frag

Anything that would cause your car to rev up to 2500 rpm by itself when in gear (whatever the temperature) is abnormal and criminally dangerous. Like someone wrote, you should ask Matt to put what he told you in writing and show that to SOA or even the dealer and ask if they are ready to stand behind that. No way can you car be designed to do that.

I see there's a little frost on the ground. I guess you must be eagerly looking forward to have some snow on the ground to play with your subbie? :-p

In my case there is no guessing : I have an oil pressure gauge. That same gauge also tells me when the oil has reached it's normal operating temp cause then the gauge registers around 11-12 psi at 700 rpm. On cold mornings there is a 5-10 minutes difference between the time the coolant gets to normal (according to the temp gauge at least) temp and the time the oil does the same.

Exact same thing happened to me two days ago. It's the black mud gard (flap?) that caught on hard ice and bent forward and broke (i was backing in the snow pile) bringing with it part of the plastic under wheel well shroud (on the passenger side). So the pleasures of driving in the snow are not without some limitations... If I had the money and the garage, I would have my regular lLegacy and a lifted Ouback or Loyale for times like these. Maybe a project for when I'll retire.

Merry Christmass to you too. If you want some of that jealousy to subside, you might think that after having played in the snow with our Subbies, some on us have to find a parking place on the street. That often means driving around the block hoplessly and, if lucky, backing in piles of snow and ice and hoping the exhaust system wont fold like an accordeon.

Maybe a long shot but I think I remember someone here writing about a connection under the driver's or the passenger's seat. Maybe there is corrosion there...

What he says .

Sorry, but with the danger of accident and consequent liability for the car maker involved, i would be extremely surprised if this was anything else than Matt's way of hiding the fact that he does'nt understand why your car is acting up.

I'll have to time that more precisely some day, but my feeling is it takes four to five times longer to get my engine to operating temp idling than driving. Like someone else wrote, I wait for the oil pressure to max and then drive off gently and keep it that way for a few minutes.

Thanks. And the cold cat theory makes a lot of sense.

Yes, not the quiet 12 inches I was expecting, but the worst Montreal snow blizzard since 1971 (according to the newspapers). When I left home at 6:30, the snow had been falling hard since around 3 o'clock and there was not a plow in sight. The car was drifting a little in corners but I got to the hospital with ten minutes to spare. Not much traffic yet and i was leaving behind almost every car that was there. After that I had to go to school and back to the hospital around two in the afternoon. That was the hardest part. I had to go up side streets with steep slopes (Ontario to Sherbrooke for those who know Montreal) where fwd cars were spinning their wheels hopelessly. Could get around some, but had to change streets charging thru completely unplowed alleys. The car performed quite well but I felt at some places that I was nearing the limits of the Legacy's ground clearance. For those who expressed concern, my wife got thru the operation extremely well and though she is not yet completely out of the woods, her chances for a complete recovery are very good. P.-S.: Only one strange thing happened with the car. After having it working hard in first and second thru deep drifts, the idle speed began rising to 1000 and 1200 at traffic lights. At first I thought the engine was maybe overheating a little but the temp gauge needle never left the normal zone. When I came back home later in the afternoon idle speed had come down to normal. Any ideas what that was?

Thanks mtsmiths. It's something serious, but that should have a positive outcome if the surgeons do their work right. Yes, 12 inches is not that much in itself, but here that can translate in big drifts and deeper local accumulations.

With these things, one always want to ask the same question: if such a simple and cheap gizmo has such an effect on mileage and performance would'nt car makers have buit it in? The sceptic in me .

My wife is having an operation at the hospital early tomorrow morning and we're supposed to get 12 inches (and more at some places if it's windy) of snow during the night. Subaru = peace of mind = no doubt I will get there and back.

I would guess more silent and no need to lubricate.

Under the psychological principle that it makes molecules burn when they're forced to stand in line. Subarus are such sensitive machines!

I sometimes think people read threads too fast before replying, well I guess it's my turn . Good call Cougar!

If the battery tests good, it might be the starter's solenoid contacts. Lots of info on this if you make a search here.

Yes, one of the two bolts holding the strut to the knuckle is "offset" or built like a cam and serves as adjustment for camber (I think it's the top bolt but not sure). I replaced that bolt on both side of the car when I replaced the struts last summer. The problem with the quote they gave you is that this bolt with nut must cost 5$ or 10 $ max. Go to a dealer and ask. Moreover, I really dont understand how such a massive bolt could be so damaged as to prevent camber adjustment.

Glad we could help! Since I think I will have to go thru the same thing in a not so distant future, I would be very interested to hear about the rest of the story. How it went at the machine shop, what exactly did they do, how much it cost, etc. And the rest. Good luck!

Auto parts stores sell a rear window defroster repair kit which includes a conductive glue or something of the sort. It probably comes with a user guide leaflet that could be precious in your situation. Good luck!

That's why part of the belt is loose. Like others said, do the tooth count and if correct let the tensionner loose and all will be right. It might be a good idea to count again after the tensionner has been let loose. No part of the belt shoulb be too loose though, cause the belt might jump a tooth or two when you let the tensionner go.

You have been given good advice. But if you can't readily put your hand on the right tool, here's what you could do. The main reason, beside rust, why hammer blows have not worked is because the knuckle is now hanging from the suspension strut (I presume the car is on stands and the wheel is at the bottom of it's downwards travel) and part of the blows' energy is dissipated there. I would jack up the car just enough to put something solid (pipe, steel bar, etc.) between ground and the part the tie rod joint goes thru (near the joint if possible or ground the whole knuckle or disk with anything solid. That would make all the energy of the hammer blows work on the separation of the joint. I use that method to pop the ball joint head from the knuckle. I think it should also work with the tie rod end. In case it could help.

Is it possible to think that the idle problem some have had after cleaning the crud where the butterfly meets the throttle body is maybe due to the fact that it was not completely removed. The butterfly would then not be able to close tight all aorund. Just a thought.

Well, there must be a god for «stupid little kids» cause I cleaned both the throttle body and IAC (after removing it from the throttle body and after separating it in two parts) with no problems. I dont remember his sig, but someone (nice guy who gave me a hand when I was doing this) from Hawaï did the same with similar results. But maybe it's not the kind of maintenance anybody should tackle.