Commuter

I had good success on my 97 OB with a suggestion posted by others. Wet sanding, followed by Meguires plastic polish. I did it entirely by hand with the sandpaper wrapped around a foam sponge sanding block. 600, 1000, 2000 grit as I recall. It took a while, but I could actually see thru the lense into the headlight housing afterwards! I've heard of the brake fluid trick several times too. I suspect it would work quickly. Just don't drip any on paint! Commuter

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2513&highlight=hatch+latch Find instructions herein. This was for a 97 OBW, but it should be pretty much the same. I've been spraying mine with Rust Check about twice a year since putting the new one on. No rust. Commuter

Got it. Good one blitz. And I wouldn't have put it past GM either! Commuter

Bad things. Pistons hit valves, valves (maybe) hit each other, depending upon the geometry. Used engines are a gamble. If you are seriously considering it, I'd look to CCR for a rebuilt engine with a warranty. Commuter

The 96's and 97's are more prone to this problem than the 98's and 99's (the model years for this generation). The center differential clutch pack fails, usually in the 120-140k miles range. I had to have mine done, but I was at nearly twice that mileage, so I really didn't complain too much. Pop the fuse in the FWD holder. If it goes away, that's a pretty sure sign. Cost to repair, about $800 to 1G US. But do try the fluid replacement first. I know that my dealer said you could try some special lube additive as well (he handed me a bottle of something), but it is at best a stop gap measure. It may get you by for a while, depending on how bad things are and on how long you intend to keep the car. Commuter

Read this thread. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=10217&highlight=VALVE+ADJUST Commuter

It's a question of whether they will fit. There is no way I can tell from the picture how big this bulb is. And it mentions a "snap in" base. I doubt there would be room for anything that has a base. Careful of the mA as well. Some of the bulbs that turned up were quite low. The 7219 bulb is 60 mA. Commuter

I did the same with my 97 OB. I have the Panasonic P123 unit. The second plug is for the under-the-seat sub I believe. Anyway, I don't have it either. On my unit, you press LOAD and the unit chugs for a minute, then it says CD-IN. If you slip the CD in the slot at that point, it grabs it and takes it in. Perhaps the CD player portion is defect in yours? Commuter

If the pictograms are not glowing (nighttime, dimmer turned up) just like the cruise and rear defrost and foglight buttons, etc... then your bulbs are burned out. You may have 1, or 2, or all 3 out, it just depends. They even get intermittent (I know mine originally was). It's obvious... once you know. Commuter

I know there was someone on here a few years ago that did this with a late 90's Legacy or Outback. They just didn't bother with the high beams at all. With the HID, virtually unnecessary. I recall seeing some bulbs that piggybacked a standard Halogen high beam onto the HID bulb, but I have no idea how good they were. Aren't the HID retrofit kits off the market? I thought that some regulations changed a while ago that prevented them being sold anymore. ?? Commuter

The pictogram (seat symbol) lights up when the dash lights are on. There is also an orange indicator light to show when the switch is on. It is common for the bulb to burn out for the pictogram. It is fixable if you are a bit of a DIY'er. Search for "Climate Control Backlight". There are good descriptions in there for replacing the bulb, about half way (or more) thru the thread. Commuter

Many of us (I have a 97 OB) have put in the newer double DIN 6 CD changer / radio / tape deck. You lose the pocket underneath, but it is worth it. The Subaru Panasonic P123 plugs right in. Same connector. I think the newer ones that came out a couple years ago do as well, but not positive. Commuter

I'll have to dig up my old posts and repost them. Rust Check is a light oil, doped up with different stuff. Yes, you can buy the exact same product in a spray can. It's good for a variety of things. I tend to use it almost like WD40. They have a few varieties too. One is thicker, meant for winter storage of farm implements, stuff like that. They use to have a specific underbody product as well that looked like black vaseline. I don't know if it is still around. When done by a shop, it is sprayed into the body panels under pressure. The oil atomizes into a mist. They use wands thru small holes drilled into various areas. The mist goes everywhere. It creeps into all the seams etc. One can see the effect weeks and even months later, as you will collect a dust band around the edges of doors, door handles, hood edges, trunk lip, etc as the oil creeps and makes its way even to the exterior of the car. I'm not sure that one could get such good coverage of the product with just spray cans. But, certainly better than nothing. Commuter

I've posted in the past on my experience with RustCheck. I've been using them since the late 80's. I have them do the full spray application once a year. (Very similar to Krown or others in application.) The product DOES work. My 14 yo Civic was virtually rust free. Last I checked, they had a few application centers around Detroit and Buffalo, but that was it for the States. A Canadian developed product and franchise. Commuter

Call CCR Inc. They can provide you with a rebuilt 2.5L, or 2.2L engine with a 3 year warranty. Commuter

The pictograms of the little "dude" light up if you change the burned out bulbs. As well as the blue/red strips under the temperature slide lever, etc. The lights under the buttons (LED's I believe) typically always work. They are not the issue. Commuter

I don't do any sort of offroading, but I added Hairpin Racing endlinks in the rear of my 97 OB. (I also added a Whiteline anti-sway bar.) The Hairpin endlinks are a nice beefy Aluminun and they employ a spherical ball pivot joint. No squeaks or noise from them at all, which was my main concern. Price was good too. Just my 2 cents. Commuter

Regarding gas mileage, I recently heard that overall average gas mileage is at a 20 year low in North America. We can thank the low gas prices (until recently), the love of the SUV and trucks and minivans that are no longer "mini" etc for this. Governments can do all they want with CAFE, regulations, taxes etc., but if you really want to see a change, hit the final consumer in the wallet (repeatedly, as filling up does). That will have an impact. It'll be interesting to see where the price of energy takes us over the next generation or 2 of models. Commuter

Not the most elegant solution, but you could add a back rest (low style) which would put you a couple of inches forward relative to the head rest. (Obus Forme highly recommended.) I like a very upright seating position myself. I too have found in newer cars that the headrest is too close. It is bumping the back of my head, making me tilt it forward, something that my neck will not tolerate for long. I know I'd be making some sort of modification if I had the vehicle, since I wouldn't be able to live with it. Commuter

I don't know specifically about the Forester seats, but I can relate to what you are saying. Many cars do not give me the back support that I need. One common complaint I have is that there is often a little divot in the seat in the shoulder area. This rounds my shoulders slightly, causing neck strain and will give me a headache. (People usually complain about low back / lumbar support. I have those issues too. Some cars get it right, some are adjustable enough that I can get it right, others just won't do.) My solution for the past 20 years or so has been the Obus Forme back support. The low back model. This fills in the "divot" (as well as providing great lumbar support) and takes the strain off my shoulders. Wonderful product. You do lose a little bit of seat length as a result, but I'm not tall, so that isn't an issue with me. How tall is your wife? Commuter

I assume it is the same as the 97. I've had mine out a couple of times to change the bulbs. There are just the 2 screws on the top. The other "screw" is part of the angle adjustment, or acts as a bit of a locator pin. I don't recall exactly. But it does not have to have anything done to it to get the unit out. You do have to get it aligned properly when putting the unit back in. There is a hole in the bumper surround that it slips into. Commuter

I like the approach of flushing the system a couple of times with water. Do it 2 or 3 times until the water is clear. Use distilled water. Then drain and fill with the right amount of 100% anti-freeze. That is... (and I don't recall the exact numbers) say the system holds 6L. About 2 will be left in the system (~100% distilled water). Put in 3L of 100% anti-freeze for a 50/50 mix. Top up whatever is remaining with distilled water. Good to go. Personally, I prefer the long life stuff (Havoline, not GM Dexcool). You will not have a problem if you fully flush out the old stuff. The problem people run into with sludge and stuff is because they don't get enough of the old stuff out. I don't know about this new Prestone stuff that mixes with anything. Not sure what they are doing there. Careful with disposal. Anti-freeze is not good for the enviornment and just a little bit can kill a pet. Commuter.

Search for a thread titled "Climate Control Backlight". Lots of info on the various bulbs and replacemnt. Commuter

If you had the 2.5L engine, I would bet on a carbon issue. I don't know if the 2.2 of that era suffers from the same (mild) ailment. I've not heard that it does. When I had carbon build up, it was very much as you described. My idle was fine, but I was getting a slight delay, or hesitation just as I would take off from a stop. Getting on the throttle gently would cause that "pause". As it got worse, the engine rpm would even drop at times. I never stalled, but I came close once. If you dipped into the throttle more aggressively, the car acted just fine. The problem very slowly got worse. I could even feel what seemed like a slight 'miss' when going thru town with engine at about 1400 or 1500 rpm. Anyway, a MotorVac treatment cleaned out the carbon and resolved the issue. The problem came back on me a few years later. I had an O2 sensor getting weak / slow (no codes yet, but the scope showed it acting slow) that was causing the car to run rich. The problem gradually went away after changing the sensor. If you've never changed your O2 sensor, you are at the age where it is due. Commuter

Texan covered most of the areas. The only other thing I can think of is O2 sensor. Was it around this time that Subaru has issues with the O2 sensor? The Phase I 2.5L (96-99) has some carbon issues, but I didn't think the Phase II engine did. And I would expect the problem to be much more consistent if it was carbon. I know that the MotorVac treatment fixed things for me. High octane fuel and over the counter additives won't do it if the carbon is really built up. Seafoam might though (from everything I keep hearing about it). Since the car is responding differently to the octane level of the fuel, you may have some issue with the knock sensor. Subarus have been noted for overly sensitive knock sensors. Let us know when you get it resolved. Commuter