nipper

OR a poor quality filter. There are a few other suspects. One thing to look at is the evap system to make sure its operating properly. Another is to have a fuel pressure gauge put on the car and monitor whats going on. Another suspect is the fuel pressure regulator (and a more likely culprit). nipper

Ok that clarifies things. You have bad/sticky interlock. I bet that one time it was jammed. Learn how to bypass the interlock just in case it happens again. If you do a search here, try the word interlock, you should be able to find it covered in some detail. nipper

I was thinking fuel filter myself. nipper

hehehe don't feel bad, so did I nipper

This is not a known issue, its just physics. We have gotten spoiled by new cars. Older cars with 4 bbls when the secondarys would open, it would sind like a jet plane taking off. A hell of a lot of air moves through an intake manifold, its going to make a lot of noise. $ cylinders also have a "roar" to them at specific rpm ranges, its a unavoidable charecteristic of a 4 cylinder engine. Subarus do a good job of muffling this noise, but as you found out it does exist. Factory intakes are engineered about as good as its going to get. They are a compromise due to noise standards, customers desires, and performance. They breathe very well. Cone filters may breathe better, but at a price. They allow more dirt into the engine. They are usually have some sort of oil impregnation, which will annoy the electronics (or damage them). For the few HP gain you get they really arent worth the trouble. nipper

Define particle. Some partciles (alot fo them actually) are normal wear and tear. This is how tranny shops scare people into new transmissions. The fluid change at 30,000 miles is always a good thing to do. The reason why the filter doesnt get changed often is that the trany fluid is not exposed to the same stresses as engine oil. Personally with a spin on filter, i would change it at every fluid change. nipper

When you say the car had a tune up, exactly what was done? This is not bad gas, as bad gas would be all cylinders, and it wouldnt necassarily be picked up by the ECU. nipper

Odds are the coils are broken. They are wired in parallel (high) and series (low). My drivers side only has high, and only on the seat bottom. Find the connectors under the seat and check them for voltage. Odds are there is voltage there, and you need new heaters. This is not an easy thing to tackle. nipper

At the very least check your coolant level. You may ant to replace the radiator cap since you may be sucking some air in. How old is the coolant. May not be a bad idea to do aflush if its over two years old. nipper

Next time it happens put the car in NEUTRAL and try to start it. If he can move the shift lever, the interlock is fine. It sounds like a bad Neutral Saftey switch on the start. The loss of power is going to be a bit tougher. When was the last time this thing had a tune up ? What condition is the knock sensor in? nipper

Again, flashing means that the last time the car was operated, there was a fault. It makes perfect sense that you re start the car and it goes away. Check the wiring harness

You would be cooling off the cat too much and you can damage it. O2 sensors wont really care too much. You can rot out the exhuast system. You would be better off with water injection before combustion. Boats dont have expensive pipes and cats (yet). Not to mention if parts rot out on a boat, its accepted as normal wear and tear. nipper

It keeps water and crap from splashing up on the engine. You may or may not get wind noise under the hood without it. I wold replace it, but you may want to try driving with it for a while and see what happens. nipper

as soon as you shut off the engine the pressure goes to zero. Just dont burn yourself. If your going to autozone, just get a proper zero-100 psig gauge in 5psi incriments. I would have a little more faith in that then one thats generic in 2 psi tics.

The size of the hole doesnt matter as its a non compressable medium. As far as gauge accuratcy, unless your going to spend serious money, your not going to really get any. What i can suggest is look on ebay for a 0-30 psig gauge. Get the engine warm then swap gauges. DO NOT REV THE ENGINE WITH THIS GAUGE ON IT. You just want to see what the real pressure is. 2psi tics on a 0-110 psig gauge thats 2-3 inches in dia is impossible to be accurate at below 10, psi, and porobably below 20 psig. Thats an awful lot of tics in a very small space. nipper

First question is how many miles on the gauge. Next question, or statement is how gauges are calibrated. I used to do gauge calibration. Gauges come in degrees of accuratcy. These gauges are fairly innacurate at the extreem bottom and top. The bottom and top 20% of the gauge are considered innacurate (i said considered, as they may well be). The working pressure is in the remainng range. You dont use a 100 psig gauge to read 5 psig. The only gauge that is even all the way across are HEISE gauges, as they are used as calibration standards. What increments are the gauge in? Who made it? What is the first tic mark on the gauge? And with gauges you get what you pay for. As long as the oil pressure light isnt on i wouldnt worry about it too much. nipper

They always leave out those little details ... nipper

The codes dont make the car misfire, the faulty injectors or wiring or ECU will make the car misfire. If the fuel injectors dont operate, no fuel or the improper amount of fuel will get in the cylnder, and the cylinder will miss. Air fuel spark are required for ignition. nipper

AHA! or UT OH! Put the FWD fuse in the holder under the hood (by the wiper motor). Does the car feel differnt, esepcially on tight turns? nipper

hrmm. Do all your tires match, and are they evenly inflated? Thats the only thing i can come up with, untill something more hidious rears its ugly head. Did you flush the fluid or change just whats in the pan? DO you drive with a heavy foot or with a full load in the car? How are the other fluid levels? nipper

there are several things to look at. Blu gets between 18 and 27 mpg, and avg 21-22. First thing is look at your right foot. That has the most effect on your mileage. Next is look at your tires. Play with the pressures a bit. Check to make sure no break shoes are dragging. Clean the junk out of the car. You dont say if this is a manual or automatic. In a Manual quickly upshift. When was the last time the fuel filter was changed? Do you have high mileage tires or high performance tires on your car? High performance tires tend to be softer, which can decrease milage. Do you still have nosw tires on the car? You may want to look into hooking up a vacume gauge. With a Vac gauage the higher you keep the needle, the lkess gas you are using. nipper

YOU also have a vacume resivoir. You can tape any vacume line. If you are worried about it you can also get a vacume pump. I do beleive that that year used them for the cruise control? nipper

nope cause my 1200.00 fluke wont do it either. For alot of things on the car you need the 12.00 analog meter from radioshack

Using an analog meter, move the TPS arm to make sure there is an even movement of the neddle, that there are no spikes and no dropouts. nipper

well the leak already condems the rack if it is a shaft seal. The notchiness can be the universal joint in the column freezing up, thats a common thing. The wobble can be a bad wheel bearing, tie rod end or ball joint (since you ruled out tires I wont mention them) nipper