Al_SemC

You need to insert a fuse on automatic Subarus to disable the AWD. There's a little thingy on the passenger side of the engine bay up by the strut tower labelled "FWD." Tell him to put a fuse in there and see if the noise goes away. In all honesty, though, some noise is normal. 4WD and AWD vehicles have alot going on in the drivetrain and are thus noisy. It's kind of a fact of life with them; a little tradeoff for the benefit of great traction.

The SVX got its very own transmission which has a tendancy to die alot for whatever reason. Noone I've every heard of has had one with 100k on it and not replaced the tranny at least once and often twice. There's also the fact that they only can be gotten with a 4EAT. They were kind of a failed experiment, a bit like the 8-series BMW, so they didn't offer them with a manual at all. It also got its very own 3.3L H6 which, if reports are to be believed, has quite an affinity to supercharging... Know you this: parts for SVX's are expensive. It is, however, quite a neat car -- kind of like a heavy, AWD Z-car. It also has those cool DeLorean-esque windows. I'd go for it. If I had extra cash, I'd consider grabbing one.

I guess you could call what mine does at lights "shuddering," though it doesn't feel like anything odd. I always attributed it to a slightly low idle (575-600rpm) and the fact that then engine is loaded a bit with the car in gear as the torque converter turbine is held still while the car is in gear and not moving. Since the engine is running, the converter pump is still spinning fluid around and creating resistance against the turbine, thus loading the engine a bit. I myself have slightly thicker fluid than most as I have a bottle of Lucas Transmission Fix in there, so maybe that's causing extra resistance? It does stop when I throw it in neutral or park, btw. I'll get back to you guys when I switch to synthetic ATF next change interval (a few k).

I was with TheBrian when he tried to fix the leak. It got a new O-Ring and silicone. I didn't know it started leaking again. Seems he forgot to tell me. Seafoam it?

Assuming the keyless entry system on 93's is like that of the '97's, the module is up on in the driver footwell. I just installed one -- I've got the cuts and bruises to prove it. Either way, there should be a part number on it. I'd post the part number of my keyless module, but I really don't feel like farting around under there right now.

Well, yeah. You're FWD with that fuse in and are thus putting copious numbers of ponies onto the ground through two and then quickly one wheel.

My friend has a an old Mercury Cougar that pings like crazy because of (I think) carbon deposits on the heads. You guys seem enamoured with this stuff. Maybe I'll have him give it a go.

That wire has something to do with the diagnosic mode for the engine computer. It's supposed to be disconnected. Why it hangs down like that is beyond me. I'd tape/ziptie it up out of the way.

Not that I know of.

Yeah, since GM owns a large percentage of the Fiat Group SpA, part of which is Alfa Romeo, they got an Alfa designer who is, as I understand it, responsible for the Tribeca in its entirety and for the rump roast-ugliness of the new models.

I've found that cheaping out on clutch parts will come back to haunt you. My last car got two new clutches over the course of 10k because I figured I could save some by buying a cheap AutoZone (Fenco) clutch. It developed serious chatter because the pressure plate warped. No, I didn't flog it. It was an Escort; there wasn't any point. That said, I'd check out Boxer4Racing -- they carry OEM clutches and, last I heard, charged about 3-hunge for them. Also, depending on what motor you are attaching this to, you could look at RalliSpec and see about getting a stiffer clutch, assuming you like quicker, more logrithmic takeup. Do note, though, that chatter is really a fact of life with Subaru clutches, especially sportier ones. Incidentally, you can help that a bit with better engine mounts, tranny mount and pitching stopper.

Yeah, I'm not really concerned about it too much since the SUV as a vehicle-genre is and will continue to be on the downfall, what with gas prices, the Tribeca's relative good milage notwithstanding. What I'm really concerned about is the direction Subaru styling is going. The '06 designs are starting to look like Alfa Romeos. This is not a good thing for two reasons: First, Alfas are just plain ugly. Second, Alfas are not good cars. They fall apart. Alfa Romeo has the dubious destinction of having the car with the largest depreciation rate in existance. (Ref: an episode of BBC Top Gear, I'll get back to you on which). Needless to say, when I was last at my local dealership picking up some parts, I wandered through the showroom and spotted an '06 STi. I was horrified.

Audis are VW's, VW's are Audi's. Hell, the Jetta is an A3 now, more or less, isn't it? Hmm. Okay. I would conjecture that when most non-Subaru people think "Outback," they think of the Legacy Outback, specifically the OBW. Yeah, that's true. You can even get a turbocharged Outback now, IIRC. Same as the Legacy with the 2.5L Turbo. And there's the H6 as well. Eat that, Jetta. You can put a whole Jetta in the back of an OBW... I know. 0wnz3d.

Outback - AWD. Where's your 4Motion, biznatch? Jetta - It's not offered. <sniff> Outback - Cargo space. 92ft^3. Jetta - Can I open the window? There's no oxygen in here. Outback - I don't ever get stuck in the snow. Jetta - You can drive in the snow? Outback - I've got 178k on me (though I've had the head gaskets done once). Jetta - I'm broken. Again. Outback - My transmission's older than dirt. It still works. Jetta - I've had three gearboxes! I'm a lease! Outback - 165hp. Jetta - ...you've got 50 more horsepower than me. Jetta - I have a 1.8L turbocharged I4... Outback - I have oil that isn't cooked. Jetta - I'm trendy! Outback - I'm useful. Jetta - I'm German! Outback - You're made in Mexico. Jetta - I'm an Audi! Outback - So? Jetta - I get good gas milage! Outback - I get good traction. Jetta - My owner's mom thinks I'm cute. Outback - Your owner lives in his mom's basement. Jetta - I have better commercials! Outback - Commercials? We don't need no stinkin' commercials. I could go on for hours.

There's no such thing as a stupid question.

Check the play between the fork and the slave piston. It should be 1/8"-5/32", according to my book here.

It'll do over 115. Too bad my test dragstrip wasn't a mile longer. I would have been able to hit 120.

I love it when Brian asks questions for me. :-p

I hear that it can burn out the C solenoid that controls the transfer clutchpack. Putting in the fuse makes it run at full blast all the time; the higher the solenoid voltage, the lower the torque transfer. If they had designed it the other way around, i.e. so that the fuse grounds it out and that sets the transfer to zero, I don't think it'd be a problem.

Just so you don't get confused, a clutch pack and a viscous coupler are two completely different things. They do the same thing, but not in the same way. The AT's use a clutch pack. It's a series of wet-plate clutch plates and steel plates that get squeezed together by hydraulic pressure. This causes a variable amount of torque to be channeled from one side of the assembly to the other. The higher the pressure, the more torque is transferred. Think of it this way: take your hands and put them palm to palm like you were praying. If you rotate one while pressing lightly, nothing much happens. However, if you press harder, your other hand will twist a bit. If you press really hard, they will turn together with no slippage. The torque bind happens when the clutch pack gets crap in it or otherwise gets stuck and can't slip properly to adjust power when needed. When the front and back of the car need to go different speeds, like during turning, they can't. This causes the symptoms you're all too familiar with. The MT models that don't have VTD ('01 and up, I think) use a viscous couple. It's not like a clutch pack; there's no physical contact between the the ends of it. Basically, there's a series of plates with slots in them inside it, suspended in a silicone based fluid. When both the front and the back of the car are turning at the same speed, the viscous couple really doesn't do anything. When they vary, like during slip, they plates inside turn at different rates. This drags on the fluid and makes it get hotter. When it gets hotter, it gets thicker. This causes the plates to drag harder and try to equalize in speed. It basically maintains a 50/50 F/R split all the time. It's a simpler system. It is, however, a bit slower to work. You can actually feel it kick in, unlike the AT ones which is done with sensors and a computer. i've never felt mine going. It just goes.

I've got a '97 Outback with 152k on it. The head gaskets blew at 130k causing it to overheat and subsequently sieze. The tranny is tired, but other than that, it's got no major problems. Hey...you've got a 5MT! Give me your tranny! Gimme! Gimme! Me needy you tranny!

Oh, I can tell you that. Remember to always do these on a level surface. AT Fluid - The simple answer is that you can't change it. Not all of it, anyway. About four of the ten quarts is stuck in the torque converter all the time. Many people find that they are comfortable with mostly new fluid. You change it by: - Jack up the front of the car enough to get underneath. - Put something under the tranny pan to catch the fluid. - Take out the pan drain plug. It's on the bottom of the pan. It looks much like the oil pan drain plug. The fluid will drain out. - Wait until it stops flowing, then clean the plug and put it back in. Tighten it down so it's snug, but not so tight that you can't get it off. I think 30ft*lbs is the right number, but don't quote me. - Put the car back down. - Get one of those skinny funnels, take out the tranny dipstick and stick the funnel in the tube. - Pour in four quarts of fluid. - Start the car, put the shifter in each position for a couple seconds, then put it in park. Leave it running. - Use the dipstick to check the level of the fluid. If it's in the "COLD" range, you might be done. If it's low, slowly add fluid until it comes up into the cold range. - Take a drive, long enough to heat up the tranny. This is a drive of 10-20mi long. - Check the level of the fluid again. It should be in the "HOT" range. If it's not, add a little more fluid until it's in range. - Over the next few trips, check the fluid level to make sure it's still right. Also listen for new, strange noises and such. This will get you 60% new fluid. Alot of people I know just repeat the process and are left with about 80% new fluid. Alternatively, you can take it someplace and have them do a real power flush. AAMCO does it. It's usually like $100. Front Diff Oil - - Jack up the car again. - Get your pan back out. - Remove the diff drain plug. It's off to one side, as I recall. There's only two plugs, so you should be able to find it. It's the one that's not on the pan. The gear oil should come out. Yes, I know it stinks. It's supposed to. - Clean the plug and put it back in. - Put the car back down. - Take out the diff dipstick and put new fluid in through the hole. It takes 0.8qt, as I recall. 80W90 oil, I think. Check your manual. It comes in a squeeze bottle, so you shouldn't have trouble getting it in. - Use the dipstick to check the level. Add more until it's around the "FULL" mark. - Put the stick back in. - Test drive and listen for odd noises. Rear Diff Oil - - One again, jack up the car, but this time, the back. - Get out your pan again. - Use either a plug wrench, a breaker bar or a socket wrench to take out the bottom plug on the back of the rear diff. You'll need a 1/2" drive. Just stick the square end in the hole. - The oil will drain out the bottom hole into the pan. - Put the plug back in. - Remove the top plug. - Put new gear oil in through the top hole until it reaches the bottom of the top hole. It takes somewhere around a quart. Alternatively, squirt it in until it starts coming out the top hole. You'll probably have trouble doing this since it's close to the floorpan in the car and the swaybar's in the way. Many people get an inexpensive hand pump from a parts store to do it. - Put the top plug back in. - Make sure both plugs are tight. - Test drive and listen for odd noises and such. Enjoy.

Phase I DOHC EJ25 motors have that HG problem. They changed them over to the Phase II SOHC in '98 in Imprezas and in '99 in Legacys. The Phase II SOHC motor is nicer in that it makes its torque at a lower RPM. I still hear instances of HG blows in the Phase II's, but not nearly as many.

You gradually feed water into the combustion chamber at a high engine speed, usually by sucking it from a bottle in thorugh a vacuum line. This is an age-old method that originally involved pouring it down the carbeurator. The idea is to steam clean it. I'm not at all comfortable with the process. If you stall it, you hydrolock it and then you're screwed. I don't personally know anyone who's willing to do it and I've never talked to a mechanic whose eyes didn't bug out when it was suggested within their earshot.

I disagree. They get lazy over time. Their response time gets higher and the maximum signal swing they generate gets smaller too. While a new sensor reads 0.1V for lean and 0.9V for rich and does it in 350ms or so (when hot), an old one might read 0.3V for lean and 0.6V for rich and does it in 450ms (when hot). This causes the ECU to incorrectly adjust the fuel trim, decreasing fuel economy, causing rough idle and missing, etc. Basically, it throws off the automagic tuning. My source is someplace on Autometer's website. I'll update when I find it. EDIT: Here it is. The post-cat sensor should be more stable (flit around less) than the pre-cat one and it should hang around stoichiometric (0.5-0.6V), as frag said. If you find that it's unstable or it's reading some whack assed measurement all the time, either it's dead or your cat is. This generally causes a CEL. You should make sure that your O2 sensors are working properly. Running rich eats gas, blackens the back of your car, makes it run like hell, accelerates the death of your O2 sensors, and destroys your cat. Running lean causes detonation which can, over time, blow the crap out of your engine. Both not cool. As a final note, these things are generally easier to read with either an oscilliscope (those of us that have them) or an analog voltmeter (one with a needle). Very rarely do people have digital voltmeters that update their reading often enough for you to get more than a rough idea of what's going on. With the oscilliscope, you can watch the actual trace and get a nice sensor output vs. time graph. With the analog meter, you can watch the needle sweep back and forth and use that to approximate what it's doing. Otherwise you're just looking at rapidly changing numbers.