idosubaru

install the manual radiator and then install a 30 dollar aftermarket transmission cooler for your ATF fluid. be nice to your trans and forget the ATF coolant lines in the radiator.

yes, i'm an AE and work in satellite flight operations at NASA goddard space flight center. PM on it's way.

if you work these guys he is right, no need to be a member of anything. it is tricky, most people don't have the patience or skills to work a good deal unless the dealer you're working with is cooperative. and "invoice" is such a convoluted term these days. a dealer will "show" you an invoice that really doesn't have valid numbers on it, they are for the most part ficticious. that's why they still make money if they sell something at "invoice". that's why i say it's convoluted..."invoice" has been relegated to not much more than a word consumers think is the holy grail of car deals but doesn't really mean anything unless you're well informed about what you're buying.

the knock sensor code is definitley telling you something. if that sensor is cracked up it could be retarding the timing.... and definitely will cause the engine to run terribly. i'd find out why that code is flashing....check the sensor first make sure it didn't crack of fall apart. if it's the original it's probably old and brittle. check the wiring just prior to the knock sensor harness and the harness/connectors as well. how did you address the HLA's? did they sit for awhile? any tapping on first start up? subarus can run terrible immediately after a rebuild/reseal due to the HLA's not quite functioning right until they are fully pumped up and lubricated. and that's assuming they are working appropriately.

the relay is ruled out since the stock pump works fine. everything goes sour when the pump is installed so in my case it's just two wires and a pump. i'm getting another summit pump and if that doesn't work i'll go the Ford route.

"The car runs fine. No stumble....."

anyone ever install a summit racing fuel pump? i bought the same one that myphalyx has on his XT6 and i could not get it to work. everything works fine with my old 220,000 mile original fuel pump, but when i try to install the summit pump it acts goofy. seems straight forward even fit into the stock fuel pump bracket with almost no effort. i tried giving it power directly and it didnt' seem to work very consistently, mostly didn't work at all though i do recall it pumping once or twice when i had it wired directly with 12 volts. i'll have to give it another try for specifics but has anyone gotten this to work? any idea what resistance should or shouldn't be between the terrminals? IT'S TWO WIRES AND A PUMP, HOW HARD CAN IT BE!! pardon the caps...

sorry but that is really funny....unless they don't refund you.

nice hit frank. how was the wiring connector? was it a direct fit or did you have to cut and fit it? reminded me of an issue im' having with my aftermarket fuel pump.

flashing at start up is a sign of a current TCU issue. you need to pull the code to find out why it's flashing. when you fix the problem the flashing will go away.

when most are voting for drain and refill they are speaking of what they would do, so it's hard to recommend a place to do it for you. don't know if shops will do a drain and fill but it's as easy as an oil change basically so it's about the simplest exercise for a mechanic to complete. nobody touches my car so i'd say do it yourself. but if you can't, i'd say let anyone do it as it's a very simple procedure.

i'd check the MAF sensor and TPS sensors. does this have a hotwire type MAF sensor? i'd pull the sensor and check the very very thin wires to see if any are broken. a broken strand can give very similar problems and not throw any CEL codes. not likely but it is possible the timing tensioners are weak or the bolts holding them are stripped and not holding tight enough. under light load there is no problem, at higher RPM's the tensioner gives away under the higher load, temporarily *changing* your timing. this problem will also get worse as the tensioner or bolts get worse. more likely for the item to just fail, this scenario is very rare but possible if you're striking out everywhere else.

like mr. radon said, just install and go. assuming your oil supply is in good condition (which should be addressed while it's all apart anyway), then the HLA's will function just fine if you install them. be sure to lube all of the valve train up real good with assembly lube or oil. HLA's, valve tops/springs and rocker arms.

problems per vehicle is useless information. i'd say the average porsche driver is not pumping out 30,000 miles per year. how about problems per 100,000 miles....er we better make it per 40,000 for the lesser makes to even make the chart.....

no worries.

petersubaru - your problem was indicative of an oil pump issue as it affected multiple lifters. a stuck HLA will be obvious by it's noise from one side of the motor and one particular cylinder and possibly even bad compression readings. a bad cam carrier to head o-ring would only show itself on one side of the motor as well. oil pump seals affect all HLA's. oil pump reseal - new seals and gaskets. replace or fix fauly HLA and finally replace oil pump. those are the fixing options. band-aid options including changing oil viscosity, additives, sea foam, ATF, MMO...etc.

most people say pull the motor if you can. really depends on how you like to work and what tools/space you have available. i work on XT6's so the motor and trans are both very heavy. it's really nice to pull the motor and work above the car. it's clean and easy that way. easier to replace the rear main seal and any other items while the motor is out too. like the oil pan gasket or motor mounts if needed. but i can have the trans out quicker than the motor so if time was critical i might think about just dropping the trans. fewer things to disconnect and no messing with an engine lift (though the engine lift makes it easier because it does all the work). so if you're creative and ambitious getting the trans out and back in would be quicker in my oppinion. but it is annoying working under the car. sure feels nice to have the trans on the floor in a few minutes as opposed to taking pulling the motor. but then the end sucks because you have to install from underneath balancing the trans on a jack.

problem solved already. clogged radiator. put in another radiator that turned out to be clogged as well even though it ran fine in my old XT6 that i parted out.

i found that post: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=39847&page=2&pp=10&highlight=pilot+bearing

never replaced one myself so i can't help you with that. very bad idea to use the old one. i just read a post..can't recall which board this was on, of a guy who had his clutch replaced and the pilot bearing failed not too long after that. i think it might have been in the New Generation forum but could have been another board all together. he was quite irritated that the shop didn't replace this 12 dollar part in order to avoid another couple hundred dollars of labor charges.

depends how far "a block" is, all farmland to the side of me....but 7 subarus on my land. 6 XT6's and 1 OBS.

i just did my 97 OBS the other week, super easy! didn't do the rotors though. i pad slapped mine and they work dandy. basic tools do you just fine for the pads and man they are cake. don't forget to open the brake master cylinder up to relieve the pressure as you press the pistons in.

NAPA sells anaerobic sealant, that's where i get mine. be advised it is very expensive for what it is. but i figure for oil pumps it's like a tiny bit of sealant and for the cam carriers i trust it more and don't want to do it again. one nice *feature* is that it doesn't dry out like the grey stuff, so no poking holes or cutting the side of the tube to get stuff out of it! but it is expensive...like 10 bucks a bottle or a little more. the grey stuff will work, stricktly oppinion really - i think the anaerobic sealant is better, less likely to leak and no chance of getting into anywhere it shouldn't. if i only had the other stuff i'd feel confident using it without issue and i'm sure you can as well. i used to use the grey stuff and i thought it leaked easier but that could have been my fault. i never had any major issues with the grey stuff when i used it, it did work fine.

a bad alternator typically causes this. you will start to burn fusible links, maybe fuses and maybe computers if you drive it like this. autozone or advanced auto parts (and other parts stores) will test alternators for free (though it may not show it's ugly problems when you're there). make sure the connections at the alternator and battery are good as well. there's a plastic plug on the alternator, check it's condition and that it's not shorting out in some way. my guess is the alternator though.

it's worth whatever someone will pay for it. old vehicles like this can command a good price but the demand is also very small so you wouldn't expect a quick sell like you would with other makes/models of more mainstream popularity. it's all about timing really. if the right buyer is in the market they would pay alot for it, but few people will do that for older model soobs.