1 Lucky Texan

OK I can think of 3 things that relate to a vehicle going up a hill; increased load on the engine tilting of the gas tank/vehicle reduced barometric pressure so, suppose one of the suspect vehicles could be put on a dynomometer to see if load would trigger the code (use an auto maybe with the FWD fuse installed for 2 wheel dyno) maybe idle the car and carefully jack-up the front to see if tilting will set the code I dunno, maybe idle the car on the back of a flatbed and drive to higher altitude? (desperate times call for desperate measures - lol!)

Is it a one-time sound or does it clunk repeatedly? Can you feel the car jerking as you turn or only hear a noise? Are all your tires the exact same model and have the same amount of wear?

I still blame the deer.

maybe the electric fan is bad/disconnected or maybe it's blades chewed into the back of the radiator? weird

you might check Yelp or other review/rating services for an idea if your local shop is OK - but I have been extremely well served by Discount Tire locally. I also have done biz with TireRack but not any of their recommended installers. I bought rims with tires (ECSTA ASX) mounted and installed them on my 06 WRX wagon myself. I have also had Discount match TR prices (adjusting for shipping and taxes of course.)

I nominate this thread for 'Best Redneck Engineering Stunt' (B.R.E.S.) of 2012 !

I've used OEM (black roki) and Pure One. I THINK WIX and maybe NAPA Gold now has a filter with the bypass valve set for soobs. Generally, someone doing regular maintenance on a working car will be fine with any name brand filter. you can find out a lot about filters from links at bobistheoilguy.com .

I feel your car's symptoms seem more like an EVAP system problem(charcoal canister, purge solenoid or ???) , but there's no reason not to be prepared for the fuel pump 'cap' issue.

would depressing the pedal to the floor put the system into 'flood clear' mode? wondering if an injector is leaking fuel into a cylinder - just doesn't seem likely to prevent starting with a 6 cyl. car, I dunno. mountain - do you ever smell fuel during the failed start events? Fair, gg, cny - mountain once said he sometimes hears a whooshing noise when removing the gas cap, is there a tank vent or other vapor recovery/vent system failure that could relate?

Full disclosure, I've only read about this problem, but, I have no reason to suspect our entire generation of USDM Outbacks wouldn't use the same fuel pump assembly. Airtex, Bosch etc. show one replacement part number. Opposed forces seems to show a different part number for Jan. 03 - Feb '04 (I think those a re build dates, anyone ?) Pump assembly-fuel 1 42021AE03A '00, September — '01, May '01, February — '02, May '02, January — '03, June 42021AE07A '03, January — '04, February No idea what the difference is and could be unrelated to the cap. so, there may be a good reason to proceed cautiously if you own a later model year car, but, even if you buy a cap and o-ring and discover you can't use it, I'd bet you could either return it or sell it to someone on this or the 'other' Forum.

dunno about shipping, best initial price for a cap seems to be; http://www.autopartsnetwork.com/shop/-brand_OES_Genuine-part_Fuel_Filter-make_Subaru.html NOTE - no o-ring in the above kit (as far as I can determine) Amazon has the same item for about $51 total (shpg included); http://www.amazon.com/OES-Genuine-Filter-select-Subaru/dp/B001G7THRS/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1344950139&sr=8-3-fkmr2&keywords=oes+fuel+filter+subaru+internal I'd be up for a cap and a coupla o-rings if we did a 'group buy' - might not be practical. Either way, I see no reason not to get a spare cap and o-ring if you own a vehicle with one of these style pumps.

yeah - glad to see an option for this problem. these threads should be combined and stickied - particularly now that a few H4s have been affected. Wonder how many poor suckers paid a dealership $700 for a new pump, AFTER being towed in?

has anyone tried an old-style tailpipe test to see if there's really anything(and what?) 'off' about the emissions?

wonder if you could CAREFULLY run the car while up on 4 stands? Then, maybe you could narrow the sound down to left or right side of the diff or ??? Might need a very long screwdriver or piece of hose or mechanics stethoscope. might be worth pulling the drain plug to look for excessive metal on the magnet.

I doubt I'll be much help on this car and problem but, does the whine sound the same (same freq.) at - say - 20mph in 1st as it does at 20mph in 2nd ? do you have any fluid dripping from the diff at the axle stubs?

Ivan, while I understand RIGHT NOW may not be the best time to learn some new software, I'd bet you could really use the FreeSSM occasionally. check out this thread when you have time; http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/65-parts-accessories-performance/39426-freessm-complete-access-your-ecm-tcu.html you could maybe find some smooth/normal running cars, take a look at all the sensor readings etc. - you know, get a 'baseline' set of figures, then use it to check real-time reading from sensors on a car with a problem. Also looks at transmission parameters too.

Probably a good idea - hope it's something simple.

hmmm, I dunno, this is disconcerting. Um, when you refill the cooling system, you will probably want to know about 'burping' (making certain there's no trapped air) if you don't already. do a search here as there may be 2-3 approaches. In any event, you will want to monitor the level in the overflow tank after the first 2-3 drives just to make sure the system is full. In the future - if it begins to look like a serious overheating event, turn the car's climate control to full heat - it may buy you a little time to exit a freeway or get to a safe stop.

take a look at the radiator itself, maybe it could use a good blasting with a hose to clean out bugs. testing the t'stat is a good idea, but it's at least 9 years old. they aren't pricey so, go ahead an re-install a new one. from the dealer or, a Stant Xacstat 48457. the one you remove BETTER look like;

well, yeah, anything stock is pretty old by now. Have the plug wires been replaced? With OEM? (this is an application that doesn't do well with typical aftermarket parts) many folks have also fixed misfires with new plug wires. and, from what I've read - typical rebuilt alts are suspect. is it always better after it's warmed up? I suppose the Engine Temp Sensor could be bad. On an older car, probably can't rule out a sticking IACV. does it throw codes? Have you had them scanned?

triple check all your cable connections and that the belt hasn't loosened up.

is it Six Star ?

I used seafoam too recently. It has a huge following on the boards and I had a weird issue with my WRX. Dunno if it actually helped - or coincidentally the problem hasn't returned. It's hard to know for certain with most of these 'mechanic in a can' solutions. Ivan, have you checked for old fuel filters or for some kinda partial failure of the fuel pumps - low pressure/volume? Maybe weak fuel pressure regulators?

could you create the noise by creeping along with someone pacing the car to locate the noise? left right front rear, it would help. comparing the temps of the hubs after a drive might find one wheel hotter than it's mate - perhaps indicating a bearing or possibly a brake problem.

I'm under the impression Techron gas treatment might actually help with injectors. Maybe experiment with it in a 'test' vehicle as well. any rumors from other shops about this epidemic of 420s?