99obw

These are classic low coolant symptoms. Start with an OEM thermostat and make sure you get all of the air out of the system.

The NA boxers are exceptionally easy on oil, to the point that some owners seem to take for granted that oil quality doesn't matter much, and it probably doesn't for most. Other make's engines are much less forgiving of oil quality. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I have seen significant sludge with 3k changes on cheap dino. Never seen it with Pennzoil, though Pennzoil was known for sludging many years ago. I saw a suby engine recently with some deposits, not terrible, with 5k changes with cheap dino on a long distance commuter. There is some truth to most of the wear occuring immediately following an oil change. I don't understand the mechanism, but I can dig up some info if people are interested. The SAE has some papers on it IIRC. Think about this: Q. When is the worst possible oil starvation your engine normally experiences? A. The first time you start your car following an oil change.

I think if you actually took some time to read the forum you would learn a lot. Sure, plenty of people perform home-brewed tests, but it's up to the intelligent reader to take it for what it's worth. There are many lubrication engineers, chemists, and auto techs that post there. The knowledge base of the members is second to none. You know what's ironic? Most of the posters there would agree that the four-ball test is useless for testing motor oil.

She really can't blame the car. She should own up to the fact that she caused the accident and the car performed as well as could be expected under the circumstances. Perhaps something happened to that left rear wheel while traversing the median that caused it to lock up or not perform normally, which caused her to lose control once on the highway again.

I would start with the relay as that is easy to test. If that works next check for power at the fan. Someone with schematics (Josh) for your car may be able to give more precise instructions.

Oil is supposed to be much better now than it used to be, that's why it surprises me to see such sludge. The thing about Subaru boxers is it's tough to see how the oil is cleaning without removing a valve cover. My mom had a '67 Catalina with a 400 when I was a kid, loved that car. Not a GTO, but still a cool car. The first wrench turning I ever did was at the age of 9 when my mom and I put a timing set on that 400. I try to avoid talking people into synthetic, I try to relate my experiences and make recommendations as to what synthetics I think are a good buy. When people start spending $4-$9 a quart on oil they expect miracles, which is unrealistic. For me synthetic oil is a financial break even, keeps my engines spotless internally, offers better winter cold start, and saves me some time. I won't claim it improves fuel economy for me, as I don't have the data, but the higher viscosity index should save some fuel. A good read related to this thread... http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=008243

Sounds like a fine plan. I was a diehard 3k Pennzoil user before I went synthetic. Though some have had different experiences, my engines' internals were alway totally free of sludgy deposits and evenly colored with a lovely tan patina. I still like and recommend Pennzoil. You probably shouldn't have much to clean. 6k is a very conservative interval with Mobil 1. Mobil 1 cleans the most aggressively of any oil I have used. Engines run long enough on Mobil 1 will look like the day they left the factory. Just as an interesting aside, I did a tune-up on a '97 Hyundai 3.0 V6 tonight. "Free" 3k dealer oil changes with 5w-30 dino, 85k miles on it. Quite a bit of sludgy buildup on the rocker arms. Not the worst I have seen, but disgusting none-the-less. I have to be honest, I was shocked to see that result with faithful 3k dino changes. I thought even the cheapest dinos were better than that. I would give a dollar to know what oil was used.

Please forgive me if you gave any of this info earlier in the thread... How long do you plan to extend the intervals? How many miles on the engine? Previous oil and interval? Thanks,

It's really hard to know for sure. It's possible (probable?) that some oil leaked out as the refrigerant was leaking. I would probably put one of the small cans of oil in, 2-1/2" oz in the US IIRC. Be very careful not to get too much oil in it though. The system won't work very well with too much oil. Ask me how I know.

The R12 has a screw-on fitting similar to a Schrader valve or tire valve stem. The R134a has a snap-op fitting similar to an air hose. If it has been converted a snap-on fitting has been screwed on to the screw-on fitting's threads. http://www.id-usa.com/product.asp?CID=38&PID=143

Oils I remember using in the EJ25 over the last 180k miles. Mobil 1 5w-30 10.0cSt Mobil 1 10w-30 10.0cSt Pennzoil 10w-30 10.4cSt Pennzoil 5w-30 10.5cSt Amsoil ASL 5w-30 11.6cSt Amsoil ATM 10w-30 11.9cSt German Castrol Syntec 0w-30 12.1cSt Amsoil AFL 5w-40 14.5cSt Chevron Supreme 10w-40 14.8cSt As far as engine noise, I would say that the Amsoil 10w-30 is probably the thinnest I could endorse in hindsight. The 40 weights definately have an advantage in the noise department IMHO. If you want to try a thick oil, try the Chevron Supreme, an excellent oil that's inexpensive, and thick. If you want to try a thick oil with a high viscosity index, perhaps you could try Rotella T 5w-40, around $3 a quart last I knew. I guess so far no one has proven whether it's kinematic viscosity and/or viscosity index that seems to quiet the boxers. You can also browse around this thread... http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=009433

Can you get R12? If so I would top it off. If not you may consider converting the system. Is the condenser fan running? I can look up the symptoms in my book when I get a chance.

So the clutch is engaging on it's own? What is the low-side pressure with the system running? If you have dual gauges the high-side pressure would be helpful as well. I have found that the R134a systems start to perform poorly with only a relatively small percentage of the refrigerant missing. Is the A/C fan running? A poorly cooled condenser will cause poor performance as well. I assume the evaporator fan is running? I'm no expert but I do have a decent book and I will help if I can.

I like kosher salt too. What's great about used oil analysis is that to a certain extent it takes the opinion and guesswork out of things. It's hard to say that the lab equipment that tested the oil is biased and full of baloney. cSt = centiStokes SUS = Saybolt Universal Seconds Mobil 1 0w-40 starts at 14.3cSt, or about 75 SUS. The SAE 30 weight range runs from 9.30-12.49cSt. The SAE 40 weight range runs from 12.50-16.29cSt. Clearly the oil has thinned in these cases to a 30 weight. The UOA links I provided had the following 100°C viscosities respectively: 64.1 SUS or 11.5cSt after 4650 miles 64.5 SUS or 11.6cSt after 3996 miles 67.4 SUS or 12.4cSt after 6120 miles This amount of thinning is alarming IMHO considering the relatively short intervals over which this oil was run in these engines. Don't get the impression that I am trying to pick on Mobil 1, as I am currently running the 5w-40. Mobil 1 is not the only company with viscosity issues, Amsoil 0w-30 and 5w-30 have been known to thicken in an alarming way. http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/stories/amsoil.html I am not a lubrication engineer nor do I play one on TV, nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

I just thought I would chime in here and back up cookie on his claims. I too have found the boxer to prefer something thicker than the average 30 weight with regard to piston slap and engine noise in general. I won't try a 50 weight yet, but if the bearings start to tire I may. I also think, based on tracking mileage carefully while using different viscosity oils, that the effect that oil viscosity has on fuel economy is vastly overblown by auto manufacturers. The colder the climate and the shorter the trips the greater the difference will be between thin and thick oils. Viscosity index of the oil also plays a significant role. I am very suspicious of the push for 20 weight oils by Ford, GM, and Honda. I think these oils benefit the manufacturers (CAFE, Corporate Average Fuel Economy) more than the consumer.

Here are links to the first three threads I found when searching for "mobil 0w-40 shear". Shearing of this oil to a 30 weight is relatively common. http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=002332 http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=002106 5th response... "And notice that 40 wt. sheared back to a 30 wt. anyway. I think that 0W-40 Mobil 1 is the worst of Mobil 1's oils. I'd never use it." http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=001925 1st response... "The oil sheared to about 12.3cSt, but we expect this, I guess" I'm not saying that this is a bad oil, it shows good wear results, but if you want a 40 weight over the life of the oil this is probably a bad choice. If you leave the Mobil 0w-40 in long enough it will thicken back up to a 40 weight if that makes you feel better. If true 0w starting characteristics are desired I think a good group IV 0w-30 like German Castrol 0w-30 or Esso XD3 Extra 0w-30 is a better choice. These oils are a bit hard to find. The jury is still out on the American made Castrol 0w-30.

Mobil 1 0w-40 is known to shear to a 30 weight in a short time. It's not a very stable oil when oil change intervals are extended. I don't know of any 0w-40 that will hold up as well as an oil with the spread of a 5w-40 or less. In your climate you will see little if any difference between 0w-40 and 5w-40. I am running the Mobil 1 5w-40 (aka Delvac 1) in the XJ right now, and I have to say my initial impression is that the Amsoil AFL 5w-40 is a superior oil based on engine noise and oil pressure. My ~10k mile UOA on the AFL in the XJ is here. The Suby has AFL in it right now and it sounds great. The suby has shown to prefer a 12cSt+ oil as far as piston slap is concerned. The average 30 weight is in the 10cSt range. Mobil 1 is a group IV oil, polyalphaolefin, as is Amsoil. Virtually all other oils (in the USA at least) that say they are synthetic are actually a group III, or a hydrocracked petroleum. Yes, what a scam, I know. Redline, Royal Purple, Esso, and Castrol 0w-30 are some other true synthetics. The reason I discourage group III's is because they cost nearly as much as a group IV, why pay almost as much for an inferior product. If I were you I would use German Castrol Syntec 0w-30 (my winter oil), Mobil 1 5w-40, Amsoil ATM 10w-30, Amsoil AFL 5w-40, or Rotella T 5w-40 (reasonably priced group III HDEO).

I knew loctite was anerobic but I did not know why my loctite always gunked up on the end, now I do. Great info Nomad, thanks! Yep, I use the blue for anything that may ever need to be disassembled again, everything else gets the red.

It goes to the backpressure transducer (BPT) for controlling the EGR valve.

That pic is very helpful, thanks, but you are using a different vacuum port than I was describing. I used the one on the throttle body nearest the gasket, visible behind the hose in your pic going into the seafoam can.

I work about ten minutes from the #1 Subaru dealer in the country, so I think we have a few Subarus around here as well. The most common vehicles around here other than the usual Fords and Chevys are Jeeps and Subarus. I live about 10 miles from pulloff, I know four people that own 96-99 outbacks, all four cars have had the gaskets replaced. I think it's a climate issue. We have snow on the ground from November until March or April. We see lows around -20°F and highs around 95°F. I think the thermal cycling here for some reason kills the original gaskets. Oh wait, I just talked to an old college professor a couple of weeks ago, his wife's gaskets were replaced, that makes 5. Now she drives a Toyota. Oh yes, then there's my other friend's wife who has the 2000 outback that leaks coolant like crazy out the left head gasket. Unfortunately Subaru gasket failure in this climate seems to be almost universal. I think if Subaru hasn't thrown away too many customers with their gen 1 and gen 2 outbacks they probably haven't peaked yet.

Correct. One could also use a pulse width modulation (PWM) IC to take the analog voltage from the dimmer circuit and convert it to a variable duty cycle square wave to modulate the brightness of the LED. A programmable microcontroller would be the easiest way to do this. Another way to do it would be to use an operation amplifier and use the dimmer voltage to modulate the LED current. This would be more difficult but much more elegant. Some car makers (GM for certain) are now using PWM for dimming, so I wouldn't rule that out. You might just try hooking it up first, because if Subaru is now using PWM dimming it will work perfectly.

I would change the PCV and do a double treatment of http://www.auto-rx.com. This product has shown amazing results in freeing oil rings and improving compression in high mileage engines. I know, sounds like snake oil, but worse case you'll have a really clean engine. Much cheaper than any internal engine work even if you do it yourself. Another option if the problem is stuck oil rings is to go to BITOG and search for molasoak. It's a technique for cleaning the rings that one of the chemists there developed.

I would try a compression test based on my recent experience with high-mileage 2.5's that have never had the valves adjusted. I would pull the codes to see which cylinder is misfiring and see if the compression is lower in that cylinder. If that doesn't work I would try swapping the injector from a cylinder that is working to the one in question.

The body modules I worked on for Motorola were conformal coated, and many of the underhood ECU's out there are potted. It really depends where one wants to put it and how well the enclosure will be sealed. Potting is easy for a DIY'er to do and it offers improved vibration resistance and resistance to moisture and contaminants. If you put it in the cabin then no worries, under the hood and I would pot it. The servo should definately be a waterproof one. I work on mission critical equipment that is deployed to the far corners of the planet, so I tend to belt and suspenders everything. Sorry if my suggestions border on excessive. I suppose if this circuit failed no one's life would be in danger.