mdjdc

he whistle is the clue to your problem. I would bet that you have had a CAT meltdown. The cat is now clogged and when you try to acdelerate, there is no where for the exaust to go and it chokes down the engine. Try taking the CATs out and run for a short time with open pipes. You will get a CEL, but if the car runs fine, then you will have the diagnosis. Good Luck.

If the solenoid is bad you will get a flashing AT TEMP light. You have drums and clutches that are going bad. Come to Richmond one weekend and we can get it done in a couple of hours.

It sounds like your clutches and the drive drum are the culprit. I would replace them both or do the grind on your drum. The solenoid is not the problem. Also. fix any CEL problems and see if that affects the tranny. Some of the engine codes are actually cross linked to the tranny.

Question. Does your AT TEMP light come on at start up to let you know it is working? It should illuminate for about 10 seconds or so and then go out. If it does do that and isn't blinking, then your duty C is good and you can save your money. If it soes not come on, then the bulb is bad or someone has taken the bulb out of the dash. You will need to replace the bulb so that you can get the transmission codes and figure out what is bad. The best way to fix the problem is to replace the solenoid, if it is bad, and the grind down the grooves on the drum. Once you do those, the problem should be solved. If you are not sure about the grinding, you can do a search and you will find a thread about the repair.

You need the backing plates and the calipers with brackets. The hose for the caliper to the main brake line at the wheel and of course, you will need the rotor. If you can find that stuff, the swap is very simple. Makes braking much more sure footed. I really like the disc over the drum.

Thanks for the info guys. I got a chance to look at the brakes yesterdaya dn it turned out that the calipers are not sticking. The brackets are a bit rusty and the pads were jamming up against the rotor. That accounts for the burning smell and the heat she was feeling at the wheels. I cleaned off the scale and freed up the pads and all seems to be well again. I will probably get the rebuild kits anyway as they are getting scarce now. Thanks for all of the help, You guys are great. Mike

I converted my daughters car to rear disc brakes. Actually, it was my wifes car years ago and now it is my daughters. Anyway, it has had the calipers on it for several years and now one of them is hanging up. I have been able to source a rebuild kit and I have found some complete XT calipers that are remaned. I am tempeted to get the remaned calipers, but I want to be sure that they will fit on the set up I have on the wagon at home. Are all of the backing plates drilled the same? The caliper I can get are loaded and come with new brackets from rock auto so, I guess, I just need to be sure they will mount on the existing backing plates. Any help you guys can give me will be much appreciated. Thanks Mike

dealer cost for replacement depends on where you live. Around here in Richmond, va. it around 2000.00 and that does not include a new water pump or timing belt. Where do you live? Ma;ybe one of the board memeber can help you get it done cheaper.

Your head gaskets are gone. DO NOT go thru all of the troubel with the radiator and the thermostat. It is definitely the HG's. Sory for the bad news.

ARe you saying that you are going to reuse the mains? IF you have gone this far, you should put new mains in.. Use the standard mains and you should be fine. There will be no binding.

I would have to llok up the torque values, but 35 does sound a bit shy.

John: you may be right, I was looking at the picture wrong.

Let me see what I can find for you.

I have split a few of thes blocks and once you have all of the bolts out the two halves come apart very easily. If any tapping is necessary use a dead blow hammer and you won't hurt anything. It really isn't hard to seperate them at all.

The first three connectors all go together. There is a hose that goes on the fitting coming up out of the engine and a plastic fitting fits into that. Another hose goes back to the intake boot and then one goes up onto the PCV valve. The plastic fitting can break and is kind of pricey. The two hoses are fitted hoses and need to be stock. I may be able to find you a complete setup at a local JY. The last picture is the vacuum boost for the brake booster. There is a hose that comes off the brake booster and it just goes on that fitting. Without that hooked up, your braking will suck. If you have any questions you can call me 804-393-0516

Didyu ever stop for a moment and think that he may have been looking at the car for himself and just wanted to scare you away. The service guys here get a really good deal on the used cars and then they flip thme for a good profit. Son't think for a moment that he was just being honest with you. He may have has ulterior motives in telling you to stay away from that car. As GD said about his car, I too, have a 99 forester and put the additive in my car and have driven on several long trips and have had not a single problem. If I were you, I would go back to the dealer and see if I could get a better deal on the car. If it isn't there any more, check and see if that mechnic bought it. That is, if they will tell you.

Where are you putting those whashers? The only thing that has washers on it is the tensioner pulley assembly. I don't know where you are getting that the others are supposed to have washers on them. I haven't seen a single DOHC motor that has had any washers on any of the idlers. I think that this may actually be your problem. Also, did you check the bolt for the tensioner assembly? There is no reason other than faulty installation or idlers for the belt to be walking. You need to do a bit more inspecting.

Once I replaced the switch the code went away. It was a real easy fix.

You may have changed the alignment when you installed the washers and now the belt is riding forward. Also check the tensioner and make sure the mounting bolt hasn't pulled out. The aluminum bracket that holds it is soft and easily damaged. I have done that myself.

Once I get the lock into the door handle ( I only take the lock, not the entire handle out) I put a bit of grease in a socket and put the nut in it and then put it on the stud thu the access hole in the door. It is a pain, but I have been able to do it fairly successfully. I can't remember if you have to raise or lower the window to get good access to the stud though. My biggest hurdle is geting the lock up onto the stud with my big hands inside the door. Almost got stuck once. I usually sue a long needle nose plier to get the lock into place and then push it the rest of the way in thru the acdess hole.

Let me get this right. The outback struts are taller than the forester struts, but the forester springs are taller than the outback springs? If that is the case I may go with outback struts on the rear of my forester for a bit more ground clearance.

Another thing. Our local locksmith wanted 75.00 to rekey the ignition tumbler to the other keys. That was just too much fo my blood and I just replaced the four tumblers from a JY car. Much cheaper and now the locks all match too.

swapping out the entire assembly is not really that big a deal if you have a dremel tool. Use a cut off wheel and make a slot in the bolts and then remove them with a screw driver. Then install the replacement one. Of course, the easiest is if you can get the key to turn, just replace the tumbler. I can probably get you one at my local Jy with a key and I am sure it will be much cheaper than the dealership. Let me know if you want to go that way. I can even pull the door locks if you want them all to match to one key. Mike

NONE of the idler pullies ahould have washers on them. They are installed as they come from the box. The lonly "pulley" with a washer on it is the tensioner and I am willing to bet that the problem is the tensioner being loose and allowing the belt to ride forward. Check it now, before you lose the belt and the valves.

Don't be surprised if you find that the rear drive drum has sheared off the shaft is is only free spinning now. I bought a car that had no apparent torque bind issues, but the duty c was bad. When I got into it I found that the freedom was a result of the drum shearing off the back of the drive gear on the shaft. I had to replace that and the solenoid to get back to AWD. The PO had just continued to drive the car in bind until the selds on the drum let go. Not the best way to go.