brus brother

just curious then why issue seems more prevalent in aftermarket axles and why it is rumored that replacing both axles with same brand axles reduces incidence of vibration.

LINK or perhaps use copper scouring pad that won't rust away like steel wool?

as first read in the magazine DOH!

Actually I do mean when idling in gear, like stopped at a light, which is why I joked "demonic possession". Makes no sense, but there it is anyway! Throw the car in neutral and the vibration disappears. It has been suggested that transmission mount may be at fault (and I do have one that is torn) but I had no issue prior to replacement of axle.

yup, got one aftermarket in my 05 OB AT and I have the vibration in gear at idle! Friggin' demonic possession, but there it is! I have read that if you replace both sides you won't get the vibration.

is it genuine Subaru or chain store aftermarket with lifetime warranty?? never a good choice according to the experts on the site but in your case if it came with a lifetime warranty, return for replacement...

Once while at the dealer, I complained of rattling heat shields and before I could protest, watched as they drilled a sheet metal screw through the shield into the exhaust! I have since taken to using large stainless hose clamps that cross the junction from one section to the next.

If no external leaks are noted and no drop in reservoir fluid level, Rampage's suggestion that internal master cylinder seals are failing, allowing fluid to pass by and not build pressure seems like a likely culprit.

I tried the sparkplug non-foulers but starting in 05 they weren't effective.

easy to check if the plugs and plug wires are seated completely. I once saw a post where the plugs weren't torqued properly, relying only on the feel of the washer.

Hard to believe that something diluted in your gas tank and then passing through the engine burn chamber will have much cleaning oomph by the time it makes it to the cat. If your 05 Imp is like my 05 Outback, there are three cats and 5 sensors. That's a lot of hardware to replace. I live in CT requiring OBD-II emissions testing. I've always been curious what an old school tailpipe sniffer would actually disclose about emissions when P0420 shows up. As you, my understanding of "catalytic efficiency Bank 1 below threshold" can result from many issues. Also, what is that actual "below" threshold and are these cars tuned so tightly for federal regulations that the slightest "below" triggers the code without actually melting the polar ice caps? There doesn't appear to be any performance issues with my 05 Outback and I have had the code recurring for the past 100K miles starting first around 105K miles. Car had TB and plugs changed 5K before the code first arose. I first changed Bank 1 (passenger) front (pre-cat) O2 sensor. No change. Then Bank 1 rear sensor. No change. Then the passenger front converter. This then resulted in Bank 2 below threshold code. Every 2 years, for inspection, I cleared the code and allowed system readiness then hurried to the local testing station to buy another 2 years of "pass". As years have passed and the car aged, the cost effectiveness of deep diving into chasing the code has tipped to the negative. I recently experimented with installing a resistor spliced into the post cat signal wire (I think 1 mega ohm). I no longer get the P0420 but now I get a P2098 and am not sure if it is related to my Frankenstein electrical trickery. Google "P0420 resistor capacitor" if you just want to experiment with turning off the CEL light show and re-enable cruise control. There you'll find a YouTube video of another method using a capacitor and resistor, that I may yet try. Note that the sensor wires are stainless steel so soldering is not easy and in my case, I resorted to simply twisting the wires and covering with heat shrink tubing.

It saves you money!

thanks.

Where do you buy yours? I'm in the CT rust belt. Do you use the old connectors or the ones that come with the kits?

Friend's 2000 chrysler concorde brake lines blew out last week while exiting a hwy on a turn. They are all rusted. This guy is no stranger to "older" cars since he owns 5 1968 vintage Subaru 360s. Any suggestions for best brake line material to use that is easy to flare/install? I recall a debate on the site but can't find the post. Don't want to do that job (or end up brakeless) more than once.

been reusing mine also for MANY years on oil and trans. no problems here.

show parts department the pic and he should be able to match up with their diagram.

Suggestion linked below but you might want to first visually inspect and fiddle with the wires (professional terminology).

Get the code(s) read at Autozone or some other chain that will do it for free if you don't have your own reader. No use in throwing your wallet at the car until you know what is wrong.

similar thing happened to me with warranty seat belt replacement but by the time I realized the mess, any chance of getting it resolved was nill. go get em NOW!

Start with any notes the previous owner left that might lead you to his dealer. Then check whether they used synthetic or dino ATF. If no notes, call Subaru of America and they can lead you in the right direction. For example, give them your vin and ask if they did the Tekata airbag recall and what dealer performed the recall. Your Forrester is high enough off the ground that you can get a piece of cardboard and slide yourself underneath to drain the fluid. You'll need a long neck funnel to reach the trany dipstick hole to refill. Buy a 5 pack of crush washers at the dealer though I have been using the same old one for years without leakage. I use genuine Subaru AT fluid. Cost is not that much more than generic. But others here may point you to another brand same as genuine packaged under another name. As others have suggested, after you compare overall cost and your time, decide whether you want to do it yourself. It is dirt simple and you will be done in less time than it will take to drive to the dealer. Oh and if you didn't know, stores like Autozone will take the old fluid to recycle. Don't dump it down the sewer grates. The alligators hate that stuff!

"NOT TERRIBLE"?? Is that a comforting diagnosis? Very few of us do the machine method where you change it all out i.e. running a pump and replacing the total volume in a closed loop. Doing the simple drain, yes you will leave some of the old ATF fluid in there but if done correctly, you will not be overfilling it since you will be only replacing as much as you take out, roughly 4+ quarts. Think of it this way, when you exhale, you do not completely empty your lungs of the "old" air and on the next breath, you only inhale as much as you exhaled. You don't over-inhale and explode (if done properly). Get it? The remaining "old" air over successive breaths gradually mixes with the new air and you keep on living. I have 200K on my 2005 and 140K on my 2008 Outbacks and do the simple maintenance like oil and transmission fluid changes myself. I've heard too many horror stories of fast service shops mistakenly draining the transmission and then overfilling the oil! Good thing is that, as you report, it has been dealer serviced so they likely had more done than what was needed to be done and the car is likely in good shape for now. I cringe when I sit at the dealer and listen to the hard sell to unsuspecting customers. You probably can get a history of the maintenance if you know the dealer used and go from there. All that being said, there are many here who are pros, some with real shops, and others like myself that would rather do the simple things and know they were done right instead of sitting at a dealer for hours on end waiting for them to change the blinker fluid and charge me through the nose for the privilege. Depending on where you live in Bklyn, you may not have the luxury of being able to work on your car but if you do, it isn't that difficult to do the simple stuff. Capeesh?

Do you have any idea of the maintenance that was done prior to your ownership? Did you check the fluid level? It should be done with the engine running and after having been warmed up and driven through the gears. How does the at fluid look/smell? It should be pinkish in color (not brown) and not have a burnt smell. It isn't all that difficult to change. Really not any more difficult than changing the oil if you are comfortable with that. Routine changes are important as the fluid does degrade over time and is meant to lubricate moving parts.

Does it by any chance happen while going uphill? The reason I ask is from reading posts on the message board where catalytic converter material had broken apart and under certain conditions where gravity would move the material it would obstruct the exhaust. In fact I was in a friend's Ford van where gradual loss of power got to the point where the car wouldn't even move. Disconnected the exhaust before the cat and it ran fine (albeit LOUD AS HELL) . BTW, the hills in this case were minimal. BTW what is the exact code you are getting?