Diz

I'm told it's normal 19mm bolt heads that are on it. Also that a few releasing oils were used.

It's Brembos that are on mine. All as per original spec as far as I know. Will need to ask re possibility of removing caliper versus bracket too. I'll have a go at my motorbikes but I'm a self-confessed dummy when it comes to cars.

I do know BF was spraying the bolt for a couple of days in a row but don't know what he was using (although knowing him it would have been something decent, he's in the habit of stripping his motorbikes down to the last nut and bolt). But he can't get to the pit in his garage as there is too much stuff on top of it... so had limited space to maneuver. And we're in Scotland and the weather isn't good for doing work outdoors right now. Pretty sure the garage that changed the back sets would have an impact wrench but they were too chicken to touch the front in case they busted it. Getting the feeling the bolt itself is going to end up needing busted one way or the other though.

To my shame I haven't personally been under the car to see it for myself, but I can ask BF as he has had a go at it.

Having a bit of a saga with a seized caliper bolt on my '04 WR1. Rear brake discs and pads have been replaced, have the front ones to do the job but the upper bolt on driver side is stuck fast. A few amateur mechanic friends have had a go at it but it will not budge. It has been sprayed with all sorts and had a *little* heat applied to it. I saw 'plusgas' mentioned in another older post, is that significantly better than other releasing oils for this job? Failing that, can anyone recommend the best way of going about getting this off? Especially a solution that doesn't involve buying a new caliper, as that itself seems fine it's just the bolt holding it on that won't come off. Drilling it out and dismantling the caliper have been mentioned as possible solutions, would appreciate if anyone can advise on the pros and cons of those ideas. The MOT is due up soon and I want to avoid taking it to a Subaru dealer as I suspect I'll need to take out a second mortgage for the repair if I do that.

All seems well again today - here's hoping it stays that way!

Hey peeps, I read these posts and took your advice, but to my shame and embarrassment I now realize I didn't get back to thank you. So now, here it is. THANK YOU! Gambit, our workshop is making progress, thanks. Establishing a powder coating business is not easy, folks want to see consistently good results on their mates' stuff before they commit so there is a bit of chicken and egg going on, and it takes nerve and determination to keep going. But we have a good reputation, especially amongst local bikers and scooter boys - two wheelers are the fussiest of them all, so we must be doing something right. One thing I would say about getting lightweight alloy wheels powder coated on a high-performance Scooby... research it before you go there. Structural integrity can be altered by heat and can result in catastrophic failure later if they get overcooked during coating, especially during heat transfer on hard braking afterwards. Reports of this are few but they exist. The wheels might have come off the production line powder coated but the original design would have been tight on a car like mine and taken the original coating process into consideration. We take care not to overdo it with anything but that's because we know and care, and handle all parts individually - my degree was in physics so I pay attention to issues such as material fatigue. Maybe it is shooting ourselves in the foot but we have morals and personally I'd get my own spindly wheels painted. A good two-pack paint will be very resilient too, and much easier to colour match to the original. Otherwise most wheels are fine, albeit in truth they are a pain in the ar$e to do - three will come out lovely and number four bubbles as impurities (grease, road muck, diesel and some wheel cleaners, which can strip any coating off from the inside out on finding an imperfection to work its way into) outgass. Redo it or face a pi$$ed off customer when we can be getting on with something more interesting - it's a no brainer, and the variety of stuff people want doing is much more fun: rocker boxes, engine braces, inlet manifolds, calipers, motorbike bits galore, shotgun barrels, fireplaces, life-sized crane garden ornaments, tan stands - you name it, it has come through our door. If you are interested please PM me. After our recent scare my beloved WR1 appears to be going strong once again and I still love him as much as the day I clapped eyes on him. Now I have the Subaru bug full on I can't imagine having any other make of car (although I might be tempted to run a Skyline on the side if I could afford it). I may be a dippy chick at times but defo have the petrolhead gene. Cheers, Diz xx

Well, the thermostat was replaced today by a friendly mechanic who came out to the house. Luckily it was a nice sunny day to be pulling the car to bits in the yard. He changed the coolant too, said to let the car cool down and top up again if the level dropped, and also diagnosed a faulty relay frying the glow plugs in BF's car which was turning over but again wouldn't start. What a man, he achieved a lot in the time he was here and only charged us £100 for the lot, including some second-hand glow plugs. I did the hot water test on the old thermostat and it opened so I wasn't too hopeful when I took it out for a test run. However the moment of truth has passed and after an 18-mile round trip all appears to be well. Don't know about you guys, but I can feel and hear the slightest change in the car - even before the temperature gauge first shot up I said to BF that something didn't seem right, but tonight it sounded sweet again. Gambit, I hear what you are saying about worrying about the issue for 2 weeks, I'll be obsessed with that gauge and coolant level for the next wee while too. However right now I am beyond relieved. Thanks very much for your help guys. Being able to ask questions and have knowledgeable fellow Subaru lovers give me some pointers was much appreciated, as well as keeping me sane when I was imagining all sorts of horrors.

ps The starred out text is the correct term for a female dog. The !Removed! text could be substituted for cigarette, if that is allowed :-)

Thanks so much for your advice and suggestions guys. One more question if you have time, does it need a gasket? Parts shop said gasket was integral to part (pointing to rubber seal), but we have gasket paper and can make one up if need be. Another troubleshooting clue I've just recalled is that the heater wouldn't come on at first on Sunday, so maybe the thermostat was on its way out? Today did indeed go downhill. Our mates were all at work so we had to take a taxi to our workshop as my other half had left his car there and we live out in the sticks. It had a flat battery. Seriously. The jump leads were in my car back home and none of our neighbours had any. Grrrr! At least we have a battery charger at the workshop but it took ages. Finally got to Europarts and got the thermostat, but was too dark to go out and fit it when we got home (we have a large garage but it is full of motorbikes and bits of motorbikes, none currently on the road, both of us guilty on this count so I can't even blame him ). BF has a decent working knowledge of older cars and is watching YouTube vids on how to replace the thermostat - it looks a ******, underneath on the WR1? The guy at the parts shop echoed what Tidgy said about bleeding the system, he reckoned the car is prone to airlocks. I knew how to bleed an airlock in my old Pug. I will swot up on how to do this on the Scoob, as when I pop the bonnet to me it just looks like a spaceship that you couldn't squeeze a !Removed! paper into, albeit a thing of beauty. I say I'm a dummy with cars, albeit I grew up with a cousin who is a time-served mechanic who taught me a lot. But a little learning is dangerous and I'm more than a wee bit wary of this engine and have a huge amount of respect for it. Hopefully tomorrow will be a more successful day if we get a chance to fit the new part and test it. Whatever the outcome I'll keep you posted. As soon as this gets sorted, aside from memories of your help, today will be deleted!

That's the answer I want to hear Geoff, as I can pick one up from Europarts for £12.99. Was just suspicious as it is a bit of a coincidence that this has happened when the coolant got low, unless that can lead to the thermostat sticking which I wouldn't have thought would be the case.

Thanks Tidgy. I've heard of the sniff test but I'm a bit of a bimbo when it comes to cars. Where and what am I sniffing for and what will it tell me?

Hi folks, Not a good start to the day and I fear it's about to get worse. Got about a mile away from home and noticed the temperature gauge had shot right up. Stopped, checked the coolant and it was pretty low but there was still coolant in there (I hadn't checked it for a while - yes, I know - so can't be sure if this happened suddenly or gradually), let the car cool down and nursed it home, put coolant in, ran the car for a while. The coolant level in the reservoir dropped which suggested it was circulating. However on travel attempt number two the gauge started to rise again after the same distance, so once more I am back home. Luckily I have this week off work. The pipes seem to have water circulating in them. I don't want to hear head gasket. The oil appears to be clean, there's no white bits in it, although I've read elsewhere that this doesn't necessarily mean it's not the head gasket. Has anyone else had this happen or have any other ideas as to what might be going on here? I'm really hoping it's the thermostat and nothing worse...

Checked www.importcarparts.co.uk and correct, it is pricey. Also have a front and rear lambda sensor. I could do without buying both, would the engine management test show up which one is faulty?

I know the guys at the garage so they don't charge me for the diagnostic or for helping out with other bits and pieces, which is sweet. I must have some inbuilt charm as even my eyelashes are greying ;-) Good to know re the second hand sensor issue, I'll check that out - thanks very much.