Scoobywagon

Not to be an rump roast, but...you're just plain wrong. You are correct that windshields have, in the past, been installed with butyl. However, that has not been the case since the 70's. It simply isn't legal to do anymore. It is a structural bond insofar as such strength is necessary in order to ensure the safety of the vehicle occupants in the event of an accident. There is a reason for things being done the way they are. Back glass is a COMPLETELY different story. It still ought to be installed with urethane, as that is how the factory does it. However, it is not a safety function, so I see no reason why you couldn't install with butyl. I wouldn't, but..... Do what you want, but also understand the risks.

THere actually is a product made specifically for damming the urethane. Its an open cell foam tape with adhesive on 2 sides. You apply it to the steel, then shoot the urethane, then set the windshield. I'll say it again...don't re-use a windshield. It can be a real safety problem and new glass isn't all that expensive. Should be $100 or less in most places. Urethane is usually around $25 per tube for the fast set stuff. The slower setting stuff is generally less. Sometimes as cheap as $10-12 per tube. You'll need about a tube and a half to do most windshields. The foam dam tape is generally about $4-5 per roll. 1 roll per car.

These cars do not use gasket set windshields. They are urethaned in. There are a couple of reasons to not reuse a windshield. First, it takes a miracle of God mandated by an act of congress to get one out of a car without breaking it. Secondly, if you've managed that, there's no way to know what was used to install that windshield so you don't know how the glass was prepped and THAT means that you don't have a way to know that your new adhesive will actually stick to it. That's a safety hazard. A windshield is pretty straightforward to change, but it does require some specialist tools. You will need a cold knife and a cut out bar to remove the windshield and a well-built caulking gun to apply the urethane. The urethane is thick enough to destroy a cheap gun. Wherever you buy the urethane, they should also have the proper tips for you.

Gary, I'm not bent. All I'm saying is putting a used clutch on that compressor is not worth the work. Changing an A/C clutch is kind of a PITA. In many cases, it requires removing the compressor from the car. With Subaru's, you don't always have to do that, but it IS easier to work on the compressor if it is sitting on a bench. It is simply easier and less work to change the whole compressor. Frequently, you can get the whole compressor in a wrecking yard for $50 - 60. Again, its an unknown, but there are times when that's your only option. The whole point is this: Changing a compressor is less work, marginally more expensive and yields a superior end result than changing a clutch.

When the clutch goes, it is generally due to wear. The compressor gets EXACTLY the same level of wear as the clutch. As i said...this has been my observation, and I have had plenty of time to observe. Do what you want. Its your car and nobody else's. I just wouldn't install a used A/C clutch for the same reason I wouldn't install used crank bearings. And since there's about $20 difference between a new clutch and a new compressor...hmmmm....

I wouldn't go to a used compressor for a clutch. It is in unknown condition and you will have done a BUNCH of work, only to have to do it again, if that clutch fails. Also, I neglected to mention earlier...when doing this work, be VERY careful. There are some springy bits in the clutch that WILL go sproing if you let them. If that happens, forget it. You'll never find all the little fiddly bits.

The clutch assembly CAN be replaced, but I don't generally recommend it. It has been my observation that if the clutch has died, the compressor itself is usually not terribly far behind it. More often than not, you replace the clutch, only to have to replace the whole compressor a few months down the road. Having said all of that, if you want to do the clutch, the part number you need is 15-3006R. That's a Ranshu part number. Clutch alone is likely to cost about $230. Whole compressor is part number 14-3006C and costs about $250. Your choice.

Refrigerant does not just up and disappear. If it is not in the system, it went somewhere. Here's how you figure it out. 1) Recover any refrigerant in the system. 2) Pull a vacuum on the system. 3) Watch gauges to ensure that system will hold vacuum for AT LEAST 30 minutes. If it does not, then wait to see if the vacuum simply drops to a certain point and stops or goes all the way back to atmospheric. If vac drops to a certain point and holds, odds are you're just boiling water out of the receiver/dryer. In that case, replace the receiver/dryer. If it goes to atmospheric, you've got a leak. 4) Add approximately .5 lbs R134A to the system. 5) Sniff for refrigerant using a halogen gas detector. Start at the high side service port and follow the system all around the hood until you get back to the suction port on the compressor. It is likely that you will get hits at the service ports if you sniff immediately after adding refrigerant, so wait just a minute or so. If you consistently get hits in any location, you've found your leak. 6) Charge system with R134a. While charging, add 2oz refrigerant oil with fluorescent dye. 7) Run system to ensure that it makes cold air. 8) Drive car until A/C does not blow cold. 9) Park car in dark area and search under hood for fluorescent dye. If you find dye, you've found your leak. At this point, the only part of the system you've not been able to inspect, either with the sniffer or visually, is the evaporator core. It is POSSIBLE for the aluminum parts in the system to become so thin that the refrigerant can sort of slip through. If this is happening, then you won't find refrigerant dye and its unlikely that you'd sniff refrigerant because concentrations would be very low. This condition is usually found in older vehicles, sometimes R12 cars that have been converted, sometimes 134A cars that have had leaks. It results from the fact that R134A in contact with moisture becomes corrosive. Over time, it will corrode the aluminum parts from the inside and the thin parts get even thinner. This usually isn't a problem with hose fittings because those fittings are usually made with relatively thick walls. The problem will be observed in the evaporator and condenser cores. It will be more pronounced in the evaporator core owing to the higher pressures there. Replace the evap core and do all of that again. Congratulations, you've serviced your A/C system.

Bremerton-like.

There are really no differences internally between the MacIntosh unit and just about any other Subaru stereo from the same block of years. MacIntosh is owned by Clarion who has historically provided the vast majority of OEM Subaru stereos. You can usually retain the factory amp and sub with the proper harness (PN: SWH-924 from AI, 70-8901 from Metra). Shouldn't be a big deal to do, even if you're doing it on your own.

That requires an auxiliary input of some type on the radio and will still require some kind of control head. Now, I haven't seen a 2010 yet. However, Subaru has historically used Clarion OEM stereo equipment. In the past, it has been possible to simply add a Clarion XM tuner or CD Changer or iPod interface and be done with it. This may be what your salesperson is on about. Being an XM/Sirius dealer, I offer the following words of warning. XM/Sirius is still in a bit of financial trouble. I'm not sure where that's going to end up, so I'm recommending that people hold off a bit before dropping a bunch of coin on satellite radio equipment and subscriptions.

Thats it. You officially SUCK! I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU! :-p

Strangely, velcro works REALLY well. Just stick the hook side to your box and work the hooks into the carpet a bit. Frankly, though, we have found that the friction between the carpet on the box and the carpet on the floor, combined with the weight of the box and subs, is usually enough to keep it where it needs to be. If you find the box moving around, then consider the velcro idea. Also, don't be afraid to put a screw or two into your box. Its just wood, after all. If you find that the box just won't stay put, you can always pop the subs out of the box, screw the box down from the inside and then put the subs back in. No big deal.

Had a strong showing of Subaru's yesterday. Even met a couple of USMB members. Pictures can be seen at http://picasaweb.google.com/cnmphoto I shot so many pics that I had to break it up into 3 parts and there are STILL more where those came from.

I'm not sure where Omak is, but I live in Port Orchard. There is a very good chance that I have a y-pipe floating around somewhere. I'll sell it to you cheap. PM me.

That's EXACTLY how its done. Compressed air and a blow gun with a long enough tube. Makes a mess you won't believe on the garage floor.

The drains are accessible from inside the car. The sunroofs should be just fine in place.

Low refrigerant is the most common cause. This can be tested using a manifold guage set. A word of warning here...the little cheap sets that come in the AC kits a Schucks/Autozone/Etc. are NOT sufficient. You don't have to buy the nice Snap-On or Matco guage sets, but the little plastic ones are not ok. If you have a digital multi-meter, though, you can do some testing and narrow it down before you take it to a shop. Turn the key to the on position and turn on the AC. Ground your meter directly to the battery. Check both terminals on the low pressure switch connector. You should find power on at least one side. Check both terminals on the Compressor connector. Again, you should find power on one pin. If not, disconnect the low pressure switch connector and jumper the two pins. Check for voltage at the compressor again. If you find voltage this time, then either the low pressure switch is bad or the system has leaked down.

This really going to depend on the brand and model of your reader. So as much as I hate to say this, RTFM. Having said that, it does sound like you're on the right track. No, it it is not generally necessary to be driving while observing operating data unless, of course, the complaint is related in some way to vehicle speed. This is not. Odds are, the S1 number is going to be the front. The front O2 sensor should always have slightly higher values than the rear unless your cat is shot. That help?

I live in Port Orchard. I'm about an hour away from Sequim. PM me w/ details and I'll see if I can't get up there for you.

As I said, I've had not time to look into it at all. I assume the t-belt is there because it will start and run. Just makes that horrible noise.

So I was driving home last night when my trusty Legacy wagon had itself a heart attack. Lost power and it started acting like I was bouncing it off the rev limiter. Pressed in the clutch and let off the throttle and it stalled. NEVER done that before. Put it back in gear and eased off the clutch to bump start it and it just did NOT want to start, though it eventually did after REALLY slowing the car down a lot. That's when I heard this rattley/clanky noise coming from under the hood. No idea what it is. Had no time to dig into it this morning. Car has 245 kilo-miles on it. Any thoughts? If someone can come up with a likely thing to check, I'll do that before I just swap the motor out.

That's nice work! As far as your sub wiring goes, it won't matter. Your amp is a monoblock amp and, as such, the 2 sets of speaker connectors are internally bridged. You'll get the same performance weather you wire on a single set of terminals or across both sets. It just WON'T matter. For anchoring your sub box, consider some high-quality velcro. The hook side will do a fine job grabbing the factory carpet. That and the weight of the sub/box combo will make it a bit of a wrestling match to get it out of the car. You might also think about cutting a terminal cup into one of your interior panels. That way, if you should need to remove the box, there are no dangling wires. Otherwise, you might consider using SpeaCon connectors. If you want to clean up the amp install, you can do so quite easily through the profligate use of zip-ties, wire loom and electrical tape. The way I might do it is to use some standoffs under the amp to lift it 1/4" (7mm) off the board. Route all of your wires under the amp and zip tie them so as to create a "T" in the wiring. Put the collected bundle of wiring into some appropriately sized wire loom and wrap in electrical tape for a nice, clean OEM look.

Should be a 9006 bulb. Best automotive lighting lookup I've ever run across is here

A number of manufacturers offer in-dash 6-disc changers. Of the bunch, we've seen the fewest problems with the Subaru and Mercedes changers. Everyone else seems to have LOTS of CD Transport problems. Not saying they're perfect, but they seem to be much better made than most of the others.