Numbchux

I'd bring an Alternator, distributor, coil, and timing belts/pullies. From there, obviously a good tool set, all fluids (if it's cold, I bring a gallon of straight antifreeze and quite a bit of water, if it's warm, all water), some QuickSteel Epoxy (similar to JBWeld, easier to work with, and won't run. I've repaired a leaking fuel line, and badly blown radiator with this stuff), some Silicone Hose Repair Tape, and zipties. At stock ride height, I wouldn't worry about much else failing catastrophically enough to leave you stranded. Obviously it'd be a good idea to get it off the ground and wheels off before you leave to check ball joints, tie rod ends, bearings, and brakes.

They seem to be quite reliable. We've had to replace a couple, but even when we do, junkyard ones are reasonably priced and easily sourced (which usually means ample supply of cars coming in for other reasons, and fairly low demand for replacements). Like Gary said, you just have to drive it. It's very different, kind of feels like a conventional auto transmission that's slipping like crazy. But, if you can adjust to it, you might like it. They get much better mileage than the conventional automatics. And as ridiculous as it sounds, I recommend the trim levels with the paddle shifters, as it gives you a little control when you want it.

Test drive the CVT. It's strange, but it's perfect for a lot of drivers. My mom loves her '12 Impreza CVT. It takes a little adjustment when I drive it, but generally I like it. And it's a premium, so it has the paddle shifters, so you can tell it to change ratios if you want it to engine brake or something.

11-13 Foresters were the only combination of an FB and conventional automatic transmission, but it was the 4EAT. The FB and 5EAT did not meet from the factory.

FB engine (timing chain, among other changes) started in 2011 Foresters, 2012 Imprezas, and 2013 Legacy/Outbacks. CVTs started in 2010 Legacy/Outbacks (4-cyl), 2012 Imprezas, and 2014 Forester All EZ 6-cylinders (3.0 and 3.6, since 2001) had timing chains. 2001-2004 with the 4EAT, 2005-2014 with the 5EAT, and 2015+ with the CVT.

It can be purchased by the quart (I said "dealer-only", but it can be ordered online from many sources. But the correct fluid is only available from Subaru). Part number SOA427V1660 Transfer pumps can be purchased almost anywhere, some will thread right onto the top of the bottle. Fill procedure

Careful guys, a 2010 Outback with a 2.5L would have a CVT transmission. I *assume* (I do not know) that the torque converter will seat back on just the same as it would with a conventional automatic. But DO NOT use regular dexron or similar ATF in it. Your transmission requires a specific, dealer-only CVT fluid. It has to be pumped in from a plug on the side of the transmission, and then run up to temperature and checked again.

I don't think pulling the engine is worth it, especially if you have a hoist (being able to get at the lower bolts without laying on your back. So jealous). It takes the techs here about 7 hours to do a full head gasket job, leaving the short block in the car. It was necessary to remove the engine on the DOHC cars, as the cams had to come out (and now your messing with valve shims) just to get to the head bolts, but not the SOHC ones.

Replacing rotors with pads is always better. Yes, most of the time it's overkill. When in doubt, a dealership is always going to err on the side of doing it "correct" than "good enough". If they pulled things apart, and saw aftermarket pads in there, they have no idea what quality or material they are, so getting good quality parts in there and fresh fluid is absolutely step one. Cheap pads will absolutely cause reduce brake effectiveness even when new, and may still be your problem. Heck, buying great quality aftermarket pads and rotors (which frequently are oiled to prevent rust) without cleaning things properly can ruin the pads. I bet you'd be even more pissed if you paid the dealership to put a new master in it, and it turned out to just have crap pads..... Virtually all EJ251/253s with original head gaskets leak. They start with an external oil leak, and then begin to burn coolant. It will only get worse until they're replaced. The Superceded gaskets are multi-layer steel instead of the OE composite, and are much better, so once they're done, they will last much longer. We quote US$2k for that job itself, and that's assuming no head work, and no timing components. I just sold the gaskets to a very reputable local shop that is charging US$3k for it. I'm not saying you should have to pay $5k (canadian, I assume...), but I also don't think their crooks for quoting you that much. There's an assumption that cars going into a dealership for repair are going to come out in like-new mechanical condition, that costs extra and is certainly not for everyone. That price sounds a little high, but they're quoting a lot of work to be done, with only OE parts.... All that said, I've never heard of a Master Cylinder failing catastrophically with very little warning. They have rubber seals in them which can leak past, which gives a spongy pedal feeling. If you're sitting parked, put your foot on the brakes (preferably engine running) with moderate pressure and hold them. If the pedal recedes down to the floor, you either have an external leak, or an internally leaking Master Cylinder. If not, step one is to bleed the brakes, make sure the fluid is healthy, maybe pump a couple pints of fluid through the whole system to make sure there is no water or air present. While I have had good luck bleeding the brakes in the more conventional pattern (it's kind of a pain with a floor jack to do it correctly), but considering that you're having issues, do it correctly. Then inspect all caliper hardware. Make sure the pins move freely (remove the pads, and bolt the calipers back on to make sure each pair of pins moves freely together, not just individually). And use a c-clamp to make sure the pistons push back into the caliper bore smoothly. My next suspect would be the front pads. You've established that they're fairly new, but are they any good? If you don't know the history on them, I would replace them. OE ones are nice, but money can be saved on some quality aftermarket.

The 3.6 is a great engine, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to get one (in fact, I'd go quite a bit out of my way...). All the EZ ('01+) 6-cylinders have a timing chain. And an '11 with the 3.6 would have the 5EAT, fantastic transmission, too.

Another 320-some well-loaded miles: 20160530_121745 by Numbchux, on Flickr Load it down, set the cruise to 70+ mph, set the climate control to 68*. Awesome. We spent 4 days in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area this weekend. And while we ended up getting scattered showers most of the last weekend, right as we were setting up our last camp site, the clouds blew over, and we were rewarded with a fantastic sunset. Many of us rolled out our sleeping pads right on the bedrock and slept under the stars.

I don't believe for a second that oil viscosity has anything to do with it. My mom's 2012 Impreza (right in the heart of the possibly-effected FB20 engines), she bought with about 20k miles on it, it's now about 70k, original engine. We only run Syn 0w20, and oil loss is completely normal, less than a quart over 5k miles, and always has been.

I agree with the above. Only when they get extremely rusty do I replace rear rotors. They don't warp. But, since I have the service manual handy, it says minimum service limit is 8.5 mm (0.335 in).

There are 2 different versions of the Subaru Multi-link rear. The '00-'09 Legacy one has a big beefy trailing arm that is basically also the knuckle and pivots in one place on a bracket that's bolted to the body much like the modified MacPherson rear trailing arms, and then also uses 2 lateral links that bolt to the crossmember. The '10+ Legacy chassis and '08+ Imprezas use a very different setup. There's a separate knuckle again. And there's a trailing arm, a lower lateral link, a rear link that's basically just a tie rod (and adjusts toe just like a front tie rod), AND an upper A-arm (which has a ball joint in it, that is not replaceable separately). That newer setup requires a spacer on top of the strut, and then 4 spacers to drop that subframe down, and it all moves together, and the geometry stays together. And with the complexity of all those links (some of them are rather short), and the angles that upper ball joint already sees, I would not run them at a steeper angle than stock. The older multilink setup can be treated much like the modified MacPherson, where you leave the subframe against the body and just lift the suspension, BUT, because unlike either the MacPherson, or the newer multilink, there is not a pivot between the trailing arm and the knuckle, any increase in trailing arm angle puts twisting force on the bushings at the lateral links. IMO a trialing arm spacer is crucial (whereas, IMHO, it's purely cosmetic in the MacPherson cars). ADF definitely offers trailing arm brackets for the modified MacPherson rear cars. But he does not list or picture them for the '00-'09 Legacies. He just shows a kit which includes "multi-link spacers", which is the exact same description as the newer multi-link cars. From what I've heard, he's a great and knowledgeable guy, so it could be solved with an email, and he'd probably build me exactly the kit I want. But, SJR already makes it. I can see a picture of it. And I want to support him anyway.

Mostly because I've used Scott's parts before, and he's contributed a lot here over the years. Certainly nothing against ADF, I was very impressed with that kit we put on my friend's '13 Forester. SJR and ADF both offer kits of just strut top spacers for $300. SJR offers a kit that adds trailing arm spacers for $425. ADF offers a kit that adds "Multi-link spacers" for $550, with no picture or description of what that is. I assume that is similar to the newer kit that lowers the whole rear subframe (which is necessary on the newer ones, as the trailing arm does not have it's own mount). The '05s are pretty similar. There is one significant change, the rear bushing on the front control arm changed. Throughout the '90s, up to 2004 for Legacy chassis, and '07 for Impreza, that bushing was mounted horizontally. After those dates, that bushing is mounted vertically, which means that regular suspension movement, flexes the rubber. This seems to drastically reduce it's longevity, and these bushings are pretty strained with a suspension-only lift. I recently discovered that 2011+ STis have a spherical bearing there that flexes freely, and is a direct swap for 2008+ STis, and 2011+ WRXs, it's been documented on a few others with supporting track width mods (axles, tie rods, etc.). We're trying to figure out what would be involved on that 2013 Forester, as the components have different part numbers, but appear to be the same or at least very similar....

Here's what I've found in my research so far: There's an old rail road bed that runs from about Merriweather, and turns north near Kenton, and can be followed past Houghton, without driving on pavement almost at all. Most of it isn't too challenging, but there's a section just Northeast of Mass City where it crosses the forks of the Firesteel River, and there are some pretty cool Railroad bridges that you can drive across: There are also a series of Minimum Maintenance roads up near Copper Harbor that lead to the Easternmost tip of the Keweenaw. There's a beach there, that is supposed to yield some seriously spectacular sunrise views over the lake. An old NASA rocket range, and a small lake with an island (I've heard it's worth bringing a small boat and camping on the island). That's the highlights of our planned route this year. There's also more than a little to be seen in the Huron Mountains. Not really well documented, but it's there. DNR Trail maps here: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10371_14793_55471-38330--,00.html There are 2 waterfall photography sites that show cool places, and some descriptions of how to get there on a map: http://www.mifalls.com/waterfall-map.html http://gowaterfalling.com/map100nearest.shtml?lat=46.70639&lng=-87.80667&zoom=13&page=pinnacle.shtml And Geocaches can lead to some fantastic locations. By nature, the instructions are a little vague on how to get there (as the whole point is to use coordinates and a GPS to locate it), but they can get you very close (sometimes with coordinates on where to park), and frequently people use it as a way to share fantastic spots.

Then I say just drive it...

Mine came right out... It sounded like you're already considering scrapping the car/engine if it does in fact need head gaskets. Start with the Subaru coolant conditioner, it's like $3. If it still runs hot under load etc., then you have nothing to loose. I've heard nothing but good things about Blue Devil from those who have used it (You can always find negative reviews from people who haven't...). I found a YouTube video awhile ago where a guy did a chemical block test immediately before and after treatment, and the results there were night and day. Then I found in his later videos, him retesting the same car tens of thousands of miles later and it still passed. Search for it, it's better than most Youtube videos.

Not really, I have this picture with all the ruined stuff cut off, and one of the junkyard bumper beams mocked up on it: NCM_0839 by Numbchux, on Flickr I was making it up as I went, so I didn't really ever have any pictures of the process. And I'm not real proud of some of it, the framerails are solid, but some of the stuff around the headlights and under the airbox is still pretty ugly. We took it to Headwaters Regional Rally this weekend over in Walker, MN (as the name implies, the stages aren't too far from Itasca state park and the headwaters of the Mississippi). Swapped the Yakima rack over from our '03 (almost was a problem. With the hatch open, that sexy rear wing only clears the back tire on my 29er by about a 1/2" with the rack pushed as far forward as possible). 20160522_130336 by Numbchux, on Flickr Temperatures were about 80* all weekend, the A/C worked flawlessly. I love climate control. And even with the bikes on the roof, 89 octane and the A/C cranked, we got about 25 mpg (rural roads, cruising at about 60 most of the time). This week we re-pack for 4 days in the boundary waters next weekend.

http://get-primitive.com/protection-skidplates/295-front-skid-plate-.html

It's been awhile since I've done them, but I'm almost completely positive the diagnostic connectors are under the hood, by the driver's side strut tower. Also, car manufacture dates are typically about 6 months ahead of model years (dec of 1989 is definitely a 1990 model year).

No need to replace the bolts unless coolant got to them and they rusted. Agreed that you should replace the gaskets

Obviously rubber ages, but since they are out of the sunlight, the biggest thing that breaks them down is the heat and pressure while running. So they would be far more worn if they had more miles on them. I wouldn't worry about it too much. I always carry fluids, and some hose repair tape in the car for long trips. I've patched radiator hoses with it before, even an intercooler hose on a Rally car. That, a tube of QuickSteel epoxy (fixed fuel lines and a radiator with that), and a AAA card is enough for me. Trying to preventatively replace or carry spares for everything that could possibly fail seems like a serious snowball situation to me....with parts availability in the US these days, and how common Subarus are.....it just isn't worth it to me.

I don't know exactly what was changed in the rings, although the original part number was superseded. But I kind of suspect it was an assembly issue, as some cars have the problem, and some didn't, with very little pattern. All the FB/FA engines call for 0W20. 2011 for the Forester, 2012 Impreza, and 2013 Legacy. I've never heard of a spun main bearing. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen, but I've probably handed out 100 short blocks for oil consumption in the last year, and zero parts for a spun bearing. I'm not convinced I could tell if the filter was full or not without having a window on the side or something. There's a pretty good column of oil on both sides of the filter, and as soon as the filter seal is broken to allow air in there, the oil will drain out pretty quick. I *think* by the time you got it threaded all the way off, it would drain back into the engine. I don't know, I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. The oil filter on my Celica is mounted at about a 45* angle pointed down, several inches above the oil pump, my inclination is that it would drain back too, but the 5SFE is a very reliable engine.

2011 Forester uses a 15208AA130 Filter. It's fine to use that filter on other models, but don't use anything else on that one. I've heard that most aftermarket companies have copied that design, and use it for all the FB engines, but I can't confirm that. The OE filter is cheap enough....(MSRP is like $6.95, we sell them for $5.50). There is no mileage cap for oil consumption on the effected vehicles (again, has nothing to do with the oil filter). I think the notices were mailed out about 2 months ago, you're covered for at least a year after that, and if you're still under 100k miles, you will remain covered until 100k.