porcupine73

I'd seen on EndWrench and other places the supposed benefits or refilling the engine coolant with the cooling system under vacuum. If there is little air in the system, then there is little air that can get trapped thus forming an air pocket. Mightyvac and others make vacuum systems for doing this, but they aren't cheap. I picked up a few brass fittings and valves from mcmaster.com and a venturi vacuum device from Harbor Freight and gave it a try. I tried it on my '94 Legacy Wagon and my '00obw after replacing the radiator and heater hoses - seemed to work great in both cases. Since there's a lot of pictures and a video, I made a page for it here. Even after several heat/cool cycles the coolant level has not dropped, so I figure no air is caught in the system? Here's what the system looks like:

Here's the access spot I was thinking of. This is from a '96 Legacy wagon...I have a '94 Legacy wagon too but not sure if this thing is in the same spot? Anyway it doesn't sound like it's the access area you're looking for. Yes I am amazed too sometimes when you look up into the vehicle with a rear wheel off and see all those lines, hoses, and whatnots all rusted up in there...just enough room to see them...

There are one or two access panels just behind the rear seats in the wagon; I'm not sure if these will give you access to what you need. The one on the RH side is usually where the fuel pump discharge, fuel return, and some other line go into...I have a pic somewhere here....

Is that a phase II? (Does that have the external spin on filter on the side of the AT case? (if it's an H4, on H6's the filter is remote mounted). Of course you probably already know you must make sure you get an AT with the same drive ratio as your rear diff, or get the rear diff from the donor car as well. Outback Gear Ratios (EndWrench) When performing repairs on automatic or manual transmission Outback vehicles, be certain to check appropriate. Service materials to determine whether or not the vehicle you are working on has a different final drive ratio than a non-Outback version of the same vehicle. If a different ratio is indicated, be certain to obtain the correct matching parts while performing your repairs.

Is the wheel bent at all? Is the wheel to hub mating surface clean and rust free? I would jack it up and measure the circumference of all the tires. See if the one that makes it pull is much different than the others. Suggested Measuring Device (EndWrench) As you are no doubt aware, all-wheeldrive (AWD) systems are sensitive to variations in tire circumference...Differences of as little as 1/4 inch can have an effect. Subaru recommends the use of a steel tape measure with a thin 1/4 inch blade width to closely follow the tire contour and give accurate results. While these tape measures are commonly available at most hardware stores in 3 and 6 foot lengths, the 10 foot length tape is needed to accommodate larger tire diameters. It may take a little searching or even a special order, but most of the better-known manufacturers, such as Lufkin or Stanley, offer a 10 foot steel tape in the desired 1/4 inch width. (I found this type of tape at Ace Hardware).

Yah I would look into your local/state laws. In NY, pretty much any vehicle sold by a dealer comes with a warranty (length depends on mileage). It makes no difference if the dealer says 'no warranty', 'as is', etc; the law still says 'warranty'.

You could put a low range oil pressure test gauge on it to see what the oil pressure is at that point. If the oil light is flickering, the pressure is either pretty low or the pressure switch is faulty or there is a blockage in the gallery. The oil pressure switch is located under the alternator. The thread is 1/8" BSPT (british standard pipe - tapered thread). Some oil pumps had issues with the rear case cover screws backing out thus leaking oil, and sometimes pushing out the front crank seal. Do you have any leaks? If you pull the oil pump and remove the rear case cover, you can measure the rotor clearances and the rotor to case clearance. Then you can decide if you need to replace the oil pump or not...($100+). The rotor matched set can also be purchased and installed in the existing case (provided the case hasn't worn beyond service limits). I don't know what kind of ambient temps/loads you're running in, but Subaru does list some heavier engine oils, even 20W50, as acceptable in high temp/high load situations.

It can. Erratic Warning Light Operation (EndWrench.com) When diagnosing a vehicle with erratic operation (flashing, dim illumination, etc.) of the handbrake/brake fluid warning lights, check the charging system and the charge light system. The charge light system (which receives a ground through the alternator field when the alternator is not charging) is used to check the bulbs of the handbrake/brake fluid warning lights (and some other warning lights on select vehicles).

Not sure if this helps, but I saw this on EndWrench: A rough engine idle condition may occur when the vehicle’s battery is disconnected for less than 30 minutes on some 2001 and later Subaru vehicles, up to and including the 2003 Legacy and Baja. The rough idle condition only affects four cylinder, non-turbo vehicles. 2004 model year vehicles may also be affected. Clearing the memory with the Select Monitor will correct this condition. Also, the ECU will most likely clear itself if the battery is allowed to remain disconnected for more than 30 minutes.

Yes, you really need an a/c manifold gauge set to do it right. These can be had for maybe $35 from Harbor Freight on sale, and to me it looks exactly like those sold for $200+ other places. If you go to http://www.endwrench.com click archives, and search for 'a/c', you'll find tons of articles on Subaru a/c service. Here's a pretty good one: A/C Maintenance and Service: Keep 'em Cool AFIAK, you only need to recover the 'freon' on the old R12 systems. Heck, R134a is even used in those computer air dusters and freeze sprays.

For 2.5L ('00obw): DTC P0451 - EVAPORATIVE EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM PRESSURE SENSOR RANGE/PERFORMANCE PROBLEM DTC DETECTING CONDITION: Two consecutive driving cycles with fault The service procedure has you check all the gas cap, fuel tank hoses, filler pipe, etc., and if those are good replace fuel tank pressure sensor. DTC P0453 - EVAPORATIVE EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM PRESSURE SENSOR HIGH INPUT DTC DETECTING CONDITION: Immediately at fault recognition The service procedure basically has you check all the connections for shorts/opens/etc, and if all those are good replace the fuel tank pressure sensor. At least on this '00obw, it shows only a couple bolts/connectors to replace the fuel tank pressure sensor?

Could be; the ECU wants to see a certain impedance presented by the knock sensor; there could be a wiring issue elsewhere. Is the new knock sensor to block mating surface clean, and is the bolt torqued properly?

Here's the Subaru retrofit instructions from EndWrench, in case you're interested. I've used a few of those conversion kits. One on an '88 lincoln, it seemed to work just fine. I also used it on an '87 Ford F-250, but within a short time it started leaking oil from the a/c compressor and other areas...not sure if that's because of the kit or not...

How's the fuel pressures and fuel pressure regulator and fuel filter? Also, while idling with the air filter out of the way, a shot of throttle body cleaner aimed up at the IACV intake just before and above the throttle butterfly, might be a quick easy thing to try... I think there was something on EndWrench that said to make sure the negative battery cable was clean and securely connected in cases of poor idle.

Cool, is this a new oil? It's hard to tell on some of the high viscosity spread oils is whether they contain a lot of VII's (viscosity index improvers). These can shear back over time. Synthetics generally have good VI's to begin with and don't need a lot of VII's. Someone said this 0W-40 provides more shearing abilities then the 20/50. I didn't see a 20W50 on Mobil's Web site, but other brand 20W50 oils have much higher HTHS (high temp/high shear) scores than the 0W-40.

Did you power the fans directly at the their connector to make sure they both work?

Cool. I pulled mine completely, wrapped it in bubble wrap, and grounded the bolt hole. Didn't notice any difference, but I wasn't having issues before I did it either. Been that way for 6 months. Maybe I'll put it back in now.

If the KS is faulty/going faulty (i.e. giving knock sensor codes), relocating it won't help. Fuel economy/power may increase if ECU was pulling timing due to detecting knock and now after relocation it is not detecting knock. If KS is functioning properly and engine is not knocking and ECU is not pulling timing based on KS signal, then relocating it will make 0 difference.

Yes, I'd suction or drain to the full mark. If it's overly full, it's probably churning up in there real good and maybe sloshing up and out the breather hose. Is it ATF or gear oil coming out?

I've seen it a few places. About $6 a quart. It's Idemitsu ATF-HP. Idemitsu is a pretty big player (in Japan!) http://www.subaruparts.com/catalog/?section=366 I do not necessarily agree with the 'lifetime' lube on any fluid. It also depends what they mean by 'lifetime'. Some manufacturers mean the length of the warranty. This fluid has different frictional characteristics than the Dexron III. I think there is an article on EndWrench about it. Anyone know if those 5eats are made by Jatco ? I think nissan and some others are using the jatco boxes, which I believe take that same fluid. edit: if you buy some, pick up a few extra quarts so you can keep it in your vehicle emergency kit.

Another option, if you don't want to attempt to pull the plug, is shoot the plug and the area right around it with brake cleaner. Get it clean. Then just smear some permatex ultra grey or something where the plug meets the pan. Not a lot, just enough to seal it. That should hold it until you pull the plug again.

Hi, is rear camber adjustable on '00obw? I don't know what this suspension type is called. The right rear appears to be right around 0'. The left rear appears to be about -40'.

Hi, not sure if this is helpful but here it is: ABS System Check (EndWrench) The ABS Electronic Control Unit checks all system components, including the Hydraulic Control Unit, each time the vehicle is started. When the Hydraulic Control Unit is operating during this checking period, the owner/technician may hear a noise/buzzing coming from the engine compartment. They may also feel the brake pedal pulsating slightly if their foot is on the brake pedal. This pulsating of the brake pedal may be more noticeable when backing down a slight grade (sloping driveway). It may also be felt when moving forward. The check is not performed until a speed sensor input is received by the ABS Electronic Control Unit. This is a normal function and no repairs should be attempted.

Sometimes the PS pumps have a pressure switch, one of the things I think it does is bump up the rpms if there is enough load on the PS pump. If you have that maybe you could wire into it to cause the idle bump up whenever you want.

That's cool. I've heard good things about the Lubegard additives. I would have used an ATF additive since these units don't use PS fluid.