nipper

We really need more detials here and some clairity. why were the heads off, if they werent how did you determine the guides are good (not they have anything to do with anything). The engine is in one peice? The engine won't start? nipper

Bad altenator, but go through the usual things first. Clean battery terminals, get the battery load tested with a nice analog tester. nipper

The factory gauges on the dash, i would say from 170-205. i know its quibling. I have confirmed this with my scangauge. nipper

Its the bones of an outback. Shouldnt the front seats also be two tone? Thats prblem #1 Problem #2 is no fog lights - why? Because they are expensive to replace Problem #3 looks like that intercooler intake is a mess Problem #4 the passenger side air bag cover doesnt look "right" Problem #5 why is there rust on the paint in the air filter pic. Also why is there just one bolt in that mount. Problem #6 (and i know this one personally) the graphics for an Outback is not cheap. Its easier to repaint the entire car then to replace the graphics on the nose and paint the bumper two tone. This car has been hit or in a flood, or hit and sat in a yard for a while. nipper

It used to be the longest brakeline was first, shortest last. This is to keep air from being moved from one line to another. Now with 4 channel ABS, all the wheels are isolated from each other for the most part. SO its the closest first (doesnt really matter unless you have an odd issue like yours). ABS for the most part is a passthrough system, so it doesnt need to be bled. Now with the NEW systems that can apply the brakes, I am not so sure. nipper

Replace your cap too. Just keep an eye on it. I would vote radiator also. A quick check is to unbolt the radiator (do not remove it or disconnect anything). Push it back a little bit and use a flashlight and inspect the coils. nipper

should be fine. nipper

It may be a little tight due to AWD, this is normal for an AWD car. Describe the noise. Check the PS fluid level, as it may be low. Turn the wheels lock to lock slowly about ten times to make sure all the air is out of the ps system. If its still an issue, back to the dealer. Drive another 08 and see if its the same. nipper

Actually it depends where you are measuring from. Using corn based ethanol, it uses a lot of water and electricity to produce (basically its a still). With the US slowly going into a water crises, thats not a great thing to do. ALso with more required to go the same distance as gasoline, thats not great either. As far as it being 25% less effecient as gasoline, you have to have a much larger price differnce then you are seeing at the pump for you to save money. nipper

Mine wont set over 90mph nipper

I think that year the corner lamps are just the parking lights. nipper

Its downshifting to second gear. Go out and try yours, youll see it too. Its not the TPS, ist the programming of the cruise control logic. There have been several threads on this before. Maybe the japanese dont have long rolling hills? nipper

Inspect the entire front end. It can be a balljoint, tie rod end, bushings, or all the above. Sometimes the beating a part takes when a related part is replaced, can make that worn part fail. nipper

i know its sort of a quaint thing to do, so 80's, but it works nipper

Toyotas problem is the "damn the torpedos, full steam ahead" attitude they have developed. They want to outsell ford, and eventually outsell GM, no matter the cost, to be #1 seller in the world. When you do this, quality suffers. Subaru, Ford, Hyunday have increased quality over the years. Ford is selling less product then they used to, so it has given them a little breathing room to atttack quality issues, and its worked. SUbaru and hyunday are small mfgs and can sweat the details. Look for major quality improvements at Mopar and GM in the next year or two. We may be down, but we will beat them at thier own game. nipper

The flexfuel ECU's have a fuel "type" sensor. It automatically can tell what fuel is being burned, and set the parimeters as needed. On an ECU n ot desined for this, there will be a loss of power. With the reduced power youll use 35-35 % e85 then gasoline. With the price differnce at best you can hope is to break even. But in reality it will cost you more. If the car seems to run odd at all in the next few weeks, replace the fuel filter. E85 can knock a lot dirt out of the fuel system, as its quite a solvent. nipper

Right next to the blinker fluid fill.... Isnt that them, next to the turn signals, look hard but it looks like there are a set of lenses there. nipper

Give them a call and explain the problem. I order them as a set and never had a problem. nipper

They all are like that, and it seems "all" means japanese 4 cylinders with cruise. This is what helped blow my original engine (granted it already had rod knock). For some reason, the cruise computer tells the car to downshift. If you cancel the cruise, and hold the gas pedal in the same place the car upshifts. my 1997 does the same thing. The reason why i love the DOHC is that it has plenty of torque not to downshift when i go up hill using my right foot alone. If the car hunts alot using your right foot alone, downshift manually to D3, it saves alot of wear and tear on the engine. There is no way around this problem, since its not the TPS or the gas pedal telling the tranny to downshift, but the cruise control logic. nipper

Ive had three 2.2's and 2 2.5s do it between 150-170,000 miles. There are many others on the board that have had cma seals done. Personally i would not want to be the one to tell a customer "oh well" 20,000 miles after a T belt change (or waterpump) and have them pay all that labor again for the lack of 15.00 in parts. nipper

Disagree. There is a lot of labor to get to those seals, so its much cheaper and more effecient to do them while you are there. They rarely last past 150,000 miles, so essentially you are doing a timing belt job twice in one cycle. nipper

hehehe Thats why Oldsmobile Toronado 500 cubic inch engines fit in anything for makeing a mid engine car. nipper

Just get under ther car and shakes things. nipper

Actually we are forgetting two simple things Firts one, a lot of time on the valve cover gaskets, the bolts may just be loose. Secondly on the water pump, remove a timing belt cover and see if you can see the leak, or the path back to the waterpump

bad tranny mounts longshot, but more likely tired bushings in the shift linkage. Get under the car and have seomone operate the shifter and watch all the parts. Look for play. The source will be obvious. nipper