1 Lucky Texan

Make sure she doesn't have papers, a dash mat, stuffed animals, etc. blocking the photo sensor on the dash. Get window tinting - the car will still be hot after sitting in the sun, but will cool faster and stay cooler. Carl

http://www.subarugenuineparts.com contact there is Jamie. (also - I second ebay, plus, if you live in a larger city, local junkyards) Carl

Hmmm....well, I can only speak to what is on my wife's '03 Outback so probably some changes happened in the intervening years. Did you lift the bench seet and see where the backs drop onto the posts? I'm sure someone here will know. Carl

I seem to recall the external coolant weeping occuring in colder climates too. I think GM and maybe other manufacturers ship cars with a coolant leak additive too. Still, the older engines with the internal leak would be a bigger issue for me. Carl

those tie down lookin dealies MAY fit onto posts under the flip-up rear seat bench. Are there holes on each side of the tie down lookin dealies? That's where the rests go. Perhaps they are stored away elsewhwere in the car or lost. You might get some outta a junk yard car. Anyway, find out the value of new ones and use that as a bargaining point for a lower price if you decide the car is otherwise what you want. It also might be worth paying a Soob knowledgable mechanic $75 whatver to inspect it, especially the transmission and coolant system - maybe do a compression test. good luck Carl

EXCELLENT! Carl

Cat efficiency codes are frequently due to lazy/bad O2 sensors. Either have a shop test the sensors (front one very likely bad - expecially if its the original at that mileage) or cross your fingers and throw one on yourself. Carl

yes, check the entire charging system, belt tension, battery, etc. Good chance it's the alt.(but the recent heat is tough on batteries, especially older ones) - but cover the bases. Carl

It's been decades since I tried one - NFG. my $0.02 Carl

It depends I guess on just how much you value your time and if you really need to scrimp every cent. I've changed 3 (IIRC) outer (Rzeppa) joints on Hondas and a Mitsubishi. At the time, I was working outdoors on a driveway after work/weekend with used tools from the pawnshop. Still had to pony up for a giant socket, borrow some tools, buy the joint (about $60 IIRC) the boot, rent a ball joint seperater.......bottom line, use your best judgment on how deep you wanna go - nowadays I'm in a position where it's easy to talk myself into letting other people fix my car but once I was a family man with 3 kids and one income and I even took a turn signal relay apart to recondition it instead of buying a new one. ymmv Carl

check the reviews at http://www.subarureview.com/engine.php?PHPSESSID=014afd05f50e576d3c293a75b5226cc2 and check the For Sale section at http://www.nasioc.com for used ones, etc. should be easy to find one - be careful with over-oiling the filter. Carl

If you want to get one from the dealer, at least make them match an online OEM dealer price like from http://www.subarugenuineparts.com . They should have no problem taking unused parts in original packing condition back, especially with a reciept. If the counterman says he isn't allowed, talk to his boss. Don't get belligerent, just explain that, at this time, you are forced to pursue the cheapest/best way out and you are gonna save up for a half-shaft and you're giving your neighbor a six pack to help you swap it out in a coupla months/whatever. Say, "I'm sure you had a time in your life when money was tight", or "What would you do in my position?" etc. They should realize the goodwill is worth more than the refund hassle. If they won't refund, get credit and pick up some oil/air filters. keep us updated OK? Carl

Hybrids get most of their advantage in city driving - if you're on the highway a lot, don't expect any hybrid to be much more economical than a similar all-gas model. Diesel would have an advantage though. Check http://www.cars101.com and the legacy and 'news/rumors' forums at http://www.nasioc.com also. Carl

Try to take the gear back that you have for arefund - start saving your money while shopping for a half shaft - you have LOTS of time. It will be fine for a while, then start clicking in extreme turns, then click in shallow turns, then it will click all the time, that's when it begins to be imperative to fix it. probably weeks to months away from now. We have a local place that will swap in rebuilt halfshafts with a lifetime warranty for about $150 . If you don't wanna do it yourself, shop around for a plave the specializes in FWD axles. You might be surprised how cheaply you can have someone else fix it. good luck Carl

I know other folks here are tired of me always p!imping it, but I learned a lot from; http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml there's other good reading there and on the brake forum at www.nasioc.com let us know how the work goes OK? Carl

I've only heard of one rotor failing on a Toyota decades ago. the outer part cracked off from the inner hub! Also, I never turned or changed rotors on my old Civic wagon, just pads. Yeah, the rotors are a little 'wavy' but the pads will wear in after the first few stops. After all, the pads you just took off were working on a 'wavy' rotor - right? Unless there is a big 'ridge' at the edge or a major gouge in the rotor, or the brakes are 'grabby'/pulsing. You don't need them turned/replaced. my 2 cents Carl

from the website; >>>>>Ah, now the active diffs. Yes, there's one of these in the middle of the car and another one on the back axle. The middle one controls what proportion of the torques from the engine go to the back wheels and what proportion go to the fronts. And the diff at the back does the same, splitting the torques between the rear wheels. They're both controlled by a very clever computer that has a speed sensor, a steering angle sensor and something called a 'yaw sensor' which sort of measures the line that the car is taking through a corner. This is very important. If the computer looks at your steering angle and then the yaw sensor tells it the car is turning through the corner less sharply than it should be for that amount of steering lock it thinks, 'uh-oh, that's understeer'. Then it telegraphs the centre differential and tells it to make sure more torques are going to the back axle so that the front stops dragging the car wide, like a front wheel drive car would. But then, as the car leaves the corner it tells the centre diff to push more torques forward to pull the car out of the turn without oversteering like a rear wheel drive car would. Hmm, yes, that sounds about right. Ah, and the active rear diff helps you out in sudden changes of direction so that if the car is looking like it might spin, the computer can step in and push torques to one wheel to push the rear of the car back on line. And all this computer thinking and moving of torques can happen in milliseconds. It's very clever. It's also made my brain hurt."<<<<< fyi Carl

You might enjoy looking around at http://www.tirerack.com I also have been VERY pleased with every encounter I've had at Discount Tire. Take a good hard look at what you need your tires to do. Don't cheap out. Carl

I've seen it listed on repair tickets - but maybe its a rip-off or was for some other fluid? Now I think of it, might've been for old coolant? I don't think it was specific - just a listed cost. not sure Carl

DO consider using the Subaru OEM coolant conditioner after any radiator/HG work. I THINK your engine is among those that can have an internal leak. But black gunk is likely in the coolant reservoir of all '98s. Carl

It does seem a little weird, likely Autozone/whoever has someone pickup the oil, maybe for a fee - but AZ gets you back to their store, maybe you'll come inside and buy something. Its a service probably covered by slightly higher prices across the board. I dunno If 'disposal fees' get too high, folks'll just start pouring it over the fence or down the gutter. It's to everyone's advantage to make it easy to properly dispose of used oil, old batteries, mattresses, etc. Carl

If there are bubbles coming outta the coolant - you do have a bad HG. That is a shame. At least try to get the dealership to match online dealer prices as suggested above. good luck Carl

If you have 'piston slap' it likely will not reduce the lifespan of the engine and certainly is not an immediate concern. Different oil may reduce it too. Oil loss(how much was it again?) could be something as simple as a PCV valve, oil pressure sender leaking, or a bad gasket somwhere(does it drip oil?). If it is blowby (has a compression or leakdown test been done?) that may help swing the decision to get a short block or reman. engine. Also, if a leaking headgasket can be confirmed, it would also point to the possibiltie of a new/reman engine I guess. I think, before spending that kinda money, I'd get a second opinion - even if it cost me $100 . Carl check with Emily at CCR about engines. And Jamie at www.subarugenuineparts.com can get OEM parts discounted - at least use those prices as 'bargaining points' to get your dealership to match part prices. Carl

hah! OT - those guys have cameo voice work in Cars - fun movie, stick around for the credits too. Carl

You might possibly reduce the torque - or shift the peak torque to a higher rpm. check here(good folks - got my Stromung axle back for my WRX from them); http://www.boxer4racing.com/ Try searching around the NA forum and exhaust forums at www.nasioc.com Carl