1 Lucky Texan

sticking brakes, some kind of failure with cv joint on left axle???? start with a careful inspection of driveline, brakes and steering components

could be abraded wires in that boot from the body to the hatch too.

tetondon - we need details on the car. Id the car new to you? any wrecks or work done before problems began? can you expand a little of what symptoms you have? Have you tested voltage at the battery while idling?

cool - like WWII submarine movies!

back when 2nd gear grenaded on my WRX the shop didn't want to install an axle because of a split boot. I gave them the go-ahead to put in a new axle. (FEQ ? that they get from worldpac) when I picked the car up, I asked for my old axle - I think they at first thought I was suspicious of their work, I told them I was gonna re-boot it. They got it outta the recycle bin (shoulda asked if the had any more) got that done today (Beck-Arnley kit, nice, includes grease, bands, boot and new snap ring) - gonna put it on when I do the struts - probably next weekend . Just mentioning because I noticed there are markings on the end of the axle that seemed lined-up with the 3 ears on the spider/tripod - I've always wondered about 'clocking' or timing of the radial position of the 2 CV joints to each other. My guess is, it may be important, at least important enough to mark the axle.

maybe RockAuto carries them?

is it 'kinda better' when stone cold - then gets bad after 5-10 minutes? if so, points to center diff failure from what I've read.

that's a big hint - you have a broken or severely damaged control arm or bushing mount or.....?

i'm stumped - perhaps the front end damage has bent the frame? seems 'unlikely' to be a trans problem - suspension or axle issue most likely tie rods seem OK? no odd 'pulling' when driving or accelerating? maybe someone can suggest a soob-experienced mechanic near your city.

details on car please and is it new to you? does the car have a lift? have you considered swapping in the axle from the other side? how are the lower control arm bushings? have you measured the compressed length of the axle? is it proper for your car?

if yours is like this drawing - it's number 22 http://opposedforces.com/parts/forester/us_s10/type_12/climate/heater_system/illustration_4/

check www.opposedforces.com? handy sometimes

nice! better than grinding it out myself! those risers/mani will fit my 06 WRX 2.5? will my injectors move over? if you have a set/one to sell, how much to buy and ship one to DFW area? (this means I'll have to re-learn how to use ECU flash to kill some codes too right?) might be a nice future project. Right now I'm looking at some strut replacement work.

threw p2012 again yesterday. Cleared and it hasn't returned - yet I suspect either the battery is getting weak - or it's time to fog for mosquitoes again!

WRX got a 4-corner brake job - very, very close to the backing plate on one rear caliper - glad that's done. dangit if one of the tabs on the bottom part of the intake filter box isn't broken on this car? had to rig zip-ties to try to make sure it seals. Our Outback had the same problem, that bottom part on it is around $150 I had to postpone maintenance on my WRX, should have don it last month. Still needs oil change and a/c repaired. I also have a strut mount that is cracking - great, I'll probably put new KYB struts on the front and get group n mounts. Just not great timing for me money-wise....

went up Rampart Range Rd. a few miles - awesome views, easy drive though surface very rough(wonder if dropping 3-4 pounds from the tires would help?). But, I saw no ruts or wash-outs. Went in the middle of the week, saw 4 other vehicles. highly recommended - hoping to go farther next time I visit. https://goo.gl/photos/y6hpNgjEEypgY6U7A https://goo.gl/photos/GGdYMmesxKNFMU4k8 ritzy 'enclave' up there!; https://goo.gl/photos/WXckpHqpHsaacJWGA

yeah, I was wondering about that - rodent damage, corrosion....?

the dipstick level is already a coupla inches higher on a sitting trans vs an idling trans so, I'm not convinced any more fluid is gonna go where it needs to go...? aren't wet clutch plates jammed into each other on pre 05 autos if the trans isn't running? probably still need to unhook the driveshaft but, I'm not sure. but I'm willing to learn if this is really a good approach interesting

you could use some chalk to mark the bottom of each tire, then drive forward for - 10 revolutions ? w'ever of a front tire, then look ath the chalk marks again.

consider a pre-purchase inspection. If soobs have been thru more than one owner, it's easy for them to have been abused. A good shop should know where to look for issues. RUN if you see mis-matched tires. start locating a soob-friendly independent repair shop near you. Ask about pre-purchase inspection as well as if they have a customer thinking about selling.

low use is considered 'severe duty' so, 'catching-up' on skipped maintenance PLUS doing a repair is gonna be expensive if you pay for someone else's labor.

does the hard start relate to how long the car sits? (does kinda seem like it's flooding)

well, for car models that have a version with a wing, there are thicker/stronger bars to cope with the extra weight. But I think your trunk behavior is close to normal. I suppose you could order new heavy bars but, that could damage hinges I'm thinking. did you check for broken parts? is the there any sign the car has been rear-ended? I suppose if there's evidence the trunk got an excessive amount of use by a salesperson or delivery jobs (....?) it may be possible for the bars to be a weakened - maybe get some from a low miles junkyard car or buy new ones?

that doesn't seem unreasonable but - there may be an adjustment inside the trunk? I have seen sedans in the past with some type of slots or other option to adjust the lift force I think....? did a quick search - some folks have a support piece sheared off or broken; http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/trunk-torsion-bars-can-someone-post-pictures-diagrami-117466p2.html evidently they ARE tricky to work on. If you find a problem inside there, maybe the car had been rear-ended in the past? I might ask a coupla collision shops how much to repair if something is actually broken.

live data or possibly freezframe data from a scan might tell you what temperature is being reported to the ECU .