Setright

Agreed Josh. New struts will work wonders. I replaced mine at 130k, along with new springs. All OE parts. The car was already fun to drive, but the change was amazing. However, lift-off oversteer became more prominent - which is how I like it! - so it may not solve your "problem". No doubt, Kyb GR2's are better, so get them if you can!

When are the so called professionals going to learn to hand tighten spin-off filters? The strength in an average wrist is plenty to make a good seal and keep the filter in place. Instead, these boffoons tighten until the tension threatens to crack the rubber gasket. ARGH! First time I removed the oil filter from my EJ22 I used the screwdriver method. Now that I am the only touching the car, I can remove it by hand, no tools required

Well, Miles, you cannot hang the rear end out by spinning the rear wheels on a FWD - and that's what I call a powerslide. BUT, you certainly can get the back sliding by other means...lift-off, handbrake, trail-braking into a bend you have entered too fast anyway...

Okay, here's my "humble" opinion: No car should be without full time 4WD. Please note that I use the term broadly, and do not intend to discuss terminology, ie. 4WD vs. AWD. All four wheels carry the car, brake the car, steer the car (the rear wheels provide the fulcrum, don't forget), it follows that all should be allowed to propel the car too. In terms of on-the-limit handling, I find that 4WD has much more predictable behaviour and a wider range of possiblities. Granted, this may not be relevant to all people. HOWEVER, all people will need to join a main road from a side road, often into a stream of fast moving traffic, and possibly in wet weather. Maybe even icy if you are really lucky. Here 4WD is an unparalled advantage. No amount of "traction control" on a 2WD vehicle can utilize the grip available from four tyres. There are a number of other similar occurences where a quick burst of acceleration can help smooth traffic flow, or avoid a dangerous situation. Times when tedious wheelspin would just get in the way!

Agreed!

Many things could be worn or loose, but since it's a Subaru, let's assume that is not the case You can balance things by running slighty different pressures, front to rear. (DO NOT worry about torque bind) Maybe 1 psi more on the rears should enough to put things right. However, do consider that this car is designed to actually handle, not just plough on in terminal understeer like most "safe" family saloons. I find that if I turn in as I release the brakes, in one fuild motion, then the rear will move round nicely and planting the throttle toward the exit will tidy things up perfectly and send me shooting out of the bend

By the way Ruby, it is good practice to start the engine with the clutch depressed. Slighty easier on the starter motor since it doesn't have to pull transsmission internals AND of you have left the car in gear it won't jump forward....

It's not a Subaru fault, but the added inertia in a AWD system makes it more obvious. Land Rovers can be a real pain to get into reverse sometimes. PLEASE NOTE: Reverse is not even in constant mesh, the cog wheels are not in contact at all until you bash the stick into position. Essentially, you are moving a third cog into place between two others, which is what makes the car go the other way. ALL the forward gears are constant-mesh, that is, all the cog teeth are in contact. You select them with the synchroniser rings. Agreed this is a simplified explanation, but it's late and I am too tired to write an esssay now

adge! That is truly impressive! Have you thought about letting Richard Kahn know? http://www.subaruhighmileageclub.com

From neutral, press the clutch down, wait about half a second, and it should clonk into reverse nicely. If you don't wait long enough, the noise will be CLONK! Wait too long, and the gearbox internals will have come to rest and this will make it difficult to engage reverse. Not only does reverse lack synchromesh, it is not even constant-mesh, and there lies the "problem".

Make sure it is suitable for aluminium engines - most fluids should be. I would strongly recommend flushing the system with pure water (demineralised if possible) between coolant changes, ESPECIALLY if you are going for a new type of fluid.

Okay Frag, I just felt around my idling engine - much to the dismay of people passing by on the sidewalk! - and can't say that I feel anything like a rubber hammer pounding. However, it does make a sound similar to what you describe, off hand I would fear for main bearings on an inline engine, but I think what we are hearing is exhaust pulses. I suppose the long pause between them on a boxer can make them clang in the "empty" two-into-one pipe. Try to listen to warmstart at this address: http://www.geocities.com/vik2r/Sube/mp3 You should be able to hear the clonk/clang/knock during the idle periods. This recording was made over two years ago, and at roughly 120k miles. My EJ22 is now at 186k miles and sounds the same.

I am actually quite surprised by how even the front/rear wear is. Like Hocrest, all my tyres tend to be ready for replacement at the same time.

Silicone spray is the only difference in terms of doors freezing shut. I am a real maintenance nut and my 13 year old seals are softer than new, and I have never had them freeze shut. BUT, I have seen many people struggle in the morning with all sorts of cars, and it's down to treating the seals right, not the door frame design. One pro for the frameless: I can get all sorts of big things, like chairs, onto the back seat of my sedan, because winding down the window frees up space, that would have been filled by a conventional door frame

Well, I use BOSCH Super "Ytrium Plus" plugs and find them to work just as well as NGK, but they last about twice as long! Bear in mind, that I am in Europe and part types and availabilty are probably not the same as "across the pond". Recommended torque is 15Nm, which essentially means tight enough to collapse the gasket and no more. It's a long, fine metric thread, and it will not loosen easily, so don't worry about under-torquing it. Just a firm hand and don't force it tight. Bosch "Super 4", with four electrodes were not a success, by the way. And don't re-install a plug that you have taken out, the gasket is only good for one fitting.

For sure, this is a bad PCV system. There should be suction on the dipstick!

Texan, my radiator has a bleed screw just above where the top coolant hose attaches. Open this and the rad cap...idle until fluid flows out, cabin heat full on. Close the bleeder, close the rad cap. Then drive about a thousand miles and keep checking the system, THERE IS STILL AIR IN IT!

After replacing the coolant, it can take AGES for all the air to be expelled by boxer engines. Or did your problem occur out of the blue? No wonder the VW Bug and Porsche used air cooling!!

Frag! I understand your worry. Every time "Scoobes" makes a new sound I start to panic and horrible thoughts of valves and con-rods flying through the air fill my mind. HOWEVER! My car is nearly 14 years old, and has 186k miles on the odo, so a few odd sounds are to expected. I reassure myself by pressing the accelerator and feeling the boxer pull hard and listen to the induction roar....nope, can't be anything wrong with an engine that's as willing as this! I will feel up the engine tomorrow some time, and get back to you on the rubber mallet thing

Thanks for the encouragement, I wasn't sure anybody would care As soon as I clip and convert the digital video, I will post a link!

Wooohooo! My odo rolled past 300,000 kilometers yesterday, bit of a milestone, for us Euros. Caught it on film, too. I am sooo pathetic Did I mention that it was at 90 mph?

Unknown to me, but that doesn't mean it isn't good. I would prefer to trust Mobil or Redline. IN fact I have the former in my engine and the latter in the transmission!

urabus, this is quite normal. Especially if your power steering system is leaking a little bit - like most Legacies. Nothing to worry about, but it does produce a distinct smell when the servo oil drips onto something hot. I know you say that it isn't leaking, but a small leak from one of the pipes or hoses or joints is enough. If the pump itself is leaking, don't waste money on a new one, Subaru makes a seal kit that includes the main bearing. Keep up the good driving

Redline is the business. No question.

Go Sprintman!