nipper

well that was technically 100mpg 24 per person nipper

They just sometimes go when ist a failure like yours. Its mechanical things break. Dont ever worry about material in the fluid, as thats normal. You may even see some metal depending upon what the clutches are made of. Its the big metal chunks you worry about. They go the same as a tranny will slip (which is also rare in these cars). Stuff happens. nipper

some place in 03 they made the design change, I just can't peg down when. nipper

I'm in the same place you are Rox, so i wish you all the luck in the world, as it isn't doing me any good (you can have my share). nipper

Its a headgasket. Time as well as mileage affects parts. Have you talked to the dealer or subaru? I would give them a shot. But i do agree I would fix it and keep the car. Also while your there do the timing belt water pump and all the seals. This way you wont have to touch the car for a long long time. nipper

Now to me the low RPM chatter would be unexceptable. Also the chatter can come from machining the flywheel, as subarus arent keen on having thier flywheels machined. BUt if your happy with it, thats all that matters. nipper

Is this an automatic or manual. EPA city ratings is more reflective of suburbia driving as opposed to city. Also the winter blends of gas are out now, so everyones mileage drops. IS this just one tank or over three tanks, as the latter is the proper way to calculate it. nipper

Ok go find a driveshaft shop in the yellow pages. They can help hook you up for much less money. Also contact Jamie https://www.subarugenuineparts.com/oe_parts_cat.html and see what she can do. nipper

ROFLPIP :lol: :lol: :lol: NIPPER

hehehehehehe nipper

hrmmm could be the center carrier bearing. Thats mounted in rubber. Could be they didnt install the throw out bearing right.. just some thoughts.

nope, fluid cnahges are on three year cycles. Sometimes they just go due to age. When its like this its age, when they lock up its mismatched tires or driving on a flat recently. nipper

i just asked since i saw you said there was a wiring issue. The FWD light is interesting. Whn you put the fuse in, it tells the TCU to hold open the solenoid. If the solenoid has failed the light wont go on. Just another peice of the puzzle. you can take the fuse out if you want, as its not binding, its just slipping.

If they ran rich they wouldnt pass emissions, they actually run lean like everyone else does. Thats why we have so many questions on ping in the warm weather. nipper

Which leads to another question, do you have the FWD light on the dash illuminated? nipper

right next to the automatic rubber band rewinder nipper

they are junk. They just lie to one of the sensers to make the car use more fuel. They can burn out your catalytic converter.

try www.cars101.com . the steps to do this have to be done fairly quickly. Maybe you didnt do it faat enough? nipper

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?p=410273#post410273 the sticky on the button... nipper

no code if everything is working fine and the clutches are slipping. nipper

General rule of thumb is once you expose the system to air, you have to have it evacuated and recharged. Moisture in the system will reduce the ability to cool the car (and your defrosters). I have never used the dye myself ( I used to work on much bigger systems with very robust connections) but there are no hidden connections for the most part, so it should work. If you wish to quickly change the oring and see how it works out, you can, but then later if the system has to be evacuated, you lost some money. Also wear saftey glasses and wear gloves. It is possible that the system may still be under pressure. Also seeing how its winter, you may get a deal somplace on AC work. nipper

Well especially for transmission work on the AWD i STONGLY recomend the dealer (at least for diagnoses). Transmission shops are the most evil vile low life scum bags on the face of the planet. You go in there with a flat tire and they will sell you a complete transmission. Dealers really dont like doing transmission work, so if they dont have to do a rebuild, they wont recomend it (mostly). If the dealer isnt familiar with the repair, find another dealer. This is straight forward repair for them. More and more the dealer is competative with the corner garage (especially when you consider its OE parts). They have to be now that the corner garage can work on OBDII systems. My AWD here in downstate NY was 950.00 including a tranny mount and oil change. It took a few days longer then planned, since like i said they had to match up parts. I was very happy with the professionalism of the dealer, and go there for any repair i can not do myself. nipper

If i remeber correctly, its on the passenger side of the car under the hood by the reciever drier. If its not there, just examine the steel lines for the ac, and it will be obvious. Odds are that you have a leaking O ring, which is a simple repair. If you dont find that leak, anything else may just leak out. nipper

What he said. You can do it yourself, but sometimes its best to let the dealer do it, especially if you dont have the space to do it, or a second car to fetch parts. How often have you changed the tranny fluid in the past. If you go with a used tranny, try to look at whatever is left of fluid on the dipstick. If you can choose the car to take it out of inspect the tires to see if they match (if it still has tires). Get one from someplace that will give you a warrenty Personally if your transmission is working well, i would just have the dealer rebuild it. On my 97obw i know the dealer had to measure clutches and order them, as they couldnt just say they needed clutches for X vin number (1997 was when they redesigned the AWD housing which may have had something to do with it). nipper

What does the squeek do when you shift gears, ie depress the clutch? nipper