gbhrps

brus brother, Thanks for the TSB headsup! I'll check it out for sure. losdiosdeverde86, The front sunroof can't possibly be put back into the car backwards. The front is curved and the rear is straight, not to mention that the mounting points are in different locations, and use different fastening methods.

Removed the headliner from my 02 OBW in order to chase down a water leak onto the headliner, right at the overhead reading lights. All water drains were clear and showing no drainage problems, so I proceeded next to the glass seals, and to do so I unbolted the front tilt up sunroof and removed it. They all look to be just fine. The water leak was then traced to ceiling braces that reinforce the roof, and I'm still tracing that down. Now to the problem. When I reinstalled the tilt up front sunroof, it closed, but would not reopen. And, since it will not open, I can't get the system to trigger the opening of the back sunroof as well. What I found when I again removed the front sunroof, is that the twin scissors mechanism that raise it will move up, and then the rear sunroof can be opened and closed, and the front mechanisms can be lowered. Closer examination shows that when the front sunroof is reinstalled, the scissors bind. They are centered over the two bolt holes that mount the sunroof at the rear when it is closed, but when they are raised, they have moved off center towards the passenger side by about five eighths of an inch. Only one side arm of each one of the scissor mechanisms is moving, causing the centre bolting points of each to move sideways, rather than straight up. Obviously when bolted down to the sunroof, this is causing the binding, preventing the sunroof from opening. Does anyone know how to reorientate the two front tracks on those scissor mechanisms? Something tells me that finding a Subie Service Tech that has ever done the job is going to be pretty slim.

Rodney7286, I'm basing that sunroof relay location on where its located in my 02 OBW. Its right beside the sunroof motor (passenger side), and its labelled as "sunroof relay". And, my car has the dual sunroofs, which may be totally different. What may help as well, is that the backup crank system (in case the sunroof is ever open and fails to close) has its cranking point built right into the motor's gear box. Wherever that crank point is on your car, should be the centre of the gear box attached to the motor. The relay shouldn't be too far away. As far as motorized seatbelts and their anchor points, we here in Canada have never had them as standard or optional equipment from any car manufacturer. Hope this is of some help.

nykevins, I hate to disagree with Cookie, but nether my 02 OBW nor my 97 OBW have to "churn a bit before they started". Its definitely not normal.

scruz0, Yes, do the timing belt now, or within the next 20 000 kms or so. The manual says at 168 000 kms, but there has got to be more than a little leeway in the factory limitation. It sure isn't going to fail at 168 001 km. If you should see any oil leaks out the front of the engine, onto the timing belt areas, then don't wait, do it now. Cam oil seals and the water pump are anyone's guess as to how long before they go south, and that's a call you'll have to make. My 97 OBW had a belt change at 122 000 km (supposed to be at 96 000) and my Subie dealer said that they normally didn't change the water pump with the first timing belt change, but at every 2nd one. You'll find tech's that will say to change everything every 5 years or at the recommended mileage limits. To change a water pump requires taking most of the same parts off that doing a timing belt change requires, and that is why its usually recommended at the same time, but is not always necessary. If you don't want to take any chances, then follow the schedule from the factory. Personally, I'll be leaving the water pump change on my 02 OBW until it hits its second timing belt requirement, and the seals as well.

Subieguy, Taste is verrrrry personal, but in my opinion I could never own one regardless of price, because the nose of the vehicle has to be the ugliest sculpting this side of the Pontiac Aztec, AMC Pacer or Ford Edsel. I get shivers just looking at it!

Rodney7286, If you've had freezing weather and ice has built up on the roof, then its possible that the sunroof is frozen down and won't operate until its above freezing again. Either way, you still should have heard the sunroof motor trying to open the roof. Its not a good thing to keep trying to open it under those circumstances since you could burn out the motor or strip a gear. My experience has been that you either could have a bad contact on the switch (which you can clean with electrical contact spray, a bad relay (usually hiding under the headliner next to the motor), or a motor gone bad. Hope that its the first one, because the other two require pulling the headliner, after removal of the overhead door handles, ceiling lights, various plugs, A, B, and C pillar mouldings, and the front seat belt anchor points on the B pillar. Been there, as my 02 OBW sits in the driveway right now in such a state, as I try to chase down a roof leak. Good luck!

jp98, I think that you've hit upon your own solution. If you've never flushed the original brake fluid out of your system since new, then you definitely have water in it that is freezing. Its an easy fix, if you DIY, and inexpensive if you let the service guys do it.

ahreno, Doing brake jobs on Outbacks is a relative easy DIYer, if you've not neglected the servicing of the brake system. Standard tools are all that is required, as well as antiseize compound, brake anti squeal compound, silicone grease and brake cleaner spray. If the system (every 3 years) needs flushing with new brake fluid, you'll need a 2 to 3 foot long section of plastic hose that will fit over the bleed screws on the calipers as well. Other than that, just read back through the old threads here on the brake topic, and you'll find everything you'll need. To totally describe what steps are to be done and how, would take up too much space here, but don't be afraid to get back to us with questions. Take your time, do the job safely, and you'll have the satisfaction of having done the job yourself, not to mention having saved some substantial dollars. Good Luck!

crf911, Something you added to your thread set alarm bells off. You tow the Forester behind a motor home? You don't say how, but unless done correctly, on a trailer with all 4 wheels off the ground, you'll ruin the centre differential, I believe. Check the archives here for more info, and if you are trailering the entire car, my apologies for jumping in.

Guys, My 02 OBW gets 36 mpg ...... when I behave myself on the highway and stick to 100 kph, ... and when I stay in this verrrrrry flat section of Southern Ontario, Canada. BUT.... even though we here in Canada now use litres and kilometres, we old timers still convert back and can calculate in miles and Imperial Gallons which are larger than American Gallons. Hence, my results will be higher than what has been reported by the others in this thread. Still, I know that my wife's Lexus gets better mileage, when I behave myself, since it doesn't have the added all wheel drive weight, the higher stance, and wider tires. BUT .... I wouldn't trade the OBW for anything else. So my normal mileage is less than 36 mpg by more than a bit, but the added benefits of the Subaru more than make up for it in my opinion. This is my second Suby, and it won't be my last.

squadboy50, Since your one channel cut out on the radio just after your drink into the casette opening incident, I'd bet that the output to that channel is fritzed by a corroded or shorted out transister or contact. You don't say whether your rear speaker on the same side is out as well, but if it is, then the amplifier for that side has the problem, and not loose a connector in the back of the radio. Its too coincidental in this case. For $20 a radio repair shop can tell you what the problem is, and a projected cost. That should tell you if you need to find a used one. As for the clock, I've tried repairing the one in my 300ZX and failed. I'm looking for a good used one now as they are typically well over a $100. The one in my brother's Contour I resurrected by simply taking its LCD ribbon cable out and cleaning it with an ordinary pencil eraser and reinstalling it. My OBW has the digital clock in the speedometer head, so no help there, but you need a multi meter, and a lesson on how to use it. Basically after that, as long as your car battery is good, you'll put the meter contacts onto the wires that power the clock (stick the contacts into the car side of the connector after you've disconnected the clock). You should show power at all times, as I suspect that your clock is always on (my OBW always is). If a Forester's clock only lights up when the ignition is on, then that is when you'll find power. If there is no power to the plug under those different circumstances, you've got a problem with wiring or a fuse (check the fuse first!). Some clocks even have a 3 wire hookup, for added daylight brightness. Without a wiring diagram, I can't give you more to go on than that. Maybe someone else with more knowledge can jump in on the thread. Good Luck!

boobounder, If one remote works perfectly, and the second one is intermittent, even after a battery change, your problem is still within that second remote. You have a weak solder joint, or a mini switch with light corrossion on it, or a similar problem. Enough voltage is not getting through to the transmitter to put out enough signal to the car's receiver. You could try to spray some electrical contact cleaner into the switch and the circuit board, and operate the switch several times. Do all of this with the battery out of the remote so as not to short circuit anything. When you're absolutely certain that none remains, reinstall the battery and try it out. You might get lucky. If not, try an electronic repair shop and see what they can do, recognizing that they'll need access to the car as well. Good Luck!

97 OutBack Wagon with 269 000 kms and a great transmission when traded on a 02 OBW, that now has 118 000 kms and a tranny that is as nice as the day I bought the car. The tranny would not be a weak point in this car, in my opinion.

the flystyle, I agree with SubaruLegacy2003. Both appear to be new. One may well be from a different lot that were tooled on a different machine, in a slightly different manner, but to specifications. Brembo has a reputation to protect, so they won't be using less than the best. Regardless, they are an item that as new, are installed out of site and aren't worth complaining about, in my opinion. If they were chrome pieces on the hood of the car, I'd send them back. But they are pieces that in a year's time will be rusted and dirty, and will still be doing their job to keep you safe. Suit yourself, but I'd use them just as they are. Good luck!

baja128, Last week I pulled the heated and power seats out of a wrecked van and installed them in a base van without any power accessories of the same model. I also swapped the entire interior door units for a power window setup on the base model, which originally had crank up windows. Everything was a direct swap from the loaded van to the base van. I even got the interior door panels (Same colour) to eliminate the crank window hole in the panel. Most manufacturers put a full wiring harness and fuses for all options into every car, and then only install those electrical options that the base model gets, and so on. The key is to see if your baja is the same way. Pull the interior kick panel and find the main wiring harness connector that goes to the door. You want the harness that enters the car body from the door. (The one that goes through the corrigated rubber boot at the door hinge area.) Find that connector and check to see if the car side of the connector is completely filled with wires, and if the door side has fewer wires. If so you can install the power mirrors, and should only need the mirrors and the switch. Check the fuse panel to see if the power mirror fuse is there. If this is a go, you'll probably find all of the connectors for the power seats, the side airbags, and the heating elements under the seats, ready for a direct plug in. Again, you'll probably only need the switch. This all assumes that you'll be using seats and mirrors from another Subaru, which would be a direct bolt on, and all of the connectors will be the same. A baja is a Legacy/Outback, sedan/wagon, so you'll only need to find one with the same interior colour from the same range of years for that body style, if you want to swap seats. You might even get lucky on the mirrors being the same colour, or a simple repaint. You've got some work ahead of you, but its not rocket science if you take your time. Good Luck!

tkt117, 1.Your mast may be frozen inside the mast tube, and you may be able to thaw it out with some silicone spray/WD40, or you may have to bring the car inside a heated garage to accomplish the same thing overnight. 2. The mast top section is attached to a nylon whip that is gear toothed down one side for its entire length, and if the whip has been stripped of its teeth, or the gear on the motor that drives it, you'll have to replace one or the other. Your motor will not burn out as it operates on a timer. 3. If you're handy, replacing the mast assembly, is not rocket science, but the carpet comes up first, then the side panels. Unscrew the chrome ring around the top of the antenna mast on the outside of the car, then inside the car undo the one or two 10mm bolts that hold the antenna motor assembly to the car body, unplug the antenna cable from the antenna, and the wiring connector from the antenna timer box (attached to the antenna assembly), pull the drain tube off the bottom of the motor body, and pull the entire assembly from the car. Once out of the car either replacing the entire unit with a used or new unit, or repairing the mast assembly or gear box is straight forward for anyone who is handy with tools. Whichever way you go, test the new/newly repaired unit inside the car, making sure that the antenna has room to expand, simply by plugging the wiring connector into the timer box, as the assembly lays inside the trunk. You don't want to reinstall the whole thing and then find out it doesn't work. I've done maybe 5 or 6 of these units over the years and they are fairly simple, if you know your way around a tool box. Good Luck!

allanmcc, After the nuts are taken off, you are left with a sealant, similar to what the windshield is mounted with. You can try to heat it up and wiggle the light assembly out, or use the same method for taking out the windshield. Push a thin guitar string through the sealant from inside the car to the outside. At that point tie and wrap several turns of the guitar string around say a 10mm wrench at both ends. Now, using a partner on the outside of the car, and you inside, hold the wrenches and saw back and forth through the sealant all of the way around the tail light assembly, being careful to not scratch the body paint or break off part of the lens or burn through it (the wire will get hot). Clean off the old sealant on the light and the body of the car, reapply new sealant and reinstall it. Good luck!

2000 leg gt, You are most likely looking at quite a job to install one. The only manner that seems to be possible, would be to drop the headliner from car. At that point you'd be able to see what is involved in reinstalling the sunroof cover, as it attaches to the sunroof mechanism, and is obviously larger than the sunroof opening in the headliner. The A,B and C Pillar covers would all have to come out, as well as the sunvisors (rear view mirror ceiling or windshield mounted?), overhead lights, assist straps, seat belt anchors?, and ceiling plugs. At that point the headliner would simply fall down, be removed from the car, and let you see exactly what you'll need to do. Good Luck if you decide to tackle it!

nipper, Place a couple of Bounce Fabric Softener sheets in the engine compartment around the wiring, and 4 or 5 more inside the car under seats and in the cargo area. Mice can't stand the smell and won't take up residency by chewing your wiring or your seats and carpets apart. Another good side is the fresh smelling car you'll have when you finally get a chance to put her back on the road. As well, put all the tires up to their 35 psi maximum pressure, to help prevent flat spotting them when sitting in one location for so long. When you put the girl on the road for the first time, drop the pressures back to their normal pressures, listed on your door sticker.

Yeah.... AWD, dependable, frugal with fuel .... and no other car looks like it. Bought my 97 OBW LTD because it looked so great in the two tone paint, and had more features and far better gas mileage than the Pathfinder it replaced. Bought my 02 OBW LTD for the same reasons ..... but really bought both vehicles because where I live there are very, very few Subarus around ... and it stands out in the crowd. A week doesn't go by when I'm not queried by someone as to how I like my Subaru, and get complimented on its good looks. (Now, if I could only convince my wife that I really deserve to have a new 06 OBW LTD!!!!)

My 02 OBW LTD has developed a minor leak into the overhead courtesy lights. I'm talking about 2 or 3 drops of water falling on your lap when you turn the corner. Now, the car had spent a day in a mild rain, and then a snap below Zero cold spell the next day. I know that either the front sunroof drains are plugged, the sunroof seal isn't doing its job, or water from the previous day had frozen, expanded and pushed up the seal, then thawed out and dripped inside. Has anyone experienced a similar event with Subie sunroofs? I remember my 77 Vette would do this same thing in the winter from its T Tops, after the heater had thawed out the interior of the car, but I'm a little surprised that the Subie does.

MDW25gt, I put 130 000 km on my 97 OBW with no head gasket problems when I traded it. The 02 OBW I replaced it with went 23 000 km and started a minor head gasket coolant leak on both sides. Replaced under warranty at the Service Manager's suggestion, requiring no screaming by me. A year later I received the recall notice for the coolant additive to prevent the head gasket problem and had it installed. To date I have 111 000 km on my ride and am happy to report no head gasket problems.

subiefan, My 97 OBW had a similar misfire on #3 that checked out fine when plugs, wires and ignition coil were all tested. The Subie Tech then replaced one item at a time until he no longer got the misfire code. The first item he replaced was the ignition coil (even though it had previously tested OK) and he got no more error codes. The misfire was cured. Is it possible for you to latch onto a known good coil, change it for yours long enough to see if it cures the problem? Good Luck!

The suggestion about the "Lexus fix" should correct the problem. I didn't see the need for the plastic application or the sandpaper when I corrected the problem on my wife's car. I simply lifted up the seatbelt where it goes through the plastic/metal loop on the B Pillar, and using a small, flat-bladed screwdriver, I scraped off all of the dirt and grim that had attached itself to the loop. The grunge puts enough drag on the belt when it goes through the loop to prevent the retractor from overcoming it. After doing so to both sides, the seat belt retractor worked as well as it did the day it left the factory.