1 Lucky Texan

you could locate an independent mechanic that is soob-friendly. Ask for a suggestion in a new thread. but, if you want to take it to a dealer, contact Carl Abrams at Bob Moore in OK city (cabrams@bobmoore.com), pretty far away but, maybe you can combine the trip with other activity? Carl participates on Subaru forums. he's a sales guy but can probably hand your concerns over to someone that won't throw any curveballs at you.

fingers crossed (over the next few weeks - make a point to check coolant level in the overflow AND the radiator, overflow tank alone can't be trusted in any incidence where coolant loss or overheating has occurred, too risky)

check NASIOC - be sure to search and read before posting - those guys can be cranky with noobs.

to me, it seems like you may have half-axle noises but, there definitely have been bad front diffs. Sometimes incorrect fluids are drained/filled. definitely locate a good soob-friendly shop. If you need a full trans, check car-part.com and maybe LKQ

dunno, when I was using a bike rack (1UPUSA), the rack had an adapter for the small receiver.

plugs and plug wires happen to be something folks have bad luck with if aftermarket - get OEM or NGK.

is it a hex socket head? might be an easy-out that would grab it - or a left-hand drill bit.

quite possible inner cv boot is slinging grease onto the exhaust. It is quite stinky off hot exhaust. - not like engine oil. if it has just begun, absolute best repair is to reboot your existing axle - very difficult to find a mechanic who will do it, but probably worth the effort/expense over any aftermarket axle. many folks here DIY the project. I've done it twice. definitely stay away from typical parts store rebuit axles.

you're probably right. I didn't know they could be so bad as to not hold a vacuum, but our 03 H6 is on its 3rd discharge or w'ever hose. the one that makes a 90* turn to go to the condenser. if the OB Sport uses the same part, could easily be bad. Dealer replaced the first one under warranty, I found that one bad with UV dye a few years after. pricey hose too.

well dang! that's what fixed my outback. I'm actually letting my wrx run on the vac pump right now. Pump seems weak (or the gauge is off a little), hoping it will hold when I turn it off. I only had one new valve insert, put it in on the pipe from the comp figuring it gets hotter than the one at the firewall. problem I'm gonna have is how to get 19 or w'ever ozs in from 2 ,12 oz cans.

all cars need tires occasionally many cars need timing belts if you take care of the car, it will last you just fine. many of the horror stories are cars that have passed thru 2-3 owners and/or been neglected or abused. The odds of a caring owner with their 1-owner vehicle experiencing catastrophic failure are low. It CAN happen of course. Just the risk of car ownership in general. find a good independent mechanic and you should be fine - likely way under the prices you quoted.

almost anything that has a lifetime warranty means "the customer is not JUST the final QC, they are the ONLY QC"

it's almost always bad/flat o-rings at the 2 lines on the compressor. not a bad idea to change the schrader valves too. if it still doesn't hold the vacuum - maybe try a charge with some UV dye? could be a pinhole on the condenser or.....?

there may be a hose from the IACV to the intake tuning that is loose. easy to miss on some cars.

when you compress the tensioner, are you doing it over several minutes?

just to be clear here, what do you mean? very roughly - did you; 1. adjust the crankshaft to a point where the dash imprinted on the tab at the rear of the sprocket is near 12 o'conck - aligned with the dash on that 'boss' that holds the crank position sensor. 2. align the 2 cam sprocket marks with their notches or lines on the rear plastic covers. 3. Install belt 4. pull pin on tensioner 5. rotate crank sprocket 2 full turns til it's timing mark is aligned at the 12 o'clock position 6. count teeth between timing alignment marks on the pulleys the crank will rotate twice per each single cam rotation. that website seems legit, you can do a google image search for more diagrams/pics if you want.

right - you can also search for the tooth count for your engine to triple check. that's what I did, after I pulled the pin on the tensioner, but before I started my wrx ,after a belt service.

no, the rear of the crankshaft sprocket might look similar to this;

do a search but, you do not want any pistons at TDC - the crank is put at 1/2 travel for each jug by using the dashed line/groove on the tab at the BACK of the crank sprocket - NOT any arrow/triangle/dot on the front of the sprocket. Then you can safely rotate the cams. In timing position, one will likely try to snap off of the top of the lobes - normal and sometimes frustrating. I have seen a youtube video of a guy that rebooted his axle on the car so - do-able I guess.

^^^ didn't know that could happen.

a little messy, fairly easy. buy boot from Subaru, or, I like the beck-arnley boot kits - used 2 so far. They come with grease pack, new snap ring and bands. maybe $17 or so from amazon. lots of people do this - search for a diy, and check youtube.

the inner joints are somewhat protected from the environment. If the internal volume is still wet with lube, you should consider cleaning, regreasing and rebooting the axle if it is OEM (green 'cup') next best option, buy a used Subaru axle (car-part.com) , reboot inner joint. next , probably a quality new axle like FEQ, or maybe EMPI, Raxles, DTA, etc. (these are not risk-free options) worst risk is typical rebuilts from a parts store, horrible reputations. avoid except in dire emergency. new, of course, would be ideal - just $$$$ !!!

one double-check would be a tooth count, search for the numbers for your engine but, sounds like you're OK

doesn't seem like a an exhaust leak! if the CEL is flashing, should be more codes than the P0420 front O2 sensor or MAF or maybe clogged exhaust ? you may need to start with first principles; check for slipped timing, A:F sensors, vacuum gauge testing, look at live data......

yeah, pull the covers and check timing - maybe just slipped if no bad noises. bad tensioner, bad idler, cracked cam pulley.....anything thing that confuses the cam/crank sensor 'pulse timing' and the ECU will kill starting I think