Kilroy

Same here, I used a 4 foot length of pipe over my 1/2" ratchet. There was no way it would budge with anything smaller and I didn't think it would ever come off, but I slowly applied pressure and it suddenly came loose.

AMEN!

Could be the camber, I just did some work on the halfshaft and when I put the camber bolt back in I had forgotten to mark it's location. So I tightened it up and took it for a drive and it pulled right, I rotated the bolt and retightened it and the pull was gone.

My father-in-law and I were just talking about him purchasing a 2008 Nissan Maxima in Canada vs. the United States. The Canadian price is $53,000 and the American price is $38,000. After paying the GST and Duty at the border, the price for importing one would ~$43,000 and the dealership says the warranty is valid in Canada as long as the local Nissan dealership is aware of the purchase and it is put on record. At the rate the US dollar is going down, Canadians will soon be refusing to take change back from a large bill in those funny looking small green bills.

I could most definitely turn this into some cash, but my conscience may keep me from doing so. I definitely have a case of 'whiplash', but to what extent it is hard to tell at this time. I've had headaches ever since the accident, something that VERY rarely happens to me. I have been drinking plenty of water to rule out dehydration, yet the headaches persist.

My first day at work on the day shift last Monday in over 2.5 years and I got rear-ended on the freeway on the way home. I hate rush hour traffic, which was a large part of my decision to work the afternoon shift in the first place (plus there are no foremen around on the afternoon shift). A full size pickup in front of me suddenly veers towards an off-ramp at the last possible instant, I figure he must be daydreaming and just missed his ramp. Nope, he is actually trying to get onto the shoulder to avoid hitting the last of a line of cars in front of him that are waiting to merge into the next offramp at the clover-leaf ramps ahead. I pound my brakes as hard as I can and manage to stop about 2 feet before hitting the rear of the car that was in front of him. Now I have him to my right and a string of traffic in the lane to my left, with nowhere to go. So, I wonder if the car behind me will manage to stop in time? A quick glance in the rearview mirror and I see the young female driver of a black VW Golf with eyeballs as large as dinner plates and her jaw in her lap coming up on me fast....wayyy too fast. I look forward and brace myself, this is going to hurt. Her car hits me hard enough to send me into the new Hyundai rental in front of me and she leaves black paint on the underside of my spare tire wheel well. The traffic has started moving slowly, so that keeps the Hyundai from hitting the car in front of it. It turns out the Hyundai is a rental because the driver was rear-ended in her own vehicle a few weeks previous, talk about bad luck. :-\ The damage to the Hyundai is pretty much just a scuff on the bumper, there is no visible damage other that that. It made a mess of my passenger front quarter though. I managed to drive the car home, it tracked fine and ran with no problems, but with the muffler partially broken off and the packing coming out it was crazy loud. My main concern is that the damage will cost enough that they will simply write off the car, although it is just a matter of bodywork to fix it all. I'll be putting a new muffler on it myself today and taking it in for estimates, so we'll see. By 9PM Monday my neck was getting really stiff and my back was aching as well, so off to the Medicenter (I love the Canadian medical system!) and a doctor's note for drugs and at least the week off of work. Foremen breathing down my neck, getting up at 5AM and a collision to boot, what a crappy way to start the week. http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrowse.asp?folder_id=1856355

I own a 2003 Honda Odyssey EX-L and my wife and I love it. My wife swore she would never drive a minivan, but now she can't live without it. They go like a 7 seated rocket and keep pulling right up until redline. Before I purchased it, I was also considering the Toyota Sienna (the only other minivan given a good rating on Consumer Reports), but the Sienna only came with run-flats and no spare. Feedback from people that owned the Sienna indicated that the run-flats are a real PITA as replacing them was near impossible due to not many tire shops stocking them.

What a coincidence, I'm having the same problem with my wife.

The 12Wx4 rating I mentioned is actually the rating for a typical aftermarket HU, so there probably won't be enough difference in the power rating between the stock HU and an aftermarket one to make a difference to new speakers. You really should look into a small aftermarket amplifier if you want better sound for your system, but realize that the HU is the starting point of good sound and high quality DACs (many aftermarket HUs are 24-bit these days) are necessary . A Soundstream 405s multi-channel amp is small and would give you plenty of extra power, it's a very clean underrated (powerwise) amplifier and also has an output for a subwoofer. They are no longer produced, but you can typically find one on eBay. The 305 or 205 series would work as well. The amplifier would also greatly extend your choice of speakers.

Most stock HUs aren't capable of decent internal amplification, you will see 50Wx4 at best. 50W is the peak rating, RMS (nominal power) rating is probably closer to 12Wx4. Check the RMS rating on the speakers you are shopping for and be sure to check the efficiency of the speaker as well. A higher efficiency speaker will give you better amplitude and sound with the same power going to it than a lower efficiency speaker. As you are looking at replacement speakers, try and stick to better brand names and you will thank yourself once you hear them after the install. Focal, Boston Acoustics and Denon all produce great quality speakers, but there is a price premium for the quality.

I had no idea how tight the nut on my hub would be, so I got a 5' piece of 3/4" AR steel square bar and put a 90 degree bend about 2.5" from the end of it. I then got a 4' length of pipe to put over it in case the torque from the square bar wasn't enough. I slipped the 2.5" end of the square bar into a 34mm 3/4" drive socket then onto the nut and cracked it off without a whole lot of trouble. I managed to separate the halfshaft from the hub by hand. I'm not sure if it should have been that easy, but everything seems to be working fine. General rule of thumb: If all else fails, get a bigger hammer.

The oil that I have leaking is definitely differential oil, not engine oil. The oil is a golden colour and quite thick.

I have this same problem with my Acura RL. It sat in the garage for 5 months without moving (over the winter) and when I backed it out in the spring the brakes were rusted to the rotors. It broke away and as I back down the driveway I could feel and hear as the brake pad went past the high spot that the rust left behind. Even after removing the wheels and taking some sandpaper to the high rust spot on the rotors I have a little of the rubbing remaining. Oh yea, anyone want to buy an Acura? http://edmonton.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-over-5K-1998-ACURA-RL-US-CAR-IN-MINT-CONDITION-W0QQAdIdZ21712037

Separator-cover leak? More info please.

USB stick FTW!!

I went with the size that Tire Rack recommended for my wheels, 205/45-17. The salesperson called me to let me know that it was a very aggressive fitment and I may have to roll my fenders so that they won't rub on cornering, they wouldn't ship me the tire package before informing me of this and getting my approval. I've cornered really hard with no troubles, but I would still like to add a thicker/stiffer anti-sway bar to the car. http://www.villagephotos.com/viewpubimage.asp?id_=20604876&selected=

That clearance looks like it's ready for some off road fun! I still have the original shocks on my wagon with my 17" wheels/tires and I thought I should lower it another 1" to make it look proper.

I can see the seal and it looks perfectly fine, but it does slowly leak enough to be a pain and it's quite smelly every time I stop due to it burning on the exhaust. Breaking the retainer isn't an option (I don't have another to replace it), I would rather just live with it the way it is. I'm thinking that the retainer is corroded enough that it has become one with the casing. I'll be calling Subaru in the morning to verify that it's a righty-tighty thread.

Whatever the reason, a loud 'bang' can't be good!

I've remove the locking clip, with the amount of force I've put on the retainer I think I would have bent the hell out of that clip even if it were in place. I tried turning clockwise as hard as I could once, just in case it was a left hand thread. It didn't budge. That was also my concern with the PB Blaster, that being vertical it wouldn't soak into the threads. The only way I can overcome that is to put my car on it's side, not really an option.

I can't see using a screwdriver, let alone two of them, to remove the retainer unless the diff is outside of the car. There is very little room to work and no room to work with any leverage flat against the retainer. Someone mentioned that the axle stub just pops out, I put a long screwdriver through the spring pin hole on the axle stub and pulled as hard as I could, no way was that stub coming out. I created a tool to spin the retainer while at work today. I took a 3" piece of 3.5" diameter (the same diameter as the teeth on the retainer) stainless pipe and welded 3/16" stainless rod on the outside of it at 0, 90,180 and 270 degrees. I left the rod sticking out about 1/4" and then hammered them over the edge of the pipe at 90 degrees. I then tacked a 3/4" size nut onto the center of a 3.5" square piece of stainless and tacked the square piece onto the opposite end of the pipe so I had something to attach a tool to. The tool fit nicely over the teeth with all 4 of the teeth on the tool engaging the retainer. First I tried to use a small crescent wrench to turn the nut, then a large wrench and finally a 1/2" ratchet with a 3/4" socket on it. No way that thing wants to turn, I was pulling as hard as I could on the ratchet! I've just soaked it with PB Blaster and in a couple of hours I'll soak it again before I go to bed. If it still won't turn in the morning I may try to put the ratchet handle vertical and attach a snipe to it, but this much torque may be enough to shear the teeth on the retainer. What a pain this leak is turning out to be, if the damned thing would come off I could finish this and have it back together in 1/2 hour!

Here's a site that suggests using a piece of PVC to make the tool: http://www.ford-trucks.com/article/idx/9/052/article/Dana_44_Front_Axle_Shaft_Ujoint_Replacement_.html I'm concerned that PVC will break too easily.

I'm replacing that same seal today, as well. I have everything apart and am stopped at that retainer. I tried to tap it with a long screwdriver to start it turning (after marking it to get it back to correct position). A couple of firm taps and the 'tooth' broke off, as I feared. The seal came with an o-ring as well, it will fit behing the retainer. Now I'm calling around looking for a place that has a tool lend program (PartSource, Canadian Tire, etc.) in the hopes I can find something to get the retainer off. If all else fails, I'll grab a 3.5" socket from work tomorrow and put some cross cuts in it until it fits properly.

I would have to agree as well, that price is too high. You should be paying somewhere in the $3k neighbourhood for that vehicle, no more.

Go with 17" wheels if it is within your budget. Here's a photo of my blue '90 Legacy with 17s, the car looks the same as yours. http://www.villagephotos.com/viewpubimage.asp?id_=20604876&selected=