1 Lucky Texan

cool!

that's kind but really, most of the other regulars here have a lot more experience. I hope you get your car sorted out, at least progress is being made and, if lucky, you may be very close to success!

quite likely just burning stuff off. In fact, I read of a guy in the past that literally poured fuel out of his exhaust parts. (might be bad for cat conv ?) doesn't take much to make huge amounts of smoke. Ask anyone who has used SeaFoam thru a vacuum line. I'd be tempted to let it warm-up to operating temps (you might do it at night if you're afraid the neighbors will call the fire department!) and, if it seems to still smoke/smell of fuel, pull plugs to see if one cylinder is very wet - maybe a bad injector. if all a re wet or the car still smells like fuel, then the ECT as suggested could be the problem.

is the Forry ant. in the back glass? Try wiggling the rubber 'boot' at the top of the hatch while the radio is on. Om our 03 Outback, the ant is in the quarterwindow glass and there is an amplifier somewhere for it. maybe your amplifier is bad.

typical old school scanner would only show pending codes. likely a smartphone elm327-Torque app set-up would display a lot of other stuff. Romraider Logger or FreeSSM with a laptop and special cable also.

how old is the battery? I've had spurious codes set by a dead cell in the wife's Outback's batt.

And the Trico 14-b (or is it 15-B ?) are very nice on the back window.

running Trico on the Outback. they're good. Run 08 STI type on my 06 WRX. very nice. I haven't tried fitting them to the outback but measurements indicate they may fit. they are 'aero' looking and I can get refills from Fred Beans. yeah, they look like this;

there's almost as many approaches to the oil question as religion or politics. I'd think a name brand oil of the proper viscosity range for your climate and driving conditions would be a great place to start. If a problem comes up, or some compression or other testing indicates, just be prepared to tweak your choice a little. as for tune-up ideas, you might consider a throttle-body cleaning and/or seafoam treatment or at least a tankful with techron or seafoam. brake fluid is often overlooked, and at 160K, power steering fluid might like to be refeshed. other fluids too if they haven't been changed. might wanna check the parking brake adjustment. they are no automatic and the little star wheels in the back may need to be turned up a few notches.

NTN distributors; http://www.ntn.co.jp/english/corporate/abroad_network/sales_network_list.html I saw Morocco about halfway down, the rest after that seem to Oceania/Asia

filter change probably not needed. I might be tempted to accelerate my next oil change a few hundred miles but, really, a tiny amount of fuel that MAY POSSIBLY be in the filter/passages, but likely not, is not gonna be an issue after the engine gets to temp for a few minutes. unrelated though but, has the car ever had a new PCV valve? now might be a good time to change or at least clean that part and hose.

ah, but don't the new auto-trannies 'default' the Duty c solenoid opposite the old 4EATs?

OK, if you start here; https://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&q=3811+rustic+forest+76016&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x864e64b69a2ffe51:0xa1a81a38c3bf6c2f,3811+Rustic+Forest+Trail,+Arlington,+TX+76016&gl=us&ei=6NBZUeODIIWNygHixoCAAQ&ved=0CEIQ8gEwAA you will see my WRX. BUT, if you go north, the Google SV vehicle will follow my wife's Outback out of our neighborhood!

what's the best way to post the image?

with the key off, you're just dealing with residual pressure I'd think. Same reason folks are told to pull a fuse, start the car, BEFORE changing a fuel filter. saves you from getting sprayed in the face. But that pressure should fall off quickly. The more rubber hoses in the system, the more they have to deflate. But the pressure can't last with the pump off. But key off, the pump should not have been running. Indeed, under normal circumstances, key on, engine off - the pump only runs for a few seconds to pressurize the system. Then it comes on of course as the engine begins using fuel after starting. not saying some kinda weirdness with the engine cleaning couldn't short out a fuel pump relay or ???? Just not at the top of list of possible problems I'd think.

I dunno, a teaspoon or so. It won't be in there long and it's just to help that first few revs until oil can be distributed normally from under the piston. The car might start anyway, but it could help it start more quickly. Also, starting with the gas pedal on the floor is the 'clear flood' procedure so, if the car has pumped in too much fuel, that should help get more air in the mix. maybe Ivan has some other ideas for what an engine cleaning could damage that would lead to a rich condition.

not sure which engine you have, in fact, others here have a LOT more experience than I do. Just wondering if the engine cleaning knocked loose or contaminated an electrical connection or wiring. Seems like after that is when the fueling problem showed up. maybe look at number 4(s) here; http://opposedforces.com/parts/legacy/us_b11/type_29/intake_and_supply_system_turbocharger/air_cleaner_and_element/illustration_1/ but, there are other ways the ECU might be confused about the A/F ratio and is trying to compensate with additional fuel. Inspect underneath the air intake for disconnected tubing too.

kinda tricky and could be multiple problems but, if I were you, I'd consider re-freshing as many grounds as I could find, inspecting wire bundles for rodent damage. Probably would hurt to very closely inspect the battery and alt. cables. Perhaps the contacts in the starter solenoid are worn?

I'm not certain I follow everything but, if any cylinders are 'full' of a fluid, that is a hydrostatic lock situation preventing the engine from turning over (bad for the starter/battery) and plugs may have to be removed to push any water or fuel out. Then, before putting the plugs back in, it's probably a good idea to squirt a little oil in the cylinders to restore some compression. Fuel particularly will wash-down the cylinder reducing compression. If the ECU thinks the car is getting huge amounts of air, it will dump fuel in, so, maybe the MAF (or MAP?) was affected by the engine cleaning procedure? that's all I got.

I think the ECU on 00-04 (?) H6es maybe handles the field current so, perhaps some OBDII/newer cars use the ecu for field current? anyway, I assumed due to the age of the vehicle in the OP, it was probably supplied thru the bulb.

with the rear of the car on jack stands, I had to use my floorjack's platform on the end of the 1/2" breaker bar to get the plugs loose. Cheater pipe probably work OK too. On your 2009, you may have 13mm square (most people find the 1/2" breaker bar will work OK) or you may need to buy a T-70 torx bit. You can get then Autozone I think, goy mine from Amazon IIRC. it can also be tricky filling the rear diff. I bought a gear oil pump like this;

if the ABS pump is buzzing with the car off, I believe that was a known failure on some cars about the age of yours. Could be a broken wire or bad sensor at one of the wheels. Also, the ABS system is very sensitive to voltage so, check the alt/batt/charging system.

Not familiar with the 2012, but does seem he may have drained coolant, then put coolant in the transmission. Unless he can satisfy himself that he has all the improper liquids OUT of wrong places, and proper liquids at proper fill levels IN the right places, best to have it towed to a shop and fixed up. We will need to know more about the car, which engine/transmission, etc. (Once, I forgot to replace a drain plug ans poured about 2 quarts of new oil on the ground until I spotted something flowing past my feet - feces happens!)

Common advice is to take the rear diff's FILL plug out first. That way, you know you could drive the car if the drain plug is stuck. You're not likely to have a problem, but, it would mean a flatbed tow if the fill plug were stuck and discovered after draining the diff.

Many people report problems with wires, though some say QUALITY non-ngk wires are OK. hard to say it's the wires at this point. does the problem track with temp? on older models, there have been crank pos. sensors that were intermittent with high temps.