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Does anyone have recommendation for older/used 16" Subaru alloy wheels that will fit on an XV but use normal profile snow tires? I want to install winter tires/wheels on an XV but don't want to pay the premium for low profile snows, and would rather install used Subaru alloys than black steel wheels or Chinese aftermarket alloy wheels. Hopefully wheels from an Outback/Forester etc fit the bolt pattern and have close enough circumference to the 17's with normal profile 16" snow tires. If anyone has done this please share model/year of wheels you used, and tire size of snows.

I was pulling heads on a 98 Outback and stripped one of the heads (10mm) of one of the cam bearing cap bolts. Even though I was using a 6 point socket, it got completely rounded. Vice grip didn't help either....and that was with a new pair of genuine Vice Grips, not Chinese knock-offs. Anyway, I then Dremeled the head off the bolt...I got a little carried away and ground some of the bearing cap off. Should I try and make it flat and reuse the same cap? or get the same position bearing cap from a same year/model engine and use it? Anyone been in this situation before? What did you do? Is your engine still running well? Photos here:

I'm helping a friend import a 97 Outback into Canada. Which DRL kit would you use? The $25.00 Hamsar kit (model 70987) from Canadian Tire says it does not work with Subaru. Or is there a DIY solution will please the inspectors?

So my car passed smog today....one of the two monitors went away by itself then everything tested fine. However, the Catalyst monitor was still showing incomplete with the scan tool, even after I passed the test. I confirmed with the smog place that in CA you are allowed two monitors to be incomplete, I thought it was zero and was driving around trying to make them all go away. Thanks to the other forum posters for helping clarify this stuff.

I'm trying to Smog a 97 Outback 2.5 in California. The head gaskets were recently changed and I presume the ECU codes were cleared after that procedure. The CEL is off i.e. no error codes, the exhaust gasses were within spec but the car failed overall because of "incomplete monitors". After the failed test I then drove about 140 miles, then I got a loaner Actron scan tool from Autozone and it still shows CATALYST MON and EGR SYSTEM MON as incomplete. Are these two incomplete monitors OK for retest or will they fail me again?

A seller on Ebay is selling a "chip" called "The Juice Box" for $28 that supposedly gives you more horsepower etc. They appear to make them for all kinds of cars, but they appear to look the same. Has anyone bought one? It looks like a scam to me since it appears to have only 2 wires and does not hook up to the ECU directly, just to the air temp sensor or water temp sensor...something fishy here?? see http://stores.ebay.com/The-Juice-Box-Company

I cleaned my tone wheels and sensors. Cleared the error codes, went on a drive. Still have grabby/jerky brakes with ABS fuse installed. Now my errors are 11, 22, 24, and 56. I guess the tips of both my sensors are broken off. The gap is 4-5mm. Does anyone have a photo of a good sensor with proper clearance? Below is a photo of mine before I cleaned it up. Both sides look similar.

see post #4 on thread http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=69239 photos here http://californiavan.com/subaru/frontwheelstuds/

For those of you in Canada, do you know that Crappy Tire offers free "loaner" tools at most of their stores? AutoZone and other stores in the US offer similar tools. Good to know when you need a specialty tool once every 2 years or so... Ctire loans most of these PowerBuilt tool kits: http://tinyurl.com/sc9zy Basically you pay for the kit and get a 100% refund when you return it. (Use a credit card, some kits are around $200!) Kit #3 "6pc Front End Service Kit" is especially useful. Powerbuilt part number 648626 Canadian Tire part number 25-6332-6

I just removed the stud. Not too difficult a job. Click here for many photos Procedure below: 1)Loosen wheel nuts. 2)Jack and place car on jack stands or wooden blocks. 3)Remove wheel nuts and wheel. 4)Remove brake caliper (14mm bolts), tie caliper up to strut tower with coat hanger or similar to keep it out of the way. 5)Remove brake caliper holder (tight 17mm bolts!) Remember orientation for proper assembly with brake pads. 6)Remove disk rotor 7)Remove ABS tone ring bolts (5mm Allen head bolts, allen socket would be best & spray penetrating oil first). You can now move the tone ring around to provide clearance to remove the bad stud. 8)Press stud out (I used the Ball Joint Remover from the "Front End Service Kit" loaner tool from Canadian Tire) see http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=69394 for loaner tool info 9)Wiggle stud and tone ring around to remove. On the right side of the car there is a notch in the hub at around 11 o'clock position. This gave me a bit extra room. On the left side the notch is around the 1 o'clock position. Installation is the reverse. While everything is apart check your brake pads and clean the tone ring with a wire brush and the ABS sensor with rag/scotchbrite pad.

ok, so I retrieved the codes from the small black diagnosis connector near the yellow select monitor connector. my error codes were 11, 22, 24, 51 Is there a chart online that explains what these trouble codes mean?

I have a 97 Outback with ABS. One of my front wheel studs is stripped. What do I have to remove in order to replace the stud? (other than remove the wheel)

I have a 97 Outback A/T with the 5.3i ABS system. When I apply the brakes, I get all kinds of funky grabbing/slipping sounds from the front and jerky stops. If I pull the 20Amp ABS fuse under the dash, the brakes work perfect, like a normal car. How do I troubleshoot the ABS system and what are the typical problems with the 5.3i system?

Thanks to all who replied. I swapped the piece held with 3 small bolts and the large metal linkage piece (under large nut) and all works fine...car drives/shifts properly. I may put everything back to 97 style now since the transmission vendor has sent me the electrical cable I was missing...

I have a 97 Outback. It was running in 2WD with a 96 AT TZ102Z2ABA that the previous owner installed. I located a used 97 Auto tranny TZ102Z2CBA for the car (the correct one). I'm in the process of swapping them, but the shifter wiring looks different. Am I missing an electrical cable (about 12" long?) that plugs into the 97 shift mechanism then goes to one of the large tranny connectors at the top of the bellhousing? see http://www.californiavan.com/subaru/trannywires/ for photos of each...