1 Lucky Texan

My MIL's 2010 Forester just had this happen. The dealership charged her $110 or so so to clean some valve. I assume the fill valve but, I dunno where it is or how it's accessed. her car gets extremely low use (7k miles!) and sits for long periods of time.

just to check, you looked while the car was idling? some people have had the u- joint (double cardan joint or w'ever) get stiff in the steering column. I think you may be at a point now where you need a good mechanic to test drive the car. Maybe ask in a new thread if anyone can recomm. a good shop near Great Falls.

did you drive tight circles on pavement? have you looked inside the PS reservoir for bubbles while idling?

I can tell you several people, including myself, have had air in the PS system of our H6es.

from what I've read, you WANT the sheathed type and I think that's part of the DOT spec. sounds like a decent deal.

hope it comes back OK

dig around at www.NASIOC.com , they have several members that have done various swaps and upgrades. warning, do search and read first - they can be, uh - a little terse and cranky over there.

and turn off the radio next time.

I might be tempted to do the following, swap tires from front to back in pairs - while doing that, confirm that the calipers can freely slide on their pins. Inspect the lug nuts and studs carefully. Use a wire brush and knock-off any rust on the wheel-rotor interface, and the rotor-hub interface. While idling, look inside the power steering reservoir for bubbles/foam. air sucked in past a bad o-ring or hose clamp could lead to odd noises/jerkiness in steering wheel when turning. Were the old tires all the same model/size ?

if the AWD system tries to engage on dry pavement, instead of tires slipping , those forces start building-up in the drive train. I'm not certain from your post exactly what you are experiencing, but idling thru some tight circles on dry pavement while trying to feel/listen/sense 'jerkiness' - then doing the same after inserting a spare fuse into the FWD slot in the fuse box under the hood, will help diagnose the car's problem maybe read some here; http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/143241-flushing-tranny-for-torque-bind/?hl=%2Btorque+%2Bbind when you reported something "catching the wheel" - did you mean a feeling in the car, or the steering wheel?. There can be air in the power steering system that can make a whining noise and/or cause pulsing in the steering wheel. lots of info if you search using ' torque bind ' or ' noisy power steering ' or ' air in power steering ' , etc.

car details? could be torque bind, search for info. try idling through tight circles on dry pavement. maybe give 'slight' amount of gas. If you feel jerkiness in the car - that's often torque bind, 1 or 2 other possibilities. if your car is an automatic, try using the FWD fuse and test again. are all the tires the same model and wear-level?

drain on lower right (US pass side) either a mickey mouse eared plug or a big Philips-type plastic screw-plug (depending on model I think?)

you might dig thru here; http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=171928

installing a discharge hose , evacuating (now) and re-charging a/c . (03 H6 OBW)

This is a great thread - but maybe because I learn about things to NEVER do to my Soobie !!! hah!

yeah, stay with good pads and have the car detailed. No point in finding some cr@p pad that will kill you just for esthetic reasons.

maybe your engine would be similar to this; you might take a look thru these; http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/95163-iac-cleaning-procedure-wanted/ http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/44219-super-fast-iacv-cleaning/

take the car to Sellers Subaru. a guy on another Forum had a great experience there recently. maybe seaRCH YOUTUBE FOR A VIDEO. SORRY, THAT'S ONE JOB i HAVEN'T DONE, JUST READ ABOUT.

dunno how much shipping would be, but I have the stock springs off of my 06 WRX WAGON - less that 1900 miles on them. if things don't work out with the RS, or maybe you know someone traveling from DFW to your town that could transport them. I'd like to get $40 for the set if possible. I have the axle-back pipe and muffler available too. say - $25 for that?

if you really have the time and space and money for a 'project car', ask around here what's a good prospect. Offhand, I'm think a Brat or an XT6 or an RS, but, maybe someone else will have some ideas.

First, we all make mistakes. I don't make as many now as I have in the past, but by asking for advice here, educating yourself a little with pic and videos, maybe getting a haynes or other repair manual - you'll do OK. I wouldn't have done struts or pulled the fuel pump if it wasn't for the great guys here and elsewhere on the 'Net. I might change the timing belt on my WRX in the fall - intimidating but, i plan to bug the guys here with a lot of niggling questions, partly just to get up the courage! don't worry about too much. And don't be afraid to farm something out that is outside your abilities - you'll still be ahead if you do most of your own maintenance and some of your repairs.

this and 1 or 2 other Forums have posts with pictures and sometimes links to videos.(repair book here ,http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/forum/30-ultimate-subaru-repair-manual-the-knowledge-base-of-usmb-complied-posts-and-writeups-to-common-problems-and-projects/ DIY at www.subaruputback.com) Also, search youtube. Do you have any friends or relatives that wrench on their cars? It's often good to offer some pizza or BBQ and a beer or 3 just to have moral support and someone to hand you tools if nothing else. And some jobs are easier with a helper to pump a brake pedal or something. Start with things like fluid changes and brake work. I still buy tools occasionally. Try to not buy junk, but realize you're a hobby mechanic and really don't need top-of-the-line tools. (tools are kinda an investment, when I die, someone will inherit mine or they will get sold off. so, they aren't quite as pricey as they seem. Good tools will always hold 'some' value, the first tools I bought for my own use came from a pawnshop. later, I got a small 3./8" drive set from a NAPA store, some I inherited from a friend that passed away, some from my dad after he passed....) Specialty stuff is often available from the parts store. basically a free rental. You buy the tool, they refund you when you return it. Sometimes, a co-worker or neighbor will have something i can borrow. do you have a smartphone? there's a $15 adapter and a free app that will let you scan the car's ECU. laptop?, there's cable that can do the same thing.

swap tires front to back. are they all the same model and wear-level?

when you are buying used, the car's prior history and present condition are MUCH more important than the model's perceived reliability for an original owner. Be prepared to have a pre-purchase inspection done by someone knowledgeable with Subaru's AWD system and boxer engines. maybe someone can suggest a shop near you in MI . perhaps ask in a new thread. we have 2 soobs. My wife's 03 H6 Outback is very comfy for us on road trips. nice 'medium cruiser'. In fact, the seating is what swayed us when we eliminated our choices down to 2 cars back in 03 when we were shopping to replace a wrecked Ford van. Does the car you're looking at have the H6 engine?

check for a frozen caliper