idosubaru

I would work around this issue for zero dollars and not waste time. more on that in a minute. maybe it works on zero rust areas, outside of that it's a terrible method for replacing axles in the northeast/rust prone areas. particularly since there's an easier and 100% foolproof method. once the wheel is removed you only need to remove one bolt to replace the axle - the top strut mount bolt - which is never rusted and much easier to deal with if it is (rare). remove that bolt and loosen the lower one. once that bolt is removed the entire knuckle, with strut still attached, swings "out" away from the car, giving room to pull the axle out. it's a little tight to get out, but comes out every time. pull the inner DOJ up so to speak as you pull the axle out of the hub, then snake it out around all the brake lines, etc. you need to mark the *head* position of the top bolt so you can reinstall it in the same orientation as it adjusts camber - but that's really easy. use a high quality marker/grease marker, or i just hit the head of the bolt/strut body at the same time with a chisel and line the marks up when i'm done. i never touch that ball joint bolt around here unless i absolutely have to. also in rust prone areas you'll only get 1 out of 10 ball joints out without destroying the boot so yo'ull be replacing those most of the time as well. adding more work, time, and cost. not surprising at all, those tools suck. you're best bet is to throw away every bolt extractor you have and never use them again. they cost more time than they save. they're a nuisance. anything that comes out with a bolt extractor is not that difficult to remove by other means. they only work on really easy to remove stuff....which almost never happens since easy to remove stuff doesn't shear off bolts - not in automotive applications anyway. an extractor would have never touched that ball joint pinch bolt, those aren't easy to remove. i would leave it as is. install that axle like i mentioned above and leave it be, it's not going anywhere. no way that bolt is ever coming out without metal working equipment. if you're amped to fix it. i would drill the pinch bolt out from the other side where the extractor is not embedded. only the end is threaded, once you get to the sheared off extractor you should be able to use a punch and knock the remaining shaft of the pinch bolt and the extractor out the other side. once it's all drilled out - just use a large bolt and nut - don't bother threading it or anything it just needs to be able to clamp down which a high quality bolt and nut will do just fine. or if you're really amped up it's not that hard to tap threads either. or even helicoil it back to the original size. you've got a ton of options, all which can be done without removing/replacing your hub. given the rate of failure of EJ wheel bearings i'd rather keep the known good hub you have than install a hub that's been sitting, rolled around a yard, possibly contaminated, etc. i've had used hubs fail bearings....it's still a good option sometimes since two used hubs are still better fit sometimes than getting into bearings, but you've got a known good hub that was just driving fine - i'd try to keep it.

you haven't given any information to go on. we're good, but not magicians. in general it is almost impossible for all of those parts to fail at one time. so this suggest something else.... 1. how many miles? 2. has the fluid ever been changed? more diagnostic related stuff: 3. is the transmission pan dented or compromised at all? 4. has the transmission ever been worked on before? 5. has the trans pan ever been removed before? how long have you driven it? has it always worked perfectly and then one day this happened? how is it currently driving?

the switch might be easy enough to replace to give it a try? they never fail so they shouldn't cost much used. and 4 and 6 cylinder should be the same on that part?

i wouldn't bother worrying about if the belt has been changed or not. at this point the pulleys are devoid of grease and can fail just as easily as the timing belt. i'd plan a complete timing pulley replacement with the belt. even if the belt was replaced it is unlikely they replaced the pulleys and tensioner. entire kits on ebay are only $160-$200 for belt, all the pulleys, and timing tensioner. do that and it's good until 250,000 miles for the next belt change. you can also remove the drivers side timing cover to inspect the belt, it's only held in place by three 10mm bolts. have the headgaskets been replaced?

places that auction or sell wrecked cars. craigslist works well but H6's aren't really seen often, though i just picked one up with a blown trans for cheap in excellent condition. i look almost every week and don't see them too often. ebay.

thanks guys, 'll try to take note of AM/FM. good call JCE, i'll just plug in another radio and antenna and see what's going on.

yes, use 2001+ 4 or 6 cylinder axles. avoid aftermarket axles like the plague. reboot yours or reboot a used axle. if you get a used Subaru axle, at least reboot in the inner DOJ, they typically only last a year, maybe two if you install a used axle. seen it many, many times and i just reboot them now. if you're not aware of the aftermarket axle issues, then just search any online subaru forum and read thread after thread of issues. vibrations, noises, and even completely blowing to pieces...waste of time.

most annoying part to me is just catching the coolant dumping out. otherwise it's really easy like already covered. the ATF and radiator clamps are often rusted to the point that reusing is not an option.

ah gotcha, that little thing. the 03's have that goofy ONSTAR system and wasn't sure if that was dedicated to that or they shared, etc. guess i'll swap stereo's first since that's easy and i want to anyway and then go from there.

i've tried turning off and on everything electrical - defrost, heated stuff, seats, etc and no change at all so far. it's very consistent, does the same exact thing every time, just like it has really weak reception. not even sure where the antenna is on these things, embedded in something? the glass? thanks, got lucky. it is very nice and i like the H6. was fortunate the original local owner sold it cheap with a blown trans in great condition.

new daily driver i just got on the road, 03 H6 sedan doesn't get radio reception at my house....but all my other subaru's always have. about half way to work it starts getting reception, though crackly. is this a stereo issue or........? it also cracks out on CD's sometimes, just seems to cut out. might need to try another CD to make sure that's not the problem.

really? i guess i get confused who is where! yeah - there's multiple swapped engine XT6's over there.

Subaru FSM's. I have almost all digital copies, only hard copies i have are older 80's era stuff...i may have one newer gen hard copy but use electronic copies almost exclusively. the hardcopies i think are nice when you first start getting into stuff to have them easily mobile.

yeah just line it up carefully and it will stay. it's loaded by the valve train so it wants to spring out of position. once you get used to it, it's actually really easy. remove the passengers side lower timing belt idler pulley, it can be installed once the belt is in place easily and gives a little bit more play to install. get the belt around the crank and the drivers side pulley first and have a helper or use a clamp, clothes pin, or something to hold the belt onto the cam - that will prevent it from moving out of place as you go about installing it the rest of the way around everything else. once you get used to it, like i said, they go right on.

did installation go like this: 1. install valve. 2. fill oil 3. compressed air or like this: 1. fill oil 2. install valve 3. compressed air you would recommend 10wt or 15wt oil depending on usage/climate then? i think i'd want a little stiffer too - 15wt if it could handle the winter temps here which is when i often drive the XT6.

great! that's it. i was searching for threads started by you and i didn't see that. thanks. since all 4WD XT6's came with air suspension we have a few air suspension threads on subaruxt.com. be a good idea to compile them all, with yours. we also have: 1. drier / dryer silica refilling http://subaruxt.com/forum/posting.php?mode=reply&f=1&t=12443 2. reconditioning the air struts 3. reconditioning the solenoids if you don't have rust maybe reconditioning air struts isn't an issue like it is out here. the strut body rusts and wears the bottom of the air bag where it attaches to the strut.

in general that rules out every single possible swap. so you'll have to define "minor". everything will require adapter plates or trans swaps to go with it and most importantly - wiring. simple solution to that is to pay someone $200 to do it for you, there's a couple folks that do it, but you have to also buy and find a wiring harness which isn't super easy since it's buried behind the dash too. so again - you'll have to define "easy" nate - i think you've seen all the swaps on subaruxt.com - there's a couple EG33 swaps, EZ30 swaps, a bunch of EJ turbo swaps.....there's a tons of them right on the XT6 forum.

i like the cheap ones off ebay since i travel with them and take them places, in my work bag often, etc. if it breaks, no big deal, just buy another one. i've gotten them as cheap as $35 before. i'd buy nicer ones if i wasn't so mobile and rough on them. some ready the code only and don't tell you what it is. if that annoys you, you don't have a list of codes, will be working on multiple different kinds of vehicles, or don't have internet access - you might want the kinds that tell you what the codes are verses just the number. if you're just working on one or two vehicles, just print the lists of codes out and put them in the owners manual in the glove box and it doesnt' matter.

GD has a good point - the TCU's are very easy to swap and they very rarely fail so there's zero demand meaning they're not worth anything (they're cheap). it's a counter productive question because every thread ends up exactly the same way - tons of commentary and little, if any, real world experience. that doesn't help you. most people are going to say don't do it because something bad will happen. first they're wrong, because i've done it. second, who cares since it's already hosed!? it's a no brainer: 1. possibility of zero work and maybe needing to replace later. 2. replace now. #1 is a great fit sometimes and saves a bunch of time and money. no one has actually ever seen this cause a Duty C to fail, so that's rather good news. and i've driven a long time exactly like this, about 2 years, controlling the Duty C by a switch. if you're worried about it and dont' need 4WD - run it without the Duty C and remove the rear half of the driveshaft.

radaitorbarn.com has awesome prices. EJ radiators for under $100 shipped to your door.

there was a thread about a year ago roughly....very foggy at the moment, where someone drilled, drained, and refilled the fluid in their airstrut. i did some searching and can't find anything on it though. anyone know what i'm talking about/find it?

if it's leaking oil, does their 3 year warranty come into play?

i've never even done that, i just assume they're all relatively similar and visually appear that way. but that is really good advice, never thought of it. occassionally you'll have one that mangled a bit of thread, chasing it with a tap is a really good idea (regardless of whether or not you use new or old studs).

friend of mine is a mercedes mechanic, he recently had regional recognition and was selected for a free trip where they flew his family to germany this summer to view their plants, etc. he is now driving a very new...forget year/model i don't really follow cars at all, mercedes. he got it cheap because the AWD rear transfer components failed. he said this one has one rear transfer clutch plate in it and is really weak.

years ago i used to replace them...and now i just reuse them - the stud/nut combo's just turn into bolts, no big deal. some of the ones i replaced years ago then turned into bolts too! LOL i see no point in worrying about it anymore and i won't locktite anything in place because we have too much rust around here - would probably end up stripping threads once it's rusted and has to pull the stud out.