The Dude

Consider walking away. You have no idea what might be wrong with the engine. A 2.5L engine with a leaking head gasket will overheat in a heartbeat. An all aluminum engine, the 2.5L takes overheating very badly. The heads might be warped. The block might even be cracked. Antifreeze (coolant) corrodes main bearings. If the engine has been leaking for a while, the bottom end of the engine might be toast.

We all wait until you are off line and then we discuss all kinds of cool stufff. You know, like where to find the web coupon for 20% off on a new Subaru. And the location of the eccentric indy Suby mechanic who does top notch work for only $25 per hour. Then we erase the threads before you go back on line and have a good laugh.

Usually, when the rings on an engine wear out, you first see blue smoke only when the car accelerates. Then as the rings continue to wear, you see the blue smoke more and more. I would not expect this blue smoke from a "new", "quality" rebuilt engine. The chances that the blue smoke will cure itself are exceedingly remote. Bite the bullet and diagnose the problem now. Usually, when you're dealing with suppliers it's better to make warranty claim now, rather than later. It also a good idea to have the supplier put all his assurances in writing. And while you're at it, have the supplier put into writing what he is willing to do if engine number two is a lemon like numero uno. I know that you say that you're dealing with a dependable supplier. But with many suppliers the longer before you make a warranty claim the more they try to weasel out of it. Supplier: "You've had the rebuilt engine six months, how do I know that your teenage son (or wife) didn't trash the engine"? Or, "maybe your teenage son (or wife) ran the engine out of oil and didn't tell you". A dishonest supplier is a cornucopia of bullshirt. Maybe I'm a little paranoid. But I had a truly horrible experience with a rebuilt engine. Only filing in small claims court stopped the supplier from just taking my money.

For Subaru to factory install an MP3 ready radio instead of a non- MP3 ready radio is pennies. In fact, it's falling down stupid for Subaru to be installing non-MP3 ready radios in 2009. They save maybe a nickle, and they fail to provide a very cheap, but highly desirable feature, that car buyers want.

No, I'm the only one who drives my Forester. I had a 1999 Forester, which I used for towing, and I never had a problem with the AT or the ATF (200,000 miles). The reason I started this thread is because I'm shocked at the rapid deterioration of th ATF. I supect that Subaru was too optimistic when they designated their new ATF as a "lifetime" fluid. AFAIK, the "new" ATF is pretty much the same as the "old" ATF with a few new additives. Who knows, maybe my AT has a problem and the ATF is overheating? But my AT seems to be working perfectly, so far (70,000 miles). This is just a "heads up". This maybe just one isolated incident, or maybe the new ATF isn't quite as tough as Subaru thought.

I have 2006 Forester, with the "new' ATF for the 4EAT AT, Subaru dropped the requirement for a drain and refill every 30,000 miles. Subaru now requires an "inspection" of the fluid every 30,000 miles. I check my car's ATF once a month, and it's a good thing that I do. At 60,000 miles the ATF suddenly turned brown, and gave off a horrible smell. There was no warning. The car had never been used for towing, and it spends 90% of the time loafing at moderate highways speeds. In fact, I make it a practice to slip into neutral at stoplights. This tranny has been babied. Anyway, I had my doubts when Subaru dropped the 30,000 mile AT drain and refill. Now, for me at least, those doubts have been confirmed. I am going on a 30,000 mile AT drain and refill schedule. The AT is too expensive to screw around with.

When towing a boat trailer, it is a common practice to check for failed wheel bearings by touching the hub. A very hot hub can mean a failing bearing. The disc brakes on a Subaru will normally generate quite a bit of heat. Could you use use hub temperature, say one hub is WAY hotter than the one on the other side of the car, as a fast and dirty checlk on the road?

If we're talking about the same company, I believe I remember one poster who claimed that not only was the original rebuilt engine bad, but the replacement engine was bad as well. In any event, I have a real problem when the customer gets hosed big time for the rebuilder screwing up. Get a bad rebuilt engine, and the customer pays for the de-install, and the freight back to the rebuilder. The customer then has the privilege of paying for freight a THIRD time and SECOND install. The rebuilder ships a bad engine, and the CUSTOMER is out hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. I got to say, that's one hell of a good deal-for the rebuilder. With almost all of the "screw up" expense on the customer, the rebuilder would seem to have little economic incentive to clean up his act. I don't care how honest a rebuilder may be, I think that's a raw deal for the customer. It's hard for me to think of another situation were the customer can get screwed so badly. Maybe if when a new car broke, the dealer charged you for transporting the car back and forth to the factory so that they could do the warranty repair. "Free" warranty repair, you just pay for shipping the car back and forth to the factory. Of course, if you own a Forester that would be Guma, Japan.

Do the engines in factory new Subarus blow blue smoke? Not that I've seen. I could be wrong, but I don't think blue smoke (oil in the cylinders) is a real good sign. Another thing, even with an ethical engine rebuilder the buyer can still potentially take a real hosing. Pay for the rebuilt engine, pay for the shipping, and pay for the install. Holy crap!!!!! A bad engine !!!!! Pay for a de-install, pay for the shipping back to the factory. Lucky you, you bought a rebuilt from a honest rebuilder, they will get you a good engine. Ok, pay for shipping the second engine, and pay for another install. The honest rebuilder may, or may not, participate in covering some of the additional expenses. A less than ethical rebuilder might be tempted to just send out another questionable engine, after all, it isn't costing him a thing. It's all on you. I tried a rebuilt engine one time and got burnt badly. Never again for me. The only thing that saved me was that I used an in-state installer and bought the engine through him. I was able to file in small claims court. Another worst case scenario. Bad engine? Rebuilder says the engine was OK, but the jerk installer screwed it up. The installer says he did a great job, but the jerks at the rebuilder sent him a bum engine. Try straightening that mess out. You'll feel like a ping-pong ball.

I get to answer my own question, maybe. I spoke to a mechanic at the local Suby dealership today. He said that several clutches had been changed on the 4EAT starting with the '06 model. The new clutches allegedly require the Type-HP AT fluid. In any event, the Subaru dealer is the only game in town for the Type-HP AT fliud . The Castrol Transmax J and Pennzoil ATF-J listed in the owner's manual are NOT available in the United States. I got clipped for $9.95 per quart for the Type-HP AT fluid at dealership this morning.

Ah, Subaru owner's manuals, a never ending source of contraversy. First, can we all agree that the '06 Forester has the 4EAT automatic transmission (AT)? I assume that the 5EAT is the five speed AT. The '06 Forester Owner's Manual specifies Type-HP AT fluid, and warns that using other AT fluid could ruin the transmission. Can you use Dextron in the Forester '06 4EAT? I have read that the Type-HP AT fluid MUST be used in the 5EAT. I have also read that the Type-HP AT fluid MAY be used in the '06 4EAT, but it isn't really required. I've read a couple of posts where a 5EAT AT was destroyed by using Dextron in it. So, bottom line, can I use Dextron in my '06 4EAT, or must I use the Type-HP? A definitive answer based on first hand knowledge would be sincerely appreciated. Thanks Naturally, the almost impossible to obtain Type-HP ATF is very, very expensive at the local Suby dealer.

Congratulations! Sounds like your car has the 2.2L, a very mechanic friendly engine.

I respect the opinions from posters that tightening spark plugs by hand is their normal practice. I have tightened many spark plugs by hand as well. BUT, I really recommend getting a torque wrench if you're going to do the job. A little too tight, and you may strip the threads. A little too loose, and the engine may "spit" the spark plug out, damaging the threads. It's well worth the cost of a torque wrench for the piece of mind. Also, you'll want a piece of washer hose. I've never worked on the DOHC engine, but I'm pretty sure that you'll be needing a number of extentions and swivels. You're going to be removing the washer reservoir, I think, and maybe several other things. Is this the DOHC 2.5L "Phase I" engine? Because if it is, the DOHC has a reputation as being a difficult engine when it comes to replacing the plugs. In fact, Subaru speced long life platinum sparks and a 60,000 mile replacement interval just because the plugs were such a PITA to replace. When the SOHC 2.5L "Phase II" came out, regular spark plugs were speced, and the replacement interval went to 30,000 miles. So, if you have the DOHC 2.5L, be aware that you'll be learning to swim on the deep side of the pool.

Subaru engines are very effecient and fully tuned right from the factory. There is very little that can be done to a Subaru engine to significantly increase HP that does not entail great effort and expense. Did you know that the "stub" on the "junk' you removed actually was engineered for a specific purpose? I understand the urge to hop an engine. But a Subaru engine, like many Japanese engines, is already churning out very close to the maximum HP.

I owned a 1999 Forester, which I sold at 200,000 miles, and now I own a 2006 Forester. The 1999 Forester was a good car, and gave me 200,000 trouble free miles (replaced one drive shaft and ball joints). I much prefer the styling of the 1999 over my current 2006. There is very little difference between the 1999 and the 2006 Forester. The external head gasket leak problem on the SOHC 2.5L is WAY, WAY blown out of proportion. I owned my 1999 for seven years, and I was on this board every day. There was a lot of noise about the external head gasket leaks and the oatmeal stop leak, but I remember relatively few actual failures. I remember quite a few wheel bearing failures on the early Foresters due to the cheap "caged' ball bearings. Carefully installing tapered bearings will solve this problem, if it arises. My 2006 has ajustable valve timing, and the engine has reverted back to mechanical valve lifters. I am a guinea pig for these engine changes? Subaru doesn't mind using its' customers as unpaid, and unknowing, beta testers. If I get the same service from my 2006 as I did from my 1999 I'll be a pretty happy guy.

On additional thought . True, the H6 has a timing chain and does not require replacement at 105K miles like the belt. However, when the timing chain and associated components need to be replaced it's very expensive. It would be unusual, but it is possible that the timing chain is beat on the car. Just check it before buying.

The problem with an interference engine is if ANY of the timing components fail you're looking at valve damage at the very least. A genuine Subaru belt won't help you if one of the no name idlers craps out. I really dislike interference engines, the 0.5% increase in horse power isn't worth the risk. I will pay for genuine Subaru timing components only because Subaru is the devil I know.

My 1999 Forester was delivered with factory installed Champion plugs. I like NGKs, but frankly, any quality plug will work. A spark plug is just marginally more sophisticated than an air valve cap.

Manfacturer's mandated engine oil change intervals can be extremely long in Europe. So long, in fact, that the engine is often knackered just past the warranty period.

The car's symptoms are NOT consistent with "piston slap". The "ticking" that comes from piston slap is present at idle after star up and generally improves as the engine warms up. BTW, "piston slap" can make quite a racket, it did on my 1999 Forester. How many miles on the car? The engine on my 1999 Forester developed a ticking noise as the car got older. It never caused a problem, but I sold the car 200,000 miles so I don't know the ultimate outcome.

Seldom do I question your advise. But installing an unknown 2.2L engine is a bit of a crap shoot as well. The only real capital outlay to fix the 2.5L DOHC engine is replacement headgaskets. The cheapest way out of this is to install the new head gaskets and see what happens. The engine will probably run, and if not, little money is lost. This a 98 DOHC 200K mile Forester in Maine. Last I heard, they use salt on the roads during the long winters in Maine. Not mention that this car could be taken out by a moose at any time. I woud put as little money as possible in this car to operate this car as long as possible. Also, at 200K miles the tranny and other drive train components are on borrowed time. Don't turn this car into a money pit. If this car was RC, I'd be calling for a priest.

Always, always use a torque wrench when installing spark plugs. Yeah, I installed spark plugs "by hand" back in the day, but a torque wrench is the only way to go. Too tight, and you coud strip the threads in the head. Too loose, and the engine could "spit" the plug out and ruin the threads. Either way you have a considerable problem that easily could have been avoided.

If your living situation allows it, an ultilty trailer is an excellent addition to any Subaru. I own a Forester, partly, for its towing capaity. In fact, the towing capacity of the Forester far exceeds the storage capacity of the car. The utility trailer allows me to handle full sheets of plywood, my GF's trike, and landscaping materials (sand, gravel, sod) that I would rather not put IN the car. It's like owning a pickup truck without having to drive around in an ugly, low mpg box. Although a gun rack does go better with the pickup.

And whatever you do, avoid the temptation to "pop the clutch" (AKA "lay a patch"). It will instantly destroy the transmission, and your car will have to towed to the shop for a hideously expensive repair.

I don't want to appear to be pedantic, but I believe in the 2.5L the valves can smash against each other as well as the piston. I hope that rocker lock up doesn't equal engine out of time. I would use either the Subaru dealership or an independent mechanic very well experienced with the car. This is not a good engine for your mechanic to learn on. I agree with Imdew, something doesn't seem right here. Many posters on this board have changed the timing belt themselves. Done absolutely properly, the job goes smoothly. However, this is an interference engine and there is ZERO tolerance for error when changing the timing belt.