cidion

I'm pretty sure it's not the TC. I've felt that in our H4. This is happening i'm thinking +/- once a second. it feels like the driver had the shakes in his right leg. I'll check with the dealer to see if they did a tune up. What about the throttle position sensor? =\

...Yep. The VDC we just got. 9 days ago. Stats are: H6, VDC, 60K miles. I drove about 300 miles, and on the trip back it started doing this: It seems to very faintly surge, and "relax" while driving. It's subtile, but noticeable. • It happens with cruise on, and off • When you start the car the rpms rev up to about 3K, then drop to about 1.5k, and hang out there for a bit. • After being on for a while (2.4 min), the high RPMs settle back to "normal". (Which I think is under 1k?) • After it's warmed up, and sometimes when it's cold, while sitting idle the rpms flutter 40-60revs. Slowly, but enough to see. • It happens with AC on and off. • Tried another tank of gas or two. Same deal. different supplier, different town / state. • Using 93 Octane or better thoughts? We're planning a 3k Mile trip soon, and I want to get it taken care of before the warranty is up. (the pre-owned warranty the dealer gave with it)

Thanks again for the advice. I did see the back of the unit, and I think what I see is the 13pin connector. I think I'm going to buy the PIE aux in adapter, and try it out. we have a trip from TN, to CO coming up in a few weeks, and I'l like to get it worked out before the trip.

Ok, I've read a bunch of posts about the McIntosh head unit, and CD changers, and Clarion, and I'm still unclear. I have the 6 disk In-dash changer, and I'm trying to have Aux in, so I can hook up my iPhone to the system. (FM modulator is really not my style) Today, a friend and I took apart the dash to see what the back of the head unit looked like. it didn't help much. It was hard to see, but I there was a squarish plug on the back, that might be a C-net plug. It was on the drivers side. I was also hoping for a model number, or some kind of tag. It did say A38 on the back of the head unit, and had the numbers: 6280562, and 19102 as well.. *shrugs* I found This thing, but I'm not sure if it would work since my cd "changer is in the dash I just want to know, is there a way to get Aux in? and if so, how? Thanks guys for the help. =)

Just a quick update on the car. Tonight, I was visiting my sister. I parked the car in front of her apartment, and went inside to get keys to other cars to park ours in the garage. (we were going to open the dash, and get the model number of the McIntosh. Her neighbor backed out of her garage, and hit the front left of the outback. She had a new car as well. 9 days old. We called the police for a report, but I'm letting my insurance battle this one. *sigh*

Thanks guys very much. We got the 2003, VDC in Atlanta. I drove it part of the way home (1 hour) and it was very nice. It was taken very nice care of, and I think we made the right choice. Now, my problem is getting my iPhone into the McIntosh stereo. =) Thanks again so much for your help!

Scooby, That's good to hear. That's actually what I did. I'm about 2 hours from the lot, and I'm sure that being there in person would help motivate them, but over the phone I said $10k was all we had. I'm waiting to hear back. I need to hear soon for work issues. (to much longer and I can't easily go down there to pick it up) I just hope He's not reading this thread. ... Although the only thing i'm saying here that i'm not telling him is... well... that I like the car. We'll see. We need to fix the roof on our house, so I'm hoping he can work some magic for us. Thanks again to everyone helping me with my adventure.

Wow, everyone's help is great. Right now, it's between the Black VDC, and This one in NC The black one is what I prefer, but I think I can get a better deal from the individual. I spoke with him and he was good to talk to. It had the AC tubes replaced last year after a tiny leak, but that's the only issues. For me, here are the Pro's / Cons Black, Atlanta car: + VDC (cars101 is hard to read. Does VDC ONLY give + 7K less miles + Black interior + Closer to drive to pick up - Two tone exterior (not a huge deal) - Dealing with the dealer - possibly higher cost +/- McIntosh sound system. (I'm excited about that, but I dont know how I'll get my iPod to play through it... trivial I know.. but still... I'm not 34 for another couple of weeks) "Green" NC car: + Less money (maybe as much as $2k less if I negotiate??) + Almost 1 color exterior + Aftermarket stereo to accept my iPod + Only synthetic oil has been used. Dealer serviced I think. - Lighter Interior (dark hides our dirt) - Further to drive to pick up Argh.. Oh... hearing what the Dealer DOESN'T say is great advice... I just don't know what to NOT listen for.. heh. =) Any help? I forgot to say, I'll be paying cash.

Thanks guys for the advice / help. I'm curious about these two things: 1 Price. This is a dealer asking $12K out the lot. (I pay TN tax though..ugh) Is that average, a great deal, or just a deal. I know what KBB says, but I'm never sure how to use KBB info. 2. Dealer. Does buying from a dealer (this is a Nissan dealer) grant me any advantages over a private seller? thanks again.

I'm looking at this OBW. Possibly purchase it today or tomorrow. Any warning signs that you guys see? Photos Carfax link $12,k ( paying cash) (I have to say that I think my avatar accuratly represents my sate of mind almost every time I post here) =)

Thanks guys for the advice. It's a used car dealer. Not an Subaru one. I've always heard "stay away from the salt states!" but, then I get other advice saying it doesn't really matter. So I do appreciate more help. =) We'll see how things go tomorrow. His ebay reserve might be way more than we have at the moment. we don't want to finance anything either. car payments kinda suck. =)

So we are selling our old OBW, and buying a new one. OLD: 2000 OBW, stock H4, 189,600 miles "New" one we are looking at: 2003 OBW LL bean, H6, 61,000 miles ( 4S3BH806337626626 ) Is there anything I should know about the '03 H6s? should we avoid them, does a "southern car" mean it will last longer than a northern one? Also, if someone has some carfax's available, I'd love the info for that VIN. Thanks guys. Bryan

Hi, I'm looking to replace our 2000 OBW, so this thread interests me. I read that the 2003 engines are better. Is that true? or should we save up for a 2005?

That might be the best bet. =) Thanks for the help guys.

I have a 2000 OBW. I'd like more power (go figure) I have time scheduled with the mechanic to change the rear main seal to stop an oil leak. He's planning on removing the engine. How much more involved would it be for him to replace it with an H6? I don't have an H6 engine, so that's another question. how much are engines? Mine has 162K miles on it.

A update for you guys. We thought we fixed it. It rained, they worked for 20 min, then broke. So just a couple of questions. 1. are you sure I can't get subaru wiper bushings somewhere? It seems that if you can get Toyota and Ford bushings, you could get Sub. 2. Junkyards here in TN don't have many Outbacks. Can anyone recommend an online place to get the wiper assembly.

I went to three auto parts stores, and found one package of the bushings. I'm not sure, but I think the Impreza and Legacy wiper arm holes might not be the same size. The bushings fit, but they don't hold the arm on tightly. So I pinched the plastic up some, and they won't jump off when I hit a bump. But the fact that I can find so many different kinds of replacement wiper bushings for other car companies, makes me think I should be able to find one for the Outback. But for now, the wipers are somewhat reigned in. In the process I saw where someone tried to break into my passenger side door. They pried the gutter open a little bit. I guess they thought it was the door, and wanted my GPS. I'll hide it from now on.

Awesome, thanks for the help AVK, I'll pick it up on the way home, and let you know what I break. =)

Thanks for the tip. I looked over at NASIOC and wasn't a member, so I couldn't search. Can you link us to the thread over there? Thanks

Ok, I noticed that my wipers were floppy, and so I took out the mechanism. I found the problem, the joint where the arm meets the motor is loose. (See photo) It seems like it's a little to big. I don't know what normally holds the are equidistant from the shaft. Is it the white cap? That looks broken. If it's just the white cap, can I pick that up at any autoparts store? Thanks again for your time. That's an establishing shot if you need it. =) That's the cap that is broken. That's the hole (ring) that is to big for the shaft, that makes the wipers fly off the windshield. =)

I know where it goes, and that I shouldn't over-tighten the sensor. But...How do I tell how much is to much? A torque wrench? or just guess? I don't want to break it. Thanks

He he... You know, I see "EJ25" and stuff, but I don't know what it means. I'm guessing the engine style. Which one would I have in a 2000 OBW? (4cyl) how do I know? And if this engine dies, I'd rather put in a 6cyl... more umph. but I'm hoping it doesn't die.

Thanks everyone for the help. I think the timing belt tensioner is bad, but that's just because when I open the hood, it sounds like it's coming from the pulley. (what I think is the TBTensioner) It does seem to go away when the rpms are higher, or after driving to work (25min) Even driving a couple of miles makes it a lot quieter. I've put a bottle of Rislone in the oil three oil changes, because someone said it would help the lifters. But it didn't seem to help. If I remember, I'll report what the mechanic says it ends up being. Thanks again!

Ok, I have this sound that happens after the car is sitting, and often when it's cold outside. One person says it's lifters, one says it's a pulley. One says i have a diesel engine. I've posted here before, but now I have a .mov file with audio. The first one, I let the car idle for 10min, then came outside and recorded. It was 23degrees, and about 7:30am FIRST .MOV file The second one, is after I got in, and stepped on the gas. You can hear it's MUCH softer, but still there. So in the video I rev the engine a bit and you can hear it kinda go away. SECOND .MOV file I have an oil leak that my mechanic friend is going to fix soon, and I'd like to have this and other things fixed while the engine is out. Anyone have ideas about this sound? how dangerous is it? thanks for the help. Oh, it's a 2000 OBW with the whimpy 4cyl. 150K miles (compared to the 6 naturaly)

Hopefully the tires are balanced since we just got it done yesterday. (see initial post) I know that the CV boot is broken, but I start to feel the vibe before the car starts to move much faster. I would think the boot would vibrate more the faster I went, not the more the gas is pressed. (I know that pressing the gas means I go faster...) Again, this vibration only occurs over 75mph. *shrugs*