1 Lucky Texan

if you have another car, hook up the vac gauge, start it, have a helper carefully block the exhaust with a length of wood ,push with a foot if needed, w'ever, to see what the gauge does? based on this, I thinkthe numbers you have DO indicate a possible problem - vacuum leak or blocked exhaust ? wonder if spraying some carb cleaner or starter fluid around the vacuum lines and intake manifold might show a vacuum leak? Dropping the exhaust might be best as suggested above.

with the throttle open, vacuum will be less so, not sure that you're seeing a problem. I think the youtube video i watched showed the vacuum gradually reducing as pressure built-up in the exhaust, if THAT is your observation - could be a restriction. Knock sensor and IACV might be areas to investigate. EDIT; video below sems to suggest your vac numbers ARE too 'low'.(higher pressure than ideal)

Akebono ceramic have been delivered on new soobs for a decade or 2. Semi-metallic are also a decent choice I think. I'd avoid drilled or slotted (except maybe for a dedicated or occasional race vehicle) as modern pads don't outgas as much. Subaru rotors are good and folks should try to keep them until damaged or worn down to the minimum thickness stamped on them. When it becomes time for me to get rotors, I will buy Centric. Centric PosiQuiet Ceramic pads are what I run on my OBW. Other name brand ceramic pads should be fine as well. Stay away from 'economy' pads.

sure it's missing spark? squirt some starter fluid into the intake and see if it fires. check for slipped cam/crank timing. ECU will kill ignition I think if they disagree too much on timing. any DTCs stored? scan the ecu for pending codes (is 98 OBDII in your market?)

sorry - OFF TOPIC - airbag related post. I was recently at a dealership (*gasp*) and when I was leaving, the service guy and the cashier lady both volunteered some interesting info. They saw that I had 2 cars affected by the recall - they said Subaru will pay for Enterprise rental cars so I can park my 'dangerous' cars. There's 2 ways they do it. I can park the car at the dealership (they hinted that it was a bad idea but, since they said they already have TWENTY FIVE CARS STORED THERE (!) I think they are low on space) or, I can park the car at my house, sign a piece of paper promising not to drive it, and drive a rental until parts are available. If you have the dealership keep the car, they have ZERO responsibility for it - theft, fire, damage etc. And, they aren't going to start it or top-off the battery. If you keep it at home, you could idle it every week or 2 at least. I haven't decided if I'm going to pursue that or not.

what car? there was a recall for clip on gen 2 H6es to prevent CC cable interference.

you might also ask here;http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=16

uh - if it hasn't been done, you need a timing belt service too.

not sure about a sidekick - but you can find videos of performance comparisons between Subarus and many other cars.

you can compress them with the bleeder screw open. that might be the best way regardless, if you wanna get bad fluid out. but, yeah, I never heard of there being a chance of damaging the ABS.

seems like it has gotten better? if you think it has, perhaps give it some more time or swap out another drain and fill with the trans-x. you'll still be in for much less than a trans swap. If it isn't getting better - bail out now and call car-part.com or LKQ and shop for a trans, VDCs are not common.

unlikely but, ABS is most sensitive to low voltage - check the charging system.

You are correct - at cars101.com , it seems 1999 was the last year of 60K miles or 60 MONTHS for timing belt service - after that it seems it went to 105. Not sure about Legacy vs Impreza - but both the 2.2 and the 2.5 in 99 are shown as 60.

if it wasn't done - that car is WAY overdue for timing belt service - 105k miles OR 105 months, whichever is first.

first, I read a lot, but have much less experience that many folks here. Evidently there is a cupro-nickel type of metal tubing that is popular for replacing rusted fuel lines. You might also step-back and see if the car is worth saving - if there's a lot more rust, it may become a problem in multiple ways. Finding a rust-free car with a blown engine might be a good idea - move your known-good parts over to it. Rust Never Sleeps

maybe try re-doing the axle. I used a big screwdriver in a rotor vent, bucked-up against the caliper, when torquing the nut. or a helper on the brakes? worth a try - just a hassle, no $$ involved. 99s probably had a model with ABS as an option.

probably a bad axle. did you torque the axle nut with the weight of the car on the wheel? Subaru FSM wants you to torque the axle nut with the hub in the air. Not sure if that could be an issue - just reaching for ideas.

if it's an 1157 type bulb, it could have a sagging element. I sometimes read of people needing to clean corrosion at the bottom of bulb sockets. there are lights on the hatch right? sometimes the wires in that boot from the body to the hatch get abraded.

brake lines also run over the tank I think (they do on other models) maybe look for a compatible body style with a blown engine? Or just go ahead and use the old fuel and brake lines to pull new lines thru. fumes often come from rusted-out filler. Take the plastic cover off and inspect fill pipe.

triple check cam/crank timing - do a tooth count after lining the marks up. still no codes, pending codes? scan the ECU and post codes here. maybe double check for loose ground wires/connectors. vacuum gauge testing might help - 2-3 things it can locate, cheap/easy, do a search. to me, you're wise to suspect the engine work - but anything could fail on an older car. Fluid change and TRans-X additive might help the tranny.

bad knock sensor will rob power, so will a clogged exhaust or cat. conv. (vacuum gauge test might show clogged exhaust) if you compress the tensioner VERY SLOWLY - you may be able to do it several times. kinda sounds like you just cranked away on it and that can destroy the seal inside.

^^ interesting, but I kinda have a feeling the car is a ticking time bomb. not saying the core wasn't clogged, but I just feel the car got into a cycle of slight overheat which started/increased a HG leak, which introduced a 'gas' bubble, rinse-repeat. or intermittent rad fan operation leading to boilover/local steam bubbles ???? or maybe someone splashed in some Dex ('death' cool lol!) look at some images, seems like it could leave some toasted potato chip debris. anyway, kinda feel like the heater core was more a result of issues, which later caused it to contribute to the problem. There's only 2-3-4 ways 'gas' (as opposed to the more narrow description 'air') can get into the system. I dunno - seems like once or twice a year I read of some new way Subaru cooling systems fail. take care of your cooling systems people!

it is true that there have been a few threads lately that seem to have clogged heater cores. kinda wonder if an overheat/boil-over event can cause the SCC to begin depositing where it shouldn't?

just used the code, thanx

LKQ or car-part.com must be same final drive ratio as front diff