OB99W

I'm not really familiar with the dual-fuel models. In general, '00MY and the mileage would have me thinking about:1) Head gaskets, if not already replaced. For that year (phase II engine), if the HGs leak, it's usually external (it will show up on the ground). 2) Torque bind. Drive the car in slow, tight circles and make sure it doesn't feel like it's binding. 3) Oxygen sensor. There were some bad ones, affecting fuel economy and drivability. Hopefully already replaced if it was defective. 4) Things that others here will suggest. 5) Everything else that a car with 144,000 miles on it might have wrong.

The question is, what do "'99/'00 model year" and "It's the newer shape, with the restyled headlights etc... " mean?

It seems like you're describing the '00MY, not the '99. If so, it should have a phase II engine.

Since you have a 4EAT (unless you did a swap and didn't tell us ), there's no starter interlock relay, and if unmodified, no specific "starter relay". In that thread you said: "I got contacts from the dealer, installed them, and cleaned and resurfaced the copper washer on the plunger. My starter still occasionally won't make proper contact and spin. (Yes, the coil is being actuated and the plunger is being pulled in)". I've noticed that the portion of the throw of the solenoid that closes the contacts on the Nippon/Denso starters is fairly limited. If there's sufficient wear on the copper washer, and especially if you remove much material when "resurfacing" it, even with new "fixed" contacts there's not much leeway for solid contact. Especially if there's any foreign material at the area where the plunger bottoms out (opposite end to that of the copper washer), the throw may not be sufficient. If you're hearing just a single click of the solenoid, and it's holding, it's unlikely that battery/cables/etc. are at fault. (Umm, see EDIT below.) I can see one possibility where a bit of additional voltage might make the difference. If the contacts in the solenoid are very marginal, a slightly harder throw of the solenoid could cause them to make. Obviously, if the situation was that bad, it wouldn't be long before the problem would resurface. As I mentioned above, your car wouldn't normally have a "starter relay". It could certainly have a starter inhibit relay, since it had an alarm. However, if the solenoid is pulling in and holding, one thing to consider (even on the rebuilt starter) is that the contacts aren't making. A poor "rebuild" might have been incomplete, either by not replacing the fixed contacts, and/or not replacing the plunger (the copper washer isn't removable on many N/D plungers; on ones that it is, replacing it or just turning it over if that hadn't been done before is a good idea if it's sufficiently worn). Some service manuals for the N/D starters make a point of how important it is that the fixed contacts be flush so that they're parallel with the copper washer; a specific amount of force against a wood block using a press is mentioned in some cases. Perhaps the contacts in the rebuilt were replaced, but sloppily. EDIT: Hold the presses. I reconsidered my rejection of a bad battery cable as being responsible for this situation. On second thought, it could be possible for the solenoid contacts to be solidly making, and to still have the problem. When the power is split off at the positive battery terminal, what goes to the starter is separated from the rest of the engine. Therefore, the solenoid could be fully energized, make good contact, and still the engine might not crank if the battery-to-starter cable is bad enough. It's not common, but "The wire inside the crimps on the wires to my battery were looking corroded" might indicate that things were that bad. A voltage drop on that cable would affect nothing but cranking, assuming the clamp to the battery post was making good contact.

As you already know, the 2.5 engines are prone to piston slap. Not all of them develop it (at least, not to the extent that it's scary ), but on those that do it can be fairly loud when the engine is particularly cold; it then takes a while for the pistons to expand enough to take up the "slack". Piston slap tends to be most noticeable in the mid-to-high 1k rpm range. On a truly cold start, the initial idle would probably be in that range (although a quick throttle stab will usually drop it back). Oil viscosity plays a part in this -- heavier-than-spec oil usually will quiet cold-start piston slap somewhat, but the rest of the engine is typically better off with rapid lubrication provided by the "proper" weight. If the noise is especially prominent in the rpm range I mentioned above, and pretty much resolves as the engine warms, it's likely to just be piston slap. Your engine may be one of those more prone to it. Sorry, my crystal ball is murky today. Considering that if the bottom end is too loose and needs attention it would require major work, I'd stick with the concept of running the 2.5 until it either stops scaring you or bears out your concern. (I have no advice to give on the Forester. )

Okay, for now let's assume that ignition is okay, and that there's a problem with injection at cylinder #1. Porcupine73 provided good links, and it's probably worth following up on them. One of the first things I'd do is to determine if there's an injector pulse at #1 at idle; you could listen for a "click" at #1 as it operates, or get a set of "noid lights". You might see if #1 injector has a problem by swapping it with another one, and see if the misfire code changes; just be sure to follow the remove and replace procedure in the link that was provided.

I don't know exactly what the tech was trying to say, but 1996 Subarus have a problem with OBD monitor readiness. From http://www.aa1car.com/library/ic50234.htm : "Some import vehicles have readiness issues when it comes to setting all the OBD II monitors. Turn the key off on a 1996 Subaru and it will clear all the readiness flags." Also, see page 18, "Readiness Codes", of: http://www.endwrench.com/current/02SpringOBDServiceFT.pdf

Before getting involved in further troubleshooting, may I ask how it was determined that there's a problem with fuel injection at #1 cylinder? (Note that I didn't say "fuel injector #1.)

Yes, I was in a hurry when I said the '96 wasn't available with a manual. I meant that in '96 the 2.5L wasn't available with a manual, and since bgambino has a 2.5 '96 (see his previous posts), it could be assumed his car has a 4EAT.

I don't have much time today, so this will be brief. Light acceleration usually doesn't change the loading of wheel bearings enough to make a difference. Putting the trans (should be a 4EAT, since I believe the manual wasn't available in '96 OB) in neutral doesn't fully disengage it, so it could be the source. Also, don't forget the diffs, especially the front one. I'd start by looking at ATF and diff oil condition.

Cost of repair, and if DIY will likely be good enough, depends on the nature of the dent. A shallow dent with very minimal creasing can often be pulled out without too much effort, and sometimes "paintlessly". Deep dents, sharp creases, damage to more than the door "skin" can require quite a bit more effort/parts/paint, and of course the cost is higher. If you can post a picture, we might be able to be more informative.

I suspect that's as in "a heavy weight, good only to be thrown overboard". With the latest head gaskets, replaced by someone who knows what they're doing, the 2.5 is more reliable. However, that doesn't address the issue of piston slap; although it tends to be more of an annoyance than a reliability problem, some people are bothered by it enough to not consider the purchase.

Without taking sides on the issue, I offer the following: http://www.aa1car.com/library/bfluid.htm

Don't beat yourself up. As I've said here before, we're all human and make occasional mistakes; in describing them, so that others benefit, you've done the right thing. Yes, that was my concern. If you do find a way to improve the pattern, I'm sure there are folks who would like to read about it. Looks good.

You need to find out why, and take care of it. Once the bulb is working, it should be possible to retrieve trouble codes that can help with further diagnosis.

Indeed, does the ABS light come on at all? I refer back to:http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=75545&page=2

You're welcome. Check your Private Messages.

For the codes you mentioned, see attached. I'd suggest checking the resistance of those wheel sensors; they're typically around 1.2-1.3 kohms.

Yeah, just need a mirror-image twin. To sell on eBay, flip the first pic, and hope nobody notices slight discrepancies .

I was waiting for the other shoe to drop (the front bumper fit in the first pic didn't look quite right).

Sorry, but although I found your related post there, I don't typically read "Subaru Stuff Wanted". Based on the info you've provided and that at the link I gave, something seems wrong. (By the way, is the white lead "high" as in the link, or "low" as in your own diagram?) I suspect that things aren't wired correctly -- only highs or lows should be on at a time (ignoring for now the "city light"). I can think of a way to wire the lights to behave as you described ("everything lit up with the high beams"), but it would require a mis-wiring that puts the high and low filaments in series when on "high"; if so, that would limit the light output in that switch position. Could you post the specific connections you made, perhaps by adding to your "paint" drawing? EDIT: Will you be able to align the lights from a JDM (RHD) car so that they'll aim correctly for a US (LHD) one?

Whether that's unusual or not depends on how badly the idle is affected. In addition to the use of intake manifold vacuum by the booster, stepping on the brake pedal of course actuates the stop lights; the current drawn by them puts a slight load on the electrical system. Those things will affect the idle a bit, perhaps more noticably when the engine is cold than when warm. I once saw a car that had a very pronounced change in idle when stepping on the brake -- there were master cylinder and vacuum booster leaks, and the intake was sucking brake fluid. Fortunately, it got fixed before the brakes failed altogether!

The following should have useful info, especially with reference to the JDM wire colors: http://www.sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?t=5941

I assume that you aren't hitting peak power all the time . Nevertheless, if your subwoofer and the rest of the audio system are "only" averaging 1/4 of that ( ), they'll require around 40 amps of current. Lighting and other accessories also can consume 10's of amps. If you're really pushing the system, the alternator and battery should be very heavy duty types, or the problem may be a recurring one.

Sorry; my only defense of asking about the diff oil is that I was lead astray concerning which VSS we were discussing by Gloyale's post (#23).