SSBN643

Have you ever noticed that it is much easier to replace brake parts than it is to replace engine parts. Piston miles add up without any help from "engine breaking" but if that is what cocks your hammer then by all means do it.

The engine runs rough when outside air temp is <40 degrees but that only starts after being driven about 2 miles on the initial startup. The colder outside the worse it runs. It felt like ignition and I changed the plugs and plug wires. I swapped the AIT sensor with the one from the original engine with no effect. I also swapped the coil. When I say it runs rough I mean really rough. When it was 7 degrees it was almost like someone was switching the ignition on and off while driving and it would have almost no power at full throttle until 3500+RPM then it would come alive like it had no problems at all. The car has 245K on it but the engine only has 60K. There is no CHECK ENGINE light. Any ideas?

One rack seal has started to leak so I tried to get a seal kit. Subaru makes a kit but there isn't one in the US. It will be here in 3 weeks! The seal is made by KCR with MP024K2 on it. I really have no interest in buying a "rebuilt" rack for almost $300 because of a $15 seal. Has anyone else had this problem and fixed it without replacing the entire unit? OR Does the rack interchange with anything else? I suspect the rack itself is used on other models which but may use different inner tierod ends and thus will not be listed as "interchangeable" making a junkyard find more difficult as I am an "I like to see it before I buy it" kind of guy.

The snout on the transmission has a steel sleeve on it from the factory and it is in perfect shape. A new clutch and pressure plate worked perfectly for about 3 weeks. There is no oil around the rear seal but everything inside the bell housing is coated with a fine film of what appears to be combustion deposits. Now in the process of swapping engines for one with new head gaskets and only 54K on it ....... with a very clean bell housing.

Why does my 2001 Impreza RS clutch shudder when starting off in low gear..........sometimes? It has done it since 2002. A new clutch lasted about 2 weeks before it started again. I'm about to install in another EJ25 from a 2001 Forester with 58K miles on it and new head gaskets in it. I'll install a new clutch also. Any words of wisdon.