nipper

Inner tie rod. The biggest fight you are going to have is the Inner Boots. You may want to replace them both, as they are inexpensive, and both of them are of equal age. They have a locking tab which can be annoying. Getting a bite on the tie rod ends can be "interesting". Count the 1/2 rotations when you unscrew then from the outers. Compare the new ones to the old ones and make sure the threads start at the same places. If they don't (not a big deal) mark where the threads start on the new ones compared to the old ones and start counting there. For the record, a bad rack (this goes for all cars) will leak out the inner tie rod boots, or have ver little boost when cold (winter), almost feel like it is binding, then get better as the car warms up. Subarus if they do go bad usually leak at the innner tie rods. nipper

Thats my thinking. There have been some complaints that 1st gear may not be a low enough ratio. Sooby may have thought with the engine torque they could get away with a taller gear, but the clutch is taking the brunt fo the abuse. Another clue is that some people have noticed that the sweet spot for starting from a stop takes a little getting used to.

Seems there are some reports of premature clutch failures over the pond. nipper

hehehe i can't keep these things straight in my head sometimes nipper

Sorry but you are mistaken. Euro test cycle is very different from US EPA test cycle, to reflect the different driving styles of the two countries. Also there is a difference between fuels of the two countries. It is an apple and oranges comparison. Also you can not quote a test rating number then compare it to real world driving. And there are plenty of places in the USA where you can drive steady state at a given speed limit. Smarts were never really meant for highway driving (Though i have seen one or two). Aerdynamics of cars doesnt really start to come into play untill over 35mph (maybe 40). For real world testing air temp only has a minor affect on the coast down test. I would worry more about wind affecting the test then anything else. nipper

He's already there. nipper

You only show how stupid you are by calling others ideas stupid. It is tried and true method as long as there has been tubing that had to be bent. You need to use clean dry sand to it, and sometimes a little heat helps. nipper

yes but they are revolting...

I know newer subarus have a Relay in the blower motor circuit. Even with a bad resistor pack you should have high. This may have a relay too. Door lock light I think is on the mechanisim. Gas gauge, the low fuel light is a thermistor. It sounds like there may not be enough power getting to the sending unit.

Yes the line should require a tool to bend it. If the line is "soft" fill it with sand and cap the ends. It will keep the line from collapsing or kinking when bent by hand. I've always used a tool even on soft lines to make tight bends. nipper

I dont have a 99 FSM but i have a 98 (9.5:1 CR and 137-176 PSI) and a 2000 ( 10:1 CR 156-185 psi MAX compression). Compression ratio in the FSM is 10:1, but that doesnt have any effect on compression depending upon when the valves start to open as the piston goes to TDC. COmpression ratio is a number purely derived from BDC to TDC. A good OBDII scanner you can read sensors output in realtime, so it can sometimes help you connect the dots.

200 psi is too high, factory spec is 185 max. Old idler and tensioner should be replaced. Something is out of wack. Do you have anything that can read the OBDII in real time. I want to see if this engine temp dependent (the dash gauge only tells you vague things). What happens when you put the car in neutral when it wont move? I dont think it is a fuel problem. I dont like the compression test, it tells me something is out of time. I know the knock sensor can hurt performance. I wonder if the timing being off, and the knock sensor trying to compensate, its killing performance. nipper

Should throw a CEL light or tranny light or both. If ti was an earlier subaru i would suspect them, but it should throw a light on a 2004.

There arent any such thing really as bew engines (otherwise that clow boat from japan comes in) in this case. What he is getting is a fully warrented rebuilt in the usa (by some major US truck mfg i forget who it will come to me) for subaru to subaru standards. When you go to a subaru dealer and tell them you want a new subaru engine (as I did) that is what you get. It comes with a 3/36,000 mile warrenty. Of course they take them back (800.00 core charge otherwise). They take them back so they can rebuild them and they live another day.

The best method is to make up your own. You first need to take a baseline, a coast down test. YOu time how long it takes the car to coast from speed X to speed Y. It doesnt matter if the road has slope down hill, what matters is that you always use the same stretch of road, your tires are always inflated, the same wind conditions and you just change things one at a time. You time how long it takes the car to roll from 70 or 75 to 55. That will give you a very valid baseline. From there you can measure fairly accuratly what changes you make to the car and what effects it has. nipper

Ive always found it is easier to use some stiff larger gauge wire as a templet. Then you just bend the tube to match it. It usually gets you pretty darn close on the first try to what you want.

Usual suspects ... a tune-up first. then check for any dragging brakes. Check tire pressures. nipper

Well it goes back to the rebuilder as a core. nipper

You may need a new spedo head. I am assuming you dont have any CEL lights on? nipper

It is usually one of the short rubber hoses that go from the fuel rail to the fuel injectors. A shop can peg it down with an emissions sniffer, otherwise just replace all 4 of them.. nipper

I dont think you broke it, I just think it was ready to go. I dont have a Fozzy shop manual, but I would suggest you check all the lines up there for rust. Usually if one is bad enough to blow others will follow. nipper

Gee Gross, never pictured you as hehehehehe

Thats actually about how much it should be. A fair price all the way around. nipper

There always has to be one problem child..... always one. Was it new or used. What brand and how much did it cost about. Is the terminal on tight and is it clean. is the knock sensor cracked? Did we cover timing belt replacement, along with idlers and tensioner? How is the AC on the car, any noise. Sometimes the knock sensor can pick up one of those going bad and then it gets (rightfully) confused.

There isnt much to diagnose on a 13yo knock sensor. Just replace it, then you should be golden. nipper