limbo

Initially (at 47000 miles) the car would not run more than a few minutes and then die. I would restart and it would run for a short while again.... I have the original heads as they took the valves from them to use in the used pair of heads that were installed. Could I take the original heads somewhere to find out if the valve guides are truely loose ? Thanks again!

Hi, I have an ongoing problem with a 2003 forester that used to run perfectly. at 47000 miles (OCT. 2009) the car started to run horribly, the valve guides were discoverd to be to small and were loose in the heads. So,, the heads were replaced with used heads, the headgasket, water pump, timing belt, idler all replaced with new parts by the garage. About 2 months (DEC. 2009) later the heater would not get warm, took it back to the same garage and they flushed the heater core,, heat was perfect. In Feb. 2010 the heater would not put out warm air all of the time, only intermittently. Did not take it back since the winter was almost over i deceided to not spend the money and have the heater core flushed again. Now at 51000 miles (MAY 2010) after a 250 mile trip the car is overheating according to the temp gauge. There is no boil over or steam or leaks at all. A different garage (i had to stop about 200 miles from home at) replaced the thermostat and then test drove it and guess what - it did not fix the overheating problem.. The guy at this garage told me i probably had a cracked head or a bad head gasket. He put an IR temp reader on the radiator hoses and the top one was 155 degrees and the bottom one was reading lower ( i don't remember the exact temp) I will take the car back to the garage that did the head work, etc... My questions are - anything else that could be causing this prob? is there something i should know to ask the garage that did the original work before taking it back ? information is king like they say! Thank you for any help someone may shed on this Regards, Joe

Thanks to the cold weather and my own laziness, i finally got out and did some work on the loyale. I checked grounds here and there and cleaned them, replaced a couple of parking light bulbs, replaced the PVC valve the coil and coil wire. Hooked the battery up and wow,,, it started. I will give it a closer look and replace plug wires and plugs, filter and whatever else it looks in need of. Thank you all very much for your helpful comments, sorry I took so long in responding. Cheers

Hi, I have checked for loose ground wires and can not find any,, I checked the coil and it checks ok (10ohms each side) with ohm meter but the spark is very weak orange color and it is leaking oil. I ordered a new coil, plugs and plug wire set thru 'parts geek' today. I will actually be suprised if this is the fix but who knows. :-\ How can I check the ECU? where is it located? Thanks again.

thanks for the replies,, the car sits for 2-4 weeks and then i drive it for a few days. this time it would not start and here is what i have found out so far.. i checked the fuel pump, which was replaced about 5000 miles ago and it pumps fuel. fusible links are all good. fuses all good and power to fuses 11,12 and 5 checked and all is good. horn works,, hazard flashers work on rear BUT not on the front ?? i will have to pull the bulbs and replace them to know more. turns over great,, rotor turns, acts like it is not getting fuel or spark though. i will check the ignition and ECU but i do not know what they look like or exactly where they are located. Help with this would be appreciated. I am sure i will get it fixed so i am going to go to NAPA and get a new cap and rotor --( they need it!!! ) before going to work today. any tips besides the ignition switch and ECU?? I don't have anyone to help me ,, how would i check for a spark when working on the car by myself?? Thanks for any help guys.. see you:)

hi i just joined today, i own 2 subies, a 2003 forester xs and a 1992 loyale 4wd wagon 5spd. Having trouble with the loyale,, wont start and i just started to investigate why. I am sure I will have questions, looks like a great site for answers. Thanks