nipper

Be thankful. Some high end cars have done away with dipsticks all together. They dont want thier clients getting thier hands dirty. BTW a subaur auto will outlive a subaru clutch by leaps and bounds, and it is a trouble free unit. Many autos out there are way past 250,000 miles an all they want is fresh fluid every 2-3 years. Since you are getting used to subarus, read up on the evils of torque bind and the importance that tires always match (this is for any AWD car). nipper

Lets start with something simple, replace the radiator cap. The t-stat MUST be from subaru. Inspect the outside of the radiator and make sure it is in one peice. 2.2's arent known for blowing HG, but at 160K any engine can blow one. The fact that you had heat is a hopeful sign that the HG is ok. Usually you loose heat with a bown HG on a sooby. nipper

i've done that too nipper

useing too much of a cleaner additive can do mor eharm then good. replace the front O2 sensor first with one from OE. You are at the right mileage to have a bad front O2 sensor. The dealer is just lazy in not properly diagnosing the issue. Its like saying you need tires so replace the car. There is some logic to it, but its just cheaper to replace the tires. nipper

what he said. nipper

You may need to use a better canner on the no code thing. But maybe an o2 sensor? I would get that with Blu when his o2 sensor was failing. nipper

Just be careful, you hit the right spot and the left rear tire may start shaking.

Before you get under the engine, wash the engine. Go to a self serve car wash and clean it good. then give it a few days then look. nipper

i can't promise anything, but can i have directions please?

This is a very typical sooby issue. Best way to cure it is to spend 20-30 dollars and replace the exterior handle. I even replaced the licnse plate lights at the same time and all the screws. Otherwise you will keep lubing it and at some point that wont work anymore. nipper

Short answer is everywhere (what he said). At that mileage those small leaks can turn to huge leaks. When was the last time the timing belt was changed? Usually all the front seals get replaced with the timing belt. Valve cover gaskets are easy, rear seperating plate is tough.

Lets throw a vacume gauge on these puppies to rule out valve timing and a collapsed/clogged exhaust. How many miles are on these cars? Is there an CEL? Are they automatics or manuals? nipper

i've never done a valve adjustment on Blu as he uses shims, and sometimes its just easier to pay someone (and i have a dirt driveway). Valve ping? You may have noisey valves, but ping is something different, as opposed to knock. Some ping you really need to learn to live with, because it's normal. Thats whay the make power amps for car stereos. knock senser is for engine knock, not ping. Knock is an uncontrolled explosion in the cylinder. The knock sensor advnaces the timing to ignite the mixture in a controleed fashion. This starts the flame front at the spark plug, as oppsed to it exploding off the head gasket, or a hot spot in the piston. Knock is very bad for HG's, and can if really bad destroy a piston. Yes you loose power when the knock sensor does this, but its better then destroying the engine. Usually it is only one cylinder or a few rpms till things retunr to normal. This is whay a bad KS can make the car perform poorly. If the senser is cracked or loose it may think that all that rattling is engine knock, as opsed to a failed sensor. Sometimes the sensor can pick up other things as knock, but never noisey valves, adn even that is rare. nipper nipper

Time for some education. The oil pressure light only tells you if there is a failure in oil pressure, not loss of volume. you can have as little as 1 qt of oil in the pan, and the light wont come on, but that is not enough oil to put off an engine failure. Oil needs a specific volume in the pan to halpe shed heat. If the oil cant shed the heat, it will break down and fail. Who determined it is only down 1 qt? How was this conclusion made. Usually when i hear engine knock and it was down 1 qt means it was worse then that. Last time i rebuilt an engine for someone that they said it was just one qt down, it was down to 1 qt of oil. You can try talking to subaru, but you better look like the nicest guy on the face of the earth, making Mr Rodgers look like a mass murderer. Right now the only leg you have to stand on is the low mileage of the engine. If the oil level was full, then you would have a case. Talk to the regional zone rep. You also should have all the oil change reciepts, as that would bolster your case. Also ignoring an oil leak (if they found evidence of one) is another knock against you. Hoesntly what oil change intervals had you been using, what oil, and how often did you check it. Good Luck nipper

Is this an automatic?

Can i be kidnapped? My partner said we will discuss the details of meeting his parents that weekend. eeeeek. nipper

I never liked this check, but feel for cold spots. I personally like taking putting a hose in the top, open the drain, let the water flow, and feel the radiator to make sure it is evenly cold. Im betting its your radiator thats shot. Worn water pump impeller is a possability too. nipper

Its so old it may fall apart on a cleaning. If you really like this car, I would suggest a new one, as a used one may be just as bad. How are the hoses? When was the last time the water pump was replaced? nipper

There are a few thigs left. The radiator cap may be tired. loosen the radiator and inspect it. This car is old enough where the cooling fins may have disintigrated. This would be on the side facing the front of car, behind the condenser for the AC. You may have to remove it to check it. ALso you may have a clogged radiator. Are your cooling fans working? Is there any play in the fan motor shafts? nipper

How did you check to see if it was in spec, and what was the outdoor temp and the dash vent temps? nipper

Ball joint? Tie Rod end? Tie Rod? The mileage is right for any of these to fail. If any of those are so bad they are creaking this needs to be checked ASAP. You dont want total failure of these while the car is moving.

Hrmm The ac short cycling means it may be low on coolant. Are you sure the squeeling isnt a loose belt? How many miles on the car? Does the car stumble then stall, or stalls like someone shut it off? What recent work has been done to the car? Does the car do this with the AC on Off or Both?

Or a DVM if your really techy

WHAT! See now you wolke me up and reminded me that i am the only one home while everyone else is out enjoying themselvs. i need more freinds and to get out more woe is me oh thats right, this is not about me Anyway...... During hot weather some ping is not a bad thing. In modern engines this ping (usually being ignited by a hot plug) is not an issue. You can try a cooler spark plug. The knock sensor is there to try to ignite the mixture before it controls in an uncontrolled pattern. You can do a tuneup, and make sure your EGR valve is functioning properly. Dont forget to change the pcv valve. Valve adjustmnent is called for at 105,000 miles, and thats just an inspection. www.cars101.com will have maint scheduales and info on your car. Now let me go back to my lonely beer.....hrmm.... lonely... MORE BEER FOR ME!

The only one I cant answer is the accerroies. The engines transmission and other tidbits hold up just as well as any other subaru (meaning expect 200K or more out of it if well maintaned). As with any AWD car, make sure all the tires match, and drive it in a tight circle on level ground. The car should be able to move itself with no or very little throttle. This test is easy as if it fails it will need alot of throttle to move. The movement should be smooth. A slight bump at the start of it is ok as the computer figures out the car is turning. Good luck. BTW I have only seen these in yellow, has anyone seen one in any other color? nipper