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Thanks. I'll definitely pick one up. 17 years of accumulated debris inside where the filter should've been. I'm just glad the heater core is still breathing.

I had to YouTube a video on removing the glove compartment and all I found were how-to's for changing the cabin air filter and thought... I didn't know this car had a cabin air filter! So sure enough I opened the cover where the filter should be and low and behold no filter. What I found was an empty compartment full of pine needles!!! I vacuumed out the debris as best as I could but I'm wondering if the filter was optional back then and can I simply drop one in? There's rails in there that look like a filter would slide in. I'll buy one if I know this is an option.

My son's Honda Accord did the same thing. The solution was to lock and unlock the door manually with the key a couple times. He was able to get in and start the car without the alarm going off after that. Its a long shot but worth a try. Many alarms have some sort of "reset" feature which requires the cycling of a key in a lock or ignition.

I don't have FB but I'm interested in service of some sort. What I have is a 2.0L SOHC and I want a 2.5 back. For core purposes is the 2.0 useless as a return core for a 2.5?

It looks as though CCR has changed hands?? Does anyone know to what extent things have changed or restructured as far as management and/or experienced builders goes? I currently have a JDM 2.0L SOHC (non-turbo) in my 2k OBW and its absolutely dreadful on power. I use my Subaru like a truck not a grocery-getter and this things not cutting it anymore. I'd like to drop a 2.5 back in when I can afford it. Way back when I was on this forum a lot more, I remember CCR having lots of positive reviews and even EMILY chiming in a time or two to add some very knowledgeable advice and comments. If I go this route I'd like to know CCR is still as reputable (if not more so) as they were before the restructure.

2k OBW Recently the driver and passenger windows have begun to get hung up on the top corner of the B-pillar weather seal (door jam). This is the corner opposite of the mirror. With the window all the way up and door closed, the corner of the window "sinks" into the weather stripping and creates an overlapping bulge that causes the window to get hung up. Not only does it make the door harder to open but it tugs on the window which is making it seem to loosen up inside the door. With the door open its a lot more floppy than it used to be. Plus the triangle gusset is widening and I have to do the pinch-trick to quiet the wind noise. My guess is I'd have to replace this b pillar door seal but it looks as though its tucked under the rain gutter and not an easy fix. has anyone replaced this seal before? I cant find any YouTube videos on the procedure. In the interim, I've applied some silicone grease to that corner of the weather seal but all it does is reduce the friction when opening. As the silicon dries out (which it already has) the door becomes hard to open again. PS: this only started happening during/after our cold-snap where in the mornings I'd have to kind of pry the doors open due to them being frozen shut.

Y2K OBW. I've been having a lot of illumination lights go out lately. Not too much of a bother because I know where everything is, but one of the dash cluster lights went out and its behind the fuel gauge. At night this is a problem because I cant see my fuel level until the dummy light comes on. I want to replace this bulb but I may as well replace all the others as well. Does anyone know if they're all the same? Here's a list of what's burnt out: dash cluster bulb heated seat switch; illumination lamp and HI/LOW (orange) indicator all lamps in drivers door switch cluster (window switches, lock button et) cruise control push button on the LH side of the dash next to fog light and heated wiper buttons There's a couple more I'm forgetting but those are the primary ones I'd like to fix. I'm looking for an off-the-shelf replacement bulbs for those known areas. Id rather just buy a handful now rather than pull my dash and switches all apart THEN go hunt down parts.

If the $50 flywheel is equivalent to the $250 OEM one, I'll probably just get that. Shops in my area are few and far between for machining and for $20 more I can have a new one. Operative question there is; if the $50 one is equivalent... That was my plan. Definitely replacing the master and slave. So in regards to the sleeve. Will it hurt to just order the sleeved kit "just because" or are there additional steps I need to do to fit the sleeved kit?

Good point on the icy spot theory. I didnt think about wheel spin/speedo correlation. So it looks as though I get to put in a new clutch for Christmas... Questions on new parts: I know this topic is beat to death but I could easily get the Exedy kit off Amazon. Free shipping, arrives before Christmas. HOWEVER... looking at Rockauto's options they have LUK kits as their crowd pleaser. First question: are the LUK kits any better than Exedy? Exedy is a little pricier but the shipping is free. Second question: There are two different LUK kits for this car. Definitions of each are as follows: LUK-15021 This kit is for vehicles that have not had the original equipment bearing retainer replaced or sleeved. Release bearing I.D. 33mm or 1.3 inches. If the bearing retainer has been replaced or sleeved use 15-031. LUK-15031 Kit contains bearing retainer repair sleeve and matching release bearing; I noticed the sleeve in the T/O bearing which I've never seen before. My last clutch replacement IIRC was Exedy and the T/O bearing didnt have this sleeve Of these three options (Exedy or LUK, sleeved/not-sleeved), any suggestions as to which I should get? I use this car like a truck sometimes. 3-rail dirt bike trailer loaded w/ gear and bikes. The whole works. Finally, third question: I'll probably replace the flywheel also. Is there a need to spend $250 on an OEM FW when Rockauto sells a LUK FW for $50? Thanks

2K OBW 5MT Clutch was replaced once during the first timing belt interval which was around 100k. Now I've got a little over 200k and the clutch went from being good one day to being GONE in less than a couple drives. What I mean by that is; a few weeks ago I was coming up a hill near my house and notice the RPMs come up but no increase in vehicle speed, felt just like a slipping clutch, thought OMG not now (dead of winter, its snowing at my place and I have ski trips planned). But then later that day I noticed that the temps did indeed drop and it could've just been an icy spot. Jumped in the car a couple days later and it drove fine. Took it to work a few times, and even drove it fully loaded up to the mountain without issue. Fast forward to yesterday. Drive it to town and immediately notice the clutch slipping.... BAD! Had to turn around and come home and I barely made it up one of the semi-steep hills by my house. I noticed when I did have to over-rev it in spots it would make a howling sound. My guess would be T/O bearing or clutch disc dragging from being partially engaged?? No real warnings (other than the single and only time I thought I felt it slip a couple days prior), no smells either. Seems a little premature for the clutch to go out again on me so I'm wondering what the off chance that it could be hydraulic related? I've heard of the master/slave cylinders failing and sort of bypass fluid around the plunger which can cause the clutch to not engage/disengage properly. Therein lies my question. Before I pull the motor and swap in a clutch kit should I rule out the possibility of it being hydraulic related? The slave was replaced maybe 50k ago but the master is original.

All good feedback you guys. I appreciate it. One thing I forgot to mention is this is the 5MT trans. I'm wondering if I'm making a mistake pulling the trigger on the 2.0. Some of you have said I'll notice the differences in gittyup and hills and when loaded; which is exactly where I don't want to miss the power, especially the towing and loaded capability. Some say the difference is hardly noticeable at all. JDM 2.5's in my area are $2700, have more miles and less common to acquire JDM 2.0's go for $1375 with less miles, get it now. I'm looking at a USDM junker site (LKQ Corp, having trouble embedding a link) they want anywhere from $1200 for a 158K to $1600 for 106K. So pretty much more or less in the middle price range of the JDM's with US miles on it. All the work is being done at a shop which is owned by a buddy of mine. So I trust his advice, I'm just wondering if my knee jerk reaction to drop a 2.0 in there will bum me out later.

Unfortunately my 2000 OBW (180k on the ODO) smoked the timing belt prematurely. Took it into a very reputable Subaru shop to have the damage assessed; all the valves on one head are bent, a couple on the other side are bent. Considerable impact damage to one of the pistons as well. Shop doesnt feel comfortable throwing heads on it with the bottom end the way it is, so options include a 2.0 or 2.5L JDM take-out (both SOHC). Problem with the 2.5 is they're considerably more expensive than the 2.0 (in my area anyway), higher mileage, and will take longer to receive. The 2.0 we can have by the end of the week, it has less miles, its plug and play, and half the price of the 2.5. I'd like to get some feedback on the 2.0's. From what I understand they're higher compression and slightly less HP but overall the same motor. Can someone add to this? How much of a HP loss is there and/or will I even notice? I'm not heavy on the pedal but I do do EVERYTHING with this car, including driving to work (30 miles of highway), camping, gravel roads, hills, trailer my moto to off-road ride spots. Basically I treat it like an Outback and not a WRX. How do these two motors stack up and will I be satisfied with the 2.0?

2000 OBW manual trans 170k+ miles. It recently started to develop a low howling in the front, very indicative of a wheel bearing. After letting it ride for another 1000 miles or so the noise got much worse and I could now identify which side it was coming from (passenger side) I could also verify this in the bends on the highway. As the highway would bend left the sound got much worse (loading the RH wheel), as the road bends right (unloading the RH wheel, loading the left) the noise goes away almost entirely. Fast forward to last weekend. Replaced the RH front wheel bearing, but to my disappointment the howling has only reduced in volume by 1/2. And what's disturbing to me is it gets louder with the same highway test I described above which makes me think its still something in the RH side of the vehicle. Is it possible that the LH bearing is also going bad and I just need to replace it? Or could there be something inside the transmission that is going kaput? I suppose the right rear bearing could be going out but that doesn't explain the noise sounding like its coming from up front. Its most noticeable at hwy speeds of 70mph and does not appear to be center diff bearing related. Also, CV axles are fine, boots in good shape, all ball joint and tie rod ends are tight. Just had tires rotated and the shop said they were in great shape still. Car runs great other than the "bearing" noise.

Thanks, I went with the U-Haul hitch. For $150 it was a pretty good option. Flat bar goes OVER the exhaust, and its rated at 3500lbs. Comes with a receiver as well (no ball but those are all over). Only thing I did was ditched the regular nut and lock washers and went with a nyloc nut and flat washer. That way if it ever comes loose, I'll have a nut and bolt rattling around rather than a nut and bolt on the highway someplace.

Needing to purchase a hitch for a 2k OBW. There’s a few different options of varying price; they range from a Curt MFG. hitch for $125, Uhaul for $150, DrawTite and Hidden Hitch for north of $200 (240 and 260 respectively). Anyone have experience with these hitches? Likes, dislikes, build quality? I’d like a hitch where the flat bar connecting the square tube goes up and OVER the exhaust and not UNDER. Good build quality is important. Ease of installation, etc. Looks like the Curt (being the least expensive) has a 2,000lb load capacity, whereas the others seem to have a 3,500lb capacity. Not sure if Curt hitches are purposely underrated or if the build material is not as strong as the others. Thanks.

Thanks, and I figured as much. Its a pretty simple system. Resivoir, hard line, rubber hose, slave cylinder. The way I imagine it... for a gradual loss of pressure I'd expect to see leakage, its a sealed system so if you're loosing pressure that's gotta mean its exiting someplace.. or the hose is ballooning

2k OBW. Admittedly the 'ol soob has been sitting for a few months while i've been commuting on my moto. Today I needed to drive it to work (30mi highway commute) and got caught in traffic. Near standstill traffic for almost 5 miles. I noticed about midway through the jam my clutch began to feel like it was loosing pressure. The freeplay would progressively get further and further towards the floor and the clutch would grab really early on upon release. It got scary... to the point I stopped using the clutch unless I had to, shifting only when engine/trans speeds were matched. When I got off the freeway and made the straight shot to work I felt the clutch starting to build pressure again. Got to work, looked under the hood; no leaks, resivour is full and fluid is clean. I put in a new clutch about 60k miles ago and everything always ran spot-on with this car. Never any issues till today. Any ideas what may cause this? Again, its' a hydro/pressure thing, not a clutch disk wear thing. I know how different the two issues feel. thanks

I got a deal with one of the more 'reputable' glass shops in town; Louis' Auto Glass quoted me 250 out the door. This includes new moulding, tax, everything but wipers. I was able to find a rather sketchy glass guy in town who quoted 250 and Louis was able to price match. This is including the heated elements

Anyone know what a replacement windshield for a 2000 outback would cost? This has the winter package and heated wiper elements.

2000 OBW 5mt I'm about to change the fluid in my Trans and front and rear diff's. Can someone please verify the oil weights and volumes are correct? Trans 75W-90 4.2 US Qts Rear Diff 75W-90 0.8 US Qts ...and the trans and front diff share the same oil correct? Also, the FSM calls for "Fluid Packing" on the threads for the rear diff drain plugs. What should I use?

2k OBW, manual, 147K Over the last couple months a whistling/squeeking noise has developed under the hood. I don't think it's the belts because it's not a constant squeal that increases with rpm. Plus it just doesn't 'sound' like a belt. This sounds more like a squeaky bearing or something. It reminds me of a late 60's VW bug exhaust but powered by a rusty hamster wheel. It doesn't do it during idle although if I rev the engine in neutral you can sort of hear it. Its most apparent when accelerating through 1st gear or cruising in 2nd 15-25mph. At first I thought it was the alternator bearings so I removed the belt and spun the alt pulley but I cant spin it fast enough by hand to make any noise. I drive dusty roads a lot so I wouldn't be surprised if it was the alternator or AC pulley. I'd be nice to get a couple opinions though... PS, all major repairs on schedule- I.E. timing belt at 109k

This is a ma n' pa shop... well at least it started out as such. They've grown over the years. It's "Martin's Radiator and Exhaust" (for any local surfers). It's certainly not a Midas or anything like that. I like the idea of the straight pipe but when I questioned the price of the cat he said for State (or maybe Federal?) regulations and emmissions they have to repair or replace all exhausts to factory stock-like condition or they could get fined. I assume he was quoting me a price for a OE cat but I can't be certain. I believe the rattle if definitely heat shroud related and not cat. The whistle is annoying but it appears I'm the only one that can hear it. When I have others driving in my car and I say, "can you hear that?", they're like, "hear what?". I also feel like power drops off in that RPM range too...

My exhaust has slowly been coming apart. I've got the typical exhaust shield rattle really bad, and based on some searches, there's a whistling noise at high RMP (under load not revving in the driveway) that point toward a bad muffler. I recently got a phone quote from a local muffler shop asking if they could fix the rattle and check on the muffler. The guy "suggested" the cat is probably bad and might be the cause of the rattle. When I asked how much that was he quoted over 400 just for the cat! I live in the Pacific Northwest where literally every-other-car is a Subaru and this guy clamis to work on lots of them. My question is, how does one know if the cat is bad? No current CEL's, and the only CEL I ever had that was exhaust related was an O2 sensor back at just under 100k miles. 2000 OBW manual 145k miles otherwise solid shape; no rust, no salt-road cancer

Nice writeup on msnbc.com. Of course I'm pretty sure we all know that Subarus hold their resale value pretty well. I think that's why we all hang on to them..

I have a flakey turn signal switch on my '00 OBW and have a lead on a switch from an 04 wrx. They look the same. Can anyone confirm if this will be a direct swap?