Fairtax4me

Sears or Radioshack are good sources for multimeters. I picked up a decent Craftsman for abut $35. Although it's definitely low grade for an automotive meter, it gets the job done well enough.

Funny you mention that. I knew a guy who swore up and down that the only way to "flush" an auto transmission was to drain and refill the fluid, then put it in reverse and drive around backwards as fast as it could go for about 15 minutes, then change the fluid again. I still don't see exactly how it helps. Though in this case I can see some reasoning behind it. The clutch plates in the transfer unit will spin the opposite direction which may (or may not) allow them to slip again rather than sticking together and causing the binding. Need some friction modifier additive for the transmission. (I'm just kidding don't actually put friction modifier in the transmission. That would be bad ).

Seems to me those springs should be near full compression when the bolts are tight. I think you might have the wrong bolt kit. This is a pic of the OE bolts: sold here: http://subarupartsforyou.com/cp_partdetail.php?partid=12099 See how much more of the bolt is threaded compared to what you have? It should be drawing up much tighter, probably another 3/16" or better. Try getting a bolt kit from a dealer. The gasket looks like it should work but "looks" and "does" are two different things. edited to display pics in thread

Tire clearance is dependant more on the strut than the height of the car. The spring seat on the stock strut is only an inch or so above the stock size tire. You will get an extra inch of tire clearance under the strut by going to the outback struts. The lift spacers just raise body height.

This is the EJ20 twin turbo motor right? I don't know, those might have had the individual coils for each cylinder? All the ones we're used to look something like this: It's mounted pretty much dead center on top of the intake manifold.

There used to be a nice big informative thread about posting pics to the site somewhere. Now I can't find it. Pretty sure it had screenshots too. Anyway, when you make a reply to a post, there is an "Attach Files" box own below the text window under where it says "Additional Options". Click the "Manage Attachments" button and a window will pop up where you can upload file directly from your computer. There is a maximum file size so be mindful of that or it won't let you upload. The second option is to use a file hosting site like Photobucket.com Make your account, follow their directions to upload your pics/vidoes (very easy at photobucket) and once uploaded , copy the " Code" URL from below the picture you want to post and paste it in the text window here.

It's the gummit spyin on you. Toss it in a creek and run! Is there an LED light on it anywhere that turns on when the stereo is on? That should at least let you know it is turning on. The "gain" knob basically controls how loud it is (not really but that's the easy explanation). Try playing with that while the head unit is playing your favorite cd and see what you get out of it. The other is the crossover control which is what controls which frequencies get played back through the woofer. You can play around with that too to see how it works and decide where you want to set it.

Well the ECM delivers 5v to the TPS. TPS sends back voltage based on position. (it's a potentiometer) You're checking return voltage from the TPS at the ECM to make up for any voltage drop in the harness between the TPS and ECM. So the ECM has to be plugged in in order for the voltage to be checked. You don't really need to unplug it, but I always have a hard time figuring out which pin is which from looking through the mess of wires on the outside. Yes, leave the TPS plugged in. Leave the ECM plugged in. Unbolt the ECM from the floor if you need to in order to find the proper pins for testing. Use a paper clip in the pin socket if the leads on your multimeter won't fit. To go a step further, wrap the clips in tape with only about 1/2" exposed at the ends so you don't accidentally touch them together and short something. It won't spark and catch on fire, but the ECM might not be happy about it. Clip leads help a ton with this. If you don't have those, wrap the paper clips around your test leads and tape them together.

You'd be surprised by the difference just putting some regular wax on the windows will make. There is also a good product for removing acid rain spots, that works very well and quick for polishing glass. I don't recall the name of it off-hand though. Comes in a plain white bottle with green lettering.

Just probe the back of the connector while it's plugged into the ECM. You might need to make some leads that will fit in the sockets out of paper clips.

Yes you have to clean the gasket surface before installing a new gasket. It has to be clean and flat. Use a wire brush or sand paper to remove all of the old gasket and any rust buildup. The spring bolts are supposed to be tightened until the nut seats against the flat on the bolt.

SOHC means one cam per head. DOHC implies 2 cams per head. There are also plenty of boxer engines (old Porsche and VW) that are pushrod type.

Pretty sure the ECM is under the carpet on the passenger floor board. You might have to unbolt it from the floor to get the connector unplugged. Holy hell!!! $99 for the inhibitor switch?!?! Rockauto lists it for $27. Probably ~$35 with shipping and you can probably have it in the same time.

Sounds kinda like the teeth on the collar just aren't lining up right. When it does this again, let the car roll an inch or so then try going to reverse. Or just put it in neutral and pull the clutch out for a second then try again. Bad bushings are common on these. Normally the shifter will have very little side to side play when in gear, about 1/4" or so at most. If it has an inch or more play then you should crawl under the car and check out the bushings on the linkage. There is also a large bushing on the back of the trans that is rubber and will get soft if it gets covered in oil (which is common on subarus). It holds the shifter linkage in place relative to the transmission and if/when it goes bad the shifter will move around making it hard to get into gear sometimes.

How are you grabbing the valve to wiggle it? The spring is kinda in the way on the top, and the bottom is flat... nowhere to grab onto.

The TPS has an adjustment that has to be made in order for the ECU to know that the throttle plate is closed. The service manual has the procedure for doing that. IAC valve solenoid is also adjustable, but I think you need a scan tool to check duty cycle to adjust that one. Get an inhibitor switch from a junkyard is the cheapest way. Rockauto lists one under "electrical/switch and relay" - "nuetral safety switch".

96. Thing is, I don't even really try to get good mileage. It probably could do 35 or better if I really tried.

Pretty common on Subarus. You get to crawl underneath and inspect the linkage for the shifter. Lots of threads about this on the board here. Look at the bottom of this page under the "Similar Threads" heading for a few leads. I know there was at least one with good pics of the linkage on here somewhere.

I would think that a 5 speed Fwd Impreza in the 1.8 or 2.2 variety should get much better than 30 highway. I can get 33 highway out of my Ej22 Awd Legacy, up and down hills and stop and go on 55 mph roads. On the interstate at 70 it drops to right about 30. But still... 30... and its Awd.

Spun a rod bearing. Timing belt breaks the valves get bent, but no other harm done to the bottom end. The Ej25 is infamous for popping rods through the block, but usually this happens within a few miles after replacing head gaskets. The main contributor is thought to be gross overheating of the engine due to bad head gaskets. And there is generally some advanced warning in the form of rod knock. So that seems a bit out of character even for an engine that's known to grenade. But you know what they say... $hit happens.

Glass cleaner and a good fresh razor blade. I clean over spray from windows like that all the time. Just take your time, don't press hard, and keep the surface good and wet with the glass cleaner.

You did reconnect the shift cable right? (Just had to ask. ) Did you drain the torque converter prior to installation? If that was empty or near empty then you need another couple quarts of fluid in there I think. I don't recall exactly how much an auto trans holds, but 11 sticks in my mind for some reason. Is fluid pouring out under the car anywhere?

Have a friend turn the wheel in the car while you watch the belts. Engine running of course. Rack or pump both sound possible, but a slipping belt is more common for hard steering. Only thing is that would usually make an obvious squealing noise. The next possibility is a slipping harmonic balancer pulley. The outer section of the pulley will separate from the inner section and will slip when under load, and that is usually silent. (Or you at least don't hear it over the engine running.)

I'm inclined to think wheel bearing. Theyre pretty easy to check. Manual transmission cars tend to get lots of "goo" in them, from various sources. But very fine pudding like grey metallic goo is usually from bearings. The mainshaft rear roller bearings seem to like to wear out on these.

Do the lights behind the radio and climate controls work? Might be the switch itself. Did you check the dimmer adjustment slider?