Setright

No you aren't. I have driven a number of Turbo Direct Injection Diesel cars. Amongst them Mercedes, VW, Audi, Peugeot, Opel. The French are very good indeed, the Germans seem a bit strained and unhappy to be hustled. The 2.2 Dti Opel inpressed me the most. I wasn't aware that it was a Diesel when I got in. Starting the engine didn't reveal this sinister fact either. The clatter of pistons as I pulled away from the curb gave the game up though. With me exclaiming: "IT'S A DIESEL!" Pretty snappy throttle response, for a Diesel, but nothing compared to a light pressure Turbo petrol engine. Saab and Citroen do these VERY well and they kick any TDi's behind. The new Honda Accord is now available with a Diesel, and CAR Magazine reckons it's the best yet - what do you expect when it's designed by the same man who invented VTEC?? Can't wait to try it ...might see me downgrading my Diesel hatred.

Well, it seems I am not just talking out of my behind, just found this on Mobil's website, seems they agree with me on the soot question: "Modern high output, low emission diesel engines generate higher levels of soot and run hotter than older naturally aspirated engines which significantly increases the demands on engine lubricants."

Dear me, looks like a lot of the chassis is rusted, doesn't bode well for shell strength. I hate salt, it's nibbling at the corners of my Legacy too, and winter is coming up....I have decided to leave it, until it looks like your Loyale and then buy a new one. Once rust has taken hold, there is no holding it back - unless you want to spend unrealistic sums on buy new panels, wings, sills....not worth it. Good luck finding a new friend!

Engine break-in, if the honing is done right usually takes only the first few hundred revolutions. Over in seconds. A little more will occur within the next say 300 miles, but we are looking at details. I say, replace the factory oil after 600miles/1000km - filter included! - and go straight for synthetic. With a turbo Mobil 1 5W-50 or Castrol 10W-60 would probably keep the consumption down and lubrication up at high revs. Synthetic IS better by far, but perhaps not all cars need the extra proctection or cold start reliability. And cost....

Mobil 1 is the best engine oil there is. Yes, it may be my opinion, but it is based on many years of experience. 15 years to be exact. I use 5W-50 in summer and 0W-40 in winter. Under extreme heat and load, there is no doubt that a synthetic has the potential to perform, and a mineral oil the potential to break down. This may not be vital to everyone, and I wouldn't urge anyone to pay more for oil than their needs dictate. However, I regularly visit the redline on my tacho, and Mobil 1 lets me do it without feeling guilty I drain and replace every 6k miles, filter included. Playing very safe yes, but many replace at 3k, which is definite overkill.

Or something is stuck inside the lock cylinder. Any sign of a break-in? Maybe someone jammed a screwdriver in it to see it it would start?

You might want to test the coolant fluid for Carbon Monoxide. Sounds like compression/exhaust gas is pushing in from a combustion chamber. Only takes a tiny leak, you might not even find it when you remove the head gaskets. Or, flush the cooling system. Means a lot if it hasn't been done in a while!

Stick with the standard air box, but drop in a K&N element. Cone filters stuck on the end of the pipe shake the MAF around too much, or so I have heard. Then remove the intake silencer from the fender, and cut the tube so that it runs from the air box, into the fender and just makes the downward turn. This will keep it from sucking in large water drops, and silences the intake storm a little. Find a suitable "velocity stack" or "carburator trumpet" to stick on the end of the pipe. The flow will be much less turbulent and this improves throttle response a great deal! Something like this: http://www.geocities.com/vik2r/Sube/intake1.jpg I strongly recommend that you try this first, before you buy an expensive cone filter that will boom and drone and wear your ears out! I have spent a while on this setup, and the noise is just right. Lots of race car smooth roar at full throttle, and very little boom at cruise. Throttle response is also very eager

Okay, I know my left rear bearing is on its way out. For the last few thousand kilometers is has been making a slight whirring noise. Not very loud, but enough to annouce that it's tired. (And no it's not worn tyres or brakes making this noise.) Two days ago, it suddenly started making a loud rumbling noise, and I thought: Damn, the rollers have all cracked at once! And then the noise disappeared.....and came back a little later. Since then, nothing. My question is: Has anyone ever heard a bearing do this before? I am used the noise just increasing steadily, and once the stereo can't block it out, I replace the bearing Never intermittent...did a roller freeze temporarily?

Reoff, I offer here my views against yours "1 - Diesel takes MUCH less energy to refine, and burns more efficiently than regular gas." Okay, true, the higher temperature in the Diesel "heat pump" does make for higher efficiency. HOWEVER, there is 25% more energy, per volume in Diesel, compared to petrol, so they had better have improved fuel mileage. Refine? Not much of that going on, have you seen the thick sludge some of the big ships actually run on? "2 - The lower refinement is largely responsible for the "particulate matter" that is bad for our lungs. Similar to asbestos in its effects." Sounds like an excuse, not a positive point. The high temparture also helps to promote particle formation. 3 - A Turbo-D is usually much more efficient than a naturally aspirated diesel. I have had both, and the turbo is much better for smoke too. Yes. Diesels should always be turbocharged. At the same time though, the higher temperature creates a smaller particle size and makes the smoke even more harmful. As for smoking less: Almost all taxi's here in Denmark are Mercedes TurboDiesels, and they SMOKE, big time! Only the French Diesels don't puff large clouds, but that's because they have a tight particle filter on the exhaust, and this hurts mpg... Great idea too, once the engine is really hot, they recirculate some of the filter out particles back in to make them small enough to pass through the filter. Less visible. 4 - Power with a diesel is relative. Instead of high horsepower, you have massive amounts of torque in a narrow band. Very nice if you know what to do with it. Exactly! Like sail a ferry or drive a train. Not a car with absurdly long legged gearing. I find this blunts throttle response. 5 - There are many ways to "clean up" a diesel. In mine, I ran B-100 Biodiesel. That, of course, means 100% Biodiesel. The stuff I used was made from virgin soybean oil, and was actually beneficial to air quality. Even running B-20 cuts down on harmful emissions on a diesel by roughly 55%. That kills the "dirty" stuff. Clean up is a relative thing. Peugeot/Citroen do it best, but those NOx numbers are still high. 6 - You can add a secondary fuel system to run as much as 10% CNG in any diesel. This bumps up the efficiency even further, due to higher temps, AND lowers harmful emissions by quite a bit. I don't think so, higher temperatures only make the particles smaller, and therefore more lethal, because they can pass straight into the bloodstream across the alveoli in our lungs.

****, my home PC died, on a borrowed computer now, no time...damn...I willl convince you all that Diesel is a bad way to motivate cars....!

WJM...why??? Go for Mobil 1 TRANSMISSION oil, or Redline NS oil

195/60R15 or maybe 195/65R15 if the former looks too small in the arches Higher sidewalls will produce more wallow and woolly steering, but these things are good on snow, keeps the car's reactions predicable.

Snowman: My EJ22 is usable from 1500rpm up to 6500rpm (yes,yes, things don't start to really get moving until 2500rpm) A "good" TD will pull produce it's max torque from say 1500rpm up to about 3500rpm.... and then tail off dramatically. Not just talking out of my rear, I have driven many. So, I would rather have 5000rpm to play with, instead of just 2000rpm. ESPECIALLY during overtaking, no time for stirring the gearstick, see? Reoff, I gotta run, but will be back soon to offer my counter point

Not all fault codes show up as CEL. Only those which are deemed critical and need immediate service. Faulty IAC would tend to create erratic idling - and starting - but but rarely just low idle speed. Warm starting problems could indicate not enough air coming in. Check the entire intake system for blockage...and replace the air filter.

Poor old Rudolf Diesel, did you know he comitted suicide from an English Channel ferry? Sometime around 1912, I think. His "Compression Ignition" engine patents were running out, and no-one had made any progress on the engine. Even so, I still think Diesel engines are filthy. Rudolfs first test engine, a giant single cylinder of several litres displacement blew up, by the way. However, these fabulous engines do have applications. Jobs that require constant rpm and provide a constant load are ideal. Things like ships and trains are well suited to running on Diesel. Cars however.....no way. Only thing that makes modern Diesels bearable in cars is the fact that they are turbocharged. I couldn't live with an engine that turns gutless over 4000rpm.

Have just read through the entire post, and would like to start by offering my sympathies! I have a new suggestion: Since the problem often shows on inclines, perhaps your fuel tank is the place to look. I have witnessed to cars (Fiat Uno and Porsche 911) with a single tree leaf in the tank. When this gets sucked on the fuel pump intake the delivery stops. I know you said fuel pressure doesn't drop, but maybe the flow is disturbed in some twisted way that avoids a pressure loss? Does the mis-fire occur even with a full tank? Yes, it's a bit left-field, but seems like you have tried a number of things already

My present winter tyre is Yokohama F310+ It's fairly quiet, has forgiving handling, and grips well on compacted snow. Main weakness is braking on wet asphalt above 5 degrees centigrade, ABS comes on early, but it's not scary or anything. This tyre is a compromise, but it sounds like what you're looking for. "Real" snow tyres tend to be noisy and have mediocre grip on wet asphalt. Winter tyre in stock size - for a 1990 Legacy! - 185/70R14. What's your stock size? I would suggest going down 10mm on width, and maybe compensating in profile.

Subaru doesn't have any Diesel engines in it's range. Something I am very proud of The Euro Subaru with a Diesel engine is a rebadged Suzuki Swift, and I say it doesn't count! Diesel is filthy. Turbocharging a Diesel engine only makes it more filthy, since the particle size drops in the even higher combustion temperature, the carcinnogenic little bits can cross straight through human lung tissue and into the bloodstream. It's popular in Europe because there is less tax on Diesel fuel. All the other arguments are phony. I challenge anyone to bring one up

The ECU can't register a faulty cam angle sensor if the engine doesn't crank. Sounds like ignition barrel contacts to me.

27%??? Who are they kidding? That is a massive improvement, suposedly caused by a magnet on the fuel line? I don't think so.

Hmm, maybe it's the OE pads. I would recommend using Mintex replacement pads. Also, make sure both of the caliper "runners" are greased too.

Battle Wagon, let me get this straight: You hit a moose, rolled the car, and three hours later are sat in front of the computer telling us about it? Speaks highly for the passive safety of you Impreza! Good job you're okay

H&R Sport springs should be what you're looking for. You might want to stick with OE dampers, if ride quality is important. However, I do mean new OE dampers, as that will make a world of difference. Good things have also been said about Whiteline springs.

To reset the ECU, disconnect the battery for at least 45 minutes. Not sure that this will affect the transmission, though, only the engine. I think you should start with replacing the transmission oil and filter. Sounds like you have low oil pressure, and this could be due to tired oil. Make sure you get the quality recommended by the handbook. If you don't do the work yourself, make sure that the TRANSMISSION oil and filter are replaced. A lot of mechanics will confuse the engine oil drain plug with the one for the transmission, because they are not used to Subarus.