zstalker

The knock sensor relies on vibrations coming up through the metal of the motor. It "listens" to the frequencies coming through the block to determint when a misfire/detonation is occurring. Insulating its mount would eliminate any vibrations, rendering it useless. If yours is working, don't bother it. If it's not, just replace it...just my advice. ~Erik~

40 drive cycles is for the ECU to ERASE the code, not turn off the MIL. Depending on the code, it can turn on immediately, or after 2 or 3 occurranced, and the ECU will turn the light off after reaching the same circumstance that set the code 3 or so times. The code will still be retained in memory as a "history" code for future refefence until erased (either ECU cleared or the aforementioned 40 cycles). ~Erik~

horn, hazards, clock, and a few other things are all opperated through the same fuse. check that first, just under the dash. ~Erik~

Subaru, for whatever reason, does not specify a time frame for replacing the ATF filter, not even under severe service. when asked, the Subaru trainer for dealership techs said that "officially," they don't need to be changed. I, however, feel that if a filter is in place, it's there to do a job: filter. If that job is being performed, that means that particles of something are being trapped inside it, and it's not a terrible idea to periodically put on a fresh filter...just, for the love of god, don't use the oil filter, even though they can thread on. ~Erik~

lots of Subaru's come fron the factory with Champion plugs. there are certain year/model combinations that came with NGK. ~Erik~

our dealership got our first '08 Impreza last Wednesday, and I got a good look at it. I really think the body (4-door) is shaped like a Saturn Ion and the front headlight/grille treatment looks like a Suzuki Reno (even more-so in person) (NOT a compliment...the Reno (and sister-car Forenza) are some of the worst raging piles of crap still on sale today...I should know...I'm Suzuki Certified) the interior feels a little more refines, but the stereo sucks rump roast...sounds like they got much cheaper speakers, or wrong speaker locations, or something. I haven't driven one yet to tell the difference in driving from the '07, but that shouldn't be too much different, since the drivetrain is exactly the same. I wonder if the rear suspension setup is going to change things much... Subaru has been pretty public with their intent to become more mainstream, and the new Impreza certainly is more mainstream...but if you ask me, the non-mainstream-ness was what made a Subaru a Subaru (blatant referral to their ad campain). ~Erik~

is your EGR system working properly? that could result in high NOx ~Erik~

...for a transmission at least, the "flush" that most places will perform now-a-days is just splicing into the fluid cooler lines, catching all the old fluid as it comes out, and replacing it with new fluid at the same rate. This is not a pressurized "flush" per-se, but just a fluid transfusion. The transmission doesn't even know the difference. The DIY way to do it, as mentioned above, is just drain the transmission, and put the same amount of fluid in the top that came out the bottom. Do this while the car is off, obviously. Then start the car, run through the gears, maybe even go drive a littlle bit if time isn't a concern, then do that all again. Twice is good, three times even better, but (also as mentioned) budget for fluid will be a limiting factor. Get the car good and warmed up (driving is the best warmup) and check the fluid hot. There is a "cold" reading, but the "hot" is a much better indicarion. The flush machines I mentioned before (non-pressurized) do the exact same thing as the repeated drain/fill, but all at once. that's the only difference, so I really think they're fine, when used correctly. One thing that may be a concern, however, is any type of a "trans flush" additive that you run before you flush, or a "treatment" you use after. Neither are truly approved specifically by any manufacturer, and even though lots of shops use them...even dealerships... the unknown (to anyone but the creating company) composition of the fluid is introducing a major variable into the transmission that the engineers didn't design it for. Automatic transmissions are expensive, you going to risk it because some bottle or commercial told you it was a good idea? I really feel that the best maintenance for a transmission is regular exchanging of the fluid with the correct fluid type, and nothing else. Shifting funny? Change the fluid. Been 100,000 miles? Change the fluid. Transmission fall apart after the change? Fine...it was poor maintenance beforehand that destroyed it, not the new fluid. Do you really think that a transmission that fell apart after a change would have lasted another 10, 20, or 30,000 miles without it? ...but it might with it. (my transmission in my Toyota, with no significant maintenance before 100,000 miles has gone 50,000 more because of regular maintenance) Anyone who tells you that "the old fluid and deposits are holding it together" is just repeating something that they heard from "some guy" before. New fluid has fresh friction modifiers to help the clutches grab better, fresh conditioners to help seals hold better, and fresh detergents to help shift valves slide better, the way they ought. ok, sorry I'm ranting, I just really get wound up about stuff like mis-information, so take it for what you will...bottom line: do what you want, it's your car. ~Erik~

seriously...need the code. the code will be stored in the computer's memory for a decent amount of time after the light turns off. if the "check engine" light comes on, there is a code, and it is a terrible idea trying to diagnose unknown problems based on information not related to your car (info fron the forum) without knowing the code that turned the light on. I'd hate to see you replace O2 sensors, thermostat, whatever, and find the code was for your gas-cap being loose...y'know? When the light comes on next time, stop by a local parts store (checker, advance auto, napa, car quest, autozone, whatever is nearest) and get the code pulled. it will be a Pxxxx code, with numbers for the x's, like P0456 or P0133 or P1844 (just random ones...for examples). without that, proceding is futile. ~Erik~

good you didn't get totally screwed. still odd they charged for 1.5 hours, even at a reduced rate. if they billed it that way, the mechanic still got paid that 1.5 hours extra, the shop just got a little less. oh well... ~Erik~

the mechanic and service manager are double-dipping for labor. that's totally against the policy of pretty much every manufacturer, delaership, and good shop out there, and could possibly be considered fraud. the mechanic, and therefore the shop, is getting paid 5.4 hours (warranty time) by Subaru of America to replace the headgasket. this INCLUDES removing and re-installing the timing belt. if you opted to get the timing belt (and maybe idlers and tensioner, maybe even water pump...all are really good thigs to replace, especially by 98k) replaced, they can't charger you ANY labor for the belt, and only a tiny bit for the other timing parts. our shop generally charges no labor for the other timong parts dealing with a job like that, since we want the customer to do them for the sake of their car, and charging them for every little thing makes it much less appealing. they can charge you whatever list price they have for the PARTS. same goes for the rear seal and retaining plate. if the motor's out of the car (I do believe Subaru warranty time does pay for that), then those parts should be installed at only the cost of parts, plus maybe a little bit of labor...not much. So SoA is paying the shop for 5.4 hours of labor, and the shop has now also charged you for 3 more hours (albeit at a lower-than-normal rate), so they're double-dipping. They're screwing you, and screwing SoA as well. just please tell me they didn't try to charge you 2 or more hours labor to replace the timing belt and tensioner (already covered by SoA warranty time). There are a lot of really crooked shops, including dealerships, out there...you just have to find one that will treat you right. if they're charging you stuff that you really feel like you're (or SoA) getting screwed, call up the Subaru corperate customer service department 1-800-SUBARU3 (1-800-782-2783). dealerships that are unfair about billing give the manufacturer a really bad name. don't be a jerk about it, just be sure you are treated fairly. ~Erik~

my opinion: have a shop (or even Autozone, Checker, Napa, wherever...) test your battery with a Midtronics-type (inductance) tester. if it shows as "good", just keep it. just because your battery is getting a little older, doesn't mean it's going to go bad, just means they don't warranty it anymore. a battery can last twice that long sometimes. don't waste (up to) $100 (or more) without reason. ~Erik~

yeah, those extra tube-dealies are silencers. changes the shape/size of the intake track, like a muffler. they don't help performance, but they don't hurt either, since they don't protrude out into the air stream. ~Erik~

perhaps I've mis-interpreted something here, but how in the world can a manual transmission cost $10,000? ~Erik~ BTW, my favorite from that website...even through I don't have an extra $30k sitting around...

as you're tightening them up (gently), you'll feel them turn and turn, then suddenly snug up. stop there. like above, good and "snug", but not "tight"...they're sadly fairly easy to strip. the factory has a little bit of sealant on the bottom corners of the gasket and where it bends to go over the cams. BTW, a ratcheting wrench is your best friend when doing valve covers... ~Erik~

any way we could look at a list of what cars are avalaible and for about what price? or is there a site you look at that we could see?...anything like that? seems like a very appealing idea... ~Erik~

y'know, for being one of the companies that is credited with inventing the spark plug itself, you'd really think they could make a better one... ~Erik~

if there are codes for all the sensors, it's not likely a problem with the sensors, but the circuit or computer. first thing, check the fuse. if that blows, they all shut off...and throw codes. ~Erik~

here's really what it comes down to...and a previous post about choice of oil. I really like Amsoil myself, but not against other brands. Amsoil shares a lot of specifications about their oil and test results, which other brands tend to keep very secret (ashamed?)...but really, jus about anything you buy on the shelf that passed the API spec and other requirements for your motor will be just fine. ~Erik~

what enigne? I was under the impression that the holes in the flywheel were asymetrical, so they could only be mounted in one position so you don't have to worry about aligning it...yes? no? ~Erik~

being in a low spot on the intake, it could be a drain, so water (etc) doesn't collect a little pool. probably just a straight hole drilled through to the bottom, between all the runners. just a thought, not absolute knowledge. ~Erik~

it's always a possibility that it was a fluke event that caused the code, or it may just be something that isn't big enout for the computer to take immediate notice of. some codes take mutiple consecutive occurances to set the "check engine" light. for being on a budget, this was probably a good idea, just to really confirm the code wasn't just a fluke before you go ahead and start throwing parts at it. oh, and leave the wires on reversed, so if/when the code comes back, you'll be able to see if the misfire follows the wire. ~Erik~

with 50k miles a bad spark plug could certainly be the misfire culprit, just be sure to get NGK BKR6E-11 plugs (that's what the dealer will give you for your car too, just in a Subaru box). If you're replacing wires, get some from the dealership. OK, getting the plugs out of a DOHC motor, however, isn't as easy as..say, a Honda. here's my reply from another thread, slightly edited for your situation. ~Erik~

first off, thank you all so much...I've gotten exactly the explaiation I needed for those wires. I'm going to leave all the test dealer connecters in place, no sence in removing something that could be useful. I'll have to dig around in the back room to see if we've got the old connector and a computer that can read the codes (I work at a Subaru dealership). ~Erik~

without looking into diagnosis, you didn't mention your fuel filter has been changed recently. change it. it takes like 5 minutes with a phillips screwdriver. a clogged fuel filter will start starving the engine at higher RPM, just like you say is happening. even if this doesn't immediately solve your loss of power, it's certainly a good thing to do. ~Erik~