1 Lucky Texan

first, yes the Gauge has it's on sensor, separate from the ECU. They MAY share the same housing in a 2000, in the 90s, they were 2 separate sensors near each other. If you have one sensor with 3 wires, it performs both functions. You also need to discover why your fans aren't working right. They should probably be running on low, or one should be on, then the other strtas when the a/c is selected. It can be a little confusing as to the logic used to decide when to turn the fans on high vs low but - You may have a bad relay or other electrical issue. Any work done on the car recently? Something related to electronics or the cooling system? Could the thermostat have been replaced with a non-OEM unit?

can we assume he will use MLS-type headgaskets?

george - if you have moderate skills with a wrench, consider taking the knuckle off and take it and your new parts to a local machine shop to swap the bearing. It's a hybrid move between full DIY and farming it out completely. probably save you a coupla hundred $$

Outback dates; from; www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/jaxrs/download/doc/UCM458062/RCDNN-14V399-5724.pdf My car's sticker on the driver's door just says 4/03 . Is there a date somewhere with the specific day? anyway, we haven't moved since we bought the car so, I may just watch for a letter.

yeah, from what I've read, some of those apps can get more helpful data than just DTCs. Give it a shot!

it may very well be that your car has a problem that the ECU is 'barely' able to correct. Such that, when trying to run on the ECU's default map, which assumes all positive factors, it exhibits poor running. Then, after a few drive cycles, the ECU has made ,perhaps drastic, changes to ignition timing and A:F ratios to get reasonable performance. Getting freezeframe data or using FreeSSM or some other deeper scan technique to look at fuel trims and similar data would be a good next step I think.

definitely check the timing belt. check battery/cables/ground connections and charging circuit. check for vacuum leaks (start with the above - if no improvement try the next items) consider cleaning the IAC valve. consider a new knock sensor.

kinda wonder if vacuum gauge comaprisons before/after might point to an exhaust blockage, vacuum leak (intake gasket?) or some other issue? might be worth measuring the hubs and rotors with an infrared thermometer. maybe a caliper is dragging? any 'jerkiness' to the 'holding back' feeling?

he may have been referring to some 'performance' camber bolts as opposed to OEM-style replacements. i have seen bolts sold to increase negative camber for (supposedly) 'motorsports' purposes. H&R, Whiteline, Eibach and others may have something that would help but , usually these parts are made for the WRX or STI models. another option could be camber plates for the strut mount. It should be noted, these items can sometimes lead to tires rubbing.

can those solenoids be swapped left to right? or the sensors?

you could also try cycling the key to ON, wait 8 seconds, then to OFF, then repeat 3-4 times before STARTing the car. If there is low fuel pressure, this will cycle the fuel pump several times before the fuel is needed to start the car. If the issue is a leaky injector or poor fuel delivery, this could 'overiride'/mask the failure to allow a normal start.

Still seems like the date's got scrambled for the Outback - couldn't find the WQL-48 at NHTSA either. maybe too soon to show up?

don't 05s have oil screens in the AVCS system as well as the turbo bearing?

OK, anyone else think this could be a problem with the jet transfer pump? when it starts bucking at half tank, opening the fuel tank, closing it, test for bucking. If it still bucks, try adding just 1 gallon and testing again. I think running some SeaFoam or maybe Techron thru a tank or 2 of fuel might have a chance at cleaning the jet pump out. But, I'd say evap issue is also a possibility. Ever have to 'nurse' fuel into the tank? like it won't accept the fuel quickly enough? Evere have any 'whoosh' from pressure or vacuum when you open the tank?

the rear wheel backing plates each have a oval rubber plug. There is also an embossed arrow nearby pointing up. That is the adjustment for the parking brake shoes. You use a screwdriver or similar tool to rotate the star wheel up to tighten the brakes.

what does that conn do? where did it attach?

some of those dates look odd. got a link to the data?

one difficulty is the differences from US vs non US models, but, next time the car is warm and you expect to experience a problem, hold the accelerator pedal to the floor (completely depressed) - that signals the ECU to withold fuel. If the car is 'flooded', mayy start more smoothly. Then , we proceed to check for flooding causes; leaky injector or bad Engine Temp Sensor or? If the problem is worse with the pedal down test - we might expect a low fuel pressure problem and proceed from there. If it seems the same, perhaps there is a spark or air problem ? I know the above seems vague, and the 'differences' you will be trying to detect could be subtle - but, it's just an idea. Also, scanning the ECU for 'pending' codes might help find a system that is having a slight problem.

don't forget to pull the neg terminal off the battery before any work, It's just too easy to be 'casual' and forget about that 600A battery under the hood!

this defintely seems like failure of the Viscous Locking Center Differential's viscous coupling. Every failure of this part ahs involved the symptoms being worse after the trans is warmed up. The hotter, the worse it is. With the tires being proper size, the only 2 things left would be, a mismatch in final drive ratios (like wrong rear diff or trans swapped) or bad center diff. a used 5 spd swapped in would probably be your best approach. (must be the same FD as stock.)

P0051 is front (upstream of the cat conv), left side (US driver's side) O2 sensor. dunno about the source of the power to it. might be some help here; http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/110-gen-2-2000-2004/39012-still-getting-code-p0051-after-o2-sensor-replacement.html

I have a few concerns along these lines; incorrect thermostat may have been installed, IAC hose could have been loose, knock sensor could be bad, idle was incorrectly set too high, the OBD system needs to be read for the check engine light, the used engine you bought may have had bad headgaskets.... there are several failure scenarios we could follow here. you are fighting a lot of variables/unknowns. best approach at this point requires the car be properly diagnosed. I'm not convinced your present mechanic can do this but really don't know. consider a new thread asking for a shop recommendation near your city.

5 spd ? or automatic? any way, if you feel any 'jerking'/binding in the car, like it can't idle thru a tight circle on dry pavement without giving it gas, that could be torque bind. If your tires are all; the same brand, the same model and the same wear level, this could be bad news. You may have some bad transmission parts. If a tire is different, that needs to be addressed - they must be the same. occasionally, bad u-joints will cause issues similar to this. more details about the car would help. Is your mechanic experienced with Subarus?

a gunked PCV valve/hose could increase oil leakage, but probably wouldn't create a leak. here's a nice video; and link; http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=965763#9

maybe the separator plate on the back of the engine? Some older engines had a plastic plate notorious for major leakage.