1 Lucky Texan

'stub axle' ? wow, never heard of one breaking.

this cap for the next generation cars will work; https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L2OWO2U/?coliid=I11LNGBWZESKLY&colid=IDEFQ97CY9SH&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it throw the strainer/filter away, get a new o-ring for the cap; most of us use a 928 Viton metric o-ring.

if you need a good 'compromise' tire, you might look at Pirelli Cinturato . They helped us survive white-out conditions returning from Colorado a few years ago in winter storm 'Ursa' . They are not noisy and work well for us in downpours here in DFW area too. But, if you absolutely must be able to drive in very bad snow conditions, the BEST all-season will never be as good in snow as the WORST dedicated snow tire. tires are full of trade-offs and you must be honest with yourself about requirements - then comes your budget. everyone wants a tire that's ; quiet, comfortable, gives great fuel economy, doesn't overheat at highway speeds, grips good when cold, great traction in rain, great grip in snow, long-lasting, and cheap...yeah, that's not gonna happen.

on an older car, I might suspect battery cables before an otherwise new-ish battery.

I am not qualified to explain how/why all the weird symptoms, but the alt. would be my first 'guess'. what was the source for the alt.? typical rebuilts sold at parts stores are notoriously risky.

canister might have a crack? - if so, maybe some kind of fiberglass/epoxy patch could work ? got any codes? w'ever the blink code version of a P0440 or something?

is it stick or auto trans? some folks say the 5spd won't transfer enough power to the rear for safe driving on public roads???

some cars in the 90s have rusted-through gas tank filler tubes - maybe check for that? not sure how far back in models that could be an issue - the filler is behind a plastic cover that can trap debris /moisture.....

check for the cap o-ring problem on the pump.

scanned the ECU for pending codes?

seems like previous owner was chasing a problem too. does use of starting fluid make starting better or worse - that could point one direction or another. Is there oil on the sprk plug boots? have you confirmed cam/crank timing?

you have a few ways to proceed but, there's an excellent chance any refrigerant you add now will leak right out. many folks find that o-rings on the suction and discharge hose-ends at the compressor need replacing - sometimes also, new 'cores' in the 2 ports can help. Use of a vacuum pump can also help find leaks as well as helping remove any moisture in the system. If you have a pinhole in the condenser or a leaky hose, that might be tricky to find and use of fluorescent dye can help with that. I bought gauges and I have borrowed vacuum pumps from the parts stores but really, for the hassle, I wish I had just taken my cars to a pro. I may still take my WRX which needs a/c work now. The system likely needs close to 10-12 oz. to get the low pressure switch to turn-on the compressor. Of course there can be other problems; bad a/c relays, bad wiring/connectors, slipping a/c clutches......there are a lot of failure points with the a/c. you might look through here for some help; https://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/99-do-yourself-illustrated-guides/43428-diy-c-air-conditioning-leak-refrigerant-repair-5-less-15-minutes-less.html

yesterday after work, drilled some water-drain holes in L tail light assembly and cleaned-off some corrosion on a socket, on the 03. Installed iBrightstar LED brake/park combo 'bulbs' in both sides. need to do some maintenance and repairs on both cars. It's been rainy on the weekends so, maybe I can do one small thing afterwork for a day or 2. Might take this Fri. off.

is this a turbo equipped model? has this happened with other drivers? what is the history of the car? new to you? , wrecks, repairs, general condition etc. anything odd with the brake pedal's position when this happens? does the car have a carpet or weather tech mat in the driver's floorboard? is it secure?

^^^ what he said There may be some kind of calibration required if the unit is replaced - maybe the FSM has info on that?

could this be some kind of hill-holder issue? does a 2010 Forry have that?

ah, that definition seems to be voltage-related in some posts - maybe check connections and ground wires? found this; and https://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/66-problems-maintenance/29113-abs-code-42-a.html

just doing a general search, there's more info on it as a definition for an idle switch or TPS-related code if it is a '42' blink-code. here's a FSM page about it; https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/check-engine-code-42-217170.html but, if OBDII - P0042 is an oxigen sensor heater circuit. what car?

bad o-ring(s) on the elbow hose adapter on top of the PS pump. notorious for losing its compliance on older soobs. I've had noise and/or jerky steering wheel on both my soobs, fixed by replacing the o-ring. It allows air to be sucked in, causes bubbles/foaming of the ps fluid.

can the pipe be dropped and shaft play inspected? is there spec for shaft play? turbo seal leak could actually be better news than some other possibilities - if it's dealt with before a catastrophe.

Oh, if it isn't a viscous unit then I retract what I said. I admit to being ignorant about the construction of the older soobs. sry

I like Discount Tire, if you have one nearby, you could discuss your needs with them, ask what seems to be popular on Subarus in your area, discuss your budget, expectations, whether you switch to snow tires or not, etc. always had good customer service from DT. Everyone in a DT store started by slinging tires in the bay - they strictly promote from within.

AWD (viscous center diff or, in the auto, wet clutch-pack) really needs the tires to have the same 'rolling radius' (Subaru says, 1/4" in circumference) so, even though the size may be listed as the same, more than 2 or 3/32" or so in radius can introduce driveline stress if one 'end' of the car is rolling fatser than the other. if you have open diffs at each end, you can run the pairs on opposite corners, or run the pairs on the same side as their mates and the open diffs will save the center diff. some folks have taken the car to a large empty road/parking lot, marked the tires at 6 o'clock with chalk, roll straight forward for 10/20 revolutions of one tire, then compare each corner's offset from the other tires. do some calculations and you can determine if the tires are in spec. but offroad or on wet roads, wouldn't matter as you said. a true lock or unlock F or 4 wd center diff wouldn't care in FWD mode.

if possible, do a compression test first.