nipper

i just dropped SOA an email. They are usually pretty good about answering our geeky questions, so lets see what happens. nipper

looks fixable to me too. Stand behind it while the car slowly drives away. If all the tires are tracking well, and the car still looks square, it should be ok. nipper

There is something wrong when a- you are betting cash against yourself b- you win or lose c- You have a seperate savings account for one of your selves :lol: nipper

Dont forget the milk. Milk is more expensive then gas here in NY :-p nipper

ok i bet its just a coincidence that it showed up with the tire rotation. Let me guess, you took the car on a longer drive after you rotated the tires. The previous owner probably caused it, passed it on to the dealer, dealer sold it to you. Dealer amy not have known about it. Is there any mandatory 30 day warrenty in utah like there is in NY nipper

Have you driven with a flat or underinflated tire recently?

Newer cars have dual powered airbags. They are lower powered for lighter individuals. This is determined by the switch. There are two ways to do this Yank the switch from the old seats and put that in. Determin which pin does what on the new seats. If they are using a transducer to determine weight, then you can use the new switch at all. if they are using a switch, use the lighter setting of the two switches . nipper

I would check the tire to make sure they are all the same size, have all worn the same, and are all properly inflated. The next test would be to out the tires back where they were to see what happens. nipper

Probably the rack, but its cheaper to swap pumps first to see if its the pump. It can also be the ries that make the GT heavier, especially if it has larger and fatter tires. nipper

They seem to have that managed pretty well, its almost ten years in real world testing, and who wants to won a ten year old computer? nipper

Agreed. Wires DO go bad quite often with age. Its a very harsh enviorment under the hood. The insulation breaks down. Not only does this mean that the wires are more succeptable to electrical leakage, but they are exposed to heat (electricity' enemy) moisture, induced spark, and increeased internal resistance. They can also get brittle and break. I used to test ignition wires, the cheap ones would break down in less then 100 hours of testing (some as little as 20). The test is 300 hours at 300 degrees F with 100,000 volts. This is about 7 years running time. (it may have been increased due to newer emission laws) Anything that makes for a weaker spark is a detriment to performance, emissions and mileage. Wires is part of the reason that you are seeing more and more coil over plug systems. 4-8 less parts to maintain. Hotter spark over 7 years, no degredation of high voltage to the spark plugs. i disagree with Subarus interval for wires, but after 10 years they should be replaced. nipper

So who is going to email these pics to subaru nipper

From an engineering point of view, mythbusters misses the mark on a lot of mechanical engineering points. As the old addage goes, don't beleive everything you see on TV. nipper

There is always one. I guess all those EPA and consumer reprts tests, along with all those chemists, engineers and physics guys dont really know what they are talking about. i just lost all respect for the guy (for which i had almost none to begin with) :-p he also claims cars after 1985 dont need tuneups anymore either. Here is something i found on the net http://www.safetycenter.navy.mil/MEDIA/seashore/issues/fall06/letterstotheeditor.htm If he is the local expert in the area, no wonder everyone is a mess in souther cal. nipper

Aside from the car twisting like a pretzel, does it still have a windsheild? If they couldnt open the doors they will cut the roof off. Make sure all the tries are poiting in the same and proper direction before you but it, unless you are ready to part it out, just in case. nipper

No need to do that, just put it in neutral. In every car with a NSS ive seen ( i was born in 61) for some reason if they wont start in park, they will always start in neutral. i think its because the contacts go through neutral and keep them clean, as opposed to park where it just pushes the crud up on the contact and not through the entire sweep. nipper

The biggest reasons for repeated HG failures is that somone didnt send the heads out to a machine shop (not only do they need to be flat, but they need to have the proper finish on the surface), or the engine was cooked and the cylinder liner shifted. The second one is rare but it does happen. There is of course a the possability of a cracked head, but to be pouring out smoke thats a head gasket. On the plus side that one cylinder will be free of carbon. Good luck nipper

Coasting with the engine off is just down right dangerous. There are three ways to avoid an accident, the big pedal, the little pedal, and the steering wheel. Even if you dont have power steering, you have power brakes. YOu also lost the option of applying power to maintain control of the car. Power is not only for acceleration, but for handling. The engine driven fan has a clutch on it usually. The clutch cuts out at highway speed by either a centrifigal or thermostat. Is a blown head gasket worth the risk? You forgot to to mention two other things, bith have a huge impact. Take all the junk out of the car. Install a vacum gauge. the higher you can keep the needle, the better your gas mileage. Oyt of everything on your list, the three with the largest impact are: AC Use Tire Pressure Your right foot. nipper

Its on the transmission, its called an inhibitor switch i do belevie. nipper

Thats a lot of money for a warrenty. Put that money in in a bank and dont touch it for 7 years and you will be ahead. If you want AAA road service, pay for AAA road service directly. i am not sure what kind of imobilizer Subaru is using, but i have heard of keys even running more money. The dealer can pull the key codes from the vin. As far as hating the imobilizer, alot of cars have them now. The system works great, adn there isnt really any getting away from it. It cant be disabled. They either read a resistor or chip in the key. Every key has to be burned with a matching code. i have never heard of every key need replacing, ask a dealer about that. that would be a lousy system (more akin to something GM would think of). nipper nipper

You can always use a brick i know Blu and my 98 always cut out at 90mph. nipper

So we need a guinia pig. Somone with a manual remover thier driveshaft and let us know if the car goes. nipper

The flip side to one wheel being hotter then the other, is not that one brake is dragging, but that the other isnt working as hard. nipper

As long as we are on the subject, does anyone have a blow up of the variable center diff? Been curious about that, as i cant find a good drawing of it. nipper

When i bought Blu off ebay, it was being sold as needing nothing. i told the seller that the final deal would be dependent upon a test drive. Words like restorable usually means the car needs work. Driveable where it is can mean its just driven to the store or around town. It really doesnt look bad Rust free can make up for a litany of mechanical issues. nipper