keith3267

I noticed on my 14 Legacy that there seems to be a delay between the spritz and the wiper action. I like this. On older cars, by the time the cleaning solution hit the windshield, the wiper was more that half way through its cycle and made a mess of everything. I wouldn't change anything about the windshield washer on this vehicle.

Don't be fooled by high CCA numbers, there are a lot of factors that go into selecting the proper battery for your vehicle. The group number is the physical size of the battery. Some times it will have a letter at the end to indicate which side the positive terminal is on. Group 26 is one of those and the R means that the positive post is on the right. There is a Group 26L also. Storage batteries in general are designated as high energy or deep cycle. Deep discharge batteries provide a low current over a long time for things like battery back-ups (UPS), trolling motors on fishing boats etc. High energy batteries provide a high current for short periods of time for things like the starter motor in your car. This is where you see the CCA numbers. Deep discharge batteries have fewer but thicker plates in them. This is why they don't provide a high CCA but they can run for a long time and discharge to very low levels without damage. The plates are very rugged and don't warp easily. High energy batteries have many more, but thinner plates. This greatly increases the plate surface area to the acid and increases the instantaneous current available. But because the plates are thinner, they cannot discharge deeply or they will get damaged. As batteries age, the plates erode and sometimes warp. Over time they loose some of that CCA capacity. A high CCA battery can degrade much quicker that a lower CCA battery although the high CCA batteries often come with longer warranties. Part of the reasoning is that they degrade at a faster rate, but they start at a higher capacity to begin with. My experience with them is that they don't last through the warranty period and the prorated refund is not very much, and to get that, you have to buy a new battery from the same store (or chain of stores) to get it. I see it as a trap. Buying a quality battery (Interstate is a quality battery, but there are others) at or slightly above the OEM will yield the longest service. Those little circles on the label of your battery are used to indicate the month and year the battery was sold and determines the warranty. The retailer should have punched out the appropriate circles on your battery and it looks like they didn't. The only way to get any remaining prorated value from the warranty, if the battery isn't out of warranty would be to have the receipt. All indications are that your battery is not long for the world. You should go ahead and replace it. You car will still be harder to start in cold weather, all cars are, but at least it will be less likely to not start and leave you stranded.

I believe the transmission must also be in gear for the DLR's to come on.

Could have been a kid with a pellet gun. That happened to me once.

Rotella is being reformulated to have lower levels of ZDDP to meet the new CJ-4 spec. However is should still have enough to protect turbocharged engines.

Do you have a haze on the inside of the windshield? Try scrapping it with a fingernail and if it makes a mark, then you need to clean the inside of the windshield first. This haze comes from outgassing of the plastics used on the interior of the vehicle and can be VERY difficult to remove. I find that starting with a small bucket of hot water, a little dishwashing detergent and a washcloth works for the bulk of it. Laundry detergent may work as well but I haven't tried that yet. Wash the window on the inside, then wring out the washcloth and remove as much detergent as possible. The rinse out the washcloth in plain water and finish removing any soapy residue. Then dry with a microfiber cloth. Do not use paper towels, cloth washcloths cut through the haze faster. Use microfiber for drying only. You may need to apply a lot of pressure to the microfiber cloth to get some of the residue off. Just no easy way. Use Rain-X on the outside of the windshield. The best part of using Rain-X is not needing the wipers but that it doesn't allow rain water to form a film that can be difficult to see through in a down pour. Forward visibility is greatly improved in a heavy rain.

It's more about tread pattern than profile. Try a different tire. I have the same model and it came with the same tires as yours. Due to a rock hazard, I had to replace all four tires so I went with Michelin Premier 215-55 17. The slightly higher profile fits just fine and have a slightly better ride but the noise is about the same. I did not know at the time that the MXV-4 Michelin is available in that size (215-55 17) or I would have bought those. They are about the quietest tire I've experienced. They are OEM on new Honda Accords and are only available in that size now.

I guess I have to stand corrected on the side clearances of the bearings. I got that information from somewhere but I don't remember where and I have not been able to find it again. It was not specific for Subaru, it was from a generic source so it might still apply to some manufacturers. There is one change in the new Subaru engines for 0w20 oil and that is the oil filter bypass valve. It was changed to a lower dP (delta pressure or differential pressure) to maintain higher oil pressure to the bearings. Last thing you would want with thin oil is lower pressure, but that would not preclude using a higher viscosity oil. I'm still going to use Mobil 1 FE for the time being. I was going to use Pennzoil synthetic but I used it in my daughters 14 Camry and when I changed it the second time (40k, the dealer did the first two oil changes), I noticed some sludge inside the oil filter housing. I don't know if the sludge was due to the oil that the dealer used for the free 24 month maintenance or the 10k oil change interval or the Pennzoil, but we are switching her to Mobil 1 FE and a 7500 mile interval. GD, thanks for the link to the service manual. I always buy the FSM with every new car I buy, but when I bought the Subaru, they would not sell me a FSM. I looked into an AllData account but at that time, they had no Subaru information after 2012. Subaru only offered a subscription service to their website, not cheap either. I hadn't checked since then so I don't know if they changed their policies but I would not have bought the Subaru if I had known that I couldn't buy the FSM.

I use Mobil 1 FE which is their fuel economy version. In any engine that specifies 0w20 synthetic, I would highly recommend against using a different grade of oil such as 5w30. It isn't specified just for CAFE reasons, the engine is designed to use this oil.

This is the first time you have had to add oil between oil changes, and you feel it is really too soon after the previous oil change? If that is the case, I suspect that the issue you are having is with the oil change itself. My suspicion is that someone over tightened either the oil filter or the drain plug, or did not replace the drain plug gasket. A ring problem would not cause such a drastic change in oil consumption. I have found that my Subaru (14 Legacy 2.5) tends to use oil when I'm on a road trip, about a qt/2k, maybe a little more. The rest of the year when the driving is mostly local, it only uses about a half quart in the 7500 mile oil change interval. I would strongly urge you not to change to a different grade of oil, stay with the 0w20. The bearings have tighter side clearances so the oil cannot get out between the bearings as fast. A heavier grade of oil will remain trapped between the bearing surfaces longer and will get hotter as a result. This will cause it to breakdown sooner. Note: the bearing to journal clearance isn't changed, its the side clearance where the oil exits the gap between the bearing and the journal. I have 63k on my car now and I don't see the engine as a problem. I don't care much for the very noisy and rough riding suspension, the seat designed for a torture chamber, the CVT that tends to over rev the engine, the FOB that uses a hard to find battery and the charcoal canister that is easily damaged because it sucks up water when ever you go through a puddle, but the engine seems to be OK.

Rub a bar of bath soap over the hole.

I can't attest to Walmart oil in a Subaru, but I used in in my 2002 Saturn from new till I sold it two years ago with 275k miles on it. Still ran like new. I did on occasion use a different brand if I found something cheaper on sale, i.e. I got a case of Pennzoil for $12 once and two cases of Shell oil for $.50/qt on clearance. Change when ever the oil life monitor light came on, about every 5500 miles.

If there is a shoe repair shop near you, try them. They will often repair the seat cover for far less than an upholstery shop would, but you have to remove the cover yourself.

If it turns out to be a transmission issue, the CVT transmission warranty has just been extended to 100k miles.

One common cause is the gasket between the exhaust manifold and the head pipe (exhaust pipe). But I have fixed most of mine by replacing the rear O2 sensor. One time I had to replace the front sensor too. Also try some fuel injector cleaner and use top tier gas for a while. Not premium, just top tier. Costco gas is a top tier gas as is Exxon/Mobil.

Its a shame the way they have made one of the most reliable and durable parts of a car into something that is more "consumable". Control arm bushings used to easily last 20 yeas or more. But just a tip here, get a small pitman arm puller. It can be used to remove any ball joint or tie rod end on just about any Japanese vehicle. It is very rugged as well. About the only tool for this that is more durable is a pickle fork, but the small pitman arm puller is far easier to use.

You can go to "mysubaru.com" and ask one of the Subaru's CSRs for an answer. They can go to their engineering department for an answer. You also might check your owners manual to see if it is covered in there. BTW, you will need your VIN to set up your account at mysubaru.com. It is for owners only.

Put your hand on top of the tire and move it in until it is directly under the upper ball joint. If the top of your finger touches the ball joint while resting on the tire, then no, you can't use them. It would help if you can lift your finger at least a 1/2" off the tire before hitting the bottom of the ball joint.

The AM/FM antenna is built into the rear window but the satellite antenna is the sharks tooth at the back of the roof.

You might have OBDI instead of OBDII. Yours is a 96 model but I'm not sure the early 96's had OBDII

First, stop in Longmont and find the Luna Cafe (off 8th street) and order an Italian Cappuccino. Best you will get this side of Napoli. Then do the drive through the Rocky Mountain National Park. I wouldn't go off road in a Subaru.

This happens a lot right after waxing the car. It is easy to get a little wax into the nozzles. Just stick a pin or needle in to the nozzle holes gently.

P0300 is for a random misfire, so plugs, coils and injectors are less likely at fault. More likely is something shared by all cylinders like the crankshaft position sensor, camshaft position sensor or fuel pump/filter/regulator.

Have you checked the port in the exhaust manifold. It could have carboned over. Remove the egr valve and poke a wire down both ports to make sure it is clear all the way from the inside of the exhaust manifold to the inside of the intake manifold.

There is a youtube video on this. Is your engine running when you fill? Oddly, the ATF has to be a specific temp when it is filled that is not the normal temp of the oil. Seems to be pretty tricky to get the right amount of oil in while the trans is still warming up, gotta be quick.