1 Lucky Texan

if you could post the actual trouble code numbers (DTCs) it could, someone else if not me. after recording the code numbers, you can clear them, then monitor how quickly and which ones come back. Sometimes a 'glitch' occurs and might persist for sometime. if yoy're unsure about the injector, swap it with one in a different cylinder and see if the problem moves with the injector.

even seeing some fuel flow, may not mean pressure or volume is adequate. Our cars have a cap/o-ring on the fuel pump that may be ruptured - starving the car of fuel. read here; http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/110-gen-2-2000-2004/41182-symptoms-fuel-pump-o-ring-problem.html

there MAY be a way to mate some connectors under the dash to get a 'blink code'. Here, we can also get auto parts retailers to read codes for us. If you own a smartphone, there is a BlueTooth adapter and free app that will let you read codes and other info for less that $15-$20 or so. hopefully, someone with more experience will chime in.

if your 98 has OBDII similar to our cars - reading and posting the DTC (trouble code) would help a lot. is the light solid or flashing when it happens?

vacuum gauge testing will help confirm exhaust blockage. any CEL codes? as said above A:F ratio is off - kinda wonder if car could also have slipped timing but, exhaust blockage could explain everything. - maybe what killed the original cat has killed the new one?

Make sure then to understand what 'bedding in' is and how to do a mild/medium process just before the autoX event. Unless she is making a dedicated racer, then you will be getting into what the other racers are running for brake/suspension equipment. Ferodo, EBC, Hawk, Carbotech etc. - lots of ways to go. Stop Tech Street performance are a good pad for 'spirited' driving on the street and 'occasional' track use. But, any name brand Ceramic (and even semi-mettalic) would serve her well until she actually starts racing. I put cheap pads on my wife's Outback once - they were some kind of Wagner's on clearance - they were horrible, went back to Centric PQ Ceramic before they were half used up. terrifying. good reading here in the 'white/technical papers; http://stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers

http://www.abeesautomotive.com/#/home/ still seem to have a high rating on Yelp.

it's a safety thing having mostly to do with limiting belt shifting during jerky-movements to the car being transferred to the crank shaft. I THINK some folks a LONG time ago had timing belts jump if the car was towed by a tow truck or ??? while in gear backwards or possibly in certain types of wrecks. my 06 WRX has 5 of those things. I used toothpicks that were about 1 mm to set them. YMMV

have any repairs, maintenance or wrecks happened just before this began? is there a check engine light? post the failure codes. when was the timing belt system last serviced?

I'm asking because tires are really what stop the car. Our cars , unless racing or maybe towing up and down the mountains, have decent brakes. Folks who felt like they needed upgraded braking, have usually been well served running stickier tires and good pads. Stock pads are (probably) Akebono ceramic, but folks have saved some money using name-brand aftermarket ceramics. I run Centric Posi-Quiet Ceramic on my wife's 03 OBW. I run Stop Tech Street Performance on my WRX (excellent for folks hard on brakes - but lots of dust!). Both with stock rotors. (when I need rotors, I'm getting Centric) At present, the WRX has Kumho ECSTA ASX tires. Some people have found new rubber brakelines (or stainless braided, usually on older cars) and a master cylinder brace have helped them with better brake 'feel' when towing or on the track. I'd make certain you didn't just need a brake fluid flush, better tires and better brake pads (read about 'bedding in' too) before jumping to a caliper upgrade. again, tires stop the car, brakes just stop them from turning. 3142plateless by alckytxn, on Flickr

do you run sticky tires already? if so, what pads have you been running?

what he said ^^^^ seriously, MUCH better to pay to regrease/reboot your NTN axle. MUCH better.

has the car been 'tuned' ? maybe that is throwing the a:f off enough to create a slow warm-up?

I would have said it may have slipped timing, but, you sure it's running as well as before? hmmm, maybe a dirty IACV or gummy throttle body? interesting.

wow - not sure I've read of a seized water pump before.

might not be a good idea to put your smartphone near some megaOersted pole-flipping magnetic field. . . . . . . Use your wife's phone.

anywhere from under 2.5 to 8+ years extremely variable, mostly dependent on climate and any abuse the battery suffered. where I live, 3 years is old for battery - heat is very bad for them. They are expensive enough that having a suspect battery tested is worth the hassle. It's remaining capacity can be tested, checked for dead cells, etc.

There's some evidence online that a Toyota made similar to this has a nipple in a similar location. There are pics of an owner hanging a cup under the nipple to catch drips. Given Toyota's involvement with Subaru, maybe there was some crossover in tech - but fitting a nipple there was abandoned ?

well, you could lap a shim on some wet-dry over a piece of glass and do pretty well. Or figure out what shims you need and order them. You may only need a couple after you swap them around ??? If they are too tight, I think the danger is, the valve may not close completely at operating temp and would burn an edge.

well, maybe those wheels aren't that bad - just seems a little pricey. I sold my stockers off my WRX for $500 with tires. Stock rims are made by Enkei I think. but, that was 10 years ago....

ugh - I KNOW I read a thread about this issue. pretty sure id doesn't 'go' anywhere. I THINK I recall the thought was, any dirt/debris would collect in that depression instead of possibly running in to the oil passage.

some folks have found stretched exhaust valves on H6es at about 200,000 miles so, I'd say there's a good chance yours do not need any attention now unless you have some other problem.

yeah, someone is charging you a LOT for what many of us do ourselves, or an independent mechanic might do for $10-$15 .

batteries don't like to be completely discharged - even 1 or 2 times is bad - multiple times will destroy one. maybe borrow a good battery from a working car, test voltages as mentioned too. of course there are other possibilities, some older soobs had crank sensors that would fail when they warmed up, etc.

classifieds on the Forums - post a WTB (want to buy) someone may have some wheels laying around. (here, subaruoutback.org, NASIOC, etc.) you will need to confirm a few things for maximum possibility of problem-free driving - what size tire can you run with no rubbing or brake caliper interference, what wheel size that mounts to, can you find a good looking wheel that size that has the correct offset, is hub centric and is the right bolt pattern. I wish I knew specifics about a 97, but likely someone here will. there 'may' be a thread over at NASIOC called "what wheels fit my car" or similar. Also, tirerack.com and I think also Discount Tire , have online shopping systems that allow folks to load a picture of their car model, then 'try on' pictures of different rims. That might be fun.