SuBrat84

Sounds like you might have bad connections at the battery. or a dying battery.

Armor all is horrible. I use white vinegar diluted with water on all my surfaces and windows. Works like a charm.

I second that about having someone hold the release while the other person attempts to lift/release the hood. Sometimes you have to "Bang" on the hood. Ran into a few of these at the xlube. Once you get it open spray the latch mechanism down real good with PB blaster then after a day or so maybe spray some silicone spray lube in there too. Mine has a real hard time opening because the hood isn't centered entirely properly so it hangs up on the fender a little bit... Good luck.

Waiting a week is fine. If I remember correctly the transmission holds a total of 10 quarts and 6 will drain out through the drain plug. Also, I believe the front differential drain plug is a T-65. (I would have to check my tool box to be 100% sure.) Torx get expensive when they are that big. ~$35. The Texaco Express Lube that I worked at used a BG Transmission flush machine that used the transmission pressure to cycle out the old fluid while it fills simultaneously with new fluid. Kind of like a blood transfusion. It takes about 16 quarts. When it's all clean and "brand new" it's done. They charged about $130 for that service. I would feel comfortable using that on my Subaru.

I was under the impression that the phase I EJ25 (96-99 or whatever) was interference because it generated the extra 10hp and then they switched to non-interference starting with phase II because of the "broken timing belt kills your engine issue." I'm no expert though. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subaru_EJ_engine#EJ25 good write-up about which phases were in which years and what kind of power they are producing. unfortunately it doesn't have information about interference or non-interference. If anyone has a good solid source for that information that would be cool.

I thought the 97-99 dohc (interference) engines had +10hp vs the "newer" sohc (non-interference) engines?

Clutch Kit from Autozone ~$150 is just fine. One of the e-bay ones is probably the same thing? I think the common brand for these is Exedy? Probably cheaper from e-bay if you don't mind waiting. "Clutch Kit" should be: Clutch Plate Pressure Plate Throwout Bearing Alignment Tool (not all kits have the tool, it's VERY helpful.)

You could easily put an outback kyb strut w/ king 2" lift springs and 2" lift blocks and taller more narrow tires to make it off-road capable. They could do a "sporty" model like pictured and an "outback" model for you off-roaders. STi drivetrain in the "sporty" model and dual range trans in the "outback" model. That would be so Win.

I'm going to think it's more likely a burst hose somewhere. Maybe the heater hoses if they've never been changed.. maybe the main radiator hoses but those are more likely to have been changed. I would fill the radiator up with the car running.. then cap it off and let it warm up and see if you can find the leak... Edit: I would also like to point out that the common head gasket issue is an internal failure that allows exhaust gasses into the coolant system.. in which case you would notice air bubbles in a full radiator.. or the coolant overflow bottle overflowing in a pressurized system.

...first introduced as a 1978 model... Production continued into 1993 but ceased to be imported to North America in 1987. It was also known as the Brumby in Australia and the Shifter in the UK. Imports to Europe, Australia, and New Zealand continued until February 1994. The BRAT was not sold in Japan and was manufactured for export markets. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subaru_BRAT 78-93 is 16 years. If you count '94 then it was 17 years.

I've honestly never even heard of electrical current flowing through your engine coolant. It seems to me like that would indicate something is wrong with your wiring perhaps. When the car is cold take the radiator cap off.. start the car.. stick the positive lead of your multimeter (set to 20v) in the coolant.. stick the negative lead on any good ground or neg terminal of the battery. I can't imagine electrolysis of your coolant being something that would happen.. it seems like if it did you would have hydrogen/oxygen pockets in your engine that could become a bit of dangerous.

Way to resurrect an old thread. Wow. So yeah, what happened?

When it's COLD COLD COLD (the engine, not the weather) take the radiator cap off and start the car. If it pushes coolant out or even if you see bubbles in there.. it has a blown head gasket. Hope that's not the case because otherwise probably a good car. A couple of tight circles left/right to listen for the "CV Click" / inspect cv boots. test charging system for 13.5v.

"Ignitor." "MAF Sensor." "Oxygen Sensors." All suggestions I have not been able to afford testing. I am having a very similar problem.. but mine only shows up after driving a while and on really hot days.

You should wire a 15 or 20 amp fuse into the power lead before the switch. You should use a good 12v switch. Maybe there is a short in one of the fans/wiring and that's why they don't work like they should?

Not trying to hi-jack.. but on mine you can hear it more in the exhaust (out the tailpipe) than anywhere else.. I'm going to check the intake thingy out tomorrow though. Mine is clearly affected by the load on the engine so I don't *think* it's power steering..

I had a suggestion that replacing the MAF Sensor would help. (haven't tried it.) My 97 does it.. and interestingly my mothers '02 civic 1.7l has started doing it too.

If dental floss alone doesn't work, gently heat. When I de-badged my '98 GT one of the badges had "Pins" that fit into little holes.. but, if you're putting them back on then that doesn't matter.

Any car I've had in good condition had similar emissions results.. I've had some even lower than that. The lower = less pollution = good. The emissions places here in Tucson give you a print out for MVD / your records.

Does it do it all the time or just when you're below a quarter tank of gas? I had that same problem and it was because the fuel pump had come off of the bracket that holds it in place.. causing it to "float." Right turns would allow gravity to move all the fuel away from the pump and suck air for a second.. causing the bogging effect.. then once going straight the fuel would level off again and act normal...

After owning a '97 and a '98 2.5 I plan on avoiding the '96-'00 like the PLAGUE. Honestly.. I would get a 97 RS Impreza Coupe ONLY if I could afford to drop an STi drivetrain in it. From now on any "new gen" subies I get will be a 2.2 or a '02+.. My brother had an '02 2.5RS and it was a GREAT, problem free car. He traded it in for a truck.. that jerk!

I sure would like to see a solution to this issue as it seems to be more and more common on here. I have thrown a bunch of stuff at my '97 2.5l trying to figure it out. The last suggestion I was given was to replace the ignitor (Behind the intake manifold on the firewall.) I haven't done it yet because I'm flat broke. HOWEVER, the other night we were driving around in the flooding and I got an injector #1 voltage HIGH code... instead of the typical 1&3 misfire codes that I get when it's really hot out and I drive for more than 1/2 an hour.

my main concern with ordering a muffler online is shipping damage. The one time I ordered an exhaust system the muffler was all banged up because the parts were "too big" for boxes. You might want to find out how they package it!

I'm calling brake pads on this one. If the shims don't get installed properly they jiggle around like a bastard.. My 98 OBW sounds like a tambourine.. I keep meaning to throw new pads in there.

If it is bled properly.. (Filled up, started, warmed up so the t-stat opens, and filled the rest of the way while the coolant is flowing.) Any "Direct Replacement" t-stat will work. The reason we want Genuine Subaru T-stat is because it has a "jiggle valve" that allows a small amount of coolant to trickle through at all times and is a BIG help in preventing air bubbles in our cooling system.. that ends up in hot spots that ends up in blow head gaskets or worse. It doesn't 'trickle' enough coolant to affect the proper operating temperature range. And, I'm sorry I have to comment about the "blast furnace hot dry desert heat" comment from PORTLAND. It NEVER gets "blast furnace" up there. (I spent 6 years in Columbia/Clatsop counties.) You are just used to that cold disgusting 9 months of rain so when it gets 'warm' you feel like you're cooking. Come spend a summer down in Tucson or (even worse, Phoenix) where it is 100+ daily for a few months. There is always a good week every summer that we get 110+ daily with below 10% humidity. THAT's blast furnace. (I've been in Phoenix where it was still 100+ at 11 at night!!) We pray for a nice cloudy with a breeze day where it gets down to the mid 90's.