OB99W

If the car accelerates poorly under load (going uphill for example), it's possible there's a restriction in the exhaust system, perhaps due to failure of the catalytic converter.

It would take a substantial (you couldn't miss it!) leak to significantly reduce exhaust back pressure; besides, P0325 indicates circuit (electrically-related) trouble. Check the knock sensor connections and mounting for corrosion, etc. first. The knock sensor itself may have failed (some develop cracks); if so, get an OEM unit and be sure to torque the mounting bolt to spec.

Interesting; I tried the link again myself and got the page with no problem. It's about the gas tanks mounted outside the frame rails on the C and K pickups. Here's one relevant excerpt: ************************************ Tank Location The most basic step in the prevention of fuel spillage is to protect the fuel tank from foreign object penetration through the use of structural members of the vehicle. "Tank locations very close to the rear or front bumpers or tanks at hinge points of structural collapse for locations more remote from the bumper represent intrinsically dangerous installations." ************************************ Sorry if I offended you, but my comment was based on your saying "I was pushed 150 feet past the point of impact so if there were cans on the back bumper car would have been shoved clear of it." How one could assume that a rear-end collision and possible fireball at the rear bumper wouldn't affect an occupant is something I can't comprehend. If that isn't what you meant by your statement, then please clarify it.

I'll get back to #1, but first #8. The code may have been P0420, "Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold". That can be caused by a bad cat, and sometimes just a bad O2 sensor. AutoZone and places like it will usually read the code for free, so get it again if you can, and any others at the same time. Oh, an exhaust leak that lets air in also can cause the "catalyst efficiency" code, and as to #1, can sometimes cause a whistle as well.

Yep, I've even had a small stone wedged in the tread sometimes cause the same type of noise.

Just to clarify things, I never suggested keeping gas cans inside a vehicle. If you think that someone plowing into your rear is unlikely to cause gas cans mounted there to rupture and possibly spew fuel so that something could ignite it (either due to a spark, your exhaust system, a part of the other vehicle), then best of luck. There's a reason why vehicle fuel tanks are located so that they're unlikely to be impacted in typical accidents . Ford may have eventually figured that one out . The "shoved clear of it" scenario reminds me of people who don't wear seat belts because they would rather be thrown clear of a wreck than be trapped in it. EDIT: For those with the patience to read it -- http://consumerlawpage.com/article/gm-exploding-tank.shtml

Hmmm, I don't know about that. What if you got rear-ended? Shades of Ford Pintos...

On April 1, 2 days ago (not a week ago), you said "steering is intermittenly loosing power assist, jerky when turning" -- or was that an April Fools joke ? I could ask further questions, but you seem reluctant to provide details that would help lead to a correct diagnosis. Rather than getting , I think I'll sit this one out. Do be careful, though; steering that rapidly becomes stiff can sometimes fail without warning and have dangerous results.

Please be more specific. How far (in turns or percent to lock) does the wheel have to be moved for the problem to show? Is it occurring at a specific point in the rotation of the steering wheel? What road speed before the problem is pretty much not evident? Does this mainly show up during parking (very high pumping pressures are required then, especially when at or near lock and if the tires are underinflated)? Are there any noises that accompany the jerking feeling? Is the fluid at the correct level, and free of air (do bubbles show up at the reservoir when the steering is turned)? If the fluid is dark, it should probably be replaced; this may or may not improve the situation (fluid darkens mainly from either seal or metal wear contamination).

Okay. If you don't mind, some questions before answers. What does "belt is fine" mean -- are you referring to condition, age, tension, all of that? Under what conditions is the steering "jerky" -- how tight a turn, at what speed -- does it do it when turning in both or just one direction (L/R) -- does it do it in reverse? Which O2 sensor was replaced, front or rear -- was it an OEM unit? Please define "replaced"; was just the pan drained, or was a full flush done -- if just the pan, a single draining or multiple times -- was the external spin-on filter changed?

I assume that the "white powder" was discovered after parts dried, and could have been one or more things. If tap water had been used, minerals (particularly, calcium compounds) from it might be a partial explaination. Another possibility is that the wrong type (or insufficient concentration) of antifreeze/coolant was used, leading to corrosion in the cooling system; not getting all the air out, or a HG leak that causes an "air" pocket, can accelerate the problem. The heater core material is thin enough to get eaten away fairly rapidly if the coolant condition is sufficiently bad; if combustion pressure from HG leaks is added to the coolant, that could burst an already-weakened core. The "milky substance", especially if mayonaise-like, was probably an emulsion formed from oil and coolant. If tan-ish in color, it's indeed likely from HG leakage (on cars with auto trans, if pink-ish could be due to leaking trans cooler). Checking for exhaust components (hydrocarbons) in the coolant would seem a reasonable step to take.

There are some other issues to consider before using bulk (by-the-foot) ignition wire. You have to be able to obtain the correct terminals and boots, and the plug-end boots on a Subaru aren't typical. If anyone is considering reusing the old boots, it isn't a good idea -- often the reason for needing replacement is leakage due to deterioration of the old boot. Just because the resistance of an ignition cable is lower than the factory wire doesn't mean it's better. Resistance is used mainly to suppress RFI/EMI so the operation of electronics in a vehicle won't be affected. Spiro-Pro (and some other) wire has a low-resistance spirally-wound conductor, using induction rather than resistance for RF and EM suppression. Depending on how closely the windings are placed to each other, there may or may not be sufficient suppression. The other thing resistance does is slightly lengthen the rise time of the spark voltage; in some cases this can help in getting a better mixture burn. Inductive wires also affect rise time, but depending on number of wire turns, etc., may make it longer or shorter than factory design spec. (Incidentally, a properly-designed factory ignition system has plent of voltage available to fire the plugs, taking into account losses in secondary wire and/or plug specified resistance. If low-resistance wire is ever needed for plugs to fire correctly in vehicle that came with resistance wires, other parts of the ignition system should be inspected for problems first.) Considering that Subaru OEM wires seem to last around 100K miles, their cost over some aftermarket ones wouldn't seem to be a big issue, and being able to install a set without concern over how they'll fit and perform makes them a good choice (of course, IMO ).

At idle the alternator doesn't output a lot, and loads such as lighting will cause a drop in voltage, especially if the battery cable connections aren't perfectly clean and the battery fully charged. Whether what you're seeing is "normal" depends on what you mean by "a small amount" -- how much of a drop is occurring? Does it stop doing it at speeds above idle? Well, that isn't "normal"; assuming you don't have an excessive electrical load and the drive belt isn't over-tensioned, the alternator is probably on the way out. Having the alternator load-tested might be a good idea.

Not all aftermarket parts are bad, and some that aren't labeled so on the box turn out to be OEM. Still, experience with certain parts seems to show better "luck" with originals. It comes down to "ya pays yer money an' ya takes yer chances".

Congratulations :cool: , and you're welcome. I'm glad things worked out; I hope you continue to feel comfortable with the purchase. Come back to the forum any time if you need further help.

I wonder if the folks using steel pistons are the same ones lightening the crank pulley? Gotta balance out that moving mass.

Running really rich could have helped the situation, cooling things a bit. Since coolant is what conducts the heat to the sender, without any the temperature reading is pretty meaningless -- the engine could have been much hotter. It's hard to tell. I'd suggest getting coolant back in it (make sure there are no air pockets, and that the water pump is working, etc.), and just see what it does.

The closer you drive to the cycle requirements, the more likely that a single cycle will allow all the monitors to complete readiness. Otherwise, it's possible that more than one cycle will be required. (Yes, I know that some roads/traffic don't make it easy to drive as needed. )

See my post #4 in this thread: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=69886

An exhaust leak that allowed air in before the O2 sensor could cause the problem. Which "secret handshake" did you try?

No test equipment is required. Drive the car as described in the link; under normal circumstances (no systems malfunctioning), the drive cycle should be all that's needed for I/M readiness. A scan tool could be used to verify that all monitors are ready before the inspection, if you're concerned that there's a problem.

The P0420 code has nothing to do with the trans. That code indicates the ECU "thinks" the catalytic converter isn't performing sufficiently, based on data from the rear oxygen (O2) sensor. That may be the case, or there could be an exhaust leak; in addition, there are some forum members who have found that a defective front O2 sensor can be the cause of that code. At 125K miles, all are possible. Do you know anything about the service history of the car that would allow any of these to be more or less likely?

Welcome to the forum. See: http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/OBDInfo.pdf

It does seem that the alternator isn't putting enough (or anything) out if the engine won't run when battery cables are disconnected. That doesn't necessarily mean the alternator is defective; since the front of the engine was recently worked on, I'd suggest first checking that nothing got disturbed in the process. Someone may just have forgotten to reconnect something, and the car ran on what charge the battery had for a couple of days. You're correct, it's not a good practice to disconnect the battery with the engine running. Alternators need the battery load to smooth their output; it acts like a large capacitor. Without the battery, voltage spikes from even a properly functioning alternator can sometimes be high enough to damage electronics in modern vehicles. Since the engine died when the battery cable was pulled, however, it seems that the alternator wasn't putting much out and so the likelihood of damage is pretty low.

It's a word, but not one I would necessarily apply to an OB.