Rooster2

My same thoughts, the system is low on 134 refrigerant. If you are mechanically handy, and like to work on cars, and have some time, I can give you some ideas on working on the system, that doesn't require much work.

I would think that you have checked the brake fluid level in the reservoir to know that it is full. I suspect that the master cylinder is going bad.

Agree that it is much better to have function over looks. I don't like car exhaust that has a single pipe that branches into duals or quads at the end of the car. That concept seems stupid. If they want to have duels, then run dual the entire length of the car. I would pay extra for the second cat.

I have both a 98 and 99 OBW with the 2.5 motor. I bought both used. Maybe the HGs have been changed on mine, maybe not. I just don't know. I haven't had any HG problems in the 5+ years for both cars. However, my recommendation is to buy a 2001 or newer car. The head gasket problem on the newer models is not much of an issue and if they go bad, won't leave you stranded. Other than the HG issue, these cars are very dependable, very durable, and easy to work on. My advise is to replace the timing belt and pulleys, if you have no idea when the belt was last replaced, because if the timing belt breaks, the valves will bend against the piston. Not a pretty sight.

The 4 door makes for a nice package. My concern is the 18" super low profile tires. Winter pot holes around here will destroy the tires and wheels at low speed where I live. Would that damage be covered under factory warranty??

No, I don't think so. Suggest avoid spraying on anything made of rubber, as the solvent will degrade rubber product. Also, avoid breathing the solvent vapor. It is nasty stuff that you don't want in your lungs.

I wrote the original post on adding Trans-X to 99 and 00 models, when the trany had delayed shift from R to D. Trans-X would improve the R to D shifting within 10 minutes of driving. The amount added was only a pint, not a quart. In my opinion a quart is too much to add to a Subie AT. Suggest you drain out some of the Trans-X, and add regular ATF. You may have not added enough ATF on your last change. Typically you can only drain 4 of the 8 quarts in the system.

"bad shimmy when stopping," maybe the front brake rotors are warped? Subaru steering racks are very dependable, seldom break. When you say the right tie rod has excessive movement, do you mean the tie rod is bad?

Replacing the temperature gauge with an idiot light doesn't thrill me. The invention of an electric parking brake seems like a bad idea. Just another electrical unit to cause problems in the years ahead. No, give me a cable operated unit, if you would please.

If you take your car to a major auto parts store like Autozone or Advance Auto, they will come out to the parking lot and read your codes at no charge. You really need to know the result of a code read to guide you in repairs. It is possible that your coil pack is bad, that along with bad spark plugs, and plug wires can cause bucking. OEM Subaru wires and plugs are great, however, I have had great service from Bosch wires and Bosch plugs. Avoid cheap plug wires sold by auto part houses, as they can be junk.

It helps to tip the front of the car up to burp out air from the cooling system, when adding coolant and water. Suggest driving the front wheels up on ramps, or drive just the front wheels up on a curb to elevate the front of the car. Post by MilesFox has some good ideas too.

Suggest you use JB Weld to create new threads. Super clean out the threaded area, then apply JB Weld, when the product is hardening, screw in the bolt with a thin coat of Vasoline on the threads. The JB Weld is strong enough to create new threads. The Vasoline prevents the screw from bonding to the JB Weld. Just snug up the bolt on water pump reinstall, don't super tighen the bolt. This process has worked well for me in the past. If this doesn't work, then you can still go the helicoil route.

I doubt that anyone on this forum has done this swap to be able to give you advise. I have seen both, and think they are very similar in size, so maybe interchangeable. The fenders and grills look the same, so it is worth a try. Before looking around a wrecking yard for 98 or 99 lights, you may want to try swapping your son's lights into your car on one side to see if it will fit. I don't think there is a lot of hardware that holds the lights in place, so the swap process should not take long.

Just curious, what is the cost of a new one??

My experience with AZ has been mixed, but mostly good. I think all that I ever bought there have been in a Duralast box. All have been good, except for the last one that I bought there, clicks just a little on a left turn. Still seems okay, but the slight clicking is cause for concern. The half shaft has only been on the car for about 3 months, so time will see if it holds up or not.

If it were me, I would replace the half shaft with a rebuilt unit. That loose "play," doesn't sound good at all. It is not worth breaking down, or having a wreck.

I had same problem, when I had my 91 leggie. I fixed it by removing the blower motor. It is located behind the glove box. I thought my motor had gone bad, but turned out that the motor was full of leaves and crud. Once I cleaned out the junk, the blower motor worked just fine. Many others have reported this same problem, so it must be a common problem.

You are doing all the right things. Too bad you are in Oregon, and I am in Indianapolis. If you were closer, I would want you to work on my Subies.

I recently had a half shaft installed that I bought from Autozone. It has a little bit of a click on turning left, which is not good, and not a good sign of things to come. I am thinking the reman company simply cleaned out the CV joint, added new grease and rebooted. I'm thinking there must be some wear on the joint, when dirt got into the boot on previous user's Subie. Only good thing is that AZ warrants the part with a replacement unit, but that doesn't cover the $135 labor cost for replacement. With AZ, you pays your money, and takes your chances. The main reason I go their store, is that they are nearby, while the Subie dealer is far away, and somewhat testie to do biz with.

The "wave" is what I see when I drive my daughter's Jeep Wrangler. There are many Subies here in Indy, but I never see, or give a wave to them. It would take some work to get the Subie wave started here.

The 99/00 OBW auto trannies are prone to develop severe delayed forward engagement, when shifting from R to D, that can be fixed with a can of Trans-X additive to the ATF. Just thought you should be aware of this.

very nicely done, not often do we get such a detailed picture by picture explanation of how to replace a transistor. What a great job you did. BTW, I saw the box of donuts in the one picture, so I figure you must be a police officer. I hope you are doing as well in catching the bad guys, and keeping them off the streets!

Look around in and on the car for any oil change stickers stuck on the corner of the windshield or on drive's door jam, also maybe a receipt in the glove box to see what previous owner used for oil. On cars over 100K miles, I use 10w40 in the cold winter months, 20w50 oil the rest of the year with no problems. I learned this advise from a mechanic some time ago, and have no problems. The adage is that the heavier weight oil lubes better in an engine that has many miles, and thus some wear on the piston rings and cylinder walls.

It is not as simple as bolting on a turbo. Motors with turbos were engineered from the drawing board to be turbos, so many internal parts are extra heavy duty to take the extra stress of high pressures. To have a turbo, you need to install a turbo. See if you can find one at a wrecking yard at a good price.

Guy, In my opinion, after thinking about all that you have done to improve the performance of your ailing transmission, I am thinking it would it be better to replace the transmission with a good used one from a wrecking yard. Even if you replaced the torque converter, the transmission has led a hard life, and still may have additional problems.