1 Lucky Texan

some folks have had cracked flexplates......

thanx

^^ cool - but, seemed like there was still a lot of rattling in neutral?

well, it can get complicated knowing exactly what to do, but here are some points to consider; there are options, depending on what you already own and your level of 'need'/commitment as for reading 2-3 'levels' of information from the car's ECU. If you have a laptop, there are cables and software you can use to do quite a lot of examination of the ECU's settings and parameters - $$ to $$$ and moderate to heavy in difficulty/learning curve, but close to a dealership in utility. There are handheld code readers with various levels of utility, $$ (mostly replaced by the below...) There are wireless adapters paired to smartphones. $ to $$ , these will be the best 'value' IF you already own the smartphone. Torque is the most popular app. The adapters are often called ' elm327 ' blue tooth adapters. Given that use of any of the above devices may very well point to a system that still needs the attention of a pro, spending much money and time on them might be better spent at the repair shop. But, once you learn what you're doing (and let's face it, in addition to folks here on this Forum, there are youtube videos and other Net resources) you could use the information to do more of your own repairs AND perhaps help family and friends with their cars. So, if, for example, you discovered your timing was retarded to the max, or fuel trims were double digits - that info might lead you to certain sensors that need further testing or even replacement.

many folks with older soobs had had to replace knock sensors. Suppose they 'lose sensitivity' or otherwise have intermediate modes of operation before complete failure? (cheap sensors from ebay seem to work well for people, clean the mount point with a wire brush, dress the cable in the same direction as the stock unit and don't overtorque it) how did the old plugs look? presence of carbon buildup in combustion chambers could raise compression and yield better-running results from higher octane fuel.

that's disappointing - how many miles on the car? have you priced a used trans? check car-part.com and LKQ , also, a local craigslist or ebay listing might be found for someone 'parting-out' a car.

doubtful there's any damage - it's just that with some fluids the synchronizers 'balk' when changing gears, often because synthetic lube is TOO slippery. I have used the original fill, Extra-S and Redline LW Shockproof. The last works best for me winter-summer. Extra-S was good, but feels , I dunno - 'scrape-y' or rough in the heat of the summer. The Original fill was fine too. Most people just get a name brand NON-synthetic GL-5 in the right viscosity and go on with life. I THINK the Lucas you grabbed is synthetic so, maybe that's why you have some difficulty? But, maybe it's just that trans doesn't like that fluid? There's a HUGE thread over at NASIOC with people trying to get just the right cocktail of oils put together for their purposes/climate, etc. No one seems to ever complain much about Extra-s or Motul, well, except for Motul's price.

save some for the rear diff - should be fine there I'd guess. I have had great luck with Redline Lightweight Shockproof in my 06 WRX. Subaru Extra-S works well for a lot of folks. And it's now available in liter bottles.

^^^ that - there's a $75 or so fix if the cap has a broken tab. I f it was already replaced, try to get the old pump back - might be able to sell it or rebuild it for a spare.

^^^ yeah what they said , and actually look in the radiator - don't just rely on the level on the overflow tank.

#4 is left-side, rear.

you could pull the drain plug and inspect the magnet - 1/4 to maybe 1/2(?) teaspoon of sludeg is probably OK - chunks would be very bad. I have heard of a clutch losing one of those little springs before that made some racket - but I don't see how that would be gear-specific or 'in sync' with engine rpm. seems like some kind of input shaft issue?

^^^ what he said plus, run stickier tires.

well, there could be a coupla problems here I guess but, having the shop double-check their work is gonna be a good idea. If you don't trust them, have someone else take a look. sometimes the cap/o-ring on the fuel pumps in this generation of cars can develop a problem that would have symptoms similar to yours - but without the fuel leaking.

do you hear it in neutral? is there any bucking/jerking in tight turns on pavement? and vibration felt in the car? how many miles on the car? original clutch?

wow - thanx for getting back to us. kinda surprised the system couldn't purge itself when it cooled down - pulling coolant in from the overflow.

how old/long since the timing system was serviced? details on engine, year, mileage, etc. the toothed idler, or the tensioner will often go bad before the belt breaks - even with 'time'. I seerviced that system on my 2006 WRX at just under 9 years of age, even though it had only about 60K miles on it - and the toothed idler was very loose and wobbling slightly, another idler was also very loose. The grease goes bad in them with time I guess. Low usage for a car is also considered 'sever duty' and that is why many items need to be serviced according to the TIME side of the maintenance schedule.

maybe slipped crank/cam timing? ECU might disable ignition if crank/cam sensors disagree?

hmmm....squirt some starting fluid into the intake and see if it fires?

anytime someone comes at you for that kinda money - not a bad idea to get a second opinion. Post your city in a new thread asking for a soob-experienced mechanic near your city. If the HGs are leaking externally, that kind of money will buy a LOT of fluid - just be vigilant and top-off oil and coolant as needed. many folks reduce or cure external coolant leaks with proper use of Subaru Coolant Conditioner.

could it now be flooded? Hold the gas pedal to the floor - that signals the ECU to use 'clear flood' mode and shut-off the injectors.

possible crank position sensor. On some older cars - they can get intermittent.

man - just doesn't seem like a bulb - more like an intermittent 'module' /relay ,but - has to be common to the stalk switch and the P-brake handle. The other day I could almost use the P-brake to send light the right side every alternate time I dropped it - when the light is off, it's off - when on, it seems as bright as the left side. No reduced glow or flickering. This morning - both on and repeated activation of the P-brake never turned the right-side off. They both stayed in sync. I'm gonna try to get under the hood at the bulbs at break this morning - maybe I'll spot something with the wiring......kinda reluctant to handle the bulbs and swap sides but it seems like it may be the next step.

sounds like a bad headgasket again, maybe due to a clogged radiator - or not. Since there's white vapor out the exhaust (and I bet is smells sweetish - like toasted marshmallows) I bet a cooling system pressure test would fail. the recent overheat event could also be due to a bad or failing fan - but I'd bet the shop already considered that.

Subaru Extra-S is not bad, but any NON-synthetic name brand GL-5 in the spec'ed viscosity should befine . Since the trans and front diff share the lube, it can be tricky at times getting a lube that plays well with the synchros and shifts smooth at all temperatures - seems that with the synthetic formulations, some folks say they get a little synchro clashing because it's TOO slippery.