Rooster2

It was pretty easy to guess correctly that your car becoming the get away car. Still, gathering prints, and other potential left behind robber evidence shouldn't take long. A car was abandoned in front of my house last year that turned out to be a stolen car used as a get away car in a robbery. Before the car was towed, the cop tech guy dusted down the car for prints. This didn't take much time, so I think you should get your car returned very soon.....Larry

I have had a car stolen, then notified by the police that the car was found and towed to lot. It was simply a matter of showing lot manager my ID, and paying for tow and lot storage fee to get possession of the car . If your car is being kept as "evidence," then it must have been used in a crime by the guy who stole it? I am thinking it became the get away car in an armed robbery? Check with cops again, as to how and when you can get a "release" on your car. Cops can't keep your car indefinitely...Larry

bstone, I read that the cops found your car. So, I guess it was returned to you? Any damage, or contents missing? Sorry to hear about your scary ordeal. I am the guy you talked with a couple of times, when you were stuck in Mich City. Hope all is well, or at least better with you now........Larry (Rooster2)

I had similar problem, when I owned a 91 Leggie, while I was on a road trip. Then suddenly a dash idiot light came on that said AT fluid was hot. I pulled off the freeway, turned motor off, and waited a few minutes. Started motor drove away, but trany would not no longer shift out of second gear. Rather then repair the trany, I traded the car for a newer Outback. Suggest changing trany fluid, but don't drop the trany pan. If no improvement, suggest you replace trany with a used one from a wrecking yard. Getting your trany repaired would be too costly.

His Subie broke down in Michigan City, IN on a road trip traveling east. This was the subject of his original post. After swapping out his motor, he then traveled to New Haven, CT, where he had his car stolen.

The delayed forward engagement problem only seems to affect 1999 and 2000 years with AT. Suggest you drain and fill trany three times (drive a few miles between changing fluid) and replace external AT, before adding Trans-X with last fluid change. Rooster2

If it were me, I would start with a new fuel filter, and a bottle of dry gas added to a full tank of higher octane gas, such as 89 octane. Use up nearly the entire tank, if still feel the hesitation, add a good plastic bottle of injector cleaner. The good stuff that cost $6 or $7/plastic bottle to your next full tank of gas. The cheap stuff selling for $3 or $4 won't help. This cured the problem with my 99 with the 2.5 motor

I had similar problem that I fixed with a can of dry gas and high quality fuel injector cleaner. A bad tank of gas can cause the stumbling and hesitation at low speed as well.

I have bought two half shafts for two different Subies that I own. Both I bought from AZ with no problems. I realize they are not the best, and so some what of a quality gamble. However, the AZ store is a five minute drive from home, and so very convenient to shop there. My mechanic installs on the cheap, so buying from AZ works for me.

Check tightness of belt that drives the P/S. Is it good and tight? If so, then suspect the power steering pump is going bad. The pump is an ez swap out. A few years back, I had a similar problem. Cost $35 for a pump from a wrecking yard to replace.

Nipper, you seem to have a lot of inside knowledge about Subarus. Figured you do, or have worked as a mechanic in a Subaru Dealership. If Subaru figured out they sold tranies with a bad seal, then they should have had a recall to fix them all. Was there ever a recall?

Suggest just use one plastic bottle of Trans-X, that is about 15 oz. In my opinion a quart of Trans-X would be too much.

Thanks for the advise, I will give it a try! Larry (Rooster2)

Painter1: Glad to hear another success story regarding Trans-X fixing the dreaded trany delayed forward engagement. It has been about 3 years since I first used the Trans-X. About 3 months ago, my trany just started getting a tiny bit lazy again about delayed forward engagement. I drained the trany, added 4 quarts of new ATF, and another pint bottle of Trans-X, and all is well again. Your saying that the dealer you bought the car from told you they "had no idea (of the problem), and said too bad you bought it as is," sounds totally bogus to me. All dealers know really well, what is major wrong with their used cars, as their livelihood depends on it. I hope for your sake that you got a great deal on the Subie, and bought it at an attractive price. Hope you stay active on this forum, it is the best Subaru forum available in my humble opinion. Best regards, Larry (Rooster2)

Thanks.........Larry (Rooster2)

That was my thought as I read your posts.....that the same problem returned again. I learned a long time ago, that just because an electrical item is new, does not mean that it is good. Years back, I had a car that the gauges went nuts with crazy readings. The car would still start, but not run very well. It turned out to be a a bad cell in the battery, that produced low voltage output to the car's electrical system. Replacing the battery fixed the problem. Suggest you go to a car parts store like Autozone, Advance auto, or another chain outfit, that will send a counter parts guy out into the parking lot with test equipment to check your car's charging system and battery output. This is done at no cost to you. I think I would put my car battery on a charger before venturing out to have this done, so the motor doesn't die out, or won't start at the parts store. Keep us posted on your progress towards a fix.

Thanks for the responses. Yes, it is the strut mount at the top of the strut tower. Is there access under the hood to inject grease with a needle fitting? I remember white lithium grease in an aerosol can with a narrow soda straw wand attachment. Will that work?

My 98 OBW driver side strut bearing (top hat) has developed creak and croke noise, especially when turning the steering wheel when barely moving. It is prolly OEM original strut, so I guess it is entitled to a bit of play to make noise. I don't experience any looseness in the steering or suspension, so I don't think it is worth a tear down to replace the strut bearing and strut. Question is........Is there any way to lube the top hat to eliminate the noise?

Julian..........I am far from being an expert in this area, but I think your lack of coolant may be a factor in the high idle. I know there is a temp coolant sensor that sends a signal to the ecm that affects rich/lean mixture, and therefore how the engine runs. If all electrical and mechanical connections have been reconnected, then add coolant, and see how the motor runs then.

If you used an after market 02 sensor, the kind that is generic, where by you solder your old connector to the wiring of the new sensor, then that could be your problem. I have tried that several times, but could never get the new sensor to last long, or was sure that it was working correctly in the first place. I think it has to do with the soldering. You just can't count on the soldering job to carry really sensitive electrical values to the ECU. I am banking that replacing the 02 sensor with one specifically made for a Subie will fix your problem.

Totally agree with Grossgary on having the timing belt, along with the t-belt tensioner and pulleys. It is simply important to get that done when current parts are 10 years old. The dealer prolly won't pick up the tab for this work, but may cut you a deal, since you just bought the car from them. Like you say, the dealer will prolly pick up the tab for probable rear wheel bearing replacement, and exhaust system repair. The Subie AWD system is just super for stable driving on rain slick or snow slick roads. You will love it. Suggest you read the forum archives here regarding special care for the AWD feature. It is important to have all 4 tires with pretty much the same tire depth at all times. Also, if ever necessary, have the car flat bed towed, never tow with two wheels remaining on the ground. If ever driven with the spare tire, put the spare on the rear of the car, and insert a fuse in the special fuse holder under the hood to convert the car to front wheel drive only.

I just installed Advance Auto Parts (house brand) ceramic on my 99 OBW. Price $43. I wouldn't be surprised if they aren't the same as the AZ Duralast ceramics. They perform just fine, at a good price.

If not rusted to oblivion, I would install the rusty rotors, and drive ez for a while, and let the brake pads sand down the rotors. If rusted badly, it is best to remove the rotors and get them turned. There are two bolts that hold the rotor in place. They can be difficult to remove. Suggest you use some PB Blaster, and wait a half hour or so for the Blaster to loosen the rust. I just replaced my front rotors this past weekend, so the rusted in place bolts are fresh in my memory.

I can understand your wife's emotional attachment to her Subie. All of us here on this forum have the same love affair with their Subie. However, the reality is that you are calling it a rust bucket with 229K miles on the odo, with bad HGs. This presents a picture of a very tired car that is not worth repairing. If it were me, I would think that future time and money would be best spent on upgrading to a better car, and let the Brighton RIP in a wrecking yard.