1 Lucky Texan

I don't mind it snoring a little at idle, its all smooth power when I wake it up! Carl

I now am left with just reading as there are folks involved with WAAAAY more experience than me - but I gotta say, based on reading this morning, it is imperative the plug wires/boots and plugs themselves be carefully inspected. Seems to me the wires/connectors could've been compromised such that it took a while for arcing to destroy them and MAYBE the coil pack or something. I dunno - carry on Carl

Maybe neutral lockout or something? Wouldn't exhibit the symptom of gradually getting worse. Probably Temp Sensor wouldn't either. Maybe IACV is dirty/sticking? Could you have gotten bad gas or water in the tank? Checked the filter? man - I'm just grasping here. I also kinda liked the tooth jumping business for the belt but you say everything lines up. Is it an OEM belt and did it seem EXACTLY like the old one? How bad was the old one? Did it break on you? Carl

Have we discussed why the work was done on this engine to begin with? Was it running well before the work? Also, how long and under what conditions ahs it been stored? Do the plugs get wet when you crank it? That would tell you the injectors are opening at least. Have you tried the 'clear flood' pressing of the accel pedal? Does a strip of paper try to 'suck in' when held at the tailpipe during cranking? Carl

Seems like it would be more likely to stick closed than open - but I suppose it's possible. Have you checked for a wet cylinder? Is it possible an injector is stuck open? Did you get high flow injectors or something?(often a stock pump can't keep up.) I dunno - hope someone else will join us, I'm quickly getting out of my comfort zone! lol! Carl

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=59696

Yeah, it could be something as simple as the OP has on a different sized tire, but (as in that other thread) it could mean he needs a new VC on the center diff - evidently about $775 at the dealer. Carl

hah! How much of that 775 was the part? Carl

That's a lot of work, could be easy to overlook something. Maybe check cam timing as well as compression. You said something about the fuel, are you giving the pump enough time to pressure the system? Sure there is no code set in the ECM that might be helpful? I dunno Carl

He said he has the 5 speed - so no test with the fuse. Carl

Do you FEEL it or just hear something? Do asearch on 'torque bind' read some of the higher rated threads (4-5stars) Carl

After trying to crank it can you retrieve codes? Might point to a problem. Anybody know if zero/low oil pressure will prevent starting? Carl

Tread seperation/old tires will definitely cause that. I'd swap tires around or borrow some from a bud before I went hunting for tricky to swap steering/suspension bugs - not that it could'nt be rack bushings or something. Carl

wow! I'll be anxious to see the results. Is there a way to cause the ECU to 'reset' and adjust for the higher octane gas? Or are you just gonna run for some time before and let the ECU adapt itself? fun project - how much does a dyno-run cost? Carl

somewhat off-topic, but a fun video; http://www.archive.org/details/Aroundth1937

I don't think you could ever get AWD (4wd - torque transfer) to occur if there were no effect on the center diff. I dunno how a rear LSD would affect the question though - hmmmmm Carl

Try to imagine a 'car' with one normal wheel replaced with a 'tank tread' arrangement. A center, driven axle opposite the tire on the other side and some sort of idler/bogey wheels positioned one forward and one to the rear of the driven axle. Let's say the tank tread is 4 times the circumference of the other tires in it's length. If the car is pushed straight ahead, the 3 tires move the same amount - let's say 1 revolution. The 'tank tread' has only moved 1/4 of it's lenght, but, if it's axle is the same distance from the ground as the other 3 axles - it's axle has made one revolution, just as the other axles have. An under inflated but larger tire would behave the same way (sure, increased sidwall flex would cause more heat and , as pointed out, there could be other safety/wear issues) and lag behind in rotation but it's axle would turn the same amount as the other 3 tires if it's the same distance from the ground. If you throw turning into the issue, I think it might present an opportunity for drivetrain stress to be relieved - as would a gravel or other low traction surface. It took me some time to get my head around it as you all can witness in my embarassing participation in the previously mentioned thread. It's an interesting academic argument, but in practice - get tires that are the same. Carl

Well, I do not have the training you do and it took me a long time to realize the actual issue (there's long thread about this from a month or 2 back, very interesting) but the problem with altering pressures to get the proper - um - 'operating radius' - is, you may affect tire safety negatively, too little and sidewall flex will increase the heat and outer edges will wear faster, too much pressure and center tread will wear faster, etc. I think 1-2 psi different from 'ideal' is probably OK for most of us. best is too just get new tires and rotate them, or have a newer tire 'shaved' to mix in with 3 older ones ,etc. Again, long high speed trips on the highway are probably the main risk(to a center differential). After all, even making a turn is gonna vector some mass to one side, changing the axle to ground distance some. I think you can probably make some pressure adjustments to 'skate by' for a while, but getting new tires brings a lot of pluses - you know the history/age of them, you can choose the type tire you want for your intended driving style/area, increased safety, etc. I wouldn't delay too long. if you're interested in seeing me display my ignorance; http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=51194&highlight=radius+tank+tread lol! Carl

Sorry, I meant, with the old, weak battery, perhaps the alt. was under a greater load and robbing a few ponies from the engine. With the new battery, that load is reduced and maybe you can feel more 'pep' now when driving. just a guess. Carl

If u read some of the archived threads on this issue, you will find there a re a lot of variables and often, folks do get by without damage. It's a little like the issue with oil. COULD someone get to 250K miles only using the cheapest oil and changing every 10,000 miles? Yeah, maybe somewhere someone could. But would you recommend it as a normal practice? Just because your car isn't displaying any symptoms now, might not mean the lifespan of the center diff hasn't been cut in half or that it will break tomorrow. So much depends on the type of driving too. If its been on soft roads gravel etc. the forces are relieved before the drivetrain builds up any stress. Lots of surface street driving might do the same. Long distance highway travel would be much worse. Also, the actual distance from the center of the axle to the ground is the issue, that's why(in addition to other factors) the fronts usually list a higher pressure than the rears, exactly as you noted, it's heavier and more pressure will keep the 'proper' inflation in the tire for the load that's on it. the 1/4" is some engineer's safety margin compromise number. probably not just made up out of thin air - but probably has some margin of variance that will also yield satisfactory performance/life. You just want to minimize the stress on the drivetrain when operating strictly on hard/dry surfaces for long periods of time. That requires no speed differences among the 4 axles. Carl

If u read some of the archived threads on this issue, you will find there a re a lot of variables and often, folks do get by without damage. It's a little like the issue with oil. COULD someone get to 250K miles only using the cheapest oil and changing every 10,000 miles? Yeah, maybe somewhere someone could. But would you recommend it as a normal practice? Just because your car isn't displaying any symptoms now, might not mean the lifespan of the center diff hasn't been cut in half or that it will break tomorrow. So much depends on the type of driving too. If its been on soft roads gravel etc. the forces are relieved before the drivetrain builds up any stress. Lots of surface street driving might do the same. Long distance highway travel would be much worse. Also, the actual distance from the center of the axle to the ground is the issue, that's why(in addition to other factors) the fronts usually list a higher pressure than the rears, exactly as you noted, it's heavier and more pressure will keep the 'proper' inflation in the tire for the load that's on it. the 1/4" is some engineer's safety margin compromise number. probably not just made up out of thin air - but probably has some margin of variance that will also yield satisfactory performance/life. You just want to minimize the stress on the drivetrain when operating strictly on hard/dry surfaces for long periods of time. That requires no speed differences among the 4 axles. Carl

I would definitely confirm that the stock wheels were NOT those '02s that someone pulled outta the dumpster or something and put on your car at the dealership - there must be a number or code on them to confirm they are not the recalled ones. From what I've read at tirerack, lug nuts can make a big difference, number of threads engaged, depth, angle/shape of the contact area. Maybe you need different nuts for the winter vs summer rims? Have any enemies? I dunno Carl

Possibly the alternator was being overworked? I dunno Carl

There are a lot of links there and one mentioned that batteries sometimes get replaced when they are still good - that could 'bias' that map lower. Still, where I live, more than 3 years is pushing it and I've had them die sooner.( at least twice I've gotten the AZ 'gold'/whatever series 3 year full replacement) Carl

coupla good links; http://www.uuhome.de/william.darden/lifemap.jpg http://www.uuhome.de/william.darden/ Carl 1 Lucky Texan