1 Lucky Texan

use a turkey baster - with a piece of hose if required - and start replacing the fluid with ATF (I use the DexIII compatible Valvoline Dex/Merc stuff - I guess it's OK) After you empty the reservoir, fill it to the low mark with ATF, idle the car - move the wheels lock to lock once or twice, then use the turkey baster to empty the reservoir again. repeat until you get 1.5 quarts or more changed out. Finish with a fill to the high mark. Might take a couple drives to work all the air out so - check fluid again a in a few days. When idling, look in the reservoir for bubbles or foam. If you see any, probably need a coupla o-rings or a new clamps or hose. do a search for power steering problems, suction air, etc. several posts on the issue. of course, the system can leak in several other places.

if it's like the one I got with my Stant 48457, it has a groove and slips onto/around the edge of the t'stat.

sometimes, you can push for a deal like this ; "How would YOU feel if this happened to you? How about I pay for all the parts and you guys comp the labor to fix it? I understand I purchased a used car with 98,000 miles , but i also know you want to have satisfied customers ." I raised 3 daughters. I TOTALLY understand the concern that a guy's wife and kids have reliable and safe vehicles. It can be tricky to keep a lot of used cars running!

well, at that mileage, many bushings could be suspect, and original struts HAVE to be worn out....but it would suck to swap out struts and still have the noise so, still need to do some good diagnosis on the suspension. Might be worth inspecting the brake calipers and check the wheel bearings though - they I wouldn't expect a loud knock from them. Even check the wheel studs.

that's a 2 hour drive how come you're not already there? Oh, it might be construed as stalking. good luck

how many miles on the car? Our 03 had a blown rear strut at 65K. the others were weak (I changes all 4) did you or the mechanic lift the boots and feel for oil on top of the cylinder? About the only other things I can think of - I read that springs can be broken in such away that it's very difficult to see, but they will fall apart when removed from the strut. also, you might look at the bolts on the floor under the rear seat-back - just to see if a head hasn't broken off or something weird like that. Also, under some of the conditions you describe, the rear anti-sway bar is gonna be tweaked hard so - it might have a bad mount or something odd with a link? those all the w.a.gs. I have lol!

ya know, this is something I have never read. maybe one of the gurus will be along with that info.

good post - as a back-up, recalls are listed at http://www.cars101.com . I'd cehck there AND call the VIN in.

one option - get ahead of the problem, find a pair in a junkyard, regrease/reboot yourself. keep as spares. (mark left and right, swap side when you install and the wear surface will be almost new (just worn from reverse) if EMPI has them, they are new.

very generally, new pads should be 'bedded in' (applies to rotors too but, usually folks get new pads if they change rotors) which involves increasingly hard stops followed by a cool-down run. Sometimes a repeat cycle. The idea is to burn-off/cure binders used in manufacturing and, more important, to evenly transfer pad material onto the rotor. Different manufacturers and different compounds may have different procedures. And many people are fine with the old 30-30-30 routine that brake techs sometimes do after an installation. That's 30 'hard' stops, from 30 mph, with 30 seconds in between. But, usually, high performance pads will require a more intense procedure to generate the proper temps for pad transfer. you can search on 'brake bedding in' or similar. I think one of the 'papers' at the stoptech link I posted is about bedding-in. yeah, here; http://www.stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers/bed-in-theory-definitions-and-procedures

intake mani gasket would be one area non-metered air could leak in and lean out the system. (if the systems are lean....)

it might be possible to have the fan blades 'pull' into the radiator in deep water so, watch for a radiator leak too.

here's some videos; http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=greasing+a+wheel+bearing+-bike&oq=greasing+a+wheel+bearing+-bike&gs_l=youtube.3...4320.7146.0.7698.6.6.0.0.0.0.103.586.5j1.6.0...0.0...1ac.h_g79zcDsrY

there are many combinations that will work for folks. Try to find some reviews on pads. And prices. The StopTechs (from either KNSbrakes or RockAuto) are a lot of bang for the buck. I doubt anyone on t the street really NEEDS slotted , certainly not drilled rotors anymore. Other 'upgrade' ideas would be a master cylinder brace, and maybe fresh brake hoses - but on an 08 they probably don't balloon much yet. w'ever you go with, do a proper bedding-in at first, then a quick/abbreviated bed-in before a track day or if you develop any pulsation in the pedal. stoptech has some good 'technical white paper' info at their site; http://www.stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers

I have stock rotors and StopTech Street Performance pads on my WRX. I've tracked them too. They bite even when cold, can be modulated, aren't noisy, and the price is right. dust slightly more than stock. Seem to be lasting too. I will definitely buy them again. Great performance street pad that can go to the track a few times a year. there's a huge thread about them at NASIOC if you wanna read technical details and other's experiences. (I think they are aramid compound? dunno - anyway not ceramic) on our OBW I have Centric PosiQuiet Ceramic. they are as good or better than stock and affordable.

ivan, how would you look for an intake mani gasket leak?

check your manual = I believe on your MT you 'may' be able to tow all 4 down (perhaps with some distance/speed limitations and assuming tires are intact and all the same size) or on a flat bed.

suppose one cylinder were flodded - seems likely the car would start anyway. if ALL were flooded, then ,from what I understand, wot will help clear the xtra fuel and start the car - not sure how, likely cut back or kill the injector flow seems like the only option. from alldatadiy; ******************* How to Start a Flooded Car Engine Q: Would you explain what could be reasons for flooding of an engine and how to start the car if flooding has occurred?...Lal Singh A: So we’re all on the same page; a flooded engine is an engine that has received too much gas for the amount of oxygen available for combustion. When this condition occurs the inside of the cylinders, as well as the spark plugs, will become wet with gasoline. A cylinder wet with gas will result in a reduction of cylinder compression, loss of lubrication to the piston and rings and cause spark to the spark plug to be misdirected. Because the large majority of engines on the road today are fuel injected we’ll cover how to start them if flooded. The computer has a program in it that is called the Clear Flood Mode. For the computer to activate the Clear Flood Mode it needs to see information that is out of the norm. This abnormal information is the sensor on the throttle reporting to the computer that the throttle is being held wide open, along with a crank signal to the starter. This combo of information causes the computer to respond by reducing, and in some cases completely shutting off, the fuel injectors. This process allows air only to enter the cylinder and dry out the abundance of gas. As the correct balance of air and fuel return you will feel the engine start to fire at which point the throttle can be released and the computer will return to normal fuel delivery. **********************************************************************

gotcha thanx

great feedback - I thought of one more question; do you feel it's OK to use the gold axle nut supplied or do some vehicles 'really' require the 'olive'/dark-colored axle nut?

have these maintained their quality? Get any returns or oddballs when you buy them? I know I keep pimping them - but my 'sample size' is only one!

try emailing Jamie through Chaplins - subarugenuineparts.com .

The EMPI I got was about $15 more than a rebuilt. They are new so the case hardened surfaces are intact. Most rebuilds grind surfaces till smooth, then throw in oversize ballbearings. Surface hardening is destroyed.

MWE out of Colorado is highly respected. Rebuilding your own is promoted a lot. rebuilding junkyard axles EMPI and Raxles.com seems to have few complaints (I have an EMPI on our 03 OBW - no problems, got it from Amazon or RockAuto - can't recall) Dealerships supposedly have good rebuilts local rebuilder (we have one near where I live - still iffy) New from dealer ($$$$$) last - typical rebuilds from Autozone, O'Reilly etc. have the most issues

ah - gotcha. sry, dunno about STI or other FPR settings.