ShawnW

They have miracle photographers! In person some of it looks tiny, strange, etc! Its also nice to see in my local store what is being returned often. Its pretty obvious one of the air compressors in the 60 gal size is real garbage and one is real decent for the $.

Youre half right. The skid scenerio is more likely than my wheel coming off scenerio but it happened once at the dealer I worked at. The axle is certainly on in that case but the nut wasn't and the bearing was completely locked up. The play in the hub was huge and the wheel was in the ditch and the car in the middle of Interstate 25. I saw the car on the news before leaving for work and wondered if it was a Subaru only to find an hour later a Tow Truck backing into my bay. Advising people to wait until their car sounds like a helicopter type noise is rediculous though. Its time to get it fixed now. What difference does it make if he gets 10,000 more miles on it, hes still gotta fix it and better now than when the tow truck is required.

In my experience, I have never seen the exhaust fix this code. Don't feel too bad that you have new O2 sensors, those are like spark plugs to me, higher interval, should be replaced every 80-120K miles. I have seen: Fuel Pump/Pressure Problem Dirty Air Flow Meter Disconnected air box. 2 Air filters installed on vehicle. Only the small box to the passenger side is to have one. Not the one behind the throttle body. Spacer belongs here. If you have an air filter that is cut to allow air thru this gap get the dealer part ($55-70) last I checked. Yes I have seen cars where people tried to make do with an air filter rubber seal instead.

Wrong. TPMS does not talk to the ECM in any way. It communicates with the BIU (Body Integrated Unit) the the LAN system. In this case it doesn't affect anything except the light being illuminated on the dash for the tire warning system. NO check engine light, flashing cruise light, etc. VDC is not affected. Cruise control is only affected by certain transmission or engine codes. Please stop guessing at answers. These electronic systems are not generic to any make/year/model. This is a specific question about a certain year and model Subaru and has a clear, concise answer.

In California labor rates are some of the highest in the country. Hes already found one that is pretty low for the state.

Noise is the part demanding attention. Worst case scenerio, the wheel can come off. That what the job books for. They go bad early like this if the car has ever encountered a curb or if the tech that installed the bearing didnt do it right, or if the hub wasn't inspected for distortion while it was apart previously. As noted, you can replace the spindle but most shops will want to align the car after this method which is usually another 1.5H labor so you will have a used bearing and at least 2.5 hours labor into the job anyway, not to mention the cost of the used spindle which is probably just as expensive if not more expensive than a wheel bearing. The bearing is replaced on car at a Subaru dealership using a Hub Tamer device. This is accepted practice and "by the book" for Subaru Of America.

And this is exactly my point. Its a 15 year old timing component. I would agree with you that its a very reliable component but its hard to beat a complete new unit with new bearing.

1997 is the year they changed them and it was mid production year. If you change the bracket behind the tensioner and idler assembly you can use whatever system you want. Despite what people will tell you, there isn't an advantage to either one. Both are just as good so long as they are serviced and installed properly which is key. The old system must be moved over and then the tensioner bolted to the bracket during timing belt procedure. The new system can't be tensioned in a vice properly and needs to be retracted in a matter of 5-10 minutes, slowly, with even pressure. The older style one can be retracted and pinned in a vice but again, very slowly. Easy to blow the seal on either one. I say there is no benefit to either at this point because the old kind is just that...quite old by now. The new system you get a fresh bearing with a tensioner in one unit. I replace this style every time unless the customer declines it. If you have a tensioner failure its far cheaper to buy a new tensioner than the old tensioner and bearing.

They sell filters for hi and low that can help with this. XM/Sirius radio kit might be an option. Pretty easy to install and keeps a factory look, no change of head unit (which is a PITA on this gen Legacy/Outback) Lots of the stations that are on the AM dial are also on there.

Jerry is around just not on USMB much anymore. A usual fleet Roo's over at his place as usual as well mostly Impreza these days. Hes got a T-Coupe, OBS, 97 Impreza, wife has a WRX, and a hatch that might need parted out more than fixed.

You need compete sets. Intake, harness and ECM must match. Or just get a stand alone engine management.

Its Karma man! Help them, they help you. We certainly are outnumbered and certainly go places that might get us into trouble sometimes. I don't like Jeep products but their owners can certainly be handy when you snap an axle in the middle of nowhere.

If its a 1996 2.5L engine and the valve covers have 16 Valve stamped to them you have hydraulic lifters and there is no valve adjustment necessary. I am amazed at how many head gasket jobs are done in car. My back hurts thinking about bending into an engine compartment for that long to save a couple hours of removing and installing an engine.

I will be surprised if the dealer allows use of walk in parts and would verify they will before buying them. What if one bites the dust after they put the belt on? Who is buying you a new valve job or engine?

The ones I saw at the dealer were usually full of sludge which is the purpose of the device but people don't periodically check them. The installers often use hose that isn't up to the task of warm oil and blow by gas. It adds additional clutter to the engine compartment. Its still not really removing the sludge from the engine its just putting it somewhere. Over time if left neglected it could clog and increase pressure to the crank. If a hose pops off..... Frankly there is enough junk under the hood of an 80's Subaru engine compartment (at least from the factory) and adding more just eats time in maintenance, visual inspection, and repairs.

It will blink when all is well just like he described.

I disagree. In Colorado I have been approached many times in my Brat(s) by former Subaru techs from the 80's. Got a few neat factory tools over the years from one of them. Some have been a little off their rockers but otherwise nice guys.

Ive been wondering how Jeff at Crossbred Performance is doing.

The ea wrist pins are not as big around (diameter) and the EA are a lot longer. Gotta dig in the book to find the depth.

Pretty hard on the holes of the wheel(when alloy), poor contact patch, dangerous in my opinion. Probably get away with it though.

Why? I can't think of a reason to use it that way.

I usually depress the clutch to do so but you can shift to 4wd on those if you are moving without the clutch in, lift lever one notch prefered to be in a straight line.

Thats wrong. There are interference Ej22's with the old looking valve covers. No real easy way. The pistons changed so if you have a bore scope you could put that thru a spark plug hole and snap a photo. $500 device though. Love mine.

I dont see any big reason to not use it. For the most part the job is the same. Keep the plugs you have to have, cut most of the rest, and find all the sensor ones like oil pressure, coolant temp, check and memory, obd2 connector, etc. If you can find a diagram for that year/model you can certainly use it.

I have that happen too. Its as simple as writing your USMB handle on the box or on a piece of paper in the box even.