Rooster2

My compressor still works great, but the clutch is wearing out. Makes a lot of dust, and occasionally doesn't want to engage. Is it difficult to just replace the clutch unit?? Does it require any special tools to remove, such as a "puller." I am thinking about finding a replacement at a pick-a-part yard. Thanks!!

A good write up........... I am guessing you are using an old fashion pump handle grease gun. Where did you source a needle fitting to fit the grease gun?

O wow what a story, what a mess replacing an oil filter. I had VWs, and big VWs called Audis, back in the 80's and 90's. All had simple spin on filters, that were super easy to change. How does VW think it better to use a plastic housing with a cartridge inside??? Truly stupid. VWs always had something breaking. I am on my 4th Sub, (still own 3), and life is so much better. Not much breaks on any of my Subs.

Sandy, I think we have met and talked a few times, if you are the same Sandy that lives in the Greenbriar subdivision. I am Larry, the guy that walks the two yorkies in the neighborhood. Drop me a PM, I have some ideas, as I had an engine swap done not that long ago.

I bought an 08 about 4 months ago. Everything seems to work fine in my car. I don't trust CR to be all that accurate. I had an 84 VW, that CR did not like much at all. I drove it from new to its death in 2006. Mechanically, mine was bullet proof. Suspension finally rusted apart. At 260 K miles, ran great. Original clutch felt good as new. So much for their poor report.

Recommend you take car to a parts store, or where you bought the battery, to have the battery checked out. Once had a car that would start, but gauge readouts were crazy. Turned out to be a bad cell in the battery. There was enough power to start the car, but voltage was down to screw up radio and gauges.

Is the motor cranking, when you turn the key? If so, I would not think there is a problem with the battery or alternator. Like others, I think it is a cable problem, or a ground problem. Check conductivity on cable going from battery to starter, and everything going to ground. .

Some years back, I used some clear glue. I can't remember the brand or type of glue. I don't think that it matters that much. I remember that it solved my problem. I have also had side marker lights fill up with water. I fixed that by drilling a small hole in the bottom of the lens. Any water that got into the lens unit simply drained out the bottom.

Suggest you drain and fill three times, with short drives between the fills, as only about half of the ATF can be drained out, the rest stays in the torque converter. I have used Walmart house brand ATF Dextron for the past 12 years with no problems, though I don't think I save much money.

The heat shield purpose is to prevent grass & weed fires, should you ever park in high dry weedy areas.

Output from alternator is low. Should be 14 volt output. I think you got a bad rebuilt. Does your NAPA store do charging system checks in their parking lot with your car parked outside?? It needs to be checked out.

Friend of mine has a 2017 WRX. I have ridden with him. When he cranks it through the gears, there is no lag that is perceptible. It just runs fast like a scalded dog!!

Glad to hear that you are back on the road, and fuel pump replacement did the trick. If f/p was not the problem, I would have voted for a broken timing belt. That is what happened to wife's 95, 2.2 motor.

Gene, I did exactly as you suggested. I tried pulling a switch out, but finally broke it out, because I could not see any way to pull it out without breaking it. You have confirmed what I suspected. The part is a one time use only. Only way to fix the problem is with a new one. golucky, Thanks for your report that one can be had for $10-$15. I appreciate that. I will contact worldpac.

Recently had a moon light mechanic install a timing belt kit in my 08 Outback. I bought an Aisin kit through Amazon for about $278. All parts are Japanese manufactured. My mechanic told me all components in the kit were correct, except for the water pump. The kit pump was the wrong unit. I had him re-use the old water pump. I contacted Amazon regarding the problem. They authorized a return, so I sent them the water pump. I was surprised to get a credit on my credit card for $278, which was the entire cost of the kit.. That was a big surprise to me, as I fully expected a refund for the water pump only. I can't argue against Amazon's generosity, but it still surprises me.

My 08 Outback has a broken driver door jam, light switch assembly. The switch itself is good, but the plastic housing and rubber weather boot is missing. I went to a yard to get a replacement, but could not figure out how to remove the switch assembly without breaking it. The plastic housing spring clips into the door opening slot. Is it removable, or is it one time use only? I am thinking one time use only, with a replacement unit from a dealer to fix the problem. Can anyone help me?? Thanx!

I had the same problem on my 99 OBW several years back. I lubed and lubed several times, but rust would always return to cause trouble. Finally, I bought a new replacement hatch handle from Subaru. Once I installed, it cured the problem.

Agree, that changing the PCV valve could be a big factor in reducing oil usage. That is very easy, and cheap to do. You may want to change the brand of oil that you are using. Sometimes, certain oils burn up quicker then others.

Check to see if there is a small, usually family owned, muffler shop that does torch pipe cut off, bends pipes, and brazes on repair pipe to just repair what is rotted out on your car. Don't bother going to any of the chain muffler shops, as they will only want to replace your entire exhaust system from the cat back, charging you big bucks. I hope you can find a small shop, cost should be $50-$75.

I had something like that once, turned out to be a dying car battery. One of the cells had gone bad. It still had enough power to run the starter to start the motor, but not enough voltage to run the instrument panel.

I recently bought two after market fobs for my 08 OBW. They are a good copy of OEM, but are really cheap Chinese copies. Of what I bought, one worked great, the other, the key works, but not the buttons.

Suggest replacing the fuel filter. I did that, and could not believe how much more power my engine gained.

John, you are a good dyi mechanic to know that you can't drive the car under this condition. The extra fuel leaking down past the piston rings causes poor engine lubrication, and the gas vapors in the oil sump can cause an explosion. Suggest you replace all injectors sourced from a wrecking yard. Regards, Rooster2

Well from reading the ad, it sounds like the car was wrecked, and the engine was left running, while leaking coolant leaked from the accident. Then the owner turned off the motor, let it cool down, then drove a quarter of a mile to home. I would ask owner how long car ran while over heating. If for just a few minutes, I wouldn't worry too much about it. There is really no positive way to know if the motor is toast. However, listening to the motor at idle is a good starting point. Listen for engine knocking noise, which would indicate rod bearing issues. If you don't hear any unusual noises, and the motor revs up nicely from idle, then I wouldn't be too overly concerned about the motor being bad. Asking $1,000 is not a bad asking price, but I bet you would find an offer of $800 acceptable. If the engine turns out to be bad, then it could be replaced at reasonable cost. About 3 years ago, my daughter cooked the motor in her 2007 Hyundai, as a result of a hose leak. She drove on until the motor seized. I contacted local wrecking yards, and was able to buy a good motor for $900. The yard owner told me about a nearby small private garage that he works with. The guy swaps in motors for $500. So, that is the route of repair that I took. The garage mechanic stopped by the wrecking yard, picked up the replacement motor, installed it, and returned the bad motor to the wrecking yard. It was the best $1400 I have ever spent. The replacement motor has turned out to be great and trouble free, with a 30 day warranty. I bet wrecking yards in your area have partnered up with small garages to do the same work. It is a win win win situation for the yard, mechanic, and consumer. Worth remembering. Keep us posted on this potential project. I and others would like to hear how you come out on this. By the way, I just bought a 2008 Outback fully loaded. Really like the car.

Your new rail looks like it has been well designed and professionally built. If possible suggest you track down the builder to ask about the rail. Lots of things I bet you would like to know. Maybe you can trace it back through previous owner.