idosubaru

your owners manual may tell you. i've never used anything but i think something is recommended because others have mentioned it before.

Yes - all automatic AWD subaru's can have the Duty C switch installed. It's only one wire. Cut the wire and you have "locked" 4WD, un-cut it and it's back to normal. just need a double pole, double throw switch. personally i will wire mine to have the emergency lights come on when it's engaged so i can't forget. Yes - you can just swap in another transmission. They are very cheap (at least around me they are) and easy to find for the most part. I picked an EJ auto trans up for $150 a couple weeks ago with less than 100,000 miles and they had a few more as well. Actually many different SUbaru auto trans will swap with varying level of minor things to address. Subaru's are not hard to find for a decent price. I'm looking at a few nice subaru's right now for not much money at all. If you have a few thousand to spend it might be easier to just find one that's good and running unless you have lots of spare time, tools, and a garage. A transmission swap isn't that hard, but still takes time.

awesome, glad it worked. yeah it's annoying, it can be very, very hard to "undo", way more effort than should be required.

if the steering wheel is locked and the key won't turn you need to start a wrestling match with the steering wheel. it's just stuck. i've had them stuck so bad that i would have to pull to the side (left/right) on the steering wheel as hard as i can...which is rather hard, nearly thinking i'm going to break it, while simultaneously turning the key. and finally...after some rediculous efforts, the key would turn over. seen this a few times and know others that have had it as well. so start hanging from that steering wheel and see what happens. the last one took me a heck of a long time, so long that i was almost convinced it was impossible, then finally click...the key turned. and that was on a 1997 legacy GT.

thing is, people have posted pictures of them and there's no noticeable difference or actual change. i had thought that i've seen multi-layer style gaskets that looked substantially different from the originals but maybe my memory or interpretation of what i saw is not correct.

hmm..wonder if they changed the heads, bolts, or torque sequence at the factory? they had to do something, no way they'd keep dealing with that. okay, i am confusing. i often see xxxx-2002 and assumed it meant manufacture date. i heard "mid-2002" manufacture date, meaning 2003, an "insider" (who asked not to be named).

get those freaking winter wiper blades, those are awesome and i imagine you could use them where you're located. i never knew they existed until this year. yeah they look a bit on the stupid side, they're solid to prevent snow/ice build up all over them. i don't know which ones are the best, i bought a set someone else recommended.

must be going around the internet for some reason, my brother and law emailed me the link as well, here's another: http://www.break.com/index/sweet-subaru-with-snow-tracks.html

that's what i meant here: gotta love those one side replacements? guess you'll get to do it right? the info is vague. was the gasket design changed? when? when did they start installing those in vehicles? what we see is hard to decipher because the newer the car the quicker and more likely an owner is to replace it without anyone ever really knowing about it. older cars were more likely to see buying and selling and on these forums. newer cars, not so much.

i know you won't care and i probably wouldn't either but if the conditions are bad you probably shouldn't go. steep snow covered roads are seriously dangerous. i don't know the roads, amount of snow, and how well they maintain stuff but in general all season tires are horrible in this kind of terrain. if it were me i would have a set of chains (or preferrably cables) and put them on only if needed, on the fronts.

ignore this if it's inconvenient, but i could use this if you feel like killing to VIN's with one stone: 4S3BD6854W7204834 and i'll delete if that's rude larry....i wouldn't mind if someone jumped in on mine...so i assumed it wasn't a big deal.

i just edited my last post, i see you're logged on, in case you miss anything.

you need to clean the MAF then if it's the style with an oil impregnated filter. the oil from the fitler can bung up the MAF sensor, that's why i asked. they sell MAF sensor cleaner at the auto parts store. pull it and clean it...be careful with it and also check the hair thin wires inside, visually check to make sure none are broken, should be obvious and only takes a screwdriver to remove it. also check your coolant temperature sensor. look for corrosion on the wiring harness plug and sensor terminals - the sensors never really fail, it's just a bad connection. you *should* get a check engine light, but i've seen them not come on before. while you sprayed what? oh checking for sparks? i meant actually check to make sure each plug wires is sparking. you need a spark tester or just pull each wire and install a spare plug in it's place....we can give you full directions or you can look it up on the internet if you don't know how. as far as the fans coming on, that is not normal, i would definitely look into this, that doesn't sound right, maybe someone else has an idea why that's coming on. do you (or anyone else) know what specifically needs to be messed with the fuel conversion? it would help us immensely to know what parts/components have been modified for this conversion.

new, not dry-rotted or old tires, is a good thing. still no comparison to dedicated snow tires so drive safe. test your ABS, braking and traction in a snow covered safe area to get a good feel for it. slow and safe is important, maybe take chains along just in case.

look like you're getting subaru OEM wires, that's good don't use anything else for the plug wires. any check engine light? are the stock diagnostics/ECU still in place (i'm not familiar with alternate fuel stuff)? does it have a stock or aftermarket filter on it? test the coil pack and also verify spark at each cylinder. i would also have a look at the MAF - i forget exactly what kind this has but make sure the wires in the MAF are not broken. having one broken wire in a hot wire style annemometer MAF will cause similar problems in some vehicles (not sure about yours). can you contact whoever you bought this from and ask some questions?

do a search on here, others have had non-functioning AWD before as well. it's not common but clutches do wear out on EJ vehicles, i imagine the SVX isn't much different. so if he cut power to Duty C solenoid to "full engage" the clutches, what would happen? nothing i guess if the clutches are bad or that shearing occurred.

correction - the SOHC from 2000 - 2002/3 (explain later) definitely has head gasket issues. so much so that Subaru even acknowledges this one - they offer an extended 100,000 mile warranty on certain vehicles and adding the coolant conditioner is standard at the dealer. DOHC has internal head gasket failures the SOHC Phase I, which is what is in this veihcle, has external head gasket issues. so - unfortunately yes that car you're looking at has some chance of experiencing head gasket issues. by subaru insiders it is supposed to be through "mid-2002" manufacture date vehicles. your 2003MY was manufactured in 2002 some point, you can check the stamp on the inner door jamb. some people suggest seeing later models with head gasket issues, i have not seen that or heard that outside of commentary on this board. my first step would be checking to see if this vehicle has already had them replaced and see if it qualifies for the extended 100,000 mile head gasket warranty from Subaru.

never done an EJ turbo but often times you can mix and match - buy a cheap head gasket set for everything else but use Subaru head gaskets. if you're not getting a valve job/machining done you could get away with just buying the minimum parts to fix it rather than the entire head set. i don't recommend it, but people do it. head gaskets and intake gakets you would need for sure. exhaust gaskets can actually be reused quite successfully.

i activated/approved your account, so you're all ready to rock and roll there. ah! i hope that temp gauge is accurate and the car/air isn't colder. i washed mine once in the winter and the doors froze shut so bad i could not get in. squirted all sorts of de-icer and other stuff all in the locks, around the doors, etc and the handle/door would not budge. i had to let the car sit overnight and luckily the next day was a bright sunny day. it never got above freezing but the sun being out warmed the interior up enough to free whatever was suck. so yeah, careful washing cars in freezing weather...or maybe only older cars are prone to that?

awesome, look forward to seeing you...and the other guy on the XT forum, it's a great place.

that's a good car, i approve. have you joined us here yet: http://subaruxt.com/forum/index.php all the XT specific information you could want, hope you join us! it is in your best interest to go over as much of the cooling system as you can. at 20 years old it doesn't matter how well they seem, they need replaced. at the vert least check the water pump bypass, turbo hoses (including the oil lines), heater core hoses and all the related clamps. if the radiator was replaced, then it was probably run hot which does not do good things to gaskets, seals, and hoses. most people don't just randomly replace radiators on 20 year old cars.

what outbacks have the 50/50 thing, legacy's only? i don't think the impreza outbacks do, or mine doesn't at least. certain years/models? XT6 low? the FWD sits low with coil overs, but the air suspension AWD jokers sit rather high..for a 2 door coupe!

what body style - sedan, wagon, or impreza Outback Sport (sort of like a hatch, not a full wagon but not a hatch either)? i dig XT6's, but that's not what i would recommend, an impreza outback sport would be my pic (and i have one) as newer reliability and newer parts is a good thing. i'm not a full size wagon fan though they are functional, with lots of room. the impreza is functional yet not a full size wagon. i prefer 1995+ legacy's (the earlier ones are nice but ugly and in your price range there's no reason to get a really old one anyway). but legacy wagons are a dime a dozen and easy to find cheap if that's what you want - i'd get a 1995+ legacy with an EJ22. you can find these mid 90's legacy's and impreza's for $1,000 - $3,500 no problem...depending if you want to put any work in one or have it in near perfect driving condition. for imp's and leg's, get an EJ22 (2.2 liter) engine in them. that's the best in terms of reliability and you won't have any trouble finding one. starting in 1996 legacy's have both the EJ22 and EJ25 so you'll have to check. EJ25 is prone to head gasket and piston slap issues - type in either of those terms on google, yahoo, or here to read more info on that. as for the transmission you have to decide between auto and manual. for better traction in snow, mud, and ice i'd go with an automatic and install a Duty C switch. the viscous centers of the manuals are nice pieces of machinery, but they do not shine in nasty muddy, snowy slop. having an ability to "lock" rather than slip is huge in snow and ice, at least in my experience. then make sure you get a rear clutch type LSD (limited slip differential). two important things for driving through deep snow - tires and ground clearance. those are more or at least as important than drivetrain really. a nice set of skinny snow tires and ground clearance is optimal. the hatch probably had the first and not the second. get the wrong kind of snow or conditions..how far you're driving, what kind of snow, how much speed you can maintain....etc and you will high center a subaru in deep snow. ground clearance does matter. while i totally dig subaru's and like the way they perform, for every "my subaru out-did a truck" experience and comment i see, there are certainly plenty of examples of toyota's and others tearing up a subaru and that's why it's important not to think the subaru drivetrain is the "holy grail" of off roading. so..you could get a lift as well.

for $5,000 i would definitely be driving like an RS, or Legacy SUS, or Legacy LSi or a 2000 Impreza Wagon. there's just no comparison between the newer stuff and that old 80's stuff in many ways. the EA81 is a good motor but there's no way to compete with wheel bearings, struts, alternators, brake lines, fuel lines, electronics and every other part of the vehicle that's 15 years newer. better brakes, air bags, much more comfortable..etc. if someone put a gun to my head and said i must own an EA81 then i'd get both. if you have $4,000 it would be very easy to get both...a newer car and an old EA81 to play with. if "locking" style 4WD is necessary then just get an auto and install the switch and get a lift kit too. as far as 4EAT's - not all of them "lock 50-50" when in 1st or 2nd, at least the XT6's do not. if they do it's not a full "lock" like you get with the duty C modification at all, it's not even close in an XT6 in terms of functionality/capability.

if you don't like being limited in vehicle selection another option is to consider the fact that snow tires have come a long way in recent years, they are amazing in the snow. often times a FWD with good snow tires are better than 4WD. not that i'm saying you want 4WD, but maybe dual range isn't as necessary for you in those terms... many later model EA82 and EA82T subaru's avaible up to 1994 have PT4WD transmissions and some have the FT4WD transmissions that have a center differential lock on them. those are true "locking" style 4WD center differentials. i personally recommend a FT4WD XT6 manual. locking center differential and the 6 cylinder offers much nicer driveability for towing, mountains and general around town driving. a quirky freaking car, but if you're interested at all check us out on the subaruXT forums. lots of options out there really...there is a dual range FT4WD transmission in Subaru RX and others up until 1988 or so. really there's too many to talk about...i'm starting to confuse myself. i guess you need to decide if dual range is a must or if it's sacrificable so long as you retain true 4WD with a locking center differential. or you could pick any EA82 or ER27(XT6) vehicle you want and swap a dual range transmission into. loyale, GL-10 wagons, GL hatches, XT, XT6, RX, Brats....then put the transmission in it that you want. the transmissions bolt right up, fairly easy swap. of course EA82's have timing belts, they are a bit different from EA81's. as far as newer subaru's they really have downgraded and backtracked in terms of off road, snow and mud driving with the newer EJ stuff. the closest thing you can get now is to...find a puke bag now...an automatic transmission. the manuals are nice, but for anything more than daily driving they aren't ideal, but the automatics at least have a duty solenoid that you can install a switch to manually control and "lock" the rear transfer clutches, giving you similar 4WD funcionality of the old school transmissions. with the duty C switch installed the automatics are better than the manuals for nasty stuff driving.