1 Lucky Texan

every BA part I've gotten seems OK. I'm gonna try some Febest transverse links on my wife's Outback. I stupidly replaced the leaking OEM with Prothane and they are HARSH! (but, quicker-feeling take off and braking response)

I saw this video when I was searching around ;

OK, I think I have a coupla plans to try in the morning. First, I'm gonna use my old T belt and some pliers/vicegrips to try to turn it. If that fails, looks like there is just a dust cover on the front and a big hex or TORX cam bolt I can get onto under it. the belt covers on the the other 3 cams are fiddly - but I guess helpful. 5mm hex key. I needed an inspection mirror so, that was one interruption today. And I guess I never figured on needing coolant so, I'll pick some up. I cut a plastic jug up to make a spacer for all the belt covers. Folded over (2 layers) it looked like about a mm in thickness. The toothed idler will spin for 9-10 seconds when you flick it. It and one other idler seem to rock an extremely small amount. The tensioner looks oily on the top - not 'pooled' but seems to have seeped-out some I guess? Rag is reddish when I wipe it over that rubber seal. The upper smooth idler is a Koyo - looks like dual bearing compared to the GMB I bought - I bet it would last much longer. The other parts seem to be NSK and NTN ? Using 5th gear, parking brake and chocked wheel, I was able to break the crank pulley loose with a 7/8" 6 point socket, 1/2" breaker bar with about 2' cheater bar. So, that at least went better than expected.

well, I'm about 2/3 - 3/4 finished with my 07 WRX wagon's TB and quitting for today. Putting the belt on got to the last cam, L-U and it snapped. BUt , I don't know what's under that cover on the front. I need some way to get a tool on it to rotate it back in line. I guess the AVCS stuff is in there but, I don't want to take the screws off if oil, springs or ball bearings are gonna fall out. And, is there a seal or gasket involved, etc. this video has helped me, though I didn't pull the rad or move the PS reservooir or the filter box;

I suppose if the car sat around long enough, with already worn rotors, you could get new ones. On a $300 car, just get regular centric rotors (or maybe Premium) and Centric PosiQuiet Ceramic pads, or any ceramic pads on sale maybe? Don't forget to flush the old brake fluid out too. If 95s have the little shoes in the rear for parking brakes, there's a star adjuster for those behind a rubber plug in the backing plate. as a GENERAL rule, you should try to keep OEM brakes parts as they are great quality and robust.

there's a iffy chemical test available from parts stores - even some youtube videos showing how it works. you could ask blackstone labs or polaris labs about a fluid analysis. I think some people have confirmed with an overnight coolant system pressure test. A shop with the old-style tailpipe emissions probe might be able to detect combustion products in the radiator.

everything's been good for 30.000 miles and these symptoms just started recently? vibration in gear at idle is very often aftermarket axles. very well known complaint. How old is the AT fluid? You're checking the level while idling on level ground? Usually, a good first try at AT problems for a DIYer is 2-3 drain/fill/drive briefly/repeat cycles. You get about 85-90% fresh fluid with 3 drain/fills. Some people have had luck with Trans-X or similar additives. but 30K seems early to have a problem based on bad fluid.

if you have Soob rotors, keep them if they are over the minimum thickness stamped on them. A bedding-in procedure will often take care of that 'warped' feeling. http://stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers/-warped-brake-disc-and-other-myths

I'm gonna make a nanny post and mention, DO NOT allow pools, slicks or containers of antifreeze to hang around unattended. It has a sweet taste that pets and toddlers cannot resist - and it can kill them.(15-20 deaths/year in the US) very toxic stuff. Destroys your kidneys with insoluble oxalate crystals. The only treatment is to quickly get you drunk 'almost' to the point of lethality with ethanol injection. So, make sure it's disposed of properly.

The way the system works is, as the volume increases with temp - the radiator cap allows fluid to move into the o'flow bottle. As the syste cools, fluid is drawn back into the rad. from the bottom of the o'flow bottle, thru that small black tube, into the rad. Instructions for the SCC require you to remove 4ozs fromt the rad. and add the conditioner. A lazy or uninformed person might be tempted to add it to the o'flow bottle on the theory it will get pulled into the system. There's a possibility that high concentration in the small tube and tiny reverse valve in the cap could be compromised. The conditioner uses tiny particles (of Ginger I think???? ? ) as a 'carrier' for the silicate or w'ever chemical that is supposed to help with coolant seepage. You might consider taking the o'flow bottle out for cleaning. many of us also cut the bottom of the small dip tube at a 45* angle to help guarantee proper function. All that is out of an abundance of caution.

+1 to Imdew's post.

is it pushing coolant into the overflow? If so, given your other info - almost certainly headgaskets.

look for air in the PS fluid tank. Suction hose, it's clamps, or its adapter on the pump might be leaking air.

I've read of cracked clutch forks causing some problems - but I THINK that was in older models?

On that code, I'd be tempted to clear it and see if/how quickly it returns. I've had 2 instances of 'spurious' codes set on one car - and one instance on another. On one of those cars, a dead cell in the aging battery 'seemed' to be the cause. Might be electrical gremlins - old battery, poor ground connections, loose harness connectors.....

I'm wondering if someone threw the Subaru Coolant Conditioner or similar product into your overflow tank? That's not the correct way to add it to the system.

ah, thanx - I just have one T wrench. hope it will be enough but, I'm prepared to go get a tool or other supplies if I need it - still a lot cheaper than having someone else do the job. maybe I'll spray the fan bolts with some PB blaster. still kinda wondering about that crank bolt, oil? dry? threadlocker? FSM wants oil so, I may use just a little anti-seize. Hoping 5th gear and my wife's feet on the brake will let me bust it off (and put it back) - but I'm prepared to use the starter-bump trick if I must! I might pull my starter and see if I can re-grease to front-end of it. It's a planetary type and, last winter, it was dragging on cool mornings. It did it again just the other day when we had a cool-ish morning. I have work planned for the wife's Outback this same weekend so, I kinda need to pace myself and have some PLAN B options on when to quit and move on. lol!

IACV hose under the intake might be loose. was any work done before it began this behavior?

didn't some older cars with ABS get a recall to flash the ECU? crappy tires could also be an issue. maybe even a stuck caliper on that front-right.

It's a fair point and I DO wonder sometimes if it's a waste of time and money to use the time side of my schedule for strictly mechanical stuff. Certainly, an air filter is unlikely to go bad over time. Same might be true for a sparkplug. but, I guess it's an "abundance of caution" plus, I recognize that lubricants can deteriorate with time. Others have reported that often a pulley or 2 are in much worse shape than the belt itself. I would have the opportunity, I suppose, of removing the belt and spinning the pulleys/test pulleys for 'wobble' w'ever. But, half to work of replacing most of the spinning parts would be done by the time I pulled the existing belt off so.... Just not in a position to deal with a broken motor IF the worst should happen.

need to swing by and get some threadlocker for the weekend TB change. I think I have everything else ready to go.

at tirerack.com and maybe discounttire websites, you can select your car model/color and 'try on' images of different rims. nasioc.com would be a good source to investigate for most-popular mods. generally, intake is not high on the list.

strut bolt loose at the top mount? rear bushing on the lower control arm (transverse link) double-check brake components

Some systems are so automatic now, you may never know when the a/c compressor is actually on. But, if you never hear the noise under conditions which you can confirm the compressor hasn't been operating, then the a/c system is not involved. There really should be no air space under the radiator cap. If it seems to have torn/cracked seals, just get a new one. Most people insist on one from the dealer but I think Stant makes a good replacement. I have heard a 'gurgling' noise once on our 03 Outback from the area of the gas tank. never had a problem or heard it a second time. ??? But yours def. sounds like a coolant problem if the sound is from the front.

don't just rely on the level marked on the overflow bottle. When the engine is cold, also check the level in the radiator - it should be completely full. Also, have the a/c refrigerant checked. You car 'may' be old enough to have some leaking o-rings at the compressor or other a/c system leak.