1 Lucky Texan

You do have rear disc brakes right? If so, the parking brake drum adjustment access should look very similar to the pics in this post; http://www.iwsti.com/forums/2660325-post7.html there was a faint arrow embossed on our OBW's dust shield and I'm pretty sure UP tightens the shoes and down loosens them on both sides, yeah, one side seems to have a left-hand threaded component. I used a medium sized flat blade screwdriver to flip the wheel. and, info for the brake handle adjustment - but it's usually OK ;http://www.scoobymods.com/showthread.php/parking-brake-aka-e-brake-2779.html?t=2779

Mine don't squeak. maybe they will in the future? I think they'd be good for motorports. I can feel, um, less delay? in application of acceleration and braking. hard to explain. But they are awful going over expansion joints in concrete roadways. Mine were 2 piece so, no press needed for installation. But, you really should get/borrow a 200ft/lb torque wrench. lemme find the link.......http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/99-do-yourself-illustrated-guides/48910-lower-control-arm-rear-bushing-transverse-link-replaced-prothane-03-outback.html

other possible sources of noise, if I understand what you did (not sure of what components you kept or swapped out), would be; backing plate rubbing on rotor bad/broken/rusty parking brake parts rotor wrong size for caliper caliper stuck on slide pins

bad Engine Temp Sensor (not the gauge sensor, though newer soobs use the same 3 wire unit for both) could easily cause a car to run differently based on temp. vacuum leak will throw off the A:F mixture. many possibilities. Some scanners can retrieve short and longterm fuel trims - that might tell us if the ECU has had to make drastic adjustments.

if a 95 is like an 03, there are star wheel adjusters. Look for an oval rubber plug in the backing plate. Pop it out, adjust the wheel down to loosen, UP to tighten the parking brake shoes. I pull the P-brake handle up to the first click, then tighten the star wheel till the wheel just locks. Do the other side, release/test the brake handle setting.

If the bearing is that bad, you should have a coupla mm or more movement when rocking the wheel up-down/12 o'clock-6o'clock. I think around 02, some folks have found 2 different sizes depending on manufacturing date. If you have the old rotor, or if the opposite side is not grinding - well, I guess I;m saying, take he old or good parts with you and compare 00 years to 03 years. measure the rotors's diameters. I know there was a mid year change in rotor size, plus, as mentioned, the possibility someone has swapped in the wrong parts.

perhaps a slipped TB? it's almost due for its second one. vacuum gauge test can look for clogged cat conv, sticking valve or vacuum leak (i THINK hi NOX is a lean burn problem - though I don't know how to correlate that with a rich condition ECU code ???)

I would like to strongly recommend you avoid the poly bushings. I regret putting them on our Outback. I did see someone mention they found some for $80 . I may buy some to swap back into our car. WAY too much shock/harshness with the poly.

first, I'd swap tires front-to-back and see if the problem changes. Also, there can be vibration from bad u-joints and maybe carrier bearings. maybe someone can recommend a shop near Portland. I think we have 1 or 2 gurus near there that frequent this Forum as a matter of fact. perhaps a mechanic will be needed to actually pin this down. If you can take a tech or service writer for a test drive and demonstrate the problem, that would be ideal.

is the '96 a year that needs some steel sleeve part swapped in to protect the aluminum case in the xfer system? something like that

yeaah, more specifics on how it is felt; is it worse after the car is warmed up is it worse when turning or maneuvering in parking lots does it only happen during or after a turn is vibration felt in the whole car or just in the steering wheel are there noise when it happens does application of brakes have any effect what is the condition of the tires (same brand and amount of wear?) what is the condition/history of the car?

is this a larger diameter system? maybe it's worse at scavenging the CC due to lower velocity. Does it weigh more? I have no experience with 2.2s , just a coupla thoughts.

Fairtax4me , you win the Internets !, I award you one of these; GIFSoup I found the gasket between the dipstick tube and the rear of the timing cover. It had to have been there at least 6 months if I dropped it. (I can't see how it wasn't me.) so, I feel like this; GIFSoup

I'm gonna look, thanx

I can't feel it cycle now. The belt must have been skipping/slipping/grabbing or ???? Someone on another Forum suggested looking for oil on the belt. Looks clean, no stains, etc. newest mystery, at some time, I seem to have lost the gasket on the oil filler cap. I never found an unusual part in my garage, it isn't stuck to the filler tube, but it's been many years since the dealer has done an oil change on it, so ???? got a gasket on order from ebay. I hate mysteries with my car.

thanx to everyone for hanging in there with your ideas and support. seems normal now.

definitely reproduced the problem by cycling the a/c comp while driving in 4th at about 2200 rpm. I tightened the belt, it did seem loose. tomorrow, hopefully, it won't still be doing it. if it is, maybe the compressor is going bad?

rain this morning, road and wiper noise prevented any experimenting with the a/c . maybe this afternoon.

OK, the latest was a suggestion on another Forum. i THOUGHT I had eliminated the a/c comp. being an issue when this began. Still not certain, but, today I adjusted the temp to cause the comp to cycle while I watched and listened under the hood. Everything seemed OK ('maybe' there's a slight crank pulley wobble, could be an optical illusion caused by markings on a belt). but, sitting in the driver's seat, I tried to hold the rpms at 1500, where it made the noise that morning as mentioned. Well, I cycled the comp on/off and it seems to be very close to the sound I hear. I might also be feeling it 'buck' a little. So, tomorrow I'll try to cycle the a/c while actually driving at 40 or so in 4th gear. About 4 months/2500 miles ago, I installed new acc belts (Gates). maybe the a/c one is slipping now? I pushed on it and it 'may' be a little loose. It doesn't 'squeal' though. Or maybe my compressor is going bad. This would explain pretty much everything. Even a few days recently when I didn't hear anything. I either had the system off, or the climate control never used the a/c for defrost or cooling. (temps here have been widely variable in recent weeks). I canceled my appt with awdtuning . If I am unable to convince myself it's safe to drive the car after a day or 2 of scr3w1ng around with the a/c comp and its belt, I will probably still need to visit a mechanic. I feel kinda relieved, but kinda stupid.

car warming up this morning, it made the 'chk' noise (uncharacteristically, I had the radio off)so, I decided to listen for a while and watch the rpm needle. It was still warming up and the rpms were at 1500, it made the noise and the needle popped UP slightly. yeah, up so, either i have been feeling a 'surge' instead of a 'drop back' or, some kind of weird coincidence. I have no idea how that could happen.

I'd prefer to use some Techron or similar occasionally. I'd think using E-85 in a '99 could become an expensive experiment but, I don't KNOW that it would be a problem.

I swear I was trying to be careful. Probably didn't wait long enough before checking with the dipstick.

well, broken ring land, burned valve or weak coil - it's beyond me. got an appointment with an expert on Thursday

was it hot? did it smell or look like coolant? you may need to use a garden hose to pin this down.

yeah, I was given a Plymouth Fury once. Little-old-man situation where the widow didn't drive. The car didn't make it to my house. When the mechanic took the pan off the transmission, it was packed with a semi-solid emulsion! free car was not free