doctorbrody

The harness and sensors are still available from Defi

I called a few local Subaru dealers in western Mass trying to get an appointment for an airbag replacement in my 05 OBXT and they all told me the parts are on backorder, they don't know when to expect them and there's no waiting list I can get on. Thanks a bunch guys. So I called SOA (1-800-782-2783) and explained that my car was in Georgia for 5 years and that I have no choice but to carry a passenger in the front seat a few times a week. SOA connected me to my local Subaru dealer and they said they could perform the airbag swap in two days. Just had it done today, took 2.5 hours. Yeah, they left greasy hand prints all over my dash, but I much prefer that to driving around with a potential hand grenade in front of my lady's face. Hopefully her 06 Impreza doesn't have a Takata inflator - it's not on the recall list yet...

Awesome walkthrough, thanks. Of course no part exposed to the elements is easy to remove on a Subaru with 140k New England miles on it. Like Max Capacity, I had to remove the hub and backing plate together, then encourage them to separate with PB Blaster and a 3lb hand sledge. Also, the rotor was very difficult to remove, had to retap the M8 bolt holes and use some long bolts to force it off the e-brake. One left to do, when I can face it again...

no need to replace hubs in pairs - and you can't see the bearing from under the car or tell visually if it's bad.

Or you could jack it up yourself and check for wheel play now - that would probably give you more useful information than e-answers in this case.

Changed out my loose wheel bearing, and that wasn't the only source of my vibration. Oh well, the hunt continues. Anyway... To get the rusty, 130k mile old bearing out with the modest tools in my garage, I removed the CV axle, popped the ball joint back together, got under the car and beat on the inside of the bearing directly with a 3lb hand sledge and it came right out with a few hits. Then I reinstalled the CV axle and reassembled everything. The ball joint is easy to pop in and out with a floor jack, and of course the half shaft just takes a tug to remove. I think this is the way to do it! UPDATE: My vibration was being caused by a bad rear U-joint, replaced the entire driveshaft with a junkyard find.

My OBXT's so loud that I could never hear a bearing whining. Would a badly failed bearing cause the car to vibrate at speed? The front passenger wheel has a little bit of in-out play in it, so that's definitely what's causing the vibration.

I have to swap my stock catback on every year for Mass. inspection and I go back and forth on which setup I like better. I don't think my car is quite as loud as yours was, but it definitely booms. The stock is so quiet, and I can hear my nice speakers again. It's always a relief for my ears when I put it back on. But my Magnaflow catback is awesome because racecar. Throttle response is snappier too. So after three months or so of staying stock and thinking about selling my catback, I put it back on and it makes me smile.

Stage 2 is a lot of fun - I only lasted about a year at stage 2 before I put in the VF52 and had it tuned for E85. I'm a UMass student-ish. On the GI Bill and working so I'm on campus sporadically. Usually I ride my bike to school so the OBXT is rarely spotted.

I knew you had to be on here. Sharp looking car! What's under the hood?

Saw a black LGT wagon with smoked tails, yellow fogs and AJW Performance decals at UMass Amherst today. Nice ride!

Awesome. I'll keep my wagon for another 150k miles if I can get a 6MT swap down the line. And maybe an HTA Green...

I saw a wicked nice white LGT sedan with STi badges in downtown Northampton this afternoon - anyone on here?

Saw a black Spec B with Prodrive wheels parked in Northampton Saturday night - beautiful car!

I've seen that car in Newburyport, looks like aftermarket cans too.

Saw a blue LGT sedan with HIDs and yellow fogs at UMass Amherst today around noon, with a shirtless driver. Fess up!

Saw a nice looking GRP GT wagon in Northampton today - thought I got a nod from the driver. Me in CGO OBXT.

Saw a blue LGT sedan with aftermarket mufflers in Northampton today. Looked pretty nice!

Saw a silver LGT sedan pulling out of lot 11 today at UMass Amherst. Looks like mesh grille, lowering springs and maybe Perrin cans. Anyone on here?

Yeah! Was that you who said hey? I saw your car - it's a lot prettier than mine... The E85 map pulls like crazy. It was lots of fun on the way home.

At ESP in Sterling, just north of Worcester

I'm making 275 on a Mustang dyno in Worcester, but I think ECS's dyno reads higher. Either way, we should be on the same dyno for comparison. A new gas station opened in Northampton (I live nearby) - they sell E85 for $2.59/gal. http://www.e85refueling.com/

Whoa, someone in New England might have a faster Outback than me. I think your HTA68 might make more power than my VF52 running E85. We should compare numbers at ECS sometime.

Saw a pretty slick silver LGT with 18s or 19s on Rt 12N in Keene tonight