ThosL

The challenge of removing certain bolts and nuts in trying to do my own mechanical work got me thinking about how it is so easy for mechanics to over-tighten then with the power tools at their disposal. So the next guy, especially those working on their vehicles who don't have power tools are then in a fix and can't get parts off!! Have there been any studies on possible risks that would come from under-tightening? Frankly it looks like overkill is the name of the game in society these days with all the security state, insurance, and paranoia in general of "what might happen" if reasonable actions were permitted. And I doubt that lightly tightened things would come off.

I'd accept reasonable blame on this 97 Outback, too much neglect as pointed out here, but I was able to get it taken care of with the caliper bracket with the new hardware. Heck, I put in a brake pad a week or so backwards, so it was metal on metal, I thought it was just the pad seating in.... Frank who ran the shop is finally off cigarettes which was the cause of the 2 month hospital stay, older Italian guy, has done good work for me before. And yest the rust especially in the northeast is a problem, the Japanese don't allow vehicles over 10 years on their roads. He said drop off some green cash when I'm in his neighborhood again.

I contacted a garage I have done business in the past that is trying to get back on their feet after the manager had a medical issue. He said to come down yesterday which I did then the mechanic was out of commission; he said come back today which I did. I waited around a while, walked downtown to the library; when I came back they had some bad news: the caliper slide pin had broken off when the guy tried to remove it. So they tried using a torch to get it out etc.. I ended up just asking them to put it back together, the reason for the job was replacing the rotor which was scored up. Quick question; does having just one good bolt holding the caliper in, impair the braking in a dangerous way? At any rate I drove around to get the parts I needed and did the job myself; replacing the caliper bracket, and the rotor and pads. The question is, I had just asked him to get the bolts holding the caliper and rotor in, which are a challenge if they have not been changed out; do I owe him much for not doing the job right? Wouldn't a competent mechanic notice slide pins or frozen bolts or whatever led to this snafu, not force them so they break off?

I made the mistake of retiring a Subaru because it was a little unattractive, big mistake. I later got an 84 Jag., worst car I ever owned. I went back to Subarus.

I did accidentally pull out the metal contacts out of the harness and put them back in, not really secure. I will have to address that later.

Putting it in ended the nightmare of the car losing power suddenly, cel flashing, car not starting. Simple problem, probably the starter replacement was unnecessary. A number of mechanics tried to diagnose the same problem without luck for years. I will try to have Longos go over it later, they had a family emergency, so have been closed for a couple weeks.

Thanks, I did pull the pos. cable off for a couple minutes, cel still came up.

I got them today, and installed one, only problem is I wasn't able to get the electrical connector out without the two wires pulling out. I did my best to put them back in with the unit firmly bolted in. Not sure how long that gerry rig will hold. CEL was still coming up after pulling off the pos. cable on the battery. Car is driving well, it was cutting off periodically before I put this in. I will let my sister use my Subaru as I try to see if there are still problems on her 96.

I had front bearings replaced on a 99; lasted a couple years then failed. I was told any damage to the mount the bearing go in will cause them to fail too. I went back to the same shop and they said no dice on any guarantee, and estimated doing the job again at well over a thousands. I got two front knuckles at the junkyard and the whole thing was under $400.

The starter was replaced, I don't really know what the core issue was, just got the codes. My sister is disabled so I don't know what the cause is really. My feeling with crazy people like her, excuse my patience wearing thin, is they make problem out of good cars. I ran that car 150 plus miles in a couple days and it gives the best ride of any Subaru. I'll try to change out the crankshaft sensor see if that makes any difference.

It's an expensive area, there are decent places for diagnostics but the sister hasn't found the problem in a number of searches. There are some excellent and reasonable mechanics out of lower Fairfield County. Generally you have to have an idea of what the problem is so you can get good estimates, most shops try not to give free estimates.

Thanks for the kind offer, pm sent. On Subaru only, the local dealer charges $150 minimum just for a diagnosis.

Wires are a year or so old, plugs may be several years old. Sister has been a sucker for shops pushing work on her. A number of shops tried to diagnose the power loss/CEL problem, without luck a while back and she gave up.

OK thanks for the feedback on this. 1996 2.2 wagon with 190K or so.

My sister has been having occasional starting and loss of power issues. Codes at Auto Zone were #420 and 335; crankshaft position and Cat converter issue. Vehicle was going into flashing CEL after starting up and going up a hill within a couple minutes, you'd have to pull over and let it sit for a few minutes then it would run fine. I ran it for an hour and a half with no problems today. My sister drives like the proverbial old grandma.

I was hiking in northern New England and had one pull apart on a class 4 road near Monson, somehow I was able to jack it up and temporarily get it driveable until Keith Bishop in Monson fixed it; it happened later when a friend's son forgot to put in the pin and it pulled apart, which is a fun job at the side of the road. No hard for the experts, one guy around St. Johnsbury did them for under $100 each installed.

My sister said the problem has continued even after the replacement of the starter, I don't know what her problem is. She tries to start it, no go, then comes back with a friend and it then starts.

Thanks for the thorough insight; I will keep looking for a solution on this,.the MAF was changed out from one of my cars which had been a problem. Possibly the temp. sensor or similar problem. It has run like a top when it is warmed up. Starter problem was solved for $200, with a Bosch rebuilt.

It actually does run better after the reset, sister said the CEL was off. She doesn't want to do any more at this point.

I would ask the workers at Auto Zone, Advance Auto, I got excellent leads doing that. You could also check the junk yards, there is one in the Sheffield area I have gotten parts from. I know Pete at Berkshire Hills Jewelry and Coins, they are pretty street smart may be able to recommend someone. They are across the way from Advance, which bought out a better parts place IMO. For the historically minded, both Berkshire Hills and Advance are on the same road as the Melville homestead, a few miles south.

Best of luck making the decision; I have had many 2.2 Subarus and a few 2.5s; the 2.5 has a lot more power, I noticed when I had a 2.2 engine put in my Outback that originally had the 2.5, a little loss of power especially going up hills. Do your own thorough DD. and then treat the cars with TLC once you make your decision. Quality motor oil and preventative maintenance can go a long way in maintaining the car.

My sister went to "Accurate Auto" earlier in the week and they replaced the battery clamp which did nothing to help the starter issue. I should leave them a snotty review for doing nothing and charging for it. They reset the check engine light without telling her what the codes were. I called the local Subaru dealer who said they had a $140 diagnostic minimum fee; and a weird one with them, "Garaval", was they said they try to get the customer to give them a maximum repair fee when they drop vehicles off so they know they can go ahead not worrying about unauthorized work. That is a recipe for abuse, IMO.

It was regularly maintained but the sporadic loss of power has stumped a number of garages.

We're in the Norwalk, CT area; by the way, I went down to AZ to get the CEL read, and what a crappy ride my sister has and the guy at AZ said it was too late for him to go you. On the highway, driving around with trying to get power out of it, it was very sporadic, even after the car warmed up fully. I have no idea what sensor is the issue. A friend of hers called with an Hispanic mechanic who comes to you to work, but you know how that would work out with the language barriers.

Thanks a lot for that information; the next step will be to get the codes which I will try to do later. It makes perfect sense that it is a sensor; my sister paid for a radiator flush which did nothing for the core problem. Mechanics may not know how to diagnose these problems.