gbhrps

jonathon909, This is a free download link for your car. Usually they have an exploded diagram of all of the modules for the accessories. You'll have to download the entire file and search through the sections to find it. It could be in the wiring section or the body, doors, or the dash, interior section. You'll just have to search to find it. Good Luck! http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Legacy_Outback/2001/ Click Service manual ... and then each section opens up to individual pdf files.

heartless, Both my 2017 OutBack Premier and my Bride's 2019 Forester Limited have the oild filter up top. How much earlier than that I'm not sure, but my 2012 Outback Limited had the filter located on the bottom.

bd6675, The best method is to remove the entire plastic dash trim plate and fill the scratches with appropriate body filler, sand the entire trim plate, and then spray paint the entire plate to the desired colour. It sounds daunting, but its not, and you can do the entire job yourself, and reinstall the trim piece the next day. Bear with me. These dash trim plates usually pull straight off the dash when pried along the seams. The neat part is that all of the switches and knobs usually aren't attached to the trim plate, and stay behind, meaning that you can fix and paint the trim plate and still drive the car. Usually as well, the dash vents are attached to the back of the trim piece and just clip on, so they can be removed. I'm giving you a link to download the US factory service manual for your 2008. Download the manual from the link (takes 10 minutes or so) and then search the body section for the interior trim section, and the pictures will show you where the clips for that trim piece are located, and will also show you how to remove the piece without breaking anything. Then take the trim piece to an automotive paint supplier shop in your city and get them to make up a spray bomb to match the silver colour needed (less than $20). Also get a small tube of body filler pin hole filler, and one sheet each of 320 wet/dry (grey coloured) sand paper, 800 grit wet/dry and maybe 1000 grit as well. Then fill the scratches and sand them down with 320, then 800, and finally lightly sand the entire trim piece with 1000 to remove the shine so that your colour coat will adhere to the plastic well. (Ask the paint guy if you need to use a primer paint before your colour coat is applied. Then let it dry overnight and reinstall the trim piece. Here's the shop manual. Check out the interior dash section I referred to and have at it. Its not rocket science. It really is a DIYer kind of job. Good Luck! http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Tribeca/2008/

Ladies and Gentlemen, This is a heads up for late model subie owners with factory GPS headunits. On a recent trip my factory Harmon Kardon/GPS unit developed a mind of its own and went absolutely nuts, changing parameters, picking destination points, changing radio settings, and even at times refusing to accept inputs or even to be turned off. Once at our destination, some research lead me to believe that a software update on the headunit was required. At Peoria Subaru, Arizona, it was discovered that my portable Garmin GPS was the cause. Sitting on the dash, the Garmin's power cord was crossing the display screen of the subie's headunit and inducing an electrical current to the touch screen. This was the cause of the subie's headunit craziness. After rerouting the power cord away from the dash touch screen (put a business card in the crease between the dash vent and the dash and looped the Garmin's power cord around it) there were no more issues. So, if you have a dash camera, radar detector, or portable GPS, don't allow its power cord to cross the car's touch screen. Some may ask why I use the Garmin when the car's GPS should be enough. My passenger can input changes into the Garmin while the car is moving, while the car's GPS will only allow it by voice. And those voice commands take more time, give few options, and frequently end up going in circles. Add to that ... I have 4 vehicles, and I move the Garmin vehicle to vehicle as needed. One GPS zoomed in and one zoomed out gives fewer surprises at intersections and exits.

smartin, What will work for one person's situation on this issue, may not work for another. I've been where you're at more than once and I can tell you that it often requires a lot of different techniques. Sometimes you can get the front grill out and get a hold on the hood unlock cable and pull it. Sometimes spraying the daylights out of the latch assembly through a grill opening with WD40, waiting a while and then pushing down on the front of the hood while someone pulls hard on the cable from inside the car will do the trick. Sometimes you can get at the latch assembly from underneath the car and unbolt it, or if its visible from through the grill unbolt the latch assembly and raise the hood enough to be able to pry the moving parts to release. A last resort may be to use a hacksaw blade held by its end in vice grips to cut through the latch and then replace parts from a wrecking yard. Basically you're going to have to get inventive, short of destroying the hood to get it open. Good Luck!

Stevo F, Get a mechanic to get the car in the air with it running and in gear, and a driver in the driver's seat. Using a stethascope on each of the rear wheel hubs, the culprit will come to light at various speeds.

gritle, If you have the resources, seek out a 2015 or newer. I say this because of the lack of issues that I've seen come up from these years since I've been a forum member. Personally I've had one of each generation of OBW since 1997 (the 97, a 2002, a 2007, a 2012, and my present 2017) and other than one wheel bearing, a door speaker, several headlight bulbs, brakes, wiper blades, tires and oil changes, they have all been trouble free with no major issues on any of them. Keep in mind that the owners who don't have any mechanical issues don't post on forums saying how great and trouble free their cars are. Only the people with issues post seeking help for one thing or another. And don't let anyone tell you that the CVT's are junk, because they are not. They are just different, and work well. Subies aren't perfect ... but they are at the top of the pile when it comes to resale and reliability. My wife is in the market shortly to replace her Lexus ES350 ... with a Subaru Forester. Retired for several years now, she is tired of trying to climb up hill to get out of the sedan. For my money, you can't go too far wrong purchasing a subie, from a cost consideration, to fuel efficiency, to safety, resale, and livibilty. Good Luck in your search!

Mitchy, I believe you're hearing coolant gurgling through the heater core of the HVAC system because of air bubbles. The fix is to raise the front of the car so that the radiator is higher than the heater core, remove the radiator cap, start the car and run it to normal temperature with the hvac set to maximum heat. Then add 50/50 mixed coolant to the rad as trapped air bubbles burp up through the rad cap opening. Continue until no more bubbles can be seen, and no more coolant can be added. Once all of the air has been burped out, you should no longer hear the trickling noise inside the car. I've been there with a past OBW and this solved the issue. Good Luck!

jaketrimble, This is a link to a free factory service manual for your 97. Do some searching. http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Legacy_Outback/1997/

sirtokesalot, Before you get too excited at the indicated speed vs actual speed, borrow a friend's Garmin GPS, throw it on the dash and take a short trip over various speeds to see how the speedometer reads when compared to the GPS indicated speed. My 2017 OBW runs 245/50/19's stock in summer and 215/60/17's on its winter tires (winter wheels and tires held over from my previous 2012 OBW). At 83 kmph (50 mph) speedometer indication, the Garmin GPS reads 80 kmph (52 mph). Similarly at 100 kmph (60 mph) the difference isn't much more. Try my suggestion and see if the difference is enough to warrant changing anything around. Myself, I just am aware that with my winter tires on I'm actually going 3 or 4 kmph slower that what the speedometer reads, so I up my speed accordingly so I don't cause a road rager behind me.

Dano6, Yes and no? The ABS Module, as part of the braking system, will need to be bled, I suspect, from all 4 wheels. The VDC Module just requires plugging in ..... but it may require more than just that. As well, your DTC codes may need to be deleated by disconnecting the battery, or a scan tool may be required. This is a link to a FREE download of the factory service manual for your car. Download the the first two listed (they may be the same, or not) and do some searching to find the answers you need. They're good to have anyway. Good Luck! http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Impreza/2013/

Michael, No knocking before you fit the helicoil (assume that you went that route?), but after reassembly you now have a knock. What comes to mind is that either the helicoil is too long (sticking down into the combustion chamber and hitting the piston), or the helicoil allows the spark plug too far down to do the same thing, or you have somehow got the valve train out of timing and its hitting the piston, or you've dropped something down into one of the cylinders during reassembly. Let a good mechanic evaluate the issue first, but I'd be pulling the head again.

jeryst, Many of the early generations of OB's use a small light bulb inside the switch that can burn out over time. The last time I had an OBW of your vintage I was able to buy replacement bulbs in a two pack from Radio Shack for about $6. They are very tiny 12 volt buds with about 2.5 inch long bare silver coloured wires coming from them. Every lighted switch in the car including the dash and HVAC/Radio lights used them. You would need to take the switch apart (both of your hands, the switch and thin bladed tools need to be inside a large ziplock bag during disassembly, to keep springs and small parts getting lost) to get at the bulbs and simply cut the excess lead wires from the bulbs after you install them. In some cases the old bulbs had a thin rubber condom over them to cast a light blue glow. Just transfer the condom over to the new bulb. This all assumes that your circuitry isn't the issue though. Frequently the seat heater mat under the leather/cloth seat get stretched over time and break the thin wire elements. Replacement mats can be bought online through a Google search, and much cheaper than from Subaru, if they are even available anymore. Check your fuses, and take the switches apart and clean their internal contacts. They frequently carbon up and either refuse to work or do so intermittently. Do some research online, check YouTube for videos and dive in if you're a DIYer. Good Luck!

Phermenter, When the engine has been moved back in the subframe ... check engine and tranny cases for cracks/leaks, prop shaft flanges/universals and rear end case for cracks. And before I spent any money on repairs after that, I'd get the car in the air and start and run it (regardless of coolant loss) for a short time while steering right and left, and shifting gears and speeds to see if the drive train really is alright. Obviously don't run the engine long enough to do an overheating. That should give you a feeling as to whether going ahead with repairs is warranted. As for the heat shields on the exhaust, if they are mashed there is a good chance that the exhaust manifold is damaged as well, or the head studs are possibly snapped off. I'm sure others here will jump in with any other items I might have missed. Good Luck!

Dano6, Then you should have stated that in your first post, because without that info you made it appear as if you were purposely trying to defeat the safety features. Enough said, so let's move on. The dealerships for any car company will not install used parts on any car, because they are in business to make money, and they don't want to have any call back issues/lawsuits if the parts don't work, or there still is a problem afterwards that could come back to haunt them. And, yes, $3800 for a new module is insane. I'd be looking for an alternative too at that price. You need to find a good independent mechanic who is willing to tackle your problem and allow them to diagnose and install any used parts for a solution. Just be certain that the module you have is for the same year, model, and equipment level. I doubt very much as anyone here has the training and skills needed to give you the answers you need. You might try the "Ultimate Subaru Members Board" forum (USMB) and ask the same questions. There may be a subie tech there that can answer you more specifically. Good Luck!

Dano6, It is extremely foolish to: -- try to defeat/eliminate the safety features that are designed to keep you ... your passengers ... and others on the roads you will share from getting killed or maimed. Get a used VDC Module from eBay or a wrecking yard and fix the issue. -- publish the fact on a public forum, where if you have a future accident that can be traced back to you defeating these safety features, the insurance investigators will have the ammunition to make your life a living hell. I'd be very surprised that anyone here would be willing to help you put yourself and others in jeopardy.

jonathan909, Southern Ontario, about an hour out of Windsor/Detroit. I've owned 5 subie OBW's, one of every generation, and they all had factory installed block heaters except the 2012 (an imported US car) and my present Premier. While we can get some really cold weather here (not to the same extent that you get), my car sits outside in the wind. (My Bride's car and my other two toys share the garage).

Gentlemen, I purchased a genuine Subie Block Heater kit for my 2017 OutBack Premier H4. (Why Subaru doesn't factory install one for our Canadian climate baffles me, because they used to. Not only that but my Nissan 370Z Roadster has one installed, and no one in their right mind would drive it in the winter with its rear drive, and 275/35/19's. Shaking my head at that too.) The kit comes with a 14 mm hex bit tool, that is required to remove the block plug where the block heater element is to be installed. However, somewhere along the line Subaru has changed the plug size on my car to a 17 mm hex bit requirement. Unfortunately you don't find this out until you have drained the coolant, have the front exhaust removed and you can finally see the block plug. I went to 7 different stores that sold automotive tools only to find that they only stocked up to 16 mm allen hex bits, and most of them only in entire kits. A mechanic friend only had hex bits to 16 mm. After driving around for over an hour I tried a tool and parts supplier for diesel trucks whom I've done business with before. He allowed me to borrow one from a set for the promise of a quick return and a 12 pack of doughnuts for his staff. DEAL! The only problem with it was I had to remove the center exhaust header stud from the head because the tool was so long (almost 6 inches). Anyhow, job done, very happy, all is right with the world once more. So should you decide to install a block heater yourself, go for it, but if you're under a time constraint and need to drive the car to get to work the next day .... check to be sure that you have the correct hex tool bit for that block plug on your subie before you start the job.

740gle, Go back to the dealership and demand that they put things right. Both front seats use the same fasteners and the same plastic covers over them (only the reverse of each other as per different sides of the car). I think you'll find that the technician was interrupted during his service for your car and just never got around to checking his work. Regardless, this is not right. Get it fixed!

kyotomojo101, Used bushings aren't a good idea because any of them will be of the same age as your car, and pretty much beat to death. Buy new ones from many different sources that you'll find online. Then search YouTube for videos showing how to change them out yourself with homemade tools made from hardware store bolts and washers, etc. There are all kinds of them online. As a last resort,buy the bushings and have a local independent mechanic install them. Good Luck!

foxgap, You may well find aftermarket wheel covers at any Walmart, Target, etc. stores that will do the job. I use them on my OBW and my Bride's Lexus for winter tire use, and I zip tie them to keep from losing one in the potholes. Guarantee that they'll be cheaper to buy than a subie set.

milty60, Always give us the year, model and mileage of the car, as that info can help us zero in on what advice we can give you. There's a big difference diagnosing a 20 year old car with 300 000 miles versus a 2 year old one with 12 000 miles and still under warranty. At this point the oxygen sensors seem to be the culprit, and are either defective and erratic (need replacing) or the wiring to them or their connection is frayed or corroded. Or it could be something else (bad connection at the CPU). But don't just assume this to be the issue and throw parts at the car, and then still have the erratic performance issue afterwards, but rather get a good independent mechanic to check the system and diagnose it properly. It may cost less in the long run.

kyotomojo101, When you don't give us the year, model, and mileage of your car the answers you will get will be either none or a crap shoot. You really tie our hands without the information.

brus brother, Just to go along with this ... I use Map Gas instead of propane when doing the same job. The Blue propane tank torches just aren't hot enough for some rusted fasteners, while the Yellow Map Gas tanks of the same size burn much hotter, and they are fairly cheap as well.

Tburnham18, If the motor can't move the sunroof to close it, then the mechanical wrench method (see your owner's manual) won't work either. From your description, the motor gears, or the two long toothed whips that pull/push the sunroof have stripped at the motor or broken, or the attachment points of the whips to the sunroof have broken or stripped. Your best move at this point is to pull down the headliner from the rear of the tailgate opening so you can disconnect the the motor entirely (generally pull the B and C pillars, pull the rear door weatherstripping half way down the door openings from the top, remove any ceiling plastic plugs, assist handles, overhead light assemblies. With the motor gone, you might be able to move the sunroof by hand back into its closed position, and then from outside the car tape it well into position all around its seal to prevent it moving. Be aware that only four 10 mm bolts hold the sunroof to its moving mechanism, so that if you can get it to the point forward where you can get at the 4 bolts, disconnect it, pop it into its opening from atop the car, properly block it in place from below, and then tape it in place from outside. (Take lots of tape with you so that if the wind starts pulling it off, you can put more down. Do not take the car to a dealership for a fix as you'll be looking at as much as $2500. Buy a complete sunroof system from a wrecking yard as they are easy to change out and may be as cheap as $75 to buy used. They are easy to change out but are time consuming (hence the $2500 dealership quote). I've done several sunroof assembly changeouts over the years, and the only special tool required is a Torx 55 bit for the shoulder belt anchors, in order to remove the B and C pillar moldings to drop the headliner. Good Luck!