Dear Uncle Ben and Thornton:

Thanks for the replies. ARGH! I have had to put WAY too much money
into this 2002 Subaru in the last year: New ball joint ($500), head
gaskets (warranty - but took 7 visits and two extended stays in the
shop to finally fix), new radiator ($500), new power steering pump
($500), and other things...

I like this car very much, and it is my second Subie, but it only has
125,000 km - where's the famed Subaru reliability? Ah well, cars are
money pits...

Thanks for the heads up regarding the corroded filler pipe. I do not
like the sound of that - up here in Canada (I assume you are in US for
no good reason...) that would be well over $600.00!!

This will be added to the list of other possibilities I have found on
the internet:

1. Some kind of blue vacuum hose near power steering pump (just had
power steering pump replaced, so maybe..)
2. Faulty wiring near cat converter
3. Loose cat converter

My non-Subaru dealer mechanic is a former dealer mechanic and a real
gem. I trust him completely - but he's somewhat hamstrung by a lack of
dealer-type diagnostic equipment. Sadly the Subaru dealer network is
sparse and the service at dealerships varies greatly in quality - but
I still may be stuck going back to a dealership on this.

Sigh.

Thanks again!
Fred

Thanks to all!

Fred