Petersubaru

the "recommended" replacement interval for headgaskets, new or old cars or even cars with the original gaskets is 100,000mi/160,000kil. ...I got this info yesterday from subaru Canada...this is there way of NOT extending the warranty to 8yrs/100,000mi like for some models in the States

just wondering if the N/A MPFI and the MPFI turbo use the same identical Fuel Injectors??

Is there a recommended time or mileage interval to change out the spark plug wires on the '01/2.5L ..I am familiar with the various "resistence" tests that one can do and the "glow" in the night approach with a fine mist water bottle sprayer, but sometimes that does not tell the whole story...what about unseen current leakage through the wires covering??..I ask this because every so often my mothers mini van has the plug wires changed out because one or two of the wires have turned very dark in color indicating current leakage (according to her mechanic) as compared to having a very lite color when newly installed...

Not sure about the terminology, but I did mean tranny mounts..

just wondering if the rear motor mount on my 86/4wdr. needs replacing??...when attemping to drive in "reverse" I hear a slight "thud"..almost like something is hitting the floor...and when the car is cold, the clutch(new) chatters a little when leaving the corner, but when the vehicle is fully warmed up everything works very smoothly

Both answers above have really answered my question and I was not going to mess with the stock recommended gap, ...I just never gave it any thought before until somebody mentioned to me that a smaller gap on the subaru will work better...I think the subaru ignition system has been quite able to handle the .044 gap with no problem and even larger gaps for that matter (not recommended)... over the last 20plus yrs and still having 4 subarus on the road, (carbed/spfi/mpfi turbo/mpfi) with a total mileage of about 650,000mi on them..I have never seen the plugs to show anything other then a " light tan" color indicating I think a good "burn", even though at times I have been negligent with maintaining the "tune-ups"

would anything be gained if the spark plugs were gapped at .030 instead of the stock .044...also how do the engineers come to determine the gap distance as being the best for the subaru

a combination of synthetic oil and an excellent filter..the canister style replaceable filters on the modern diesels are designed to pull out 10 microns or less...one of the reasons why the oil can be extended ...in theory the filter on my vehicle is good for 32,000mi...

just like my dodge sprinter...depending on the style of driving 18,000-30,000mi between oil changes at the chrysler dealership...I let them change the oil to keep up the warranty...

Then if you like Porsche, I am ALMOST certain, that any Porsche, be it 2005/06/07..300hp or 500hp your choice of N/A or Turbo/ making 8000+RPM all take the same 0/40 mobile syn... my diesel doesn't make high RPMs so the 0/30 is just fine

that is correct.Mobile 0/40 synthetic used in many of the higher end cars /gas , diesel and turbo-charged such as Mercedes/Bmw/Porsche etc...I wish subaru had a diesel available like honda and toyota/Vw deliverying up to 90mpg..I would settle for a Ford Focus with 3 or 4 diesel motors available with about the same number of transmissions available, but unfortunately the choices are not available to us...I have a well used Dodge Sprinter 2.7 diesel taking 0/30 both summer and winter( the only oil recommended) good for 20-30k mi between oil changes in highway driven (uses the replaceable canister type oil filter)...the 0/40 test I mentioned earlier comparing to the conventional 15/40 was done on a 86 vw diesel..strictly an experiment done a couple of years ago and in no way would I use this 0/40 oil on such a well used car..

0/40 mobil1 seems to be the required oil for some of the most advanced cars of choice (gas or diesel)...somewhat new to the States and it has been in Europe now for some time...some of the tolerances are so tight on these newer engines, you can never rebuild them to the same exactness, nor were they ever designed with that in mind..sort of like a "throw away" engine designed to last the life of the vehicle... ever the more important to get that "close too" instanteous lubrication apon start up....especially into the upper cylinder walls because the piston rings have been placed "higher up" on the piston compared to the older design (among other things)..whatever is done to keep that oil "sticky" for the bearings as you mentioned or to keep some "film" on the cylinder walls goes beyond my "understanding"...I forgot to mention that 0/40 mobile is the recommended oil for my diesel...I can see from the blinking oil light on the dash that this oil gets to "full" pressure with a very noticable difference when comparing it to conventional 15/40 when the temp reaches 40F or under...I am not saying that 0/40 can be used "willy nilly" , but if the design calls for a very thin oil along with a "high pressure/Low volume" oil pump (newer cars) ..it only makes sense to use the thinner oils because "low volume/high pressure" oil pumps are not designed to move the thicker oil properly to those critical areas when the temps get low...and can lead to starvation if the temps fall to far down the scale.. ,

With all due respect I don't think you meant to hurt anyone

I can agree that in your situation the 20/50 oil could be the best...but to give a "blanket statement" that this grade should be used goes against alot of info available..these newer cars that recommend 5/20 or 5/30 or even 0/40 are designed by engineers, in fact a "team" of them, ..I know you are not saying that you are smarter then them??...A few micro seconds longer to lubricate will not make much difference in the beginning for many older designed cars , but will make over time a huge difference for many newer cars that have the TOP piston ring pushed further up the piston ...thus a "low" weight oil coupled with a "high" flash point is needed here......also the "bearing test" you mentioned is akin to checking the quality of your motor oil by "rubbing the oil between your fingers"..it means nothing..it does not apply to high pressure systems..I know you can do the research to find the real truth...

We are talking about oil here, aren't we?? Not somebodies creditials... Instead of knocking the ASE certificate, aren't you going to give our new member any credit for his 30yrs of service, working mostly around Japannes cars.. Don't misunderstand me, I am not "dissing" you for being negative about the ASE program...but why equate your ASE views to what our new member has said...after all.. was he wrong in any way to introduce himself that way???

26F is still warm enough to move the 20/50 oil, however slowly...Ej20 is still somewhat of an older design and you can still get away with what you are useing...why not ease up on our new member ...I don't think he was trying to impress anyone by stateing that he is an ASE certified mechanic any more then perhaps, and I say only perhaps, and that is, you, trying to impress us by your quote of "35 yrs of building high performance Motors" or "that you are not impressed by many of them"...we could say this about anyone or any group of people, and where does this gets us?...we all end up living in our own ignorance of what we think is the correct way to do things...their are a lot more variables at play here then one may assume..

5/20 is recommended for "low clearance" or "smaller clearance" motors...for one example among many , is the crank/bearing space is under .001(.0009) (Honda) ...in the past and many newer hot rod applications along with air-cooled motors like for example VW...the bearing clearance is around .002...also the 5/20 oil pumps are designed to put out more pressure with less volume which is needed for the modern engine..one can easily go on and on with topic, but the main concern here is, (if you are not racing the car) ...is the ability of the oil to get to lubricate the motor as fast as possible apon the "cold" start-up..., even here around the Detroit area, it can at times get very cold...cold enough so that the 20/50 or 15/40 will not come out of the bottle..I do run thicker oil in very hot weather when I visit down south and the temps are 90 or above F...On some of those newer cars you can distinctly here the clatter of the valve train when the weather gets that hot or hotter, AC is on and they are idleing in the mall parking lot...

Thanks for sharing your FIXED solution...you never know what you can get into when buying used..always full of surprises

Interesting how various countries have different oil change intervals etc...no doubt, to go 10,000mi you would need the best oil and matching filter....but then again I don't think most Europeons ever expect to get 250,000-500,000kilo. out of their cars while also being able to pass emissions as is mandated in some places...

I have met 3 people with these tires on the car or truck and are very happy with them...certainly a very good all round tire..I expected to get these tires for my Outback, but I could not wait for the strike to end.... I went ahead with michelin hydro edge instead ...wait if you can ... quote=vic]I am about to replace my tires on my 1999 Forester (205/70 15). I live in rural central Iowa. My commute is about 30 miles each way, five days a week. At least 10 miles per day is on poorly maintained gravel roads that get very muddy whenever it rains. We usually have cold winters with snow and ice, but not yet this year. Most of my driving is at speeds of 60+ mph. I don't do any real off road travel, but the "roads" to some of my canoeing accesses can be pretty rough. I am looking for all season tires. I don't want to run snows all the time, and my traction problems on wet poorly maintained gravel are similar to the problems on snow covered roads. Based on my TireRack research so far, it seems that the Goodyear Assurance Triple Thread is rated the highest as an all season tire. However, I have heard about "cupping" problems with directional tires. Does anyone have experience with these tires? With Goodyear's strike and the backorder on the Assurance Triple Threads, I am also considering the Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenzas. They are rated second behind the Goodyear Assurance Triple Threads. Does anyone have experience with these tires? I would appreciate your experiences and suggestions about these two tires and any alternatives that would fit my needs

I think you will fine in the winter months..the 5/20 oils can by run all year long in any weather for cars that are designed to have tighter bearing clearances together with high pressure oil pumps (not high volume like the subaru has)

I would suggest that you do an oil anaylsis and not go over the warranty recommendation even if the oil anaylsis shows different...here in Canada, Subara takes a more blanket approach by classifying all driving to be extreme so that they have themselves covered for all the extreme weather that this country provides (-40 to 100 above F )( the coolant mix from the factory is 60/40 to accomadate the colder weather)...in my manual and on their Cand. web site it states that oil changes are to be done at 3750mi or 6000kilometer...I will eventually get the oil checked on my newer car to determine when it is necessary...I also understand in the States that there is no recommended service for the A/F to be changed out..while here they do have a prescribed mileage/kilo interval

a world of difference between fel-pro and dealer gasket...those fel-pro intake gaskets will immediately begin to disintegrate when water gets on them..

Just an update here..it has been almost 3 wks since adding the "subaru coolant conditioner" ...I have been driving the car for about 600miles and have not noticed any discernable leak any where nor have I had to add any coolant...hopefully it will be a good stop gap until spring time

I can't think of any other bolts on this model of car which has the potential to create a lot of problems...