ShawnW

I personally think the best built ones are a combination but its hard to nail down a precise recipe. RX springs add about 3/4" I like the 2-3" lift kits the most. I think the 4" is too much and honestly the objective is to make clearance for larger tires. In my opinion, anything beyond 2" makes tires be far to large to turn, power, etc. Im not saying it can't be effectively done but trying to run 30" tires is crazy and adding massive amounts of lift blocks doesn't add to that much more tire working. I personally like the SJR offerings a lot but almost all of the lift kit builders seem to be putting out a decent product.

I got one at Autozone for a Nissan. Sorry I don't have the exact details.

I don't remember there being one. Theres a flasher relay. Usually its the fuse or or the turn signal stalk failing. Which car? This thread needs to be moved to the old gen or new gen forums depending on the car.

Remove the PCV tube from the top of the block. IT might crack but I find that easier.

I think you solved it with the intake switch. I have seen that 3 times now.

You can also cut the pipe off near the nut going into the air suction plate and use a socket to get it off. Never lost that battle yet. New pipe isn't that hard to come by.

It threads onto the end of the axle to pull it thru the wheel bearings and hub.

Just dug this out of the toolbox after doing wheel bearings on a Brat. I forgot how handy this tool is. Despite being "RetroRoo" I seem to be working on a lot of old Legacy/1st Gen Outbacks instead of EA series cars lately. Both-- This axle tool is Expensive, but worth it. http://www.amazon.com/OTC-7535-Front-Installer-Subaru/dp/B000RJ2S5O/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1334286384&sr=1-1-catcorr Combined with a hub tamer(that you don't really need but a few pieces of it did make it quicker), I was able to easily do them. If you don't know what a hub tamer/grapler is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQLge25pUQI

Thats because nobody is calling him on it. You should be just as scared of that engine as an Ej25D like your Outback has. Except, todays technicians can probably figure out how to pull a trouble code or order a part for it without trying 3 times. All the same, I wish you luck in it-Im not a huge fan of that particular car but still a fan.

Depends on who did the engine and what work it needs otherwise. I don't think the new engine adds to the value in this case unless its got more power, factory gaskets, and built by somebody that specializes in Subaru's. Otherwise, it could be worse than an original engine in my opinion. That car looks like one I see around Denver at the UPullIt yards. I would place that around $1800-2400 depending on how it drives and runs.

Craigslist, Ebay and other places online of course. Lots of Sears/KMart stores closing around the country with store closing sales. Look at Lowes at the Kobalt tools too. I like theirs as much as the Sears ones.

Its too full and by a lot. Drain it again, measure what came out and catch it so you can put a little of it back in. The dipstick is only used when its in park at idle. Autos need to be filled as exact as possible.

The easy way to look up this belt is use an Alfa Romeo 164 with a 3 liter engine. Napa NBH 25050275. I stock these, $19.49 ea.

Nice choice on the box! I have a blue one like that. I started with the SS top but after about a year I needed more room and had to ditch it and put a box on the top of it. I miss the top but it was a lot of maintenance to keep it looking perfect which I really did end up with. I have had 0 problems with mine. Don't order the drawer edge guards they try to sell you. They show every fingerprint and look like crap fast. When I got mine I worked with a very experienced mechanic and I took a photo of every drawer in his box. I matched him tool for tool which cost me thousands of dollars to do but I never had to borrow one again. The other thing, when I left that shop, I had everything. Until I went to the dealer and bought another $10,000 worth to keep up with the master tech there. Its worth it if you plan on doing it for 20 years. Watch out though. You can score on Ebay, craigslist, etc. Most of the time for half of what you would pay on the truck plus no tax.

Lots of short trips? Id take it for an hour plus long drive and clear the codes. Oh, and stop when the pump shuts off. You would be amazed at the amount of emissions created by everyone in the world doing that and how much gas is wasted by that. http://www.epa.gov/donttopoff/

Ive used the 2.2 one like you found at the junkyard. I try to stick with the same style if possible but they do work fine.

I do an average of 3-4 head gasket jobs a month and when at the dealer I did 148 workdays in a row of head gasket jobs. Yes. 148 cars in a row. Along with the fuel recall bulletins mixed in. I would say 5 percent DON'T fail before 200K. And fail in my book is: 1. Customer smells something hot and its dripping on the exhaust. 2. Oil/Coolant mix 3. 1/2 quart oil loss between oil changes at 3750 interval. Frankly, why argue it. They were so bad at one point the 2000-2004 Outback and Legacy cars were getting as high as 70/30 customer pay reimbursement from Subaru to have the fixed before 100,000 miles! I look at it like this. Its 4 hours book time to do the water pump and timing belt service. Usually the valve cover gaskets leak before 100K-at a minimum the tube seals do and its the same job to replace them. Thats a 1 hour book time. Already at 5 hours. Or. Pull the engine, replace the head gaskets, valve cover gaskets and intake gaskets and timing belt and pay an average of around 8.5 book time. An extra 3.5 or maybe $350 labor and $100 parts. Usually the heads are still flat but I deck them the bare min anyway so thats a variable expense. Still-maybe $500 more to have an engine last till 210K. Not so bad. That also gets you a free valve adjustment when I do it. They do run better after its done too.

I can do it with a Vin too but why not order it from Subaru? I ship parts almost daily. Just about 99 percent certain to get the right part and shipping that little thing would be cheap.

When it does it, you have to let off the gas completely and let the tires try to grab. It feels like its going to put the car into oncoming traffic. Most drivers that experience it and aren't at fault in the situation want to take the car and push it off a cliff. Its bad. But its usually quite fixable with proper diagnosis. In my opinion, a dealer is not as likely to fix it as an independent. A dealer is going to try to say its the nature of the car, that they all do that, etc. An independent isn't going to have a worry or look over their shoulder mentality of lemon law worry. They can fix it and not worry about the customer wanting them to call Subaru and say they have a safety bulletin/concern to file.

I think I would still leave this range of cars off the watch list. They are wonderful but I really think, bang for the buck the 2000-04 or the newest generations are better. Less quality issues with dash rattles, wheel bearings, etc. Still great cars. But for 5000 you can buy a really really nice 2003 or so car, and that would buy the worst 05-06 on the market-if one that cheap is around.

If the car has a FWD fuse its in the under hood fuse box and is very small. The VDC/Traction control can typically be switched off with the button on the left side of the dash under the instrument cluster and to the left of the steering column.

Ive always used the headlights as the key. If the headlights match in shape the entire front end will swap with no mods. And with a little work, you can do almost anything like said 93-01.

Ive got one with 190K on it from an Impreza L from 1998 model year. $10 plus whatever speed of shipping you want. Call 720-440-1662

Agreed. As simple as pulling a valve cover and looking at how clean/dirty it is inside there usually. If it doesn't wipe clean with a rag its probably missed a few oil changes. Sometimes that can be reversed with a flush but usually its damage done.

Thanks to the internet, we have a bit of a mess in the Subaru world. I would like to give my take on it. Im pretty open minded but when someone comes to me and says that their Subaru steps out, or "ghost walks" I have ask about 10 minutes worth of questions before I am even willing to road test the car with them. The true symptom is, the car, on ice or gravel surfaces, will step out from the rear and try to fishtail. It only seems to happen on 2005-2008 model Subaru Outbacks and the ones I have seen in my shop are mostly the earlier of that being 2005-2006. It needs to be said that the suspension and steering on these cars is unlike many previous models. Its sensitive, its drive by wire, its ABS is really sensitive, and the weight on the rear wheels is not being supported by long struts like previous models. These cars handle much differently than the older generation Outbacks. They are quieter, smoother, and more Buick like than previous models. But the fact is, the 4EAT transmission is usually a factor. And this one has a slightly different situation in the rear when it comes to Duty Solenoid C and such. Its not in the tailhousing like the old ones. The ones I see that exhibit the problem usually have a thin gearstack measurement in the tailhousing. When I get a moment I will have to pull up the spec on it but its usually about 1/2 a clutch off! Thats a great deal. The 3 that I have fixed that actually had the ghostwalking and weren't just old, typical AWD system no no's like mismatched or worn out tires, blown rear right strut and brand new left, or previous known driving of thousands of miles with the spare tire on it. Im really tired of seeing people just go on and on about how Subaru should fix this. Give it up. Its not going to happen. Most of these are way out of powertrain warranty, but more than that, good luck proving that you or a previous owner didn't cause the problem or that some normal wear and tear item isn't the problem. Instead, put the FWD fuse in like the good old days and see if the problem is made worse. See if you can drive on ICE like any normal FWD car can. If you can, move on to fixing the rear. If you can't-it could be the driver! Like I said, these cars are more sensitive. Trying to run cheap tires on this car is a disaster. Its not a crime to run snow tires on this car in the winter. Trying to be macho and say you are gods gift to driving and that you don't need them is ridiculous. I fixed one of these cars on a bet and the customer bought me new tires for my car after I put clutch packs in hers. She said she could drive on bald tires on Ice because it was a Subaru. Maybe an old one. The clutch packs were bad, but putting the tires from my wifes 06 on it truly solved the majority of the problems. Its an improvement. It really is. Its not that the cars have gotten worse. They have improved but to get the full potential of the car you have to invest a little in it. When you do, it pays off. If yours does have "IT" I recommend: Make sure you aren't expecting too much of the car first. Thinking you can drive 60 on black ice isn't an expectation. Anyway, First try the clutch packs. Diagnose with the fuse a little. Go from there to repair. Its a few hours and the trans doesn't have to come out. Remove the driveshaft, remove the tailhousing, and measure the combination of the clutches and steels while in the housing. Compare to spec for that year. Order a gasket, clutches, and re install. Second, consider the tires. Are they all season? Were they less than 70 bucks each?!? Try quality. Third, check the rear struts. If they have 100K or more on them, they are suspect. KYB Excel are almost identical in every way to the factory ones. No alignment necessary. Ride quality will really improve and if it doesn't solve the problem at least you got your ride back to being responsive. Anything beyond this, it could be the driver. Try having someone else drive it and see if the "problem" is still there.