nipper

I would not get rid of them. They protect the hot exhaust from debree and help keep the pipes warm Why do people go for the tough solutions and not the easy ones first? Two words. Hose Clamps. Or get under the car and re-crimp the joints of the shields. Large hose clamps work well too. nipper

Dark is bad. What does it smell like?

May we ask WHY? This is not a simple bolt in by any measure and will take time and money. nipper

Unless your an expert machinets and technician, this would not be an easy conversion. the entire system is multiplexed and there are no manuals out for them yet. nipper

The door has three or four drain holes. Lie on your back and look up they are obvious. nipper

They just drain into the fenders. They shold be open. Also look under your doors, you will see drainn holes there too that shold be open. They get clogged with leaves. nipper

Are you talking about the holes at either end of the cowel that empty out into the fenders? There is a drain hose for the HVAC

Did you mess with any of the wiring harnesses? Did you pinch one? nipper

Can we do a wet and dry compression test? I am wondering if a cylinder sleeve shifted. nipper

I just used silverstar ultras and (well thanks to a deer one new headlight) and it made a huge differnce. I am going to get (one of these days) a new lense for the other side and i will be happy. nipper

Ok that is the first I have ever heard of that. Wait for others to chime in. I can't even find it with google. If you know the car has a new waterpump, but the seals have never been done, you wont need an WP, but will still need the other stuff. Idlers tend to not like being disturbed, of under the the heading "do it once and forget about it" I would replace the idler and tensioner. Valve covers mean the spark plug buckets should be replaced to. Use subaur parts as the replacements. Aftermarket bucket seals suck and will fail in less then a year. Another resource is www.endwrench.com (subaru). nipper

I go with the leave it well enough alone. Any used car can run the risk of blowing HG's. I would be more concerned with the fact the car is 10 years old and is way overdue for the timing belt and associated parts. a 99 you may be able to fenangle subaru to work with you with the HG's if it fails. Otherwise just bank the 1500 for HG's as insurance if you are really worried about it. Why the low mileage? nipper

+1 You can actually by a spray bottle of engine fog OR just squirt some oil in the cylinders and crank the engine over, dont let it start. Do this after putting stabil in the fuel and letting the car run for a bit to circulate it. Put the car up on blocks to prevent flat spots in the tires. I have some concern of the car sitting that long with a bad hg that has contaminated coolant. It may clog the radiator with time (and then again may not). If the battery is in good condition, put a small trickle charger on it or move it inside someplace warm to keep it happy. recharge the battery before using if it isnt being trickle charged. Do not set the parking brake, the pads may rust to the rotors. nipper

It's like chicken soup, it won't hurt and it makes subaru happy. nipper

Take a garden hose to the cowl and make sure the water drains out. You should see it trickling out of the side body drains at the cowl. They may be clogged, so unclog them. No drilling new holes though. nipper

Are you loosing coolant? nipper

I am not sure what you are talking about. If you are talking about the camshaft, if it was clogged you would have much much bigger issues. This car is overdue for a timing belt change. Since it is new to you and unknown do: Water pump cam seals Main seal Idler Tensioner Re-seal the oil pump Timing Belt Accessory drive belts New T-stat (subaru part only) Also replace the PCV valve as that takes pressure off the seals. Low mileage is just as much a killer for cars as high mileage. This should correct that. When you do this job TRIPLE CHECK the torque on the Vibration dampener when reinstalling it. If this is not tight, it will come back to haunt you months later. Do all that and your good till the next timing belt change. and welcome to the club. nipper PS Always make sure the tires match and you will have a very happy subaru.

There is no rear diff issue with 98 outbacks, or any outbacks for that matter. Some diffs have gone bad, but I can count them all on one hand that I know of (and lets face it, a 98 is 11 years old, its allowed). nipper

Unless it is a lot of heavy rain, then thats bad. one thing for it to be in july, another for Nov. i will be watching the weather closely. if it is a 70% or better chance of rain i may be out, as it just causes too much back pain for me nipper

We get wet and muddy. We driver slower, and reduce some of the places we go to (because we know we arent 300 HP plus 4x4's and cant get out). We also may get a little cold, but we still go. We have gotten hit by surprise rainstorms, and the going gets slick, so just have tires with decent tread on them. nipper

This is not limp mode, as limp mode would allow shifting and max speed of about 50 mph. This is cooked mode. What kind of condition is the fluid in? nipper

So you never had a stripped bolt that you had to use a drift or a chisle to remove it? You just hit it like an impact gun. hitting it to it turns in the direction you wish for it to loosen. nipper

Dang i just wanted the cross bar screws. FSM says to use a drift and a hammer "hit the torn bolt head to loosen and remove the ignition switch" Ah we love brute force. nipper

Are you using an OE thermostat? Have you replaced the cap (at this age you should). Did you fill the cooling system SLOWLY with the car running? nipper

They are supposed to last the life of the car. With the ultra clean fuel we have now I would tend to believe them, but maybe replace it every 100K. Its realtivly easy to get to for being in the tank and the part doesnt cost alot. nipper