gbhrps

YellowstoneYeti, Extreme cold has a shrinking effect on many materials. Put that together with a bad electrical connection, like an ignition wire connector, spark plug wire, etc., and they may be related. The wire/connector makes a good contact in hat, warm and cold weather, but extreme cold shrinks the metal to create a gap that voltage can't leap? Just a thought. Good Luck!

PMB, Check for any stickers on the screen assembly that can give you a name of the manufacturer, then look it up on Google for the owner's manual. It is possible that it may even be a Subaru accessory for that generation of subie vehicles, If that's the case, a search of accessories for that model year should yield the manual on Subaru of America's website. If that doesn't get results, just searching online for car pet barriers should find a vendor with pictures/diagrams showing the same one you have, and eventually the owner's installation manual for it. Good Luck!

Firesubie89, For 27 years I've followed the Nissan 300ZX forum because I owned a 1990 NA. Every other week a newbie would join the forum and announce he'd just bought a NA (normally aspirated/no turbo) and wanted to know about how to add a turbo. Every response to the question was the same ...... you want a turbo? ... sell your car and buy the twin turbo version 300ZX. Otherwise you were going to spend lots of money in an endless pit, and never have a reliable car. Even if the engine survived, the clutch, the rear end, the brakes and so on wouldn't, because they weren't up to the task. Better to buy the purpose built car from the onset. Add to that, you have a rebuilt motor, but a 14 year old car, with 14 year old parts with how much mileage on them, and none of them designed for that extra power? Lift it if you want, add the lights, etc., but maybe rethink the turbo end of things. Good Luck!

CreamOnTheCob, Florida will have few if any subies. Only places with snow and ice have a need for subies and that's where they sell. And with the money you're wanting to spend, any WRX and most Forester XT's will most likely have more issues than Carter has liver pills in that price range. You'd be better off forgetting about the turbo cars, and go for an Imprezza or plain Forester. But its your money, and your decision.

Chago54, Your pictures show a black and a white connector on the right side of the first photo that are not connected. Did you reconnect them? If that doesn't do it, you have stretched the harness wires and connectors, and either broken a wire or two, or have pulled a wire or two from its pin inside the plastic harness connectors. Try pushing the harness connectors back together again. Try starting the car afterwards. Still no go ..... you'll have to take each connector and ensure connectivity between the wire going into the connector and its respective pin with a multi meter, by probing each wire and its pin for continuity. If that still gets you nowhere, you'll need a good mechanic, or an automotive electrical shop to get to the bottom of the issue. By the way, those black plastic plugs are anchors for that main wiring harness. The plugs have straps that are taped to the wiring harness to keep it up out of the way of your feet. Nothing fancy there, unless you yanked on them breaking a wire or two inside the harness. Good Luck!

sirtokesalot, Maybe you should lay off the weed. (I couldn't stop myself.) Seriously, you obviously have something miss wired and its feeding back through the system. You may have to remove the entire unit and start again from scratch, after you are certain the AT Temp situation is corrected. Or it may be that something in the remote start module is fried. Its so hard to diagnose from a distance. Good luck!

sirtokesalot, http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Legacy%20Outback/ Copy the above link into your browser, go to your model and then year, and download the entire Factory Service Manual for your car. The wiring diagrams are all there. It should be easy to compare that with your alarm wiring info. Good Luck!

coolhatdude, I've always gone with factory, simply because you know that they will fit, and the mounting fasteners will line up. No surprises or jury rigging needed.

SoobGoob, Get the codes read so we can know where to start at a diagnosis. As for the idle problem, have you cleaned the throttle body and the air idle control? They are the usual first places to start with an idle issue. What's your mileage?

mb4lunch, An 18 year old wiper motor will have 18 year old grease in its gear box. Maybe it needs to be taken apart and relubed. If it were my car I wouldn't hesitate a second to yank it out, tear it apart and regrease its innerds. I'd take the motor apart as well and clean its armature and brushes and bearings/bushings. That could correct your issue. I've done this with power antnna motors, door lock motors, blower motors, power seat and window motors for years with good results. The last one was a convertible top motor on a Z4 convertible. Simply stuck brushes. Then again it may be that the motor isn't receiving enough juice. Pull the connector to the motor and put an ohm meter across its leads and turn on the wiper switch. If you don't get a strong 12 volts at the highest wiper speed, you have either a corroded harness, connectors or ground. One simple way to find out, is to power 12 volts directly to the connector at the motor. If it fires up at top speed, then the motor isn't the issue, but somewhere in the wiring is. Good Luck!

gregB, I've fixed all kinds of window switches over the years, and several of them on my subies. 90% of the time the switch can be cleaned with a spray electrical contact cleaner. Pull the switch from the car, disconnect the wiring harness, spray the cleaner into every crevice you can find, cycle the switch ten or so times, and wait 5 minutes for the fluid to evaporate before you hook it back up and try it. You may have to do this twice, and sometimes, if you're brave, put the entire switch inside a large clear baggy with your hands and suitable tools to open it up to get at its contacts (the baggie keeps small springs and contacts from flying off into the grass and getting lost). As a last resort ... buy a used switch (eBay, wrecking yard), as a new one will chock you when you see the price

mizmelzywi, All season tires are no where near as good as a dedicated winter tire on snow and ice. There is no comparison between the two. If you want to get up that incline in snow up to the floor boards, that is what it is going to take, a specifically designed tire for snow and ice. You can say that you don't have the money to spend on another set of tires, and I hear you on that front. I have two sets of tires and wheels for my wife's car and my subie. The up side with two sets is that both sets only get used half the year, then they spend the next six months in storage. Both sets will last twice as long as one would do. So you are replacing tires at longer intervals. And when it comes to replacing the subie at trade up time, buy another subie with the same "wheel" size and the old snow tires go onto the new car for several years to come. That's what we have done, and it has worked very well. That also means that any set of tires need to be carefully inspected before they are mounted on the car, to ensure that they are safe, with enough tread depth to do their job, and for cracks and sidewall deterioration. And years of owning subies (all OutBack Limited Wagons, 4 of them since 97) I have found that your winter tires need to be TWO sizes narrower than the stock width for the car. My 2012 subie has 225/60/17's as the summer tire size, while the winter tires are 205/60/17's. Ralleye cars run the narrowest tires during winter runs simply because they cut down into the snow for traction, rather than wider tires that would ride up on top of the snow and aquaplane as on water. It makes all the difference in the world.

jseabolt, 78 000 miles, but a 14 year old car, and I'm willing to bet that you've never changed the brake fluid and flushed the system. Most manufacturers want you to change the fluid every 4 years, others every two. Brake fluid absorbs water from the air and it starts rusting the brake lines and caliper bores and pistons on the inside. Check your reservoir. If the fluid isn't clear, but amber to dark brown or black, your fluid has started to corrode the pistons in their bores, and most likely making them stick and not releasing properly when you release the brake pedal. It may cause the caliper to seize entirely. Then your rotors heat up because the pads never release completely, which can cause warping of the rotor.

sirtokesalot, I had to fix the power antenna on my first OBW years ago (a 97), and it was fairly easy as I recall. The problem with mine was the mast whip (the gear toothed nylon whip that pushed the mast up and pulled it down) was snapped inside the motor and gear case. At that time I simply pulled the entire unit out of the car and removed the mast and took the gear case apart. The motor was fine, it still ran both directions, but with a broken whip there was no movement of the mast. I opened the gear case up and removed the broken whip sections inside, and regreased the gear section. Now this was 20 years ago and car antennas have changed a lot since then, but power whip antennas on many cars were pretty much the same. I found another Japanese car in the junkyard with a power antenna and removed it.( Many of the Japanese manufacturers all used the same antenna supplier, so a lot of the parts are the same.) I simply removed the mast/whip assembly from that antenna and installed it in the subie gear box. A few test runs proved to be the fix. Since the gear box drive has a slip clutch assembly built into it, I lined the geared whip teeth up with the drive gear of the case and fed the new mast whip in by hand. Once fastened down I was able to test the unit from the car's wiring harness. One thing to consider if you can find another such power antenna setup, be sure the base section of the mast assembly is the same diameter as the base section of the subie. It won't matter how long the mast is, it should still fit and work. The only other consideration is the ball end at the top of the mast. It should be the same size as the subie, so that it seals the mast opening when closed, to cut down on water entry. If not, you may find that the ball ends are threaded on and you can swap them over. (I had to do that on a 90 Nissan 300zx antenna that went the same way. The original large ball end of the Nissan swapped over to the new mast easily.) Good Luck if you can find another mast assembly that could fit. It'll be cheaper than buying a new subie one, if they are still in stock.

Bluepearlgirl, CNY_Dave is correct. Your center portion of the gauge is set to read the distance yet to travel before the fuel tank is empty. Check your instrument panel for a little push button labelled "MPG" just underneath it. It will be on the extreme right or left side of the instrument gauge panel. Another button like it will be on the extreme other side of the gauge panel, and its for resetting your trip meters. Press the MPG button once and it will cycle through to the next setting which will be a number indicating your average mpg. Press it a 2nd time and it will read out your actual mpg that is updated every second, so the numbers will change constantly as you accelerate or brake. Press the button a 3rd time and you get what you now have as Miles to Empty. At least this is how its set up on my 2012 OBW LTD.

gregB, I've had them open over the years, and none of it is hard to do. You may find that removing the top case and the bottom may not be enough, and that one or more levels of part covers or circuit panels needs to be removed. Again its easy to a point. Some of those circuit boards will attach themselves to other panels and circuits by ribbon cables. The ribbon cables usually will simply unplug from one of the boards when you pull them. Some ribbon cables require you to lift up a locking part of the socket before you can remove the cable. Just take your time, take lots of pictures and use patience when disassembling. I have found that sometimes the CD doesn't eject because a rubber drive belt broke from old age. In that case, take the old one to a place that repairs radios, etc., and have them compare it to what they have in stock. You will most likely find they have trays of them for all sizes and lengths. Good Luck!

stagefrog2, If your subie doesn't have a block heater, get one installed!

bms259, Great choice! I've owned 4 subie OutBacks (97, 03, 07, 12) and will own more of them. My brother is a Forester owner, with two under his belt, an 06 and his present 2010. They are pretty much bullet proof if treated properly (not hotdogged) and maintained with regularity. Your $19 000 range puts you in a great situation for getting a low mileage cream puff that screams Pride of Ownership. Those are the only vehicles I buy, used with lower mileage, that display that the previous owner cared for the vehicle, and didn't abuse it. Since 97, I replaced two wheel bearings, one door speaker and one tailgate emblem, other than wiper blades, brake pads, and tires on all of those four OBW's. No other issues, period. Everyone of them was sold or traded at the 160 000 km (100 000 mi) mark. That said, if your CRV is your main vehicle, the Outback will give you more room, the Forester will be much like your CRV, while the Crosstrek will be slightly smaller, but just as capable. Really give some thought to any of them with a CVT transmission. What a terrific tranny in bumper to bumper traffic, or on the highway in hilly terrain with the cruise control on. Check out the following video comparing the various AWD systems: We just got home today from 10 days touring Newfoundland in a rental Kia Sorrento (4 banger/auto). While it had enough gusto for my driving style, the tranny was all over the place in cruise, trying to find the proper gear on upgrades and down grades, something my 2012 OutBack doesn't do with the CVT/boxer 4. There is no jerking, wild engine rev ups, or downs that frequently would have me turning the cruise off on the Kia. But don't take my word for it. Test drive a few subies before you decide, and then check Consumer Reports for their evaluation of subies as good used cars. Good Luck in your search!

Ramone899, Check around the wrecking yards for a similar aged subie with fog lights (all models), and simply cut the wiring harness about a foot from the bulb socket and splice it into your harness. Cheep, if you can find one locally. Or try eBay, or bite the bullet and see a dealership for the socket pigtail, but I wouldn't buy an entire new harness. If that doesn't work for you, get back to us..

nitroman58, If your present pads have the reverse ridges that match the scoring on the rotor, but there is lots of pad material left on them, you can sand the pads material down to make them perfectly flat, to match the new rotor faces. BUT: .... wear a dust mask if you attempt this! ...... place 100 grit sand paper on a hard flat surface, put the pad surface on the sand paper and sand the entire pad material surface flat. Be certain to make it parallel to the backing plate of the brake pad in all directions! ....... or grind the brake pad surface on the side of a grinding wheel, ensuring its final surface is parallel to the brake pad backing plate in all directions. If done carefully, you can extend the life of the pads that were grooved or ridged by the rotor but still had 65% or more pad life left.

Oneluv111, The car is 12 years old, and most likely has never had its brake fluid flushed (recommended every 4 years) and fresh fluid put back in. Brake fluid absorbs water = rust inside the caliper bore and on the caliper piston = equals the piston doesn't relax/move back inside the caliper when you take your foot off the brake pedal. It is possible to remove the caliper, pop out the piston, clean it with 0000/fine steel wool to remove the corrosion, and provided its not pitted, reinstall it. Most shops simply replace the caliper. Check your Brake fluid reservoir. If the fluid isn't clear, but amber/ almost black there's the most likely cause of your problem. But it could be that the pads and the slide pins are rusted in place. Your brakes should be dismantled, cleaned and lubricated (pad ends and slide pins only) at least once a year, and the fluid changed every 48 months. Some manufacturers suggest every two years.

griz, As the guys have suggested, both the Forester and the OutBack are good choices. Both have the same engines and drivetrains for the same model years. The difference is the Outback is a larger car by dimensions, has more room inside, and because its bigger, it should stand up better in a crash by a little margin. But every little bit helps. By comparison, the Forester is a taller vehicle and not as wide as the OutBack, meaning it has a higher chance to roll over in a fast turn or crash. But as a first car for a young driver, they can't be beaten. The all wheel drive will help to keep them out of trouble because of the grip in wet and icy conditions, BUT ..... that extra get up and go grip does not translate into more stop. Subies get going faster from a dead stop in ice and snow, and will resist loss of traction if handled intelligently, which means much less white knuckled driving in bad conditions. But they still have no more stop than any other car on ice and snow. A lot of people get into trouble with all wheel drive cars because they can get going faster, and have more traction than everyone else, and that leads them into the false thinking that they can stop quicker on snow and ice, which isn't true.

http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/ The link is to the factory service manuals for every year and model. Just click through to yours and download the entire service manual, then search the body and wiring sections. Its all there ... and its free.

Tseekins, It really comes down to how many years are you going to own the car, but more importantly, where is the car going to spend its time, in a rust zone with salt trucks, or in California? With all of the Subies I've owned, rust has proven to be no more of an issue than it is for any other make of car. If you want to stay rust free, if you live in an region where they use a lot of salt on winter roads, then get the car oil sprayed every other year to head the problem off at the pass. Here in Southern,Ontario, Canada, they use salt on the roads, and I oil spray my cars every other year. Only one of my four subies ever needed some rust touch up, and that was my 04(03?) at the seam between the bumper cover and the rear quarter panel at the wheel arch. It was about an inch long and just surface rust. Easy fix. Not bad for 20 years of driving subies, and no different than any other manufacturer.

Tseekins, Subaru engines today are pretty much bullet proof if they receive regular maintenance and aren't abused. I've owned 4 Subarus, a 1997, a 2004, a 2007 and my present 2012. I've never had to do any more than oil changes to any of the engines in all of those years of driving. Oil changes, a couple of wheel bearings, wiper blades, brake pads, the occasional burned out switch light/headlight/tail light bulb (I run with my headlights on at all times). The boxer engines are trouble free, as are the transmissions. Consumer Reports and everyone else loves the Forester (I have no knowledge of the CrossTreck personally). With a good set of winter ice grip tires, they are like being crazy glued to the road. Just remember that you will have no more Stop than anyone else, but the go is almost non stop. As for the frequency of the oil changes, that has more to do with the busier 4 cylinder spinning to make the power versus your 8 cylinder just having to lope along. As I've stated, I've owned 4 Subarus (all OutBack LTD's), and I will own more of them before the Big Guy upstairs says its time. You can't go wrong with either the Crosstrek or the Forester, but the Forester will have more room, and I believe a better resale.