jon38iowa

Mine(Forester) was super easy- Took off the plastic surround, and was able to reach the bulb from underneath the shift gauge.About a 15 minute job at most.

Nice Car! Please share your info on posting pics; I can never get one to stick:-\

Indeed! Thats how I discovered mine had torn. The smell is horrible if not down right putrid.

Suggestion: Always park with the wheels straight ahead. I parked my Forester with the wheels to the right, due to odd parking angle at work,and within a few weeks I had a torn inner boot. Mechanics said, this was likely the cause, and age of course. Suffices to say, I know park in a different spot.

Sounds exactly like my '99 Forester. The only cure(piston slap) was a complete rebuild, with slightly larger pistons from Subaru.

In a word, Absolutely! I have the same year as yours, these transmissions are outrageously expensive to replace.If it hasn't been done within the last 35K then I would not only change it once, but three times in a row. This really cleans it, without chemical flushing(which I don't believe in). And, the filters are easily purchased on-line from Subaru.

Can I ask, what are the symptoms of a bad front differential?

It has been changed 3 times over the past year-just to get really good and clean.

Ok Put the fuse in and test drove it. Same shake, no change.

There is spare 20amp in the box, this will work? Thanks

Good Idea, hadn't thought of that. Where is this mysterious fuse? I assume the fuse box under the hood

I will Check these, but the mechanic thinks if is one of these that the shake would persist (similarly) through all the gears. 145K on the clock

No it does not go away with throttle. Axles checked,look perfect and no tares. Thanks ed.

I took the red'99, Forester(4eat) for routine brake job today. When I picked the car up the mechanic said he noticed something I have a noticed as well- a light vibration in the drive train. It is most noticeable in second gear, and then almost completely goes away in the others, though I still sense it. He was concerned enough to recommend it be checked. Its done for so long, that I hardly notice it. Mechanic seems to think its in the, " Transmission," because in his view the prominence is only in one gear. This guy is really awesome and does not do this kind of repair, thus the referral. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? If it is the tranny ,what would be the issue, Torque Converter or other? If this this the case, how much would that cost, and can the average Transmission shop do this, or would it be wise to go to the dealer? The tranny itself, shifts like a brand new car. Thanks in advance for any tip!

Same here! My friend's (which I advocated buying) '00 Outback runs like new ,with 105k on the clock, and nary a problem. This, being a car thats driven on a dirt road daily, sits outside in the blistering heat, and receives only passing attention to maintenance. Actually, I am little envious, as it has been so much more solid than my Forester.

I Agree! And, I put my money where my mouth is. I replaced the knock sensor in my'99 two weeks ago.. The original was probably fine, but to me its getting old, moreover, I like to keep the car rode worthy(going out of state) at all times. Seems to me like cheep insurance.

Is that price just the sensor? They gave me quote similar to that for my MAF. However, I was able to purchase just the (reed) part of the sensor and it cost $55.00 from Subaru. Additionally I had to buy a tool to remove it. My car might be different than yours, but I would look into it.

A car pulled right out in front of me at 35mph (i was driving a '90s club wagon{van}). The T-bird was totaled, my van reparable. No one injured(thank god for the seat belt), but I was pretty sore for a few weeks. I don't like air bags, and the van mentioned didn't have them. I know they probably are well worth it, but I have this never ending worry as my hands are on the wheel, that the thing is going to explode in my face! If I could I would turn it off. Not rational I know, but just my two cents.

Good News! I took it back out and sprayed the inside with WD(sorry I couldn't help myself), checked all the hoses which were tight, and put it back in. Reconnected the battery, and poof all is well. It runs better then ever.Yes, Subaru sent me a new gasket and I put it in the first time.

I don't think that is the case, but I will double check it tomorrow. Thanks.

Nope this bell shaped device is only plug and play. That is it goes into the throttle body and is plugged into the wiring harness. No hoses of any kind attach to it. And everything else looks tight in regards to the rest of the throttle body.

Subaru lists it on the receipt as: Valve Assembly Air Control

Today I received my new air controller from Subaru. The old might have been OK, but the car has been a hair sluggish lately and its one of only a couple things that haven't been replaced on my '99 Forester. I put the shiny new one on, and at start up the rpms are all over the place! Turn off the engine and disconnect the battery. Next start up is much more stable, but: The car now accelerates on it own up to about 30 mph(something it never did before) and it idles a bit faster then usual. It did however, significantly improve the performance, much smoother. As of now battery is disconnected for the night. My question: does anyone have any other pointers- Do these things have to break in? Though totally identical, I notice the pin that comes out of this device is a little tighter than the old one. Would WD40 help? Does the computer take awhile to relearn a new part such as this? Thanks friends!

I ask this question: Is there a possibility, that Toyota is just a hair better than Subaru? I don't want to cause a fire storm, but just wondering. :-\