.

i was going to offer to check the $5,000 82,000 mile impreza out for you here in DC, but i can't find it today???

i think he's saying they might try to get you to do the axles as well. highly doubtful running the tires low for that little time would cause any issues.

found a picture of the oil pump gasket port i was talking about. i know lots of people that have seen this and i've seen it many times myself. it is by far the most common cause of TOD that i have seen on the cars i've worked on. hhh....picture won't upload..... i can't load anything on USMB for some reason? here's a link to the picture at xt6.net of the failed oil pump gasket: http://www.xt6.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=40320#40320 you'll notice the gasket port on the left is round, the one on the right should be as well. but it has a divot in it from where it gets "sucked" into the actual port and no longer seals around the edge. if someone can grab that picture and post here that would be helpful as i can't load it here.

too tight? how can you make it too tight? i make them about as tight as i can get them (not including jumping on my 3 foot pipe extension) and have had no issues.

kevin has a summit pump and aftermarket FPR, he has some good dyno plots with varying the fuel pressure though it's on an NA XT6, not a turbo. might be interesting to look at his results with fuel pressure though if you can find his dyno plots. i purchased the same freaking fuel pump and it would not work in my XT6 for some reason. reinstalled the stock pump and all is well. kind of annoying, i want something less than 20 years old in there!!!

oil pressure can be compromised by a bad gasket/o-ring between the block and the oil pump. pressure will bleed off when one of the o-rings gets "sucked in" to the wrong port. it'll bleed off internally, so oil loss isn't an issue. i've pulled at least 3 or 4 oil pumps with a sucked in oil port, happens all the time. i've saved them a few times to take pictures, but have always ended up discarding them...one just a couple weeks ago. it'll come and go depending on many factors. occassionally you'll find thicker oil (20W-50) will alleviate the TOD temporarily, some have had it go away switching to thinner oil. depends on alot of things.

have an extra TCU to swap in? your tires all match good? driveshaft doesn't have a bad ujoint? rear diff issues? i have that pictured we talked about awhile ago scanned into my computer, brought a disk to work today to email it to you and the disk is bad...grrrr.......

$1,000 for a dealer to fix a center diff sounds cheap as well. that is no easy job. if it were me i'd find a used trans for 300-400 and have someone install it for 150-200 and be done for around 500 bucks. if it's still driving you have time to source a used trans. check your tires for matching. sounds like the center diff is binding, i agree. check the fluid level in the transmission and differentials. actually i have one. i have one from a 1997 impreza, if that would work it's yours for $300 (rear diff included). i drive to canton, OH about once a month (wife from there) and could deliver it.

i pulled all the parts for an Auto to manual swap and that convinced me never to try it. the only tricky part can be the wiring for the reverse lights and the pedal assembly was a PITA on an XT6. but lots of people have done it. most say to get an entire parts car with good drivetrain so you have everything you need and don't need to gather parts. with the car being down that's the easiest way to go. accumulating the parts can be tricky. i just picked up two wrecked impreza's for parts, both with good motors and trans. that's what i would do if i were you. i'd sell you the one with manual trans but you're too far. be sure to swap the rear diff if the ratios are different (they usually are manual to auto).

as keys wear down they are more and more likely to fit other cars if they are "close" to begin with. i've had a few keys that could fit other cars. more than likely if you had two brand new keys for each car they would not work in each other. on the keys that worked in multiple cars, it was only the high use, worn down keys that would work across mroe than one vehicle. if i used a "newer" identical key it wouldn't work (except in the one it was for obviously). if they get worn enough they can be removed, slide right out, while the car is running. that's quite funny as well.

sorry you missed out on that one. can you travel? i bought one 800 miles away for a great deal and flew there one way for under 50 bucks and drove it home.

if you have a heavy foot your mileage can drop substantially depending on driving conditions. what kind of driving are you doing? if this is all highway miles then somethign is wrong. if you're accelerating and decelerating all the time with a heavy foot in stop and go traffic then it might not be too far off. check your brake calipers. make sure they are working properly. make sure the calipers slide smoothly and the slide pins are greased. check the pads and look for abnormal wear. turn each wheel by hand and look for abnormal or uneven resistance. post anything out of the norm. check tire pressure (though it shouldn't bring mileage down that much). how many miles on the car? any CEL lights, any recent work done to the car? any noises? manual or automatic? AWD or FWD? how many miles per week are you driving? gas cap might not be sealing tight. when was the last time the spark plugs were replaced?

like just mentioned, lots of variations. his subaru is AWD, i'm guessing the saturn was just FWD, that can make a huge difference right there.

gear ratios are different between legacy and impreza so the rear diff would have to be swapped as well. the 4EAT auto trans changed in 1998.5 is what i'm getting. so best way until i find out more would be to make sure they are on the same side of that manufacturing date. got this info from some xt6 guys. still researching. thanks

if you're looking to keep the car awhile, pull both hubs (or all 4) and have them all done at the same time. if you're not, consider a used knuckle then you can do all the work yourself. swap in a used (newest, lowest miles you can find) and you're done. they can be found for very cheap as well.....35 dollars at most. buying bearings and having them pressed in may cost up to $100. shop charged me $100 to install new bearings/seals in two front XT6 hubs, but it can be done cheaper. i'll be in canton, OH in a few weeks and i'll have some 97 or 98 impreza hubs to sell if youre interested.

okay verified they will swap. anyway to find out the diff ratios? thanks all!

i'm almost positive. i just did my 97 OBS this summer and i think i used sealant on the oil pump. if the FSM shows sealant and you didn't use any then yes it's causing your issues. this shouldn't apply to you at all or any newer models, but just in case, be advised that reusing any formed gaskets/o-rings is a bad idea. i think (this is conjecture) that they can expand after use and taking it apart and reusing they won't fit too well. i've noticed on a few older soobs that the oil pump gaskets (which are o-ring material) don't seem to fit too well if attempted to reuse even if they are very new. they can leak, at the same time i don't think yours (the newer design) has this issue as it's just a straight o-ring, not a fitted one that goes in a designated groove like the old ones. but if it is, i'd replace it.