GreaseMonkey03

While you are checking the battery, unplug it for 10 seconds. More to be safe. If the lights don't come back on, you're good. These lights come on for all sorts of convoluted reasons. In most cases there's nothing wrong with the car, and sometimes has absolutely nothing to do with those systems.

Thought it was ironic enough to put this here. Just happened today on an 05 Impreza. Lower slide literally exploded out after applying heat. Was dry as a bone with zero evidence of lube. If the vise grip wasn't attached to it, it could have caused some damage. The black on the vise grip was a result of the Big Bang. The rubber dust boot was found later in the far opposite corner of the shop. Go figure. Lmao

For sure. I inspect them and leave them if they are in good shape. Once they start to wear or become too flexible they are nothing but trouble. And they add fuel to the fire if you have to heat the slide pins to remove them. Here's a tip. Keep a vise grip clamped on the end of a slide to add weight in case the expanding gas shoots the pin out like a bullet. Don't ask me how I know. But for the same reason I learned to punch a hole in ball joints before I heat those up. Lmao

I've noticed that the cause for this in a lot of cases is the fact that the pads get jammed up tight against the rotors and drag without the brakes being pressed. Easy to diagnose if there is a warped rotor because it will vibrate without applying the brakes. Anyway, some of the aftermarket brake pad manufacturers have small "defects" that cause it and in some cases it is rust build up on the caliper brackets underneath the brake hardware. There's four major things that almost HAVE to be done when replacing Subaru pads. 1. Make sure both slide pins are completely free and lubricated. The dual piston calipers chew through pads if one of the slides is even slightly hung up. Clean and lubricate everything that moves. 2. Make sure the caliper bracket is completely clear of swelling due to rust. If you can't completely remove it, you may need to modify the pads by.... 3. Make sure there are no casting marks on the pads where they make contact with the hardware. You might notice the pads sometimes just won't slide in, a lot of times it is either casting marks OR some pads have a tiny lip just inside of the ears that rubs too much. Grind if needed or step up the pad quality. If you grind, you will now have bare metal which can rust/bind/make noise. 4. Always replace the brake hardware. If you're getting the cheap pads that don't come with new hardware, either buy the hardware separate or step up the pad quality. If the pads don't flop in with little effort or you have to force them in, that's no bueno.

That could potentially pull the hub out of the bearing. Not a bad thing if it's a press it. Pointless since it's a bolt in. It would still be stuck on the knuckle if that happens. I also don't know if it would damage the diff and for that reason I never even attempt it. I beat it out like a savage.

It can be a little time consuming, but it's definitely cheaper to try and do some maintenance on a lot of these items. I got lucky and was able to get an entire car for 500. I bought my 97 for 100 but it was in bad shape. Before finding the donor car I was planning on resurfacing, sandblasting, cleaning, painting, etc and doing overall maintenance on just about everything that I could tear off the car. Even the worst frozen slide pin for example can be removed and new slides can be purchased for very little. Rotors can be resurfaced. Etc. good luck though, my car was in bad shape underneath and air tools were my saving grace along with a torch and a BFH.

Very common. The customers that come in with the oil light on are usually past there maintenance interval. In other words, they're neglecting the oil changes. Can she check her own oil every 1500 miles or so and top off as needed? Just don't over fill, the new subarus have a warning light for that that doesn't seem to go away unless reset with a scanner. It's a pain, but it'll keep the motor running and hopefully Subaru does something for you eventually.

Sometimes a nice long chisel and a hammer will crack it loose. You want most if not all of the force being directed as outwardly as possible. Find the best angle for that. Some are more stubborn than others, but there is nothing at all the needs to be removed for the inner portion to come out. Just out of curiosity, not knowing the year, did you rotate the axle at least 180 degrees to check for the pin? Is the axle completely out and free of the hub?

Little tip for when replacing hub assemblies without air tools or a lift. After you loosen the bolts for the hub (they shouldn't be very difficult) put them back in with a tiny bit of space between the head of the bolt and the back of the spindle. With a socket and an extension placed on the head of the bolt, you can give each one a few wacks with a hammer. Don't go nuts, you don't want to damage the threads, but sometimes that's all they need to push the assembly out. The bolts thread through, not into the knuckle and thread into the hub bearing assembly on the other side. If it's stubborn, you can beat on the edge of the hub itself and alternate. Don't need to remove anything other than the brake assembly and the axle nut. Everything else can stay in place.

I think some monitors may have a two trip logic but I could be wrong. To play it safe when performing drive cycles I make a highway run, stop and shut the car off for a couple of minutes, then start it and head back to the shop.

New hubs? That doesn't sound right. Before you spend all that money, find out what's working and what isn't in terms of the calipers or drums. Believe me I know how rusted and nasty they get, I just replaced every single component that exists under my 97 outback. For what it's worth, the rear brake lines that run from the block out to the brake lines are exactly the same on the forester I used as the donor car. If you want factory lines/bends, you can find them under a used Subaru somewhere. The bends that run out of the body are also the same even though the overall length is different and the routing up front. So you could splice the rear portion of those lines in as well if you wanted. As far as bleeding the front caliper, it isn't ideal but you can bleed it at the banjo bolt. If the bleeder is the only thing wrong with the right front, you can try using an extractor to get it out. Might require some heat. And then just replace the bleeder.

Have you already tried to reset it even though the light isn't on? Do you have live data on your scanner to check for a misfire? Not sure if that info is available for that engine. Could also be pending codes that haven't kicked the light on yet. As far as it being the correct ecu, I'd have to assume that if it wasn't you'd have a whole host of issues going on.

Lol. It happens

i seem to not be able to get used to the delay in engagement. I press the gas and it's not engaged yet and it slams into drive. Luckily I'm not hitting it hard when this happens as I'm just moving it around at work, but definitely not smooth. For what it's worth this is basically just when going from reverse to drive or similar situations. Not when the car is already in drive. Just have to pause and feel for the engagement and then accelerate. The only car's transmission I dislike more is the pathetic lump in the smart car. BUT, I may be alone in this assessment. Lol. Plenty of people like them just fine.

I concur. Once the heater circuit code comes up, not even worth checking. Just replace it. Don't go nuts with a wrench on that thing. Take your time. Soak with penetrant. Try again. Repeat the process. Don't want to strip that O2 bung.

I can't get used to those stupid CVTs but that's just me. I've never liked them in any car.

We've had issues with certain VW's not communicating during inspections. Similarly, the voltage is too low. Disconnecting the ABS computer during the inspection allows it to read. I agree with silent bob that his could potentially be the issue. In those cases, there was still enough voltage for the scanner to read, but not for the NYS computer. Go figure

There are two coolant temp sensors. If you changed the correct one, you should check to see if there is power at the sensor. Otherwise, you probably need the other sensor as well. One for the engine, one is a fan switch. The one you're looking for is a two wire plug with a single thin probe at the end.

I had assumed since it was already at the dealer that they already tried that. Maybe not. Why won't they program a used ecu? Or they just can't?

03 forester rear suspension into 97 legacy outback. Here's what works and what doesn't for you parts hunter. OB has severe rot so I switched everything over that I could. Rear subframe almost identical. Forester has slightly taller bushings on top of the crossmember that OB doesn't have. So if anything you are gaining half inch in height or so. Still bolts up fine with OB bolts. Forester bolts won't work because OB has spacers between body and crossmember so they are too short. Rear sway bar mounts to the body are identical. Sway bars are different. Forester rear sway bar doesn't swap. It doesn't clear the spare tire. Forward lower control arm looks the same. Rearward lower control arm is different. You may be able to flip it upside down but the mounting tabs for the bar links are different. One hooks up above the arm, the other hooks up below it. Spindle is exactly the same. There are no differences there at all. Forester has drums, OB has discs. I swapped in drums and all. Rear brake lines from the splitter back are routed exactly the same. Mine were rotted out so I dropped the tank slightly and pulled the brake lines. The OD is slightly larger so if you want to be perfect, keep the forester clips. Differential carriers (front t shaped crossmember) are not the same but forester unit is beefier and bolts right in. OB has spacers between carrier and body so you will need to reuse the OB bolts. Brake hoses are different but mount to the body and the struts the same. I'm keeping OB struts but switching hoses because they mount to drums differently than on calipers. My e brake lines on the OB were seized so I had to cut them. The forester ones are too short but with some re routing and adjustment on the front I was able to make one side work for now. So in a pinch it's doable. The swing arms look identical but the mounts to the body are taller on the OB. axles swap no problem I think that pretty much covers it.

The fans are told when to turn on by the coolant temp sensor. If you have a 115, change the temp sensor.

Wonder if there is a short somewhere that's frying the ecu. Have you checked all the fuses?

Call a few local parts stores or google it. Ac clutch. I did a quick google search and a bunch popped up. You could also get a Subaru one. It's not a complicated job just take your time doing it. You can also look for an ac clutch tutorial video online. They don't really deviate all that much in design. Doing the clutch will save you a lot of money as opposed to changing the compressor.

There is also additional labor to remove and replace the transmission. Dropping the tranny is different from removing one. And it's the dealership. You could take it elsewhere for another quote.

I figured as much because of the shorter wheel base Impreza platform I assume. I didn't want to pull mine just to find out it wasn't gonna happen. Lol. Thank you sir