1 Lucky Texan

This is kinda curious. I wonder what color the smoke is? If it's black or blue - then I believe that couyld kill a cat. If it's white, could be a head gasket again (unlikely a coolant leak fix is gonna seal against compression pressures - good for external leaks only, usually). Valve guide/seal wear could maybe create the symptoms you have and not be found on a compression test. Wouldn't hurt to check the PCV valve and hoses too. I dunno. carl

My wife's '03 H6 OBW has been great so far. The A/c is more than adequate for front seat passengers. Rear seat I dunno - I'm never back there. There is a cabin airfilter you will want to change probably yearly at least - more if you're in dusty dirty conditions I guess - to keep the air flow up through the system. I saw several used units at Teape Subaru off I20 in Arlington. I am in the process of ordering an Impreza wagon for myself. If you go to Teape, Ryan is the Soob maniac there. (ask to see his STi tattoo!) If you go to SOD, ask for Kevin. Of course, they may hand you off to a used car sales guy, I think they would at SOD anyway. good luck! Carl

I'm not familiar with that exact kit - I assume it is a wiring kit? many Subaru owners have reported issues caused by poor grounding of sensors, relays, etc, due either to bad contact through paint or corrosion in extreme environments. I suspect most of any improvement those kits yield could be had by just going through you car as is and 'freshening up' all the ground connections you find. Take 'em loose, inspect the wire and connector. wire brush them to bare metal, reconnect them, maybe cover with some grease or other 'barrier' compound. Of course, if you've added some electronics or beefier stereo gear, that comes with its own electrical demand issues. The wiring kits also add a 'bling' factor from what I've seen that may make it worthwhile for some folks. You could dig around over at http://www.nasioc.com More tuner/modder type folks over there. Carl

here; http://www.subaru.ca/content/7907/media/en-ca/download/06ImpBrochure.pdf fyi Carl (thanx to Ryan at Teape Subaru)

Someone just dicovered their 'binding' was caused by a frozen U joint in the driveshaft. I dunno - worth a look I guess. Carl

Just a coupla' guesses over there so far. ;^) Carl

Well, in NASCAR they definitely have spotters, but WRC or Formula or ??? I dunno. Carl

Anyone know how much the '06 17x7 wheels weigh which are now stock on the WRX? tia Carl

I think there is little comparison most of us have to race car drivers. They have no pedestrians, cross streets, motorcycles, bicycles or semis to watch for. They often are in only 1-2 'lines' of travel and understand excatly where the nearest vehicles will be at any given time. Plus, they are surrounded by other skilled drivers. They are also traveling the same known course. And usually aren't eating fren - uh - freedom fries while talking on a cell phone! lol! I have a habit of being a swivel head from driving older vihicles with only a driver's side mirror. I DO think mirrors could be used adequately in 95% of driving situations - the problem comes in those 5% where a motocycle or bike is camped out in your blind spot! be careful out there Carl

A fuel smell int eh engine bay may not be an o2 sensor. I'm thinking vapor recovery or something(though that would not in itself decrease fuel mileage I guess.). Might also be worth pulling the plugs to see if any of them are black or look different from the others. What other symptoms are there? Better or worse after warmup, starting, performance up hills, etc. I think bad engine temp sensor, MAF and bad front O2 can cause rich conditions. Perhaps you have a coupla problems at the same time? Others here may have some ideas. Carl

It's easier to install with the muffler- but, I suspect with camber adjustments up front you are correct. I've read elsewhere (spdusa.com) that rear bars can be twitchy and give little warning (compared to lowered/stiffer springs for instance) when you 'exceed the performance envelope' and oversteer. Now I must force my self to listen to the wisdom of others! Carl

The security system can also freak out. Be prepared to use the fob to lock/unlock a cycle or two. The system may think the car's being stolen! Carl

The specs from cars101 are; 17x7jj alloy 215/45R17 all season, offset 55 (2.17) I doubt I'll run wider tires, certainly not unless I find other good sources that there wouldn't be rubbing/fitment issues. The stock car will be far beyond my driving abilities anyway! I plan to add a muffler and adjustable (whiteline) rear bar - likely set for 'mild' initially. Probably add any wheels/new tires in late winter/early spring. I''' be adding window tinting at that time - fairly inportant in Texas - and I'd like the tint to 'match' a gray wheel. The Kosei's are affordable, lighter in weight (anyone know the weight of the stockers on the '06?) expose the new red calipers nicely (bling!) and come in antracite and grey. I doubt I would change the rear camber but others have noted some nice improvement with more camber up front and MAYBE with the top of the tire in some more would reduce the odds of fender rubbing. Just looking for some experience, most of the above is based on my desires coupled with poor memeory of what I've read. lol! Carl

OK guys, I MAY buy some Kosei or other wheels for my new WRX Wagon (perhaps after the first of the year - no immediately anyway) and it appears the '06 will have 17x7jj 55 offset (I assume hubcentric) I have some questions. The Kosei double racers I covet are 48 offset. is this too much difference? Does increasing the neg camber on the front cause longevity or other detrimental issues (bearing or steering/suspension wear?) Would those issues be worse with a smaller offset wheel? (seems like rubbing would be less likely at the top if the wheel were 'outboard' more - I dunno) What's the jj mean on the wheel spec? Thanx guys Catl

Does it seem to happen at a specific throttle position? Maybe a TPS issue? I dunno, never heard of that shutting a car off. What about power going up hills after car is warm? OK there? Sometimes I think crank sensors can begin failing this way too. Any codes stored? I dunno - just some guesses. Carl

I'd say the chance of a problem is infinitesmal. The pads will wear into the new rotor just as well as new pads would wear into an old rotor. I'd take it easy on the first few stops - no emergency braking followed by sitting for 40 seconds with glowing hot pads clamped onto glowing hot rotors, etc. Normal precautions. Carl

Good call! And, should be cheaper/easier to fix than cent diff. Carl

good sugestion, and, you COULD go 'test drive' another one. Carl

Doubtful it's a problem - but be aware there is a slightly greater chance of strating a grass fire if you immediately pulled off the freeway and parked on top of tall, dry weeds or something. (my oldest daughter lives in the springs) Carl

Automotive mirrors are front surface reflective Good chance of scratching with the blade Go with chemistry first Carl

Although it's been a year since I;ve seen anything, their have been photos and instructions of ways to modify the filter box to bring in air from the scoop. I think one downside is the noise - but try searching here and especially over at http://www.nasioc.com . lots of modders and tuners over there. Carl

Oh well, I was just wondering if the A/C compressor kicking on and off was possibly invovled - but you would likely have heard/seen that looking under the hood or otherwise. It seems not to be part of the problem though. 8 seconds is pretty fast - but I'll ask anyway, is it in synch with the rad cooling fan cycling on and off? Carl

I guess the A/C and defrost modes are off when this happens? Carl

doh!

I'm thinking any type of 2 dr hatch or coupe COULD be a platform to offer another Brat-type vehicle from. I bet that coulod get some interest! Carl