1 Lucky Texan

trouble-shooting to clear a code isn't always as easy as replacing w'ever sensor/part is mentioned in the DTC's definition. if he has little/no trouble removing them, labor should minimal - but those parts are kinda pricey to replace unless you are certain they are the cause of poor emissions/perfomance. call 2-3 shops and ask - they do enough that they will likely be within 10% of actual charges.

could be a bad rad cap - the system is supposed to hold - - what - 13-15 lbs w'ever. Maybe the cap is bad. you can buy (maybe borrow from the tool collection at the parts store) a cooling system pressure testing kit - shoul include a way to test the cap too. I've seen kits for sale at Amazon, never asked if the parts store had them to loan.

yeah, I changed 'em at 62k or so, looked like they could go another 20k .

NGK 'double platinum' as it came from the factory - maybe mentioned in the owner's manual and possibly on a sticker under the hood. There is an iridium plug from NGK that works too. no other brand is recommended as much and some are known to cause problems.

anything that says it's backwards compatible to one of the Dexron fluids should be fine. valvoline MaxLife Synthetic is what I used I think. so, Dex II, Dex III, Dex VI (?) not sure I've seen the one you mentioned. (trivia; Dexron I , except they didn't know it was 'I' at the time, anyway the first Dexron had a small percentage of whale oil in it!)

if you discovered someone has rolled-back the odometer and mismatched or otherwise fouled up some repair with the struts, how can that be Subaru's fault? your complaunt about wind noise may be deserved, there's a very well-known problem with the 'gusset' at the front of the front windows (near the mirror) http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/4377-drivers-window-wind-noise-fix/ http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/57446-wind-noise/?hl=+wind++noise&do=findComment&comment=463928 http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/110-gen-2-2000-2004/251217-wind-noise.html http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/110-gen-2-2000-2004/247657-excessive-wind-noise-highway-speeds.html http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/110-gen-2-2000-2004/297977-another-wind-noise-solution-cheap-easy.html

possible cap/o-ring problem on fuel pump. http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/110-gen-2-2000-2004/41182-symptoms-fuel-pump-o-ring-problem.html

get the nose up and fill/cycle the cooling system - there's been a coupla thread recently that 'seem' to indicate the car can be hard to purge air from.

check the 'sticky' threads here; http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/110-gen-2-2000-2004/ put a small clamp or a coupla small zip ties on the coolant o'flow hose at the radiator nipple. the car may need it's 3rd set of spark plugs - tricky job so, stay with OEM double platinum for 60K+ miles of use. I love my wife's 03 H6 - awesome highway cruiser.

yikes - that's quite a gap. hope she can locate a different mechanic local to her when she gets back. glad it was kinda simple to fix.

I'm sure there's info somewhere on minimum thread engagement (w'ever) but I dunno what it is. Maybe some info over at tirerack.com ?

seems like an offset problem so, maybe try a few mm spacer(. Make CERTAIN your lugnuts; A. engage enough threads , B. have the correct seat profile for the new rims , C. are deep enough not to 'bottom-out' on the stud's end is the offset stamped on the new rims anywhere?

a little off-topic, but, Subaru long life 'required' or is there a Zerex or NAPA, etc. alternative?

t'stat was changed with last coolant but, yeah, I planned on changing it.

honestly I think coolant has been changed only once or twice so 4-6 years or so. Coolant 'looks' great.

well, I asked to try to get some data points. I'm now leaning towards doing all the big hoses and the oil cooler and WP bypass hoses next April. But I'm not gonna panic if they slide a year after that. aren't there throttle body and IACV and maybe other hoses as well? what about those? It may depend on the next travel plans outta State.

I saw that - cool. do we get a Certificate of Participation or ?????

Neither of my soobs get close to the miles of use 'normal' folks get. But, in Texas, rubber and fluids DO go bad with time. The wife's 2003 H6 OBW has it's original hoses. Only 93K miles, but 13 years old. Just wondering if you guys think a burst hose is imminent or if I can somewhat reliably get a few more years out of them? Do they burst/split, or usually 'pinhole' ? And, If I were to preemptively replace hoses, should I change just the large rad hoses? or rad and heater....what would you change? Is Gates OK or would you spring for OEM ?

^^ what he said. If you're curious about whether you have LSD in the rear; chock front wheels, put car in N, lift the rear of the car, spin a rear wheel - if the other rear wheel moves in the same direction, you have LSD. when changing the fluid, remove the fill plug first, drain plug second. Clean the sludge from the magnet - there should be no large particles. I had to use a floor jack on the handle of a 1/2" breaker bar to loosen the plugs. filling is easier with something like this;

what kind of noise does the carrier bearing make when bad?

I have RL Lightweight SP (Smurf Blood !) in the front and rear diff of my wife's 03. In the rear diff of my WRX and have run it in the 5spd of my WRX. I am considering going back to in the 5spd. I don't think it will harm the diff, but no fluid will repair something broken.

there's a long thread about the issue at NASIOC. I used RomRaider and ECU flash to kill 14 codes on my 06 . both valves are stuck closed and have been for years. There are still in place but I pulled a fuse and a relay. No issue with emissions testing. (folks with valves stuck open have more work to do.) Your 07 needs to have a sensor divorced from one of the valves if you remove it. There's no evidence Subaru improved the replacement s parts and they are expensive. read here; http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1209260

you probably know, but loosen the fill plug before the drain plug. they are tight and have sealant on the threads - I had to use my floor jack on the handle of a 1/2" breaker bar. The 'correct' way is with a 13mm square tool - that few people seem to use. one of these will help with the fill;

hmmm....15 minutes of running well. Is that reliable whether hot or cold? That is, If the engine is fully warmed-up, you can turn it off and immediately back on and it runs well? Or, if it only runs well if the engine is cold, could be engine temp sensor is misinforming the ECU which is keeping the engine 'choked' all the time as if cold.