bulwnkl

Does it matter which way the ATF flows through the stock Subaru cooler (the one that's integral to the main coolant radiator)? I'm taking off my aftermarket cooler (not towing heavy any more), and don't want to blow coolant everywhere just to find out which line is supply and which is return. Does it even make any difference? I wouldn't think so, but I'm sure some of you will know better than I. Thanks.

CraigC, one cannot base octane choice on compression ratio alone. Your rule of thumb may be very prudent when there is no other information available at all, and I'd agree in a very general way that a compression ratio in that range is historically been reserved for premium-fuel cars. However, it's actually cylinder compression or pressure rather than compression ratio that determines how resistant to pre-ignition your fuel must be. And, compression ratio is not the only thing that determines compression (or cylinder pressure if you prefer).

Thanks to the search function, I'd like to bring this thread back up. I see at least a couple of these 'kits' from theimportexperts that claim to be the right one for my '05 Baja turbo (EJ-255). They seem to differ in price and in whether you get the entire tensioner (hydraulic adjuster) or just the 32mm bearing insert for it. So, are you guys changing the tensioner itself (hydraulic adjuster) when you do timing belts? That doesn't seem to me to be a part that would fail absent some sort of explosion or something. Did I miss something?

Thanks for the follow-up, eryque. The WRs are fairly popular in this area, and I've wondered about a set of them before myself. As an aside, Firestone Firehawk tires I've had in the past (the Firehawk line at least used to encompass a wide variety of tires) were outstanding. They dropped the specific Firehawks I once had on my SAAB, and I've never driven on WRs. Had some Hakka Qs, but never WRs.

I run annual analyses on our personal vehicles, and I also have the fleet at work monitored through analysis (not diesel semis; gasoline pickups, some SUVs, and a couple cars & vans). It's worth the money to me, and is all the more worthwhile if you plan to keep a vehicle for a looooong time. For example, this UOA might tell the OP that he has a slight coolant leak. It's not chewing up the engine internals yet, but of course it will over time and as it increases. Or, maybe the elemental levels that would otherwise indicate a small coolant leak are part of the Maxlife additive package. Blackstone labs should know this if they dug through their database to find out, but that's not part of what they give you for your money. Their analyses are good given the equipment and people they have, and their service is very good, but their narrative interpretations are entirely feel-good things that are frequently telling you precisely the opposite of what's going on. IF you want to really understand what's going on, go see Dyson Analysis (.com). Dyson is the best I know of that's even close to consumer priced. He has experience the other labs never will nor can. He can and has told me of issues (like intake tract leaks, failing coil packs long before a CEL is lit, internal deposit build-up, and so forth) before anything else can catch them. Dyson's service is $100 at present, but it's worth it. Dyson monitors the fleet at work, and if he was no longer available, I'm not sure I'd bother to spend our money anywhere else. For alternatives to Blackstone and Dyson, check with Staveley Services or Polaris. Best way is to go through your local oil distributor (see the yellow pages).

How about for an '05 turbo Baja? For my use, I need to dump more heat. The thermostat regulates the temp fine, until I work it hard and consistently. At that point, the stock cooling system just can't dump enough heat to keep up. Any sources?

Though I can't recall whether new Subies take 5W20 or not, I thought it might be of interest to some here to know that Renewable Lube is making an HD20 for the fleet I represent at work. This fluid is being made for us, and should end up ~9cSt and 10-12 TBN. It is designed as a very cost-effective yet higher-, better-tech Heavy Duty lube formulation that will allow us to run 1 motor oil and cover our entire fleet (Fords, Dodges, and Chevys from current MY back to ~'96). This is a fluid I've worked with RLI to build for us, and our fleet's Dyson Analysis results and feedback have been instrumental in my working with RLI to build it. Our first order went in last week, so if any here are interested, understanding that this fluid has not been field tested by us yet, call RLI and see whether you can piggy-back an order on this production run. DISCLAIMERS: Many of you know that we're a Renewable Lubes customer for the fleet at work. Many of you also know that we're a Dyson Analysis customer. All that notwithstanding, we get zero from anyone else inquiring about this fluid. It's just a product that I'd be interested in if someone else was spec'ing it, so I thought I'd share.

Whether camber's adjustable or not, that's not the issue. Negative camber won't wear out the insides. That's most likely a toe problem (though perhaps combined with extra negative camber). Could also be bushings and/or struts that are allowing excessive toe changes as the car runs down the road.

I've seen a couple of those for sale around here. Never went to look at them, though. Interesting!

"Look in the owner's manual" is not a useful response. I know that for me the trouble is this (I own an '05 Baja with the 4EAT): 1) Dexron III is no longer licensed, and therefore one cannot be assured that they're getting what Dex-III was when it was still being produced (many marketers changed their product formulation (cheaper) when the licenses expired), 2) Dexron VI is a considerably thinner viscosity than the older Dex specs were. The older Dex specs normally sheared down to about what Dex VI starts as, though, 3) I have not found anyone who is willing to say what the viscosity of Subaru's HP ATF is, but I believe it is similar to the older Dex III fluids, 4) I have no information about whether the HP ATF shears down like the older Dex specs did (Dex VI is quite a stable fluid), 5) NO ONE is willing to say how the friction characteristics of Dex VI and Subaru HP ATF compare, 6) GM (designer and licensor of the Dexron specifications) says to use Dexron VI to replace any older Dexron fluid spec, 7) Subaru says to use their HP ATF in older transmissions. See how #6 and #7 are in conflict? Especially with #1 - 5 in mind?

Correctamundo! This is not a mystery, it's a Subaru!

HAHAHA! You're funny!

With one notable exception, so have I. This is the main thing, IMO; brakes. I'd not be concerned about the weight given appropriate care/caution. The brakes are going to be the weak point though. Do the U-Haul dollies have "surge" brakes in them? That's essentially a brake master cylinder built into the tongue. When you slow down, the trailer tries to keep going, which 'collapses' or shortens the hitch tongue just a bit. This applies the trailer's built-in hydraulic brakes. The harder you brake, the harder the trailer's brakes apply themselves. To me, this is the best kind of trailer brake system for nearly anything. Only trouble is backing, especially up hills. The brakes will apply and screw it all up unless you put a little plate in the tongue to prevent the hitch collapsing and applying the brakes. Anyway, if the U-Haul dollies have this system, them you're covered for brakes and I'd do it in an instant.

Yeah, I can only comment on my Subarus vs. my other vehicles, that's for certain. However, I don't tend to keep any given make any longer than another. My highest-mileage Subaru was my XT6, which I sold at ~105,000. My Baja is approaching 99k. My Neon had 75-80k when I sold it (no issue), the Outback (which had the problem) had under 60k when we sold it. My farm pickups were nearly all Dodges, and all the but the last one was over 100k when they were sold. I agree that sulfur levels in fuel are primarily a result of what refinery made the fuel. Here, 80%+ of the fuel comes from Salt Lake City, with a bit out of Wyoming. The SLC fuel is remarkably low sulfur, at least in the summer, based on UOAs (easy to see fuel sulfur levels that way). I normally buy Wyoming-made stuff 'cause it's higher octane at the same price (ethanol blend). It is definitely higher-sulfur, though that's not negatively impacting our Mazda thus far. It's just odd. Curious as to whether Subaru uses a slightly different alloy, or whether the sensors/senders are differently placed or shielded compared to other makes, or something like that. As was said higher up, one can simply learn that the gauge doesn't mean what the marks say, and also use the trip meter. It's just odd and uniquely Subaru in my experience.

Techron is believed to clean sulfur deposits off the contacts, huh? I've had 2 relatively late-model Subarus whose fuel gauges read lower over time (3 if you count the XT6), and only 1 which didn't (got rid of it at under 12,000 miles). One of them wouldn't read much above 3/4 even when stuffed full to the point of spilling. I use other products that clean injectors and such as well as or better than Techron in every tank. The issue happens anyway. Subarus are the only vehicles I can call to mind that I've had this issue with in my lifetime, excepting a '76 Dodge pickup which was that way from new. Why are Subarus (at least some of them) so much more prone than other makes to having their fuel level sensors/senders accuracy degrade over time?

I couldn't get an edit to take. What I was trying to say about depreciation above is that you'll still take heavy depreciation 'expense' unless you buy 3-5 years old.

In terms of new vs. used, depreciation curves look about the same year-to-year for the first 3 to 5 years (make- and model-dependent, of course), so you're not likely to save very much by going used unless you get 3-5 years out. Also, and I'm likely to be burned as a heretic for this: Following book maintenance and using overall averages for repairs, duration of ownership, etc., Subarus are a bit on the expensive side for total cost of ownership. If it's true lowest $/mile you're after and don't want or need a Subaru in particular, you're better off looking elsewhwere. Having said all that, the brand new Subies look like good machines to me. I drive an '05 Baja, and it's the bomb! For your line of work I've have chosen the naturally-aspirated model for mpg reasons, but then again the turbo (EJ-255) engine doesn't have any head gasket issues whether they'd fixed them by '05 or not. I beat EPA mpg estimates in mine, but I can't touch the N/A mpg. Good luck! and be sure you drive whatever you're interested in.

If they're the double-iridium NGKs then they can last 100,000 miles. As it happens, I replaced mine at a bit less than 100k, but they showed no visible signs of needing replacement and there was no mpg improvement after I replaced them. I replaced them w/V-Powers because I'm cheap.

There is NO reason in the world to not use "free" iridiums you have on-hand rather than buying another set of plugs. While V-Powers are adequate in all respects, the iridiums actually have a better opportunity to ignite the fuel-air mixture 'better' and thus have it burn more completely. They also last vastly longer. Whether you'll see a monetary payoff sufficient to cover the higher price is almost impossible to tell except under lab-grade controlled conditions, but since yours are "free," you'd be foolish to not use them.

I've heard it said that leaking and/or bad injectors (meaning not spraying a proper pattern) can cause idle shake? I don't really know that for sure, though. I can tell you I have an '05 Baja (EJ-255 (turbo)) and when I come to a stop if I shift into neutral (it's an A/T) the idle will shake the whole truck. Stick it in drive and it's smooth as silk. No misfiring that I or the CEL can detect. MPG is good vs. EPA ratings. I thought idle shake was a 'feature' of Subarus?

In the interest of clarity: There is no such thing as Dexron II or III any more They don't license it any more. Lots of fluids still claim that they are Dexron II and III, but since there is no license for it any more, you cannot know whether it actually meets the spec any more. It's also the case that MANY of the companies that make Dex III type fluids changed their formulations after the licenses were no longer being issued. So don't think that just because they say it's OK, that it's actually a Dex III fluid. GM (who licenses Dexron fluids) says to use Dexron VI in place of all previous Dexrons. Subaru says to use their proprietary ATF now in older vehicles in place of Dexron II or III. The thing is, the new Subaru ATF and Dexron VI are quite different fluids. So in the end, you have 2 recommendations to use 2 noticeably different fluids in an older Subaru, which was designed around a fluid that is different than either of those two. What is a boy to use? It appears that one may choose at their own peril.

Throttle open is the proper procedure. If it was me, even though the compression is fairly even (all cylinders within 10% of each other is generally the limit), I'd probably pass if it's that low. I wouldn't necessarily suppose there's that much engine wear after only 100k. My money would be on carbon deposits in the rings, but I wouldn't place that bet unless I didn't really need the car anyway and it was very, very inexpensive.

Sorry about the blown turbo and the expense of getting it replaced. Might ask the mechanic whether they checked and cleaned the turbo oil supply line screen? Likely not the issue here, but it'd be a shame to toast a brand new turbo for lack of checking/cleaning that screen.

To the original question: No, you do not need a torque wrench to install plugs in a Subaru. Why? They use the little crush/compression washer, and the instructions right on the box say to tighten 1/x of a turn after the washer makes contact. Simple. As for the Champions, you'll never be able to tell whether they're Champions or NGKs. I have had some experience with the concept that this plug works in this car, that one in that car, etc, but I've never, ever had a Champion not work in an application. I kind of think they're like Buicks or something: People like to talk trash about them, but the objective reality is that they work better and less expensively than almost everything else out there most of the time.

+all the above. Sorry, friend, but you most likely have a very serious turbo problem. DO NOT DRIVE THE TRUCK.