I will make you work!

The Subaru was doing its best to die at the end of this week. First on Thursday it started then stalled in the Rainbow foods parking lot, forcing me to take the bus home (thank you #16 route!) and going with Megan in the Volvo to fetch it. Fortunately it started after sitting for a an hour.

Then on Friday, I smelled a strong raw gas odor when I was on my way to work, and I opened the hood and found gas dripping onto the engine! I looked up information, and I found that Subaru had recalled the 2002-2003 Impreza WRX (the turbo version of our car) for, "fuel seepage during cold start of the engine under extremely cold temperatures." This was due to misaligned and too short fuel lines connected by a too short hose - which was exactly my problem and was what caused it to die on Tursday. So I made an appointment even though Subaru said I wasn't covered by the recall, but they would see what they could do. Meanwhile, the lovely folks on the internet suggested that I simply tighten the clamps holding the hose on since it was so easy to get too. I did in the parking lot, and that fixed it! Yay!

Then, as I pull out of my parking spot, the steering gets really heavy and warning lights start going off all over. It turns out the V-belt tensioner bolt snapped, leaving power steering and the alternator disconnected. This was completely unrelated to the first problem of the day. But I was determined to make it home, and so removed the alternator, got the broken bolt out, walked to the hardware store, bought a new bolt, walked back and put the whole thing together again. I was not going to let that car ruin my day!

So now it is running and starting just fine. I suspect the broken bolt was my fault since I installed the new alternator myself, but I can't be sure. The whole engine was shaking quite badly since 1/2 wasn't getting the right amount of fuel, and that might have had a hand it in too.

I do find it amazing that the entire car can be paralyzed because two small screws were two turns loose each. There is some lesson in that! I plan on completely replacing all the troubled tubing and clamps when the weather warms up.

EDIT: and for future reference and for Google's sake, the recall code and NHTSA Action Number: PE04002 and our car is a 2002 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport

Self Sufficiency

Doing things yourself can be very difficult, full of mistakes, and extremely time consuming but when things go right, it is sure worth it. Having another item in a library of things you can do feels great. ( Can you tell I have been reading "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"?)

Our first project was on Wednesday when Megan and I canned salsa, using our piles of tomatoes from the farmers market. Of course now that it is preserved we are hesitant to open one since it is so much work getting them in the jars!




My other project was on Saturday when I finally got some car time in. I cleaned my air filter, replaced the oil (synthetic is totally worth it), and replaced the front brake pads. All this greatly increased my confidence for car repair again, as it was all quite simple, and the car really needed it. The brakes just required me to jack up the car and remove the wheel, un-do one bolt and swing up the "glove" that holds them next to the pistons, and then pop out the old pads like burnt toast. With the money I saved I bought myself my very own 2 ton jack!

Yay! / Booo!

First a big Yay! to Subaru for making our car which I forgot how much fun it is to drive on the snow. Not that I am going to do anything crazy like go snowboarding with it. But on the down side, our clock mysteriously stopped working and I have a feeling that the thermostat might be stuck open because it takes so long to heat up the car now. They break though, its just a little spring that opens and closes over and over and over...

Second, a big Booooo! To O'Reilly Auto Parts who bought Checker Auto parts. I had two silly $15 rebate checks from them that I deposited on the 13th of November that just bounced or were canceled on the 4th of December. So my bank took back the $30 in rebates and charged $60 in bounced check fees. I bought the stuff in August June. I am on a vendetta now.

Or, how I learned to stop worrying and love the STI

Ok, I must be a sucker for marketing so I am posting this mostly for my own benefit.

Last March I wrote that that Subaru killed my favorite car with the 2008 impreza redesign but since that post there have been scores of actual people reviewing it saying that it is the best car Subaru has ever made, and after seeing a few base imprezas in the parking lot at work, it really isn't that bad looking in person. It is a Subaru I guess, it is supposed to be ugly! Of course every single car in in this video in just a shell of an STI with over a million bucks of rally parts inside. But look at em go! 

Ok carry on, nothing to see here...

2002 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport Review

Well we have had the car for a few weeks now so here is my review! The only thing I can't talk about is a long trip, that will have to wait until summer.

We were fortunate enough to have some of the worst weather of the winter hit after we bought the car, and without it I don't think I would have as complete an opinion as I do now. Basically, this car will get you anywhere you want to go. It is built for adversity. It loves adversity! The big fog lamps, the rear window wiper with fluid, big windshield, ABS, and of course the all wheel drive have pushed through all the muck we have gotten this spring without question or complaint. It already saved me from one accident the day we bought it, and that was on slick wet roads. On the Volvo and other rear wheel drive cars, if you turn on a icy road the rear end keeps going in what is called over-steer (top). This can be quite fun in my experience, if you can control it. The Saturn and other front wheel drive cars lose traction on the steering wheels and so can't complete the turn in what is called under-steer (below). This is never fun. My time on ice in the Subaru was that green line on both examples. Just round the curve. The all-wheel drive always has power down on the road somewhere so you always have control of the car. The flat four engine produces a nice range of power on demand and gets you where you want to be when you want to be there. It doesn't have the WRX's turbo boost that throws you back in your seat however. Oh well, I don't need premium gas either.

That all said, it is not a luxury car. The cup holders are poorly thought out. One pops out directly above the center console and the other is quite small in the center arm rest. Stuff sometimes rattles inside and everything is plastic. The shocks are stiff and tall so you can feel every ta-tak ta-tak ta-tak of the road. The sound system was upgraded which is great, but they did not opt for keyless entry or alarm so to open all the doors you have to do it from inside the driver or passenger door. The layout for some of the controls is confusing. Why they made the cruse control and fog lights buttons in a place where you can not see them, right next to each other, and the same shape I will never know (see arrow).

But, none of that matters because the car is just so incredibly solid you really don't care about cosmetics. Everything is about the driving. Those hard shocks might get annoying but they keep you firmly on the road at all times and tell you exactly what is going on under the car. The throaty engine roars to life when asked, and settles down quietly for cruising. The visibility is fantastic thanks to the flat engine that allows for a very low hood making you feel like you are right on top of the road. The back end can haul tons of stuff, and the seats fold down to give you even more room. In short, it is exactly the car I wanted! Look for us in it for a long time to come.