Susie

I've searched the forums but can't find this issue - I have a 2001 Forester (still going strong w/over 200K - yippee!) that has a CD stuck in the CD player. It jammed when I was ejecting it and of course, now I can't use my CD player at all. It shows that there is a CD in it but I can't unload it or load any new CDs. Basically at this point, the CD player is useless. Anybody have any suggestions how I can remove the stuck CD? Thanks in advance! Susie

I have a 2001 Forester with a sun roof that isn't closing properly. It's hard to describe what it is doing so I'll do my best... When the sun roof is opening, the sun roof drops down at an angle in order to move back into the channel. When it closes, the last thing it does is lift up in order to seal the sun roof closed. This is where the problem is - when it closes, the sun roof doesn't lift up in the back resulting in leaving the channel exposed. Whatever is the mechanism that lifts the sun roof isn't working. The other thing is that the shade can't be opened - it does move back when the sun roof is opened, but it can't be opened when the sun roof is closed. I assume this is because the back of the sun roof is still slanted down so the shade can't move back. Has anyone experienced this problem with the sun roof and if so, what did you do to fix it? Thanks very much! Susie

Hi guys - you've been so helpful in the past that I'm here again to pick your brains. I need to replace the rotors on my 2001 Forester. My question is, what to buy? I've looked on-line at the local auto parts stores as well as called the Subaru dealer. They range in price from $35 up to $90 each. I'm totally confused now and I don't know what to buy. I expect the Subaru dealer to be more expensive but not by so much. Is it necessary to get the official Subaru rotors or can I go with less expensive ones? Thanks so much!!!

I just wanted to thank all who helped me with my little engine problem. I'm sorry that this post is so late but somehow time just got away from me. The problem with my engine was indeed the O2 sensor. Replacing it stopped all the symptoms and my car has been running great since then. It took us a while to replace it but when we finally did, I was a happy girl again! I don't understand why the Check Engine light didn't turn on. There were 2 occasions when it did light but it went out almost right away and didn't stay on. I would have expected it to stay on since there was a problem with the O2 sensor but it didn't. In any case, thanks to all for your help - I've no doubt that you saved me a ton of money because this was something that my friend could do for me. You guys are the greatest! Susie

Hi guys - The codes from the Check Engine Light are P0172 and P0483. I understand that 483 is possibly low coolant but the radiator was full to the very top. I did add some 50/50 to the reservoir because I know that I have a small leak so I usually try to keep the resevoir from being completely empty. My ex-brother-in-law did install a fuel pressure guage but it hasn't shown any problem with the fuel pressure. Of course, the car has been running just fine and hasn't going into one of its no power fits. We're hoping that it will soon so I can watch the fuel pressure but in my vast mechanical knowledge () I don't think that is the problem. Thanks to all who have posted and helped me with my car!!! Susie

Well, as luck would have it, my Check Engine light is no longer on. And to be honest, at this point, I don't know if that is good or bad! :-\ Can they still read the code off the computer or has it been cleared now that the light went out? Susie

I've never had a problem with it not starting. The problem is always while running where it will just seem to lose power occasionally. This past weekend is the first time that the Check Engine light came on although I've been having this problem for the last month or so. I don't have the exact code from the Check Engine light but the guy at the parts store said that it is either the O2 sensor or a fuel pressure problem. I thought the codes were supposed to identify the exact problem and not give you more than one thing to check on. But at least it gives us an idea of where to look. My ex-bil set up a fuel pressure gauge so that I can watch that to see if that may be the problem. But with troubleshooting, the biggest problem is that it isn't consistent and I can't make it happen. Thanks so much for all your help, Susie

unibrook, I think you might have hit the nail on the head. My Check Engine light FINALLY decided to light and it is the O2 sensor. THANK YOU so much!!! I don't know why it took so long to come on and I don't know why it came on when it did because the engine was running perfectly fine. In any case, I'm so happy to know what the problem is and to know that I won't have to take out a mortgage on my car to fix it! Thanks to all for your help! Susie

Hello again! I posted about a week or so ago asking about my 2001 Forester. I followed the suggestions that I received here and replace my spark plug wires with ‘official’ Subaru wires. However, I’m still having a problem and today my car left me sit. To refresh your memories – 2001 Subaru Forester 140,000 miles Recently replace Timing Belt and Water pump (about 3000 miles ago) Replaced plugs and now wires Replaced Fuel Filter Added Fuel Injector Cleaner Replaced Air Filter Automatic No overheating No Check Engine Light Car has been running rough intermittently. Original thread - http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=98920 I replaced wires last night and while it is too early to be sure, I think they might have fixed the rough idle problem. But today for the first time, my car left me sit. I was going up a mountain road which was about 2 miles long. About 3/4 up the mountain, my car suddenly started losing power. It didn’t matter if I gave it less gas or more, it had little to no power. I also tried to shift to a lower gear but it didn’t make any difference. While I was trying to move forward, the engine backfired about three times (this is the first that it has ever done that). I did manage to pull over to the side and sit for about 10 minutes with the engine off. When I started it up again, it ran perfectly fine. While I was sitting, there was a very strong odor of something running very hot. The temperature gauge was normal, no check engine light, etc. Does anyone have any idea what this new problem might be? Looking forward to hearing back from you guys – thanks so much! Susie

by timing belt - you mean the actual timing belt, not the other drive belts right? Yes, the actual timing belt. They also replaced the water pump at the same time since he had everything out (not that it has anything to do with this problem). I finally decided that I was pushing my luck too far since I had 136K on it and it is recommended to be replaced at 80K. Put a big dent in the wallet but it needed to be done. Susie

how old/many miles are on the ignition wires? hmmm...thats a good question. I used to take the car to the dealer for service so my guess is that they were changed whenever the book wanted them changed. However, I haven't taken it to the dealer for several years now so they should probably be replaced. new wires (Subaru only for this engine) and NGK plugs may help. normally you'd get a check engine light (cylinder misfire) for those but not necessarily. nope, no check engine light. But, as I said earlier, the plugs he installed probably aren't NGK. But the reason why we replaced the plugs in the first place is because I was having this problem. So, my guess is that the plugs aren't the immediate problem (even though they should be replaced with the NGK plugs, which I will do. (miles again?) has the transmission fluid ever been changed? I haven't changed it recently - and the only time it might have been changed was when I was taking it to the dealer for servicing. (miles again?) has the timing belt ever been changed? Yea!!! Something I've done! The Timing belt was replaced about 2 months ago. Don't remember the mileage but I have about 140K on it now so it was probably about 136K or somewhere around there. when doing this, will it drive better if you manually shift it into gears - like 1st, 2nd, etc? Good question. I've never tried that but I'll give it a try to see what it does. rough idle - sounds more like an engine issue than a trans/shifting issue? Yeah, that's what my ex-brother-in-law keeps telling me. He is starting to accuse me of being crazy because whenever he drives it, it runs fine. It even runs fine if I drive it and he rides along. It only does it when I'm driving it alone. stupid car... Thanks again for all your help! Susie

Sorry for not including complete information... Could I Ask if your Subie is Automatic? ... It Might be a Transmission Problem... My Forester is an Automatic. define "miss" - any speeds, constant, accelerating? It is really hard to explain but I'll do the best that I can. First, this problem is intermittent and I haven't been able to identify any real pattern to it. It seems to do it at anytime - any speed, any weather condition, while braking, while driving on the highway, etc. If it at least had a pattern it would probably be easier to figure out what the problem is. I guess rather than describing it as a 'miss' I could just say that it idles very roughly. I don't know if that makes more sense or not. It will often do it at a particular intersection when I am pulling out from a stop sign and turning right onto an incline. At that intersection, I've found if I feather it I can get to the crest of the hill and it straightens out. any check engine lights? if you've ever had any of those we need to know what they are. I do not get any Check Engine light when the problem happens. And I've verified that the Check Engine light works . Subaru spark plug wires and NGK plugs are very important. These EJ engines don't handle aftermarket very well. ok...I didn't know that. We did replace the plugs but I don't know that he used Subie parts. I'll check with him and suggest that he replaces them if them are aftermarket. Last night and this morning I had a new behavoir - when I was going uphill I had almost no power at all. I noticed that the enging had a low rumble to it -but I'm guessing that it might have been in a lower gear. This morning it did it again while on the highway and it kept downshifting, Then all of a sudden, it would shift back to Drive it would be fine. This evening when I came home, I didn't have any problems at all (this was about a 120 mile round trip). Someone suggested to me that the computer needs reset but I haven't attempted that yet. I hope that answers your questions - if you have any others, I'll be happy to send you more confusing explanations!!!

Hi everybody - I was here a year or so ago with problem and everyone was so helpful, I thought I would ask you about my car again. I have a 2001 Forester S with about 140,000 miles on it. It recently has started what I can only describe as a dead miss. I haven't been able to identify any contributing factors - dry/wet weather, hot/cold engine, under a load, etc. It will just seem to start missing on a whim, but when it does, I don't see any movement on the tac which is making me wonder if it is not the engine. I recently had the timing belt replaced along with the water pump but I was having this problem before I replaced them. We've also replaced the spark plugs and added some fuel injector cleaner, and replaced the fuel filter but these did not seem to make any difference. Does anyone have any suggestions on what the problem may be? My ex-brother-in-law fixes my car for me and he is stumped by this. He can probably fix the problem if he only knew what it is! Hopefully someone here will be able to help. Thanks so much!!!! Susie

Hi! Can anyone narrow down for me which years and models of Subarus have the Head Gasket problems? I have a 2001 which needs a new head gasket and I'm thinking about trading it in. I just want to make sure that I don't end up getting another car with the same problem. I thought I remembered reading that it is the 1998-2003 models but can't say for sure. Also, is it all models or just the Foresters? Thanks very much!!! Susie

We've checked the radiator for coolant level and it has been full. We just replaced the thermostat but that didn't do anything. I'm still on the original water pump. Susie