subegrl

Cool on the warranty info, but I suspect I'm out of the range. 114,000.

Not that I've noticed. Thank you for your advice. I've got the number of a recommended muffler shop near my house that I'm going to take it too and see what they say.

Question - why would the catalyst go bad? Is that an indicator of something else being wrong? In the last year I've replaced the fuel filter, timing belt, water pump, spark plugs, spark plug wires, 02 sensors, etc. etc. The car runs fine. Also I found out that my mechanic doesn't do catalyst replacements (they do not do it where he works). Apparently this is something done at muffler shops, I assume because it involves emissions work? How much do you think is reasonable to charge to change a catalyst?

OK got the code - its P0420, catalyst efficiency lowered. Recommendations?

That is what I am going to do - go to Autozone and then tell y'all the codes. Awesome help, guys and gals!

Really? Hmmmm. I wish it wasn't the dealer saying it's so. I'm not sure my mechanic would 'know better'. He's a good, honest mechanic but he's not a 'subie expert'. AFAIK there aren't any here where I live. I guess I could ask him to check the code and see what he thinks before I fork out $500 to the dealer.

what kind of price do you think I should expect? Is it hard to replace the catalyst or is it a simple thing to pull one part/s out and replace them?

01 Forester 114,000 miles. The check engine light came on, last month. I figured it was the 02 sensors (again). I went to the dealer. The tech told me that the 02 sensors were OK and that he had had good luck with flashing the ECU, but if the check engine light came back on then I need a new catalyst, and quoted me $500 for the new catalyst. A few weeks go by, and then today the check engine light is on again. What I want to know is: Is there any other thing I can do except get a new catalyst and Is $500 a reasonable charge for this procedure and Do I need to let the dealer do it or is it something I can get my mechanic to do? Thanks!

I am a bit... worried... about all of this going out at 94000 miles. I want this car to last 200,000 miles and I'm trying to faithfully do preventative maintenane in that regard. Am I being foolish?

OK I just had my timing belt and water pump changed. Then the timing belt tensioner/bearing started making noise. My mechanic did the job over and replaced the tensioner. NOW the idler pulley is making noise. He is going to replace both idler pulleys. He's taken apart my engine three times now, twice for free. Is there *anything* else we should replace before he puts everything back together? AND has anyone else had this happen? 01 Forester 94000 miles.

I forwarded the link above to my sis, she is going to get her boyfriend to take a look at it. A 'free' solution sounds awesome.

Thanks, this site is great!

The black rubber seal or gasket around my back passenger side door has come loose. Can this be reattached or do I need to buy a new one, and what is this called anyway?

My sister has a 91 legacy sedan, and her passerger side door handle doesn't work unless you do some wrangling to it... the drivers' side door handle doesn't open from the outside if you lock it... essentially, what I'm asking is if it's possible to find replacements for these parts.

the cd rom on ebay for forester tech manuals goes up to 2000. I have a 2001. What would be different about my car that wouldn't be on the cd rom? Would it still make sense for me to get the cd rom?

I asked this in the subaruforester.com site too... but wanted some more answers. Does anyone have a plug online vendor they like, and what would the part number be for platinum NGK's for the Forester?

I know of three forester 'issues' that seem to come up as major repairs. 1. Head Gasket (external in the SOHC) 2. Clutch judder 3. Wheel bearings. Any others I should know about? I ask this becuase I was cruising carreview.com and some of the posts about the Forester are, well, very angry. I know that alot of the posts on such a forum are going to be 'worst case scenarios' and that the majority of people happy with their cars aren't going to post about it on the internet. But alot of the complaints had to do with: The dealer charging way too much for 'routine maintenance', often that isn't on the maintenance schedule that comes with the car. The dealer and SOA saying things like the clutch judder 'are normal'. And my personal gripe: SOA making the clutch judder a TSB not a recall. Just some thoughts this morning...

OK on 1stsubaruparts I see a listing for: oil seal, cover seal, rear main seal, front crank seal, valve seals. Would you replace all of these?

just curious, why is a fram oil filter bad?

what is a good test for the external leak? I haven't had any problems, but I have been reading the posts on here about head gaskets and apparently *if* I had a leak it would be external - so what is a good test for it? Oil seals - where do these go and what do they do? Does the 'overhaul gasket set' include these seals = a better question might be what *is* included in the Overhaul Gasket Set? (listed on 1stSubaruparts.com). So far I am set to replace: timing belt, water pump, radiator hoses, thermostat, radiator cap, spark plugs, fuel filter. Differential - how do you check the fluid in a manual transmission? Should I have this drained and filled with new stuff? Clutch is the Tax Return project -

...a list of what you'd replace is most welcome! The interval for the Forester is also around 105k. I drive it long distances every weekend to go paddling, so I want it to be as 'bomber' as possible. Also I intend to drive it as long as I can, right now it has 93k miles but I'm about to get surgery on my arm, which means I won't be able to drive it for a few weeks (stick shift) so now is a good time to get things done to it. Any other suggestions of what you'd get replaced? Thanks

when I get my timing belt changed in my 01 forester, should I get the water pump changed too? I assumed that I did, but someone told me that not all cars are like this, some have easier access to the water pump so changing out one just because you have things taken apart to get to the timing belt isn't necessary.

01 Forester I have an error P0065 - Air assisted injector range/performance. What does this mean and do I have to take it to the dealer to get it fixed? Thanks!

... is the shudder actually hurting anything? I ask this because the car shifts fine otherwise. The only time it shudders is when it is cold outside and the car has sat for a few hours.

If I have to get a clutch kit which ones do you recommend. I've read about- Act and Subie - what are the advantages of the Act clutch? And (don't laugh) - which one would be more expensive? 01 forester last question - don't see forester listed on the Act website but it does have legacy listed. Does the legacy clutch work in the forester?