1 Lucky Texan

hopefully, it's something simple like they forgot to tighten the negative battery terminal and it took a coupla days to vibrate loose. Or a slipping alternator belt. Or a connector came loose. It COULD be unrelated to the recent work, but if the car was running normally before, it should be the same now.

If you have original cables - or even if they are old replacement cables, I'd put them on the list of possibilities.

I knew a guy once that did a lot of side jobs at home on cars/farm equipment. He said he only ever bought left-hand twist drills. Works just as good as 'normal' and great at stuck/broken bolts removal.

you say nothing sounds clanky or noisy, but you also say it sounds out of time. I'd say, DO clear the ECU with either a scanner or disconnecting the battery for a while - but I think a triple check of the timing, especially the crank timing, could be a good place to start. Was the tensioner you installed already compressed (and you just pulled out a pin?)? Or did you compress it?

it's like buying a Harley and working to get rid of the potato-potato-potato-potato sound. CRAZY TALK!!!

I read about the aftermarket's problems after I had bought some parts and didn't realize I was sent Xacstat until recently. I figured I have to try to exchange a 'regular' one - or eat the loss. Both my cars will wear out from age before miles.

yeah, we have one in my area with some aftermarket go-fast bits and STi badges. There might be a JDM Forry STi - not sure.

yeah this^^^^ - but if the reason isn't as fun as the scenario I'm fantasizing about, just keep the truth to yourself Sara. ;^)

Could there be some PCV valve/hose problem? Was any work done to the car before this began? Has maintenance been done by a dealer? Ever wrecked?

from wiki; ****** Major shareholders Nissan had acquired a 20% stake in 1968 during a period of government-ordered merging of the Japanese auto industry in order to improve competitiveness under the administration of Prime Minister Eisaku Sato. Nissan would utilize FHI's bus manufacturing capability and expertise for their Nissan Diesel line of buses. In turn, many Subaru vehicles, even today, use parts from the Nissan manufacturing keiretsu. The Subaru automatic transmission, known as the 4EAT, is also used in the first generation Nissan Pathfinder. Speculation has suggested that it was Subaru that introduced Renault to Nissan, when Renault asked for assistance in all-wheel drive (AWD) technology, and when FHI told Renault to discuss their plans with Nissan, the discussions may have been a contributing factor to the currently successful Renault-Nissan alliance. Upon Nissan's acquisition by Renault, its 20% stake was sold to General Motors. On October 5, 2005 Toyota Motor Corporation purchased 8.7% of FHI shares from General Motors who had owned 20.1% of FHI[5] since 1999. GM later divested its remaining 11.4% stake, selling its shares on the open market to sever all ties with FHI. FHI previously stated that there might have been 27 million shares (3.4%) acquired before the start of trading by an unknown party on October 6, 2005, and speculation suggested that a bank or perhaps another automaker was involved. After the purchase, Toyota announced a contract with Subaru on March 13, 2006 to use the underutilized Subaru manufacturing facility in Lafayette, Indiana, and Toyota announced plans to hire up to 1,000 workers and set aside an assembly line for the Camry model, beginning in the second quarter of 2007. During the brief General Motors period, a "badge engineered" Impreza was sold in the United States as the Saab 9-2X. An SUV (Subaru Tribeca / SAAB 9-6X) was also planned[6][7] but the SAAB version did not proceed.[8] ****** I've heard rumors that some soobs got GM alternators. maybe someone will know more about that. I don't think there was much design input if any actually.

yeah, those were in India. Back before GM sold their FHI stock to Toyota.

I am by no means convinced of anything. Just trying to create some troubleshooting approaches to eliminate things. Clunking noises and some of your other symptoms can be cause by that Shudderless Freering joint/tripod joint w'ever they call it. Heck, just getting the front end up, grabbing the tire, first one side then the other, and rotating them frwrd./rev.-frwrd/rev, while looking at and listening to the axle joints MIGHT demonstrate some problem. Did you wipe off that seepage on the diff? You should monitor that. Even a drop or 2 from there on the exhaust would stink. HEY, get a couple of drops off the diff's dipstick, drip them on something really hot (your exhaust or heat up a big washer or bolt w'ever) and see if it triggers a memory of the smell you first reported.

Tokico makes some sport struts for Imprezas. But if you just want to stay near-stock, KYB probably a better choice than Monroe, Gabriel, w'ever. I just put some on my wife's Outback - no problems. Keep in mind, ANY new struts could feel 'stiff'/'different' than your present 'blown' ones. MWE (through ccrengines.com IIRC) sells rebuilt Soob axles. Lots of folks do complain about aftermarket axles. So far, I have no issues with the EMPI unit in my wife's car. Raxles.com supposedly has a good reputation too. Supposedly, the rebuilts from the Subaru dealer are top quality but, unless they, or any, local place will guranteed to take back any that clunk, leak or vibrate, it's a risk. Also, do not put the wheel on the ground for the final torque on the axle nut. Supposedly not good for the bearing (wonder if this could lead to the vibration complainst people sometimes report on replacement axles?). Slip a giant screwdriver or something in the brake rotor vents, back up against the caliper, then torque. You can find DIY stuff on the Forums for axles and struts and for rebuilding your own axles. Rebuilding looks messy - but def. would be the cheapest, most ideal way to get good axles back on your car. and rockauto and amazon have been great resources for parts.

I used to have some pics stored here, but I guess they got 'purged' several years back. here's a couple from my flicker acct.;

I can't argue with your experience (and the point about torque is good, especially for towing), and I'm not a diesel hater (I'd definitely get a diesel pick-up if I towed regularly), but I think plenty of people experience engine longevity and many of the other things you mention with gas. Might not have spark plugs(which can last over 60K now - maybe 100K miles), but there are glowplugs right?(maybe not anymore - dunno) Plus the better availability of gas, perhaps less engine noise. There's room for both on the road - as with hybrids (diesel hybrid would be brilliant!) and electric. Dunno if you pay higher sticker price or not for comparable gas engine - but fuel savings should not be the primary consideration as it seems minimal. When I was younger, diesel was the cheapest fuel at the station, Now, it's often the most expensive.

I wouldn't think open loop would LEAD to rough-running so(maybe poor gas mileage), perhaps there is a different....or second problem. But that is weird about the sensor. Are you the original owner? Cause, a different problem someone else had was traced to a bundle of poorly repaired wires at the ECU.

where I live, seems like diesel costs 20% more than gas. So, where's the savings?

is the clunk noise only on a certain side? I know it's a fair amount of hassle, but the axles are identical in the front. Switching sides to see if the noise follows an axle might tell you if a tripod joint is bad inside the boot or ?????

hmmm....have you inspected the ball joints? If they are severely worn, folks report sounds and weird 'pulling'. But from what I've read, there's usually some odd 'drifting' or pulling when you brake too. But it may depend on how worn they are. good luck

AFAIK, most folks use throttle body cleaner to clean it. (be careful what solvent you use) I have no idea if there's a 'test' for it.

If I was FORCED to dream up an excuse to choose one of those filters over the other, the thinking would go like this; suppose the previous owner ran 'dino oil' (conventional) and you say you will run synthetic; synthetic is very good at keeping 'varnish' in solution. That's why it always look darker/dirtier. So, your first fill with synthetic 'may' be cleaning out xtra varnish left by the previous oil. Could that increase the likelihood of the filter's media being clogged more than normal? If so, then the filter with the lower bypass valve opening pressure 'might' be preferred and I suppose that would be the OEM filter. but I doubt there's a practical difference - and you could probably return the PureOne for store credit if you never plan to use it.

does 'every sensor' include the Crank Angle Sensor? some folks have had those be intermittent. any codes retrieved after it stalls?

In the OP you mentioned 'temp sensor'. That was the one with 2 wires right?

a lot of miles on this car. You might consider a short block from CCRengines or ??? dunno how much money that would be though. If you have your eyes on a replacement vehicle, I don't think anyone could fault you for dumping this one.

I wouldn't buy another radiator till I checked the coolant with a test from the parts store for bad HG.