four-fleet-feet

First, let me tell you to stay away from Midas! I wouldn't let them do my brakes, let alone work on my air. They're famous for upselling things you don't need and refusing to honor the warranty on work they do if you don't cave in to their high-pressure tactics. Second, look to see what newer Foresters use the matching evaporator. Call around (or shanks-mare it) to your local junkyards and find a 200* that's relatively new and there for an impact NOT in the engine compartment. Pull the evap canister off the junker and get that one installed. You may have to find a Subaru mechanic not at a dealer. Notice I said Subaru mechanic. Your trusty ol' Forder or Chevy person will take a lot longer to get the job done, just in figuring out that 'very strange engine' you have. If the newer models use the same evap canister, I suggest using one from 2004-2008 because the a/c systems probably aren't old enough to have developed problems. Don't go 2002 or older; that's a prescription for doing the job again. If you have to ask HOW to pull the evap canister out of a junker, I strongly suggest you order a used one online and not do it yourself. Also, if the dealer's $250 is labor and includes pulling/reinstalling/testing the 134 system, that's not a terrible price to make sure the vehicle works when it's done. If they'll put in an outside part, I'd consider using them. Not many dealers will, though, so be warned. You said you called the dealer. Did you actually go in with the car and ask how much they'd charge to diagnose the system? If it's under $30 I'd consider it to make sure you've found the real problem. I'd only pay a Subaru mechanic or a Subaru dealer, though. Ixnay on Midas. Trust me on this. I'd go to PepBoys before Midas, and I don't care for them, either........

I went to your proposed larger size from your current one on my Imp. Be advised if you do not change them in the winter CHAINS WILL NOT FIT. From personal experience I warn you to avoid big potholes, rutted construction zones, and really nasty speed bumps. You may hear a few rubs here and there if you don't. People riding in the back seat? You WILL hear a few on big bumps. You mileage may go up, the only good thing I can say, other than more places have the 205's - but they cost more. :-\ edit: (also, your speedo will end up off by about 2 1/2 miles an hour - when it says 60 you will be doing less than 58, great for speed traps - if your dial says you're legal, wave as you go by!)

Guess I won't be getting one of these. If I wanted a quasi-Lexus I'd already be driving an RX400h, which is the only other car I've ever wanted as much as an Impreza. You'll note I bought an Imp, please.

Something aircraft-engineer forgot to tell you about the rear seats: you need to pull your front seats forward the first time until you see if your regular driver's seat setting is too far back for clearance. If they're too close to the rear seat bottom it won't be vertical, and if it's not the seat backs won't stow totally flat. Can't find the latch? It's just a strap, like he said. Only other Subie owners or Renault hatch owners will ever know how the dang thing folds; if you're stumped because you've never seen one fold, the dealer will be glad to show you. They get asked all the time, seat folding and the virgin switch.... (My favorite memory of buying Dragon: seeing the woman's face as I pulled the rear seat up and stowed it properly! 'I've owned this car four years and I never knew it did that' she said. I felt sorry for the car and bought her immediately. ) Enjoy your Imp! (Egad, we Imp drivers are taking over lately)

Oh, no. First it was Ramblers, now Corvairs? Maybe we should ask Mom if Dad had a 'little secret' he forgot to share with the two of us kids. What might he have done on a TDY??? Nipper, you're sounding like a sibling here:eek: ... too weird!!

Umbrella? Riiight. Real Puget Sounders don't OWN no stinkin' brollies, we're used to the wet! :-p We just like to have our boats on the water, not on the freeway. So no wet car interiors for us! As for the rain gutters: First I thought, Yea! Then I re-read the post. I have a 97 Imp. Tried the website anyway. I don't know if the vendor changed their website, or that they just went under, but when you try the links in the NASIOC post you get some brokerage firm... waaaah... Guess I'll just have to get used to turning on the vent for air.

If yours (either the old one or the new one) has FOAM tape on it, that's why it's leaking. Foam tape is worthless for these tail lights. You really do need the butyl if you're doing it yourself. Do it once and it's done. You can get it pretty easily if you go into a windshield repair place and ask (beg, grovel, whatever works) for a yard of it. We used 1/4" and it worked just fine. If all they have is something wider than 1/2" I think it will work, but you'll have the bear of a time getting it all tightened down without having excess goop up everything. Not every place sitll uses the butyl; I found it in Washington pretty easily because we get a 'lot' of rain. I got mine for free, but you may have to fork over a couple dollars. Search for 'butyl' or look a couple pages back - aircraft-engineer gave complete instructions on how to replace a tail light with the butyl within the last month. (found it - here you go! Post #5 )

Now, you tease a girl, and then you don't deliver! I need Impreza rain thingies, and of course the mentioned website doesn't sell them... I was soooo used to opening my window in my S-10 in any weather! They were the very first accessory I bought for that truck. Not fair I can't get them for my Imp!

Evil, you are... Didn't you know that 'Mercury' is a lethal poison?????

Dog show people have RVs and we talk about what keeps the critters out of them at every show. Most people aren't like me, and don't have cats which like dogs and stare down 110-pound sighthounds with total impunity. So, cats won't work for most of us. (Love that cat photo, though!) Mice hate mint. Martens hate coyotes and cougar. Find a hunting shop which sells tracking supplies for training dogs (it'll probably not be in a state which does not allow dog tracking of game). What you need is a bottle of either coyote urine or cougar (mountain lion) urine. It's pricey, so you may have better luck hunting on Craigslist for a hunter willing to sell you some (like a tablespoon, tops) to use as a test. Dab it on a couple heatproof fabric pieces and wire them under your hood away from things which get too hot for the fabric. You could also try a small dab on your wheels, the usual entry method for those who don't drop in from above. (A nice side effect: many of the neighborhood dogs won't lift legs on your wheels after doing this; they don't want eaten either.) You won't need much - thank heavens - but marten and other small rodentia larger than rats will not go near a predator which thinks they're tasty and deeee-licious! But the smell may get to you...

A few thoughts. Something's going on here. One vehicle with the problem - sh*t happens. Two vehicles with it - I'd say you have a habit which the fuel systems don't like. Maybe the fuel used (I include stations with lousy tanks here, or valley stations in flood-prone areas), the level of fuel kept in the car, or even a tendency to not give the cap 3 clicks (or more) when screwing it back down... I like fuel inj cleaner, but if you have crud on the bottom of your fuel tank, it'll only make the problem worse as it loosens it and puts it into circulation. Have you noticed an increase in wait time after you added it? What brand gas do you use? If you use the cheapest around, you may have gunked up the 'sock' on the pump. Do you keep it more towards empty than full? If you let your tank stay near-empty you can get condensation and you may be pulling up debris from the bottom of the tank. I think there was a thread on the filter in the Foresters being IN the fuel tank , but have you checked it to see if it's clogged (if you can get at it and it's NOT in the tank)? Also, check your cap. Maybe you need a new one.

Check the battery terminals first. Also check the ground - I had a truck which would intermittently go dead every time I braked. The ground was cracked inside the cable, and every time I came to a stop it came apart just enough to kill the motor/lights/radio. Then, of course, it was a crapshoot whether it would start again or not. Finally found the problem and fixed it for about $6. Problem with that? About $200 spent beforehand in unnecessary parts, labor, and one very scary tow call from a bar in the middle of nowhere (before cell phones). Another time I had a clamp break at the end of the positive cable. As it was cracking I had the same problem. So it's a good idea to check all your battery cables first. Then do a charge test. Then test the alternator. If the alternator doesn't test out, use a real Subaru OE alternator only! Aftermarket ones seem to cause more problems than they're worth (or the supposed money they save off the OEM). Even if someone gives your wife a screaming deal on some other brand, tell her not to fall for it. If the car won't make it until you can get back, advise her to get to a dealer and pony up if need be - unless she can get one shipped at a fairer price to where she is and can find a reasonable mechanic to install it. If they tell her the battery is fried (without doing a wire check or an alternator test), advise her not to get the new battery until the real problem is found or fixed (if it's the alternator). If you do the battery and THEN find out the alternator is bad, you can toast the new battery. Unfortunately, I have found that some repair shops dealing with a woman on her own can be somewhat creepy - they'll figure she has the mind of a mushy tomato and try to get her to do things which are unnecessary. I'd tell her to call you and make a fuss if she even THINKS they're trying to mess with her wallet. It's sad but also funny how some shops can revise their words when they have to deal with a man who knows cars on the other end of a phone........ (it's even funnier when the woman knows cars and lets the dweebs in on that) I'll bet subiegal has some killer stories!

Smart Service is excellent. Don't want to go to Snohomish County or Everett? Try Roopair in Tacoma. They were really helpful getting Dragon fixed up - gave us advice which saved a lot of time - they were not just trying to make a buck. Like some dealers I could mention in Puget Sound.... stay away from the one on River Road!

97 Impreza 2.2 Auto wagon. With 205-60-15 tires. Chevron reg 87 unleaded. Nothing else. 5/30 oil Seattle area in bad weather/snow (nearly constant AWD) 19-22 Puyallup-Edmonds on a raining Saturday at 5 AM doing 60+ all but the last 5 miles, and the very first mile, with a missing cam pin (in other words, no timing!), a 'Lady, you're on fire' oil leak and really bad .085 worn-out (naw, really???) plugs: 24 Puyallup-Phoenix after a timing belt service and plugs, with a full load (max GVWR - maybe over it ) 26.5 in the Siskiyous (clear pavement, no rain), 29.3 from clear but c-c-c-o-l-d Weed to Dunnigan (N of Sacramento), 25.8 with the A/C on all the way from Kettleman City (Cal Central Valley area) to Phoenix. The route (I-5 to 58 to 15 to 40 to the Vegas road into Phoenix) has constant up-and-downs (and a few passes) once you get east of Needles. Most of the trip was at 70 in WA, 65 in OR, 70-75 in CA, and 75 in AZ. Average for the whole 1545 mile trip: over 26. I'll bet that would go up without all the extra weight (or the roof rack). If the A/C hadn't been on, who knows? I might have hit 30+. Dragon seems to get better mileage at speeds OVER 55. Matter of fact, I had to keep an eye on the speed. Once I hit 75, she had a tendency to accelerate, even uphill, if I so much as twitched on the gas pedal. A couple times I caught her doing 90 between Barstow and Needles even in a pretty good crosswind (and, no, I didn't want to be going that fast). She didn't even go over 3000 RPM to do it, either. (no cruise control)

FYI: I'm in PHX under protest right now. Crazier small world: I've always wanted a Subaru. Dad, being retired Air Force and a WWII vet, told me if I dared park a Japanese-made car in his driveway he'd disown me. He also owned stock in AMC because, well, it was American Motors, don't you see. So in '85 when my Malibu died its final death, under his insistence I give an American a job I went and bought a (don't say it) Renault Alliance from... a Subaru dealer who had to have an AMC dealership to make ends meet. Still not much call for Subarus in Arizona - I've seen less than 10 in almost 2 weeks! Closest I came to having a Subaru until Dragon popped up on Craigslist! (Dad, according to the whole family back East, must be spinning in his urn now that Dragon's parked in his driveway.) Before you slam me for buying that Renault, I will state it has many of the same interior characteristics as the Imp I now drive. 5 door. Plastic interior with thin fabric on the seats. A pull-up rear seat you fold the tops down against. A hatch area a 5'6" woman can actually sleep in if necessary at a rest area (avalanche or flood closures!). A radio in the most Godforsaken place in front of the shifter. Cupholders which were added by a MAN or someone who never drank liquid unless medically required. And a rear seat only a baby, a puppy, or some inanimate cargo could love. Certainly no adult can ride back there for more than one mile (in either car) - and that's pushing it. But those were the good points of the Frogmobile, unless you count the amazing 51 MPG. However, if you tried to get it over any pass, even the one from Yuma to San Diego, the sidewinders were getting over it faster than you were! I don't miss it, never will. It died at 51K even with extra maintenance, when the timing belt snapped a week after its 50K dealer service. Dead engine. AMC, the losers, wouldn't help me out at all. At least my Imp has an engine, and Subaru's been helpful when I've needed it... (and before you think I was stooopid for buying a Renault, I'd like to inform you all that aircraft-engineer owned one as well... the things we did to make Dad happy:rolleyes: ) (more curious aside: Dad was born in Clearfield too. He also had a hard time of it when I informed him his American-made-give-someone-a-job '85 Bonneville was made with all-Canadian parts! Maybe he meant North American????)

Ewwwww, that's just so rude. To even suggest that a Subaru would even deign to consider the bottom-of-the-gene-pool Found-On-Road-Dead Edge as a worthy partner in procreation. See the cat prints? No self-respecting cat would ever sully his or her dainty paws by touching something so unworthy as a F.O.R.D. Madam or Mister Feline has good taste. Nice ride!

I do hate to be a pest, but what weight did you use this time? You know, 20/50's awfully thick anytime, let alone in the morning... I'd hate to be the motor trying to pump it while I was still cold and going dowwwwn the freeway one mile from home... (Maybe you could try one run of 5/30) (Sludge? Of course. Burned? I'll bet. Since the previous owner left 'the oil from hell' in it, take the rest of the 'stated' maintenance done by the previous owner with a very large grain of salt. Do it all again YOURSELF. I say this from current experience...)

Well, nuts. Flat ground. In that case, try it, but if it doesn't work, the manual gives instructions how to get at the shift interlock. You may have to do that. Once you get it shifting, get it to a shop (hopefully you still have some dealer warranty) and make sure nothing's wrong. Or you can check it over yourself (if you know how). If you've been having any other trans problems, I'd certainly have it checked. I've seen this happen (and had it happen myself) on slopes, but never on the flat without another problem existing in the first place.

Eureka. I'll bet you're on a hill. Try this: set your parking brake, start up your Forester, and let off the brake pedal as soon as you've started. ***Keep it in Park!***If I'm right your car will settle into the parking brake. Now push in the brake. Don't take your foot off the brake pedal. Turn it off, then restart. Keeping the brake pedal on, let the parking brake off. You should be able to shift now. If this doesn't work, take a look at your manual for hill parking instructions. It should describe something similar; what's really happened is you parked on an incline and your transmission has decided it's supposed to hold you in position. In the future, if you park on any kind of slope make sure you curb your wheels (downslope=into the curb, upslope=out of the curb) and set the parking brake BEFORE turning off your car! No, nothing's broken...

Did you get any maintenance log from the previous owner? How old's the coolant, and was a timing belt service (and the water pump, oil pump, all that) done in the last two years? The last time I saw/heard something like this was on a mothballed motorhome where the fluids hadn't been circulated enough to lube the engine over a year of severe cold/wet weather and the pistons were unhappy when it went back into service. Have you checked your plugs yet? I hate to say this, but in my somewhat-GMified mind this sounds like a tired engine. Is there any chance the previous owner let it sit for a while before you bought it? One thing you could try is to go up in octane for one tank. It's not going to fix the problem, but it might make it quieter.

OK, sound was there before the oil change. You say you were 600 overdue. What's your interval? 3000, or more/less? The 'burned' doesn't sound good. Has this happened before? I usually go down to 5/30 for cold/snow; were you hard hit this winter? Did you have trouble getting your car to run while it was cold? Are you near a freeway so you were revving her up to 60+ in the first five miles of driving? Any CEL codes? I have a few thoughts, but none of them are good...

Two questions: what weight oil did you put in, and what did the old oil look like? Any leaks? Did you check all the other fluids when you did the change?

One caveat to engrave on your mind before doing your own full flush: Subarus hate off-level ATFs. Go by the manual, add new fluid up to a quart of the full fluid recommendation, and then check and recheck it! A bit under full is much better than too full. That stick is not-a-lady. I hate Subaru's ATF stick. By the time you're done you may too. Join the exclusive club! Have forearm burns which will show all fellow Subaru owners you have battled the elusive ATF stick while your engine is hot. I don't burn money often, but I will admit I chickened out and had a dealer do my flush. I let them swear over getting it just right. Doing it yourself: cheap. Letting the Subaru mechanic swear, get burned, and get it all done while I waited in an air-conditioned waiting room with an icy-cold Diet Dr. Pepper: priceless... (well, actually, $139.95.) Add it up: just how much is a quart of Dex III (or whatever you need for your car)? Multiply that by at least 11, the usual amount needed to do your own flush (and maybe a quart more). Add in the cost of cobbling your own flush equipment up for something you might do once a year. Plus, if you're doing it outside, well, hazard pay for either freezing your bum off or broiling it well-done. (Just a friendly FYI)

Hey - be nice to SOME GMs, Okay? My last one went 348 plus before she was killed by an assassin in a semi. (I think my S-10 was a Subaru at heart, though... had a real coolant system issue and had a distressing tendency to climb mountains like a speed demon - distressing to the slowpokes I passed, anyway)

I will admit I do more maintenance on my vehicles than the average person; then again, I can't afford to break down in the middle of nowhere. What I've said might be overkill, but if it's peace of mind you're after, here's my 2 cents' worth. Considering it's in New York, I'd do the fuel filter, air filter, and a check of all the other fluids. If you want to do the coolant, why go 50/50 only for the summer? You won't be doing it again this year; if you usually run 60/40 or 70/30 for winter snow, do your winter concentration now. I usually run 60/40 year round, whether on the East Coast, West Coast, or the summer Southwest. 30k miles is steep mileage for just over one year; still, I think you can go without the brake fluid flush unless the car is used in steep terrain or used to pull a trailer/haul heavy loads. Same for the power steering; unless you've been hearing noises, or feeling problems in the wheel, I think that's good for at least 10k more miles. Same for the transmission, unless you've noticed a color change or smell change on the stick. *****If the trans fluid seems dicey, change it. It's cheaper than a new trans. Considering the price of fluid, if you don't want to do 3 drain-n-fills, a flush at a Subaru dealer seems to run $139 nationwide.***** Oops, just noticed it's a manual. Forget changing it. 30k on a manual is nothing. Wait a little bit. Differentials are another matter. I used to do mine every 15k when I knew I'd be in the mountains a lot (twisting & turning in dicey weather) or knew I'd be hauling heavy loads. If the car is doing a lot of mountain driving, go ahead and do them. If not, check them and check again in 10k. If you know the sound of a well-lubed diff, you can HEAR when it's getting dirty. (If you don't know the sound, by the time you DO hear a noise, it's too late...) Plugs - here, I'm going to go against what most people on this board will say and tell you to change them. They're less than $10 for four NGK plugs (the only ones I recommend, look at the manual, the specific NGK plugs are listed) and pulling your old ones will give you an idea how the engine's doing. Considering the price of gas, even a mile of MPG would be worth it if the new plugs gave an increase. Four simple things which will do quite a bit: -One: change your radiator cap. Cheap and easy, after 30k it's done its duty. Check all the hoses, clamps, and connections. -Two: change all three wiper blades, then get a bottle of Rain-X and use it on every window, mirror, and head/tail light on the car. -Three: go to a good car wash with the underpanel sprays and get all that winter crud off of the underside, then do the engine while you're at it. A clean engine is easier to keep tabs on. -Four: get a Chilton or Haynes manual for the car and keep it in it. Better yet, sit down and read it a few times. Even if you're not a car geek, it will aid you immensely in case of problems. I know others will be along to pooh-pooh what I've said; I know aircraft-engineer will be one of them. I don't care. All I do know is that I put anywhere from 25k to nearly 100k (miles, people!) on my vehicles a year and I've never broken down in the middle of nowhere or had a catastrophic failure on the road (knock on wood, and one flat does not count). What I've said is what I'd do. Your choice; hope I've been of help. (Make that FIVE things: check those tires! Wearing funny? Get the suspension checked, and the alignment. If there isn't a tire gauge in the car, GET ONE. At the price of four tires, it's a cheap investment.)