1 Lucky Texan

hope you started daily PB Blaster use on the ball joint last week - that part won't be fun to change. Start putting penetrating oil on every bolt and nut today!

how old are the plugs?

same listed size but different brand is not good enough. Mother Subie wants same CIRCUMFERENCE within 1/4" . Now, many people feel the actual tolerance is a little greater than that but.....it just isn't worth testing the theory . get the tires right. Certainly do not expose any new trans to the same mixed tire set.

any chance the exhaust system took a hit? P0420 code can def be set if exh sys leaks.

got a helper? see if a squirting some starter fluid in the intake makes things worse (flooding?), better (fuel starved?) or about the same.(spark or timing?) scan for a 'pending' code.

disconnect the batt - hit the brake pedal, wait a few minutes and reconnect. Start without touching the gas pedal. maybe it learned some odd TPS position or ??????

there may be a big hose from the IACV that didn't get connected under the intake tubing.

if you need that rear bushing/transverse link - look at Febest brand on Amazon. RockAuto has those arms - some even come with a new balljoint I think.

a low-miles wrecked WRX 'may' not have been on the road long enough to have been reamed-out by a kid. Or, as said above, if you knew the history on a car and it was driven by an adult, that might be a good source for an engine. There are the occasional turbo Foresters that haven't been abused.

those green connectors are only used for a type of troubleshooting procedure - leave them disconnected. not sure what they have affected, kinda surprising. but, you might try to reset the ecu with a scanner - or disconnect the battery for half an hour. maybe let the car re-learn from the base map. When you start it the first time after the reset, try not to touch the gas pedal - it may also crank kinda long.

does airtex have a unit for that year? I sometimes see them listed for newer cars.

You should consider RetroRoo in Henderson. Shawn owns this site! If you don't know how often or severely the present engine was overheated by the previous owner , consider a junkyard engine.

you can measure 'dark current' and pull fuses until you find the high-demand circuit. even a new battery will degrade quickly if it has ever been completely discharged - and every time it has gone flat, more damage is done. best to use a battery 'tender' (trickle charger) or remove a battery if it sits unused.

way more info than you ever wanted about oil over at www.bobistheoilguy.com

austin - are you looking for a major project, a new car, a way to get into racing....? what is your goal?

^^^ good post, more features details at www.cars101.com

if you're handy enough to do a timing belt - maybe you could find one that is approaching the 105K mile-mark, bargain the price down based on dealer quote for TB system service, do the TB system service yourself and KNOW it was done correctly. or, if you never want to hassle with a TB service, get an H6. the older a car is, the less important its brand and reliability rating and the more important the car's previous care and current condition become - shop carefully. maybe have a mechanic on-line to perform a pre-purchase inspection, might save you thousands o r - give you a little ammo to negotiate a lower price.

I'd think starter fluid, propane or even carb cleaner should get a detectable increse/change in the idle - even if just for a few moments. be careful

isn't high nox a sign of lean mixture?

find a low-miles engine from a wreck? car-part.com or LKQ do you know it hasn't been severely overheated on multiple occasions? It would be a bummer to install gaskets and have a rod bearing start knocking 5 weeks later.

factory pads are Akebono ceramic. For the same performance, i run Centric PosiQuiet Ceramic on our 03 H6 OBW. On my WRX, I run Stoptech Street performance. They dust more, but have a very high MOT for an affordable 'high performance' pad - plus, they maintain good cold initial bite and good modulation, noise free too. ferodo ,EBC , hawk, etc. also offer upgraded pads. Stay away from true 'race' pads - they often are very harsh on rotors, noisy, extremely dusty and often only 'bite' after warming-up. If I needed rotors, I'd also shop for Centric - good value. If it can be turned and stay over the minimum thickness stamped on it, try to keep the OEM rotor. OEM is quality stuff - but a little pricey. Avoid any consumables labeled 'economy'. That stuff is for the guy selling or flipping cars or people who must save every penny. do a search for brake-related threads, everyone has their own experiences/recommendations.

so many threads on brakes. properly used and maintained OEM brake components ar excellent. what pads and tires are on the car now? crap tires and 'economy' pads and old fluid might be the problem now. tell us more what you intend to do with the car. (racing, towing, bombing down mountain roads fully loaded with gear, etc.) best brake upgrade is stickier tires.

cam and crank sensors must be good to fire engine. I occasionally read about bad crank sensors, but moreso in older cars. um, no chance any of the tabs at the back of the crank sprocket got broken off?

seeing as how the car is new to you, perhaps some fluids are low or even incorrect (happens more often with these cars than you'd think) so, double check all fluids - trans is the only one checked while idling. fluid or CV joint grease on exhaust will smell bad. torque bind is caused by multiple issues but, it manifests itself as a stress that builds-up in the drivetrain due to the AWD system being fooled into engaging as if the car were on wet or icy roads or on gravel/dirt. If it WERE on a low traction surface, binding would not be felt and the drive train would have an opportunity to relieve/prevent any stress. Dry pavement affords no such opportunity so, the stress build until something slips - this can destroy some parts of the drivetrain - either immediately or over some time. running different size tires, swapping mismatched transmission/rear differential, failing duty c solenoid, grooved/worn wet clutch pack 'basket', etc. are some possibilities. confirm your tires are the same size, try a fluid change, easiest for DIY is 3 drain.fill/ drive cycles - that gets over 80% new fluid. valvoline maxlife is good. Sneak-up on the fill line - those marks are only a pint or so different, not a quart like engine oil.

clean or replace the PCV valve is a great place to start I think.