Mike_N_Austin

Thanks ! I'm assuming that the valve cover gaskets would be easy to replace ? How much of the engine would have to be disassembled to get clearance ?

After replacing the clutch hydraulic hose and the spark plugs the car is running a lot better. There is much more power and the hesitation is gone. The clutch/transmission is running like new and the power loss at 4,000 RPM's has disapeared. I mistakenly assumed that the plugs were in good shape because the wires were brand new when I bought the car 20K miles ago. But the existing plugs were extremely worn when I pulled them. I still have a loping idle. I am going to replace the front O2 sensor and see if that fixes the problem. I will then go get the codes cleared and see if any codes pop back up. I will also be running 2 applications of Auto-Rx to clean out the sludge in the engine.

Have any of you tried this product. It is supposed to do wonders. I'm thinking about placing a purchase on 3 bottles but wanted to get some unbiased feedback first.

I suspect that my car is burning oil at higher RPM's. The car loses power/hesitates when I exceed 4,000 to 4,500 RPM....and it also blows black smoke out the exhaust at these higher RPM's. Are these signs of a serious engine issue ?

Thanks for the feedback Dude. - The timing belt is fairly new. It has less than 30K miles on it - I put a new fuel filter in it right after I bought it. I thought that was causing the issue...but it did not improve the problems. It has about 20K miles on it. - I will definitely run some high quality injector cleaner through the system. - I do believe that it is the original clutch. I had the codes run at Autozone There were 4 codes Codes 1 and 2: cylinder misfire Code 3: don't remember the exact code but the guy told me it was probably related to the gas cap. I have heard this is a common issue with this car Code 4: Bad O2 Sensor (not sure if it is the rear or front) I'm not a big believer in replacing these. Do they actually impact performance ? Last night I inspected the master and slave cylinders on the clutch. In the process I discovered that there was a pin hole leak in the hydraulic hose that connects the two. This explains the loss of pressure. I pulled the hose and have ordered a new one from the local dealer for $ 23.00. I also pulled the plugs and they were worn very badly. They were white which I understand can be indicative of over heating. This car burns oil pretty quickly so I sometimes find myself running a quart low. I am pretty sure that this is the cause of the overheating to the plugs. There was oil in the "plug cavity" but there was no oil on the igniters. I started the car up last night after installing the new plugs and noticed that the lope was not as bad...but it is still there. Interestingly enough the lope goes away when I kick on the A/C Compressor. I will install a new PVC valve and the replacement hose in a couple of days and hopefully the majority of these problems will go away. What are your thoughts ? Do you think that the issue's I discovered above can account for all of the issue's that I outlined in my original post ?

Last year I bought a 99 Forester with 150K miles. I have put 20K miles on it since I bought it (roughly a year ago). I am having several issue's with the vehicle and am hoping to get some advise. (1) The car has a fairly sever loping idle. It does not stall but comes close to doing so when left idling in neutral. The plugs and plug wires have less than 30K miles on them. I also changed the fuel filter shortly after purchasing the vehicle (2) The clutch has had very little resistance over the last couple of months...and today it started sticking. The car does still shift. (3) I lose power when I reach between 3,500 and 4,000 RPM. So I have to make sure and shift prior to 3,500 RPM (4) Sometimes when I first start off the car stalls as if it is not getting any gas. This happens about 1 out of 10 starts and goes away after a few minutes. The check engine light comes on and stays on. I had assumed that this was for an oxygen sensor. But with everything else that is happenning, I am beginning to suspect that sometype of sensor may have gone out. I know this is a lot of information. But I am hoping that some of the experts here can limit the possibilities so that I do not start replacing things that do not need to be replaced.

.......for a 1999 Forrester Apparantly these come standard in all Canadian Vehicles (ships in the glove box). I live in the states and my wife is adament about installing a shoulder harness in the back seat. Does anyone have any information on where I can locate one. Do any of the Canadian brethren want to sell thiers ?

Check out the link below. Legacy shared this with me on a previous thread on another topic. Based on these pictures, it looks like a pretty straightforward job. He also stated that he removed both of his radiator fans to allow for better clearance....although he did stat that this was not necessary. http://www.main.experiencetherave.com:8080/subaru/images/timingbelt

I own a 99 Subaru Forester with a 2.5 manual. I was having a stumbling problem at take-off and I was also experiencing rough/skipping engine perfomance when I accelerated. I replaced the Fuel Filter last night and I also put an additive/clearner in the tank. It made a huge difference. The acceleration is much much smoother now. I would also like to point out that the fuel filter replacement was the easiest I have ever done. In all my previous experiences the filter has been under the car...and in the worst cases it was stuck between the tank and the chassis. I was delighted to see that the Japanese put the filter in an extremely accessible position under the hood. It even had a little "flip clamp" for easy and quick removal. The more I get to know this car the more I appreciate the user friendly design. American Carmakers go out of there way to insure that you need special tools and/or training to work on thier vehicles.

Josh Based on your pictures....it looks like the timing belt is very accessible in these vehicles. I noticed what looked like 2 radiotor fans in the photo's that showed the removed pulley's on the table. Did you have to remove any of the radiator accessories to get to the belt ?

Thanks for the insight. My wife just locked down the CD. Paid the Buy it now price. So I will need 4 CAM seals and not 2.....correct ?

Ferret, Thanks for the headsup. I have put my wife on that link....she is the EBAY queen. This definitely looks like a better deal than a hard manual. PDF's don't scare me and this CD appears to have 1000 times more information than the manual. BTW: what is the differnce between SOHC and DOHC. I have seen this term quite a lot...but I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't know what it means. Thanks for the feedback on the CD !!!

Thanks Ed I never thought of using a 1998 model year manual.....but your idea definitely sounds like the way to go. I was told by the mechanic who did the pre-inspection on my car that this engine and drive train have been in production for 10 to 15 years. Which is what explains the low cost on parts as well as one of the reasons behind the high craftmanship of the engine. So I would definitely expect to be able to use a 98 model book. Thanks for the advice !!!!

I'm glad to hear that these are easy to work on from someone who obviously has extensive first hand experience. I need to replace the Left and right Cam seals as they are leaking. How hard are these to get to. Can you tell me what major components I have to remove to get to them. I also need to adjust the valves and replace the valve cover gaskets....but these two items are not as urgent. The CAM seal leaks are not currently contaminating the Timing Belt....but I don't want to take any chances :- )

I just recently purchased a used 1999 Subaru Forester with 150K miles. My previous 3 vehicles have all been Chrysler/Dodge products. First off....let me say that I'm totally impressed with the workmanship of this vehicle. Based off my initial experience with the quality and craftmanship of this vehicle....I'm not going back to Dodge. The engine appears to be easier to work on than the later model Dodge/Chrysler. There is a lot of room under the hood and everything seems to be nicely placed (not to many layers). But I'm having difficulty locating a Chilton or Haynes on this model. Can anyone help ? I did locate a listing for a professional manual....but it states that it is not for do it yourselfers....so I'm not sure that it would be a good investment. Does anyone know if Haynes or Chilton or an alternate company puts out a do it yourself manual on this year and model ?