1 Lucky Texan

you will wan t educate yourself about the banjo bolt screens. do a search

well, if there is a click, but no cranking, I'd definitely consider new plunger/contacts in the solenoid (on the starter) as an experiment, sometime when the contacts are intermittent, a car will start after you whack the starter. Use a piece of 2x4. Try a tap first, then a 'bunt' then, a 'single'. if you literally hear nothing, could be some kinda ignition or neutral safety switch. Though jumping 'shouldn't' help with those failures.

well, I have a set of stock springs off my 06 WRX wagon, less than 1800 miles of use. You pay shipping plus $25 and you can see if they will work for you. I could take some free-length measurements but, i also don't know if you can use them. There's an entire thread at NASIOC about what suspension will work on other cars.

how old is the battery? I'd expect a battery may only last 2.5 to 3 years in much of AZ. but more details about the no start could help. Is there any sound, does it crank and sputter....w'ever

ask the parts store what they loan out. You'd be surprised. I borrowed a vacuum pump to recharge my a/c . You have to 'buy' the item, but they credit your card back when you return it. probably can borrow a vacuum gauge. Might need to buy a plastic T and some hose though. might help determine a sticking valve or clogged exhaust.

A vacuum gauge is very inexpensive and there are guides online to help with interpreting the readings. You may be able to borrow one from a parts store. Posting live or freezeframe data here will get you some good analysis but, I suspect finding a good local shop is gonna be more likely to pay off for you in the long run.

auto trans fluid is the only one that requires you to check while idling to get an accurate reading. Even better if the car is at operating temp. (the fans have come on at least once) many people overlook that. i even know better, but gave myself a fright years ago when hurriedly checking fluids before a road trip - thought the trans was overfilled for about 10 seconds! lol! trans-x, even new fluid, may take a while to help with any gummy deposits or stiff seals, etc. Of course, if the car isn't getting better - time to look elsewhere. Additives cannot fix most true failures. The can 'occasionally' undo poor maintenance, in certain areas, IF you are lucky.

any work done recently? replaced the TPS ? if it seems to do it only at idle, perhaps there's a throttlebody or IACV issue? just throwing out wild ideas.

nipper, does it seem the rpm go from normal to higher than they should or lower? that is, is the ECU boosting for a load that isn't there (compressor clutch is slipping or ???) OR, are RPMs dropping because the compressor clutch engages but the ECU isn't boosting the RPMs? 05 isn't DBW so, is there a solenoid somewhere that boosts rpms? (man I'm ignorant of this part of a car's system!)

does the a/c relay tell the ECU to boost rpm or...how does that whole system work with the cycling load from the comp. ?

it would be very nice to see live data. Or, if you have or can get scanner, create a CEL and get freezeframe data. did all 4 sparkplugs look the same? does the car get reasonable mileage? could you drive with a vacuum gauge attached and take readings when the car exhibits its failure 'mode'?

fair point but, won't some newer year trans also fit? still, it's easily $1,000. if he found someone parting a car out, might do a little better? I suppose if it was only plastic that got ground-up and circulated, little actual wear took place.

you need to fins a good mechanic. Could be just a little piston slap or a timing belt moving around or ??? how many miles on the car? we have a few Canadians on the board but, dunno if any of them are in your area - still, start a new thread asking for a mechanic near your city.

never read of that issue before. others here will be better able to advise you - just make sure you need an engine before proceeding. If the issue is 'only' in the heads (no overheating, oil starvation, etc. that would affect the other internals) - you could get used/rebuilt heads put on, with MLS gaskets, and perhaps have a more reliable engine than an entire used engine.

maybe look at engine prices on car-part.com probably need to at least do a timing belt service on any used engine. what happened to the engine?

best ways to make the car more 'fun' involve reducing mass and stiffening suspension so you can throw it around corners. Lots of mods/parts to help with that. Otherwise, sell it and shop for a WRX.

possible with enough $$$$. Could easily involve some or all of the following (in ADDITION to the engine); transmission, wiring harness, ECU, rear differential.

if you did tight circles in a dry, paved parking lot, would you FEEL any jerkiness? the noise is ONLY in one direction? Could someone pace the car to double check which corner the sound is from? all tires on the car the same size/model?

185K miles? probably find a used trans from a wreck, even with a little warranty, with 1/3 those miles. maybe worth looking around car-part.com for prices to help decide which way to go.

wow, low miles, well, you may still be a coupla years away from a TB service. (original battery? I have had a bad battery trigger spurious codes) We would need more details to even offer educated guesses at this point. Codes would be helpful. i think there is a way to get the car to display the codes on the dash. then, you should be able to reset the ECU; disconnect neg. cable from battery, step on the brake pedal, wait maybe 15 minutes, reconnect(or,disconnect the batt. neg. cable overnight ) reconn. and see if the car runs normally, pops the CEL with new codes or gos back into limp mode?

start getting all stored codes and posting them here, then by resetting the ECU and see what codes are set or if it falls back into limp mode - basically what happens after that. miles on car? was the timing belt service done and if so, what parts were swapped.

hmmm did the rad fans cycle on-off?

wow, crazy story. be sure to check the trans fluid level while idling. It's the only fluid level like that.

muffler delete with a turned-down tip is cheap noise.

bad knock sensor could be in the mix here too.