Hey, all.

I have an 02 WRX wagon, manual. 68,000 km.

A couple of days ago, the CEL came on - solid, then blinking, then
solid. And the car was sluggish, moreso at low rpms.

I called the dealer, and had it towed, even though it was technically
driveable - the flashing CEL had me spooked.

They pulled codes 301 and 303, which (according to workshop manuals I
downloaded in PDF) mean misfire in cylinders 1 and 3.

They swapped coil 1 for 2, and 3 for 4 (I say that like I know what it
means - and I really don't). The CEL went away, but the dealer said it
could come back - the swap was partly to narrow down the problem - if
I get CEL codes 302 and 304 now, they'll replace the hardware. The
issue is not, according to them, engine-threatening, and they didn't
recommend throwing hardware at the problem right away.

Now: I admit I'm an uneducated dork when it comes to auto mechanics. I
want to understand where these coils actually are, what they do, and
why they might go bad. And what does it mean when they go bad? Is it a
'wear' issue? Something electrical? Did they have to pull the heads to
get at these things, or are they part of the ignition system?

My 1999 Sub legacy St.Wgn(4 cyl,Not an Outback),allows use of 10%% Ethanol by
the book.Allstations here have 15%% ethanol,could I use this ??

Here's the deal. Got an 1997 Outback and love it. Want to buy a
new one.
Got the money. But Subaru has pissed me off with some of the stuff
they've
done since 1997. They've gone to a custom center dashboard, so it
no longer
has the double-DIN slot where I can put over 100 head-units from
Crutchfield.
More importantly, I want 5-speed manual tranny, but I also want heated
seats
(preferably leather) and moonroof; it seems the only way to get these
in a new
one is to get the 4-cylinder turbo or the 6-cylinder, both
unacceptable to me.