scuba_suit

hey thanks for the info, yes i know it might sound confusing, but i enderstand about the "different" receiving buckle in the middle, the retracting belt that is on the ceiling has the two different clips, but really i'm tryin to figure how to pull it out, it stretches like an inch and "locks", i'll keep playing with it and see if i can make it stretch out...

yeah this is not an engine issue (thank goodness) i'm just having issues with the seatbelt in the back to seat three passengers. One of the "buckles" won't click to the seatbelt. I count two seatbelts with buckles but a third (for a passenger in the middle) only has the buckle (which is the one that won't catch the metal) but it has another "female" buckle which receives another clip. That clip is located on the ceiling towards the back of the wagon. Now this is the other "problem" i'm having with that seatbelt. It seems like it's "locked" and won't release to pull it down. I tried figuring out how to release but to no avail. I don't have the owner's manual (it was lost) so i can't refer to it.

yes, that's what i HOPE happens, i just want to know if i'm on the right track with the taillight housing and pulling it off, there aren't any external screws, just that one bolt, i just don't want to pull it all out and end ripping wires out, i'll check the manual to see what it says, i thought i might find a thread that might have a step by step how to on this showing pics, thanks for the inputs!

i have a sub outback wagon and now one of my brake lights (passenger side) is out. there is another brake/parking light (driver's side) that is also out but that one is located on the hatch and is easy to get to, got that bulb, but that's not my prblem. it's the brake llight on the passenger side that's located on the corner of the car. i climber in the back and took off the covering from the inside but instead of seeing the bulb outlets, i just saw the metal frame of the car. there was a bolt sticking out. i assumed that this was what is holding the whole taillight piece to the car. i'm assuming that if i unscrew the nut from the bolt it should slide out and i should be able to take off the whole taillight piece and get to the bulb that's burned out. right? i haven't done anything yet. i figure i'd ask first before i start taking things apart. any help would be much appreciated. i got inspection this month and those are the only two things that would fail the inspection.

check out the website for the npr radio show 'car talk', they have a link to search for the nearest mechanic in your area, they also provide customer reponses and recommendations, i recently used it to find my recent mechanic and i was impressed with their service. if not try Al.

oh i'm definitely not going to do it myself, i'll stick with just changing light bulbs, i am taking it to a mechanic for the belts, my car is a 2003 subaru outback with 94k, i just had the car taken in for an oil change an state inspection, everything is okay, the mechanic told me that i should be thinkin about changing the belts (and showed me the belts), i'm just wondering cuz after this O2 sensor episode here's another mechanical endeavour i have to save up for (i have been calling around to find out how much all three belts would be), question: is it better to buy the parts and have the mechanic install them or just take the car in and have the mechanic do it all?

when you say "cracking" do you mean across the belt or parallel? someone told me that if they are cracking parallel to the belt then it's got to be replaced ASAP, if there are three belts (my engine is a 2.5L, 2003 subaru outback) then i'll definitely will be replacing them soon...

...does a 2003 outback have in it's engine? my car's got 94k and i think i might have to change them soon, what are some signs i should look out for (besides the car breakin down on me) when i check out the belts? cracks, grooves? i'm buyin belts so that if anything happens on the road i have them with me just in case....

AND IN THE END... i punked out, i took it to a mechanic and they put it in, at least i had the right piece... thanks all for the help and advice.

got lubricating spray, and doused it, now i'm waiting... and waiting.... i guess i'll try it tomorrow (i already tried gettin off, no avail, that was after 30 minutes of applying it)

olnick thanx, did a search and i'm going to look for kroil spray, i need something that'll lube and eat away at the rust, but if i can't find it, i'm sure i'll find something...

thanks olnick, it's 7:36am and i just came in from trying to loosen it, the thing will not budge, what kind of penetrating spray would you recommend? can i walk into an auto parts store and get one off the shelf? i think that's what i need for it to move, i am tellin you folks, i don't want to give up on this (my wife calls it "hardheaded'), how long do you guys think it will take for the 'check engine' light to go off once the piece is in? like a day or two?

well it's nighttime and i'm exhausted, i'm gonna try tomorrow first thing when it's real cool out and the metal in the car has had a chance to contract (hopefully making it a little easier to get it off, i'll give the details tomorrow....

....and it's RUSTED tight. am i spinnin it the right way? left or right? i'm dizzy and greasy, i don't know which way is up, i'm in there pushing the wrench hard to the right to make the sensor spin left (it's upside down, where the nut is on the bottom), everytime i'm pushin and feel like it's moving, i take out the wrench but it feels like i'm rounding the edges, i gotta stop for the night and try tomorrow, is there any advice out there to try to get it off? what would be good to try to budge it? there's not a lot of room in that area, i'm like "this" close to grabbin some wd-40 but i don't want to blow myself up.... here's a question that i shoulda asked: how long should i wait for the engine to cool to work on it? i mean it seems cool to me, i can work on it without burning myself but i was driving it about an hour ago, should i wait til tomorrow morning?

gnuman, if no one's told you, you are the wiz, well, here's the update: i went to the subaru dealer and got the sensor (they looked up the piece with my VIN) and got the wrench from lowe's which is by my house, so i'm lettin the engine cool down and i'ma get to it in a few and i'll let all know the outcome....