Fairtax4me

Tire size is kinda relative depending on tread depth and what the manufacturer decides is going to be the size of the mould for that particular model of tire. The general rule is that they will be close, but there are differences in diameter between tire models even of the same written dimension. Good news is 200 miles of wear isnt anywhere near enough to cause damage to the drivetrain, or cause enough tread wear of the new tires to affect overall circumference (probably still has the "nubs" on the tread). And that oddball tire is probably within the 1/4" max. difference in circumference allowed by Subaru. Not to say you should keep that tire, traction temp and tread wear ratings of that tire may be different than the other 3, and even if they aren't significantly different the tread design and rubber compound could cause that tire to have different traction characteristics which could cause some issues when you need to make a panic stop, or just drive across town in the rain. Point it out, and make sure the shop puts the correct tire on the car.

Just so that we can be relatively assured of the engine speed reading I'm gonna bring this up because it has caused confusion in the past. The tachometer in Subarus can be decieving since it only has two tick marks between 0 and 1000 rpm. Often regarded as a 1/3s scale rather than 1/4s scale like the rest of the guage. The first mark, the larger of the two, is 500 rpm, second mark is 750. Sometimes this second mark gets read as being around 600-650 (roughly 2/3rds of 1000). No real point in the tachometer reading below 500 since the engine will never be operating in the 0-500 rpm range. If engine speed drops much below 500 the engine is likely to stall even if under no load. Normal engine idle speed for an AT car is 775-800 rpm in park/neutral, 725-750 in gear. Which puts the needle right at or a hair below that second tick mark. If you already knew this, good, and we can chase after the cause of the low idle speed at 600 rpm. If this is news, also good because then you don't have to fix a low idle problem! Just need to figure out why its st-st-stuttering. Is the AC on when this stumbling occurs? Does turning the AC off have any effect?

How often does this stumble occur? Once every few seconds? Is it just a quick putt every once in a while like a misfire? Or is it a chug chug chug kinda stumble? Lasts about 1-2 seconds and the engine speed drops to ~500 rpm (or less?) then bounces back to 750?

Dirty IAC is always a candidate for a low idle, and may cause idle speed to "hunt" occasionally, drop to about 500 rpm then rebound to ~1000 and back and forth. My car does this, but only when its hot outside and the engine is warm, usually only after restarting, or when the AC is on. IAC is easy to clean. Remove the 1" hose and spray the valve while flicking it back and forth with a finger or small screwdriver. Does it matter if the engine is cold or warm? A misfire that is not present when cold could be due to a bad front O2 sensor. Not sure why I missed this thread before.

There are some writeups on SubaruOutback.org for mounting lights in front of the grille. Easily doable.

$1 a foot isn't bad. I figured that stuff would cost more, but I suppose you do save a bit buying in bulk.

Sounds like someone spilled soda all over it. One of the downsides of the dash mounted cup holders. Gonna have to pull it all apart to clean it.

All thrust motion (fore/aft) is handled by the mainshaft double ball bearing. If you have that much play, expect there to be a fair amount of wear on synchros 3, 4, and 5, and 4th and 5th gear sets. Probably better off to find a used trans, but you can split the case and have a look at the insides. Mainshaft bearing is a fairly easy replacement, but you will need a press or a HUGE gear puller. If you decide to use the 3.90 trans, match the tire size to the car from which the 3.90 trans came and the speedometer will read correctly.

Depends on what you're looking for out of your tires. Do you want high mileage or high traction? Michelin makes great high mileage tires, but generally at the expense of traction. A 90k mile rated tire is a harder wearing compound which won't grip the road as well as a soft compound rated for 40 or 50k miles. If you have an aggressive driving style and need the grip, Falkens are a cheaper alternative to a comparable Michelin performance tire. They may not grip quite as well, or last quite as long as a Michelin, but you might be able to buy two sets of Falkens for the cost of one set of Michelins. A good place to research tires is Tirerack.com, though I'm not sure if they carry Falken brand.

Feasible but H6s are expensive and you need all of the wiring, control module, and probably the trans and rear diff. Basically need a whole parts car. SOHC 2.5 for that car is a reliable engine and they aren't terribly expensive anymore. Should be able to find one for $500-$800. Pop it in with a new TB and go.

Did you remove the connector and check for corrosion or loose connection? Did you check voltage on the ground side to check for poor ground? As was said before, parts store fuel pumps are crap, but a loose connection will cause the pump to pull higher amps than normal. Higher amp draw will cause it to burn out early.

No turbo on the 97 2.5. Trans will swap but it'll still only be FWD. There may be wiring differences as MilesFox said. Should be able to swap the harness. You might consider poking around at a local U-pull-it yard for an AWD trans. They don't usually go bad and are usually about $150. Also might check car-part.com. Should be able to find one there in the $250-$400 range.

These are easier to get to than the turn signal stalk, but you do have to deal with the air ag which needs certain cautionary measures. Unhook the battery negative and let the car sit for about 10-15 minutes before beginning, and press the brake pedal a few times to discharge any capacitors in the airbag module. Two screws behind the wheel at about 3 and 9 o'clock. (There may be 4 on some cars) Pull the airbag out and unplug it and the horn, set aside and the screws for the cruise stalk will be right there. As far as cleaning it, I'm not sure how much of the switch is exposed, or accessible. You'll have to pull it out to find out. Sometimes they can be disassembled (screws or plastic clips), sometimes the case is "welded" closed on assembly.

DOH! X-/ This is the reason why if I have to drive anywhere to get parts (sometimes even just across town) I ask them to put hands on the part and make sure its actually physically there, not just "in stock" on the computer.

Heater core shouldn't be empty so that not going to have much air in it if any. Just fill the block through the upper hose, stick the hose back on and fill the radiator. Fill the overflow to full and run the engine til the fan cycles. Turn off and let it cool overnight. Add coolant to the radiator and overflow next day if needed.

It would be better if you post the actual code "p0xxx" rather than their generic scanner description. Intake control valve solenoid could be the idle control valve, or what they call a tumble generator valve, or any number of other things. I'm not sure that I would expect any of those to make a metallic rattling sound if they were damaged. Rattly noises on a Subaru are generally caused by loose heat shields on the exhaust pipes. Possible to two problems are related, but without being able to see the car I'm not sure. I'd certainly take the car to a qualified Subaru mechanic ASAP, since any problem that causes the CEL to come on is likely to cause higher emissions output and possible damage to the catalytic converters, which are $$$ to replace of they get damaged.

What year and model are you working on? Rockauto lists all that under "Parking brake hardware kit".

No water pump in the cheaper kit. Did yours come with a water pump? If not you need to get one.

You'll want to avoid copper for high pressure hydraulic lines. The coated type seems to work best, but you have to be careful not to damage the coating. Any flexible line is going to expand under pressure. Which will cause a softer pedal feel and decreased pedal sensitivity. You will also end up with uneven pressure from front to rear because of the length of the hoses. They also take up a lot more space. Much better off to plumb hard lines and use the shortest flexible hose possible only to allow flex at the wheel.

Starter can't be used to tighten the crank bolt. Unless you have some weird starter that works backwards. On automagics I put a 1/4" Allen key in the hole in the side of the bellhousing and jam the flex plate. (There's one halfway down either side) Not sure if the newer models have the hole in the bellhousing though. There should still be a removeable cover on the bellhousing in the top corner where you can jam a prybar or big screwdriver. Worst comes to worst, pull the starter out and put a prybar in through the starter hole. Torque the crank bolt to something like 130 ft lbs, otherwise it may come loose.

Check rockauto.

I'm not familiar with these. Is the tool plastic or the fastener on the rack plastic? I know some vehicles use a plastic tool with a torque clicker built in to prevent over tightening. Usually this can be matched up with a metal driver of the same size to use for removal. The trick is determining which type of drive the tool is. (Double hex 12 point, 12 point square, 12 point spline, torx, etc)

The guard actually has A very specific adjustment that must be done properly or the guard will rub against the belt. Gates actually sells a special tool for this purpose, but the backyard way is to find something about 3-16" - 1/8" thick and flexible enough to place between the belt and guard. It should be at least the length of the guard. Install and tighten the guard and then remove the spacer. Jiggle valve on the T stat should be at 12 o'clock if the stat housing is vertical. This lets air bubbles trapped behind the t stat through if it is closed. On the horizontal housings jiggle valve should be to the front.

Parts stores cannot read airbag system codes. They can only read emissions codes related to the ECU/PCM. Airbag codes (and in particular the occupant detection system codes) on this model can only be read with a high end scanner (Snap-On) or Subaru Select Monitor.

Noise may differ between models slightly but the biggest contributor is how old and how worn or damaged the gusset seal is. My car makes a hell of a racket because the seal has about a 3/4" long split down the side. I put some electrical tape on it and its better but not perfect. Some may not be split but the two halves (inner and outer) eventually work away from the window glass and leave a very small gap between the felt and the glass, usually only in the very top corner of the seal. Some people have bent the top corner of the seal (there's a metal support inside the rubber) and that works for a few weeks or months then the noise comes right back. Real Subaru lovers don't mind it, everyone else just turns up the radio.