1 Lucky Texan

spray painting the interior of the garage white will make a HUGE difference.

On the same honda decades ago, I took the clip off the end but did have to hammer the joint quire a bit to get it off. I put a new joint and boot on. Cost almost as much as a whole rebuilt axle but still lasted until I got rid of the car.

a lady here at work just lost her husband - seems he was carrying a plastic gas 'can' through the house (dunno many details), sat it down to use the cell phone (cell phone records indicate it was in use near the time of the explosion) and a space heater or other ignition source caused the door and every window in the back of the house to be blown into the back yard. He lasted about a day after being careflighted to the hospital. Burned over 95% of his body.

they are so close to road debris I think it makes them not a good candidate unless caught the same day they split. I tried it once decades ago on a Honda and the joint still failed within weeks. If the outer boot is still intact, I see no reason a grease and boot refresh couldn't be a good idea.

good post

also, those things have a 'local' fuse built onto the back of the socket. Easily popped by getting wonky with phone chargers and similar adapters.

doubt I can help much but, with all that work and poking around, you need to confirm the IACV hose is connected at the intake end - causes inability to idle if loose/leaking. Easily left off or knocked loose.

I can't help with your question directly but, depending on what you're doing....some folks just grind a shim down on the non-contact side.

I replaced a bad suction hose. Looking for tips for recharging in low temps (61*F today) I will try again tomorrow but, seemed like the second can didn't get much lighter. maybe it will be a coupla degrees warmer tomorrow.....or, maybe I have to wait for spring???

well, the $17 hose clearly will not work on my H6. Wouldn't be able to put the engine cover back on - and even with it off doubtful it would allow the hood to close. https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1Q...Ouaa5OTGqhtxcn place a coupla blocks away is rebuilding my OEM hose for "about $40-$50 dollars" (waiting on a phone call when it's ready) thanx for suggesting that GD !

^^^^ wow while I NEED to do about 4-5 things to my 2 soobs, I did manage to replace the bottom part of the intake air box on the 03. It and the WRX both have the slots cracked-out that the 'tab' part of the upper box slides into. If you do this, take the upper half off. Not just loosen the 2 clips, take the hose clamp loose going to the rear of the engine. There is a hose holder ,I think on a PS hose, there is a lever on the plastic clip, pull up and it will slide off the metal bracket on the lower box. There are 2 12mm bolts going thru some rubber grommets into the fender metal. A 12 inch extension will help getting those out. Try to get your other hand near them to prevent dropping. The lower box will pull away from the inside of the fender. There a plastic pin that goes into a grommet and of course the intake tube. You should be able to take it out. You will need to move the grommets to the new part. easiest to take the metal sleeve out, move them, then reinsert the sleeve. You must move the little bracket for the hose-holder. Unscrew it, pop the sheet metal capture-nut gadget out. pop it in the new lower box half, then remount the bracket. If the upper grommet for the plastic molded-on pin came out, put it back in the fender. Sorta fold the lower box into place, you mount the hose-holder back to the bracket by sliding it on till it clicks in place, then carefully position and screw the 2 12mm bolts back in. Put in a new filter, slide and clip in the top box after reconnecting its hose and tightening the hose clamp. I had been using zip ties strung together under the broken box to try to keep it sealed. Finally broke down and bought the parts for both cars recently. now I need to replace o-rings in and recharge the a/c system on the WRX, install its new lower intake box, and investigate the smell of burned grease - probably a split cvj boot. and the 03 Outback needs a new a/c hose and recharging, and a radiator fan assembly swapped-out.

give us more details on the car - miles, trans, condition, etc. here's some very brief areas of concern; early DOHC engines often had headgaskets fail internally - comb. chamber into coolant. (hope major coolant issue isn't why the o'flow bottle is empty) tires should always be identical or AWD problems can develop - some severe. (same brand/model/size - it matters) it's easy for folks to be confused and drain/fill incorrect fluids. many, not all, but many parts need to be OEM or equivalent. (a:f sensors, spark plugs and wires, thermostat, rad,.cap, and axles if possible) 2.5 is an interference engine and timing belt SYSTEM needs to be 'properly' serviced every 105K miles or 105months according to the manual.

I have no experience ewith it but have read that using some marvel mystery oil has helped with sticky HLAs. and some quiet engines will let you hear a spark if conditions are right and a plug wire is bad.

an analog ohmmeter might show jerkiness/drop-outs as the tps is moved thru its range. Your mechanic may be able to monitor for voltage jumps while idling the car....not sure on that.

I also think TPS needs to be checked. along with catching-up on any maintenance. look for oil on plug wire boots, could need VC gaskets. TPS is what signals the ECU that you are wanting more fuel, if that signal is wrong, the car can lean-out too much. If you can duplicate this at idle, spray some starter fluid into the intake when the engine stumbles just above idle - if it runs smoother, probably some fueling issue.

is your a/c working?

not sure on an '18 but the older Crosstreks were considered underpowered.

you want an installer that uses the primer and cautions you about waiting for a full cure before driving. a huge part of the cabin's structural integrity relies on the glass and its bond to take stress in a wreck/rollover.

no inserts unless there's some odd-ball person out there that has experimented with putting a Koni insert inside. You want KYB replacement struts. Sounds like you have done strut swaps before so, probably be easy enough for you. There may even be a youtube video or 2 of the process. I'd check Amazon or RockAuto for pricing. Good time to inspect and maybe grease brakes, look for split cvj boots - general inspection stuff.

no failure, but my observation on my WRX; did TB service based on almost 9 years, but only 64K miles or so. 2 idlers were very loose - skate wheel loose. One of those was the toothed idler, it was also a little wobbly - maybe a mm or so of deflection. maybe it would have lasted another 40K, I doubt it and am glad I did the service.

were they the same brand and model? they can fit the same size rims and be the same profile - but still be different CIRCUMFERENCE. Even if one pair is bald and the othe rpair has 3/4 of their tread might be enough to cause an issue. any grabbing or binding/jerking during tight circles on dry pavement?

were the tires you replaced IDENTICAL to the rear tires? pretty sure even in '85 you need 4 identical tires. Try swapping ONE front tire to the rear , open diffs might let that work. just wondering if you have torque bind.

swap tire pairs front to back ??? I know next to nothing about an 85, just hoping to mention something worth a second look. tires all the same? If the car is stone cold, is the problem the same or better?

^^^^ yeah, I was gonna post that some of what was mentioned seemed like it could be a frozen brake caliper but......?

if you were coasting in Neutral would it behave the same?