1 Lucky Texan

might be worth spending $100 for an opinion from another shop. right away I have concerns when someone says "you need a cat and 2 sensors to clear P0420" it's almost impossible for those 3 items to all be bad simultaneously. Someone is troubleshooting by the 'law of averages' - change enough stuff and you might catch the bad part. That approach might be forgivable if I do it myself - may still be cheaper using my own labor plus, I'm at least getting some new parts. But, when you are PAYING for labor from a supposed-pro , it's inexcuseable. There are voltage and oscilloscope tests for the sensors and propane and thermal tests for the cat conv available to PROPERLY trained and equipped mechanics. If you elect to go forward with all these new parts, be sure to ask the shop what their next move is if the code comes back inn a few weeks, or can they guarantee they are fixing the problem.

you might consider pulling both axles, rebooting, and swapping sides on re-install.

sure you changed the right temp sensor? the one with 2 wires?

don't let anyone sell you a cat converter unless there is UNEQUIVOCAL evidence it's bad. That code is a nightmare and many people suffer with solving it because there are many reasons it can be set; exhaust leaks, poor combustion,corroded grounds, rodent-chewed wires, bad battery/charging conditions, etc.

down here, we don't suffer from as serious rust issues, but we also have 'mom&pop'-style muffler shops. The advice above is spot on . Again, consider finding a shop or 2 in Syracuse. That way if the exhaust repair has an issue, your daughter could get warranty service locally, same for a tire shop and a mechanic. If there is a Discount Tire in Syracuse, they have oustanding customer servise and may even be able to steer you to an exhaust shop or a mechanic. If your daughter gets a flat or needs any tires - I HIGHLY recommend them. try Yelp, Google for business reviews/ratings or maybe Angie's list. Not a guarantee but, but helps weed-out places with known poor service/work.

physically - a LOT (might be trickier to fit it in some cars older than 2000 or so but, it's been done), that basic engine (EJ) has been used up until the FB replaced it - say - 2012 or so. (depends on model and of course domestic vs foreign markets, etc.) check cars101.com main issue is, if it's going in a car set-up for a 2.2 or a turbo or a 6 cyl., would be the wire harness and engine management. what are u trying to do?

281K? - I'd find a used trans

trans-x works supposedly by making seals pliable again. it's getting to be a pretty old car but, maybe a used trans could be found (how new of a trans would bolt-up?) - might have a lot fewer miles than your present trans too.

thought they sounded familiar; http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/5-dealership-reviews/45720-subaru-world-newton-nj.html some discussion here; http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2264753&highlight=newton still, management changes and any dealership might vary over time in their business practices/style, and people are always quick to post bad experiences. ALL dealerships are expensive and they must always do things 'by the book' to avoid lawsuits, etc.

I just saw this, it shows how much trouble you must go thru to try to CREATE a 'rumble' on an H6 motor; http://www.mainelysubarus.com/forums/topic/12976-custom-headersexhausts/

interesting thread - everyone is being civil, I'm not accustomed to that on the internet! just diving in to say, sometimes, a simple vacuum gauge will indicate a sticking valve.

might be worth TRYING Trans-X, sure, possibilty it will do exactly zip, but others have found to at least help with some internal seals.

what dealership was this?

any 18 year-old car might need 1 or 2 K$ spent on it to be reliable. If the history of this car is good, might be a great 'student car' for a few years if it's treated well. Those engines do have a reputation for blowing headgaskets - so the cooling system needs a thorough inspection and the driver needs to be trained what to watch for and how to maintain the car. Finding a good Subaru mechanic near Syracuse may be a good idea too. Someplace your daughter could take the car for oil changes and the occasional inspection.

check cars101.com maybe get the VIN from the guy and ask if the car has had an engine swap too.

OOPS! (too slow typing) at that mileage - timing system service is most critical if it hasn't been done. knock sensor is most critical item. many people DIY that with a $20 ebay part - if you research the subject, easy to get right. the other items will 'last' for some time depending on some details. IF (that's a big if) you can tolerate the smell of the grease hitting the exhaust, the split axle boot does not need immediate attention. yes, best to get a new boot on it soon but - many axles will last months before they experience enough wear to make noise. best approach, regrease and reboot your OEM axle now. next best - do it in a month, after that, may be risky to re-use it. It may last several more months, after which, get one from a junkyard and regrease/reboot it. MUCH better than any aftermarket new or rebuilt. IF (that's a big if) oil is leaking from the valve cover gaskets onto the sparkplug wire boots - that needs immediate attention. But, if they are just dripping externally, very diligent attention to engine oil level is all that is required. If the crank seal is leaking, that also only requires vigilance as to ol level. If the driver of the car is unable to check oil levels at every gas fill-up or on some other frequent/regular schedule - the engine is at risk. Ask for a shop recomendation near branchville in a new thread - those services would likely be cheaper at an independent shop familiar with Subarus. basically, you need a trustworthy mechanic to go over what needs attention today, what you need to save up for, and what you could "just live with". (NOTE: it is a false economy to just put a belt on the timing parts - you NEED new pulleys, those bearings will seize/fail and destroy the engine - do the Timing belt service properly)

the only reason my WRX doesn't sound like a Honda is the unequal length header tubes feeding the turbo. Not saying headers can't be made to alter the sound of the H6 - maybe your search will find something. All of the 'built/project' H6es I've heard sound smooth. Even cardoc's supercharged car sounded smooth.(dig through here; http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/110-gen-2-2000-2004/47896-sleeper-vdc.html -some good pics in there too. Also, dig around in his youtube channel; ) (I think I have seen pics of a twin turbo H6, maybe it would sound 'uneven' if the headers were customized?)

CPS - crank pos sensor hmmm...might be worth scanning for pending codes. Particularly right after a failure. Some codes must occur 2-3 times before the MIL is lit. triple check all grounds and sensor/harness connections.

I own both a wrx and an H6 Outback. they will NEVER have a similar sound.

you could carefully compare temps of the hubs and rotors after a highway run. Best to use an infrared therm but touching quickly may work OK. Only a coupla things would heat-up one hub more than the others, bad wheel bearing or dragging caliper. Most likely front wheel (on side toward the 'pulling'). Less likely rear wheel. http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Lasergrip-Temperature-Non-contact-Thermometer/dp/B00DMI632G/ref=sr_1_3?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1432699881&sr=1-3&keywords=infrared+thermometer

does anyone regularly refill the tank and "top-off" by rounding up to the nearest dollar or until fuel comes out the filler? if so, charcoal canister may be saturated. does the car ever sit for days/weeks? valves can get gummed-up or creatures plug the Drain valve in the evap system. (Mazda has had multiple problems with the Yellow Sack Spider in their evap systems)

could this be an intermittent crank position sensor? some older soobs had those go out at temp i think. do you run without TB covers by chance? maybe some metal filings/debris have collected on the CPS. also, kinda wonder if the TPS could an issue here?

man - people fight this a lot and it can be 3-4 things. My MIL's 2011 Forester had to have a new tank installed! better hope it's a bad Drain valve, purge valve, flooded carbon canister or bugs/spiders building a web in the drain outlet hose.

volts with no load won't really tell you if the circuit is free from resistance. maybe look for where the FP is grounded and make sure the ground is good? the ECU has the FP on a timer when you first turn the key ON so, there is pump voltage from the ECU. maybe the other voltage yor'er reading is for the sender unit? I'm kinda out of my knowledge/experience zone here so , I'll let fairtax and others carry-on.