1 Lucky Texan

Neither of my soobs get close to the miles of use 'normal' folks get. But, in Texas, rubber and fluids DO go bad with time. The wife's 2003 H6 OBW has it's original hoses. Only 93K miles, but 13 years old. Just wondering if you guys think a burst hose is imminent or if I can somewhat reliably get a few more years out of them? Do they burst/split, or usually 'pinhole' ? And, If I were to preemptively replace hoses, should I change just the large rad hoses? or rad and heater....what would you change? Is Gates OK or would you spring for OEM ?

^^ what he said. If you're curious about whether you have LSD in the rear; chock front wheels, put car in N, lift the rear of the car, spin a rear wheel - if the other rear wheel moves in the same direction, you have LSD. when changing the fluid, remove the fill plug first, drain plug second. Clean the sludge from the magnet - there should be no large particles. I had to use a floor jack on the handle of a 1/2" breaker bar to loosen the plugs. filling is easier with something like this;

what kind of noise does the carrier bearing make when bad?

I have RL Lightweight SP (Smurf Blood !) in the front and rear diff of my wife's 03. In the rear diff of my WRX and have run it in the 5spd of my WRX. I am considering going back to in the 5spd. I don't think it will harm the diff, but no fluid will repair something broken.

there's a long thread about the issue at NASIOC. I used RomRaider and ECU flash to kill 14 codes on my 06 . both valves are stuck closed and have been for years. There are still in place but I pulled a fuse and a relay. No issue with emissions testing. (folks with valves stuck open have more work to do.) Your 07 needs to have a sensor divorced from one of the valves if you remove it. There's no evidence Subaru improved the replacement s parts and they are expensive. read here; http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1209260

you probably know, but loosen the fill plug before the drain plug. they are tight and have sealant on the threads - I had to use my floor jack on the handle of a 1/2" breaker bar. The 'correct' way is with a 13mm square tool - that few people seem to use. one of these will help with the fill;

hmmm....15 minutes of running well. Is that reliable whether hot or cold? That is, If the engine is fully warmed-up, you can turn it off and immediately back on and it runs well? Or, if it only runs well if the engine is cold, could be engine temp sensor is misinforming the ECU which is keeping the engine 'choked' all the time as if cold.

wheel bearings have a much higher failure rate than diffs, but nothing wrong with a close inspection of everything in the driveline.

very odd, never read of something like this I don't think. any other strange behavior? is the car new to you? any work, mods done or wrecks before this started? you may need to get freezeframe or live data. If you have a smartphone or a laptop, there may be inexpensive ways to get data from the car yourself.

odd - try another shop to read the ECU. maybe do a battery disconnect and see if it clears the CEL?; remove neg. batt terminal, step on the brake pedal to remove any slight residual charge, wait a few minutes, reconnect.

if it has never been done, the timing belt system is 5 years overdue. The schedule calls for 105K miles OR 105 months. definitely check for slipped timing. Even if it was done previously, it may not have been done with proper attention to the idlers and tensioner. The toothed idler especially is prone to failure. I wouldn't rule out the possibility of having multiple problems based on those trouble codes either.

double check the battery connections - especially the ground connection. In fact, refreshing ALL ground connections would be a good idea on a 20 year old car. Battery cables could be bad as well. consider having the ECU scanned for trouble codes (usually free at a parts store) post any codes here.

it isn't impossible for the ECU to fail, just extremely rare. They can be bought from junkyards, car-part.com, LKQ, maybe folks parting-out wrecks, etc. you might consider posting in a new thread asking for a shop recommendation near your city - someone may know a good subaru mechanic where you could get a second diagnosis.

cam position sensor? but, not sure why no CEL for it. ECU seems to be cutting fuel for some reason. maybe someone will have some idea what to try next.

may as well change the cabin air filter while you're in there. thanx for any pics!

yeah, may not help but.....; http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/134391-very-dim-illumination-lights/?hl=illumination http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/135636-electrical-gurus/?hl=illumination http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/134810-wtb-legob-illumination-module-83023ae01a/?hl=illumination also; http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/110-gen-2-2000-2004/51855-need-electrical-help.html http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/80-electrical-electronics/35789-dash-illumination.html I'd be interested in anything you discover.

^^^ what he said, easy to crack the pump. also, did the trans pan get dented? even a little? easy to mess stuff up on the other side of the pan.

yeah, I went thru that for a while, thankfully, ours has been behaving recently. I still haven't put my eyes on it. I have one ready to swap though. It may be behind the radio, some say pass side, some say driver's. I have an old thread about it somewhere....

man I had a lot of fiddly issues with my WRX tb, 5 belt guides and left-side cams that wouldn't stay put , but, it's running well and I love it. good job!

I think one of the tests you can do with a vacuum gauge is to watch for flutter that a sticking valve might cause. but it is VASTLY more likely she has a tune-up related problem as opposed to an internal engine issue. I have seen a video and pics of 'dropped' valve guides on some engines, I think it's possible under severe abuse/lack of maintenance I guess....?

plasti-dip?

Discount Tire stores and DT Direct are having some Labor Day sales on tires, wheels. I am gonna try to swing by my local store and order some some tires for my WRX and see if I can get a $75 rebate/prepaid card.

well, I am a Subaru fan but, $1500 is not that much to get your current vehicle in shape. That's like, what? 4 or 5 payments on a new car? The '08 Soob could need struts that might cost you nearly that at a dealership I'd recommend you find a local shop to do a pre-purchase inspection on the Subaru. Post your city and request in a new thread - someone may know a good indie mech or reliable dealership. and +1 on timing belt system service - the toothed idler can self-destruct - not good.

^^ good post. batt disconn. trick cured high-speed hard downshifting on our last road trip. Some folks have cured delayed shifting with Trans-X additive - you might consider it if you do any fluid changing. Uh - did your car get a timing belt system service yet? It's WAY overdue if it was never done.