drewd

Very nice...where'd you get the gauge pack?

Stock Potenzas...they have 60k on em. I'm starting to look for tires, but i think i can get another 15-20k on these...they're in pretty good shape. I never measured the depth of the treads, but i can tell you they're far from being bald. Still no answer to the question, though...why was the soob jerking while hydroplaning?

While driving home last night in the pouring rain the soob started to feel jerky when the rain got heavy...doing about 60 on the highway at times. I know i was hydroplaning at that speed and i could feel it...she stuttered for a bit and then it was ok...very weird. So, what's going on and is this normal? '03 H6 with 60k, no problems otherwise.

I've got an '03 H6, about to roll 60k with no major issues to speak of. I had a bad idler pulley about 30k ago that sounds like it needs to be replaced again soon. Other than that, it has been solid. I did hear piston slap on my engine two years ago, but that's because it was about 2 degrees outside when i started my car early in the morning during winter...clack clack clack clack clack clack clack clack....

My 03 OB needed new brakes all around at 42k and they started making noise at around 20k. I thought that was a little premature considering i don't drive like a slob. When i did my brake job i just got the rotors turned.

I have the same problem with my OBW. Every time i drive through wet snow it sticks to the wheel wells...i got screwed one night, drove home in the wet stuff and the temps dropped like a stone overnight and froze the snow. I took it out for a drive and the tires would hit the ice everytime i drove over a bump. I had to use a chisel to get the ice out. The best thing to do is brush out the snow after driving, especially if you know it'll freeze overnight.

Here's my situation... I needed brakes done on all 4 wheels of my '03 outback (warranty expired)...got it done at the stealership and they turned the rotors for me...this was back in early October and a little over 3 thousand miles ago. In November, the cold weather starts to set in in the mid-Atlantic states and i start to hear the brakes screaching in the morning backing out of my driveway. Once i'm driving it, the noise disappears, even in reverse (after the car warms up). I did some research on this site and i think i found the problem...there was a bulletin about adding shims to the brake pads in all outback's prior to '02 because some customers were complaining of noises on cold mornings. There was also a chart with the updated OEM parts and the part numbers that they would be replacing. I checked the brake job invoice, and sure enough, the part numbers were nearly identical to the "old" OEM parts that came from the bulletin board. Which means, i got the brakes without the shims. Took it back to the dealer today for a scheduled oil change and told them to investigate my problem, gave the mechanic a copy of the bulletin i found on this site. I knew they would fight it, the guy says he can't reproduce the noise and that i need to leave it there overnight so they can check it in the am. They don't want to replace my brakes as per the bulletin because it may not be the problem and they'd lose money on the parts if that's the case. He said he'd give me a rental while they check it out, but quite honestly, i don't have the time to play games with the dealership. It's pretty obvious what the problem is, and i don't see the point in trying to reproduce the noise, anyway. Would appreciate your opinion on the matter, should i play games with the stealership and try to get the correct parts, or just leave everything alone and deal with a minor annoyance? No other problems with my brakes, by the way, no noises after driving for a while, only in reverse on cold mornings.

The plastic is just a cover...keeps some of the grime away from expensive parts like your alternator. I don't think you'll find much on here about the H6's mainly because they're still relatively new, most of what you hear is all positive, though. I've got one and i'm happy with it. Wait about 2 years when most H-6 owners roll 100 Large and then we'll know.

Bad LCD...it happens with electronics when subjected to temperature extremes...sometimes they last a long time and others are duds.

Wow, that's a blown head gasket...i'm surprised it happened so early...maybe you ran it hard with not enough coolant or your thermostat stuck closed. That sucks, dude.

I've heard the same strange noise coming from behind the cd player in my wagon. Sounds like electricity, a low pitched quick buzz sound. I hear it every once in a while but only when i'm in park or idling when the radio isn't turned on. Not sure if it happens while in drive because of the background noise.

I'm looking at a similar problem my brother is having with his jeep wrangler...low oil pressure at idle and when the engine revs were raised the pressure increased to normal. It could be the oil pump, but you need to get a gauge and check it yourself to be sure it's not the sending unit. That's the first thing to do. If that's ok and the engine has high mileage there's a good chance you need a rebuild because the main bearings wear and excessive clearance causes low oil pressure since the pump has trouble keeping up. I'm no mechanic, so it could very well be a bad oil pump, too.

anybody know why the H-6 wasn't built with a manual?

What does it mean to "turn them"? I just had a brake job done on my OB and the dealer said he had to resurface/machine the rotars and replace the pads...42K+...seemed a little premature to me and i don't drive like a slob.

I have the same car...breaks started sqealing around that mileage, too. The dealer checked the breaks and said i still had 50% left in the fronts...they cleaned the breaks at about 30k and they stopped squealing for a while...just started up again at 43k. Subaru does NOT cover this service under warranty. I think i'm gonna need break pads on the fronts next time i go back to service it. Definitely seems a little early for pads...if you do a search on this board you'll notice quite a few others complaning about the same problem with this model subaru...

I parked the bronco on a steep driveway, removed the radiator cap and let her run until the temp gauge was in the middle...that's where it normally is when i'm running the truck after a while. When the thermostat opens keep feeding it distilled water until it over flows a little...look for the bubbles...if nothing, turn the car off and put the radiator cap back on. Some mechanics can tell if the HG has been leaking by looking at the exhaust manifold...when my Ranger blew a HG the mechanic told me he saw white streaks against the rusty manifold and that it was leaking for a long time. Maybe some people on the board can tell you where and what to look for.

I had almost the same symptoms on my old Bronco...kept thinking it was a leaky HG, but it turned out to be an air pocket in the cooling system...sometimes the temp pegged high at idle out of the blue...soon as i hit the throttle it went right back down again. Took some time, but i got the air out and the temp doesn't get pegged anymore.

I've never seen a subaru at a rental place and i rent cars often and in different places around the county. If it was a used impala or a camry...definitely a no-brainer...err...rental car. Highly unlikely that soob was a rental...

does it sound like a chirping cricket? bad idler pulley...

I'd knock off a thousand clams (at least) plus the cost of the timing belt replacement...take it for a long test drive and if everything is good, i'd buy it.

Before you lay out some bills for a new starter, i would replace the solenoid, first, and see how it works.

I've got an '03 3.0l...so far ran it to 50k, no problems...had to replace an idler pulley over the winter and that's it!

The only time i've seen an outback on the beach was when it was riding on the bed of a wrecker. Seriously, though, it depends on the beach and how soft the sand it. Either way, you need to air down and go slow. You're going to lose even more ground clearance on a vehicle that has little already, so beware. NET: Depends on the beach and how soft the sand is.

Sounds like your alternator is the problem. This happened to me with my old bronco. One of the diodes in the alternator was bad, so it could never hold a charge. Get your alternator tested!

What was the purpose of running your tank down?