crazyhorse001

so, worst case, I'll get another CEL that i dunno about, one that could cause damage. I intend to fix this asap, but it's gonna be a couple weeks. A Knock sensor is $71 online... as was mentioned it's $90@ the dealer. I don't do JY electronics, you're still getting 10yr old parts. Assuming nothing else breaks in the interim, I'm not gonna do any damage right?

Blu's gonna be MIFFED! I'd be suprised if she doesn't find some more for ya just for that! LOL

Ok how much is this gonna take outta my temporarily unemployed budget? I LOVE Subies, but damn if they're not mind readers... well ok paycheck readers! LOL Oh yeah BTW.... Thanks Nipper

My CEL came on this afternoon, so I swung by the "Zone" & had it checked. It showed a knock sensor code. They cleared it & all was good for 10 mins, then it came back on. I checked the sensor & module plugs, & both are tight. There are absolutely no drivability issues, which I'd expect from this. No loss of power, no miss, no difference in MPG. What the heck! Am I getting a "phantom" CEL?, or could a tiny amount of piston slap fool the knock sensor? I get a light knock at startup, but it only does it for 15-20sec.

Maybe not Ericem, but they admitted to messing it up to begin with. This gives you leverage to FORCE them to fix it right. Like I said, before you mess something else up, give them thier opportunity to do the right thing, because it's the right thing to do.

@ the ready!

Get back to basics.... Remember the old Subie slogan "Inexpensive & Built to Stay That Way"? That concept brought more people into the Subie fold than anything else. I agree, position the Impreza against the Civic, Corolla, Cobalt. The Legacy against the Accord, Camry. SOA has a great "halo" car in the WRX STi, But maybe it's time for a new Alcyone, or maybe even a new Brat. The Baja was a good idea but it really wasn't a Brat was it? How well would a Legacy Coupe with the H6 5spd do.... maybe even a convertible.

If it came back from the shop screwed up, I'd definatly send it back. I wouldn't screw with it as there's the possibility you could make matters worse. If that happens the original repair shop may be legally able to deny you a free fix, which they owe you now. Long story short, take it back & force the shop to fix it right.

Ahhhh yes, the Subaru "Virgin switch" "She Who Must Be Obeyed" called me from her work the other day in a panic. It seems that the park lights wouldn't go off. She though for sure Kat was broken! I calmly explained about the switch on the column, and we had a good giggle.

Knocking, pinging that running out of gas feeling may be exactly what's happening. When an engine is cold it needs more fuel. I'd start cheap & easy with a fuel filter. If that doesn't help it may be more serious/ expensive. It may be the fuel pump. While you're replacing the filter, look over the lines to be sure none of them are pinched, or kinked.

I feel your pain! I owned the "unicorn" of XT's the 87.5 ft4wd 5sp turbo.... It was junk when i bought it, & it literally sent me into chapter 13! It seems that they just don't match up with any other Subies before, or after, electronically anyways.

That it cost more new than the Outback Limited. I'm guessing that the day "Kat" was bought new, she was the most expensive Legacy on the lot. Not neccsarily the most expensive car on the lot, if they had any SVX's there. According to this website: http://www.cars101.com/subaru_legacy_archive95_99.html My "Kat" cost almost $1000 MORE than the OB LTD. & was a very limited production piece. See I told ya I'm a magnet for oddball cars! That's why I LOVE Subies! They're odd even before you consider other oddities:grin:

Please let me know if I've overstepped my bounds, but wouldn't this be a good FAQ sticky? Any good shopper will look into these forums for info, and this thread has this info

Worse yet, the longer the diagnosis takes, the more the prognosis changes. Eventually everything returns to it's natural state. Unfortunately Subies, when left uncared for, tend to this more rapidly. I prefer cars that run well then die with a "Big Bang", only to be reborn into new star clusters. Every Subie I've had died attempting to discover what exactly happens when an irresistable force collides with an immovable object. Ok I'm out of high level science metaphors!

This makes sense, as the fluid is cold, thus thicker. The TC would add more force. As for the shaking, the boxer 4 is inherently smooth,but @ idle just about every Subie I've had ,has had some vibration.

PB Blaster to star with, but Mac oil if it's REALLY stuck.(available from the Mac Tools dealer). After all that, it's time for Smokey, the big Blue Wrench.

The first full day I owned Kat, it had snowed the day before, I went up into the Smokies to play. On the way up, I passed several SUV's (Suddenly Upsidedown Vehicles) stuck alongside the narrow roads. 4wd can get you going, but it can't make you turn, or stop. It seemed that evey mom in her minivan was trying to get up the mountain that day. They weren't having much better luck. Once at the top,there were a few Sport Brutes (full sized SUV's) & a few Jeep things. Amazingly there were more Subies than anything else. Oh & maybe 2-3 minivans, damifino.

Sold here too... Finally got a chance to take Kat out & play in the snow. I forgot how much fun AWD is!

Oh I can just see an electric T-stat! Call me old fashioned, but I prefer to rely on a "dumb" mechanical part. I like the "KISS" principle Keep It Simple & Stupid. Quote, nipper: "Never doubt the ability of a human being with tools" Or underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups!:-p

I can't speak for 'Roos, but most if not all late model cooling systems need "bled". Parking the car nose high on a hill, or up on ramps/jacks & filling as it warms up is a good idea. The MFRS use the bleed screws, as they don't build them on a hill:rolleyes: The symptoms of air in the system are a rapid heat up, followed by a more rapid cooldown, if left running. It'll cycle like this 2-3 times depending on the outside conditions. After that itll steady at a touch over normal. A water pump WILL leak when it goes bad. If you're not losing large amounts of coolant I'd suspect air in the system. Also I've seen LOTS of posts about having the T-stat in backwards. Which would never allow it to open. One of the few things I really like about american cars these days, the T-stat housing won't fit with the 'stat in backwards.

Most likely the socket was arcing internally. IIRC there are 3 wires, the top being hi beam right, lo beam(from the back of the bulb) left, ground. if it was intermittent, it was arcing inside the plug, creating heat. Eventually the plastic surrendered to the super hot arcs (think welding) The bulbs are supposed to fit pretty tight, if they don't eventually they'll do this.

You can verify coolant by holding your hand over the tailpipe until it's wet, then smelling it. If it smells like antifreeze, UH OH! I'm guessing it'll smell like exhaust, My Leg spews water out the pipe even warmed up, it's not coolant tho, it's just condensation of hot air going thru cold pipes. I've never seen one that spews condensation like my Leg, but it seems like it doesn't mind.

Actually, after re-reading the posts, it does make sense. The broken gear (or most likely the woodruff key) would change the timing of the car. It'd be retarded (most likely) so it'd have absolute zero down low, but go good up high. The ECU could compensate @ idle, but most likely couldn't add in enough advance to make it accellerate smoothly. A timing light may have shown this, but as we ALL know hindsight is 20/20. I had a timing belt jump on a Sunbird that caused the same symptoms, but I'd forgot until I saw the resoultion. Hopefully the broken key didn't kill the crankshaft. If the keyway is chewed up, you may be able to weld the gear to the crank, or drill & tap a new gear for some set screws. Going the set screw path I'd drill some holes in the crank to "dog" them into it, that way they CAN'T slip. These are "band aid" solutions tho. The best way to fix this is to replace the crank itself. Be it with a new short block, or just a J/Y crank. My 2cents worth.... that & a buck MIGHT buy ya a cup of coffee:)

Yeah, painting would be a good choice. IIRC most OEM wheels are clear coated anyways. You could rough the surface with a scotchbrite as mentioned by cookie, shouldn't get the aluminum at all. To remove the paint later without doing any damage, use brake fluid. I'd try soaking a rag in it & laying the wheel flat w/ the rag on it. This WILL take it clean down to the aluminum. If you don't like it, strip the wheels, then recoat with clear. No harm , no foul. The corrosion in the bead can be taken care of with a round file & elbow grease. Don't try to cut it, just knock off the high spots. Then use a GOOD wheel cleaner to clean up the rest.

Great tip! I never knew this existed, I build models & have anywhere from 400 to 12,000 grit sandpaper on hand. As well as Novus plastic polish. This kit seems to cover that quite well. Uh, yeah, that's twelve THOUSAND grit paper...feels like flannel! no, No & NO! Do NOT use power tools to sand polycarbonate lenses. The melting would be worse than the yellowing. To polish, yes. You can buff it with a pad on a drill. You can even use fine rubbing compound on a drill.