gbhrps

Power windows are like emergency brakes, use them or lose them. As suggested, you'll need to pull all of the door panels and lubricate all of the sliding points and mechanisms with white grease, or similar. As well, spray silicone lubricant into all of the rubber window channels and then cycle the windows through several up and downs, raising and lowering the glass with your hand to help out the motor until the glass slides easily. If you've left the motors sitting too long without using them, they'll go the same way as the back winshield wiper motor and seize up tight. That's because the motor case is a whitemetal and the motor shaft to the window mechanism is steel. They corrode if not lubricated and used regularly. Sometimes you can free them up, sometimes the only answer is to replace the motor. Of course, all of this assumes that your wiring and switches are all okay. Good luck!

From my own experience and from what I've followed on this forum, there aren't a great deal of problems with Subaru automatic transmissions. Since you say that all models including the SVX used the same tranny, and only the SVX had a history of problems, Setright is probably right on the money by suggesting that the SVX's weight is one of the problems. As well, the added horsepower of the 2 extra cylinders wouldn't help either. During the SVX's build dates it was the only 6 cylinder sharing a tranny with all of the fours. Now that its not built any more (SVX), and Subaru has added turbos and 6 cylinders to several cars in its lineup, I'd be willing to bet that its strengthened its trannies to cope with the added horsepower accordingly. This is all just speculation on my part. I've had to replace one wheel bearing in 300 000 km of Subaru ownership, not unexpected, not a big deal. I've never had a brake issue concerning rotors or pads, since twice a year I pull all the pads, clean everything, and lube the sliding points and pins myself. Again, not a big deal, you can do it all yourself in a lazy afternoon. Hope this is of some help, and if anyone can add something I've overlooked, please jump in.

The check engine light could be anything. Maybe an O2 sensor needs replacing. You need to get the computer codes read to find out what your difficulty is. From what you describe, it doesn't sound too serious or expensive. Places like Pep Boys, etc. will read the codes for you for free, to give you an idea of what your up against. Barring that, a trip to a Subaru dealer can tell you the same thing but it won't be a freebe I'm betting. Good luck!

Subfan, My 97 OBW and now my 02 OBW both sit outside here in Southern Ontario, Canada, and when I get home from work I plug the block heater in and leave it on all night long until I unplug it to go to work in the morning. Our winters are about the same as you describe, say 2-4 degrees colder on average. I've never had a problem through 300 000 kms total on the both cars. I haven't plugged it in yet this winter, as we've only had 4 or 5 nights of below freezing temperatures thus far. And in your case the trickle charge idea is a good idea. About all I'd be concerned about is your short drives each day. I'd halve your distance before oil changes, particularly during winter, because the automatic choke will be firing a lot of raw fuel past your piston rings into the oil, due to the lack of engine warmup.

If dealer maintained and oil, coolant, brake and tranny fluids were changed as per schedule, and the timing belt and tensioner were changed every 100 000 kms, and waterpump every other timing belt change, you should be alright. Check that all tires are the same size, type and same tread depth. Sub all wheel drive system demands that no one tire can be less than a quarter of an inch less in circumference than the others, or you destroy parts of the driveline. Maybe someone else can jump in with anything else that I've missed?

This is pretty common on disk brake vehicles. I've had Pathfinders and a Cressida do the same thing, especially on the rears. What it amounted to was lack of regular preventative maintenance. That is, every 3 years flush and replace the brake fluid on the car, bleeding each caliper inturn. That prevents rust seizing up the calipers. Twice a year, pull the pads (front and rear), remove the calipers (don't disconnect the brake lines, just hang the caliper up onto the coil spring with a hook made from a clothes hanger), and remove the caliper mounting brackets. Clean and wire brush all parts. Then lubricate all sliding pins using silicone grease (won't attack rubber boots on slider pins), put antiseize on all mounting bolts ( makes the job easier next time), put antisqueal compound on the back of the pads, and reassemble. This prevents the pads from sticking, or sticking on one side only, and ensures that your rotors get even pressure and wear. Done regularly you shouldn't see the rust pattern again, if the car is driven regularly. I'll bet you don't have an unbalance in your system at all.

You'll need to pull the door panel to trace the rattle. It is not a big job. You just have to take your time. I've never had to pull the panels on any of my Sub's, but I've done it on almost every car I've ever owned and they are all pretty much the same. Find all of the hidden screw fasteners. Some are behind obvious plugs that need to be pulled with a taped screw driver (to prevent scratching). One should be behind the moulding around the door handle. Either there will be a small plug that hides a screw to remove the moulding, or the moulding is just pried up at both ends. Pry up the moulding around the power window switch, the switches will come with it, and disconnect the wiring harness from the switches. There will be a screw hiding in the opening that has to come out. If you have the tweeter speaker at the corner near your mirror, just pry it off, being careful not to stretch the very thin wires. You should be able to disconnect the speaker wires as well. If you see plugs at the front and rear of your arm rests, pull them and take out the screws underneath. Now, starting at the top rear of the door panel, slide the screw driver in between the panel and the steel door. Slide it down until you feel a plug and pry out to pop it. Continue this process going down the panel, across its bottom and up the front of the panel. There should be about 7 in total. Now all you need to do is disconnect the wiring from the lower panel courtesy light (if you have one) and lift the panel straight up and off the door. Rap the door a few times with your hand and you should soon spot the rattle. Good Luck!

I have a dealer installed locking/security system with engine start feature that does the same thing. Arm it and the lights flash once. Disarm it and they flash twice. The kicker is that every so often the system works as it should, but the lights will not flash at all, arming or disarming. This may go on for a week or so and then some set of circumstances will occur where the lights flash as they are supposed to. It will work correctly for a month or so, and then off go the lights again for a 2 week period or more. Its driving me crazy. I have yet to get back to the dealership to ask about this, as its 70 miles away. If anyone can get to the bottom of this I'd be most appreciative.

Definately the radio is not getting any power, and that's where to start your search. Assuming its a factory installed radio, it may be that the wiring harness to the radio is partially disconnected or corroded. Its easy enough to pull the radio and check/wiggle the plug to see if that makes a difference. Also, some radios have a fuse built into them. If yours has one, it may be blown, or your fuse in the fuse panel may be bad, even though you've checked it visually. Try replacing it with a known good one. When you pull the radio and disconnect the wiring harness, use a test light to see if there is power there at the connector, usually the red wire or the orange one. Good luck.

I had the same situation on my 97 several years ago, misfire on #3, but everything checked out fine. My service manager said nothing about sticking valves, but suggested that we change one thing at a time until we found the problem. The first item changed was the ignition coil and the problem disappeared. Apparently the coil was breaking down intermittently, but not showing up when tested by itself.

This same idea came up in another forum for the 1990 -1996 Nissan 300ZX. If you go to TwinTurbo.net and search the archives for fog lights, you should be able to find the thread where a member explains how he hooked his up so that the fogs came on with his high beams as well. Whether its legal in every jurisdiction, and whether the same setup in your Subaru will overtax the wiring or not is another matter. Good luck!

Hammer008, In your case I would say that either a gear is stripped or the shaft to the wiper arm has sheared off from its gear. Opening up the case will tell, but since you'll need parts that you can't buy separately anyway, it'll be less of a hassle to just buy a used wiper motor assembly and install it. Its a DIYer with no surprises or special talents needed. Good Luck!

Glenn is right on the money with his suggestions. I have one more to add. If you decide its necessary to take the motor/gear box body apart, just drill out the rivets that hold it together. After you do Glenn's fix, just use machine screws and nuts to put it back together, rather than rivets. Good luck!

It sounds like you are caught between model years. My 97 OBW had smaller diameter rotors and wheels than my 02 OBW. I saved the winter tires and wheels from the 97 to use on the 02 and found that the wheels wouldn't clear the calipers on the 02. Subaru made the front rotors larger somewhere around 01 or 02. Sounds like you may have rotors that fit the older cars instead of for the 02. Is this a possibility?

I can't understand why you would have a problem getting a socket/extension combination that would allow removal of the rear caliper mounting bracket. As I recall on my 02 OBW (its been 3 months or so ago), I used a standard metric socket and either a 6 inch extention by itself or with another 3 inch extention on the end of the 6 inch to remove the bolt. I'm almost certain that my 97 OBW used the same procedure.

Sounds like pure coincidence as to the timing of the noise and your seal replacement. I would wonder if the two are related at all, and that your engine has just got to the point where the usual Subaru piston slap issue has arrived. My 97 OBW developed it at 23 000 km and still had it at 127 000 km when I traded it. It was just an annoyance on cold days until the engine warmed up and it went away. All the threads on this forum on the topic agree that although it is annoying, it will not hurt the longevity of the engine. It didn't deter me from buying an 02 OBW at all. As I said, it may just be coincidence.

Its a DIYer if you're handy. Pull the trim piece on the B pillar (it just pops off if pried with a taped up screw driver). Remove the big bolt that holds the seat belt retractor to the floor and now you can get at the problem. BE CAREFUL if the belt has pretensioners, meaning yellow stickers that warn of explosive bolts! There will also be an electrical connection to trigger them. I don't believe they are on 98 Subies, but if they are....leave the job to a mechanic. You could lose an eye or fingers if they go off. If there are no warning labels, there are no pretensioners to worry about. Look at both ends of the retractor for plastic caps over the springs and ratchets. As you move the belt to pull it out you'll see where your jamb is and may be able to correct the problem by filing a part or bending it slightly. You may even see a small screw jambed somewhere. If there is nothing visible that can be corrected, your cheapest route will be to search a junkyard for a replacement. Good Luck!

Another thought....where is your extended warranty if two weeks from now some clown totals the car on you? If you take the money that the dealership wants for the extended warranty and put it into the bank instead...you'd still have it to spend on the replacement vehicle when it needed repairs.

Look at all of the usual things to check when buying a used vehicle, and then add these to the list. See if there is a sticker or listing in the warranty book for when the timing belt was changed last. It should be done every 60 000 mi. That will tell you how soon the next one is needed. Also check to see if there was ever a head gasket repair done on the engine. See if you can smell coolant from the engine bay after a test drive, indicating either a leak in the system, or a bad head gasket. Watch for overheating, indicating a bad head gasket as well. Bad wheel bearings will show up as a roaring noise that changes pitch when you are up to speed and swerve the car side to side. If no noise, then they are fine. Check the flat metal bar that the licence plate lights and the rear hatch handle attach to. It was poorly finished on these models and rusts rapidly. Its not a big deal to buy ($11 last I heard) but unless you are handy, it can be a bit of a bother to change, but is still a DIYer. Don't be concerned about burned out bulbs in the climate control buttons, they are easily changed and another DIYer. Make sure all 4 tires are the same make and very close to the same wear. One out of size tire will cause expensive repairs to the all wheel drive system. This is one of the downfalls of the Subie system. Can't think of any other things to watch out for, but I'm sure sombody else can add to the list. Good Luck, and welcome to the fraternity!

This is a reacurring problem for 90 - 96 Nissan 300ZX's. I follow their forum (since I have one as well as the Subie) and not a week goes by that someone complains about the hood mounted windshield washer nozzles dribbling on the hood whenever they accelerate. The fix is to install a small plastic check valve in the hose just before the nozzle, and it can be ordered from the dealership. The valve only allows fluid through it when its under pressure from the washer pump. I never had the problem with my ZX or my 97 OBW, but I'd be off to a Nissan dealer, order the part for a 90 - 96 300ZX (you'll only need one, the Z needs 2 for both nozzles), pull the inside trim panel on the tailgate, cut the rubber feed line to the nozzle, install the check valve and solve the dribble. Hope this makes sense and is of some help.

Its the brake pads not entirely releasing from the rotor, due to dust collected around the pads and slider clips. Pull the wheel, remove the caliper, pads and pad carrier. Clean everything, lube slider clips, apply anti squeal lubricant to the backs of the pads and reinstall. Assuming no parts are worn, and your caliper isn't seized, you should have no more squeal. Did this yesterday to my wife's Lexus, and all is again well and squeakless.

My 97 OBW had a similar problem that the codes identified as a misfire on cylinder # 3. Everything checked out, plugs, wires, coil. I told the service manager to start replacing parts one at a time and bingo......the first part they replaced....the COIL....corrected the code and and the misfire. Maybe its worth a try? Good luck!

We had a Porsche 911 whaletail in the shop recently with the same plastic coating covering, not only the front end much like a bra would, but the rear fender bulges as well. It looked about 64th of an inch thick and was glued to the body over the paint with an adhesive backing. It obviously was not intended to come off. A few years back I also saw a moulded, clear front bra entirely of the same material as the factory Subaru hood deflector. It covered bumpers, grill, front of the hood and headlights on this sports car (too far back to recall make). It had small clear domed bumpers that were stuck to the body of the car under the plastic to keep it from rubbing on the paint but I can't recall seeing any fastener that kept it on. Maybe someone else can help out here with more details and the name of the manufacturer?

If you check a 98 Limited you'll see that the twin sunroofs have something to do with the placement of the roof rack. The front roof section just tilts up, and I believe the manufacturer didn't want the roof rack, and what was on it, dangling in its way to do damage (just my thoughts). The other point may well be the 2 step raised roof section gave them the only safe point for a mounting point on the 2nd step, that didn't make the roof rack look ungainly. If it was farther forward, it would have to have much longer front supports than the rest of the supports further back (again just my thoughts). I personally have had two OBW from 97...and I've never put anything up top. I'm afraid I can't be of any help there.

Bras have good points and bad. The good points are obvious, but the bad points you learn about the hard way. If they don't fit tightly, they will vibrate at the edges and over time abrasively remove the paint. They will over time collect dirt and dust under the edges, and over time abrasively sand down the paint. If it gets wet, and is left on the car for any time, the paint (depending on how good it is and what colour) may develop a fog that can not be buffed out. The only solution is to repaint the hood. That said, I have a factory black bra on my 1990 300ZX, which is also black. It fits tightly, I clean it regularly, the car is only driven as a toy (infrquently) and never in the rain, and if it does get wet...I take it off the car immediately and dry it out and vaccuum its underside before it goes back onto the car. It looks terriffic and I wouldn't be without it...but if this setup was my daily driver...I wouldn't do it. Sorry if this disappoints you, but I learned the hard way several cars before this one.