Rooster2

I had used Fram filters for years, until I started reading a lot of negative chat about them. So, I made it a point of cutting open a used Fram that I was replacing at oil change time. Upon ripping open the metal case, I didn't find much filtering media inside. After that, I make it a point of not using Fram again.

I don't think it is going to help to crimp the clamp tighter. A lot of grease was thrown out, so I think I need to remove the crimp clamp, retract the boot, and add more grease before using a hose clamp. I bought several sizes of hose clamps thinking something will fit. Thanks for the idea of using several smaller hose clamps joined together. I will keep that in mind.

Thanks for the advise, now to remove the crimp clamp without damaging the rubber boot.

Like you say, that is a lot of miles. IMO, better to spend a little more on a car with less miles.

My outer half shaft clamp is loose and throwing grease out of the boot. At first I thought the boot was ripped, but no, it is the crimp clamp that is loose. With a screw driver I can rotate it around the boot. I went to a parts store for a clamp, grease, and advise. The counter guy said to use a screw down hose clamp as a replacement. Was that good advise? Will this type of clamp work on a boot application? If so, what is the best tool to use to remove the crimp clamp without damaging the boot? Thanks for any advise!

If you look at the exhaust system diagram as first post, it is the resonator, not the cat that is the problem. A muffler shop will not have a problem of replacing the resonator with a piece of straight pipe. Yes, you are right, if it had been a cat, then the shop will not replace the cat with straight pipe. If caught doing that, the repair shop can get hit with a major fine of thousands of dollars by the EPA. A friend of mine who was in the muffler shop biz even got fined for misstakenly replacing a cat with a wrong cat. Don't even think about messing with the EPA at a shop level, they are nasty!

I just had the same problem on my Leggie 98 OBW. Mine broke at the same spot, right at the resonator. Only thing holding the pipe together was the shroud. As mentioned earlier to this thread, it is just easier and less costly to go to a muffler shop that cuts and welds in replacement pipe. Cost me about $65 total. I can't hear any difference in exhaust noise level with the straight pipe replacing the resonator. Don't let some muffler shop talk you into a complete new muffler system. Cost would be astronomical.

"carpet under brake pedal worn to the floor board"...............hard to imagine that much wear on an 02 with only 47K miles. You say lots of rust, dust and dirt? None of this sounds good. If it were me, I think I would pass on this Forester.

misfire generally caused by a bad spark plug or plug wire, in case you don't already know this.

If it runs good, and has decent tires, and a fairly clean interior, I would offer $700 because of the bad door, maybe pay $800, If it were me, and the door wasn't damaged that bad, I would leave the door as is. As someone else wrote, it would be a good to replace the timing belt, tensioner, oil seal, and water pump. Adding new spark plugs and plug wires would be good too, if existing ones look old. Once this work is done, you should have good dependability with the car, and it will start when the outside temp is 20 below zero. Let us know how you come out.

Way to go!! Glad to hear that your problems is fixed. Sounds like doing the work yourself was a lot better then spending the $600+ that was quoted to you by a repair shop.

I have the same thoughts as others. IMO, you would be a lot better off swapping in a used engine with a lot fewer miles. Find a car with the 2.5 phase 2 motor that was hit anywhere, but in the front. I have always heard to find one that was hit, because more than likely, it was running at time of accident. Good luck on this project!

Good score on the EJ22T. I hope the motor is a good one. It has to be fun working with your brother on projects like this. I have done the super glue trick to close up a nasty cut when away from home. It really works pretty good, but the glue comes off in about two days. However, by then, the cut/gash should be sealing up. I first read about using super glue like this on a website written by an MD who cut himself on a ski trip. He talked about using super glue in a pinch. So, figured if an MD used it on himself, it had to be okay. Still, I hope when you did a thorough job of cleaning the wound to lessen the chance of infection. Let us know in the future if the EJ22T is a good one.

From my own past experience, I had a master cylinder go bad. It has been years back, but I seem to remember that the brake pedal had to be depressed near the floor to stop the car, pretty much as you have described. Then and now, I am not aware of any specific way to test a master cylinder to see if it is working properly. I just figured the mc was bad, so replaced it, and it cured the problem. You spoke of your calipers being rusted. I assume you are speaking of the cylinder bores being rusted. If so, then the calipers need to be replaced, because the caliper piston are not releasing pressure completely from the brake pad when your foot is off the brake. Constant pressure on the pads will wear them out faster than normal. Is this what you have been experiencing? If so, then your calipers do indeed need replacing. The torn guide boots are not good either, so yea, I can see why your mechanic is recommending caliper replacement. Swapping out calipers is an easy do it yourself job. Sounds like you are thinking about doing this yourself, since you have already broken loose the brake hoses. Replacing the mc yourself is also an easy job. Parts don't cost much either. Keep us posted on how this project progresses. I would like to hear what fixes your problem.

First thing I would do, is "bleed out" the brakes at all four wheels. It is still possible that air was pulled in the system, when the fluid level was low. If that doesn't solve the low pedal problem, then I would suspect a bad master cylinder. I don't think that front brake calipers can cause a low pedal problem.

Correct me, I may be wrong, but I remember the '00 Subie models being 2.5 phase 1, not phase 2 motor. If so, phase 1 bad head gaskets present themselves with good compression, while bleeding exhaust gas into the cooling system to cause over heating. If the Amsoil you are considering is a synthetic, and you are using regular dino oil, IMO, I would be reluctant to switch when it is a high millage car car. That can cause oil burning, when the engine deposit are cleaned out. However, using Amsoil after a complete engine rebuild is prolly a good idea.

Have you contacted Crutchfield Electronics? They sell car radio wiring adaptor kits that plug into factory car wiring, then plug your after market radio into the Crutchfield wiriing kit. Works really slick. Takes all the mystery out of what wire goes where, plus you don't have to cut into factory wiring. Do a google search to find Crutchfield Electronics. Their guys working the tech service desk really know their stuff, they are great. They have helped me out of a jam several times. Give them a call on their 800 nimber. Hope they can help!

Surprise, surprise to see record auto sales by any manufacturer in this tough economy. Great to see Foresters are selling well. Our neighbor loves their new Forester. Tribeca sales are in the dumpster. I don't think it will ever be a sales success.

I know just how tight those screws holding the door mirror on can be. To replace the mirror on my wife's car, I finally had to resort to using a ratchet with a philips screw driver tip, then pushing in on the handle as hard as I could to apply pressure against the screw head, I then used vice grips to rotate the screw. Otherwise, just working with a screw driver alone, you will round off the head of the philips screw.

I wrote the original thread here. Tried the Lucas Transmisson Fix, but found it did not fix my Trany delayed forward engagement problem at all. It was a few months later, when my problem became severe, that I drained the ATF, added the Amsoil syn ATF, and the Trans-X. I am convinced that the Trans-X is what fixes the problem. Something about the Trans-X swelling seals is the key to its success. It has been nearly 18 months of running with Trans-X, and my auto trany continues to operate with no problems. Be aware that this trany fix is for Subies manufactured during model years 1999 and 2000. Ealier and later model Subies with the 4EAT auto tranies don't have the delayed forward engagement problem that I am aware of. Larry (Rooster2)

I too, have marked the top camber bolts, and reinstall exactly as it was. My wife had an old bottle of nail polish that she was throwing away. I kept it, and use it to mark alignment points. The little nail polish brush works great. Makes it real simple to realign everything perfectly.

Yes, the A/C push button lights up green when activated. I need to work on mine as well. I do remember in the archives here, that there have been several write ups on how to replace bad bulbs. One was really good with multiple "how to do" photos. Doing a "search" should yield the posts. Seem to remember that bulbs were easily obtained at Radio Shack.

You have the classic description of a bad head gasket. It is very typical on the 98 model. Engine temperature will be normal for a while, then suddenly "spike" to hot in a hurry. Suggest you do a search on this forum and read the archieves on head gaskets as to what many others have posted about this problem. On the 98, the head gasket goes bad, dumps exhaust gas into the cooling system, which causes the engine to over heat. So, in this situation, you won't find the oil milky with water. Suggest don't driving when motor is hot, or you will need to replace the motor.

Glad my tip to you worked out!! Hope the motor turns out to be a good one. Suggest pulling all spark plugs and squirting penetrating oil into each cylinder. Let it sit a while, before turning the motor over.

check your power steering reservoir for proper level of power steering fluid, it just may be a bit low. Maybe check the belt driving the power steering unit to see if it is good and tight.