alias20035

I read the article and have seen similar ones before and I am aware that this one is directly from Subaru. I don't believe they are correct though. I think it is just step one in denying warranty coverage... Consider the following: When driving in a straight line all four tires rotate at the same speed, when turning the rear wheels rotate at a slower rate, hence the need for a center differential or torque transfer clutch to release the torque bind. When the Subaru torque transfer clutch fails it does not allow the release of this torque bind, hence the problem. It you have an odd sized tire, the front and rear axle shafts will spin at different rates even when driving in a straight line. So you will end up with torque bind even when driving straight line, much as you do when cornering. The problem is that earlier Subaru automatic transmissions develop a problem that prevents the torque transfer clutch from "unlocking" and releasing the torque bind. Subaru engineered a 20% axle speed rotation difference into the system to prevent understeer and to allow for easy parking. A single tire of slightly different size (ex. low tire pressure) will not cause that ratio to exceed 20%. Has anyone eliminated torque bind by adjusting tire pressures? I don't think its possible to eliminate cornering torque bind with a simple tire pressure adjustment. With equal sized tires you wont ever get any torque bind driving in a straight line, it is simply not possible. But the first corner will indicate the problem.

I have unplugged my battery many times, and on some occasions the ECU resets and the engine acts weird, and sometimes it doesn't. When it does reset and act weird I let the idle get under control (perhaps 1 minute) and then drive off, driving no different than normal. I now reset my ECU using my ODBII tool, as it will confirm the reset and clearance of any stored codes. When I do this the engine always acts weird for a minute or two.

Most Forester service issues are minor in nature and are related to quality control. Only major item on the Forester is rear wheel bearings. They frequently fail because they are a terrible ball bearing design. It is now common practice to replace the Forester ball bearings with the much better roller bearings from the Legacy. The Legacy part fits perfectly. Subaru of America just updated there technical bulletin and now authorize the use of Legacy bearings for warranty repairs. Clutch judder was mentioned by BlueSoob and it is a problem that requires a replacement clutch, your Forester is automatic, so no issue for you. Later 2003 and 2004 models have the revised clutch already. Torque bind (often refered to as an AWD system failure) is common on older high mileage automatic transmissions. Most Subaru dealers blame unequal tire sizes, but this is not the main cause. Subaru changed the AWD tailshaft assembly in 1998 to correct a technical weakness. So your ok here too. It is important for Subaru's to have four equal and properly cared for tires. Check tire pressures regularly and rotate every 10,000 miles or so. But a few PSI low on one tire will not destroy the AWD system. I have never torque bind due to minor tire size differences, nor have I seen torque bind on transmissions with less than 60,000 miles on them. Failed duty solenoids are the only cause of failure that I have seen on the newer automatics, and it is a somewhat rare occurence. I know of few owners that change a single tire (with an identical model tire) due to road hazard damage, and they have not had any issue with torque bind. Pre 1998 transmissions just seem to develop torque bind regardless of conditions at about 100,000miles. Subaru has a replacement part for 1989-1997 modesl that has a steel sleeve that corrects this issue permanently. Attn: 1ABAJA: how many miles on your 1990 Legacy with the torque bind problem? Just follow the service intervals indicated by Subaru and you should be fine with your Forester.

Even with oil changes every 12,000 km (which is the standard usage schedule from Subaru Canada), I have not seen sludging to the level that you describe. Is it possible that coolant was leaking into the oil for quite some time causing it to break down? Coolant in oil will cause it to look like puke... No other way to describe it. Another possibility is that the oil pump installed on the new short block was not correctly done, causing oil to sludge up because it overheats due to insufficient flow. This could even lead to problems such as a failed head gasket. It is also possible that an older model head gasket was used during the rebuild in 2001. One of my longstanding concerns with solid lifter engines (Subaru's from 1997 onward) is that they don't give much indication of low oil pressure without a guage. With hydraulic lifters, the lifters will clack indicating and oil pressure problem. During the head gasket repair, the oil pump should be inspected. Also be sure to replace any seal or gasket that appears to be leaking and the timing belt as well if oil contaminated. You may just want to change the timing belt anyways, since it is just parts cost at this point. Be sure that both the heads and engine block are straight. You could install new head gaskets and have no further problems, or the crank bearings could let go because of the sludge. Sludging generally occurs on cool parts of the engine, and by bearing caps, I assume you mean the camshaft bearing caps (since Subaru doesn't have crank bearing caps). This is a colder area of the engine and an area prone to sludging. I have changed valve cover gaskets on my 1993 Legacy twice and noted substantial sludge buildup under the valve cover. I changed the oil regularly (every 6000 km or so), and used Mobil 1 full synthetic (one of the best oils around), and still had the sludge when I changed the gaskets, first at 140,000km and then again at 390,000 km. It was a waxy white paste that was thick and had settled on every stationary component in the head. My Legacy was running perfectly until 466,000km on the original engine and transmission (and clutch!!), when a deer came through the windshield bending the A pillar which could not be repaired safely. Do you have sludge build up in both heads, or just the one that failed? Do you have any records indicating why the original short block was changed??

The new Subaru's brake lines are bolted to the strut, and do not pass through the hanger, this is much better! Some added tips Spray the lower strut bolts with "Break Free" or other penetrant lubricant the day before you do this work. Makes this job a little easier. By preassembled, I assume you mean complete with springs and upper bearing plate. If so your job is easy, just a simple swap of parts, aside from those darn brake lines. If not I wont describe the usage of spring compressors to complete this job, as compressing the spring is extremely dangerous if not done correctly. Bleeding the brakes requires new DOT 3 fluid, so pick up a half quart (or more if you plan on replacing the fluid in the entire system (recommended every 30,000 miles). Bleeding the brakes is not that hard. You will need a single man bleeding tool, which is essentially a rubber hose that goes into a container (under $10). After reassembling your brakes, top up the brake fluid to the full line and attach the brake bleed kit to the brake furthest from the brake master cylinder (right rear). Open the brake bleed valve with a 10mm wrench, I recommend spraying the bleed valve with a penetrating oil before opening it, just in case of corrosion. Pump the brakes slowly about 10 times to push the air and some fluid in the bleed kit. When you release the brake pedal some fluid and no air should be drawn back into the brake caliper. Retighten the brake bleeder screw and reinstall the dust cap. Repeat this procedure on the other brakes working your way closer to the brake master cylinder (rr, lr, rf, lf). Check the brake fluid level in the brake bleed kit to be sure that you don't overflow, and be ALSO keep adding fluid to the master cylinder. If you drain the master cylinder completely and get air in the system, you will need to flush the entire system with up to 2 litres of brake fluid, and it is a pain. Only top up the brake fluid resevoir to a point about 2/3rds between full and minimum, DO NOT FILL TO THE FULL line. Why? Because you need a space for any excess system fluid to go, other than for it to pop off the resevoir cap and get over everything. Another use for brake fluid is paint removal, so don't spill any. NEVER ever pour bled fluid back into the system, always use fresh brake fluid from a sealed bottle. Once the bottle is opened the fluid must be promptly used. Brake fluid absorbs water, this is prevent water from pooling within the system and potentially freezing or boiling, The brake system is sealed, but eventually moisture will seep in You may have to do two cycles on all four wheels to get all of the air out. Changing all of the fluid requires the additional steps. 1. more brake fluid needed, I use 1.5 to 2 quarts. Bleeding extra new fluid through doesn't hurt. 2. when bleeding the first brake (right rear), keep bleeding until the fluid coming out is clear. When it is clear your have bled all of the old fluid in the master cylinder and in the brake line to that brake. Just be sure to heed my overfill/underfill warning above. 3. repeat step 2 on each of the brakes until the bled fluid is clear. 4. repeat the bleed cycle again for a few more strokes on each of the brakes.

I wont diagnose your problem, since the dealer already did, and most likely in a correct manner. I will just add the following information for the readers: Solid valve lifters tap consistently at low intesity, so some valve tapping is normal. The sold lifters must be periodically adjusted and it not correct you will get substantial valve tapping. Older Subaru's with hydraulic lifters occasionally tap due to a clogged lifter and/or defective oil pump. Try adding valve quiet to the oil. It worked on my 93 Legacy. Subaru flat engines are prone to piston slap, in particular the #4 piston. This is due to the extremely short piston skirt. The piston slap can be confused with valve tapping, but it will generally go away after a few minutes when the engine warms up. Piston slap is a problem Subaru owners must live with since there is no solution short of redesigned engine. Piston slap is not the end of the world, many Subaru's run for a half million plus miles with piston slap, unfortunately some do not..... If the piston slap does not disappear when the engine is warm, it is either very severe piston slap, or not piston slap at all.... Piston slap is caused by either too much clearance between piston skirt and cylinder wall, or defective crankshaft bearing, or connecting rod or bent crank. Piston slap can either exist on its own, or be caused by something. Could the bad tensioner have caused a crank bearing to fail thus causing piston slap? I believe that this is what the dealer diagnosed, and is the reason for Subaru to be so reasonable in dealing with this problem EJ25 DOHC engines are interference engines, timing belt break or tensioner problem will mean the end of the engine. EJ25 SOHC engines are freerunning engines, timing belt break or tensioner problem could but wont likely mean the end of the engine. Failed camshaft tensioners are apparentely quite common and this I knew, that they sounded like piston slap I did not. I posed a few questions for Emily at CCR, hopefully she will respond. An extra quart of oil should not kill an engine, since oil is taken into the heads and internal passageways the oil level in the pan should be reduced, so the connecting rods and crank are not immersed (which is bad). Also no real risk of the oil getting into the PCV and air cleaner with only an extra quart. Was oil present in the throttle body? My 93 Legacy burned oil so I would always add a half quart or even full quart beyond the full mark to reduce my topping up frequency. My Legacy only burned oil because the engine revved at 4000 RPM on the highway, fifth gear was too short!! Did this trick for 200,000 km and had no problems. Usually burned a liter every 3000km, which was about halfway between my oil changes.

Likely to be: 1. loose heat shields, create some wedges of aluminum foil and jam between exhaust pipe and all loose heat shields. This trick is cheaper, easier and more effective than new shields and brackets. 2. bad donut exhaust gasket. With the engine running have a friend plug the tailpipe with a rag and hand. Any exhaust leak should show up. But the donut gasket is the most common problem. During deceleration the exhaust system tilts in relation the engine and Y pipe causing a "backfire" like sound. I had this problem three times on my 85 Subaru, I don't even recall if my 93 even had a donut gasket. If it does it is a potential source of the problem. 3. bad exhaust gaskets or loose studs on the heads of the engine, quite common and cheap to repair, just be sure to use new exhaust studs and bolts, properly torque them and ALWAYS do this work with the engine cold to avoid stripping the threads in the head. 4. cracked Y pipe. I had a cracked Y pipe on my 1993 Legacy, just below the passenger's side of the engine where the 2 pipes from each cylinder joined into 1. Dealer quoted $700 for new Y pipe/cat assembly, I took the car to Midas and had it welded for $40, no more problem for 5 more years. Water and slush spray from the tire caused this problem, which initially only occured in wet weather and then it completely failed. You should be able to find this with the rag in the tailpipe method. Cracked Y pipes on earlier Legacys are common, in 95 or 96 Subaru changed the assembly so that a cracked Y pipe did not require the replacement of the cat as well. 5. engine out of tune, possible but other than spark plug changes, Legacy's tune themselves. Given the age of the exhaust system, it is likely to be cause 1 thru 4 so look there first. Cats either fail to purify the exhaust (Service Engine light or failed emmisions test) or they plug up (engine wont start or runs badly). Since you are complaining about "backfiring" like noises and not lost power, your cat is not the source of the problem unless it has a hole in it.

If you got a good deal on the car I would spend the money to correct it. Even a good working Subaru of the same age and mileage as yours is likely to encounter the same problems as yours shortly, so trading in for a new one that might have the very same problems shortly is not wise. Just be sure to do the work at an independent Subaru specialist. All of your seals, gaskets, timing belt, etc issues can be performed easily during the head gasket repair, and in general are not expenive parts. Cam, crank and valve cover seals are common failures. Your misfire could be due to the head gasket, so do that first and do both sides!! Driving with a blown head gasket is very bad!!! Blown head gaskets lead to cylinder overheating (which does not always indicate on the temperature guage), which causes detonation which can be confused with misfire. Your misfire could be due to a bad coil pack which is also quite common. They are expensive from dealers, but you can obtain one from a scrapyard (at least to eliminate the coil pack as the cause). I am not aware of aftermarket coilpacks, but they probably exist. Other posters might know. The coilpack has two banks and fires spark plugs in pairs, 1&2 and 3&4, so it is likely that the 3&4 bank is bad. A clutch that doesn't feel quire right is Subaru normal cluch behaviour, is this your first Subaru?. The throwout bearing is probably bad, but my old 93 Legacy had a bad throwout bearing for more than 100,000km. I was going to change the bearing when the clutch started to slip, but it never did. I am not sure why the dealer would mention transmission case, unless the pivot point of the release fork is bad. In any case, deal with the clutch later, since an eminent failure is unlikely. Be sure to adjust the clutch free play, since this can often correct the feel of the clutch. If your misfire is still present after the head gasket and coil pack install new sets of spark plugs and wires. It may be prudent to change the plugs and wires during the head gasket repair since they have to come off anyways. Most wires that look bad are actually ok. Aftermarket wires ($40) are available. I bought NGK wires are Canadian Tire for $40 for my Legacy. Other than being black they were identical to the OEM wires. Changing plugs is easy, just remove the windshield washer tank and air intake for easy access, change the plugs with the engine cold (like in the morning), and use a spark plug that does not require gapping (such as the Bosch Platinum +4). Be sure to torque them correctly. Get a Chilton or Haynes Subaru service manual for complete instructions ($20). Some misfires are due to an oversensitive knock sensor, and installing a rubber washer between the engine block and the sensor will correct this problem. Other sensors causing misfire could be the thermal sensor, cam angle sensor, crank angle sensor, but you always get multiple codes in the computer if one of these fail, usually with misfire being one of them, so this is unlikely. Thermal sensors are cheap ($40) and are common failures, cam and crank sensors are not so common. Any engine you find in a scrap yard should be rebuilt with new head gaskets, seals, etc. Not because they are bad, but because the condition is unknown and replacing the parts is so easy with the engine out. So unless you have a bad lower end, which I agree with your dealers assessment that it is unlikely, I would fix the engine currently in the car. If your clutch is bad, I would pull the engine out since you can either drop the tranny or pull then engine to do a clutch. With the other engine work pulling the engine would be to best course of action. In general it is corrosion and accidents that end the life of Subaru's. Even badly treated Subaru's are usually able to be nursed back to health and lead a very long life. I have nursed two back to life myself. You should be able to get this work done easily for $1500 or less. Add $500 for the clutch if done separately, and perhaps $400 if done at the same time. Price will vary if the engine is pulled, since the clutch is a 20-30 minute job with the engine out (aside from having the flywheel resurfaced). My preferred Subaru shop does head gaskets for $850 Canadian, and clutches for $560. Add 30 minutes labour and $60-100 for the extra seals. Labour and part costs seem to be much higher in the US than in Canada for some reason.

sorry I replied to my own post here...

The legal issue I pointed out was the fact that any light assembly mounted higher than the headlights must be covered or electically disabled while driving. Which is why the roof mounted lights are disabled on the Baja. Off road driving is exempt from this rule. The Outback fog lights suck anyways, so having them on with the high beams really wont do much (I tried this). I have modified my fog lights to operate when the parking lights or low beams are on, so that I can dial my low beams to 80% (daytime running light mode) by turning the switch to parking light mode. This is extremely useful for reducing glare in dense fog. DOT sets the rules, Virginia can only enforce them and nothing more stringent. DOT rules only apply to permanent vehicle hardware, so radar detectors and other such items are fair game for the states to deal with. The 6 light rule is a DOT rule, and some states may have it in their code as well. If DOT changes to an 8 light rule, the states 6 light rule is invalid (DOT has the precedence). The DOT rules apply to all on road licensed vehicles, so the law does apply to owners as well. You are required by law to drive a DOT legal vehicle (and EPA legal vehicle, etc). If you have DOT legal green headlights, no officer can issue a ticket (you wont find DOT legal green headlights though). As for dazzling, police due issue tickets and should do so more often. European vehicles with HID headlight systems are required by law to have headlight washer system and either automatic headlight levelling (tilting headlights) or vehicle load levelling (rear air springs). No such laws in North America. Congressional hearings are coming up on HID glare induced collisions, it is possible that Congress may outright ban HID lighting systems. There have been something like 10,000 glare induced accidents recently due to HID glare and many fatalities. Most of the collisions are elderly drivers who are susceptable to glare, but this is a recent problem not previously encountered in such great frequency. Ford planned to use HID extensively and they have now reconsidered (the 2004 F150 was supposed to be HID, but it isn't). I hope the result of the congression hearings is a change from a bulb wattage limit to a lumens output limit and also to legislate automatic headlight levelling systems. Tire pressure monitoring was legislated by the Ford Exploder hearings, so why not headlight levelling as the technology is common place elsewhere and not expensive (maybe $10 per car in high volume production). 50 years ago 55 watt bulbs were about all the same brightness, now with modern filiment technology it is possible to get a very bright 55 watt bulb. Some bulbs indicate 55w=85w which I take to mean that it is 55w electric but equivalent to 85w in output. I am in Canada where most of our TransCanada highway is two lane with opposing traffic, so dazzling oncoming traffic is not recommended. As for animals crossing the road, Canada is full of them, 300 pound deer, 1,200 pound moose, 800 pound elk, 700 pound bear, 2,000 pound cows, etc. I am in Northern Ontario, where moose collision fatalities are at least a weekly occurance. Having brighter lights usually doesn't aid in spotting animals as they tend to dart out too late to avoid them (animals already on the road licking road salt are an exception). In any case it is usually not recommended that you swerve to avoid any animal, as loss of control is a likely result which can have a more severe outcome than an animal strike with the extremely dangerous rollover being the thing to avoid. Hard braking and keeping the car on the road is the best course of action. Insurance companies fault the driver if a swerve leads to a claim. In Northern Ontario driving anything less than a big rig at night is not recommended, and there are roadside signs warning of the extreme danger of moose collision. And you could be ticketed for dangerous driving if the moose are out even if are driving the speed limit. I have seen a moose take out an F150, not much left of the moose, but also not much left of the F150 either. I have also seen moose take out a tractor trailer (bent the bumper which then blew the front tire).

I will state it again and stick to it. The 1/4 inch tolerence is too small. My measurements on both my summer and tires only fall within about a 1/2 inch range. I rotate and check tire pressures religiously, and have about 30,000 km on each set of tires. Remember that I am talking about the range of all four tires, not a single tire. example: all four tires should be between 84 and 85 inches. Subaru always blames tires for their torque bind problems, but the tires are usually not the issue. Subaru's are designed to allow a 20% axle speed difference for cornering, and only the VTD/VDC models have circuitry to detect steering wheel inputs and the VTD uses a planetary gear system which can not suffer from torque bind in the way the multi-plate clutch pack does in the regular 4EAT. The plain 4EAT has two internal axle speed sensors. The 4EAT by default sends 50% torque to the rear axle, unless the solenoids activate the hydraulic system to remove rear wheel power. When something goes wrong with the hydraulics, you get torque bind. When you wear out the clutch pack (ex. from different tires) the clutch pack will slip (like a worn 5mt clutch) and fail to provide rear wheel traction. The 4EAT's logic is as follows: While engine is running reduce rear axle power (or if FWD fuse in place) Send power rear when accelerating (uses throttle position sensor to detect movements, and vehicle speed sensor to evaluate cars response to throttle inputs) Reduce rear power when braking Send power rear if front wheel spin is detected (but only if speed difference is greater than say 20%) Wheel spin is technically occuring during tight turns in parking lots where axle speed differences can be as high as 20%, but the system is set up to ignore this. On some models, the ABS system can disengage the rear wheel drive, since locking the axles together confuses it. ABS detects wheel lock up by comparing wheel speed against the fastest spinning rear tire. If the axles are locked together you are more likely to lock up the rear tires. And face the truth here, the ABS system on all wheel drive vehicles is not good in snow and other very low traction surfaces when compared to simple front wheel drive cars. While you may have good steering control, the braking distances are horribly long. Audi's with the gleason/torsen differentials are much better in terms of ABS since the torsen diff does not respond to braking forces. Most of the time the logic to send power rear when accelerating will prevent wheel spin in the first place, but logic is there to control slip if detected, but the torque transfer is quite slow to respond (about 1 second). Among my group of friends and co-workers there are more than 30 Subaru's (34 if I counted correctly), and none of them have had torque bind as a result of tire size problems, even though some of them run different tires front and rear, and others don't ever check tire pressure. Some have even run on the donut spare at highway speeds for months. All of the torque bind problems due to clutch pack failures that I have seen (and I have seen many) all show up at around 180,000 to 250,000 km. Problems earlier than this that I have seen have all been solenoid, wiring or computer failures. So it would seem that the soft aluminum case has a wear limit of about 200,000km. I have yet to see a 4EAT pass 300,000km without this problem, and among my friends there are at least 10 Subaru's beyond 300,000 km (4 of them over 500,000), each of the automatics has had its tailshaft replaced. Yes, torque bind can be the result of tire size differences, but they have to be substantial and for a prolonged period of time. Have you seen any torque bind on low mileage vehicles? Well under 200,000km? or on the redesigned transmission with the hardened steel sleeve(1998-current)? Subaru loves to blame the customer for its own shortcomings, and they have been doing it for years, first with tire size issues, and now by claiming that head gasket failures are an rare problem (outright lie), and that piston slap is perfectly normal (only partially true). As for adding pressure to the rear tires for heavy loads Subaru doesn't recommend this anymore. My old Subaru Legacy was 30/29 PSI, and 32/35 when loaded. My new Subaru Outback is 30PSI all around, all the time. There is no second tire pressure recommendation anymore. As for my Subaru's 1985 GL dual range 4WD wagon, retired in 1996 with 727,000km on the odometer, it still ran good but had severe corrosion. 1993 Legacy AWD wagon, bought in 1995 and destroyed in a collision in 2000 with 466,00km on the odometer 2000 Outback wagon, bought new in 2000, now with 59,000 km I haven't had torque bind myself, since all three are manual transmission vehicles. No failures of the viscous couplings yet, although a drive shaft was replaced on my Outback (severe vibration).

Found a link on torque bind. http://www.legacycentral.org/library/torquebind.htm According to this web page the redesigned tailshaft assembly was put in place in mid 1997, not sure whether that means late 1997 model year vehicles, or whether they started to install them in mid 1997 on 1998 model year vehicles.

Closed deck blocks are closed where the heads are attached, with small coolant passages around the cylinder bore. Open deck blocks are totally open with enormous coolant passages where the heads are attached. Closed deck blocks are more expensive to manufacture because they must be sand cast. Basically a foam model of the desired part is made, and then the openings are filled with sand. Molten aluminum is poured into the mold which melts and replaces the foam. After cooling the sand is blown out. Extensive machining is then required to bring the block within tolerences. Open deck blocks are "open" and thus can be die cast. Die casting involves injecting molten metal into a splitable mould. When the metal cools, the mould is split and the part is removed. Only minor finish work is required on the cast part. Closed deck block engines are stronger than open deck blocks. See this link for more information and photoshttp://www.legacycentral.org/library/deck.htm

I have two questions about the McIntosh audio system in the top of the line H6-VDC. 1. Is there a separate system amplifier and if so where is it located? Is it under the cargo area floor? perhaps ahead of the spare tire wheel since there is about two inches between the sheet metal and carpet at this location? or inside the cargo are sidewall (perhaps drivers side, since the subwoofer is on the passenger's side? 2. how much bass output is there from the cargo area mounted 6x9 subwoofer? Can anyone give comparisions verses a single 10 inch subwoofer? I have a single 10inch subwoofer in a a small enclosure that always seems to be in the way. And even if tied down it seems to come loose. It usually comes loose when I do a four wheel powerslide in snow. I am considering fibreglassing a speaker box for an 8 inch subwoofer in the very same location as the McIntosh system, the right rear cargo area storage compartment. I would loose my storage compartment but thats all. I have had this area apart before and firmly believe that I can build in a 0.4 or 0.5 cubic foot enclosure which is suitable for an 8 inch sub. Since an 8 inch sub has roughly the same surface area as the McIntosh's 6x9 and my system amplifier is roughly the same power as the McIntosh (mine is 240watt RMS (30x4+120x1) and the McIntosh is 200 watt (25x4 and 100x1 I believe) I should have similar SPL's and thus similar bass output. I just need to know what the bass level would be like for reference. It will not match the current output of my 10" sub, but will it be 50% or 75%? I may even try to pull a McIntosh system from a wrecked H6-VDC if I can find one.... Which is why I need to no where the amp is located, if there is one. But I would want only the subwoofer and amplifier, not the head unit. Although the McIntosh head unit is very good, it lacks some of the desirable features of my head unit, such as TV tuner, MP3 CD changer, and auxiliary inputs for my hard disk based car MP3 player.

This trick was for the Baja, with its optional roof rack mounted lights. Any light above headlight level is illegal for street use unless covered or configured for used when the vehicle is not driven (with the handbrake on). The Baja's roof mounted lights are connected to the handbrake. All cars (at least all that I know of) shut off their fog lights when the high beams are on. This is done for three reasons: 1. you can't use high beams in dense fog, since the light reflects off of the fog and blinds the driver. 2. fog lights are short range with enhanced peripheral illumination, high beams are long range. These are different and mutually exclusive lighting requirements. 3. High beams use a lot of power, as do fog lights. You risk battery damage with sustained high current requirements. The Outback has a 4 bulb headlight system, the lower bulb is the high beam and the upper bulb is the low beam/daytime running light. When the high beams are on all 4 bulbs are activated, which is the same as a more common dual filiment bulb system where both filiments are on. The Outback needs the 55watts from each fog light to power the 65watts of each high beam bulb. So I would not recommend defeating this feature. If you want better lighting, switch to Silvania Silverstar bulbs for your low beams, and high beams as well if desired. The Silverstars are the same wattage as the original bulbs, but use a much higher quality and brighter filament. The coating on Silverstar bulbs produces a very white (looks blue but it isn't), the coating removes the yellow light component of halogen bulbs. Only when shown beside a convention halogen do the Silverstar bulbs look somewhat blue. And no rewiring required.... If and only if you need to do this there is a wire into the fog light relay that is only energized when the low beams are on. The interior fog light switch grounds and activates the relay. Cutting this wire from the low beam circuit and wiring into the parking lights instead will accomplish what you desire. But you risk an electical problem with your fog lights, headlights and parking lights if not done correctly. The fog light relay should be located in the engine compartment fuse box, which will have to be removed to access the wires underneath. DISCONNECT the negative battery terminal before working on this box, as a short circuit could explode the battery or do serious damage to the electical system.

It is virtually impossible to measure the circumference of the tires within 1/4 inch margin of error. I'll bet that if you measure perfecty identical tires, you could never get within 1/4 inch on all four. In fact I doubt the manufacturing tolerences are within 1/4 inch in circumference.... Remember that we are talking circurference and not diameter (diameter * pi (3.14) = circumference). Within 1 or 1.5 inches in circumference is PERFECTLY OK.... From another of my recent replies: I was told by a Subaru Canada technical rep that a 1 or 2 inch circumference difference will not harm the AWD system. In terms of percentages, the Outback tire diameter is about 27 inches (0.394inches/cm*(2*(22.5cm*60%))+16 inches = 26.638 inches in diameter. 26.64*3.14 = 83.65 inches in circumference. So a 1 inch circumference difference is only a 1.2% size difference. Subaru's AWD system does very little work until the axle speeds differ by 10% or even 20%. But keep in mind that a 1.2% difference between tires on one axle is divided by 2 (because of the differential) and then multiplied by the axle ratio (4.11), so 1.2% becomes 2.47% to the VTD clutch or viscous coupling. Think of it another way: How much smaller in diameter (which directly relates to circuference) are your rear tires when you load up with the 880 pounds of cargo and passengers that the Outback is designed to handle? A tire spinning at high speed will expand, but the front tires will still be less compressed and larger. A 1/2 inch diameter decrease equals a 1.6 inch (pi/2) circumference decrease. 1/2 inch is not a lot! 4 PSI less pressure in one tire will easily equal a 1/2 inch or more of sidewall flex. Virtually all Subaru's have at least one tire 5 or more PSI below recommended, this is because virtually no one takes the time to check tire pressure anymore. For measuring a wheel: 1. tires should be cold (not driven in 3 or more hours). 2. set tire pressures at recommended (see driver's door B pillar plate). 3. raise wheel off ground 4. using a flexible fabric ruler (at least 8 feet long), wrap around the center of the tire to measure circumference. 5. repeat steps 1-4 for all tires. The above is the official Subaru technical method. If the circumferences are within a 1 inch range, all is OK. 1.5 inches borders on requiring action, and 2 inches is bordering on risk of damage. If tires are uneven and within a 2 inch range you can rotate the tires so that the average circumference on the front and rear axles are within 1 inch, and if the vehicle has a rear viscous LSD, keep the two rear tires within 1 inch as well. If you are not able to rotate to correct, new tires are required. AWD failures are mainly caused by: 1. torque transfer solenoid fails, these solenoids often fail, and when they do the rear axle becomes locked to the front axle. 2. bad design on pre 1999 transmission (or is it 1998?). The seals on the transfer clutch go bad causing hydraulic fluid pressure to drop. A replacement kit with a hardened steel insert corrects this problem (about $1,000 to fix). The new transmission is a new design that does not have this problem. 3. not changing the ATF fluid and filter at the recommended intervals. The ATF does double duty in Subarus, working both the transmission and AWD system, and the front differential is also in the transmission case, which means that the transmission runs hot, which is enemy number one for the fluid. 4. owner abuse, like driving with one tire at 15 PSI and others at 30. Or installing different tires front and rear. The marked tire size will give a rough estimate of diameter, but different tire constructions could mean as much as a 1" difference between models. Or driving more than 30 miles on the donut spare, or doing more than 45 MPH with it. The max on the donut spare is 45MPH for a maximum of 30 miles, at which point the donut spare tire must be allowed time to cool down. Subaru dealers often sight tires as the cause, but this should be taken with a grain of salt. It is easier to blame a customer, than to admit that Subaru did not properly design the earlier transmissions. Virtually all high mileage Subaru's with the uncorrected older transmission will have a leaking torque transfer clutch. Minor leaks are inconsequential, since the pump pressure will exceed the pressure loss. Since your issue occured at only 67K I would assume that a torque transfer solenoid has gone bad, and the internal seal is most likely ok (or not bad enough to be the issue). The steps to diagnose this problem are: 1. rule out AT fluid level and condition (smell fluid to see if burnt) 2. rule out tires (size, damage, all the same, etc) 3. rule out wheel bearings (distinctive whine or rumble) 4. rule out axle shafts (torn boots, clacking, rumble, etc) 5. rule out driveshaft (can vibrate severly if the center hanger bearing or U joints are damaged or worn, and this is somewhat common!!) Driveshaft vibration sometimes disappears when the FWD fuse is inserted as well. Driveshaft sometimes only vibrates when stressed, such as when turning. 6. rule out differential fluid level and condition 7. rule out AWD solenoids (requires replacement solenoids unless TCS indicates a specific failure code) 8. rule out internal tranmission AWD tailshaft problem (always requires replacement/rebuild) You always check the transmission last, because you may locate the real problem first, or locate a problem that led to the torque transfer clutch problem. As I recall the FWD fuse is for temporary use only and has a 30MPH and 30 mile limit!!! The FWD fuse powers up an electical pump at full power to disengage the rear axle.

Just get an independant Subaru repair shop to replace the clutch. Removing the engine to change the clutch is possible, but requires at least two people to realign the engine and transmission since the tranmission is loose when not attached to the engine. It is much easier to drop the transmission to swap the clutch, although this will mean that a lift is required. Without a lift or other method of getting the car at least three feet off the ground, your stuck to the engine removal method. Here in Canada I can have a Subaru clutch changed for under $600 using original Subaru parts. Parts alone would cost me $450, so spending $150 to have someone else do it is not all that bad. Labour time is 3 hours if the shop is good, and 5 hours plus if not so good. I can't recommend any particular clutch, as I have never worn one out. Only thing I can suggest is that you have the flywheel properly resurfaced. The local autoparts store will most likely do an insufficient job of it.

The GR2 will perform about equal to the AGX on your vehicle. The Outback is not designed to handle as well as the Legacy (the GT in particular), and thus would not be able to take advantage of the stiffer adjustments in the AGX. Setting the AGX too loose would probably lead to even pitching and rolling in corners. I used the AGX's on my Legacy, and two of them failed under warranty (one seal and one internal valve), then one of the replacements failed. I switched to the GR2's and got some money back. I found that the GR2's were about as stiff as I could tolerate and considerably stiffer than the Subaru OEM KYB's. Probably equivalent to a medium/high stiffness setting on my AGX's. When I cranked the AGX's beyond 2/3rds my Legacy's chassis would creak over large bumps. If you want to improve the performance of the Outback, switch to larger diameter wheels!! 70 profile tires are not performance orientated at all!!

I haven't had the timing covers off of my EJ25 in my 2001 Outback. I have changed 5 timing belts on my 1993 Legacy's EJ22 engine though. Is the EJ25 tensioner a simple hydraulic spring mechanism like the older EJ22? The first time I changed the timing belt in my 93 Legacy I was horified to find the that tensioner was too large to fit in my bench vise!! Ended up lowering the car onto it to compress it for reinstallation, definitely not a recommended procedure. My first drive with the new timing belt was to the store to get a larger vise. I have heard that some tensioners just fail suddenly, as did many of the WRC cars a few years back (something like five races in a row with both of Subaru's entries). Some questions: [*]The belt tensioner slap sound you describe, when does it occur? Only when cold, only when hot, all the time? [*]I am assuming that the tensioner slap occurs from an area below the AC compressor, correct? [*]Are there any signs that the tensioner is about to fail? [*]Is there a reliable replacement? [*]Should we be opening the timing belt covers once and a while to check the belt tension? [*]What do you think about the longer timing belt service interval on the newer Subaru's (168,000km vs 96,000 previously)? [/list=1] My 2001 Outback's EJ25 engine has a slapping #4 piston which I verified with a stethoscope. It goes away when the engine water temp hits about 100F.

Pre 1997 models have hydraulic lifters that can clack due to contamination of the lifter or defective oil pump. The newer models with solid lifters will always make a bit of lifter noise at low RPM, and this noise will either disappear or be undetectable above 2,000 RPM. What you are most likely hearing is piston slap. The number 4 piston is a bit loose in the cylinder when cold and will slap until it heats up and expands. The EJ25 is most prone to piston slap, but my EJ22 and EA81 engines both did it as well. The EJ25 in my 2001 Outback just started to slap at 58,000 km I am not aware of anyone having an engine fail as a result of this "Subaru Normal" piston slap. My EJ22 slapped for over 320,000 km and my EA81 for at least 200,000 km (don't know for sure as I bought the car used). The only wear and tear to the cylinder wall due to piston slap is below the rings and this is not serious. I was told it was the number 4 piston by Subaru, and this is due to it being at the end of the crankshaft nearest the thrust bearing. Some posts indicate that Subaru will replace the #4 piston with a new one with a longer skirt. This is bulls$@t. You can't change just one piston, as they are a matched set, changing less than all of them unbalances the engine causing it to self destruct. As for smooth idle, the only smooth Subaru are the SVX with its 3.3 H6 and the Outback with the 3.0 H6.

1/4 inch, are you nuts?? It is virtually impossible to measure the circumference of the tires within 1/4 inch margin of error. I'll bet that if you measure perfecty identical tires, you could never get within 1/4 inch on all four. In fact I doubt the manufacturing tolerences are within 1/4 inch in circumference.... Remember that we are talking circurference and not diameter (diameter * pi (3.14) = circumference). Within 1 or 2 inches is PERFECTLY OK.... From another of my recent replies: It is absolutely essential that all four tires be exactly the same design and circumference. Any difference on one tire will destroy the AWD system in short order. Tire problems are the number one cause of differential, wheel bearing and transmission (AWD section) failures on Subaru's. I was told by a Subaru Canada technical rep that a 1 or 2 inch circumference difference will not harm the AWD system. In terms of percentages, the Outback tire diameter is about 27 inches (0.394inches/cm*(2*(22.5cm*60%))+16 inches = 26.638 inches in diameter. 26.64*3.14 = 83.65 inches in circumference. So a 1 inch circumference difference is only a 1.2% size difference. Subaru's AWD system does very little work until the axle speeds differ by 10% or even 20%. But keep in mind that a 1.2% difference between tires on one axle is divided by 2 (because of the differential) and then multiplied by the axle ratio (4.11), so 1.2% becomes 2.47% to the VTD clutch or viscous coupling. At least get a 2000 model, since it has the much better phase II engine, the phase I engines eat head gaskets and the Phase II's have much better low end torque. The 2001 and up models have much better and larger front brakes, the ones on the 2000 models warp easily and are more expensive to service (since part numbers are for the MY2000 only).

I did forget the most important item. TIRES Subaru (and all other AWD) vehicles require the owners to be extremely careful with regards to tires. It is absolutely essential that all four tires be exactly the same design and circumference. Any difference on one tire will destroy the AWD system in short order. Tire problems are the number one cause of differential, wheel bearing and transmission (AWD section) failures on Subaru's. I was told by a Subaru Canada technical rep that a 1 or 2 inch circumference difference will not harm the AWD system. In terms of percentages, the Outback tire diameter is about 27 inches (0.394inches/cm*(2*(22.5cm*60%))+16 inches = 26.638 inches in diameter. 26.64*3.14 = 83.65 inches in circumference. So a 1 inch circumference difference is only a 1.2% size difference. Subaru's AWD system does very little work until the axle speeds differ by 10% or even 20%. But keep in mind that a 1.2% difference between tires on one axle is divided by 2 (because of the differential) and then multiplied by the axle ratio (4.11), so 1.2% becomes 2.47% to the VTD clutch or viscous coupling Here are the general rules you should follow with your Subaru (and I would say apply to all other cars as well). 1. Check your tire pressure often (at least every two weeks). Recommended tire pressure is listed on a tag on the drivers door B pillar (should indicate 30 PSI front/29 PSI rear or 30PSI all around) Don't forget to check your spare tire (60 PSI), mine looses 5 PSI each month!!! With seasonal temperature changes the tire pressure will change, you will need to add air to tires in winter, and release air in summer. ALWAYS check tire pressures cold (best time is if the car has not been driven in 3 or more hours). 2. rotate the tires every 6,000 miles. Subaru's wear the rear tires a little quicker than the fronts, so it is important to balance out the treadwear by regular rotations. I recommend rotating the tires front to rear and not switching sides. 3. before getting into the car to drive off, walk around the car and look for signs of low tire pressure. My sister destroyed a tire and alloy wheel by driving 500 feet on a flat tire, and the wheel bearing failed shortly thereafter (replaced under warrenty with only 8,000 miles on the car). 4. If a single tire is damaged beyond repair and has to be replaced, an identical model and size must be used. Also the circumference of the tires must be checked and the new tire must be no more than 1.5 inch (one and a half inches) larger in circuference. If the damaged tire has more than 30,000 miles on it, it is likely that you will need to replace all four tires. NEVER EVER plug a nail hole in a tire, have the tire removed from the wheel and install a patch inside. The insertion of the pulg does further damage and can lead to blow outs. 5. Snow chains can not be used on the Outback, and this is noted in small print in the tires section of the owners manual. The snow chains will not fit between the front tire and front strut, leading to mechanical and tire damage. Since snow chains are mandatory on some roads (mountain roads) your only option would be to install a good set of snow tires. Most newer snow tires have a snowflake/mountain logo printed on them which indicates that they are suitable for extreme snow and ice conditions. Tires with this snowflake/mountain logo are EXEMPT from the snow chains requirement in all of Canada and most US States including Colorado, Utah, Washington, California, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Transport Canada information on the Snowflake/ Mountain logo

Not only do boxer engines have a better torque curve which would be wonderful for diesel, they also have at least three other advantages: 1. boxer engines are strong because the crankshaft bearing cap is the other half of the engine case. This should permit Subaru to produce an light aluminum diesel engine, which few other manufacturers have attempted. 2. boxer engines have short crankshafts that can be much stronger than those in inline fours 3. diesel's tend to vibrate at low RPM (idle) due to unequal combustion between cylinders, and the boxer's punch, counter-punch action should reduce vibration. I came across a few pages which detail a Scottish Yoke engine that was built from Subaru and custom components and installed in in an Australian Subaru Liberty. A Scottish Yoke engine is a type of horizontally opposed engine where the opposite cylinders are directly opposed to each other and a single connecting rod joins both opposing pistons. http://www.isr.gov.au/resources/netenergy/aen/aen12/12yoke.html http://www.autospeed.com/cms/A_0948/article.html http://www.cmcpower.com/html/company/history.asp Makes for interesting reading and apparentely Subaru is now involved in trying to bring the engine to market. Now what I want: Subaru Hybrid with a diesel H4 Scottish Yoke engine with electric motor/generator between engine and transmission (like the Honda and Toyota hybrids) and instead of a driveshaft to the rear wheels, an electric motor/generator to propel the rear wheels. And add one of those new diesel exhaust particulate filters.....

Follow the maintainance schedule provided with your vehicle... Subaru's don't really require any special attention, although I will make the following points: Every 2 years or 30000 miles do ALL of the following: 1. change the coolant why: coolant becomes corrosive which is extremely bad for aluminum engines and radiators (both on your Subaru). Changing the coolant per the schedule means that you generally don't have to use a cooling system flush which is extremely corrosive and must be flushed out of aluminum engines and rads within 10 minutes to avoid serious damage. Improper use of coolant flush can lead to radiator leaks and blown head gaskets. 2. change the front and rear diff fliud why: Subaru diffs work hard, and also tend to collect water. Your VDC does not have a viscous locking rear diff, so it does not work the fluid as hard. But its only $3 of fluid ($7 if synthetic). The front diff is within the transmission case and is thus subject to higher than normal temperatures compared to other vehicles. 3. change the Automatic transmission fluid and filter why: the ATF fluid in Subaru's is used both for the transmission and AWD transfer clutch, which can lead to higher temperatures than all other cars. Subaru's since 1999 have a spin off ATF fluid filter (like an oil filter) and a drain plug. Pulling the transmission pan to change the fluid is not required. Be sure to flush the old fluid out of the transmission cooler which is built into the lower section of the radiator. 4. change the brake fluid why: Brake fluid absorbs water, and when a certain amount of water is present in the system, rust will occur. The ABS system and in your case the VDC system can rust out as well as the brake calipers. Rust will kill the ABS pump and seize calipers. All of the above is pretty much standard for all cars now, although some cars now have long life coolant (7yr/100000mile I believe), and others have sealed transmissions that do not required ATF changes (they don't even have a dipstick). Subaru's just work the fluids a little harder than other cars... Subaru recommends lubricating the wheel bearings at 60,000 miles and I am not sure why. Wheel bearings are a common point of failure on Subaru's, especially rear bearings, and those on Forester's and Impreza's. I am fairly certain that relubricating the bearing is only a few steps short of replacing one (maybe only 10 minutes more work to replace), so why bother, just wait for the bearing to start whining or rumbling (usually the rears will fail at 75-120,000 miles, and the fronts will last longer). Someone correct me on the bearing lubrication issue if there is in fact a quick method of relubrication. The only other issue I can think of is fuel octane requirements. The H6-3.0 can use 87 octane, but 91 is recommended (my 2001 manual indicates that the H6 requires 91 octane, but I am fairly certain that Subaru retuned the H6 for 87 octane in MY2002, see your manual for more information). I would stick to 91 octane in summer, and use 87 octane in winter. Why? Lower air intake temperatures and lower engine temperatures mean less chance of detonation (ping), which should mean that lower octane fuel can be used. My H4-2.5 Outback only requires 87 octane fuel, but I find that I get too much detonation (ping) and loss of power on hot days, so I use 89 octane in summer. You may find that 91 octane works in summer, 89 in spring/fall and 87 in winter. A friend of mine in Calgary, Canada runs 91 octane from mid June to mid September and 87 octane the rest of the year, and notes no ping whatsoever.

I was thinking aluminum, and perhaps even rubber in areas away from the heat of the exhaust. There seem to be enough holes, bolts and other attachment points to make use of to attach the new splash shield. Here is a photo of the underside of my car. Note the large space between the floor and the heat shield. If the image above did not load see this link I think that slush sprayed against the heat shield is deflected onto the spinning driveshaft, which then deflects it against the floor panel where it freezes. Eventually enough ice builds up in the tunnel, and the driveshaft rubs it, particularly when decelerating. Yesterday I drove less then two km in slush when I had to stop and crawl under the car to clear the ice. Yes, thats right less than two km!!! And I had to stop after another 10 km.... This used to happen about every week or two when I lived in Calgary, now that I am back in eastern Canada where I will encounter slush far more often, I am concerned that this constant icing problem will lead to mechanical problems with the driveshaft, u-joints and exhaust system. Did I mention that the problem is so severe that the exhaust donut is pulled apart leading to the occasional backfire (or what sounds like a backfire)?