mdjdc

Sorry if I ruffled some feathers, but I feel that if one is going to charge 80-160 per hour I should be charged for the time spent actually doing the job. My best friend is a full time mechanic and he doesn't even feel that the book is fair and gives his customers a break when figuring out costs. I have 10 years education as a doctor and I have all sorts of regulations imposed on me by state regulators and the insurance industry. My overhead is enormous, and I rarely get paid what I charge on a normal basis. So, let's not get into an arguement on that side of the equation. I feel that a fair price for a good job is just good business, but when you get paid double than the hourly rate for the job, someone is getting thee short end of the stick. I realize that dealerships are bad, but I think independants should be fair about their fees. I really don't want to get anyone upset, so I will let the arguement go from here.

I may be parting one out. It is a 97 outback and an automatic. If that fits the bill for your car let me know and we can work something out. I will know if I am resurrecting the car later this week, so we can talk about it some more then. PM me if you are interested.

What are you referring to as the propeller shafts? Do you mean the output shafts that the front axles attach to or are you talking about the the rear output shaft for the rear driveshaft. All of these are sourcable from board members and you can use ones from 96 thru 99 and maybe even others. Those years I am certain of. My queation is, what happened to the shafts that they need to be replaced? If there is damage where they go into the tranny, then you probably have damage internal to the tranny. More info please so we can properly guide you.

Are you using Q towers or 1A towers. If you have raingutters and are using the 1A towers then you will notice some compression of the rain gutter covers. There is no avoiding it. If you are using the Q towers you can move the towers in or out to get a better purchase on the gutter. You can also spread the bars further apart to suit your needs. I have used these systems many times and you will feel the system very secure when you have them installed properly.

Automotive hourly rates are rediculous, period!!! I have no problem payoing the hourly rate, but when you combine that with "book" hours for the job it becomes highway robbery. I know that a good mechanic can do a job in far less time than the book states and yet they still charge the same for the job, Why not just charge for the hours you work on the car. I know mechanics that can do 16 hours worth of "book" hours in an eight hour day. Tell me that is fair. By the way, do you live in Ashland Va? If you do, get in touch with me and I can help you with repairs and you can learn something about your car.

The socket is a 14 mm 12 point not a torx. Use a good torque wrench. The click type not the one with the arrows. Be sure to folloe the torque sequence. If you are unsure you can call me. 804-393-0516. I have done many of these and I have the torques values in my head and the sequence too. Mike

Don't you just need the backing plate, disc and ebrake stuff. Why would you need the hub too? It seems to be overkill to me as the drum mounts on the hub you already have and so does the rotor. I have a complete setup ready to be shipped and if the hub is needed I have that too plus the ebrake cable. I pulled it for someone, but he has fallen off the grid, so I don't know hawo to get in touch with him.

Gary is correct, I went with non subaru gaskets for four engines and had them all fail. Never again. Also, did you thoroughly clean the block surface before replacing the gaskets? The little things can make a big difference.

I've used the ebay kits from the import experts and they have been first rate and OEM certified. The bearings and tensioners were exactly the same as the ones I have purchased from Subaru and at a far lower price. All of the parts come directly from Japan and I can't imagine that there are that many manufacturers over there. If you buy from them, I would recommend the parts, other vendors, I'm not sure of their parts or quality. Good luck

Looks like a classic case of oil starvation. The piston wasn't lubed enough and it locked under the stress of high revs and shattered. looks just like an ea 82 that a firend of mine ran with no oil, but he was an idiot and never checked the oil level. Locked up the motor on the highway at 70 mph.

I can sen you a clip that will hold the relay. If you take the glove box out and look at the side of the dash you will see a small square hole and that is what the clip pops into. I have several of the clips. Mike

Sorry: I finally got over to the car yesterday and pulled a relay for you and I was going to get you the pic today. Glad that you had the right one and that you now have heated mirrors. Mike

You will need to unbolt the motor mounts and jack up each side of the motor to get the clearance to get the bolts out. you will want to take the cams off and get the lifter buckets first so that you don't have them dropping on the ground. It sounds like you have a bad rod and the block is toast. you will need to have the motor out no matter what unless you are trashing the car. There is no way that you are going to fix that block in the car unless you just have some trash i the cylinder, but then you should be able to go more than 90 degrees. Since you got the two bolts from up top, Jack up the engine and get the other two from under the engine. You can see them behind the oil pan if you look from the front of the engine. This will allow you to pull the engine and save you alot of headaches.

The plug is a four wire plug and it will be taped up behind the glove box with blue tape. It was the only plug that wasn't being used. The relay was a metal type, round with a white base. If you need to see what it looks like send me your email addy and I will get you a picture of it.

Hey guys: Thanks so much for the links and the diagrams. I found the relay on the donor car last night and we found the plug on his Forester a few minutes ago. It was taped up behind the glove box. Now his mirror heat works perfectly and he is ever so happy.

There is a JY near me with a loyale in it. I can check for you if you'd like me too.

I sure hope youused subie gaskets. In my experience, repeat failures have been due to using non subie gaskets. I even did a few with "certified OEM" gaskets from another manufacturer and had all three come back in fairly short order. Once the gaskets were replaced with subie gaskets the engines ran like a champ and had no further problems. Good Luck

We have everything from the original vehicle. I think we found the relay and I am going to put it in this morning when he comes to my office. I will let everyone know if it works. Thanks Guys. Mike

The heated mirrors are turned on by the rear defroster switch. Unlike the outback, the switch is a combination switch. It works perfectly on my 99 forester, but putting them in my friends S model is what is giving me a headache. I am going to look for the relay tonight after work. I honestly think that is the missing link and I truely appreciate all of the help you guys have been giving me today. This problem will be conquered!!

So I need a wiring diagram so that I can find the location of the relay. I am not sure exactly where you are referring to on the 02 forester. If anyone has a wiring diagram they can send me my email address is mdjdc1@gmail.com Thanks Mike

I just got a set of heated mirrors for a friends 98 forester and we installed them last week. They came off the same year vehicle and everything is plugged in. They don't get warm to the touch like the mirrors in my forester do when they are activated. is there a relay that I was supposed to change out along with the mirrors? Any help in trouble shooting this would be greatly appreciated. Mike

The hex nut to which you refer is screwed into the floorpan. You probably just lost the 10mm bolt that goes into it. Not sure of the pitch , but it is a very common bolt used on tese cars. The same as one of the bolts holding the fender on. Hopw that helps.

You could always replace it with an aftermarket unit. I have a single din pioneer that plays cd's mp3's and has an aux input to plug your ipod into. It has a remote control too and is brand new. It is an open box, so I had to buy a remote for it, but the thing is complete. you can then fill the second din with a pocket for storage of little things. If you want mine I can sell you the unit for 75.00 plus shipping and I will get you the pocket to go with it. The only thing you need for installation is the subaru harness adapter and that is 12.00 online. I can get you the link for ordering that too. Let me know Mike