1 Lucky Texan

I think, if the orange stuff is like Dexcool (nicknamed DeathCool) it is imperative it not be mixed with even a little glycol (normal, old-fashioned green stuff) due to a serious sludging issue. If it has been installed already and you did not do an EXTREMELY good job of flushing the green - could be a problem. I hope someone with direct experience here will chime in as I am only regurgitating what I've read. Low silicate green stuff should be used for subes but folks have used 'normal' stuff with no reported issues - so YMMV

I think nipper picked up on it. U said the bind does not go away with the fuse in. Either a wiring problem or the solenoid may be bad as indicated by the error code. If it were physically blocked or gummed-up inside the tranny - seems unlikely it could throw a code. If you can test the other one with 12 volts before swapping - I say go for it.

Well, the temp gauge would indicate lower than normal. In very cold weather, the heater may be noticeably less warm. If the thermostat is removed, it may be seen to be open (or at least, not closed all the way). There MAY be ways to look for water movement in the radiator or use an infrared thermometer to take some reading s and compare to a 'normal' vehicle. Most folks just look down one day - see the temp is cooler than normal, throw in a new thermostat - voila! problem solved. On many cars, changing it out is the same easy labor as inspecting it and, since the part is cheap, after you put one in, if the problem remains - you've at least eliminated the primary (as far as I know the ONLY) cause for lower temps in a car. I suppose there is a remote possibilty the gauge began reading incorrectly - so having a mechanic take a look at the problem is not out of the question. But, it could be an easy DIY project.

If it were stuck open it would. You will also suffer worse gas mileage as well as possibly increase carbon buildup in the engine. Even if you have a mechanic change it, it should not be expensive.

Do 3 and 4 share a coil? If so, might be worth trying to swap with the other coil just to confirm the problem doesn't travel with it to the other plugs. Could this be a fuel pump problem? I dunno. Carl

hmmm, I think I once learned from someone here that soobs won't fire off the ignition if oil pressure doesn't come up to some minimum during cranking. I dunno if that's true or not - but it does beg the question, 'is the ECU having all it's logic satisfied to allow starting?'. Could be back to a crank angle sensor or even the aforementioned ground condition. many folks have solved problems by cleaning or rewiring engine and chassis grounds. I dunno

How old is the battery? Will it jump start or start with a different battery? Seems like a bad alt/batt or a major short somewhere. Have measured the batt voltage? I'm thinking possibly shorted plates in the battery. I dunno

Do a search on this issue. There can be problems aligning the bearings for insertion. IIRC

yeah we're good! hah! Probably a lot more miatas around than soobs (or maybe the break more often? *****ducking*****) anyway, often subtle changes in a sensor, or a small vacuum leak or something won't throw a CEL. engine temp sensors have been notorious for causing problems related to cold vs warm idling. I wouldn't rule out possible high voltage problems. If you pull plug wires one at a time while the engine is idling roughly, you might locate a cyl. that causes NO diiference when disabled. If so, that cyl may have a bad plug or wire or injector orsome other issue. Subtle and intermittent problems are the worst! I dunno

Dude! are you dissin' us? >>>Almost as good as my other hangout, Miata.net.<<< lol! Yeah, I wouldn't rule out engine temp sensor, IAC, TPS stuff. maybe try an ECU reset if you haven't.

I 'assume' they cleared the ECU? Probably not 'required' with a cat replacement but good insurance after any engine-type work. I dunno

If it is under vacuum when you remove the cap, either the 'new' cap is bad or the line/dip hose associated with the o'flow tank is clogged. If the line were cracked, you may very well collect coolant in the o'flow that does not return, but there would not be a vacuum as air would likely be sucked in through the crack.

First - it isn't a joke, I just did it in my '06 WRX wagon. It will not disable the initial chime - just the repeat chiming. I used the 'on' postion. dunno if ACC works or not. I did the buckle/unbuckle starting immediately after switching to the 'on' (not starting though) position. I probably did it over 20 times in under 30 seconds, confriming that the warning light in the gauge cluster went off each time. It helps to sit on part of the belt after pulling it all the way out or otherwise prevent the retraction spring from pulling on you during the procedure. I postioned my right hand on the release button and concentrated left hand duties for insertion and 'catching' the tab when ejected after pressing the release button. I HAVE read of folks trying multiple times to get it to work. Perhaps I was just lucky. haven't tried it on the wife's '03 OBW so I don't know what years' cars this is effective on. fyi

Do you get the same/similar noise when the A/C is on? If so, likely the compressor or its clutch.

yeah like they said, have a dealership flush everything, maybe change the oil. I suppsoe you could push for the gas station to buy some kinda extended warranty or put some money in escrow fro fuel system/emmisions work for a year or so. prolly need a 'mouthpiece' (lawyer) for something like that. Can you find the other folks thois happend to? maybe pool funds for a lawyer. I dunno

If anything weird happens and you HAVE varied from the manual - it could be cause to deny warranty claims.

There have been reports of at least 2 other Outbacks burn. Those 2 seem to have begun in the driver's door area and the mirror heater switch/circuit has been suggested as a source of ignition. Any chance you could post a pic of the area involved?

Definitely remove any unneeded weight. religiously monitor tire pressure. Drive as if there were an egg on top of the brake and gas pedals that must not be broken! only keep 1/3 or 1/2 tank of gas in the care. Always keep the windows up. Carl

The stuff zephyr metioned is good. An '03 likely could use some TLC if it hasn't had scheduled maintanence done.

It is worth trying a 'gas dryer' if you suspect bad gas. Cheap and easy. Pulling off one plug wire at a time while idling, will tell you if the problem is specific to an individual cylinder. When THAT plugwire is removed, there will be no change in the idle - cause that cyl. was not firing anyway. If you DO have one bad cyl. the engine will likely die each time a 'good' cyl is diabled. Be careful, high voltage can cause you to jerk your hand away such that you hit something else and get a cut. If there is no definitive problem with a single cyl. likely it is a general air/fuel problem. Do you have a check engine light on?

If you hid the tach behind a piece of paper and drove the car - would you say it sounds,feels,seems as if it is running at higher rpms? Even if this is an electrical issue with electrical noise being detected as revolutions, why wouldn't it be occuring at idle as well? I dunno

5 years huh. Do you know if it has ever gotten a new clutch? So - what DOES the mech think? (are we on camera? this is getting crazy.)

It's easy to miss the tabs going in correctly on bottom of the air filter box. I dunno - just a guess.

Good info on the glass distortion. Also, some people develop headaches from 'outgassing' of plasticizers in new cars, or after carpet/upholstery work. I wouldn't discount the possibility of an exhaust leak either. My wife's last car, Ford Windstar van, would sometimes cause 2 fingers on my left hand to get numb on long drives. It had 8 way electri adjustable seats IIRC but I never was able to make the problem better. No other car did/does that to me.

Was there any tire/wheel installation done? Could you have smaller tires? I dunno, but this is a manual, and 'assuming other normal factors' the symptom reported is diagnostic for slipping clutch. Yes, if it's cable operated (someone here should know) it may need an adjustment, less likely with hydraulic but perhaps there is a blockage not releasing pressure completely or something. I'm going with Occam's Razor til more info is introduced. She said - what 115K? has it ever had a clutch? Wouldn't it be due for one? I dunno