Rooster2

I would be surprised if Subaru had any more problems with head gaskets. The company sure has had enough time to engineer a fix on their new cars. I have not had experience driving a Subie with a CVT tranny, but have rented a Nissan Ultima and Kia Optima last year for long trips. Both cars had CVT trannies, and you could tell so by the way they drove. Both trannies gave you the feeling that the motor was connected to a variable belt drive for propulsion. There was no passing gear, just a drive feel that the "drive belt" was tightening up upon acceleration. It felt rather strange, and a little slow to respond, but after a while you get use to the uniqueness of the system. Both cars produced 38 mpg on the highway, which was great for mid size cars. I think the CVT tranny had a lot to do with the great gas millage. CVT tranny technology has been around for a while, so I am sure it has become reliable.

The last set of Michelin tires on my 98 OBW developed some side wall cracking. I don't know how many miles on the tires, or when tires were manufactured, but I do remember the tires were getting old. A friend of mine, who works for Discount Tire, said that Michelins frequently develop sidewall cracks, but it is a benign situation, and not a problem leading to tire break down. He recommended "driving on," which I did for another 3 more years, with no problems from the tires.

Would buying upholstery foam from a JoAnn Fabric Store work on rebuilding the leather driver's seat on my car?

Thanks, good thought!

Yea, that time, I installed leather seats from a 97 OBW Limited, but didn't take long to find out that the cushion material was bad, though the leather cover is good. So, now I am back trying to rework the original driver's seat with cushions from a 00 Leggie model. I think the cushions will transfer over. They look about the same size.

My 99 OBW driver seat has gone bad. The foam in the seat and side bolster is crushed down pretty flat, and is uncomfortable to sit on. I scored a nice driver seat from an 00 Subie Leggie GT model from a yard. The seat has electric controls, my existing seat has manual controls. I want to swap only the seat cushions bottom and back units to my existing seat frame. Is this possible?

1.) Replacing a 2000 miles tire with a new one won't affect the AWD. There wouldn't be much tread depth difference. Tire should be under warranty, so current owner, or dealer, should replace the tire at no cost to you. 2.) Turn the ignition key on, but don't start the motor. Are all dash warning lights lit? If not, then there is concern that someone has messed with the warning light system. 3.) Yea, prolly a bad seal where light lens seals against the lift gate. Replacing the seal, or use clear sealant to fix the problem.

A few years back, I tried unsuccessfully to install belts into a friend's 2002 OBW. His dog had gone nuts and chewed the back seat belts into a mess. Try as I might, I couldn't figure out how to install the belts. He said the dealer wanted $800 to fix the belts. He finally had the dealer do the work. It must be labor intensive to replace the belts at $800. We never knew about the belts being a lifetime warranty item............but maybe not so for dog damage.

I think your system is low on refrigerant.

Recommended tire inflation rates are calibrated to give a soft cushy ride, but at the expense of higher tire wear, and slightly lower gas millage. On my 99 OBW, I run 35 psi at all four corners. It stiffens the ride, and improves the handling, at the slight expense of a rougher ride.

If you are looking for better lighting at night, then I'd suggest swapping in some after market driving lights, where you now have fog lights in your OB.

+1 on the above. Proper maintenance is so important to the life of any tire. If you take care of your tires, they will take care of you.

Is there any unique wear pattern across the tire tread, such worn more on one side, more so in the middle, or on the edges? Wear patterns can tell you a lot of what may need to be corrected on the car before new tires are installed. Have the wheel alignment checked, and corrected if needed. Pay the extra for tires that are rated to give high millage, such as Michelin or Yokohama. The "extra" is not that much more then what you would pay for an average quality tire. My last tire buying experience............I bought 4 Yokohama AVID TRZ tires rated to last 80K miles two years ago. I don't drive the car hard, or put on many miles, however, after about 15K miles of driving, the tread on the tires still looks like new. I have always felt like I have gotten the best deal, and service when buying tires from a locally owned tire store. Prices seem a little better, and service a lot better. IMO, The big chains like Goodyear, Firestone, and Sears Tire Department, etc., seem to be structured to extract maximum profit from each customer to keep their company stock owners happy.

Same thought, when you have tried all the inexpensive fixes, and nothing works, then it becomes a sound assumption that you need to replace the head gaskets. I hope you have not had repeated major over heating episodes, which will warp the heads and ruin the rod bearings. If so, you will need to start thinking about replacing the motor. Look for bubbles in the radiator over flow container, when temp is still normal. If you see bubbles, you can count on bad head gaskets.

"By the way, the new latch came equipped with electric lock solenoid is $190." Are you sure you needed the latch equipped with the electric solenoid? When I replaced my latch, it was about $35 with no solenoid. I hate to see you spend too much money, if a replacement solenoid was not needed.

Years back I had an Audi that would develop a bad shutter on a long trip. It got so bad, that I barely could drive it to a repair garage. Strangely, the mechanic could find nothing wrong with the car after it had set for a while. I was able to drive it one hour to home with no problems. Soon it happened again, and discovered that a front half shaft bearing had gone bad. Replacing the half shaft corrected the problem.

Did you unhook the battery and wait a couple of minutes before attaching the battery cable back on?

I replaced the latch on my 99 OBW a few years back. Mine was just too rusted from salt spray, so that the mechanism would bind. I was able to get it to work a bit by spraying PB Blaster into the latch mechanism. I can't tell from your post as to where you live to know if you live in the rust belt, but try the PB Blaster spray if your latch is not too beat up from your beating and prying on it. If PB doesn't work, then I would do as you are thinking...........drill or cut into it..........maybe a cutting disk on the end of a drill, or dremell cutting wheel would work. I don't advise using a pry bar, as that may damage the hatch or latch bar. A replacement latch from a dealer is about $30

Yea, you are correct.

I still thing that OBD 2 was ushered in by Subaru starting in 1995. If not, then what was used in 1999??

How long has it been since the spark plugs and plug wires were changed?? Could this be an engine "miss??"

DaveDave, I sent you a PM to answer your specific questions. Logging onto this forum should show you that there is a private message for you from me. Drop me a reply to tell me that you were able to read the PM. Regards, Rooster2

Had to laugh to see your car parked next to a "honey dipper" truck. Should you ever advertise on the internet in the future to sell the car, I wouldn't use that photo. Nice looking car, is the interior as nice as the exterior??

No, it is not a DOHC/SOHC difference. The difference has to do with OBD 1, the later models use OBD 2. That is the system that provides codes when the check engine light comes on. OBD 2 started with the 1995 model year. It is a much more thorough system for advising the driver that there is an engine problem, mostly advising of higher then normal air polution from the motor.

It is not necessary to buy an OEM filter. A good after market filter works just fine. I may have bought mine at Advance Auto Parts, but could have been from elsewhere. Advance auto has a couple for sale for $13-$14. Their house cheapie is the $13 model. That filter is Chinese manufactured, so quality could be questionable. The other is a Fram, which doesn't have a great reputation. Autozone parts store sells a filter on line, their Duralast product for $22. Prolly best to buy the Duralast. It is better still if you can find a Purolator or Wix branded AT filter. They are both good quality.