nipper

i found this http://resnet.uoregon.edu/~dwhite/pages/subnoises.html lets see it says a possible 10% reduction in engine life. Considering almost every subaru has it to some degree, unless its really noisy in the morning i wouldnt worry about it. My 98 OBW does it when its cold for about 2 seconds then it goes away and it has 180K on the clock.Well from what ive seen on the boards, if you dont blow a headgasket, seems like the boxer runs for ever, so whats 10% of forever.

Getting going in the snow or when the weather gets dicey is not an issue in a subaru. Just remeber that at some point your going to have to turn or stop, thats when things can get interesting. That goes for any car . I love driving the sooby sanely in the snow, and watching all the flipped over turtles (SUVS) that forget at some point they are going to have to turn or stop. nipper

Do a carfax, if it comes up a rental go away. If it was just registered to the dealership, it might be OK. Thats what mechanics (check out the car) and extented warrenties are for. nipper

I dont think there really is any such thing as a true facotry spec for fuel consumption. There is a range that is acceptable, but that is really a wide range. Stated fuel mileage on the car (if american) is from the EPA test. There are two cycles, a city and a highway cycle. This is also when the car is certified for emissions. When I went to SUNY at Farmingdale for Auto Engineering we had the same machine the EPA used. It is done on a dynometer. Now the EPA uses a 2 axle Dyno to test AWD cars (very expensive toy). The driving cycle is done by following a graph and matching it with vehical speed. The EPA test is done with the car sitting still, and all accessories off. There is no wind load, nor AC load on the engine. The dynometer is calibrated to the vehicals weight (there used to be a sticker stating the test weight on the car ... dont know if there still is). During this test they would take exhaust samples at differnt intervals to determine emissions. It is an outdated test method, which can be off as far as 50% if the vehical tested is a rolling brick. Here is a consumer reports peice on gas mileage. http://www.consumerreports.org/main/content/display_report.jsp?WebLogicSession=QyS6mK0JwslxgwwSoVTZfKIgmQ1wO4lF721J4JMo4G5REyfHbaU2|1925311689994503424/169937902/6/7005/7005/7002/7002/7005/-1|-2228874226873203813/169937909/6/7005/7005/7002/7002/7005/-1&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=576255&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=333137&bmUID=1126480536596 That is the link for the article. The epa is actually consdiering ways to change the test to reflect the real world. one cant just go out and drive a car to determine the gas mileage, as the conditions must be repeatdable and always the same. I have a 97 OBW 2.5l Auto and i get 19mpg with ac full blast, and 23 with it off on 50/50 city/highway driving (havent taken it on a long higway drive yet). My freind who has a brand new forester is seeing the same thing. When I had my legacy L with the 2.2 I got 21 (ac) 23/32+, I saw as high as 37. I got that twice in a row so i know its not a fluke. I dont know if that helps explains the numbers. I was always happy with 21 or better in the city with no ac, and 28 or higgher on the highway.

Look on the bright side, at least it means you have a strong clutch. OOOooooo all the wagons in erupe are DR .... hrmmmm maybe i know where to get myslef a tranny

If the car requires more power to move then the engine can put out, it will stall. If it happens next time try clearing out the sand from the tires then go. Looks like all 4 tires are equally dug in. What you may want to try, is place a brick in front of each wheel. then try to drive over them. I think it will stall then too. My feeling is there is nothing wrong with the car, it was just dug in. If you had a 4Low maybe you would have gotten out. Go to a army/navy store and toss a folding shovel in the back of the car.

Even the local autowriter here had a mixed opinion about it, http://www.newsday.com/mynews/ny-sstom4416149sep09,0,7638810.column . Everyone seems to agree that the looks is something only a mother can love, barely. "The B9's styling is pleasing, except for the nose, which is, shall we say, controversial at least. Subaru says it's meant to evoke the aircraft that its parent company, Fuji, builds. Anyway, at least it's distinctive, and so is the dashboard, where central controls are arranged semi-elliptically so that the dash seems constantly to be smiling at everyone inside. Controls on the dash and steering column are well marked and easy to locate day or night, and the electroluminescent gauges are as attractive as they are legible" The reveiwer that got fired is really harsh and a pompus rump roast. Sounds like the only thing he would like is a Bentley, and god forbid if his tea isnt the exact temperture while driving the Bentley. I mean lets be real, who names their radar detector. Like i said before, i care more about the inside then i do the outside . Now if they would just fix that damn stero issue. nipper

Could have been a poorly designed knock sensor, just like poorly desgined head gaskets. Just because one mfg screwed it up, it doesnt mean thats not how its work. The knock sensors were mis-calibrated and hearing the wrong noises. What I described is the automotive enginnering explination on how they work. Subaru just had improperly calibrated sensors (or a bad computer algorythem). It happens. I have gotten them where they were designed for the wrong frequency (for a different application with explosives but the same type of sensor). Just when i got it i sent it back to the vendor. When Subaru got they got 1000's of them. No one argues what a head gasket does but they seemed to have had 1000s of bad ones of those too . nipper

That would make sense with the brighter headlights of the last few years. as far as letting dead horses lie, sometimes you just got to poke things with a stick

The knock sensor and the computer behind it are fairly inpressive peices of equipment. The knock sensor isnt listening for any old thing. Its purpose os to react before ping is even audible. The sensor, which is a tranducer, is looking for a specific accoustic profile. Piston slap, bearing knock, slap, ro any of the other many noises that can go wrong or are supposed to be in an engine do not have an effect on the transducer. It also a limited capability on how much it can deal with. If the pinging is audible, its most likely out of the range that the computer can adjust for without making it a huge driveability issue. Thats when you should get (if the computer is set up for it) a check engine light. nipper

I have a 97 OBW and run my headlights 24/7. I dont know if you know it, but the DRL's are actually the high beams running on 50% power. This is done to give the DRL's long life, and more power then the low beams at 50%. nipper

Look at the Tribecca this way, when your driving it you dont see the outside of it. Look and see if you like the inside of it, to me thats far more important. I too agree go with the tribecca. nipper

I sort of like Outacy nipper

If it is the sensor in the tank it is real easy. If your going to hire somone to do it i cant imagine them charging more then an hour labor. It took me with a bad back 15 minutes to R and R the unit. The sensor for the fuel light is on a harness on the passenger side fuel pickup (the one with the larger cover). My 97 OBW has one sensor, my 98 Legacy had two. I dont know why the change. You can replace just the sensor, but I dont know if it is possible to get just the sensor. It is a very straight forward thing to do. Of course there is the more obviious question, did you check the lightbulb? nipper

Hehehe yes share pics. For the hell of it i would do a vin check on the car and see where it started off life. Maybe it was a dealer only item, and a local dealer at that.

The only thing I can find on the net, is a Suabru Safari Race in Tasmania. What country are you in? I would suggest taking the VIN number to a dealer's part dept and see what they can tell you. Maybe it was a local package done by a dealership or region to promote the race, the same way that here in the United STates we have Indy Pace Car editions of some cars. Just a thought. nipper

Downshifting is a normal operation of the transmission and clutch. What can kill a clutch quickly is riding or resting your foot on the clutch pedal while in gear. nipper

Sounds like your clutch is slipping. Eventually it will happen to all gears. Tell the dealership you think your clutch is slipping in 3rd 4th 5th. This can be caused by a worn clutch or a leaking rear main seal. nipper

Aside from any extra expense, going up in Octane never hurt anything, but going down can. What deos the owners manual say? nipper

Reverse still needs a clutch or band (not sure which.. think its a band) to engage it. Could be a broken reverse band, rare but not unheard of. Could be something stuck in the valve body also. Reverse just sounds like its in neutral? nipper

Does it have factory zebra stripes? *giggle* nipper

Well is it an automatic or manual ?

OOPS my fault, wishful thinking i guess. Swore i saw it someplace. nipper (but it looks like it would fit .. not that i would suggest such a thing) nipper

Four easy things to do to get better gas milage. Lighter foot Check Tire Air Pressure Check wheel alingment Clean out the car trunk The one most ignored is tire pressure. nipper

I have a 97 OBW with the auto and it has 180K on the clock. When i first got iti was getting in the city, now its up to 21 as I have gotten more used to the bigger engine. This is with ac on. With the ac off I am going to assume I will get 23 mpg. Car needs a tuneup, and I havent taken it on a road trip yet. My 98 legacy with the 2.2 got 27 in mixed driving and 32 on the highway, 23 with ac on in stop and go. As long as I get over 20 in town (not counting weather extreems) and around 30 on the highway I'm happy. nipper