four-fleet-feet

Re the sludge in the heater core hose: I know Subaru frowns on power flushes of the coolant system, but I'd have one done to get the rest of the crud out of your system after you're all done. Dealer flushes cost more, but I'd consider it to get that new Subaru coolant. Also, if your heater wasn't up to par, I'd look at replacing the heater core itself. I know HG problems can show up as a internal heating failure, but in this case I'll bet the core itself is crudded up from all that sludge. They're cheap at a JY, if you don't want to spring for a new one and can't get your old one cleaned out. Good luck! (Ewwwww, what a gunky rad cap.......)

AFAIK, none of the Forester seats fold down flat. The rear seat bottom does not pull up. It's the one reason I quit looking at them (in 2000). My show dog at that time did not like riding on a slanted seat, and positively whined his head off at the dealer when I popped him into that shiny new Forester. That angle is tough on other cargo - you should look at the inside edge of the rear gate. Bet it's dented from sliding cargo. I have to say I'm thinking I'd run from this sale. I've had two vehicles hit in the front and they never worked right afterwards. Little issues popped up here and there for years until I was fed up and got rid of both cars. If you can't get the car for $3 or under, you know there's a lot of issues with it. No warranty due to the salvage title. Lots of little things which were never repaired to spec. If that was the case, what else wasn't done - or done right? I know it's a big price slash off of a new one, but you have to decide if it's worth buying a potential money pit or not. But that's up to you. Are you willing to fix it before you can use it, or do you need a car to drive right now? If you can do the work yourself (and trust what wasn't done by you), if you can get it cheap enough it's worth a try. I can guarantee you won't find a non-salvage 2000 Forester for $3000 anywhere I've been!

I presume you tried everything in the article, including reprogramming your remotes? Get in the underdash and check out the wiring to the alarm. Maybe one of the wires or the ground came loose. If you have a shock sensor, check it out as well. One loose wire or corroded connection can disable the alarm, but the keyless will still work. If the light's on steady it's telling you there's a fault in the system. You could always disable the alarm altogether to get rid of the light, but... why? It's probably a simple crimp (or loose solder). Call around to local aftermarket shops which specialize in alarm and high-end sound systems (Ixnay on Circuit City and the like! They are so clueless ) for their cost to troubleshoot if you come up snake-eyes. Maybe you can get some free info over the phone (after all, they won't be selling you a new system, or some pumped-up sound, so they might tell you what you want to know to save themselves the trouble of a cheap repair). Just make sure they sell Alpines. Of course, if you have a nice relationship with a Subaru dealer, they might also tell you what to look for, or even fix it free. I've had that happen. Call your local dealer and see! As long as the key fobs work it's not the fob batteries (which some shops will tell you).

Try the sensor first. What was the magnet like when you got into the trans the first time? Was it sludge-o-rama on the bottom of the pan? Maybe the previous owner didn't take care of it as well as necessary and you broke a lot of crud loose. Hopefully this is a minor problem, easily fixed, and you got the AT worked on in time. What does it sound like when you manually run through the gears at a full stop? Whines/clunks? No sound? Lurch? No lurch? Once it's warm, can you automatically or manually shift down without lurches or weird whines? Let us know. Dex III was right, but did you doublecheck the level? Subie ATs are notoriously finicky about problems after overfilling even by so little as a cup, and that stick is so $%^(@!#**!! - uh, difficult to get a good reading on. You didn't mention if this happens when you stay strictly in Drive or also when you manually try to shift up. If you can manually shift up to 2-3-D and you can't get it out of 1st when you're strictly in D, weelll... that's a different kettle of fish... may the sensor fix your AT.

(Silly engineer, use the SEARCH function!) Read here:Knock Sensor Thread Maybe I'd better send you one of my manuals, I think you're going to need one... (Little sister ducks and runs...)

My mail carrier uses one. I asked her a couple years ago. The RH steering wheel/pedals swap adds to the cost, yes, but postal wagons also have upgraded brakes, bumpers, door bumpers, and rear struts (or at least hers did). Think of all the times they get tailed by impatient drivers waiting to pass, stopping at all those mail boxes on hills, whacking same mail boxes while sorting/loading/picking up outbound mail, and the weight of the boxes/mailbags, and I'd believe it... I also know I rarely see one for sale in Washington after the USPS decides it's done its duty. Usually the carriers buy them for themselves!

Just left Avondale Subaru (Avondale, Arizona) where they did Dragon's trans flush. Yech, was that a must-do. Fluid was red on the stick, but even with the drain-n-fill done only a week ago Saturday it was black and gunky at pan level. I thought she ran fine but the new fluid shows I was just used to my old truck's foibles. Smooth as butter now... Anyway, their mechanic (who I talked to for at least 10 minutes, not just the service manager) stated I had two problems: a slight leak at the back of the oil pump (and didn't aircraft-engineer LOVE hearing that...) and... two headgasket leaks, one at each side of the engine. WTF? I just drove her down from Seattle. No overheating. No loss of coolant. No loss of oil (didn't need to add a single drop over 1545 miles). No oil in coolant, no coolant in the oil. No engine complaints. One driveway teeny drop of what I now can state is PS fluid, small enough that a dime would cover it and give back 7 cents' change, directly under the reservoir. Will fix that when I get home. I'll believe the oil pump leak when we get back into her and eyeball it ourselves. I have no drips or signs it's leaking again. I mentioned the oil filter mishap (wasn't on all the way when I started her up and about 2 quarts' worth bathed Dragon's previously-spotless underside right after we'd finished the timing belt service). Mechanic wasn't so sure that had caused the oil marks he'd seen on the headgaskets. I'm totally getting fed up with this. Puyallup Subaru stated I had a headgasket problem before we did the timing belt service. Next time I went in (after we were done with the timing belt, valve covers, main/crank/oil pump seals and water pump) they said she was tight and good to go (I even specifically asked them to check the HG). Bruce Titus Subaru in Tacoma said she was tight and good when they did a recall service on her front axle about March 10th. Now I'm getting the old HG crap again. In a 2.2, what are the actual signs of a headgasket problem? (I know what a 2.5 does.) I really am tired of hearing I have a problem I don't think I have. I could be wrong. If you know the signs I should be looking for, I'd like to hear them. Otherwise, I think Avondale and Puyallup Subaru are just being Noids... Thanks in advance, a totally befuddled four-fleet-feet

You may safely ignore him - after all, it was MY truck which got over 348,000 miles on its original engine and trans - and he hasn't ever gotten one of his that far... I'd say I did something right. (OK, he did the repairs after it went out of warranty, I'll admit that)

I just happen to have the factory installation sheet for the keyless remotes. Here's the verbatim instructions for Notes on System Operation: 1. Parking lights will flash when the vehicle battery is disconnected and reconnected. To stop lights from flashing, either: - Press remote transmitter Unlock or Disarm button once. - Turn Ignition to the 'ON or "RUN' position and press programming button for one second (on harness near module). 2. The vehicle's courtesy light will stay on for 60 seconds upon exit unless door is locked with the remote transmitter. 3. The instrument panel lights will flash when the parking lights flash. OK, there are the complete factory instructions for stopping the flashing lights WITH or WITHOUT the remote.

I kept bleeding the tires because I went from 35 degrees and ice to 79 and cloudless skies in one afternoon! I've driven the route from SEA-PHX over 300,000 miles' worth (about a hundred round trips), and if I don't bleed the tires on all my vehicles southbound, I regret it. Blowouts at 80 are not recommended. 32 PSI cold in Medford ends up 42 PSI in Kettleman City (south of Stockton) if you don't bleed off air. Or, the reverse, you need to put in air at almost every station going northward in the spring. 32 in Phoenix will end up 20 (or less!) by the time you get to Redding, let alone the Siskiyous. You'd be on rims almost if you added no air before Eugene. Lots of experience here. As far as the Techron goes, I use only Chevron gas because I seem to get better mileage and a happier engine. Add it, but you don't need to go whole hog on the amount. Just add it more than once, then once you've cleaned out the system stay with better gas! Arco may be cheap, but the detergents they DON'T add (and that Chevron does) help you put miles on your original engine. Engines are expensive, both in time and money. Arco - $3.14 in PHX. Chevron - $3.17. Pay the .30 extra for the tank fill and get the detergents already added! May seem wasteful to some, but will save you money down the road.

Another thing you need to do: there are FOUR transmitter code receptors (or whatever Subaru calls them) in the module. For two remotes you have to program each remote twice; for three, one twice, the other two once each, and for four, once for each. Otherwise you have open channels and it can throw off the entire thing. If you have older remotes (unlock/lock remotes without the alarm button) they seem to work better on the older modules. If you have the alarm/unlock/lock remotes, you may have to reprogram everything twice (do everything from scratch, not twice on each remote only, I mean). If your neighbors live close by you, and they have Subarus, do the programming inside a garage or when your neighbors are away. Although the range is limited, if you are programming your remotes and your neighbor comes outside to get into their car, your module may grab their remote code instead of yours. I live on a street of 7 houses. There are FIVE Subarus on my street. I speak from experience here...

Thanks for the replies. Now in Phoenix and just wondering: Since Kingman (I-40) and 3 days I've seen exactly TWO Subes. I have no clue where a junkyard would be which had Subarus down here. Any Arizona members know of one NOT in Flagstaff? The PS parts are, of course, all over the Seattle area, but here I am 1545 miles away... I know there's a dealer in Avondale, since they're doing my flush next Wednesday. I just don't want to pay stealer prices for PS parts if I can avoid it. For those who remember my MPG thread, I was hitting 29.3 until Bakersfield, when I gave up on the 'heat' and hit the A/C. Down to 25 I went! I'm amazed, since Dragon was loaded to the rafters with *stuff* and I'm no lightweight. I had to be close to the GVWR. I was even more amazed she'd hold 75-80 MPH at 3000 RPM for hours at a time. Climbing. With the A/C on. Didn't take a drop of oil for the whole trip. The only thing I needed was a gallon of Bug Juice to clean off the butterflies and bees south of Stockton. Sure gotta love my car.

Valvoline Dexron-Mercon. The red bottle. Says it's good on all Subarus. Found out later National actually did stock Dexron III (at less than 1/2 the price). I just had to get the new guy. He didn't know they carried it in the back. I'd like to do the flush before I leave, but there's no time. I think I'll have a PHX dealer do the flush even if the problem stops - the problem might be the fluid the previous owner used and the Valvoline just don't mix with whatever was in there before December of last year. Who knows what was in my poor car before that? Previous owner seems to be the 'buy it, drive it, kill it, buy another used car, repeat' type. Although she said otherwise, I don't think she did any regular maintenance. Thank goodness it's hard to kill an Imp. Not that I can call and ask - no answer on phone # of previous owner.

Ok, as he forgot to mention, it's Dragon again. See to right for what she is. Auto trans. RPMs are up to over 3000 while climbing at freeway speed, and won't come down unless I manually punch and release the gas pedal to make her shift. I've never had a car with a tach before, and she did this the first two weeks I had her, then stopped. I thought it was due to the snow we were having at that time. Before the fluid exchange she was climbing at 60 about 2500 max, maybe a spike just over the line of 2500. Now it's up to 3250 and stays there unless I level out or make her shift. The only other thing I've been doing is using the engine to brake going into/out of aircraft-engineer's house (farm area, hilly and winding roads). I've been putting her into 3rd and not going over 38 down the hills. Could this have caused the abrupt fluid color change? Dragon's a lead sled compared to my old truck (over 1,000 lbs more weight than an S-10). I'm going to really fly down the Siskiyous if I have to rely on brakes alone. I know better than to overheat them on that descent. If we'd known about this a month ago, I'd have taken her into a dealer for a flush then. Too late now. I'm leaving St. Pat's day OR ELSE. Anyone have any thoughts about what to do/not to do between Grants Pass and Redding so I don't have a broken-winged Dragon upon arrival in Hades? (Uh, I hate Phoenix, can't you tell? Only for you, Mom...)

OK, the word is 'said.' Now, I'm not one to automatically doubt the word of a car's current owner, but I'd ask to see copies of the receipts. If they can't provide them, ASK THEM WHERE the work was done and call the dealer. Make sure you have the full correct VIN to check it out. The dealer should be able to pull up the old work order(s). Dragon supposedly had a timing belt service by Puyallup Subaru before I bought her. They didn't have any record of it; when aircraft-engineer and I got inside, what would have been included in a dealer service hadn't been done. Relatively new Subie timing belt with absolutely nothing else done. We no longer wondered why she was leaking oil. Of course the seller couldn't find the paperwork to give me. No way would a dealer have thrown the belt on without anything else. She, um, 'was less than fully truthful.' Idiot! I'd have still bought her car. I just would have paid less. If the repairs really weren't done, you are looking a money pit and headache in the face. If they were done, it sounds like a nice car. Be aware that you will need to do the belt service again - it's not a one-time thing. Airbags alone are worth the car swap if you can prove the work was done. I loved my old truck, but I was lucky I walked away from a collision with a Peterbuilt (his fault). I had a cross-body bruise from collar bone to right hip from the belt impact (no airbags in my 91 Chevy S-10). If I hadn't just buckled up (so there was no slack in the belt) I'd have been hurt much worse than I was.

'My dealer?' Ha. Subaru of Puyallup coudn't find their ^)^*)%$%*^&$ with a map. I've taken the parts book out of the counter guy's hands to argue he was ordering the wrong part for Dragon - right both times! I shouldn't have to do that. Their service people tried to get me to do a $1900 repair I did not need. That made me very angry - see those handicapped plates, guys? It's not between my ears. Too far to Bruce Titus in Tacoma (but they're really good). If you have to get dealer service in the south end, give them a call. I hate getting to Carter, and the one in Renton means going through some nasty traffic. Never dealt with the one in Eastgate but their sales department didn't impress me. As far as the keycode goes, even Subie Gal tried and came up wtih nothing (surprised her too). Now that I have the code and want it input into the system so any dealer can help me in the future, I'm being told no dealer has access to the system to add it, and I seem to be getting the runaround from SOA when I try to get THEM to do it. I love my car, but I bought a used one because I just don't like going to dealers for anything but parts... not that they're going to put them in.

Edrach, thanks for the tip. However, aircraft-engineer's in the south end, so he figured it would waste gas to go across the lake and down. Thanks anyway. I found a locksmith wizard: Milo's Locksmith in Puyallup, 121 E. Main, (253)848-8646. All he did was look at my non-Subaru-made key, write down a string of numbers, send his younger guy into the back to cut a computerized key, and grin at my disbelief. Then he figured out my keycode without even looking at the car! I can pick up my rekeyed lock in 15 minutes. $26.50 for the rekey, $4.50 for the master, code and astonishment=no charge. If you need lock work done, he's the best! Puyallup Subaru told me 'if he can't do it, it can't be done.' He does all the work for the Puyallup car dealers and insurance agents. He's a Certified Master Locksmith. :banana:

The only time one can safely ignore the 'low fuel' light is when one has a burning desire to either burn airtime waiting for AAA to get to you, or an even more pressing desire to walk a ways to the nearest station. You could tell your Other Half this story. One GOOD thing about ignoring the fuel light: my aunt ignored hers as she went to a store and parked. She couldn't remember just how long it had been on (she's old enough to remember flappers, a valid excuse). Upon exiting the store she saw her car moving down the row rather quickly (and not with her in it ). She yelled, 'That's my car!' but figured it was already as good as gone. To her surprise, it coasted up to the exit and stopped dead. The thieves jumped out and ran. Had it been her shout which caused them to bail? No. It was finally out of gas...

We've looked at the entire lock we removed from the junker. Nothing. Any specific location we should be looking? The door itself had been untouched before we ripped into it, so it was all there. Honestly, if the j/y had a master key for the car (this one doesn't), I'd have already ripped out the driver door lock, ignition lock, and trunk lock. For $40 the aggravation would already be OVER save for plopping them in.

Need to check that it was a WRX - I as*-u-me'd. All I know is the door handle's a match. It was the electric blue with the spoiler in the back and what looked like Imp seats. It's stacked on top of a Legacy - I couldn't get up to it but aircraft-engineer did. The recall printout is from a dealer in Tacoma, WA, listed in 98 but never done. They ran a full VIN check while trying to find the key code. Since it's still an open recall, they'll do it for free. I just wonder why Puyallup Subaru didn't tell me (or do it) during the safety/diagnosis they did a month ago. I'm having trouble finding a locksmith who will use one of the undamaged tumblers and making a key of any type, let alone rekeying the new tumbler. Something having to do with liability and the finicky Subaru tumblers, I'm told. Everyone I've called wants a master key, which I don't have!

Sent! Maybe we'll pull the driver's side one at the j/y to see before we mess up Dragon's one working door lock. If we toast the driver's one I won't be able to get in! (I am SO not crawling through from the hatch!)

Here's the short of it: I have a mangled front pax door handle and key tumbler from an unsuccessful theft attempt. Done before I bought Dragon. I found a handle/lock cylinder at the local j/y and thought I'd just have it rekeyed by a locksmith to match the other locks. Wrong! I don't have an original Subaru Master or Submaster key for either my car OR the j/y lock. Went to 2 dealers and neither could find the code by VIN. Even they don't know why it's not on the system. No locksmith wants to rekey from a copy of a copy of the master key, which is all I have. The original tumbler has internal damage, so we can't just swap the guts out. My attempts to reach the previous owner have so far been unsuccessful - she said she MIGHT have another key but didn't know where it was, and hasn't called me back. Although I had a maintenance schedule in the glovebox, the original selling info from the original dealer is not filled in. Does ANYONE know where we might look on the car itself for the code (97 Impreza 2.2 Wagon, made 4/97)? We were told it would be on the pax lock cylinder, but nothing's there, not even on the j/y replacement (off a 95 WRX). And, as an aside, I guess I'm not leaving for Arizona on Wednesday - there's an open recall on my car for some front boots going into the transmission (can't remember what the work order called it). It's free, but I can't pack if it's sitting at a dealer...

Three Rotts? Oh, my. And here I was worried about a curly-haired floor mat on stilts! (I used to show breed/lure course/do Obedience with my Borzoi. I'm between dogs now. ) Note the dogcars user reviews were mostly for ONE dog. All I can say is take all three of them along to the dealer, with a dog blanket (or two) big enough to completely cover the dog area. Tell the salesman it's up to the dogs - and stick to it. I found dealers willing to let me pop a (clean) dog and/or crate into the vehicle I was looking at. I was totally prepared to walk out and go to another dealer. You may have to do the same. Try it seats up and seat/seats down. You never know when you'll need to squeeze an extra passenger in the back while the dogs are along, or even a flat tire. Note the Forester rear seat does not go down like the Imp/OBW. It stays at a slight angle. If your dogs are picky about their ride (one of mine wouldn't lie on anything at an angle while I was moving), they'll let you know pretty fast. Hopefully you won't need a slop rag; if you DO have droolers, clean 'em up before the salesman sees it or you'll have no chance getting the dogs in the car. Cargo mat, even aftermarket is a must, I think. Look at the new 08/09 one, though, to make sure the forward lip is not solidly upright and still bends. I'd hate to lie on a sharp edge - your dogs probably would too. Good luck and give your dogs each a pat for me!

Okay, here's a question from a dog show person. THREE dogs. What breed dogs, and how old/big are they? I have an Imp, and the Forester cargo mat almost fits perfectly. The only real difference is the height. Do you use crates? Three won't fit unless you're carrying Toys. If not, unless you're running small Nonsporting dogs (Bostons) or smaller terriers your dogs had better be best buds in tight quarters. Three Goldens or three spaniels? No way. ONE Borzoi won't happily fit with a dog travel bag with food, bowls, water carrier, cooler, and dog bed. If you plan on carrying any kind of luggage or other cargo at the same time as the dogs, it won't work, IMHO. Unless you mean to put it all in the trailer. http://www.dogcars.com is a great site, HERE is their review of the 07 Forester Just my educated 2 cents' worth.

:eek: Wow. Had to call Mom straightaway after reading your post. She knows East End very well - went to school with Sarah Natoli and graduated in '43 with her! Mom plans on making it back to the 65th Class Reunion come hell or high water. Maybe your Grandma or Aunt know her (Milly Bowers Bell, Dobe's wife). Small world! This board amazes me every day.