1 Lucky Texan

OK, the video shows him holding the hub and bearing out of the knuckle and shifting it back and forth. so, I have no experience with that type assembly. maybe someone else does. The HBA I installed in an Impala would only rotate - not shift like the video nor wobble. sry

you might do a search at www.nasioc.com for 3rd part ECUs/controllers.

compare to the other side. but yeah, sounds bad as described.

you are seeing the DRLs. THey should get brighter when the headlights are turned on, and they should go off when you set the parking brake.

you could carry a gallon or 2 with you when the tank gets low. Drive till light comes on or the car stalls. still, I'd hate the thought of stalling in traffic.

could a bad cat be clogging the exhaust as it warms-up? weird I know - maybe check with a vacuum gauge. There are 2-3 things a vacuum gauge could help find. was crank/cam timing checked? maybe the crank sprocket has shifted on the crankshaft?

he replaced the alt. but, we all know rebuilt alts have a very poor reputation. his new alt needs testing, as does the battery - and the ground strap and other cables/connection need checking. probably good idea to take a look at the crank pulley in case it is slipping.

name brand ceramic pads are all probably on-par with the stock Akebono ceramics. I run Centric PosiQuiet Ceramics on the wife's Outback - no drama or noise and they LAST.

is the vibration felt throughout the car or just in the steering wheel? any change if you coast in N ? is the noise a whine, growl, hum or a rattle or a buzz....what?

sounds like the voltage may be marginal to operate the DRL module. how old is the battery? was it tested too? ( a Midtronics unit or an old load box is better than just a voltmeter) get that ground cable fixed, it may look 'connected', but it may be dropping voltage at high demand levels.

people have done all kinds of swaps - probably 'easier' (this is a relative term, it won't be 'easy') to swap in engine and probably driveline gear from a wrecked WRX. over at NASIOC I'd bet you could find threads on a similar swap. you can do almost anything with enough $$$$$ - cardoc SUPERcharged a 6 cyl. Outback! you just need to pick the path that best fits your budget, mechanical ability, tolerance for being without your car and dealing with a lot of details - and your goal.

if you really beat-up the brakes, make sure to run stickier tires, consider StopTech Street Performance pads. They are an affordable upgraded pad with high MOT but they bite when cold and modulate well. They will dust more though. (yeah, you could run Hawk, Carbotech or Ferodo, etc. - but they are even more money)

had a low beam bulb go out on the WRX, installed a pair of GE Nighthawk bulbs. fairly easy, right side - just 2 bolts to remove the intake funnel. Left side, one clip to shift the wiper fluid filler tube - it was tight, if I had sausage fingers, probably have to remove the battery.

city of Dallas had property tax on cars (boats too?) until sometime in the 90s. I think some Counties in Texas have it - one in the panhandle - it's on newer cars only but supposedly can be $400 ! interesting; http://taxfoundation.org/article/states-moving-away-taxes-tangible-personal-property

yeah, I remember when I first heard about local property taxes that included vehicles and boats. i was shocked too.

wonder if someone used the wrong trans fluid in the past? how many miles on this car? might be able to get a used trans with half the miles from a wreck to throw in it. Or, get some name brand non-synthetic GL-5 in the trans and just drive it.

I think in years across 3 Forums I have only read of 'chocolate mousse' oil/coolant emuslion showing up once. And white coolant out the tailpipe is also uncommon for our cars. It can all happen, just that the most comm on is either external seeping/weeping/dripping happens, or full-blown combustion gasses in the coolant pushing it into the overflow tank (particularly 1st run of DOHC 2.5 liter engines in the late 90s to 2000 or so). stay in the habit of checking level in the radiator, confirm OEM style thermostat (a MUST) maybe get a new rad. cap. On both my cars, I clamped the overflow tube to it's nipple on the rad neck. I used 2 small zipties. confirm rad fan operation - they can fail or, confusingly, get intermittent - sometimes coming on when tapped.

coil/wires causing misfiring?

^^ what he said - lack of lube or too much rust or some other issue with the caliper sliding.

how's the fluid level and condition? (level must be checked while idling) some folks have good luck after some fresh fluid - even 3 drain/fills with some driving in between. or, after fresh fluid, Trans-X has helped with 'delayed engagement' .

sounds to me you're all set. don't let a caliper hang by its hose if you remove it completely (I have used twine and coat hanger to suspend it from the coil spring), don't twist a hose putting a caliper back on. if some bolt or nut seems stuck, try not to force it - soak it in some PB Blaster or 50:50 acetone ATF fluid . even 10=15 seconds from a propane torch if necessary. plenty of people have done great work on their cars without a torque wrench - I use mine when I can, but you will do OK without one. I have had good luck carefully using my old brake pad as a lever to push the piston in with. the C clamp youmention should work too. main thing, try not to scar a rotor or puncture a rubber boot. if it looks like there is any 'burs' or thinck paint on the edge or tabs of the pad backing plate, you can file/frind them a little. I always use the lube on any contact/sliding parts - even the surface rim of the piston. pads are held loosely and all the sliding parts should get a little lube. if you got new rotors, clean the swept area with a light solvent or maybe warm soapy water, might have some protective grease on them. whent he fluid reservoir rises from pistons being pushed back, you may be able to use a turkey baster to remove old fluid, put fresh fluid in before bleeding the brakes. DO NOT let that reservoir go dry.

^^ good point Fair, these bearings can be a challenge to confirm. what brand(s) have you been using?

it's a pretty good idea to inspect or have the brakes inspected - maybe once every 2-3 years? as the brakes get 'older' (in miles OR time) inspection becomes more important and should be more frequent. does the growling get worse or change a lot if you gently depress the brakes? there are 3-4 types of 'tests' for bad wheel bearings, but none of them seem to be 100% accurate for our bearings; some folks have found bad bearings by using an infrared thermometer to find one hub hotter than the other side. Or, I have personally found a bad bearing lifting/rocking the wheel in the 12 to 6 o'clock direction. Some people can sense a change in sound thru sweeping turns left or right. The idea is, the bad bearing would be louder on the left in a right turn, or right on a left turn because of dynamic loading. Others claim you can detect a bad bearing by feeling of the spring while turning the wheel. Or listening with a mechanic's stethoscope. If you have a mechanic, take him for a ride and demonstrate the problem.

Timken went on and is still working fine on my daughter's Impala, haven't done a soob so....? pretty sure NTN is Japanese brand and may be an OEM supplier? maybe a decent approach would be, IF you can be confident of which side is bad - spring for the NTN or OEM, but, if you feel you have to slap 2 bearings on, go with the Timken ?

maybe take some infrared thermometer readings after 2-3 highway runs. If the left is consistently warmer than its mate on the right - might confirm that side.