1 Lucky Texan

the proper way to adjust parking brake shoes, is to rotate the s'tar' wheel UP on both sides, it's behind an oval rubber plug on the backing plates in the rear. Search for info on that. (unless the hill holder makes it different somehow. ??? Fairtax?) if that hill holder is even slightly related to your problem - ask fairtax how to disable/remove it - you live in HOUSTON for gosh sakes ! lol!

under some odd circumstances, you can have a flooding condition. When it's very cold and the car is started, moved a very short distance and immediately turned off - when you try to re-start, it will be floded. Try either pulling plugs to see if they are wet with fuel, or, the 'clear flood' procedure - crank with the gas pedal HELD all the way down on the floor. also, have you scanned the ECU for pending codes? also, this gen Outback can have problems with a cracked cap/ruptured-displace o-ring on the fuel pump. There's a $75-$100 dollar fix for that. http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/110-gen-2-2000-2004/41182-symptoms-fuel-pump-o-ring-problem.html

What lube is in the trans now? Synthetics don't work well for many people. I liked the RL Lightweight SP I used in the past. And the Amsoil Severe gear in there now is OK (both feel better to me than the Subaru stuff - but I haven't felt the Amsoil in the Summer yet.) Motul has lots of fans, it's also pricey though. no fluid will repair a broken trans, but some let the synchros work better if you have clashing or 'notchy' shifting. Some folks are praising the Walmart synth-BLEND stuff and it's 1/2 - 1/3 the price of most lubes reported to work well; http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/experimenting-wally-world-supertech-75w-90-88763.html

It may be worth trying 3 fluid drain/fills and on the last fill, use Trans-X. Especially if the binding goes away with use of the fuse - may mean the trans-x has a chance to bring the seal back to life? if the fuse doesn't fix the binding, good chance the 'basket' is grooved in the tail of the trans as said above. just an idea

it isn't required/necessary - but, if you you can't find a highly-rated independent shop near you, dealer may be the best choice. ask in a new thread and somomne may be able to recommend a mechanic, you will likely save a little money.

look for a kit with a Mitsuboshi belt. I think I got mine from mizumoauto on ebay. Chinese factories are definitely capable of turning-out good parts, but it seems so hit-or-miss, variable, not a bad idea to proceed carefully. I have used 2 or 3 BA parts, the all seemed good.

P0440 could be rusted thru fuel filler pipe. the other may be a bad rear O2 sensor - dunno if that code can be fixed with a 'plug anti-foul extender'.

he said blinking - maybe try pushing the hazard switch? (red triangle)

I dunno - but if it's like an 06, there's a procedure here; http://www.cars101.com/subaru/airfiltration.html#2006legacy

some 95s are OBD II - it's designed for that protocol. Should be an emissions sticker/label in the engine compartment - maybe underside of the hood?

also, there can be pending codes before the CEL is set - you might scan it again.

lol! - I'm wrong a LOT, just throwing out ideas - mostly based on reading. plus - always try the easy stuff first. It's hard helping folks over keyboard communication. They don't give you all the info, you're not there to experience the problem in person - smell the smell or hear the noises or feel the vibrations, just making educated guesses. we are lucky to have experienced folks here and they will chime in, especially if they think I'm off-base.

could you have a FWD car? I know there are some up to 1994, not sure the last year they made them. And some folks have modified soobs to be FWD-only. Might explain all the power going up front???

tires in the range of 6-10 years old can have problems. The rubber cross links and might be more brittle or loose some other desirable characteristics. at minimum, consider swapping tires from front to rear (and readjust the pressure according to the door card, maybe 1 or 2 psi above those numbers - stay below the max listed on the sidewall)

kinda wondering about flooded engine. Cylinder 'wash down' can lower compression. maybe try holding the gas pedal down while starting. That triggers 'clear flood' mode on the ECU. If the engine temp sensor is always telling the ecu the car is cold - the ecu opens the injectors and 'chokes' the engine with more fuel. On some older soobs there are 2 temp sensors, the 2 wire unit is for the ecu. On newer soobs there is a single 3 wire unit for the temp gauge and the ecu.

I've only read mentions of them - I guess you get a 'granny gear' for more grunt? http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/110-gen-2-2000-2004/290538-jdm-dual-range-transmission-into-00-outback.html http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/68929-actual-ej-dual-range-transmissions/ http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/153425-dual-range-jdm-transmission/

from everything I have ever read - 2.2 engine is the one you want. (yeah - I have an 06 WRX - just spent $2k having the trans rebuilt) guys? - were some available with the dual range transmission? maybe out of Canada? that could be cool.

call around, you might actually save a little having your trans rebuilt. Or a speed shop may have a 5spd leftover from a 6spd swap. I'd expect being in CO, both shops capable of trans rebuilding AND used transmissions should be easy to find. my 06 trans ate 2nd gear - rebuilt by a shop in DFW for $2k . You might do better - if you can R&R yourself - maybe get it done under $1500.

you haven't connected any green or black connectors you discovered under the dash have you? they are only for diagnostic purposes and can confuse folks troubleshooting problems. also, any smell of fuel at the exhaust when cranking? maybe the plugs are flooded and wet. cranking with the pedal on the floor will signal 'clear flood' mode to the ECU.

oh - probably not it then.

tochigi-fuji/GKN ?, rallispec or other for Torsen? investigate r-160 and r-180 diffs, maybe with swapped guts from another diff? 2005 STi ? GT-R rear diff???? there are some discussions about the above at NASIOC but they all sound expensive.

to me, that indicates there is some other reason for the no-start than a 'dead' ECU. The ECU cycles the pump and is responsible for 'timing' the cycle. OF COURSE different input-outputs can still be compromised, but you'd want to be certain there is no other possibility before swapping-out the ECU. The ECU is not satisfied for some reason that the car should start. Security or confused cam/crank sensors, 'neutral' safety/brake switch,etc. or ???? does this car have an aftermarket remote start? they are notorious for these type problems.

possible hole in the filler neck - often, older soobs have serious rust on the other side of that the plastic cover.

I don't know what to do with the info, but, do you hear the fuel pump cycle on for a coupla seconds when you move the key from off to on ? if not, I'd be very suspicious the ECU is not powered or 'bad'.

Subaru might sell you a new LSD diff, or the LSD internals but probably $$$saudiarabia$$$