1 Lucky Texan

.I got confused between passive arming of the security system which does not lock the doors and the crazy idea it locked the doors. sorry

pardon me if i haven't kept up with details, but, could your replacement ECU be from a later year model and is expecting variable valve lift to kick in?

isn't it due for a TB change? maybe go ahead and put in the turbo or Six Star mls head gaskets when doing the TB job.

there are evap lines that run above the fuel tank I think. Given the codes and the rust in the rear, I'd be concerned about doing too much work to the tank and afterwards discovering it needs to be dropped and perhaps replaced. Of course, there's the chance dropping it now for inspection that everything up there looks good and the work was a waste of effort. I dunno what you can see under the access panels under the seat. maybe a 'smoke test' would be worth paying for?

some folks have confused/mis-routed that hose with another before I think. wonder if a throttlebody cleaning might help? just guessing

the driveability symptoms kinda fit with a TPS issue - but I admit i don't know what that would do to the spark timing.

shame to lose your ride like that , I hope it comes back OK. good luck

possibly the axle stub is not clicked into the diff fully.

I kinda wonder if the CEL is an evap code caused by a rotted-out gas tank fill tube.

the only downsides I can dream up from hypermiling might be from 'lugging' the engine. that 'could' lead to higher localized temps, higher pressure on bearings, maybe even increased carbon deposits. Whether this happens in real life and how severe any effects are - I dunno. just speculation

the only problem with that log is, there's no distinction made among type/severity of HG failure. it could be better with some 'checkboxes' for things like "did the car overheat?" and "did the car have combustion gasses bubble thru the coolant", "did the car strand you on the road", etc. Some folks only have some dripping and no driveability problems.

only because I read the forums a lot, I'd say you might expect external 'weeping' of coolant. probably reduced by the use of the Subaru conditioner. Some folks seem to develop external oil leaks too. there are also those that feel the older that year range of cars is getting, some more severe HG issues are cropping up - but it may be no worse than other makes of cars. It certainly seems they are more reliable than the 2.5s from the late 90s. People always report problems but don't always make a lot of noise about a trouble-free car ownership experience. even knowing that your neighbor was careful about maintenance, it may be worthwhile to pay for a pre-purchase inspection by a soob-experienced mechanic. If for no other reason than to spot something like worn struts or questionable hoses, etc.

some window tints can reduce signal strength, but, quite likey the antenna booster is bad/disconnected. I suppose, comparing a small 'transister' portable radio inside one car vs the other might be a test for the tint issue.

they worked a lot better after I bought an electric impact - shoulda got one 35 years ago!

you better stay away from the schools on Kill Haole Day pardner! hah!

you're a little older than me so, after glancing thru your album, I want you to adopt me!

98 may have a separate Engine Temp Sensor - it might be bad, failing to 'choke' the car when cold. Later soobs have that combined with the Temp Gauge Sender. Either way, could be bad. someone will chime in with details for a 98 i'm sure. I suppose one slim possibility would be leak-down of fuel pressure after the car sits for a long period. To test that, next time you're confident the car would fail to start well, cycle the key to ON (but not start) wait 5 seconds, then to OFF. repeat 4-5 times. The fuel pump should cycle on fro a few seconds each time - pumping-up the pressure if it's low. The see if the car starts normally. If it does, maybe an injector is leaking or there's some other fuel pressure issue.

how old is the battery? how does it re-start if the engine is still warm?

I borrowed them from Autozone. they look like the pics I posted here; http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/81-wheels-tires-brakes-suspension/36263-2003-w-h6-baja-springs-kyb-struts-done.html#post366727

it's been decades since I had a car with that symptom - needed master cylinder rebuild.

torque seems very flat! my WRX is 'peaky' feeling and I don't like that.

maybe pull all the fuses, replace the link and sbfs, then start putting fuses back in until the magic smoke comes out again?

I've never done it, but they have buckets and shims. Supposedly the seats wear, the valve gets 'tighter'/doesn't seat well, gets burned. Dunno if running regular vs premium might accelerate the wear.

I don't think it explains the whole problem, but shouldn't the rad cap have allowed the system to equalize and prevented a collapsed hose?

I know you already replaced the diff bushings, but, I've read that there are 'helper' pieces and maybe full aftermarket poly units that go in there. maybe Whiteline or prothane, etc. Also, I believe cardoc over on the outback forum used 3M windo-weld to create some bushings. just mentioning in case someone else reads the thread with diff bushing problems.