toddkageals

I know this post is a year old but I am having the same problem with my '07 LLBean. Just wondering if you ever got it fixed?

It really sounds like something light weight....it's more of a heavy clicking than a thunk if that makes any sense.

That might be helpful. Where's the writeup?

Guys, I need to buy a trailer hitch for my '07 LLBean Outback. I had a drawtight hitch on my '96 but I have heard the Subaru unit looks better. I was wondering if anyone has a picture of the Subaru unit installed on an '05 - '07. The pictures on the parts sites are not much help. The Subaru unit is $100.00 more than the drawtight and I am just trying to decide if it's worth it. Thanks for the help. Todd

Just thought I'd post an update to this thread. 1. Gas mileage is getting better as suggested. I'm getting about 19 in mostly city driving and 26 or so on the highway. 2. The dealer realigned the car and the steering is centered now. 3. The ticking has not changed but is only heard outside the car and as I said it's VERY light. I'm not concerned as I believe it to be normal valvetrain or injector noise as indicated above. 4. The only "problem" I have now is a light thunking in the rear hatch area when ever I hit a bump. The dealer checked it out once and tightened the rear spoiler which I thought fixed the problem. The problem has now returned and is worse. I guess I'll have to have them look at it again. Thanks for all the advice. Todd

Well....I didn't hear the "tick tick tick" until it got cold. I don't think it's piston slap. I sounds kinda like a wrist watch ticking....very quiet. Sound more like valve train noise to me but it could just be normal cold engine noise. I also did not notice the steering wheel until I was on my way home from the dealership. Should not be a big, just wondering if Subaru produced a bunch of misaligned cars or something.

Guys, I sold my '96 Outback and bought a brand new '07 LL Bean Outback and I was hoping someone here could answer a few questions for me. 1. The car did not come with Nav. but I would like to retrofit the Subaru system. Is this possible? If so, does Subaru sell it as an accessorie or would I have to find one in a junk yard? 2. I drove 2 different '07 LL Bean Outbacks and neither of them had the steering wheel "centered" when the car was driving straight down the road. Both cars had the wheel turned a bit to the right. The dealer realigned my car and it's much better but still a little weird. Anyone have an explanation for this? 3. The car has the 6 cyl. and makes a tick-tick-tick sound when started after sitting outside all night....is this normal for this motor? 4. Wow....I knew the car would not get the gas mileage of the 4 cyl. but I thought it would be close to the mileage of my '96 with over 193,000 miles on it. I was WRONG. The gas mileage sucks! That's not a question, just an observation. Otherwise we love the car. I am slightly disappointed in the quality of the upholstery and I have to say it's a shame that the Willow Green only comes with tan interior. Why? Because it already looked dirty here and there just from being test driven and it's picked up dirty spots in just 1000 miles. The gray interior on my old car still looked great at 193,000! 5. Do people generally run synthetic in the H6? If so, what brand and weight? Thanks for the help. Todd

Guys, I could not find the classifieds so I had to post this here sorry. I am selling my '96 Outback. I have posted info. and pictures on my website: http://members.cox.net/toddkageals/index.html If anyone can point me to the classifieds, please do so. Thanks, Todd

Will do, thanks for the help. Todd

I need a door panel for a '96 Outback. The local junk yards don't seem to have any. Can anyone put me in contact with a person/yard that might have what I need? Thanks for the help. Todd

Based on my experience with previous turbo cars, if you have a water cooled turbo, you don't need a turbo timer. However, I would not get into boost much immediately before cutting off the ignition. With just a little caution, you should be fine without a turbo timer. Todd

Guys, I finally got around to installing a trailer hitch on my '96 Outback wagon today. I ordered a DrawTite hitch from Drawtite-hitches.com. The install was a snap and everything fit perfectly. Only took about 30 minutes for the hitch and 30 minutes for the wiring. I found a plug in the back near the drivers side rear tail light that had outputs for the trailer lights. Wiring up the adapter was a breeze. Can't say enough good things about the drawtite hitch....very sturdy, fit perfectly and you can't even see it under the bumper unless the draw bar is attached. I did not have to cut or remove anything to do the install. You do have to drill two 1/2 inch holes but that about it....otherwise just bolt it on. If anyone plans to do this, feel free to ask any questions you might have. I could not find much info. about a hitch install and I thought about doing a DIY writeup. After doing the install, I don't think there is much need for a DIY....it's THAT simple. Todd

Or autozone will read the code and reset the CEL for free. Todd

Need rear cat replacement pipe. Where can I get one? Guys, The rear cat. on my '96 Outback has a hole in it. Actually, the O2 sensor mount appears to have come off leaving a hole in it's place. Anybody know where I can get a cheap rear cat or just a straight pipe to replace it? This car is not driven frequently, it's basically a beater so I don't want to put too much money into it. Thanks for the help. Todd

Guys, I bought a '96 OBW (2.5L) auto tranny with 188K mile on it. The block had a crack in it so I got a short block from a '97 and installed my heads, etc. I replaced the timing belt and all the hoses, filters, seals, plugs, etc. when I did the job. The car is getting about 18-19 MPG in mostly city driving and about 22 on the highway. Most people seem to be getting more MPGs. It also seems to run sort of unevenly (pulling harder and then softer at constant throttle settings) but otherwise runs perfectly. Starts right up, no smoke, some piston slap (I think) but it's running very reliably. I never made ANY adjustments of any type when I reassembled the engine. I'm just wondering if ignition timing is adjustable and if this might account for my poor mileage. Thanks, Todd