Suzam

Welcome to the board. Now that you have joined, you can use the search function to find a lot on info. Try using keywords on you question. With a little research chances are you'll find the answers.

No on head gaskets. Yes on interference

Yes they should fit: http://www.cars101.com/subaru/tiresandwheels.html

Is your co-worker (the auto mechanic) employed as one currently? How much money is waste? You already bought it. For piece of mind and preventative maintenance, I change all of the fluids on a regular basis. I change out rear diff and front transfer oils between 80 & 100K in my auto Subies. If nothing else a cleaner, correct viscosity oil has less drag on the drive train than oil with dirt and metal suspended in it and lubricates better. Maybe it is a waste but I'm happier after it's done.

I'm bumping this up because I'd like to know also but the wife won't let me out to play tonight because I need to get up really early tomorrow. And even then I won't have any of our Subies because I get stuck with our Camry (have to keep the girls safe).

Without the hood the aerodynamics change and you might see less MPG, but I don't think you'd have a problem as long as the weather is cold, the hood plays a big part in forcing air in and across the radiator and engine. Are you sure it won't fit in the back of your wagon? Wrap it in a thick moving blanket and slide it in on an angel and (without me measuring it) I think you'd have a chance on getting it inside. Seems like a bit of work to remove, replace, remove and put original back on. Plus hood alignment is a pain sometimes, getting the hinges and front catch to match up. Strapping on top seems to be the best if it won't fit inside. It might be illegal not to have a hood on but if you drove at night who would see it? "But officer, I swear it was there when I started my trip!":lol:

That should throw out a CEL. Does the CEL light up when you first turn the key to start? If not maybe your CEL bulb is out.

Keep us posted on what you decide and how you make out with the project. Should be useful info for others who may want to tackle this in the future! And good luck!

If you're handy and have a LOT of time, the whole assembly is accessed from above the headliner. This has been covered on the board, with a little searching you may find the procedure. The whole window unit needs to come out and takes several hours to remove. If you're lucky you might find a replacement in a junk yard, but it would need to be removed also, but that would be good practice for yours. Otherwise caulk the front one and see if you can realign the back one and go from there, although the rear rails might have snapped the screws that keep them aligned which is a headache. You can drop the headliner and take a look. You could always talk to a dealer and see but a 10 year old car with addition problems to the unit might not be covered. It doesn't hurt to try.

Oh no! Are you trying to tell us you are running mismatched tires?

I'm still asking about the last service on belts and tensioners. What was replaced and when?

Should fit fine, I have 205/55-16's on WRX wheels mounted on a 97 Legacy L wagon. They were also on a 95 Legacy sedan. Never had fit problems on either one.

I have a 97 2.2 with piston slap and it does not sound like that. The slap is throughout the RPM range and quiets down after warming up. Maybe a bad tensioner pulley? When were the belts last serviced?

The sending units inside your gas tank are dirty and giving false readings. A common problem. If you search for "sending unit" you'll find out more about it an ways to make them read better. Rather that saying it only goes 250 miles before the light is on can you tell us how many gallons of gas are used in those 250 miles? That's the way to accurately get MPG. MPG = distance divided by gallons used, not distance per gas gauge reading.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/differential5.htm

Without a key fob for the alarm, the easiest way is to: disconnect the battery turn the ignition key to the "on" position and leave it there reconnect the battery start the car this will bypass the alarm.

2000 thru 2004 should interchange. Model changed in 2005.

There's a plug on the back of the mirror. You can see it though the windshield, just press the little catch tab and remove the plug.

Even if it's uncalibrated it should still display all points on the compass not just west & south west. Have you tried disconnecting it for a while? I'm not sure it there is a procedure for "resetting" the memory, but maybe 24 hrs without power would do it.

+1 on repairs. As long as the air bags didn't go off you should be able to shop around for parts and do it yourself or find a shop that will. That's low mileage and not too old to give up on.

I had a similar problem in my daughter's 97 2.2, stone cold lower hose but I think she had heat... I can't remember and it wasn't cold weather at the time. Temp rose and fell while driving, not a lot but maybe between 1/2 and 5/8 of the way up and never overheated. New T-Stat and a correct burp fixed the problem. After 2 years the temp stays steady and NEVER deviates from the 1/2 mark. Has the T-Stat in yours been changed or is it new from the engine swap? The reason I ask is it would be unusual (but not unheard of) to have 2 in a row bad but the one from the swap could be bad from the beginning.

Was it a Subaru OEM T-Stat? Did you put it in the correct way? (spring towards the engine) Does the temp gauge stay steady or rise and fall?

If it's the original battery it's time for a new one. If not, as stated by others, check the connections at the battery for cleanliness and tightness and the condition of the cables themselves. Welcome to the board!

It may not be the steering column switch. pamike says they are on when running and I also believe that the dash light don't go on with the switch either. I am assuming by the post that they do go off when the key is removed from the ignition switch?

Is it even wear across the tread? I would doubt the LSD is at fault. If it failed you would most likely have greater symptoms.