Bushwick

I notice mine coming on more when cabin temps are lower (enough that the seat back gets HOT and can be felt through several layers of long sleeves + a jacket) vs. barely feeling it when cabin temps are high. Spent an hour in it last night and even double-checked the rear windows cracked (about 1.5") while leaving fronts up, and seat heater stayed on longer. Just throwing it out there that cold seats + cold cabin will allow them to stay on longer. If mechanics hop in a cold car, spend an hour swapping seats, and bam they're hot, that might be why.

As far as the temp goes, that used to be controlled in the actual heater element packing (think of a home heating pad). They are auto-set to turn on/off within a certain range. I've found that if I keep my cabin vents blowing hot constantly, it forces the seat heater to remain off as it's beyond the temp "on" range. i.e. if car is cold and stays cold, seat heater will stay on and remain on as it's nominal temp range stays in the "on" range. A trick I've used is to keep the back windows cracked as it allows some colder air to circulate, and seat heater will stay on. If you have the undersides of the seats blocked, that might cause the cabin heat to keep the overall seat temp in a range that's preventing it to remain on. Like say if your home thermostat was mounted to a wall, directly under a heating vent, it'd most likely shut off prematurely before the entire room was actually heated.

Is there a reason why you cut the trace vs. removing "183" outright? Is 183 a resistor?

And while you are at, replace the thermostat for the new engine AND thoroughly inspect the radiator for core blockage, as well as verify the fan(s) work correctly. Those are all things that can cause overheating on a healthy motor if neglected.

Car has no radio, no clock, no interior bulbs. Alt tested OK when it was installed (no bad diodes, and it's charging) and door lock fuse underhood is pulled. I'll try and find my test light and see if it comes on.

Nvm, battery rebounded and appears OK. Tried the milliamp setting between the positive post and disconnected cable clamp, and got a 0.00, so maybe it's intermittent atm? Kinda stumped as this thing has been draining the battery hard.

OK, either the guy that gave me the battery (most recent one) GAVE me the same battery back replete with a red cap on the terminal, or something is just destroying these batteries almost instantly. Battery voltage was back in the mid 11v range almost immediately after shutting the engine off (I could see the voltage just ticking down). Before returning this one and making a fuss to them as I can't really do a drain test, is there anything you guys/gals can think of that would legitimately drain a battery so HARD it just insta-kills it? Do 97'-ish alternators also get a constant 12v+ ON to the terminal plug like a 95'?

If you are moving to a snow/salt state, consider buying it in CA as rust hopefully won't be an issue. If you can keep the rust at bay, the rest is easier to maintain.

Australians have rigid import laws (we do too to some degree; I've heard of cars that entered being crushed after the fact due to politics) but they are allowed to import a Japanese car cut in half i.e. both halves of the car, and it's fairly common for them, for example, to import complete Japanese-spec engines that typically were not offered there. The Japanese can cut up a beater and probably make more off that than straight-up scrapping it. And we can probably thank Australia and most of Europe for encouraging the open trade.

I had a 99' Saab 9-3 FWD with a bigger turbo, and had a custom rear strut tower brace (tied both rear strut mounts to same bar, then anchored at the base of the back seat unibody hump) fabricated before the car was lowered (so still on factory springs and worn struts at the time) and that rear bar alone made it feel like a solid foot was removed from the overall wheelbase when turning (even at slow speeds). Completely changed how tight the car felt on harder turns. After that, added lowering springs and factory rear sway bar was doubled up. On junk Michelin tires with worn fronts, it just carved corners. Stiffer rear bars you need to be careful with as the rear of the car can potentially kick out easier, which on a hairpin you don't want unless you are expecting it to. If you can't find a rear strut bar for this, find a welder and get something custom. Main thing is the upper portion of the strut towers needs tie-in to each other and the floor at a rigid point. Can be made to barely interfere with trunk/cargo area and be reversible (generally speaking; this is general handling advice being given here). Would also consider a front tower to firewall brace. If you really want to go a step further, consider adding some unibody ties. Earlier Fox Mustangs needed these badly. Basically anything that'll help prevent the body, strut towers, etc. from twisting, the better it *should* handle, or what's already there will hold up better.

I had a 130 amp alt. from a Tribecca (casing needs some dremel work to physically fit, one extra rib on pulley closest to radiator is unused if you leave Tribecca pulley on, but otherwise it's 100% straight with narrower factory belt alignment; really hard current pulls can stress the slimmer belt to squeak so a little extra pre-tension is needed as well excellent belts) on for years and accidentally shorted a couple of it's diodes after the alt. 12v+ constant trigger "on" hit the casing. Diode(s) was shown as bad through multimeter. I swapped in a tested junk yard alternator from I think a 97' (was already pulled). I verified it's diodes were OK (no back current) and that it charges, though I think they swapped the factory plug around from a 95'? I have a soldered in wire on a spade lug for the trigger as the 95' plug wouldn't work with the Tribecca alt. Car sat for several months and battery was toast. Replaced battery. Started car one time with that battery and 130 amp Tribecca, then drove around the block to make sure it'd be OK for snowfall, then parked it with battery disconnected. Once other alt was procured, I pulled my battery charger out and let it charge. That battery went to 100% charge, but would drop to 25% charge sitting out of circuit in roughly 30 minutes. Also noticed it's sitting voltage was in the middle 11v range, so took it back and got another (all under a 5 year warranty from the 1st). Now, with the newer alt and battery, I'm still getting a drain. Haven't been able to test the pos+ cable off for the actual drain yet, but will try soon.

I'll put battery on charger today to double-check it's health. It's the 2nd one this year (gotta love 5 year warranties), and was just put in. Last one was staying around 11.5 volts (disconnected) and would drop rapidly after a charge. No interior lights. Car is a spartan winter vehicle atm to avoid salt on other car. It's falling apart and what's left of body probably won't make it longer than this winter, but having the dead battery constantly is annoying. I'll check the drain via the cable method and see what happens.

95' Legacy wagon. Alt was replaced as was the battery. No radio in the car. I thought it might have been something wonky with the power locks, so I pulled the underhood fuse and still getting drained after 24 hours. I do have a seat heater from a 97/98' Outback, but that's a key-on only via cig lighter. No lights are staying on. Thinking it has to be something connected to the engine at this point. Ideas?

Your CD player should be fine. What I was referring to was an external amplifier capable of demanding more current than the alternator can supply. If you are attempting the repair yourself, might as well add a couple extra redundant ground cables. One from engine to firewall/body, and another from battery to firewall/body. If a main ground is bad, it can cause hot wires to crap out. I've seen starter wires cook from poor grounds before. Again, not something you want to keep dealing with. If a live cable from the battery touches ground while the car is sitting overnight due to a future break, it can cause a fire.

P0420 can be failing cats. Random misfires ignored for too long can can cause this. At idle and engine fully warmed up, try smelling the tail pipe. If it smells like a motorcycle or a 1960's muscle car, chances are the cat has come apart internally. A vacuum gauge can be a big help here as it'll affect engine vacuum if there is a clog. I've seen cats partially come apart before, and there might be enough flow to allow the engine to run, but it won't run right, especially when you floor it and get higher into the revs. It'll feel like the trans is fighting you (auto) through the power band, or engine might climb the revs poorly. IF the cat's ceramic melts and make it in the pipes, they typically end up in the mufflers, and will act as a further obstruction.

Do you have anything aftermarket in the car? Like add-on fog lights, a car amplifier, etc.? I've never seen a charge wire do that on it's own. It's EXTREMELY dangerous though, like car on fire dangerous. It's possible the connection had a build up of acid? (the green stuff that looked like mold that used to end up on battery cables). Over time, it'd eat the cable, and the current would eventually be too much, and the wire will come apart. Normally I'd recommend replacing the entire cable with brand new, then monitor it daily. By monitor, get out and see if the rubber is melting or getting excessively HOT (alternator itself will cause a bunch of heat to enter the cable, you need to be concerned if it's ruining the integrity of the actual wire or not), but considering the nature of a possible car fire in the future, I'd have it towed and professionally inspected for your safety. I'm just a DIY'r.

https://www.obd-codes.com/p0505 That code points at the IAC. You can remove it, and see if it's dirty, clogged, gunked up. Can also double-check the connector is tight. With engine running, try wiggling it's connector, as well as the harness for it. If engine straightens out, find the loose connector or possibly wire break, including chaffed wiring. Could have a gasket leak at the sensor, bolts are loose for it, etc. If you replace, be sure to get a new gasket for it.

Cool! Glad it wasn't worse!

Please don't take what I posted as being mean-spirited or even haughty. Chances are your belt tensioner was knocking away. I've seen posts pop up here and there over the years where people get noise at some point after running thinner oils, whether it's coincidence or not, hard to say. The timing belt tensioner is hydraulic though. Lucky Texan's link shows how loud they can get @ the 4:30 mark.

I too am a Ford/Lincoln guy, and made a later-in-life jump to Subaru mainly for the AWD in winter and ended up enjoying the car more than I'd thought possible despite already having 170k when I got it. Even with 190k+ miles now on the non-interference ej22 and tons of horrid winter rust, it's still a great runner and shifts like a 60k mile car. Some newer models might have inherent issues, but a quick search lets you know what to expect.

Haven't been under the car. Got a heavy enough snow that I was forced to swap out cars, and the couple times I've had to drive it, I've been putting it neutral to start. Shifter freed back up once it got warm. Was referring to the gate the roll pin on the shifter stem resides on to lock-out reverse. Whereabouts is the turnbuckle you mentioned? Is it solely linkage (meaning probably rusted up) or is it an arm lever that resides through the trans case?

Well, uneven tire wear is usually an alignment issue, or something is failing and needs inspected. Take to a place that does free inspections and have them SHOW you what's bad.

The round nub that's bolted to the cowl, has an actual spline that the wiper arm attaches to. The actual wiper arm is keyed to the spline. The arm or the nub might be stripped. Remove the actual wiper ARM (not the blade) and inspect the spline for metal shavings. Use this for a generic pic reference : With the arm removed like in the pic, turn the wipers on. Try grabbing the nub with a rag and pinching it and see if it stops or tries twisting the rag. If it's completely motionless, something between the wiper motor and the nub came loose/broke free. If there's metal shavings and it's just the arm that's stripped, a replacement arm might be needed assuming the spline on the nub is OK. For reinstalling the wiper arm, put on the nub w/o bolting it down as close as possible to where it originally was. Turn wipers on. If the arm over/under travels i.e. it's hitting the trim at the outer/inner edge, turn off, lift up off the spline and rotate the arm in the opposite direction a few teeth and retry. Once it's window sweep is correct, bolt it back down.

With wipers OFF, grab the offending wiper arm and try and simulate it's automated movement. If it moves freely and the other wiper stays put, it might have stripped the spline the arm attaches to, or the levers under the cowl area might have broken free. If the wiper won't budge and the other starts to move with it (should be brief movement then binding as the motor isn't on), it might be something under the cowl. Would need to visually inspect for something loose while the wiper motor is on.

Yeah, price = condition - running - towing + work involved. Going in person and looking it over 30 min to an hour, while bantering, learning about what has and hasn't been done to it, if it over heated on HIM or maybe his wife that ignored it for a week, etc. all the while doing an out LOUD "mental" tab of what needs to be fixed; the fact it'll need towed to your home; is the best way to lock-in a realistic deal as you've established a rapport. If he sees you are serious, and plan to fix it, start with an offer. If he immediately rejects it, ask him how much he realistically wants for it then go from there. FWIW, I bought my 95' Legacy running, with at the time minor exterior rust and a busted rear crossmember for I think $750 and thew guy wanted $1k and had been trying to sell it for sometime. 5 years later and it still runs like a top, though the body is failing, and probably the last winter I'll get out of it. Also, FWIRW, a couple months ago I bought a 99' Continental (no rust, no dents, nice paint, everything works, 85k miles) for $650. It does have a rebuilt title, and needed 2 COPS replaced and had minor rodent chew on the COPS harness, but runs fine now and passed our emissions test. Car is leaps and bounds better than my 95' was/is, but due diligence can get you great deals If it's a basket case, go find a strong runner for $1500.