1 Lucky Texan

a home DIYer will likely remember what brand/type pads are on the car and can 'match' those parts more easily. A shop that hasn't seem your car or know if someone else has worked on it after they did, would tend to do brakes in pairs as mentioned above. as to what led to the problem - could have been rust, broken components, a defect in a pad or ?????

symptoms seem to point to 2 or more problems but, def. start with the electrical system. A 99 could have corroded cables and need starter contacts. If the car is an auto-trans, shifting to neutral would be a good test. If the car starts after whacking the starter with a chunk of 2x4 - that would sorta be 'diagnostic' for starter contacts.

our 03 H6 has cloth w/heat

ease of most maintenance/repair jobs. helpfulness and expertise of the 'community' of owners/mechanics

get an OEM-style t'stat;

any idea what quadrant the noise is coming from? I suppose you looked at the inner pads of the brakes? similar wear to the outer pads? Are you hearing the 'squealer' on an inner pad? usually more scratchy/squeaky-sounding than grinding.... after a highway run, might be worth a quick temp measuement at each hub with an infrared remote therm. Might spot a bad bearing.....

http://www.dormanproducts.com/itemdetail.aspx?ProductID=17896&SEName=49447

the best test for torque bind is probably doing tight circles on dry pavement. If the car will idle thru circles at full lock, forward and reverse, without any jerking of bucking and without more than just a touch of the gas pedal - probably the clutch pack and duty C solenoid are working OK. tires all the same brand/size/model? close to the same wear? trans fluid good? can you get the noise using the parking brake to slow the car? does it happen if you shift to neutral first?

Isn't the 08 kinda - well, looked down on? I seem to recall reading something about.....?

WRX 'might' be a little cheaper insurance - call your agent to find out.

you might give CCR in Colorado a call, but, going thru a local dealership might be as good with shipping concerns. http://ccrengines.com/index.html

probably just 2 bad o-rings at the compressor - many people, including me, have fixed the a/c fro less than $1 (uh, not including the new refrigerant) read here; http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/99-do-yourself-illustrated-guides/43428-diy-c-air-conditioning-leak-refrigerant-repair-5-less-15-minutes-less.html?highlight=diy+a%2Fc

when you do get in, if the alarm is sounding, you must cycle the ignition quickly 3 times from OFF to ON (not start/not ACC) and the alarm 'should stop. maybe not if the security system is malfunctioning so, either wait and hope it turns itself off - or be prepared to pull a fuse or remove the battery Neg. terminal.

3-4 possibilities I think, oil on spark plug boots throttlebody/plate is 'gummy'. SeaFoam SPRAY treatment could help. IACV is gummmy - try above but, removing and cleaning is best. (also, there's the large IA hose from the bottom of the intake to the IACV that is sometimes loose) TPS problem?

I bet they're dark purple with all that turning.

quoted for typo humor

lol! yeah, kinda old school when it comes to protecting my hands I guess. I did work over a slab of cardboard and threw everything into a box to toss out.

just a few thoughts after doing an inner joint today on an axle for a 2003 H6 Outback. (wife reports a bad smell from the front of the car so, I assume the axle I had laying around will need to go back in the car after i reboot it. It's the OEM axle with a green cup that came out of the car. She says the smell is from the driver's side. If so, that is an Empire (no longer EMPI) axle and its boot did not last long at all! I'll know more later) The amount of grease included in the Beck Arnley boot kit is 120gms - ~4.25oz by weight. (I had the kit here without realizing there was grease in the box! there is also 2 bands and 2 different sizes of snap-ring and basic instructions)) It seemed heavier/thicker than what was running out of the joint. The paperwork with the kit indicates the grease is lithium based with moly added. i have read that inners and outer use different grease.......? I used all of the package. I first used a flat stick to fill the ridges inside the boot, I used a narrow stick to smear the bearings, then squeezed the rest into the cup. I think in one post in a different thread there was a brief reference to this next point; the 'rings' that come off the bearings have an asymmetrical profile. Try to leave 2 on and carefully remove one, keeping the outer surface in mind, clean it, and eyeball its profile. The 'narrow' side faces 'out'. I didn't try fitting one backwards so, i don't know if can be assembled incorrectly. Again, other axles may be different - this is a 2003 H6 outback front axle - inner joint. I marked the rings, the cup's position, and the tripod's position - so everything went back like it was. Some people say it's unnecessary. The 3 little bearings on the end seem to be held in place by very small circlips. Does anyone ever take them apart to clean, inspect or grease? How? Anyway, hoping this grease gets in there too. Would i do anything different next time? 1. wear gloves (my hands stink!) 2. NOT use brake cleaner or solvent on the tripod unless I could take the little tripod bearings completely apart. (just wipe down very well) 3. Investigate the actual grease used in OEM inner joints assemblies. 4. Be more careful with the Lisle band tool (almost destroyed a band)

is the trans in the Nissan GTR made by JATCO? Seems like it might be put in a STI.

good - we have to ask a lot of basic questions when new folks sign-up.

all the tires the same brand/model/size and close to the same wear?

during service, some fluid may have dripped onto the exhaust. check the CV joint boots for splits - maybe grease is being slung onto the exhaust.

Good idea - I've heard of people feeding in a length of small rope, then bringing the piston up closer to TDC to hold them.

I got Mitsuboshi belt, some say it is OEM. Hoping GMB idlers are OK.

no codes stored/pending?