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kamesama980

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  • Location
    Columbus, IN
  • Biography
    BS in auto tech. Few years in shops, year in a parts store, decade+ fixing my own stuff the right way.
  • Vehicles
    2003 Subaru Baja

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  1. YES. Follow the directions Subaru gives. Some OE engineering is a compromise (mpg vs power vs emissions) but the basics (how to install a bearing) are not.
  2. 3rd vote for just one. there are things to replace in sets so they wear symmetrically or because of the effort involved: you don't replace one ring on one piston. you shouldn't replace one tire in a 4wd and many full time AWD cars. Coils do wear out, the magnetic properties of the core change over time but the lifespan/degradation time of on ignition coil is so long and there's enough overhead before you'd notice that it's meaningless to the lifespan of the car as a whole. It's not even a consideration with the mean-time-before-failure calculation.
  3. Burning oil can lead to high HC, that's what oil is. Burning oil will also poison the cat and o2 sensor. the HC reading could be from oil being leaked at the time of the test or built up in the exhaust. Couple tricks I've heard over the years: 1. pull a plug wire (and ground it so you don't get zapped or burn it up) so you have one cylinder dumping fuel into the exhaust. raise the RPM a tad (1-1.5k) to keep it running. The extra fuel will combust in the cat building up lots of heat. The extra heat may burn off some of the carbon buildup and return enough cat functionality to pass. Of course "enough" happens to be right next to "melted catalyst" and "get the fire extinguisher". 2. is slightly less interesting because it's just hop on the freeway for 10 minutes before you go get it checked without using overdrive (again to build up heat but in a more limited fashion) 3. run the tank near empty put a few gals of e85 in (just enough to run o bit, take the test, and get to the gas station. take test. fill with "normal" gas. 4. move out of whatever liberal, overpopulated, soul-killing craphole you live in. No guarantees with any of them and a few risks that I mentioned. OBD1 has only basic codes. That's one of the major advertised features of OBD2: more/better codes and somewhat more ability to know if it'll pass.
  4. ^this! Have installed hundreds of wheel bearings of this style in the shop and a few of my own and no problems. Besides there are enough idiots out there that the mfr wouldn't ship it in something that looks OK but isn't even if it were wrapped in warning labels. They'd be out of business from the lawsuits in about three seconds. That being said, the grease used is probably the bare minimum to get by without lawsuits and I see no fault with wanting something better. It does but it takes a fair bit of heat input in a short span to all of the components in the area to get them hot enough. I would expect to fail the seals and lose the grease or have foreign material intrusion before the grease failed completely.
  5. Might want to read up on how gears work and the terminology used, I'm not entirely sure what you're asking. You will have more rpm at the same speed with a shorter (higher number) final drive. keep in mind the speeds and intended use, if you're near the top of a gear, you may have to shift to the next gear at the same speed which will be a 1 step forward, 2 steps back problem.
  6. Lol that's been just as illegal almost since they started putting odometers in. To the OP, the only place to get a definitive answer is to ask the people you're leasing from. Don't worry, they won't charge you for asking.
  7. Ha sorry for your misfortune of locale, I got out of that criminal state 6 years ago. How'd you get it registered and plated then? Here's a counter argument, what's the statute of limitations? Tell them they are welcome to impound the car if they like.
  8. the 03 baja has a throttle cable (EJ251) later n/a models got the DBW EJ253. all turbos are DBW (EJ255?). That's why I got an 03 NA and not newer or turbo. as for fixing the sticking, make sure there isn't a crack in the housing and then use a dry lube. don't use graphite because it could migrate into the electronics.
  9. I assume the tester replaces the radiator cap? It isn't a valid test because you're blocking the pressure release point and simply having the system be capable of generating that much pressure ins't valid for reasons mentioned above (thermal expansion of the coolant). I wouldn't get too hung up on the continued stream of bubbles without a gas analyzer. it's not uncommon for hot spots to boil or for the pump to cavitate, both of which are much easier without pressure in the system (Remember that the upper radiator hose temp is AVERAGE of all the coolant coming out of the engine. The part of the water jacket closest to the crank might be barely above the inlet temp while around the head it'll be MUCH higher. Lets say the outlet temp is 200f. there's a lot of water around the cylinders that's 180f and a little around the exhaust ports in the head and turbo water jacket at 250. That's why you need coolant to have additives and pressure to raise the boiling point to 280+ rather than just pure water boiling at 212 when the system average is 200. Now if you got a hold of a coolant exhaust gas tester and the bubbles tested positive as being exhaust gas, then yes I'd worry about a BHG. If you had the standard 16psi radiator cap and the overflow tank had bubbles blowing in it, then yes I'd suggest BHG.
  10. Might or might not be quieter, won't sound as nice, more backpressure (though likely not noticeable unless you really look). I worked in a shop including walker exhaust and never found one piece made as well as any OE. Better than a hacked off muffler and a fraction of the price of OE.
  11. You went to the dealership (the place that sells new cars) and asked if your old car was worth fixing (the logical alternative in their eyes being buying a new one from them) and they said you should buy a new one from them and you were surprised?! I can't say they make more money off it but they make it a lot easier, more consistently, and with happier tech's (and really, happier customers) working on new cars under warranty and periodic maintenance. Customers with old cars tend to be either short or stingy with money and like to nitpick suggested work and argue costs. People that are willing to let go of the cash for a new car usually have and are willing to part with more cash to maintain it. (generally) the real pain in the butt customers are like me, guys that have an auto tech degree, used to work in the shop, and have a garage outfitted like a shop in for warranty work, they try to sell all the other junk and get upset when I cut them off and tell them to do the (free) recall work and DON'T top off the fluids, DON'T set the tire pressure, DON'T try to sell me all the other garbage they make money off of. Lots of other good advice here, can't really add more except that your hubby knows more than he thinks. There are fewer differences between the brands and even comparing to an air-cooled bike engine than you'd guess.
  12. Agreed that only the OP can decide. Rebuilding is not only dependent on a qualified mechanic but not cost effective for the mechanics most qualified. (What I mean is the Subaru specialty mechanic will charge most.) As far as an absolute and objective financial value, no you can't rebuild it for what it's worth (or maybe just barely) but that's not the whole point. My in-laws have '16/'17 Imprezza, forester, and outback and I had an Imprezza as a loaner while the dealership did the airbag recall. Quite frankly, F that. I've always been a bit of a Luddite when it comes to cars but I'll rebuild my Baja several times over faced with those as the alternative. It's not just how much you spend vs the car's blue book value, it's how much you spend vs what you'd spend on another car, tax, registration, and an extra thousand on hand for the first couple things that break that you won't know because you don't know the car's history. Automotively speaking, I'll take the devil I know 9 times out of 10.
  13. could be something else but 99% chance it's just the synchros from dropping 5->4 a lot. My baja's the same way.
  14. Given the price, I'm guessing the PO knew the engine was toast and it was running on a combination of lucas syrup and sawdust when he sold it. You get what you pay for.
  15. yep, the cooling system should hold pressure for hours. Leak could be a lot of places but yes start with the rad cap. As for your sis's car, don't guess, troubleshoot.
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