Chip

I just changed the rear pads and rotors on my 98 O/B. Before putting the wheels back on, I could turn the rotor by hand and feel the parking brakes shoes dragging just a bit. After putting the wheels back on and tightening the lugnuts, I could't turn the wheel at all...jammed solid....same thing on both sides. Why would putting the wheels on, change the brake adjustment ?

Starting this year, in Quebec, it will be mandatory to have snow tires on a car after a certain date...I think it's Nov 1st. I believe in some places in Europe the same law applies.

My 98 O/B has failed to start a few time recently. I turn the key and nothing happens...no lights come on the dash...no radio..nothing.....even the doorlocks don't work. It's like the battery is disconnected. If I keep trying, normally 10-15 minutes, it eventually starts....and everything is fine. Sometimes, when trying to start it, I hear a clicking or buzzing sound coming from under the dash...above the pedals somewhere. I'm thinking there's a loose conection or something. I know there's still power coming from the battery because each time it happens, I don't lose the radio presets. Any ideas ?

I agree with you completely..... Like I said in my post "and once that first 1/2 is on the road, your "all season" tires are almost no better than summer tires." Winter tires are the only way to go....regardless how deep the snow is. Earlier posts mentionned that they'd do to dedicated snow tires if the depth of the snow warranted it....but it's irrelavent once there's enough snow to fill the tread depth of your all season tires.....even 1/2 inch of snow will cause an all season tire to perform only a bit better than a summer tire. I don't normally leave them on all year...normally in April they're off but this year, due to procrastination,(and budget constraints), they're still on.

With 30yrs of experience driving in Canadian winters I can say that the depth of the snow has little to do with which tires you should use. Whether there's 1/2" or 3 " on the road, once it's deeper than the tread on your tires, it's all the same....and once that first 1/2 is on the road, your "all season" tires are almost no better than summer tires. I've always run Blizzaks on both of my Subarus and love them. They are only a bit noisier than the Michelins which came on the car and they wear quite well......actually, as we speak, I haven't taken them off yet...and it was 80°F here all week-end.:-\

A stigma against anything Japanese ????? Check out Car and Drivers annual top 10 lists....Japanese cars/10 2001 3/10 (+ 3/5 on the truck list) 2002 4/10...including a Subaru...(3/5 on the truck list) 2003 6/10....including a Subaru..(3/5 on the truck list) 2004 4/10...(3/10 on the truck list) 2005 4/10 2006 4/10 2007 5/10 2008 4/10 These publications are about the only place where you can see meaningful comparison tests and actual racetrack numbers...(0-60, 1/4 mile, laptimes, etc...). Unlike most of us, these guys have driven just about everything on the road and are in a good position to judge.

No problem there. He only moved it about 1/4 inch. Been on the highway since..still quiet,(or as quiet as can be for 350,000 kms).

Last night I locked both sets of keys in my 98 O/B..:-\ ..(1st time in about 20 yrs I've locked my self out of a car). I had always thought that because there were no frame around the window it would be easy to reach in with a coat hanger and hit the unlock button....BZZZ......WRONG !! I finally called the local tow truck guy...he showed up with a neat little invention,(maybe you've all seen it before....I hadn't). He put a little plastic wedge between the glass and the rubber, just enough to slip in a bladder from a sphygmometer,(blood pressure thing that goes around your arm). He pumped it up until the glass was about 1/4" away from the rubber and then slipped in a small metal rod long enough to reach the unlock button.....and presto! 45 seconds and $20 later it was unlocked.

I pulled the CEL lightbulb out 250,000 kms ago....Instead of a light telling me to check the engine, I just open the hood once and a while to make sure it's still there.......so far so good.

I own one of each.... A 5 spd Impreza and an auto O/B. The O/B is the slowest freakin' car on the road,(probably because it weighs over 1.5 tons). As far as going thru snow or ice is concerned, there's very little difference between the 2. The rear end wants to come around a bit more on the 5 spd. With either one you'd have to drive like an idiot to get stuck.

You could always simply remove the cat, take a long screwdriver and smash all the stuff out of it until it`s nothing but an empty shell, then re-install it. It would reduce backpressure,(especially if yours is blocked), and would also make a nasty sound. And....if you live in a place where they don`t perform tailpipe tests you`d be all set. That, of course, would be environmentally irresponsable......and illegal....(and we wouldn't want to do anything illegal).

I wouldn't waist any money on an intake...I'm pretty sure painting flames on the sides of the car would give you the same performance gain.

I've always used the $28 rotors on my 98 O/B and I've had very good luck with them. The car has over 300,000 kms and each time I do the brakes,(which isn't that often), I buy new rotors instead of having the old ones turned. The first time I did the brakes I went to the Subaru dealer and they had 2 different types of rotors...the jobber ones for ~$75,(which were actually the same ones NAPA sells for $28), and OEM ones for $150+,(which aren't made by Subaru either). Not knowing any better, I paid $75 for the "$28 rotors".....(but only once). I buy the "premium" pads at Napa for ~$90 so a complete front brake job costs me less than $200....(and a few scraped knuckles). Come to think of.....the replacment rotors lasted way longer than the original rotors did from when I bought the car in 98.

"The system also uses six powerful magnets that ionize the gasoline to produce smaller molecules ....." WOW ! They've actually managed to change the size of the molecules with magnets!! Yeah right.

I hope you weren't expecting an unbiased opinion form folks on a Subaru message board....?

I put the whitelines on my 98 O/B...they were almost 1/2 the price of OEMs. It's an easy DIY job.

My 98 O/B clacks so bad I don't need a diesel !! All I'm missing is the black smoke and the smell.

I just bought Blizzaks from the Tire rack. If you check out Blizzaks in the size you're looking at, it would cost you $509.27 US for 4 tires delivered to your door. Add $200 for the 4 wheels from Tire Mag and you're at ~ $700. It cost me $45 to have mine installed and balanced. You'd save about $150...(maybe more if the cdn$ keeps going up). I've always used Blizzaks and find they wear well and are unbeatable in the snow. They're also quite decent on dry roads. I run them on both of my Subarus..89 O/B and 03 Impr.

Here in eastern Canada, the Gov't is thinking of making all seasons illegal for use in the winter. There is NO comparison between a dedicated winter tire and an all season....especially under braking.

Here's an interesting study which was done over a long period of time on a bunch of NYC taxi cabs,(can't get more extreme than that). In the end, it looks like there wasn't a lot of difference between expensive synth oils or regular "cheap" no name oils. http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geu6MYsylH1t0AirNXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE5dWg0YmoxBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDNgRjb2xvA2FjMgR2dGlkA0RGRDVfMTIxBGwDV1Mx/SIG=11r1v7jdg/EXP=1194001560/**http%3a//www.xs11.com/stories/croil96.htm If you really think about it....how many people do you know who have had problems due to poor oil performance ?

Here in eastern Canada we spray our cars with a mixture of hot oil and wax. The wax stops it from dripping too much. To do it properly, you need to get it in between the panels too,(inside the doors, tailgate, rockerpanels etc...), in addition to underneath and around the engine compartement.

The heated seats are warmer.:-p

There was a good article in Saturday's Montreal Gazette about buying vehicles across the border...(in the U.S.). One of the Vermont dealers, (Bill McBride), says he's been warned by Subaru of America that if he sells new cars to Canadians he'll be penalized,(he will no longer get the cars of "choice"). He can however sell used Subies to Canucks. It's important to note that the savings are greatest on the cars made in the U.S.(Example..the Legacy), because there's no duty. The Forester's are made overseas so we'd pay duty. The Gov't of Canada's website contains a list of cars which may or may not be imported. For some reason, Some Foresters,(such as the L.L Bean), are not allowed in. Here's the list. http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/importation/VAFUS/list/VAFUS.pdf

The inside of my headlight bezels seem to be clouded up a bit,(quite a bit), and I was going to attempt removing the clear part of the lens from the rest of the assembly and polish them. Has anyone successfully disassembled the lens from the rest of the headlight assembly ?...(without destroying them ) ?< 98 O/B.

The car will start on compression when rolling downhill,(popping the clutch), but won't start normally. The battery is fine..12+ volts. I can't hear a clicking sound coming from the starter when trying to start it either. I was looking at the clutch switch under the dash. Is it supposed to move in and out,(because it doesn't), or is it a proximity switch,(like a magnet) ? Has anyone tried bypassing the switch, (by simply grounding it )?