1 Lucky Texan

has the timing belt system ever been serviced on the car?(shoulda been done around 2010 or 25K miles ago) if not - you've got that expense. if you want to do more troubleshooting, axles can be swapped side-to-side. maybe the symptom will follow or change. are there any pieces of metal on the front diff's magnet - or just a small amount of sludge? have you searched car-part.com or LKQ for a used transmission? Everyone fights the axle issue - most often, used Subaru axles rebuilt with new grease and boots are still better than new or rebuilt aftermarket. If your axles are aftermarket, there's a 100X greater chance of them being bad. If they are original but the boots have been torn for a long time - of course it's possible for them to be bad, but best replacement is still used OEM axles than have been regreased/booted.

why don't more engines have HLAs ?

supposedly, that engine has a 7600rpm redline from the factory! over at subaruoutback.org , user west-minist has some experience tuning that engine, might quiz him for info. here's his site's forum; http://www.xtremeracingtuning.com/forum/index.php

maybe borescope inspection would reveal scored cylinder wall? might help you decide whether to tear into it or just swap.

couple of ideas - find the tooth count for the engine - line up all the timing marks and count the teeth between marks. (the lines on the belt won't line-up again for 200-300 rotations, it's crazy) double check the tube from the IACV to the in take tubing hasn't come off. recheck any ground wires or connectors that may be loose.

if you're just within a coupla inches with your jack - you could jack to max - set your jack stands, then add a block of wood to the jack pad and lift a little higher. I wouldn't recommend getting crazy with this, but it might help if you're 'close'. letting air out of the tire might help a little as well.

put an ad up on some bulletin boards around the local colleges and high schools.

yep - traildog might be able to help retroroo over towards Henderson too

yeah - I only use mine to take the lugs off - and I also re-check Discount Tire with my torque wrench.

I was into that joke years ago.

no question there are some reviews that are less-than-legit, but it's a datapoint even if not 100% reliable. Even car manufacturers shift sources. The Roki filters Subaru sold in the past were good. Then they changed to a supplier that had crimp joints that leaked. moving targets......

I guess I 'really' can't tell either - I try to ask here, stay with OEM or 'name brands' or , at RA get something with the 'heart' symbol - or read reviews if buying from Amazon. but some of the above just comes from word-of-mouth when I was younger, and reading on the Forums nowadays. if it's a 'consumable' item like brake pads or fan belts - I stay away from the 'economy' items. Been burned in the past on those.

I never thought about the high-speed removal issue! I'm gonna try to get off the trigger faster on my electric impact. (I usually take a wire brush - the 'toothbrush'-looking type - and hand brush the lugs - just to clear any loose plating or corrosion off, and I always re-thread by hand)

that happened to me once at Discount Tire decades ago - they flat-bedded the car to a shop and repaired it. Be sure to let Costco know what real customer service is like.

yeah, thas way I understand it is, 2004 and earlier were defaulted to 'lock' and the solenoid's opening would release the locking pressure? I think the function was reversed in 2005? I guess though, for both, you'd want fluid circulating for cooling and lube?

MANY, MANY reports of either; A. wrong alternator for the H6 being sold by parts stores. and B. Poor quality of parts store alternators.

(how does the trans shift with the synthetic gear oil? many people report problems with clashing unless running conventional GL-5) www.bobistheoilguy.com may be an interesting place to find some info on your question. There have been anecdotal reports in the past of use of synthetic oil in engines previously lubricated with conventional oil developing leaks. But, if modern synthetic formulations include any additives designed to help gaskets/seals be more pliable or expand, that leads to the possibility of reduced leakage. or perhaps after the engine work, there was just some residual oil being cooked-off the exhaust? maybe others can comment with better knowledge.

perhaps the perceived cost of new cars has decreased our tolerance for minor/moderate issues? Or, because we feel obligated to keep cars longer due to the increased investment, , we are more likely to experience multiple problems with it? Or the CAFE and other regulations has made DIY more difficult/expensive? anyway, these charts don't really support a decrease in quality; I couldn't find a chart for 'inflation adjusted historical cost of ownership of a new car' after a brief search, that might be interesting.

one possible explanation is CAFE - I read that the rules as of 2016 were particularly difficult for car makers. and it started a long time ago; plastic headlight lenses, 'donut' spare tire, smaller batteries, smaller rear brakes, air-cut valves, thinner glass, more aluminum, cvt, etc. Kinda surprised we don't have stop-start mandated here yet. (of course, each time some future change to the rules is announced, manufacturers begin making changes a few model years before the requirements)

THANX this gives me a plan! (as long as my flywheel is OK I guess)

"You can swap in the earlier starter when that one fails" wait - I could put in, say - a starter from an '05 or earlier WRX and it will fit and work OK?

wow - that plastic pulley failure was a perfect storm sort of disaster. I can really only confirm that it seems the planetary starters have bad lube - drive gears don't retract at low temps. WTH SUBARU! supposed to be mountain/snow cars! I REALLY love my WRX - but it just may not be practical for me to keep it. I might be able to lease a new Forester for the wife, DD her 03 H6, and maybe drive the WRX on fridays only. Not really sure about my upcoming car situation yet.

sure it was P0491 ? any work done or wrecks before this began? how old is the battery? spark plugs? are they NGK? do you run high octane? maybe try refreshing some ground connections. maybe pull and compare plugs. (I know, it's a hassle) I think some folks have had fuel regulator problems. I think they can be swapped side-to-side. any other electrical or operating problems?

whole different engine - new cars have the FB style 4 cyl. the gasket issue referenced was mostly first gen dohc 2.5s introduced 20 years ago - a fraction of later (2008? up to the FBs introduction)soob engines do seem to develop slow external leaks after they age. Not sure about the FB yet. others may have a better sense about newer stuff

the FWD fuse will only work with the engine running. I think some folks have disconnected the drive shaft - that should allow towing with rear wheels down but, I'll let others confirm that. Otherwise, flatbed or get the car running. (all 4 tires must be the same. if not, with the car running, use the FWD fuse.)