brus brother

The first store told me that the system couldn't be checked any further with a reading of "replace battery". I took the rep's word but then did go and get the second opinion and that was the complete readout. The second one says the battery is good... that was about one hours worth of highway driving after the death sentence... Still puzzled.

Suddenly today, my 05 OB wouldn't start. Click, click, click, click but no start. Jumped the battery and it started right up. Figured battery at end of life so drove it to Advanced Auto for a free evaluation. Rep hooked up machine and got a readout "Replace Battery" Drove a while longer (bought a replacement from Walmart) and then figured I'd check again so went to a different Advanced Auto and it now appears to pass. I have attached both printouts. The "replace battery" was the first. Any feedback appreciated.

Are the cv boots torn? That is one funky smell when that grease splashes around the engine bay.

Not sure (other members please confirm) but I read somewhere that if you use a temperature gun and scan the front joint and the rear joint of a catalytic converter that the rear should be approximately 70-80 degrees hotter.

what year is your car?

I recall a problem with the seal between the lens and the body. Try good ole duct tape around the lens and see if that eliminates the leak. If it works, you will need to remove the lens and use a sealant as described and linked below on the forum. Did a search (leaking tail light) here: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/83830-how-to-remove-forester-tailight-assembly/ It talks about a ribbon of butyl sealer from windshield installers to reseat/reseal the lens against the body. BTW to remove the duct tape adhesive left behind after the test, the best and least aggressive method is olive or any really any vegetable oil on a rag. This works for any adhesive, tar, etc.

http://www.cars101.com/subaru/keyless.html Start at the bottom of the link and scroll up. There are a number of ways of disarming the alarm. It does appear that that ring with the bare wires should be where the button "was" Also check out: http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/66-problems-maintenance/51816-cleaning-battery-terminals-flashing-lights.html and screen shot below.

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/84847-fixed-trany-delayed-forward-engagement/

http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/66-problems-maintenance/36746-2007-subaru-outback-navigation-goes-blank-black.html I found the above link interesting in that it links to articles describing weak/cold solder joints or weak connectors to the boards. Funny thing is that the linked article speaks about the 05 radio/hvac units and I can attest that I have the same problem and now know where to look for a remedy should mine get worse or bothers me enough. Whether or not the above links head you off in the right direction, it is always good to note that common things happen commonly ;-) If you only feel comfortable disassembling and refreshing ribbon contacts, fine. If you want to get out a soldering iron... more power to you. If someone says you need a whole new unit then have at the damn thing. You've got nothing to lose! Did you get a description of the work performed in the prior repair?? Were the symptoms the same at that time? That might give you some direction as well.

Lifetime seat-belt warranty in the US: Lifetime seat-belt warranty means that any issue that effects the proper operation of the seat belt or a latch or sensor is covered free of charge. I suggest you don't say too much about how your subie got to its current condition. Say only that you have tried everything to get it to retract and "gosh, the darn thing just isn't working properly" and let them disassemble your car to fix it under warranty.

Is this a Legacy sedan or outback? Where does the seat belt attach? Is it on the rear deck? There should be a way of accessing the mechanism and freeing up the lock to release it so it can be retracted.

Batsards!

Was your car part of the recall for rustproofing of the brake lines? My 05 and 08 were recalled twice for this condition. Check with a dealer or better yet, call SOA to see if there is any remedy. While the area for recalls may be regional (the rust belt states) you could always make a case that the recall didn't go far enough and that you/your car often make trips to areas where road salt is used?? edit: just saw you are from Pa. surely part of the rust belt there.

Update: 1. Received Cat from Eastern today BUT 2. Managed to clear the code and get all systems to read as ready and passed emissions testing SO 3. I am now the proud owner of a cat that won't be needed for at least two years until emissions testing rolls around again. Sorry but I won't be able to contribute more to the discussion for now. UPDATE: Called AutoAnything.com and they sold me a return label for $10 AND no restocking fee! Can't beat that for service and I don't need to store the cat on the off chance that I will need it in the next 2 years before inspection rolls around again.

Sorry Rooster to hear about the Adobe Reader download. Did you download directly from Adobe or some third party where you would more than likely get one of those viruses and probably even a cold sore on your lip! Combofix (always free through Bleeping Computer) and Malwarebytes (free version) are two outstanding programs that I have used throughout the years to clean up horribly infected computers. Malwarebytes is fairly straightforward. Bleeping Computer is to computers what USMB is to Subarus. Outstanding members who will walk you through the most difficult computer infection though they probably won't be able to do much about that cold sore on your lip ;-)

http://www.easterncatalytic.com/education/tech-tips/the-misleading-nature-of-the-po42o-code/ There's a lot of good reading on the P0420 on the above link. Eastern Catalytic sells cats but the info concerns proper diagnostic steps and other sections deal with preventive measures for healthy cats.

yup. I have the 2005 cal spec 3 cat/5sensor mess. 150,000 miles now but started with the p0420 around 105K miles. For the past 4 years I had been able to reset the ecm and pass inspection BUT now I can't seem to get the systems to read as ready before a new p0420 pops up. I worked with cardoc (cited above by grossgary) a year ago and at that time after MANY scanned runs and resets, he diagnosed that the B1 cat was toast. Today I ordered a $250 Eastern Catalytic converter (5yr/50K mile warranty) bank 1 for the car and will report back. If it gets me through inspection and another 2 years down the road, I'll feel like the money was well spent. Can't see throwing $1500+ into this car when the results can be so iffy even with SOA parts. The front sensor had been replaced already and the Bosch tech advised that a lazy rear sensor would have only worked in my favor. Alls I know is what I read on the internet or heard on Roller Derby... and what cardoc told me! Fingers crossed.

I hadn't heard of the bad battery/charging conditions... I am up against this P0420 right now with a pending emissions inspection. For the past five years I have been able to clear the code and set the systems to pass emissions but now after I erase the codes, the computer throws another P0420 even before the systems are set. This 05 MY has 3 cats and 5 O2 sensors. Now who thought that was necessary??

Do you have glass insurance on your car. Here in CT where trees are forever crashing down and deer are eager to go lap dancing with drivers, such insurance is pretty standard even without a deductible. Next, you need an "event" to make the glass replaceable under their terms. Have to agree with Rooster in that it is likely a scratch in the glass. Ask a repair shop IF it can be reduced without affecting the optics of the windshield.

Thanks for the link Fairtax. I cleared the code and will monitor if it comes back. No symptoms to report yet. Perhaps a squirrely patch of ice or gravel set the ABS into puzzlement mode.

Went to clear my persistent P0420 code today in preparation for emissions testing and noticed I also have a P0500 code in the history. No CEL right now. No symptoms. The speedometer works fine. I will clear the codes and see if the P0500 returns. Any suggestions where to look, what to do?

stainless steel hose clamp and you're done

do the overhead lights go on and off as expected when the door is open or closed? related to door switch? i mashed mine up last year closing the door against the seat belt which broke the switch.

"An engine running issue can be very intermittent, and with OBD1, the damn thing could be on fire and it wouldn't trip a CEL." Now that's FUNNY!

Is there ANY seepage of oil from the struts? Not that this is necessarily diagnostic BUT during last winter, I noticed all sorts of noises coming from the rear of my 05 OB and the car was skipping all over the road after I hit a bump. Replaced struts (leaking) and sway bar links (had some play) and all was well. Bought KYB struts from local Autozone with a price match to someone else on-line and got the sway bar links there as well. It's a dirty job and was way too cold so I had a Subie tech work on it after hours for $150 labor.