outback_97

Buddythedog said: I'm having trouble with that math; doesn't seem right. Say a gas engined Subie gets 25 mpg. That's 800 gallons in a year, if we assume 20K miles a year. At $2.25 a gallon, that's $1800. Say a diesel VW gets 40 mpg (extra 15 mpg as stated above). That's 500 gallons of diesel. Even if diesel was only $2 a gallon (it's higher, right? I don't know ATM) that's $1000, for $800 a year savings, not anywhere near three large. If you drive fewer miles, or diesel is more comparable in cost to gas, then the savings go down from there. Just trying to clarify. Steve

This tire size issue comes up a lot here, a very popular topic. SOA says that all four tires must be within 1/4" circumference (not diameter, but diameter x 3.14). That's not much tread depth. So in a perfect world where tires are free, replace all four to please the Subie gods. Now, as to what I would do, I think I'd consider buying two new ones of the same type and size, putting those on the front (since that wears faster) and then taking the one good one w/ 11K miles and having it mounted on a wheel for use as a full size spare, if I just had a donut spare. If you already have a full size spare, then that option doesn't make as much sense. That's my $.02, I'm sure others will disagree. Steve EDIT: All of the above assumes that the tire indeed can't be fixed. Generally it can be, unless it's on the sidewall as Tiny Clark noted below. I too have had a few punctures fixed with no problems.

This won't answer your specific question about your car and fitment, but it will help you calculate how much bigger a proposed tire is, and how much your speedo and odo will be off: New version: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html Old version (try if the first one doesn't work): http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalcold.html Steve

52 minutes, not bad! But certainly nowhere near a USMB record. You'll find a lot of helpful people here. This is my favorite place for questions like that. I am not as mechanically inclined as many here, and when mine was leaking the car was covered by a warranty (not Subaru's, but a 3rd party). So, I had the oil pump seals fixed and had the t-belt changed for just the cost of the t-belt and small deductible. There are instructions for changing the timing belt somewhere around here. This is a common "feature" of this engine, so it may be covered in another thread. Try searching on "oil pump seals", or "oil pump o-ring" or something like that. The search function here is very good. Oh, and on my engine the PCV (not PVC) valve is on top of the engine, real easy to get to, easy to change with a deep socket. You'll probably find a photo of that too by searching. Steve

Welcome Henry! Sounds like an oil pump seal... this is what mine did: There was oil leaking from the timing belt cover gasket. Is this what yours is doing? You may want to change the timing belt if it's gotten oil on it. Steve

Paul: Mine's pretty picky about tire psi, if one or two are off it wants to wander off a bit. When the pressures are consistent side to side it's very straight. Have you checked that out? Steve

I agree w/ everything bjwirth said, except for one thing, #5. changing the HU alone doesn't do anything. In my experience I noticed a worthwhile difference in stock vs. decent aftermarket HU (Pioneers in both cases) both with stock speakers and with aftermarket speakers. This was on a '97 and an '03. My $.02. Steve

It's a 1999 according to this : http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=771959 Very cool in any case Steve

Welcome, congrats on the new car. You'll find many answers to your questions via the search feature on this site, it's very helpful. General Audio FAQ from nasioc: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=170844 '05 Specific instructions: http://members.cox.net/~gilspics/stereo/radio_removal.html Click second link for HU removal instructions... looks very easy, it's slightly different from my '03, but I just put a stereo in ours and it took 30 minutes or so. Seriously, very easy stuff. Get the proper wiring harnesses and you'll do no splicing, soldering, or cutting, and it will be very easy to revert back to stock should you need to. You'll have better sound for a heck of a lot less than $500 with just a good head unit and a little bit of time. The speakers are a bit more involved as you have to remove door panels... but it could be done easily enough and left so that you could revert to stock. Having replaced the front speakers in our car, it's considerably more work than the HU, though not difficult by any means. Steve

Here's what I do: http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/subaru/mods/jack No, you don't want to try to balance your car on a single point in the middle of the car, if that's what you mean by the jack point where you lift the car. Too tippy, very hazardous to your health! Plus, the jack stand would get in the way of the jack EDIT: Or do you mean the spot where you place the little OEM scissor jack? You can use that area but slightly to the fore or aft is recommended or you'll crimp the slots for the OEM jack and it won't fit correctly. Steve

Hello, I'll offer my advice All other things being equal, there's probably not a lot of difference in the different platforms w/r/t snow performance. Models with the LSD (limited slip differential) in the rear may be advantageous. Whether that's available depends on the model and trim level, and what model year we're talking about. Are you looking at buying new or used? A dedicated set of snow tires is probably your best thing to get, as the stock tires on Subies are "all seasons" which try to do a decent job in all conditions, but don't excel at any one thing as a result. An engine heater would be very good also if it sees temps that cold. I don't have any info on towing, by the high output engine you mean the turbo variants, correct? I don't think there's much if any difference in the max towing capacity with the turbos, maybe someone else can comment on towing. Couple of websites: www.1stsubaruparts.com www.subaruparts.com Also Subie Gal (Jamie) posts on here and has a link to a Subaru parts website in her signature but I can't remember it at the moment. Hope you find one that you like, I'd be happy with any of those. They are great for snow areas. Good luck! Steve (700 inches of snow in the Cottonwood canyons this year )

We've never felt our 2.5 TS was underpowered. The '89 GL it replaced though... I guess it's all relative. We've never regretted getting the NA 2.5. It's not a drag racer. But we didn't want one. I'm just saying what mtsmiths already said I guess, but I really don't understand the obsession with high HP cars or sub 6 or 7 second 0-60 cars that are mostly used for daily drivers in suburban commutes. Then again, why do people drive trucks which can tow 5000+ lbs. for daily drivers either? I could go on but I'll stop. For what we use it for, the power is fine. Presumably you're OK after your accident, sorry to hear about the loss of the car, either one would be a great choice but the decision is one you'll have to make. Steve

Autumn: Don't be embarrassed, everyone was new here once. I still am sometimes I was just trying to help, really the search feature is great if you spend a lot of time here, but for your needs (buying the car for someone else) you're just trying to get a feel for whether this is a good deal and will serve her well. I have really enjoyed my '97 OB, it's been great. It has similar mileage to the one you're looking at. I think it sounds good, you might also consider a first generation Legacy (up to '94) or regular Legacy (not OB) from '95 to '98 or so. The "Outback" adds to the cost for some features that may or may not matter to your daughter. And if she just needs transportation and doesn't care about the AWD, then that of course gives you many other options of other makes of car. People here do tend to love Subarus... they have a devoted following that borders(?) on obsession. But if I didn't care about the AWD... then I'd look at other brands as well. My $.02. Sorry for the rambling Steve

Rizzo: Consensus on NASIOC (where most of the above links go and where they have a dedicated audio / electonic forum) is that the upgraded ones aren't that impressive. For the cost you're better off with aftermarket, IMO. The setup I've detailed above (Infinity 6.5's in the front, stock in the back, and Pioneer deck) sound great to me. Maybe $250 for the whole deal, installed pretty easily by me. Steve

Jim: Have you checked to see if it's covered by a recall? My '97 was when it failed at around 60K miles. Not sure if the 98's had the same recall though. I don't know what the voltage #'s are supposed to be but when mine went out the dash light came on, also illuminated the brake light, I guess 'cause they're right next to each other? Steve EDIT: Answered my own question... google'd "alternator recall subaru legacy", this is from the first link: 1998 Subaru Legacy Outback NHTSA Recall ID Number: 00I002000 Recall Date: MAY 15, 2000 Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR Potential Units Affected: 223520 Summary: THIS IS NOT A SAFETY RECALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SAFETY ACT. HOWEVER, IT IS DEEMED A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN BY THE AGENCY. VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE AN ALTERNATOR PROBLEM THAT CAN RESULT IN A LOSS OF CHARGING CAPABILITY. Consequence: IF THE ALTERNATOR FAILS, THE ALTERNATOR WARNING TELLTALE WILL ALERT THE DRIVER TO THE PROBLEM, GIVING AMPLE OPPORTUNITY TO SEEK REPAIR BEFORE A LOSS OF BATTERY POWER, WHICH, IF THE WARNING WERE IGNORED, COULD ULTIMATELY RESULT IN A LOSS OF VEHICLE POWER (ENGINE STALL). Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ALTERNATOR WITH A MODIFIED ALTERNATOR. OWNERS WILL ALSO BE CAUTIONED THAT, SHOULD THE ALTERNATOR TELLTALE WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATE, THEY MUST SEEK IMMEDIATE REPAIR TO AVOID THE EVENTUAL LOSS OF ELECTRICAL POWER, WHICH COULD RESULT IN AN ENGINE STALL. Notes: SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.,

That sounds like a pretty good deal if it's in good shape and the engine problems have been fixed. You can clean up the headlights, there's been several threads about this before, here's a few: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=29724&highlight=polish+headlight http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=28844&highlight=polish+headlight http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=22828&highlight=polish+headlight I found these by searching; the board has an excellent search feature where you just type in a few key words, I used "polish headlight", which sounds like some sort of Eastern European miner's implement If the mfg. says to use premium fuel, I would. They probably know a lot about the design of the car, after all That 2.5 engine was kind of a transition between the 2.2's used in the Legacies and the 2.5's used in the later Outbacks... it was used just the one year IIRC. Steve

Ditto on the roof rack making some noise... and... I've noticed with the frameless windows on Subies a little trick that works for us. Sometimes the window doesn't "seal" tightly when you pull the door shut... you have to lower the window an inch or so, then raise it back up... the wind noise is reduced a lot when we've tried this. It works much better in my wife's car (TS) though... probably a difference in cars plus the 2 year old still spongy seal vs. mine at 8 years old. Steve

For my wife's birthday I got her a new HU for the TS... a Pioneer DEH-P3700MP. And I just put that in this morning; it took about 30 minutes, and that was with me taking my time. It was very easy... the instructions in the link above were spot on. Seems to be a big improvement over the stock one, plus it plays MP3's. Hope she likes it... it's a surprise and she's out of town. The only thing I'd ad is: Get *two* wiring harnesses from the store... a Subaru to Universal one (around $16) and a Universal to X (the brand of HU you buy... mine was $6). Best six dollars I've ever spent. No soldering or wiring... it just plugs straight in, everything seems to work perfectly. Brilliant. Steve EDIT: OK, thought of two other things: You don't need the plastic trim piece that goes around the face (at least I haven't on the two Pioneers I've installed in Subies) and you don't need the metal "sleeve" that slides over the HU. Looks good in the dash, too.

Looks good! Steve (wishes his Outback was 3" taller... but handled on-road like a regular Legacy)

I want to see pics too! Dumb question: did you put taller springs in as well, or just struts? Steve

Lightning bolts *do* travel upwards... but I would think the airbag deploying had more to do with the shape of the broken glass than the lightning Very cool find... somehow I missed this on the news and I live here... but I was out of town that week. We don't get much lightning in SLC, at least compared to the upper midwest where I'm from. But the odds of it hitting a subie are very good 'cause there's so many of them Steve

I'm also wondering if the "stop-leak" coolant conditioner was added by a dealer. I think that's pretty important to the question at hand. If it was, I'd ask SOA nicely (in writing) to share some of the cost as a customer good will thing, after explaining to them that I have been a very loyal customer and have convinced several friends and family members to buy Subarus (all of which is true in my case). Never hurts to ask... although it sounds like you have already done this via email. My $.02: Remember the exception that they made for you if they do, and don't begrudge them if they don't make an exception. Sometimes corporations will bend the rules of the warranty period or their policies depending on how the request is made and on the circumstances. The company I work for occasionally goes above and beyond what we are required to do and will assist customers with free product, as a "good will" gesture. But as stevetone mentioned they certainly don't have to... I agree with him on that. Steve EDIT: Here's a link with HG info, yes HG problems have happened. Your engine is a Phase 2 2.5l... scroll to the bottom of the page for a link to a discussion re: the stop leak additive. http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/subaru/headgasket.html

I've had very good luck with FIAMM freeway blasters. You can find them pretty cheap at Harbor Freight. You buy one high tone and one low tone for a nice combination that will get people's attention. Here's a link: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=44760 I have two of them in my OB, and installing these was the first thing I did to my wife's TS after she almost got run off the road. The stock horns are indeed wimpy. These are very easy to install and typically bolt right up with very little wiring or modification required. Sometimes you have to be a bit creative in placement and bend the mounting brackets as they are a bit larger than the stock disc horn. Steve

Good choice on the wagon... This link has tons of info on audio stuff: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=170844 Nearly anything that costs more than $5 will be better than the stock speakers, unless they've dramatically improved them since '03. We put in Infinity 6.5's in the front... they're not components but rather two ways. You can find a very detailed set of instructions for speaker install if you follow the link above. Also the forum that that FAQ belongs too is a good place to search for information. Please search before posting there... almost any question you have will have been asked there before about 50 times. My fog light info won't apply to your car... it's only for 02/03 where they had the big fog lights... but just for fun here it is: http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/subaru/mods/fogs/ You may be able to find some aftermarket ones that fit your car... check out Hella for fog or driving lights. Enjoy the RS! Steve

Welcome cyclinboy, glad to have you aboard. If you specified the year of the car you'd have better luck with good responses... the answers for some things will vary depnding on the year. BTW it's Impreza, with one "z" I'm assuming it's an '05... but you know what they say about that RS's first came in coupes and sedans... then 02/03/04 as sedans only... now they're either a wagon or sedan. Confusing, yes. I have info on foglights for 02/03 and speakers for 02/03/04... there's also a good link in another very recent thread about installing a head unit into an '02 RS... http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=35952 Also a good site for mods is http://www.scoobymods.com. Steve