1 Lucky Texan

do you park with the wheels turned at an angle, and possibly on a slope? all cars can sometimes need some 'counter pressure' applied to the steering wheel to take some friction off the locking mechanism.

best double check is tooth count before starting the engine. I did it after I pulled the pin on the tensioner and rotated the crank 720* to line the pulley marks up again. the belt marks, if present, wont line up again for 243 rotations or w'ever.

good work flyboy

gah! sorry - not AZ lol!

GG - is that 2.2 interference? I might be wrong on that.

broken stud? rear sway bar endlink?

I'd suspect the o'reilly bearing having an early failure. I know it's usually a good idea to consider something else, but symptoms do kinda point to it. many of us would probably have gone with OEM or Timken or similar - still, there are so many early bearing failures, I don't think OEM is all that great. in AZ, I think you might be wise to consider Redline Lightweight Shockproof. In my WRX, it was the best 'feeling' fluid . Second best is the Amsoil Severe gear that's in it now. But, I haven;t been trhu a full summer with it yet. The Subaru fluid was kinda scrape-y/notchy. I have the RL LW SP in the diffs in our Outback. It seemed to quiet the front diff slightly.

plugs in near your left knee in driving position - if it's like my soobs. the belt can be unbroken, but still slip time enough to prevent starting. the toothed idler is a common failure point. I suppose the tensioner might be next.... you could have a failed crank or cam sensor - hopefully a stored code will tell us. it's sometimes helpful to read, write down the codes - THEN clear them. Try to start the car and see if a code is set again and read that new one. Sorta separates 'critical' codes from ancillary codes that may just follow the primary failure. one thing, do you smell fuel? it occurs to me the car could be flooded. If you pull a sparkplug - would it be wet? or does the exhaust smell like fuel? anyway - getting the codes read could be the best thing right now.

it's a 5spd MT. only the one stick GL-5 but, some folks have problems if they run full synthetic. so, stay with dino oil. Or, some folks like the synth BLEND from walmart. any change in the sound with clutch out vs in? could have been a bad bearing install. a good press should have been OK, but if someone 'rigged' the bearing install, could be some misalignment that compromised the longevity of the bearing ????

seems like a 'legit' error code but, the cars can be sensitive to voltage issues and a weak battery can set 'spurious' codes. even though cat. conv. is in the definition of the code, MANY times the converter is fine the issue is elsewhere as described above.

is it not firing? as a test, try some starting fluid, if it fires, then it IS a fueling problem. is the CEL on? parts stores will read codes but, if the car isn't running.......... if you own a smartphone, you can get an ELM327 BT adapter for cheap, and downsload Torque or similar free app - very handy for working with newer cars. If you don't have a smartphone, there are handheld scanners ,or a cable you can use with laptops. hopefully, it is something cheap. Dunno if that engine is interference or not.

^^ great post.

call SOA and have a regional rep get involved. you have so much money involved, you need for Subaru to make things right. Sure, you maybe need to buy new parts on a car that old. But , it should also have been properly diagnosed and repaired and you should NOT be wasting money on 'troubleshooting by the law of averages' (keep throwing parts on it until it works) and wasted tech. labor charges.

cap/o-ring problem on fuel pump? http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/129528-fuel-pump-leaky-o-ring-other/page-2?hl=+o-ring%20+fuel%20+pump

^^^ hmmmm....maybe an O2 sensor wire was broken? wonder about the blinking light to.

things are still tenuous and , probably, won't be a firm decision for weeks. family issues

timing cold have slipped a coupla teeth. I know you checked the fuel at the filter - but, try shooting some starting fluid into the intake while cranking. If it tries to fire, maybe the injectors aren't firing???

lkq and car-part.com are good places to search for a trans honestly, 'almost' no one takes the trans apart - they just swap one in from a wreck or maybe a JDM unit.

if you go quickly and it isn't raining, etc. - unlikely to get much moisture in the system. auto parts stores loan out vacuum pumps, maybe the gauge set too but I dunno about that. or, do the mechanical work as GD said and take the car to a shop to charge. (make sure your crank pulley isn't separating. it's rare but, they can slip and make a noise, it would be very unlikely on a 10 year old car though))

double check wiring harnesses? did you dent the transmission pan? wonder if the converter was not fully seated - from what I have read, it can be very tricky and if you used the bolts to force the engine/trans together in the last 1/4" or so - you probably cracked the pump. But, I don't think the car would move at all so, less likely.

looks like it may have the 15010AA320 oil pump - I think that's 10mm it's a PZEV - so I think it has a carbon intake filter???? dunno if it 'needs' premium, I'm sure my mil has been running regular.

I asked about prior work done, because there have been instances where the wrong fluids have been drained/refilled. the drain plug on the front diff has a magnet. Typically, there's a less than 1/4 - 1/2 teaspon of 'sludge' on it. if you found 'pieces' on it, or, an excessive amount of debris - that would condemn the front diff. some people have experienced cracked flexplates that can make noise. check youtube for recordings of some failing subarus - maybe you'll recognize the sound? you might start checking LKQ and car-part.com for replacement transmissions.

tires all the same? can you feel anything in the car or just a sound? does the sound change with turning? checked fluid condition in the front diff and the trans(that one you check while idling of course) is the car new to you? any wrecks or work done to the car in the days or weeks before this started? I also would like to find an indie mech near me. I DID take my WRX to AWD Tuning in Flower Mound - great shop. Just very far away. ($200 flatbed tow !!!)

may not know if it's available for several weeks/months but, it has 14,400 miles now! I think we're gonna get it unless something happens to it. probably put my WRX on rec. vehicle insurance, and DD the 03 outback, my wife is tired of the OB but I like it. She has driven the Forry a coupla times so - seems like a no brainer if it works out. thanx guys

we're accustomed to 20 or so on both cars since they primarily get surface road, stop&go uses. does it need high octane fuel? any issues with 'oil screens' ?