1 Lucky Texan

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

pics not working for me could be, the previous belt was poor quality

the splines are odd-numbered so, the pin won't go in if you're 180* out-of-phase. old axle nut might buzz right off with a good impact. otherwise you may need some penetrant and a cheater pipe on a breaker bar. the FSM warns against tightening the axle with the car's weight on the ground - some say it isn't an issue - but I just put a big screwdriver in the rotor vent and 'buck-up' against the caliper when I torque the axle nut.

is there a brand or part number for an asst. of HNBR or a/c 'appropriate', DECENT QUALITY o-rings available from amazon or NAPA or someplace DIYers can easily shop, that will work on our soobs? Not sure I need 400 o-rings, but 8 may not have enough variety of sizes. I seem to have bought an assortment of foreign-made crap o-rings that don't last more than a coupla seasons. thanx

another option, which I may employ on my wrx, would be to accelerate the schedule for the NEXT TB service. so, I may do my next service earlier and swap in a new WP at that time. The TB kit I got had GMB idlers and I have some concern they may not be as high quality as OEM. I also did not change my seals, I was concerned I had a greater chance of causing a problem since I have no experience with that work and I saw no 'weeping' of sign of a problem. I totally get why people have everything done, and I probably would too if I were paying for someone else's labor. But if I have to get in there again because of a weeping coolant leak or oil drip, I will.

I worried about the waterpump but, many folks feel you can leave the original on the first belt change so, every alternate belt service ???? you DO NOT want to skip the idlers though - especially that toothed idler.

do you park with the wheels turned at an angle, and possibly on a slope? all cars can sometimes need some 'counter pressure' applied to the steering wheel to take some friction off the locking mechanism.

best double check is tooth count before starting the engine. I did it after I pulled the pin on the tensioner and rotated the crank 720* to line the pulley marks up again. the belt marks, if present, wont line up again for 243 rotations or w'ever.

good work flyboy

gah! sorry - not AZ lol!

GG - is that 2.2 interference? I might be wrong on that.

broken stud? rear sway bar endlink?

I'd suspect the o'reilly bearing having an early failure. I know it's usually a good idea to consider something else, but symptoms do kinda point to it. many of us would probably have gone with OEM or Timken or similar - still, there are so many early bearing failures, I don't think OEM is all that great. in AZ, I think you might be wise to consider Redline Lightweight Shockproof. In my WRX, it was the best 'feeling' fluid . Second best is the Amsoil Severe gear that's in it now. But, I haven;t been trhu a full summer with it yet. The Subaru fluid was kinda scrape-y/notchy. I have the RL LW SP in the diffs in our Outback. It seemed to quiet the front diff slightly.

plugs in near your left knee in driving position - if it's like my soobs. the belt can be unbroken, but still slip time enough to prevent starting. the toothed idler is a common failure point. I suppose the tensioner might be next.... you could have a failed crank or cam sensor - hopefully a stored code will tell us. it's sometimes helpful to read, write down the codes - THEN clear them. Try to start the car and see if a code is set again and read that new one. Sorta separates 'critical' codes from ancillary codes that may just follow the primary failure. one thing, do you smell fuel? it occurs to me the car could be flooded. If you pull a sparkplug - would it be wet? or does the exhaust smell like fuel? anyway - getting the codes read could be the best thing right now.

it's a 5spd MT. only the one stick GL-5 but, some folks have problems if they run full synthetic. so, stay with dino oil. Or, some folks like the synth BLEND from walmart. any change in the sound with clutch out vs in? could have been a bad bearing install. a good press should have been OK, but if someone 'rigged' the bearing install, could be some misalignment that compromised the longevity of the bearing ????

seems like a 'legit' error code but, the cars can be sensitive to voltage issues and a weak battery can set 'spurious' codes. even though cat. conv. is in the definition of the code, MANY times the converter is fine the issue is elsewhere as described above.

is it not firing? as a test, try some starting fluid, if it fires, then it IS a fueling problem. is the CEL on? parts stores will read codes but, if the car isn't running.......... if you own a smartphone, you can get an ELM327 BT adapter for cheap, and downsload Torque or similar free app - very handy for working with newer cars. If you don't have a smartphone, there are handheld scanners ,or a cable you can use with laptops. hopefully, it is something cheap. Dunno if that engine is interference or not.

^^ great post.

call SOA and have a regional rep get involved. you have so much money involved, you need for Subaru to make things right. Sure, you maybe need to buy new parts on a car that old. But , it should also have been properly diagnosed and repaired and you should NOT be wasting money on 'troubleshooting by the law of averages' (keep throwing parts on it until it works) and wasted tech. labor charges.

cap/o-ring problem on fuel pump? http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/129528-fuel-pump-leaky-o-ring-other/page-2?hl=+o-ring%20+fuel%20+pump

^^^ hmmmm....maybe an O2 sensor wire was broken? wonder about the blinking light to.

things are still tenuous and , probably, won't be a firm decision for weeks. family issues

timing cold have slipped a coupla teeth. I know you checked the fuel at the filter - but, try shooting some starting fluid into the intake while cranking. If it tries to fire, maybe the injectors aren't firing???

lkq and car-part.com are good places to search for a trans honestly, 'almost' no one takes the trans apart - they just swap one in from a wreck or maybe a JDM unit.