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Comments
Good luck.
-juice
about. My 04 Forrester XT had NO lag. Went to the dealer
with intentions to order a 06 Outback turbo or Legacy turbo
but, drove this on home. Got it for $21,800-got $16,000 for
my 04 Forrester with 30K miles. A fair deal or Not ??
Tks for your comments, Deadeye
$21,800, really? I thought they went for $23k or more.
-juice
I posted about 3 weeks ago about the upstream O2 sensor in my 2000 OB. Well it's replaced now. Instead of buying the Subaru part for CAN$379 + tax I ordered from an online US supplier for US$97. The correct part arrived and I opted to have it installed. It's just as well I didn't try it myself because he couldn't get it unscrewed without sawing it off first and using a big socket. The thread stripped and had to be recut. Total cost was <CAN$150 before tax.
Steve
Thanks for your help.
Rich
You car is OBD1 and the only good thing about it is that items like O2 sensors are simpler and cheaper than those for OBD2. You just have to buy the appropriate parts for your model and year and they will have the appropriate functionality and connectors (if required). I'm sure others will correct me if I'm wrong but I think a cat is a cat and the only requirement for your car will be the physical fit. Any muffler shop can provide one for you and I doubt if brand makes any difference. The sensor you can get from Subaru or most after market suppliers, and replace yourself if you are handy with wrenches and stuff. It probably has only one or two wires, unlike my 00 OB which has four.
I'm not sure how you propose to disconnect the cat. If you mean replace it with a piece of straight pipe I'd be surprised if the car ran better unless it has collapsed internally and is obstructing the exhaust flow.
Lose the OEM tires.
You can go to a site like LegacyGT.com and learn what aftermarket swaybars, springs, coilover shocks, harder bushings, and other things can be done so that the vehicle will handle better, at the expense of thousands of dollars and terrible ride quality.
The best return on investment would probably be from Skip Barber.
The newer cars have O2 sensors with multi wires because they incorporate quick warmup heaters and other functions. The older cars were often just 2 wire. The parts counter will give you the correct one for your year.
My suggestion about removing the cat was only to help diagnose if the present one was clogged to the point that it was restricting flow & causing driveability issues. If not, put it back on. If it is, replace it. I value the air we breath very much, and do not advocate permanent removal the cat.
Steve
Any thoughts? should I be concerned about this?
-r
Oddly, while the CEL would illuminate each time it stalled, no code was recorded. Maybe I just got lucky. :sick:
-juice
Did you get a slight stumble when the light went on? When I had the same symptoms as you, it was an underperforming front oxygen sensor.
You need to get it read and find out what is up. Autozone and some other retailers will do this for free.
Steve
richz3
The codes and a snapshot of the conditions that accompanied the code stay in memory for 40 cycles for most things, 80 for severe misfires. Some codes that stay will interfer with the readiness status reset, but most will allow it if the condition does not repeat (that part I got wrong the other day).
So under most conditions, it is possible to get the ready status needed to pass inspection once the light goes out. And you can always turn off the light and clear the codes if you have a scan tool. But still, you must have been darn lucky to have set all of the flags in short order! Although I cannot find the specific Subaru procedure, I am posting the GM one, which is pretty typical. Credit goes to the AutoTap site for listing it.
To perform an OBDII Driving cycle do the following:
Cold Start. In order to be classified as a cold start the engine coolant temperature must be below 50°C (122°F) and within 6°C (11°F) of the ambient air temperature at startup. Do not leave the key on prior to the cold start or the heated oxygen sensor diagnostic may not run.
Idle. The engine must be run for two and a half minutes with the air conditioner on and rear defroster on. The more electrical load you can apply the better. This will test the O2 heater, Passive Air, Purge "No Flow", Misfire and if closed loop is achieved, Fuel Trim.
Accelerate. Turn off the air conditioner and all the other loads and apply half throttle until 88km/hr (55mph) is reached. During this time the Misfire, Fuel Trim, and Purge Flow diagnostics will be performed.
Hold Steady Speed. Hold a steady speed of 88km/hr (55mph) for 3 minutes. During this time the O2 response, air Intrusive, EGR, Purge, Misfire, and Fuel Trim diagnostics will be performed.
Decelerate. Let off the accelerator pedal. Do not shift, touch the brake or clutch. It is important to let the vehicle coast along gradually slowing down to 32km/hr (20 mph). During this time the EGR, Purge and Fuel Trim diagnostics will be performed.
Accelerate. Accelerate at 3/4 throttle until 88-96 km/hr (55-60mph). This will perform the same diagnostics as in step 3.
Hold Steady Speed. Hold a steady speed of 88km/hr (55mph) for five minutes. During this time, in addition to the diagnostics performed in step 4, the catalyst monitor diagnostics will be performed. If the catalyst is marginal or the battery has been disconnected, it may take 5 complete driving cycles to determine the state of the catalyst.
Decelerate. This will perform the same diagnostics as in step 5. Again, don't press the clutch or brakes or shift gears.
So as you can see, you are a pretty lucky guy to have passed so easily in such short order! I would suggest that you play the lottery on your way home tonight.... it's your turn to win!
Steve
Jim
Thank you
The only hard part on the '02 was one single bolt at the way back of the center console that required an extra long phillips screw driver with a magnetic head. Takes about 2 hours on these later Legacys.
My '98 Forester was even easier.
-juice
One more thing, I often hear the clicking sound just before the car is stopped with brake applied. Are these two problem related? Please HELP!
The car was done 60K service at the dealer about six months, they did very thing outlined in the manual and change the front brake pads,
Steve
Steve
Steve
========================================
This is the text of an email I rec'd from an Edmunds contributor (IdahoDoug) describing how he performed this routine on his 97 OB. Neither he nor I would claim to know how it applies to your specific situations.
Hope it helps.
Cheers!
Paul
Subject: Re: HVAC bulb
Actually, the operation is incredibly simple. Pop out the cupholders and
remove the two LARGE phillips screws (don't touch those teeny ones) that
hold the cupholder assy in. Pull out the cupholder. Pull out the ashtray
all the way (push down on the spring loaded "lid" and it comes all the way
out) and look in the now vacant hole for two phillips screws fairly close to
the rear edge (vehicle's rear) of the "roof" of the vacant hole. They're
impossible to access with a normal screwdriver - I used a bicycle multi tool
but you can also use a phillips bit and a pair of pliers to complete the
half turn it takes to loosen them enough to remove by hand.
Now pull out on the top edge of the trim piece that surrounds the radio
until it resists further leaning. All you need is for the top edge to come
out about 3 inches - DON'T try pulling this out all the way, meaning don't
try pulling up on it to pull it's bottom edge out of the slot. Leave the
bottom edge pinned between the front edge of the center console and the
center of the dash. I pulled this trim piece out when putting a stereo in
my nearly identical '97 last week and it was a pain to put back.
Now point both center vents all the way down, providing a ledge at their
bottom edges to grip the trim piece with several fingers and pull back and
down at a 45 degree angle, wiggling it side to side to help free it. It
takes a surprising amount of force, but then two plastic clips at the
vertical centerline of the vents on each edge will pop out of the dash
opening. They're not fragile at all, but just don't break the trim piece
that defines the bottom of the vents - spread the load with several fingers.
Once it's free, there's a wiring harness to the emergency flasher switch to
disconnect - I think the catch is on the top surface of the white connector.
Now you've got 4 phillips screws holding the HVAC unit in place. Remove
them, then lift it like the hood of a car and see two small silver phillips
screws. Remove these (key here is don't drop these into the dash) and you
can now wiggle the part they held onto the back of the HVAC unit away about
a half inch. These screws hold the cable mechanism that moves the water
valve. Now put the HVAC unit back down (again like a car hood) so it's
close to its normal position and you'll see you've opened up a half inch gap
into which you look. At the bottom you'll see a white 'wire tape' that's
the wiring connector and the thing that limits you from pulling the gap
wider. On the rearward face of the slot you've opened up, you'll see the
back of a circuit board and on it are 3 green plastic discs about a quarter
inch in diameter. These are the light bulbs. Use a small standard blade
screwdriver to hook a crevice on the edge and rotate the uppermost one
counter clockwise about 1/16th of a turn. That's all it takes to remove
them as they're kind of a 'push and turn' install. Once you've pulled this
easy one, it will help you get the harder two that are down deep in the slot
you've created. Note that the one by the fan switch is longer - the other
two are identical. Once they were loosened, I used a pair of needlenose
pliers to reach down and gently remove them from their holes. Kind of like
that old game of "Operation".
This whole thing should take you no more than 20 minutes. Now slap the new
ones in, remembering the long one goes by the fan switch and button it back
up. The bulbs again take just the slightest rotation to lock them back in
place. A penlight helps you see the holes they go in have notches in and
position them with the needlenose.
Put it this way, it's less common than tranny issues for Hondas.
-juice
Thankfully, the sun is back and getting brighter everyday, so I'll not have to be annoyed with it for another 6 months.
I just noticed a couple weeks ago that my first instrument cluster light went out - the 0-3 range on the tachometer no longer lights up. Anyone want to place bets now about whether I will lose the rest of them within the next 18 months? :P
I have a 2002 Outback LL Bean with 72k miles when I drive it makes a loud rumbling noise that sounds like its coming from the front and gets louder as I accelerate. I did have the tries balanced and rotated and the alignment checked. There are no pulls to the left or right and thanks to Jiffy Lube draining my front differential during an oil change the transmission was replaced on their dime just recently. Any ideals?
:surprise:
As for Jiffy Lube, I'd really advise against using them. Not only do they get things wrong (like your diffy fluid) but they also charge extra, for no reason, just because you have AWD.
Ken
Cheers
-juice
I opted for the 4 cylinder due to the better mileage and the fact it takes regular gas over the 6 cyl. While I would have liked the better performance of the 6 cyl I found the 4 to be adequate.
I currently have just under 1,000 miles and I am shocked to find my MPGs to be around 17 mpg. Whoa! While I do mostly city it's off hours and I don't spend a lot of time sitting at lights.
I'd like to know if anyone else is experiencing these poor results. If I knew that's all I would get I might have went with my 1st choice vehicle.
thanks,
jeffer3 now - for some reason I couldn't sign in with my existing username of jeffer
I have a 05 OB with the (non-turbo 4) with the epa ratings of 24(23?)city/28hwy - I also have that CA zero-PEZ emmisions engine. Most of my driving is on highway. For the 1st 1000 miles I got about 24 and it crept up to 27 over the next 9000 miles.
I have heard from others also that it may take up to 10K to get full miliage.
I can now, through very careful driving get 28-29 mpg, but usually default to 27. I have noticed that it is VERY sensitive to oxygenated gas, or at least ethanol blends which could knock me down to 24, luckely I can get non-oxgeneted gas where I live.
I have a 1997 OBW with a 5spd manual and 104,000 miles. The engine (2.5) has a sound similar to some of the other posts I have read, (ie) Sewing machine like, but it stops when I press in the clutch. I thought it was the clutch bearings, but it did not go away when I had to replace the clutch anyway. After listening closer, it sounds like it is the lifter discussions in this forum, however, I don't fully understand the logic behind it stopping in a) warmer weather (>50f +) or b) under the clutch being depressed. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thx.
I was shocked when I made my first calculations of under 17 mpg's. The computer and actual calculations are both very close. I started using the running computer stats to try to increase my mileage by watching closely as to when and how to increase by fuel economy. Less brake, coast more, time lights, etc.
Then I realized what a waste of effort that was proving to be. It didn't really help that much and was potentially dangerous. My 2000 6 cyl Nissan Maxima gave me around 20 or better and I didn't have to drive like an old lady to get it (no offense to LOLs - little old lady's that is). I just don't feel like having to drive like one to squeeze a few more mpg's out of a car that I thought should do much better.
thanks for the reply
Jeffer - Edmunds is restoring my original handle!
Watch the tire pressure too. It seems to really help to have recomended (32) or slightly high pressure.
As for trying to coast. Good luck. My doesn't coast well at all.
--j
Anyway, I think I'm just going to drive the car. For the most part I like it and I like the way it handles. So I'm going to have fun and the heck with worrying about a few mpg's for now.
thanks,
Jeffer3
It's not unusual for breakin. Subarus are known for having MPG increase for the first 20K miles or so. I have been logging all fuel use on my 06 3.0R and it is much higher now at 6K miles than the first 3K, when it was winter; I had snow tires mounted; and the breakin oil was still in use.
The H6 and call for an oil change at 3K miles - the 2.5i at 7.5K. I switched to Mobil 1 at that time, and along with the warming weather mpg improved. So losing the breakin oil may help as well.
For the last 2K miles I've been running regular in my H6, so the dealer's inventory must have been low.....It appears the H6 will get about the same average mpg as my 97 OBW, but is much smoother, quieter, and more powerful. They should offer the 5spd auto in the 2.5 models.