OB99W

I agree with Nipper, you were very lucky. Part of the luck was that the jumper cable got hot. First, it was a clue that led you to realizing what was wrong. Secondly, it means that there was resistance in the connection/wire, limiting the current draw from your wife's car and the voltage that reached yours. In this instance, a marginal connection may actually have saved you. A better connection might have resulted in heat developing inside one or both batteries sufficient to cause acid to spew, or worse. The electronics typically has at least some minimal protection, but you could possibly be severely injured. Although electronics can sometimes be damaged in ways that don't show up immediately, it's likely that you "dodged a bullet" this time. I agree that under poor visual circumstances, two dark colors (red/black) don't offer good contrast. May I suggest that you attach a large rugged label with a "+" at the end of each of the red cables? Also, there are now some jumper cables on the market that have LEDs built in to indicate the polarity. Apparently, they come in two pieces; you first make the "+" and "-" connections at each car, and verify polarity via the LEDs, then join connectors at the middle of the cables. It seems that would also serve to keep sparks away from the batteries. I have no personal experience with this type of jumper, so I'm not endorsing it. --OB99W

A yellowish "gunk" is usually formed by an oil/water emulsion (think mayonnaise). If there were a lot of it, I'd be concerned about head gaskets (but you'd likely have other symptoms). A small amount may just be due to anti-corrosives from the antifreeze. Since oil typically floats on water, and the radiator neck and cap are the high points of the cooling system when the car is level, what you see at the neck area is probably not indicative of the rest of the cooling system. Also, on cars with an auto trans, the trans fluid cooler (which is located in the radiator) can sometimes develop a leak, and trans fluid can get into the coolant. However, I'd expect that emulsion to be more redish. As precautions, besides keeping tabs on the coolant level, take a close look at the engine oil dipstick (and trans one, if auto) and make sure you don't see any similar emulsion. --OB99W

As has been mentioned, the air filter housing may not have been latched correctly, etc., when the filter was changed. Here's something to look at related to that: http://groups.google.com/group/alt.autos.subaru/browse_thread/thread/49c275da984e5701/920875b27a0693f4%23920875b27a0693f4?sa=X&oi=groupsr&start=0&num=3 --OB99W

If you detect bubbles in the radiator after a short warmup, it could indeed be HG problems. If it's bad enough, you can actually smell exhaust fumes coming from the radiator. However, a sticking thermostat could also cause overheating and coolant spewing, and is a lot less expensive to repair than HGs. --OB99W

If the situation improves at higher speeds, then my theory concerning exhaust restriction becomes somewhat less likely. As suggested, determining if the noise seems related to engine speed or road speed would be useful. Since you know that the problem became evident after a particular service, is there any possibility that you could tell us what was done at the time? I do realize that you might not still have the paperwork, or that something happened that the dealer didn't document, but some more clues might help. --OB99W

Well, nobody else has replied so far, and admittedly the description is a bit vague, so I'm going to go out on a limb... There might be a partial exhaust system restriction. That could explain both power loss and "resonating" noise. Acceleration requires higher revs, and consequently more exhaust flow, than constant speed, which may be why things seem normal when cruising. I also noted that you're using premium; does the engine ping on lower grades? If so, while there are several causes for "spark knock", one of them is restricted exhaust. How's gas mileage lately? And although I've never experienced it on my own Outback, a partially clogged air filter can cause funny symptoms on some cars. Of course, I could be totally off-base with all of this, but it's hard to hear, feel, and attach test gear at this distance . Good luck, and let's hear back when this gets resolved. --OB99W

Our federal government does some things right . You can research most cars at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/tsb/ . They provide, at no cost, a list and very brief description of the applicable TSBs once you enter year/make/model. If you need the details, they can be ordered from the NHTSA site, or as mentioned already, from ALLDATA. --OB99W

I don't know if I qualify as "expert" , but here's a precaution to consider... The moving parts in brake hydraulic systems cause small amounts of metal to wear off and wind up in the brake fluid. Also, since non-silicone type brake fluid gradually picks up moisture, some rust is formed as well. These contaminants usually settle to the lower points in the system. Therefore, when retracting brake caliper pistons, it's usually a good idea to open the caliper bleed screw before applying pressure. This is especially true on vehicles with ABS (Anti-lock Brake System). Otherwise, the contaminants can sometimes be forced back up the brake lines into places where they can cause problems, such as the ABS hydraulic unit. As soon as the retraction is completed at each wheel, close the bleed screw to prevent air from entering the system. Since it's usually recommended that brake fluid be flushed every 2-3 years on cars with ABS, once the brakes are back together that might be the time. If not doing a flush, you should just add fresh fluid to the master cylinder reservoir, keeping the level high enough to prevent air from entering there when you first depress the brake pedal after the new pads are installed. Naturally, adjust the level as needed to keep it within the proper range. --OB99W

I was finally able to get around to troubleshooting the problem yesterday. I pulled the connector at the ABS ECU, and measured the resistance of each wheel sensor at that point. Info I was able to obtain from two sources indicated that the correct resistance should be 1 kohm +/- 200 ohms. Three of the four sensors measured a bit over 1 k, but the fourth (the left front) one was about 1275 ohms. That's out of spec, and the L/F is the sensor that code 23 indicates as bad (thanks again, Ferret). Lightly tapping on the sensor caused the resistance to change, so it looks like that explains the intermittent ABS light. I guess it's time to get a new wheel-speed sensor. Anyone know the part number? Thanks to everyone here who replied. Now all I have to do is break free the rusted hardware . --OB99W

Thanks for that, Ferret. I'm going to try to get a look at things today. I'll probably pull the connector at the ABS ECU first, and compare the resistance reading of the L/F wheel sensor measured there with the other three. If it's high, I'll track it back to the sensor; there are two sets of connectors between the ECU and each sensor, according to a schematic I managed to get. Thanks to all who replied. I'll get back to the forum with the results, since someone else may find that useful. --OB99W

The local dealer's parts department doesn't tend to be very helpful; apparently the service manager convinced them to refer diagnostic business to the service department. Does someone have info on any recent Subaru ABS codes? (It seems that the Bosch 5.3i system has been in use from about 1998 models to present.) Please, one of you with a service manual, I'm trying to avoid this: Thanks! --OB99W

Thanks for the reply, nipper. I did do a search on this site, but unless I missed something there doesn't seem to be info already posted concerning the '99 ABS codes. I'd like to keep my inspections to a limited area, if possible, so finding out what the "23" code means would really help. Anyone know? --OB99W

Hi folks. First-time poster here; I hope someone can help me. My '99 OBW has started to intermittently light its ABS lamp . What happens is that it will remain on after the engine is started, even before the vehicle is moved. The battery and charging system are fine. I've done some research, and it seems that my OB has Bosch 5.3i ABS. I was able to find info on how to access the ABS trouble codes without a scanner, and retrieved two codes that have been stored. The first is "11" (which apparently indicates "start of sequence", if the info I found is accurate); the other is "23". I've looked "all over" the internet for lists of ABS trouble codes, but haven't been able to find any for the '99 OBW :-\. Do one of you possibly have a full list for the model I own, or if not, could you at least tell me what the "23" code indicates? I'd really appreciate it, since I don't want to just poke around and disturb things so that the intermittent goes into hiding again before I can pin it down. (Naturally, I'm hoping for something simple like a corroded connection to a wheel sensor, as long as it's not inside the ECU; could I be that lucky?) Thanks in advance for any help. --OB99W