brus brother

Auto or manual transmission? How many miles? Does the sound go away if you step on the brake? Does the sound occur if car is stationary? Is it by any chance a loose heat shield on the exhaust rattling? What are the transmission and/or catalytic codes/issues? Did you get the codes read? The catalytic converter code is usually P0420 and while you can throw your wallet at the car, results may vary.

I like these micro torches for working in tight spaces, loosening fasteners ~$13 at Harbor Freight. Push button on and off.

Just occurred to me... the other day I heard a ticking noise coming from the drivers side with the severe oil leak. I took out ye old stethoscope and isolated the tick to the driver side valve area. If all the oil had seeped out of the bottom of the vc while the car sat for a few days, would this account for the ticking on startup that went away after a few minutes? @sirtoke regarding bottom out removal for driver side, I took a quick look and first thing I would need to do would be to remove the oil soaked engine dust shield. I may end up doing just that to see if my fat arms can swing in from underneath to catch that rear bolt. Digging that far in, I would also have the potential to remove the wheel well shield and gain side access that way. Still trying to assemble the floor jack and appropriate sockets in the event that I need to raise the engine, if I had already detached the vc. I know I am probably overthinking this but there is an old military adage, the 6 Ps. Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

Check over at subaruoutback.org Cardoc has a posting (about 1981 posts, 100 pages worth) HERE He is very generous with his time and will help interpret your readings. I tried replacing passenger side Air Fuel and front O2 sensor and the cat converter without success. My car has 3 cats, 2 AF sensors, two front O2 sensors and one rear O2 sensor. At 200K miles, I am not going to throw my wallet at any more fixes. Good luck and let us know how it works out.

I have had P0420 on my 05 OB for the last ~100k miles. I live in an emissions testing state. I have tried inserting the resistor trick on the O2 signal wire but while the P0420 went away, I started throwing P0298 immediately. Uninstalled the resistor and back to the P0420. While P0298 comes on almost immediately after clearing the codes, I can clear the P0420 and then have enough time to get all the systems "ready" to pass inspection. Procedure for readiness: I use an old Autel Maxiscan LINK listed from China for cheap if you can wait for delivery of there are similar US sellers for $18-20 It's cheap enough to keep in the car and plug into the OBD port without fiddling around with opening programs on your phone to mate with the other types. But, both types will do the same thing. Best done with 1/2 tank of gas 1. Clear codes 2. Start car without stepping on the gas (it will take a few cranks as the ECU is starting from scratch). 3. Let car idle for 15 minutes without touching the gas 4. Drive car about 10-15 minutes at highway speed (55 mph) trying to keep speed constant (no braking or hard acceleration) 5. Check for system readiness and if all set as ready, drive to inspection station. I check for inspection stations nearby and plan my route accordingly. Last time it took a few tries to hit the sweet spot but I am now good for another year and a hlaf. I have been doing this for the past 7 years through three inspection cycles.

low fluid? long shot: any chance you disconnected battery while working? alternator output?

Thanks Ido... I do have the FSM, but "rocker cover" gasket nomenclature wasn't what I expected. They don't mention any sealant but then again, they don't mention that you need to be a circus oddity to get your hands down into those spaces. Instructions: "remove" and "replace". Thanks Captain Fuji Obvious. I may end up tweaking the engine up a bit. I am in the rust belt but am blessed with an oil soaked undercarriage due to mild drivers side HG leak and passenger side top rear HG leak. Lucky me! I will borrow up a 6 point socket before customizing the engine mount nut with my 12 point junk. The left "rocker cover" gasket is a serious leaker now so stand by for a full report on the adventure. @Moosens, yes I retired! I am finding crossover usage of my old tools. If you stop by we can experiment with channel locks and oil filter wrenches for all your dental needs ;-)

sir toke what model and year?

one video I watched suggested using gasket maker sealant when placing the gasket in the valve cover. is this factory spec or just belts and suspenders and to make sure the gasket doesn't get dislodged when reinserting the valve cover? I bought the FelPro gasket set.

Friendly subie tech said loosen the passenger motor mount remove the driver motor mount and tilt the motor. My plan is to remove the oil soaked shield below the engine bay and see if I can access the rear lower vc bolt and wiggle the cover out without disassembling too much else. As a retired dentist, I am used to working in tight spaces and never considered the option to remove the ear to work on a back tooth. ;-)

spoke too soon still leaking. gasket is probably smushed and no longer sealing. hold onto my ankles, I'm going in!

05 outback 200K miles puddling oil. Yes I have had external HG leaks for quite some time but all of a sudden, there was a lot of oil leaking. Watched a number of videos on replacing the valve cover gasket and plug seals. Today I investigated how tight the quarters are for my fat hands and to my amazement, the lower front bolt on the drivers side was so loose I could turn more than one full turn by hand! Checked other bolts and they seem OK (alright, I didn't get to the lower rear bolt). Will check that another day. Fingers crossed that fixes the leak... for now.

teach an old dog new tricks! never thought of the PB Blaster trick. also, is it better to try removing plugs while engine is warm?

Well for $5.33 for the part that you linked, it seems you should upgrade from the penny/gorilla tape as you might want a more permanent fix. Check with local Subie dealers in Tucson if any are close to you to avoid shipping charges? E BAY listing HERE with free shipping for $5.27 Otherwise for the link you posted, shipping may be more than the part cost! Looks like about $10 shipping!! Good work on noodling through the problem.

subarupartsforyou.com

Same issue on 96 Imprezza Outback click HERE In the link above, Sea#3 mentions another possible location of problem, but after brake switch replaced (twice incorrectly) and finally using correct part matched by VIN # all is well in Subieland. 305,000 miles is impressive. Welcome to the Board.

Doris. You might not want to tackle the switch but the above video will give you an idea of what is involved.

While they could be two separate issues, I'm liking Rampage's idea above. If the rear brake lights are on due to the brake light switch being stuck, this would also deactivate cruise control I don't really cruise much but I recall that when you step on the brake, the car will disengage cruise. Poor lil Subie thinks ya got your foot on the brake pedal. Switch broken = rear brake lights on + no cruise Mathematicological problem solved ;-)

not a subaru but I think you are heading in the right direction.

first thing to check is the rocker switch on top of the steering column. If it is in the on position, the marker lights will stay on. It's a European thing. Here it is just used to kill your battery if you hit it by mistake. Try throwing the switch and see if the lights go out.

do you want metric or standard value?

try spraying a little water around the wires with the engine running esp. at night and see if there are any sparkly lights had the same issue a few months ago on my 08 when it was exceptionally damp in my cold garage ran rough and code issued it hasn't recurred.

Thanks all and thanks Mitchy for the tip on using the screwdriver wedged into the tubing to keep it on the straight and narrow when inserting spark plugs into the abyss. Great trick.

Again, what year, and model???? There are excellent youtube videos on how to completely tear down and reassemble SOHC and DOHC Subaru engines. Click on either SOHC or DOHC links above and have at it. Here's another LINK to a great one for SOHC