mdjdc

Sounds like you have a bad roll connector in the steering column.

Are you letting the car sit for long periods without running it? Todays gas has ethanol in it and the gas breaks down rapidly. Sounds like you are getting bad gas and it has a higher flash point than normal. Once the car actually starts it will keep running and I am sure that after 300 miles you have to gas up again. Just run the car every other day for about 15 minutes and fill the car when needed and you may fix the problem.

For what it is worht, I have BF Goodrich Tratctio TA's on my 99 forester and they do howl someon the highway. Worse on some types of pavement, bt they have a more agressive tread pattern and that is what I wanted. Overall I like them except for the fact that they are a rotational tire. Didn't know that when I bought them. Got them for about 100 bucks off a car that was being parted out and they were brand new.

Even at 150 a piece, that is still a far cry from 600 for the viscous coupling and the labor to install it, or the parts and labor to fix the auto trans when it starts binding up. That can also be a very dangerous proposition when the tranny binds in bad weather and you lose traction.

And the two extra tires are about 150. Just not worth the trouble. Espescially if the bind comes on in the winter. It sucks to loose traction on the snow in a turn.

From the original posters second post, I don't think he is going to listen. Personally, I learned from an Outback that I bought from a friend. He was in the habit of only changing two tires at a time (front or back) and within a year I had a bad viscous coupling and I had to replace the trans. It just isn't worth the trouble to save a little bit now and have a much bigger bill down the road. Just my 2 cents

It seems to me that you are also having a problem with the clutches on the rear drive system. You can try several flushes and if that doesn't work, you will have to replace those. Not a fun thing to do twice, but I am looking at that possibility too.

Just get in there and replace the duty C and fix the drums and you should be done. Your other option is to do a flush of the tranny and see if that fixes the problem.

I don't think you filled her properly. You said that you started the car and then filled her until there was steam coming out of the vent cap. You need to fill the car when it is not running. Put her on an incline with the nose up. Take out the vent cap and fill her until you antifreeze coming out of the vent, then replace the vent and start the car. Continue replacing fuid as it goes down and the thermostat finally opens up. Then you ar full. Put a new cap on her. They are cheap and then take her for a drive. If she overheats, check the flow of the rad, but they rerely go bad. My feeling is, that if she continues to overheat, you need to doa headgasket job. Don't keep running her as you will run the risk of damaging the rod bearings.

I just fixed the very same problem for a friend of mine. The switch is the problem. It is really east to replace and doesn't cost all that much. You can do the replacement in about 1/2 hour. Switched weat out and yours has some age on it. If you want a known good one, I can grab one off my spare tranny, but you should be able to get a new one for less than 50.00. Personally, I would put a new one in.

As far as the phase 1 engines are concerned, the new gasket is either a 4 or 5 layer design. I am scared of the viton coating as Subaru recomends no coating on their gaskets. Maybe this is the way to go on the phase2 motors, but for the phase 1, I wiould still use the Subaru gaskets. Just my 2 cents.

Does your trans light come on at all at start up? I'm thinking that the light isn't working and that you may, infact, be having a Duty C problem. I have a friend that had a very similar situation and it turned out that the PO had removed several of the dash bulbs to hide problems when he sold the car.

I see your delimma. I will look for the same hose so you won't have to worry. Mike

I have several intakes lying around. I can look and see if I have a good one for you. I have never even seen these listed for replacement. I know they have them somewhere, but I haven't seen one being replaced. Let me know if you wnat one of mine. Mike

I have a hood and one fender. I think the fender is the drivers side. Shipping might be cost prohibitive, but I wanted to put it out ther for you. Mike

They discharged the A/C system to do the HG's? That was a waste of time and money. You are going to pay thru the nose for a recharge of the system and the compressor could have been laid over to the side to get it out of the way. If you went to a shop, I would tell them to recharge the system for free, since it didn't have to be discharged in the first place. As for the fans, I agree, look at the entire loom under the rad and see if any other wires are damaged. critters aren't usually very discerning and they often get several wires. I had it happen in my daughter's car. What a mess the little rodent made. Good luck

You will have to take the timing belt off anyway and you just line up the timing marks on the gears. I am sure there is a timing belt writeup on the board. It is really easy and you don't need any special tools to do it.

Make sure that you have the crank sprocket set for putting in a new timing belt. Hold the crank still or use the screw sriver in the flex plate and pop the cam bolts off. I say POP because if you give the bolts a sudden POP they will break loose alot easier than if you use steady pressure. Don't be surprized if the cam sprocket jumps on the timing belt. Another way that I have used is to remove the timing belt and put it on the side. Get a lenght of old timing belt and wrap it around both cam prockets. Use a vise grip to get the belt tight and then work on the bolts. This way, you have no chance of damaging a new timing belt. If you need an old belt for the job let me know and I will mail you one.

I have seen this before. The car probably had terrible torque bind that was never addressed and as a result the rear drive drum broke off the shaft. I had one that was likw that. I replaced the shaft with the drum on it and set the rear housing withe the clutches back on the drum and VIOLA the problem was fixed. This is a problem that can be addresses with the car up on ramps in the driveway.

Hey Vasy: Where are you in Richmond? Is that Va., or Ca.?

I am fairly certain I have one of those in my store of parts. Let me know if you want me to dig it out for you. Make me an offer on it and we can make a deal. Mike

Just reprogram the fob to your car and you will be done. There is no need to replace the computer. More work than you need to do.

I saw where you posted that you put RTV behind the crank pulley. That is a big no no. You need to pull the oil pump off the block, check the backing plate bolts and replace the O ring that is back there. Use anerobic sealant andput the pump back on and you should be good to go. If it is leaking elsewhere, you will have to address those leaks with new seals. Take a couple of pics under the car and from different angles and send them to me mdjdc1@gmail.com maybe I can help you narrow down the point of failure. Mike

I just went over that with another board member this morning. The legacy starter does not have the nose cover that the forester/impreza starter does. I am assuming that they are not interchangable, but I don't see why. The engine tranny combo is the same, why should the starter not fit. Personally, I don't see what it would harm to put a legacy starter on there and see if the fozzie starts. First look at the throw of the bendix and see that they go out the same distance or you might wear at the torque converter if it is too short. That wouldn't be worth the try in my book. This is one part that is confusing as to why they are different in number and design.

Been where you are and I can tell you for certain that you are looking at a starter that is going bad. Don't wait as it will leave you stranded without notice. I have seen several of them lately. Take yours off and have it rebuilt. You will have an OEM starter and it will be built correctly. If you get an aftermarket it will only be a cheap one made in Mexice and it will not last and longer than until just after the warranty is up on it. Good Luck