idosubaru

Yes the rotor is the cause of your symptoms. I wouldn't call it normal, but it happens. I've switched to high quality grease, not using cheap pads, check the slide pins often (when swapping on winter tires, rotating, etc), and replace brake pad clips usually once in the life of the vehicle. Since i've started doing this I don't think I've had a rotor issue yet. Living in the rust belt is hard on the slide pins and clips. I'm not sure if that's coincidence or related - but i was having an occasional warped rotor before that. Check all the brake pads - it's common for one pad in a caliper (not even both in the same caliper) to be warn significantly more. Usually due to sticking caliper slide pins or sometimes rust/black build up on the pad clips causing the pad to push against, but not release from the rotor. Usually you can tell which rotor it is if you pay close attention and replacing in pairs is 100% pointless. Buy one rotor Replace the side you think is the culprit In the event you didn't guess correctly, install the used rotor you just removed on the other side since now you've "confirmed" it was the other side causing the vibrations. I used to have rotors turned all the time, shop across from my office does it, so it's easy. I never noticed issues with turned rotors. i don't know the efficacy of turned rotors but i think it would largely depend on driving conditions/use and isn't a huge concern. If you're replacing with aftermarkets and still have OEM rotors, I would probably keep the OEM rotors and turn them, they're probably materially higher compounds. 2000+ Subarus have slide pin bushings - you can't use regular brake caliper grease on those, you need high quality silicon based grease like Sil Glyde or equivalent. It's waaaaaay better product than the old school, commonly used Permatex green bottle stuff. The bushings will swell with regular grease and stick or seize in the caliper pin bore.

I doubt a snow tire is a good fit here, and the poor snow trraction was due to 9 year old tires. I would guess new all seasons with good snow performance are going to do way better than 9 year old tires. The picture you posted should be easily traversible with good all seasons. Old tires perform terribly in the snow, good looking tread and all.. I've had tires not be able to make it up a snow covered mountain road here that should be easily drivable. Probably largely UV related - but there are other factors and age has never been known to help tires. 9 years old is ancient for tires. Cheap non-studded snow tires only have the higher grade compound on the outer layers, not the full tread depth, and only have good traction 2-3 years before they start to degrade. If driven in warm weather they may wear down past the good cold-weather compounds quickly.They may perform good for one or two winters then be beyond the cold weather compounds and drive like regular all seasons. I've also seen tires get slightly worse each year in the snow, i drive on roads that stay snow covered for extended periods of time, it's easy to tell. My parents tell me they love their bridgestone blizzacks but they notably were worse in the snow by year 3. I've seen tires blow out because they're old. A member on here, had two blow out on him during a long trip he makes in his Subaru that usually sits for extended periods in a garage, but he takes to a Subaru show once a year.

ah, got it. i would expect you can get $250-$300 each for the engine and trans. if you list it for sale for a year or two you could probably get $500 each. there are people that pay high prices for things if you wait long enough to find that person/they have a need.

value? like to sell, not sure what you're asking? around here I feel like there's a small market for older pre-2005 stuff. rust devalued 90's stuff, now it's devaluing/devalued pre-2005 stuff, so i wouldn't expect the engine you describe to be worth much around here. i have an EJ25, was offered another running one for free, but just not worth my time any more. but in the right area, with the right demand, yes there is value to it - depending what you mean.

Exactly why I asked the question, which points back to my original question - why does this situation need adjustable gear (when no one else does)?

Why aren't you following your owners manual? Back up, and start there. You're over thinking this - "Subaru" does not recommend what you're saying, the problem here is that you're giving credence to inappropriate sources. A mechanic, shop, or "service advisor" is generally not even close to the best source for best maintenance approaches. They're bound by one-size-fits all organizational constraints and not vehicle/owner specific goals. You can always beat mechanic/shop maintenance practices if you have a small amount of time and capacity to learn. But even if you don't have any of that - Follow the owners manual, Subaru doesn't make oil so you are correct that their oil offers nothing over other options that meet the owners manual specifications. "recommended" does not mean "required". "recommended" from a salesmen is definitely largely unimportant without some compelling data behind it - which obviously isn't the case here. http://www.cars101.com/subaru/outback/outback2016.html#maintenance Clearly stated 6,000 miles and synthetic oil, like these dealers publically state (though their other intervals and suggestions should all likewise be ignored): http://www.planetsubaru.com/subaru-service-and-maintenance-menu.htm http://www.patriotsubaru.com/subaru-service-schedule---2015-models.htm http://www.stanleysubaru.com/new-subaru-maintenance-intervals.htm Of course a dealer recommends things - do you always follow to the "T" every single product recommendation you buy in the owners manual, on the receipt, on the website, on their tag, on their label, on their documenation....no of course not, you don't even look at or know all that stuff for every gadget, device, appliance, supply, and product in your home.

Sticking brushes like he said. It's 100% repeatable like that every time - comes on after a few minutes or just happened like that one or two times? I've seen some 05-09 models have clogged/linked condensation drainage lines and flood the interior. It's probably not possible for that water to get to the fan and you'd most surely see wet spots in the interior if it did. So I can't foresee that being an issue

Why does it need adjustable? i mean is that a diagnosis, I'm not questioning if you just want them, if that's the case I totally get guys , trying to understand what's happening and why mechanically. Maybe it needs new springs or struts or both of any sort? My OBW would jump sideways when hitting bumps and oscillate ocassinally in the rear. New KYB springs solved that. Current springs are over a decade old with lifted mileage and usage. Baja turbo rear springs are commonly used on OBWs for a little stiffer and slight lift. Isnt it possible to lift it 4" without issues?

oh yeah - 2005+ have that issue. you're still running hte 2007 ECU right, just swapped the engine?

Highly unlikely to be related to the problem. i've removed/bypassed them before without issues and the climate here is colder averages and even colder extremes than your area. you just did an engine swap - pretty normal for a vaccum leak (check the brake booster), sensor or timing issue.

If those things ever fail it's rare. Has anyone else ever heard of these doing this? I've never seen it before. I would guess its compromised from sitting. Any chance bugs/ rodents can in the lines?

Great good job beast. Tricky one. I was going to ask if it's possible that bad wiring could ruin the alternator? For instance can a short fry the internal voltage regulator the moment a new alt is installed.

Does the brake light go out if you disconnect the alternator completely (car off, key out)? No custom stuff like security, stereo?

A confirmed diagnosis would be good. Who knows what could be possible on a car that sat for two years. Keep an eye on: 1. coolant level/leaks/too much air 2. fans 3. if the radiator might be clogged - I think this is usually repeatable - like it's going to overheat more when it's hot out because the rad can't throw away enough heat, but works fine in cold 4. thermostat is flakey - could it be rusty from sitting? It sat where - in a frigid, muddy, rodent infested hedge row or a pristine heated show room garage?

That's a good pint. Read the Amazon reviews. Probably a great central location for hearing success stories. I get that sometimes it works. Read those reviews with the following in mind. It's not long term high percentage, has risks and may lessen the vehicles value should something go wrong. plenty of the reviews are probably for simple leaks, not necessarily combustion chamber breeches. Just like Phase II external EJ leaks, that's a different story, those are easy. And nonSubarus may seal easier = apples and potatos. also a lot of those reviews are people saying it's fixed and then not long after posting they're probably right back at it again. I can literally find dozens or hundreds of "XYZ fixed my head gasket" then later "oh wait no it didn't" posts on Subaru forums, see it often- people think it's fixed and it's not. Just saw one yesterday. Those same people review on Amazon and don't follow up with "no it didn't" I doubt most people doing that stuff are concerned with 100,000 mile 5 year reliability. How many reports like that do we have - many years and miles? Many are limping basket cases along on pocket change. If that's your goal - sure try it, I get it, I was in college paying my way through once too. Agreed. Sifting through reviews looking for similar situations vehicles and symptoms would be a good check.

How's the gas mileage and performance? P0420 is generally benign unless it's accompanied with bad gas mileage or performance. How much longer do you plan to own the car? Being in good tune is helpful. If it needs air filter, plugs and wires then do those. PCV valve is super easy and cheap. If O2 sensors are ancient those a good try and particularly the front sensor can improve gas mileage a tiny bit (or much) so it can recoupe the replacement cost over the life of the vehicle. So I see things like this as good chances to update important parts. Testing O2 sensors wouldn't be a bad idea or just replace them but you might not want to just replace parts depending how long you're keeping it. But yeah if you don't want to throw parts at it you have some testing to do or throw a catalytic converter at it - that generally fixes it even if it's partially tune/performance related, the new converter may be more forgiving. Used is an option but probably not in CA, some places don't sell them and I doubt CA is easier. I've used aftermarket before without issue, even cheap eBay specials, though I'd guess that's hit or miss. Walker? The catalyst material is expensive so if it's cheap and no compelling reason it's cheap it's probably a low grade unit with limited catalyst materials.

I mean free app, not free Bluetooth adapter.

Oh right, looking for free or maaaaybe very inexpensive.

Okay I'm oblivious to this what does elm mean?

iOS Which app are you using? And which Bluetooth adapter?

cam or crank seal

all it's going to do is leak oil, i'd be willing to try it with a missing bolt. EZ outs suck, don't even have one in the garage. anything that comes out with an EZ out will come out with some other better method. EZ outs are supposed to grab the remaining bolt and back it out. they are strong but brittle (like concrete blocks). so they are prone to breaking with any kind of impact, even though they can take huge loads. they're great in a perfect machine shop with excellent tooling. they suck for DIY stuff like this. break one of those off - and you're in for a 100x harder problem than you current have. left handed drill bits can help back the bolt out sometimes. start with the smallest bit you can - as a sort of pilot hole, then move up in size from there. try an abrasive to get the surface smooth so you can get the drilling started in the center rather than off center. on a really bad water pump bolt i had once i drilled a hole adjacent to the stuck bolt and wailed on the bolt until it "tilted" into that adjacent hole so to speak. then helicoil it. but you can't really do that unless you have a spare block to drill into to verify you're not going to hit an important cavity or passage where you drill. i had extra blocks and could just drill huge holes to test before i did it on the engine at hand.

for that matter - just drop it in the vehicle you're going to install it in and "test" run it with the bare miminums hooked up? And don't buy craigslist, cheap specials. every EJ engine i've bought from a junk yard or helped someone with has been great. the cheap craigslist specials that i've seen other people buy....knock, don't run, melted inner timing covers...surprise, surprise. i know it's not that simple but with yards it's sometimes possible to tell the car was rear ended, has a blown trans, tested by the yard, etc - things that nearly guarantee the engine was fine.

the fixes in a bottle *might* limp the car along for some unknown amount of time with severe downsides mentioned by caboob. they're like band aids - they're not long term, reliable solutions...if they help at all, they are going to come undone at some point in the future. It makes sense - ICE's are high temperature, pressures and cycling - 1,000+ degrees, 200 psi - roughly equivalent to woman in 1,000+ degree high heels stepping on your face. this isn't a simple, benign fluid loss situation, and it's almost comical to think it's an idea with excellent success rates. are they worth a shot in some situations? maybe in a rust rotted north east special with no chance of living more than 6 months. are they worth a shot in a financially desitute situation....i doubt it. a financially struggling person, IMO, needs to start making great long term financial decisions and quit thinking short term, and a solid car that can last another few years reliably is better than limping along, getting stranded again in 6 months, and needing some other cheap craigslist special that's going to cost more to maintain/fix repair than they can afford as well. there is a specific Subaru engine that responds well, in certain situations, to a Subaru Coolant Conditioner - that's a very specific engine, and even a very specific failure mode of that engine. It is by no means applicable to any other engines or failures modes. that boils down to physics and facts - not opinions. yours is not one of those engines nor one of those failure modes. you can include links to "readings" you find and we can address those more specifically though i imagine you're talking about the Subaru Coolant Conditioner or Blue Devil.

1. Subaru headgaskets (fel pro seem to be highly touted as reasonable replacements by folks on here in the past, i haven't used them) 2. resurface the heads - find the post on here and you can easily do it yourself. it's so simple 3. get the Subaru FSM - they're all over the internet for free those heads are really easy to replace - the headbolts are external and the easiest ones Subaru has ever made. remove timing belt unbolt power steering pump and a/c compressor and swing them both to the side of the engine bay (no need to disconnect the lines) unbolt exhaust manifold remove intake manifold - disconnect fuel lines, throttle cable, spark plugs, engine wiring harness connector, and alternator wiring, and ancillary grounds, etc. unbolt heads you can even do it in the vehicle - just unbolt the top pitch mount (one nut/bolt) and remove the two lower 14mm engine mount nuts - and jack the engine up a few inches.