Suzam

MMO: my father used to swear by it. I never really used it myself. Some else can offer info. Seafoam: never used it but I'm thinking about it. Here's some Info: http://www.seafoamsales.com/motorTuneUpTechGas.htm OBD1 & ODB2 - (On-Board-Diagnostic) is the interface between the On Board Computer and a diagnostic reader. It displays reports from the car's computer giving details of proformance and condition of various parts and functions of the car. The ODB1 is less sophisticated than the ODB2 because newer cars have become more complicated and OBD2 covers a lot more.

Did you discover the cause? Check this tread from last February... http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=11897

Check this tread from last February... http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=11897 If you can't see my picture there, email me and I'll give you the URL.

You did say you drove it home with no heat? If you can't get heat out of the core that is a symptom of a burp issue. That would explain why you only overheated intermittently on the highway as opposed to a constant overheating and unable to drive at all.

Next time you're at the dealership, ask them to check it out. If possible, leave it overnight outside when the weather is cold and ask the service manager to personally start it up in the AM and listen to it, just to make sure its "nothing you need to be concerned about". They may tell you it's a known issue and SOA says it causes no damage whatsoever. That may be true, but at least you'll be on record as far as a future issue. It could get worst, making even more noise and for a longer period after warm-up. At that point you'd have something on record from this time, which could help your case later. My personal feeling is that a dealer can only do this service a certain number of times before SOA won't reimburse them anymore, so they may not be ready to correct it unless it's clearly an extreme case.

I just spent Thanksgiving in Stowe, love that Green Moutain area. Form the looks of some of the hilly areas, I personally would be happier with AWD for traction on both the upgrades and downgrades. I've popped the FWD fuse in our '95 Legacy in the snow...wow! What a difference! I put it back in after a couple of minutes of seeing just how much traction I had with just the front wheels. Hope this helps.

I would consider saftey a major factor in a decision on a new purchase. I would feel better with higher saftey rating all the time (100%), and AWD when I really need it... say 15% of the overall life/use of a vehicle. Then reliability comes in to that as a close second. Do research on these sites: http://www.iihs.org/vehicle_ratings/ratings.htm http://www.edmunds.com/ and buy a Consumer Reports magazine.

Is it broken in yet? New vehicles are "tight" mechanically until they get a few thousand miles on them. That's why you need to break in a new engine. Transmission, drivetrain and brakes, when new, could all create a "drag" on momentum.

Hmmm, not sure about those 1999 trannies, but the 1996 required premium fuel in the 2.5 for just that year. That could boost your gas money allowance.

I'm not sure if the Forester is the same, but our 2001 Outback had the gusset gaskets replaced twice on the driver's side. After the last failure (the noise returned) I found a way to stop the annoyance. With the window down, gently squeeze the outer and inner sides of the triangle that the outside mirror is attached to. The idea being that this makes the opening between the gaskets less and the glass gets better contact, reducing the noise considerably, when it sides up between them. Most of the reports for the Outbacks that I read here seem to be the ones with the tweeter kits that are mounted there. For some reason they are prone to the noise than the ones without them. BTW- I think, but can't prove, that the dealer did what I describe above to cure it the second time. I've done it once and it's lasted over 10 months now. Before it lasted abot 6 months when the dealer worked on it before the noise was back.

I had a similar issue with our 2001 OB Wagon. It lost about 3 to 5lb per week. Had the dealer look at it twice while in for service and was told it was "fixed". Kept a close eye on it because of the AWD and discovered it still was losing at the same rate. Finally went to a retail/wholesale tire dealer and explained the problem. He took extra care to buff the rim, fixed it fine. No more leaking. I would avoid a tube, they build up heat and rolling resistance. That, to me, would be a last resort. I'd rather try to find the cause and --if all else fails-- find a replacement wheel to match from a parts yard.

The fact that the airflow stays in one place and doesn't give you floor or defrost would indicate that the flaps that direct the air are stuck. That might be the clicking you hear. Leaves or other clutter would usually change tempo with the fan speed. Check for obstruction of any pivot arms or the like under the dash that would control the direction of air movement. Not sure but most of that stuff may be on the passenger side.

Checkout this Link for The Partsbin.com: http://oem.thepartsbin.com/parts/thepartsbin/wizard.jsp?year=1999&make=SU&model=OUT-4WD-001&category=All&part=Brake+Disc

Be sure to remove the negative battery cable before you start and don't over tighten the drive belt when finished. After you loosen the drive belt, give the pully a spin and see if there is any drag that could cause your scraping noise.

There are no idle screws for adjustment on this model. I think the TPS checks and adjusts the idle as needed. No CEL and the AC is off (no defrost either). I took off the air tube and sprayed carb cleaner inside while holding open the throttle. However before I sprayed I did a visual inspection and the inner parts were clean, only a very slight discoloring of brown, hardly worth a mention. I also greased up the linkage and cables. The idle still is staying around 1000-1100 with the same other symptoms I mention earlier.

I'm still going to clean it up tonight and see if that helps at all. I did a search for a proceedure for checking the TPS. Couldn't locate any info. I assume there is a mesurement I can take with an ohm meter? Anyone know the readings and correct way to check it? Thanks

Thanks for the idea. I'll stop at the auto store tomorrow and pick up some carb cleaner and white lithium. And yes I did use WD40. I'll grease it up good when I get the stuff. Hope this will do the trick.

My daughter has been driving our MY95 Legacy L 2.2 for a while now and told me the other day about this problem. I drove the car today and found that the idle in neutral stays at 1000 to 1100 RPMs even when at normal operating temp. If I "goose" the pedal quickly it will drop down to 800-850 but a touch on the gas will produce the higher idle again. It drops some when selecting a gear on the AT but I can still feel the higher idle. A quick kick will reduce the idle RPMs while in gear but next time it's high again. Takes longer to stop since the engine is at a highr RPM too. Sprayed the linkage and cable and thought it helped, but it came back. When shifting back into neutral the RPMs jump to 1400-1600 then settle to 1000. Any ideas? Feels like a high idle cam stuck on an old carb setup. Thanks!

I'm 6'3" and most of my height is in the torso. I have to keep the seat back reclined more than I like, to give myself head room in our MY01 OB LTD wagon with the dual sunroof. I have more head room in our MY95 Legacy L and my mother-in-law's MY98 OB wagon, both of which do not have a sunroof. I blame to electric seat for a lack of adjusment. The motor and other electronics under the seat do not allow the seats to drop down as much as a manual seat, they seem to have less of the clearance underneath. I think that a manual seat installed to replace a power seat could possibly offer more headroom. Since my wife drives the LTD wagon more that I do I have not really looked closely into changing out the seat. I would bet that the sock unpowered seat bolts directly to the frame at the same points that the power seat does.

Some dealers will ship cars off to auctions, depending upon the inventory they have on the lot and if it's a brand they think won't move off the lot. This is end of model time. They need to make room for 2005 models coming in, so they push the 2004 models to reduce the overall inventory over any used cars that would sit on the lot. They just make more $$$ per car sold that way. If in doubt, ask the dealer to allow you to take it to a mechanic you trust and get it looked over.

Put a fuse in the FWD (Front Wheel Drive) fuse holder under the hood on the passenger side next to the firewall. It disables the AWD servo. If the problem disappears, it could be torque binding. If it's still there look for CV joints or other suspension problems.

14" won't fit an Outback, but extra rims is a good idea. Keeps the alloy wheels nice, no salt or other chemical exposure. If you want a good tire, Blizzaks seem to be the choice. They just wear tread faster than most, so a set of extra rims will come in handy if you want to change out if winter starts or ends sooner than expected. The stock all-weathers will get you through almost any situation for the occasional early or late snows.

Hmmm...hard to hear the noise on the internet. Could be piston slap, do a search on this board for more details. I'd consider it minor if it quiets down after a few minutes of driving.

The head gaskets on these model years can develop an external leak that SOA should have or will (if you get a dealer to check the records) install an additive in the cooling system to "prevent" the leak. This extends the warranty to on the gaskets to 100K miles. It's more of a minor seepage than an outright leak and is a cooler weather problem. Apparently, in very cold weather the gasket has a very minor leak until the engine warms up. Given a choice between a Limited and an Outback, I'd go Limited. BUT, I'd go newer model year first, especially since 2000 was the first year for that model. Tough choice.

I picked up brand new WRX wheels from a co-worker for $350 for our MY95 Legacy L. They also improve handling a whole lot! Hope this link works! If not, let me know or email me and I'll forward it to anyone who wants to see it. Lil' Blue with wheels It's a larger shot of my icon.