Numbchux

For the original question. All 2006 Outbacks wheels are interchangeable with other 2006 Obviously you're in a different market, but here in the US. 2005+ STis, all Tribecas, All SVXs, 2015+ Outbacks, and 2015+ WRXs I completely disagree with this statement. Steel wheels typically bend way easier than alloys. I've seen 3 steelies wrapped around brake rotors like a pretzel (all three required putting the spare tire on on the course) on RallyXs, zero alloys. Yes, alloy corrodes, but steel rusts, so that's a wash. I had to get all 4 of my steelies on my XT6 resealed due to rust. I might have been better off with a steel wheel when I hit the curb in my XT6 years ago. As the weaker steel wheel might have bent. As it was, the alloy wheel stayed straight as can be, and the suspension arm bent, and being an XT6, that was a big project to repair. Of course it was all stuff I could do in my driveway, I didn't have to go to a shop to get a new wheel mounted and balanced. The only advantage to steel is cost. Alloy is lighter and stronger.

We've tried aftermarket ones with a pretty poor success rate. Most are back within 6 months or so with a P0420.

Making that call will likely start a claim. My aunt made that call for hail damage on her Caravan, just to see what the normal process was, as she wasn't really concerned about the cosmetic damage. Claim was filed before she finished the sentence, regardless of whether she wanted to get it fixed or not. Fixing it "correctly" there is probably going to be a big job. It might be possible to pull that dent, but it'll require a lot of body filler to get it all smooth. Replacing the panels involves cutting and welding them in, to buy new panels means the whole rocker and quarter panel (probably $800, just for those 2 parts). Or find a junkyard that can cut that section out (probably still a few hundred bucks, and will require more prep work for paint). A very well-respected body shop here in town told me that he'd cut me a sweet deal, and paint some panels for me for $350 ea. You've got basically 3 or 4 panels that would need to be painted (they'd definitely want to blend the one door, if not both of them). Most body shops won't do anything less than that, as they don't want shoddy work representing them, even if that's what you want. So an insurance estimate is probably going to be $3k. That said, it's mostly cosmetic. I would probably just cut off the bit of the wheel liner that sticks out, and make sure what's still there is well-attached (might involve a zip tie or 2), and call it a day. Even if that front edge comes loose from the body, worst case is it will rub on the tire, very little chance of it getting pulled off entirely.

Check engine light means it is telling you what is likely wrong. Most auto parts stores will read that for free for you (they'll probably try to sell you something on the spot, but get the actual trouble code number, 5 digits, usually starting with a P). Then look up your car's service manual on www.jdmfsm.info and find the section for your engine and search for that trouble code. It'll give you a detailed list of how to diagnose the problem without just throwing parts (and money) at it.

I have a fairly limited experience with this system, primarily just on our '04 Outback VDC, which is a bit of a unique animal. But should be somewhat similar. It is certainly not normal. And if the light is on, you likely have no VDC assistance. Do you think you'd recognize it's behavior with or without? When driving in snow, with my ice racing experience, spinning the tires and getting the car to slide is normal driving technique for me, so if the VDC is on, I instantly notice it (and am annoyed that it turns itself back on at 38 mph). How long have you had the car? How long has it been doing this? Occasionally our "VDC Off" light will come on, without the button being pushed. I have not been able to find any sort of pattern. But the one thing I'm clear on, is the ABS does still work then, which is interesting because they share a lot of components.

It's been done. If you're doing a lift, the front isn't too bad, as the basic design is similar. You pretty much just have to make mounts for the rear of the front control arms. The engine crossmember and strut top lift blocks have to accomodate the wider EJ parts. But that's about it. The rear is a whole different animal. The suspension design is as different as it could be. Every mount (crossmember, trailing arm, upper strut) will have to be fabricated. The Brat gas tank will be in the way (You'll either have to modify it, or start over, maybe not with enough lift). You'll have to build strut towers for it, as the brat just has shocks. A guy in the UK did it probably 5 years ago, and it was a huge undertaking. And his fabrication in the bed area was pretty ugly, IMO.

22b is based on an Impreza. I have seen an impreza 2.5RS bumper put on a Legacy, but that's a pretty simple body line. I suspect it could be done, but it probably won't be easy, it definitely won't be bolt on. You could probably get your hands on a standard Impreza fender for cheap through a junkyard, and use that for a test fit to see how close it is. That would give you an idea of how close it is. As a 22b-based widebody is a bolt on for a '93-'01 Impreza

+1 on VIN lookup. If you want to PM me the last 8 digits of your VIN, I can give you the OE part numbers. This is not really true. While you are correct, the coefficient of friction of the tires to the road is a relatively fixed variable, and if you can overcome that, you cannot apply any more force to them. However, in practice, it's not quite that simple. Larger rotors mean that the speed that the rotor friction surface passes the pads is higher, also the larger rotor gives a longer lever arm against the rotational force of the wheel (friction point is further away from the fulcrum). These 2 factors give more control below that limit of locking up the tire. So while the theoretical maximum amount of force is fixed, the driver can better utilize the area underneath that point. I upgraded from a 160mm front rotor to a 180mm on my mountain bike a couple years ago. Same caliper, same pads. Just rotor and caliper bracket. The difference was huge! The extra mass of the larger rotors also means that they have more thermal mass, meaning it takes more energy to overheat. This is why vehicles with a higher cargo capacity have larger rotors (Outback vs Legacy). Ditto with vented rotors vs solid. Most people won't overheat the stock stuff on the road, but if you're towing or hauling, it's possible. The extra mass is a double-edged sword in itself. Extra mass means more rotational inertia, which means it takes more force to get them to change speed. Meaning more power to accelerate (this will hurt your city fuel mileage). But it also means that they are harder to stop abruptly (like a lock-up). It's also more unsprung mass, which makes the suspension slightly less effective, but that's pretty minor. I have a theory that a braking upgraded can also help keep the tires in the area of the friction curve above the kinetic friction variable (2 objects can apply more force just before they start sliding, i.e. static friction), and thereby utilize the existing tires better. But I've never come up with a way to truly test that actually isolates other factors.... Brake upgrades also offer a factor of braking "feel". Which sounds superficial, but if the brakes feel stronger, that gives the driver more confidence in them, which is a very real factor. Master cylinder bore is the perfect example of this, on paper a larger bore master gives you less leverage over the calipers, which seems like you would have less braking force. But in practice, the extra force required on the pedal is pretty minor, and the reduced pedal travel shortens the time from when your brain decides to brake, and force actually being applied, which is an excellent feeling.

Redrill to a different 4-lug pattern? That's not exactly simple, as you have to drill all 4 holes without any reference. Drilling to 6-lug is easy as 2 of the lugs already line up. Also, the center bore will have to be machined off. If you have the 5-lug parts, I see no reason not to.

Almost 100% it's the cat itself. There are ways around it, but the only correct fix is a new cat.

Also, you have to take the whole strut/spring assembly out of the car, bolt the lift block to it, then bolt it up to the car, and then attach the knuckle to the strut. If you're trying to sneak the lift block on top of the strut with it all still attached, it's not going to work.

Cool idea. I would love to do a hidden winch mount on our Outback. I have to be honest, just looking at those pictures, the size and configuration of those mounting bolts holding that angle steel on scares the hell out of me. 5000 lb is relatively low as far as winches go, but that's still a lot of force for what looks like a few 3/8" Grade 5 bolts. I would recommend adding some 1/2" Grade 8 hardware, right in the middle of the angle, if you can.

Are you sure your checking the transmission fluid and not the front diff? The transmission has 2 dip sticks, longer one on the left is for ATF, short one on the right side is for the front diff. Differential uses gear oil, which would be exactly as you describe. My other thought, is ATF turns clear when it boils. So maybe you have a transmission cooler issue that's cooked the fluid. And yes, a conventional transmission flush is done through the transmission cooler lines. Could easily be done without any device, just put the return line in an empty bucket, and put the supply line to a full container of new fluid.

This is pretty definitive. There's plenty of power at the battery, but only a trickle is getting to the car. Bad connection, almost exclusively. I like to turn the parking lights on (presumably they will not come on), and then start wiggling the main battery wires (positive between the battery and fuse box, and negatives) until they actually light up. That'll give you a pretty good idea of where your bad connection is. If wiggling things around doesn't give any change, then grab some jumper cables, and just hook up one black clamp to the negative battery terminal, and try the other one on a few solid grounds, both on the engine and the body. I've seen where the insulation on one of the battery cables gets damaged slightly, and moisture can get in, and corrode the copper, but the wire still looks good. Luckily, the fact that nothing works, pretty much limits you to 4 or 5 connections, and about 4 feet of wire.

Year and model of your Subaru would be relevant information here. So would miles, condition, maintenance, and/or modifications history

Step one is to figure out what code you're getting now. The car is trying to tell you what's wrong.... ASSuming it's a P0304 again, I think you should try your water spray test again. It's possible that the casing on the coil is cracked and still arcing to the mounting bolt. If you can't recreate the symptom, or don't see any arcing, the next thing to try is to swap injectors between 2 and 4. This is not a difficult job, just be aware that the OE injector "O-rings" are expensive (like $15 each or something), so be gentle with them, they're almost always reusable. If you still aren't getting a change, a compression test might be a good idea. In my experience, a burnt valve isn't an intermittent symptom, and will definitely show up on a compression test. A sticking valve can be intermittent, and may not show, so that might be hard to place if that's what it turns out to be. Original plugs in that engine were Champ RC10YC4, which Subaru superceded to an NGK BKR6E-11, both are a Copper plug. The Platinums probably won't cause a problem, but I wouldn't plan to use them any more than the recommended 30k miles for the Coppers.

So you say your thinking about turboing your stock engine as opposed to swapping. And then talk about replacing the engine. I'm not a fan of the 22t. Phase I bearing supports are considerably less beefy than phase II. Oil squirters are prone to falling out. Closed deck means considerably less coolant capacity. #3 thrust bearing. EJ257 or 207 is the engine to have. The only advantage it has over your block is the compression is more boost-friendly. If you want to tear everything apart for lower compression, just get pistons for your shortblock. 25D heads flow very well, but the cams are not ideal for turbo use (too much overlap), and the heads still do not have the provisions for oil lines to the turbo. So if you're going to do it right, you need a lot more parts than just the heads (Not to mention head and other gaskets). It's an option, but apples vs oranges when compared to fabricating an up-pipe to put a turbo on the stock engine.

Seems pretty obvious to me, temp gauge should read about 1/2. The engine is not up to temperature = Thermostat is opening too soon.

From the Owner's Manual: "1. Parking lights will flash when the vehicle’s battery is disconnected and reconnected. To stop lights from flashing, either: - Press remote transmitter “UNLOCK” button once. - Turn the ignition switch to the “ON” position and press programming button for one second (see location below)."

There's some sort of "security" system. My '96 Outback had a yellow tag hanging from the battery cable (and I think under the hood or something) telling you how to disable it. It involved finding a little black button hanging in the wiring harness by the pedals and holding it for a few seconds or something.

Yes. All cars sold in the US in 1996 had to be OBD II.

No easy answer. But here are some pros and cons. There are way more wheel options available for the 6-lug. 5x100 is relatively rare by comparison. That said, most of those 6-lug options have much lower offset/backspacing, so if that's not your cup of tea, your a bit limited to basically the import 6-lug options (still Nissan, Toyota, Mazda, etc.), but I think those are still more common than 5x100. But I'm assuming since your talking about wider track width, you're probably not too concerned with keeping everything under the body work. 5-lug swap requires a lot more parts, basically the entire front suspension. Control arms, knuckles, brakes, axles, tie rod ends (assuming you're already running an EA82 steering rack to go with that crossmember), struts, etc. 2 options there. Use the XT6 knuckles, brakes. That way you're using as many parts as possible from that one donor car. You'll be limited to XT6 front pads and rotors (IIRC there's a cavalier option for rotors that works...), so parts aren't any less rare than what you've got. Those calipers will have ebrake mechanisms, if you want to retain the front ebrake. Assuming you have a transmission with 23-spline output, there will be no simple axle option. Either hybrid XT6-outer, 23-spline inner. Or one of a few options to use the rare 23-spline EJ axle option (inner wheel seal is different between EJ and XT6), or swapping 25-spline stubs into your trans. That donor car will have air struts (unless it's already been converted), so you'll have to get your hands on EJ complete strut/spring assemblies, and then modify them for the XT6 knuckles. You can probably dial in the correct toe with EJ tie rod ends, so that part is more easily available. Use the XT6 control arms as the intermediary to allow EJ knuckles and such. Obviously you will have to source a whole slew of other parts. I've heard there's a combination that will allow the XT6 calipers to bolt to some EJ caliper bracket (I think 2-piston, but I haven't confirmed that) to retain the front ebrake. Makes the pads and rotors common. Still have an axle challenge, but makes the '93-'94 5MT FWD Impreza application an easy option. Will require EA81 tie rod ends to dial in the toe (you also get better ackerman angle, but you probably won't notice on a lifted rig). EJ struts will bolt on. Some people have reported an axle length vs control arm length issue. I've done it many times and never seen it.....but beware and/or research. Rear doesn't yield almost any of those challenges. It's basically just a brake swap. I can't speak to the details of using an EA82/XT6 rear crossmember in an EA81, but I can say that the XT6 one is interchangeable with the EA82s. It will have sway bar mounts, just like an EA82t, but I'm betting you're not concerned with that.

It's been a long time since either of the EA81 lifts I helped install. But as I recall, a properly-built lift block will keep the strut tight against the inside of the tower (sometimes it's even necessary to "clearance" the strut tower to keep from rubbing). So you could theoretically adjust for more positive camber, but not less, and certainly not getting it into positive. The other issue I see with your plan, is if you have the adjustment between the strut and the block, there will be no way to adjust it without removing everything. Those bolts are not accessible once installed.

http://offroadingsubarus.com/rear-disc-conversion-on-ea81-ea82s/ It's an old write-up, but still accurate. Only thing I would do different is to shorten the steel line that used to go to the wheel cylinder (in that write-up, he just bends it out of the way). Most parts stores sell pre-flared chunks of line, too, you could just replace it with a new one. Or, you can replace the 2 rubber lines and the steel with the rear hose for an EJ car and it's banjo bolt. I used Centric braided stainless for a GD ('02-'07) Impreza. It comes off the caliper at an angle, instead of straight out, so you'll have to route it out around the back side of the shock. 2017-07-25_02-22-30 by Numbchux, on Flickr

Yes, Hubs are different between disc and drum (drum cars do not even have separate hubs). In that write-up, the hub and rotor are bolted together, but there are 2 pieces there, and you will need both.