Commuter

Several of us have bought from CyberAuto. Last I looked, their price was about 25 or 30% less than list. I've had mine for about 3 years. No issues. Other than they are about an inch or so longer than the originals and don't 'dress' quite as nicely across the engine. Commuter

My 97 OB did the same thing about a year ago. It was cold, and I was due for service, so I asked them to check it out. I ended up with all the seals changed. I'm still not sure if that was really the issue, but my dealer is normally pretty straight up with me. Mine too looked as if it was coming out of the vent. I didn't check the link yet. I'll have to read up on what they say. Anyway, I haven't had a repeat. Commuter

In North America, the Impreza platform vehicles (Impreza, Forester) got the SOHC engine in 1999. The Legacy platform vehilces (Legacy, Outback, Baja (when it arrived)) got it in 2000. Commuter

If you want to test further, try swapping wires. Cyl 3 and 4 fire off the same half of the coil pack. I'd swap wires 3 and 1. And 4 and 2. If you get a 1/2 cyl misfire, then you know it's the wires. If it stays with 3/4... it could still be wires, but might be the coil pack. They sometimes develop a small crack that can do things like this from what I've heard. I have a 97 OB as well. Original coil pack (I think). But I changed the wires to Magnecor a few years back. If you have never changed the wires, you are due. OEM wires are fine. Commuter

Is the resistance in the "steering", or in the wheels/axles/diff? I know that it can be hard to tell. Torque bind usually affects the autos, but it can happen to a manual as well. People have fried the center VC. I read of one case where a guy had 1.5" difference in tire circumference and burned up 3 VC's before they discovered the problem. The VC would seem to be the most likely suspect. I'm not sure just what else you might check. Was any front or rear diff work done recently? Didn't swap out the rear diff with the wrong ratio perhaps? (Slim chance, but thought I'd mention it.) Good luck finding the problem. Commuter

The 96 2.5L engine was 155 hp and needed premium. They made changes in 97, upped the hp to 165 and it runs on regular fuel. Commuter

You can get a Purolator 14460 if you want. That's the one that fits (virtually?) all the H4 Subaru engines. Premium (L) or PureONE (PL). I'm assuming that they use the same number across countries. Commuter

Check out this site. You will find information about models, features, options, changes, etc. I'm not sure just when Subaru switched to the 134a a/c fluid. It was around that time IIRC. The late 90's Outbacks are essentially a modified Legacy wagon. It is the same platform. Different bumpers, raised roofline, raised suspension, hood scoop. It got the larger of whatever wheels / brakes etc were available. It's really not "that" different, but it looks it. And it took on a life of its own as one of the first "cross over" vehicles (SUW, Sport Utility Wagon), partly thanks to the Crocodile Dundee ads at the time. Commuter

I put a Whiteline adjustable rear swaybar on my 97 OB. I think it is 18, 20, 22 IIRC. I'd definitely look for an adjustable for the rear so you have some way of balancing things out. I can't help you with the front really. I'm not sure what is available. While you are at it, I'd recommend the hairpin rear endlinks. Very pleased with mine. Not a sound from them. Commuter

I concur with the 'get a second opinion'. In 3+ years on this board, I don't think I've ever heard of a steering rack problem. More likely to be some other component as mentioned. If it truly is the steering rack, I'd probably put a used one on. Slim chance of getting 2 bad ones. Commuter

One the 2.5 Phase I, there is a different change interval between the USA and Canada. USA spec is ~160k km, Canada is 96k km. Yeah I know... dumb, but that's how it is. I've changed mine 3 times now. 100k km, 225k km, 350k, km. I let the last 2 belts go 125k km, which is only 2 years for me. The belts looked virtually new like 99obw said. Just the faintest bit of cracking starting in the root of the teeth. Try to look where the belt goes over a reverse bend (teeth opened up) to observe this. If I keep up this commuting, I'll probably let this belt go for 150k km. I always have them change the crank and cam seals when the timing belt is done. I've never had a front seal leak yet (fingers crossed). Commuter PS - Someone once said that if the lettering is worn off the backside of the belt, it is probably due for a change. I have no idea how good a yardstick that advice is.

When I got my 97 OB, one foglight had a small 'bullet' hole in it (cratered to the inside). After finding out the replacement price, I decided to see if I could fix it. I took the housing out and laid it down on the glass. Then I put a dab of free flowing silicone in the 'crater' thru the bulb hole in the back. It's held for over 5 years now, even with higher wattage bulbs in there. I did add some metal mesh grates with smaller holes in them to prevent future stone hits. It seems to have worked, but they are rusty now and look like crap. That StonGard stuff Jamie mentioned sounds good. Commuter

I only have a moment, but essentially you are on track. The auto's bias the torque to the front (90/10 in the late 90's Legacies) and use an electronically controled clutch pack as the center diff. The manuals use a viscous coupling that provides 50/50. This does not include the WRX vehicles or the VDC vehicles which are somewhat different again. In all, I think Subaru has about 4 different AWD mechanisms on the go these days. Commuter

The O-ring around the spark plug hole that seals the valve cover to the head is leaking. It's been known to happen. Commuter

I don't know if it is available in your area, but I have used Rust-Check in the same situation. It displaces moisture. (You may have ice issues.) It is a very light oil, so it does lubricate some. It will probably pick up some 'dust and dirt', but how much should there be on the inside of your lock cylinder? Is it the lock tumbers? Or is the linkage sloppy or messed up? Can you tell? Commuter

I saw my engine apart at 160k miles and the cross-hatch cylinder honing was still very evident. It does not 'wear away'. Well, at least not quickly. Commuter

I'm not aware of any other engine in those model years. I think the 2.2L was in the 95 "Outback" which was nothing more than a Legacy trim level... it was not the 'look' that came out in 96. And that might have only been in the manual. As to the head gaskets... Well, design is more than just the parts, it's also the assembly procedure. You could ask them. Commuter

I had it done on my 97 OB about 3 or 4 years ago. It worked. It solved the low rpm hesitation / stumbling that I was suffering from. My car is noted for running rich (as I found out) and hence carbon is a problem, even in this day and age of ECU's. Strange but true. Also, be sure that your O2 sensor is in good shape. Mine tested ok, and I did not have any codes, but after I changed mine last year, the 'carbon' problem slowly cleared itself. I paid around $100 or $120 Canadian. Definitely look around for better pricing. Commuter

I believe it was 2001 when they "freshened" the Forester a bit. Larger taillights, different grill, changed the model features around a bit (eg, I think they changed from rear drums to discs on one of the models... ) Mechanically, I'm not aware of anything that would be significantly different. 2000 and 2001 would both have the Phase II engine. The model didn't change until 2003 with the new platform. I have no idea if the CD is any good or not. Commuter

Colorado Component Rebuilders Inc. is a Subaru engine rebuilder. I've heard only good about them. I even talked with Rick and Emily when I had my engine problems nearly 2 years ago. They know how to deal with the piston slap, the head gaskets, etc. And you get a warranty. Commuter

Not quite true. I found out about the "short" filter stud on the H4's a few years ago. I wanted to use a certain alternate oil filter, and it would only catch about 1/2 turn. Meanwhile, I was told that several other people with Subaru H4 engines were using this particular filter without issue. (I also read of this issue on i-club.) After some studying and pulling out the stud (it is symmetrical, end to end), I decided to use a washer to make it extend a little bit further. An Aluminum drain plug washer (or fill plug maybe) for a Honda transmission turned out to be just the right size with a good thickness to it. I put the washer in and now I get a full three turns of thread catching. Disclaimer: Just a word of caution. This is what I did for my 97 OB 2.5L engine. If anyone wants to try the same, you do so at your own risk. If you ever put a Subaru specific filter back on, there is the possibility of interference and an improperly tightened seal. The 'short' stud is why Purolator has a specific oil filter part number for the H4 engines (14460). The more generic oil filter (14459) fits a whole slew of vehicles. The primary difference is the "dishing" of the endplate. Many oil filter brands are not dished (concave) so much, and hence they will catch the threads sufficiently. Commuter

(Raising my hand...) I've had a conrod bearing go. 97 OB. 160k miles. Head gaskets failed. Then the con rod bearing (crank end) on no. 3 cylinder. I'm told it is rare for the con-rods to go on these engines. And I agree that that would not cause it to not start, unless things were totally siezed up. My engine started making noise on the highway. Within about 10 to 15 minutes of driving, it was rattling so bad that I pulled over. There wasn't much of the bearing left. Most of it had disintegrated. Commuter

Not trying to be smart... But probably the same generation of car with a CCR Engines Inc rebuilt engine in it. I can't say I've heard too much about transmission problems, other than the center diff / clutch pack in the tail end. Commuter

Is your car automatic? I have a 97 OB. I've suffered this issue a couple of times. The problem... carbon. These things run rich. It took a MotorVac treatment to cure mine. Since then, an occasional tank of premium or some good gas cleaner seems to keep it in check. Recently, it came back and I couldn't 'cure' it. I had the O2 sensor changed. It took a while, but the car is back to it's non-sputtering (hesitating) self. All the things Chip mention could also be the problem. But I thought I'd share the one that most people don't think of (and should NOT expect) in this day of fuel injection and computer controlled engines. Commuter

Unless you are buying an expensive plug, I would think that the shipping costs would offset the savings. I'm running TorqueMaster plugs. But then... that's just me. :-p Commuter