1 Lucky Texan

Yeah, we shoulda asked him what he wants to do in post #2! hah!

Ya know - the temp here did just recently plummet to 93. (sorry - couldn't resist)

Others here will likely have more experience. You might consider taking it back to the shop, or a mechanic, with the groundhog story and the receipt listing the underbody work. Let them have a look. If you want to give it a go yourself - first thing, make sure you have plenty of fresh air where you work anytime the engine is running - no enclosed areas! take off the plastic 'skidplate' dealie, open the hood, start the vehicle, have someone else use a piece of wood or something and mostly block off the exhaust and listen for telltale noises.

bump for link to discussion of rotational mass (lighter wheels); http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=825517&highlight=rota+weight

yeah, can u describe the noise? Or can you see a rusted through area. Did the sound show up after any service or unusual incident? Carl

You might ask Jamie at http://www.subarugenuineparts.com about the price and availability. I'd be interested in knowing how you determined that part is bad.

I just saw this thread. My wife drives an '03 OBW and I have seen the switch on accidentally at least once. Is there a specific fuse for the circuit or an easy way to disable it? tia

Does it do it at 20mph in reverse? lol! I dunno - maybe speedo cable.

Based on what I've read, the above advice is right on. The only thing I have to offer, is there ARE things that will make the car handle better. You just need to abandon any thoughts of drag racing, and concentrate on the twisty or the off-road stuff. AutoX or RallyX is where you COULD have some racing fun. A nice combination of improvement comes with lighter wheels. Less unsprung mass, less total mass and less rotational mass - along with better looks! You will likely feel the difference in acceleration if they are really light. If you didn't mind the speedo-odometer being off, you could get more down low grunt with smaller diameter tires. Highway travel will mean higher RPMs and likely worse mileage though.

If you didn't reset the ECU after that work, I'd recommend it. Disconnect neg batt term , step on brake pedal, reconnect batt after 30 minutes or so. Start car. If problem persists, retrace/recheck all hoses from intake/throttle body. Can you 'feel' cyl 4 injector firing? Got spark at cyl 4?

In all fairness, the 'icon' Subaru uses for the 'single-wipe-per-pull-... mist...-function' is THE SAME as the symbol used to squirt washer fluid. You're not the first person to think something was broken. Even the manual is a little confusing.

No problem - be sure to post some pics afterwards so we can see how slammed your ride is!

If no one here has any help for you, check the appropriate forum at www.nasioc.com .There may even be some FAQs or 'sticky' threads on the issue. also, http://www.subarureview.com/suspension.php?PHPSESSID=d95940d8b8e7c0218bc1aff7242a1708 might be a good place to check. 2 inch is a little aggressive so doing some research about rubbing issues before you purchase is a good idea.

Someone will probably know how to give you a link to that info. But while you're waiting - try lowering the window, placing a hand on the inside 'tweeter' area of the triangle, and your other hand on the outer mirror area and just 'squishing' them together. It may help for a few weeks or months. Try to push on the door itself and not the window when you close the car door on a regular basis.

get a 6 pack or whatever of filters and washers from a discount dealership online (http://www.subarugenuineparts.com) and some Rhino ramps if you need a little xtra clearance to slide under the car. here's some good info; http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=499177

easier to find a 2 liter from a WRX or, if you're lucky, an STi I have only read about swaps like this. If no one here steps up with real world advice - try digging around over at http://www.nasioc.com those guys are big into modding and tuning.

This is a good question. USUALLY, due to slight drag on the caliper rods I guess, the inside (with the piston) wears a little faster - so I would put it there. BUT, on the last car I did(dodge avenger), the squeeler pad was not interchangeable with the other side and it HAD to go on the outside. Seemed like a bad engineering choice to me. I dunno

https://www.subarugenuineparts.com/product_info.php?cPath=32_36&products_id=118 http://www.etrailer.com/products.asp?category=hitch&year=2000&make=Subaru&model=Legacy&t1=&h=e&style=Outback+Wagon&ob=

Limited, and some of the following have downsides associated with them or are otherwise controversial - listed in the order I think I would do them; Lighter alloy wheels (multiple benefits) 'snorkusectomy' lighter flywheel if manual tranny (but stay over 10 lbs or so) lighter (probably not underdriven) pulley set if auto tranny perhaps free-er flowing exhaust (though you may lose torque down low in exchange for a little high-rev HP) there MAY be some cams/internals available but at that point you may as well swap in a 2 liter turbo. A lot depends on what you want to do with the car. If you want to pull harder from the line, you could even get smaller diameter tires - though your speedometer/odometer will be wrong and highway mileage would likely suffer. just my $0.02

thanx for reminding me to listen! (though I think he's not too keen on subes)

If you mean drilled as in not original, I'd try putting some tape over it and see if the noise goes away. It could be a normal hole for water drainage or something if its factory original. I dunno.

this thread confuses me.

Check the airbox - it's kinda easy to not clip the bottom of it back in place well - causing an air leak and noise. Also, is there a difference between the noise based on whether the A/C or defroster is on? maybe the a/c clutch bearing is going bad. just some guesses

Legacy777 and the experiences of others seems to point to the fact that, when the torque bind symptom is elimintaed by inserting the fuse it at least confirms that the solenoid is working. I'd like to try to figure out if there is the possibility that, in the situation in this thread where the condition did NOT improve, means the C solenoid or its wiring/etc. could be bad. But, it may also mean that, if the fuse being inserted is supposed to close the valve, that gunk may be holding it open - and thus a flush of the tranny may be succesful. am I making sense? It just seems like we could put together a 'flow chart' for DIY attempted fixes or at least troubleshooting the problem.

Nipper, if the C solenoid is prevented from sealing - either because its bad,-( is it 'normal open or NC?) - or the seat is blocked/leaking, does that place the center diff in full 50/50 or in FWD? Another way of asking; if the fuse is in place, applying a constant 12V to the C solenoid,(right?) is it forcing the valve closed or open?