alias20035

Could the 2 second post stall electrical sound be the rad fan? If so is your car running hot? hot = blown head gasket

Since you seem to know what you are doing, I would definitely pop the timing belt covers and check the water pump, and thermostat housing as well. You need to fix the coolant leak, since small leaks lead to big leaks or problems down the road. My thought was head gasket because: * EJ25 DOHC head gaskets suck (at least the original ones do) * white smoke in exhaust (I have never seem a missing vacuum hose cause white smoke) * bad running at idle (where head gasket failures typically cause the most trouble) * hissing sound after shut down (could be coolant spraying into the cylinder when the cylinder depressurizes). There should be nothing electrical live under the hood post engine shutdown to cause a noise. It could be coil pack or wires, but I don't think so. I would have a local garage do a cooling system pressure test and test the coolant for hydrocarbons. If the tests come up fine, you should then look elswhere. Cars with bad electrical systems will sometimes idle roughly, but they usually won't start without being boosted as well.

Just curious which K&N you have? Is it the flat panel "OEM" style, or an aftermarket intake style? Sometimes you will get "bogging" when the factory air box and air intake resonator is removed for better air flow (ex. with an intake tube). I worked on an Impreza that had bogging, we tried everything to fix it, but could not. We then reinstalled the factory airbox/resonator and the problem was gone. We then clued into the possibility that the MAF needed some intake restriction to work properly, so we tried the aftermarket intake/filter with the filter wrapped in a dense cloth and it worked. The problem seemed to be temperature related, the problem only appeared in lower air temperatures. The end solution was to run the factory air box in fall/winter/spring and aftermarket tube/filter in summer. This Impreza required very frequent MAF cleanings, and several MAF's failed completely. Oil contamination of the MAF it is progressive, I did note that you did recentely re-oil the filter which is why I questioned the amount of oil used. Seems as though you oiled it properly, but in the end I don't think the re-oiling is the issue, it is the long term oil build up. As Sprintman notes, the K&N is not a good filter in terms of dust removal and I have seen the high SI (Silicon = dust) reports he mentioned. Not too serious an issue so long as you do regular oil changes. 1 Lucky Texan mentioned an IAC problem, but this is most likely not the cause. If it was your car would not idle properly, and from your report it idles fine. Your bogging is related to a confused ECU that can't figure out air/fuel mixture. The number 1 culprit of this is a bad MAF, followed by throttle postition sensor (TPS). If your car runs fine and accelerates properly at highway speed, your TPS is likely ok. The oxygen sensor is a delayed way of metering A/F ratio, so the ECU does not use it until the engine has obtained a constant speed, and not when accelerating. So I don't think it is involved here. Carbon build-up/knock sensor was mentioned, and can sometimes cause some loss of power problems, but I have not seen it in such a serious state to cause bogging. Of course I am used to seeing Subaru's run on Canadian fuel which can be significantly different than US fuel (not better, not worse, just different), so I don't know whether US "reformulated" fuel would cause more serious carbon buildup than what I see in Canada. BTW: search the NASIOC forums and you will find many posts related to MAF failures due to K&N (and similar) filters, and many of these posts will refer to "bogging" as a symptom. Most of these posts were related to the 98 2.5RS, so I am not sure how many recent posts would still be kicking around. I have seen many failed MAF's myself and have about an 80% success rate with cleaning the MAF (I have worked on about 15 of them). The Impreza's MAF seems to be a lot more sensitive than the MAF in the Legacy, as most of my repairs are to the 98 Impreza 2.5RS. I have had this problem myself in my 93 Legacy way back in 97 shortly after I installed a K&N filter panel, and the "bogging" you describe is exactely what happened to me. I nursed the car home with the "bogging" and eventually the ECU reported MAF failure and started to ignore the MAF readings and use its predefined A/F ratio table. When the ECU started to ignore the MAF the "bogging" stopped. I cleaned the MAF and installed a paper filter and no more problem for 300,000 or so KM. You could try disconnecting the MAF sensor and see what happens, doing so should flip the ECU to limp home mode and use its predefined A/F ratio table. The engine will usually run without a MAF connected, but in some cases it does not. If your bogging is affected by the disconnection of the MAF, your MAF is the likely culprit. I apologize if you found my tone condesending, as I mentioned before I did not mean it to be. My initial thought was "K&N filter, here we go with MAF problems again", and perhaps a bit of my negative feelings about them came through, they were not intended to be personal. I do try to add more information than is needed, so that others may use some of the information in as well.

Could be the sway bar bushing or end links. This is an extremely common Subaru issue.... not expensive to fix though. Try this to confirm sway bar bushing noise: Drive slow and straight over a speed bump with both wheels, note the noise or lack of noise. Drive slow and straight over a speed bump with ONE wheel, note the noise. If the noise is present, or more pronounced when only one wheels goes over the speed bump, the sway bar bushings/end links are the most likely culprit. Other front end noises on Subaru's include: steering rack clunk, a slight clunk is normal for all Subaru's, a severe clunk is NOT normal. Spring/strut, is the rubber spring cup in place and undamaged? worn out ball joints worn motor/transmission mounts worn out tie rods (somewhat rare) worn out control arm bushings (somewhat rare) battery no tied down and other things of the like, look for anything loose underhood and under the car. Since your car is bounding your struts could be worn out, I found that the rear struts on my 93 Legacy fail first. If you are on the original struts, they most likely need attention (along with the sway bar). KYB GR2 struts are a good aftermarket alternative strut for your vehicle.

You should still be covered on the 5yr/60,000 mile powertrain warranty, which will cover the head gasket..... and Idle Air Control, and some of the other items I listed. Even if you bought the car in late 98 and are off the warranty I would go to a dealer, they may still cover this (if you can prove that the problem occured during the warranty period), sometimes they offer to pay half....

Could be the following: *head gasket (coolent seeping into cylinder when engine off/low idle) (do you have coolant loss, coolant leak, oil in coolant, bubbles in coolant, overheating, white sweet smelling exhaust?) * bad coilpack (it usually misfires at high speed though, with ok idle) * bad sparkplug wires * Idle Air Control (IAC) acting up * bad alternator (no voltage at idle) * bad battery (it is 4+ years old, Sube batteries always die in year 4/5) White smoke = coolant in cylinder = blown head gasket (in most cases), so I am hedging my bets on blown head gasket. No coolant leak is minor, probably a blown head gasket or leaking water pump (could be both in your case), pull the timing covers off and check it out promptly. If the water pump goes the timing belt system could fail catostrophically. Have the coolant system pressure tested to locate the leak, but odds are BOTH the head gaskets and water pump are gone. The hot exhaust gas has probably entered the cooling system and damaged the water pump causing it to leak. Since you are due, change the timing belt as well (60,000 mile item?) The EJ25 DOHC engine has a notoriously bad record for blowing head gaskets. Figure on up to $1,000 to fix this. Be sure the latest version of the head gasket is used, see this post http://usmb.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8073

Sorry I reread your post and you said XT, I was thinking Forester XT (Turbo). You XT weighs about 2,500?. If front wheel drive you can dolly it, with AWD you need to trailer it. You will still be way over the official 1,000lb unbraked trailer limit.

The official line from Subaru is 1,000lbs unbraked, and 2,000lbs braked. I have seen Subaru's tow 3,000 lbs before, but the transmissions usually fail prematurely as a result. You towed vehicle weighs 3,500lbs and the trailer that it will be on will be around 1,500lbs for a total of 5,000lbs so forget about it. Find a second driver.... BTW: by dolly, I hope you don't plan to tow with just two wheels of the ground? Subaru's can ONLY be towed with all four wheels off the ground, towing with two wheels on the ground will destroy the AWD system, and possibly lead to loss of the towed vehicle.

I was not trying to be condesending at all. I just wanted to point out that the first problem to eliminate was oil buildup on the MAF. This is an extremely common problem, and when this happens you get "bogging". I have seen this many times, and always with the K&N filter. From my experience, everyone is guilty of overoiling their K&N filters. They are not supposed to be bright red or dripping oil. It is such A hard thing to oil with the spray can they provide, which is why I suggested that you MAY have over oiled it. Clean the MAF and see what happens was my suggestion. After cleaning you should also disconnect the negative battery terminal for fifteen minutes to reset the ECU.

The first generation Legacy's had the plastic guards to protect the windshield (A) pillars. These are often not able to be reinstalled tightly when replacing a windshield. Use black electrical tape to tap the seam between the rubber seal on the guard and the glass, also tape the top windshield seam and test drive the car. I used a silicone adhesive to firmly attach the A pillar guard to the glass to eliminate my whistle problem. Your car is a 91 and 13 years old, so the seal may in fact be worn beyond hope. But I would check the window alignment and stub assembly. Did you replace the stub assembly mentioned in your other post: http://usmb.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6152

The recall should have been for ECU reprogramming, not replacement. All 2000-2003 Legacy/Outback's were recalled to rust proof the rear suspension. Cam belt tensioner failures are a frequent occurence. Usually shows up as an intermittent or consistant knocking sound. Expect cold temperature piston slap (knocking), all Subaru's seem to develop this. If the piston slap does not go away when the engine warms up it is not piston slap and could be a failing tensioner, or valve lifter clearance. The 2000 Outback has small and weak brakes, Subaru installed larger brakes on the 2001 to reduce the warping problem. Subaru brake parts seem to be a lot better than aftermarket ones (performance parts excepted). I recommend switching to the 01-04 model year brakes, in the long term it will save you money by avoiding the constant warping problems that plague the 00 model. I also recommend that you have your Outback rust proofed at Rust Check on an annual basis. Road salt in Québec/Ontario is murder on cars...

All Forester's use the terrible ball bearing. When the bearing goes have the Legacy type roller bearing installed, it is a direct replacement. No preventative maintainence is required, ... or even possible.

The relay/timer mechanism for my 2001 OBW is behind the radio. The 98 would probably be in the same location.

I agree, the wiper warmer on my 01 Outback is only useful for clearing a very light coating of frost/ice, and somewhat useless in even the lightness bout of snow or freezing rain. Just use a decent set of winter wiper blades and the more expensive windshield washer fluid. The $0.99 Wal-Mart stuff sucks... The $3-4 stuff with ice melter is much better. Oh, the most important point, the gen 1 Legacy's never had heated glass, so you wont find a heated windshield to fit. I am not aware of any kits to add defroster "lines" to glass, but even if they do exist, the odds are that you will crack the glass removing it from the vehicle. Do NOT even think about heated windshield washer sprayers. If you spray heated fluid on cold glass, the glass will shatter. A new heated sprayer kit came out about two years ago, but the company is out of business due to a class action lawsuit regarding broken windshields. BTW: in some cases a replacement heated windshield for the 00-04 Outback/Legacy can be a lot less than an unheated one. You can install a heated windshield and simply not connect it to save some money. In my case a heated windshield was $300 and unheated $760.

It looks like the "pain in the rump roast" connector, but a little hard to tell from the photo. If it is what I think it is, I would use two small flat bladed screwdrivers, one to depress the locking tab and the second to pry the relay off. A third hand would help too.... Is the relay attached to a plate, if so sometimes these plates need to come off first.

Probably the K&N filter oil has damaged the Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor. The MAF's wires get coated in oil and don't work properly and as a result the ECU can not accurately measure the air flow causing it to put in way to much fuel, and this is what causes the engine to "bog". This problem also tends to present itself on cold days more than warm ones. You can remove the MAF and clean it carefully with brake cleaner, but in many cases a new MAF (expensive) is required. Subaru issued a TSB informing dealers that MAF's would not be replaced under warranty if an non-paper fibre air filter was used. There may be another cause, but since you indicate that you use and just cleaned and oiled the K&N filter, lets start with the MAF. BTW: You are supposed to use very little filter oil, you probably used too much, and the excess is being sucked into the air intake and through the MAF. In general you should not use oil based filters on MAF cars, the 99+ Impreza/Forester uses MAP instead of MAF and oil based filters will not harm them. In 2000, the Legacy/Outback switched to MAP as well.

Snow tires that feature the mountain/snowflake logo on them should be exempt from snow chain requirements. Ask a police officer! I am fairly certain that Oregon and Washington exempt these newer snow tires from requiring chains. Utah is chains or 4wd, no chains required if you have AWD/4WD. Some police will ignore Subaru's altogether, but this may not always be the case. I got into an argument with a Colorado officer over not having chains, but I did have snow radials on, and you should not put chains on snow tires as they can damage the soft rubber. I finally one the argument by switching to Canadian french and pretending not to undestand. The only reason that I got questioned was that I stopped to help him get his rear wheel drive summer performance tire equipped (with snow chains) Ford Crown Vic out of a ditch!! Most Subarus can use the cable type snow chains on the front wheels only, but the 2000-2004 Outback can NOT use chains at all. Foresters might have the same restriction. Check your users manual in the tire maintenance section. AWD will get you going in snow and ice, but does nothing for braking. Snow tires do improve the AWD performance significantly, and also greatly aid in braking.

Virtually the same procedure on the 2001. I am not sure when Subaru switched to the newer style of caliper slider, but basically you have two bolts on the top and bottom back side of the caliper to undo to get the caliper off on your 2001. Not a hard task. Older Subaru's had one bolt through the lower slider and the caliper rotated off the pads and was pushed off the upper slider, this type of slider was prone to rust and sticking so Subaru changed it. The bolts are M8 and you should use ones that are about 1.5 to 2 inches in length. 1 inch will probably do, but there is no harm using a longer bolt. Usually after a 1/2 inch or so the rotor pops off, but on some occasions I have found that 1 inch bolts are not long enough to get the rear rotor/drum off. The front rotors are a lot easier to pop off than the rears. Use brake cleaner to clean the brakes before working on them. Also use brake quiet (anti squeal) on the shims and backs on the brake pads (not the rotor side, the OTHER side). Subaru brakes will squeal badly without this. You should be due to change the brake fluid (30month/30,000 mile item), might as well do that at the same time if you feel up to the task. I do the brake fluid with all four tires on the car, It's not all that hard to reach around to connect the brake bleed kit and open and close the bleeder valve. Just don't get brake fluid on the wheels or body of the car or it will take the finish off. See this related post: http://usmb.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7847

Many states outlaw studded tires altogether (Florida, Texas, etc), but all other states (and all Canadian provinces) have date resrictions on studded tires. Studs are usually allowed from Nov 15 - Apr 15 If you drive 90% of the time on snow and ice, studs are the way to go, but as the percentage of dry road driving increases, the usefulness of studs decreases. At moderate to high speed on dry roads the studs will lift the rubber of the road severly reducing traction, in most cases 80% or more traction is lost!! It feels like the you are driving on very uneven grooved pavement or metal grating when you drive studded tires on dry pavement. They do not have enough traction for emergency manouvers or even hard lane changes. Studded tires should NEVER be driven above 55 MPH..... its too dangerous. So if you live in Alaska or northern Canada, studs are the way to go, but in southern Canada and US good studless winter tires are the best bet. Remember that studs are of ZERO benefit in snow and wet pavement, they only work on ice. Most snow tires are quite good on ice and almost equal to studded tires on hard packed snow.

I have found more than a few dealerships that are absolutely wonderful to work with.... but many that I come across just don't seem to care about aftersales service anymore, and this is not limited to Subaru dealers. Any Subaru dealer can verify if the recalls have been performed. Subaru has a list of vehicles on which the recall was NOT performed, it just takes a day or so of computer/phone work to confirm. Recalls on the 01 Outback that I know of: front passenger side seatbelt, possible bolt loose or not properly fastened front suspension control arms, some not properly welded rear suspension components not painted properly leading to rust problems down the road, affects all 01 Outbacks, simple wax rust preventative application to correct some 4EAT's do not "park" properly causing roll away vehicles

Here is the other recent thread talking about snow chains/snow tires: http://usmb.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8075

It should be ok.... If they properly cleaned it on the third trip. Odds are it was a plugged EGR line and not a valve problem. They should have cleaned the line properly the first time, there is even a special "scrubbing" tool to do this, it is a round nylon brush on a long flexible shaft. You take the EGR pipe off and run the scrubber through a few times with some cleaner fluid. I had to clean the EGR pipes on my old 85 Subaru about twice as often as I had to clean the EGR valve assembly. You can drive with the CEL on, its just not recommended that you do so for a long period of time. If the CEL comes on again, it will most likely be for the EGR again. An EGR problem will cause some cold operations problems (only at 0 F or below), and slightly higher fuel consumption and emmisions, but you are not going to hurt anything. If the CEL light comes on again in three weeks (Christmas) have it diagnosed though, the EGR CEL should return in the next week if this particular problem is still present, but an CEL three weeks from now could be something different.

So the 4EAT position indicator was another item on the 94 model that went missing in 95, only to return in 96? I guess Subaru swapped the folding mirrors on the 95 for the fixed breakable type on the 96 to pay for the 4EAT indicator.... The 95 has a single door ajar indicator, while the 89-94 and 96-current models indicate which particular door is ajar.

Swapping winter tires on and off the summer wheels each fall and spring is expensive as noted. But it is also bad for the tires and the wheels. The tire beads do not like to taken on and off the wheels too often, the odd removal to patch a tire is ok, but 4-6 demounting/remounting cycles is not recommended. Often the bead gets damaged which can cause leaks and/or blowouts. Mounting is also hard on wheels, especially alloy ones. Excessive mounting cycles can damage the bead area of the wheel and cause leaks (usually the slow hard to find ones). Some winter tires are reinforced for multiple demounting/mounting cycles. Fine, great.... but what about the summer tires that you are swapping? they are not reinforced. Bottom line, dedicated winter wheels in my opinion are REQUIRED, not just highly recommended. I just love to be able pull out my dolly jack, wheel lug nut socket, breaker bar and torque wrench and swap the tires over in about 30 minutes. Much better than getting caught in the winter tire installation rush after the first snowfall.

Bridgestone Blizzak - great on ice, good in snow, wear out way too fast Michelin Acrtic Alpin - good on ice, good in snow, last a lot longer than Blizzak's. I have these on my 01 Outback, and I am entering my fourth winter season on them with about 70% of the tread remaining. They have about 22,000 miles on them. Nokian - I here good things about these tires, never tried them, too expensive and no size to fit my Outback at the time. Yokohama Guardex - I love Yokohama tires, my previous winter tires were old (1995) Yokohama S380's which were fantastic in snow, but only ok on ice. Guardex has a similar rubber compound to the Blizzak so it should be good on ice. The Guardex would probably outlast the Blizzak, but not the Michelin's. Toyo - have some sort of ice gripping compound that I have heard works quite well. Toyo tire owners seem to be very satisfied, thier Proxes line is very well regarded. Toyo doesn't show thier winter tires on thier web site, so maybe they don't make them anymore or market them to the US. BTW: it is not the getting around that is the worry in winter, it is stopping. Snow/ice radials really shine when it comes to reducing stopping distance, they help with all aspects of driving, but it is the stopping that really matters.