hohieu

Early Foresters suffered from unusually high rates of rear wheel bearing failure. Several changes were made in the hardware used as well as installation procedure, including a switch from caged ball bearings to roller bearings. For more details, you can check out this link: http://endwrench.com/current/Current6/03/WhBearRep.pdf The other issue to think about is the external headgasket leak. Foresters got the 2.5 SOHC engine from MY 99 onward, MY 2003 was a totally new redesign, including cast iron cylinder liners, which hopefully alleviated the headgasket issues. You can check out this site for year to year changes: http://www.cars101.com Good luck!

It's fine. Under heavier load, the bridge wire in the back of the socket can burn out, but a cell phone will not cause this to happen. In the event that it does happen, it is a fairly simple issue to remedy.

Yes, cleaning the MAF sensor as suggested by Olnick is another cheap and easy starting point.

The Factory Service Manual says the same thing, which is pretty surprising. I wonder why. That quote seems a little high to me. I guess it depends on the price of the parts they're using. Good deal on stretching your clutch out the extra miles -- only pedal height adjustments on the newer hydraulic clutches.

Right, I would replace the T-O and pilot bearings, clutch disc, and pressure plate, and planned on just resurfacing the flywheel. Are you thinking $500 for labor on this job? As for the clutchless shifting, I did it occasionally on a Corolla I used to have, but it works much better on my motorcycle. It's almost impossible on the Forester tranny. The reason I'm thinking about the clutch is that I live in Philadelphia, where all the the stop and go driving will cause premature clutch wear. My clutch still has some life left in it. I 'm just trying to plan ahead.

I am just trying to budget for anticipated maintenance. We live in the city, and as our 99 Forester just turned 100K miles. Clutch is still fine for the moment, but I am curious as to what labor will cost for a clutch, rear main seal, and separator plate replacement? Thanks

That white "smoke" as the car warms up is most likely steam -- water evaporating out of your exhaust system. Burning oil smoke is bluish in color. Best of luck.

I've read on other threads that mechanics tend to replace the cogged idler. But with a non-inteference engine, checking them as suggested by Imdew is probably all you need to do.

Perfectly fine to run 10W/30 in sunny California, which is no different from 5W/30 at operation temperature and better at retaining its visocosity.

It provides extra fire protection because this socket is designed for a cigarette lighter, which sometimes get stuck. I do not believe that the utility socket in the rear cargo area has this "bridge wire." When the "bridge wire" burned out on my socket, I replaced it with copper wire rather than 60/40 solder. I do not have a cigarette lighter, hence no real danger of fire behind the dash.

It wouldn't hurt to change it at 3k miles after the intitial break-in period. But following manufacturer's (your owner's manual) will not void any warranties. Dealers are in the business of making money, and they make most of their money on sale of parts and accessories, service, and warranty contracts. In other words, it is in their interests to get you in as often as possible. Depending on your driving habits, the manufacturer's guidelines are usually fine.

Very interesting article, according to which, a high efficiency pump (stamped impeller) is counterproductive and only increases cavitation. Could this be the main culprit for headgasket failure in 2.5 DOHC engines? Should we avoid the stamped steel impeller at all costs?

Okay, thanks all. I have broken the bead on motorcycle tires with a large vise, but it sounds like I'll need to take this problem to a shop. I wanted to do it myself as I doubt whether a shop will do a thorough job of taking off all the corrosion. Oh well

Salted roads are catching up with my alloy wheels. I've been suffering with a slow leak from my rear right tire. Air valve is fine and there are no punctures in the tire so there must be some corrosion along the bead of the of the tire preventing an airtight seal. Any ideas about how to break the bead away from the rims so that I can sand the rims smooth?

This simple oil question can spark a long, passionate debate, but in my opinion, it is absolutely fine to change your oil at 6-month/7,500-mile intervals, though I might recommend that you take your car on a weekly drive of at least 20 miles or so at operating temperature. Individual driving habits may have more of an effect on engine wear than anything else. Waiting a month or so to do it will not harm your car. Aside from the extremely rare case of catastrophic engine failure caused by loss of oil pressure, most problems with today's cars are totally unrelated to engine oil. In fact, there is research showing that the rate of engine wear is highest during the first 3K miles of an oil's service life. Stated differently, changing your engine oil every 3K miles causes more engine wear according to research conducted by GM, if remember correctly. All that said, I change my oil annually and run Mobil 1 with a filter change at six months. 99K miles and no problems.

Thanks, I just made th edit. Sorry for the confusion.

For US vehicles, Phase II 2.5 L engines used in -Foresters beginning in 1999. -Legacies and Outbacks beginning in 2000 -not sure about other models 2.2 L engines are not prone to the same headgasket issues.

Try cleaning your battery terminals and starter lead cable with a wire brush and some baking soda and water. If your car has a manual transmission , the starter should be located at the rear of the engine on the driver's (left) side (I don't know if the same is true for AT vehicles). In any case, you can find the starter by following the starter lead cable from the battery to the starter. Make sure this connection to the starter solenoid is clean and tight. If it still doesn't start, then the starter is probably the problem. If you have a voltmeter, you could also check the starter lead cable for internal corrosion. Replacing the solenoid contacts is easy and economical, but you will need to find an elecrical shop that sells them. You may want to remove the contacts from your old starter to ensure that you're getting the correct replacement ones. I rember one of the posts mentioning that Toyota contact kits will work for Subaru starters, but you will need to confirm this. In any case, if you decide that replacing the contacts is too much of a fuss. Installing is quite easy. Good luck. Good luck

It's a very, very simple job. Just follow the instructions in the maual and you should be fine. You should first confirm that it is indeed a starter issue by checking your battery and starter leads. Check that your battery terminals and starter lead cables are tight and clean. Does the starter make any noise when you try to crank it? It may very well be only the starter solenoid contacts that need replacement. Do a search and you will find some pictures and plenty of info. I believe that your car has the easily rebuildable solenoid -- the solenoid on my 99 Forester was a sealed unit so I could not access the contacts. Good luck.

Have you tried Flowmastered87GL's advice: "I think.... you hold down the DISP button when its showing the time and use the tune up and down buttons to move the time. Thats how the tape deck in my GL was (which was taken from a 98 OBS)" This is how the controller on my OEM Clarion 6-disc changer works. Single disc player should be the same. Good luck.

You may have a faulty radiator cap. Many on this site insist on OEM Subaru parts. Good Luck.

A little obsessive, but I did want to clarify the issue of replacing contacts for others on this site. I am under the impression that many of those on this and other sites who have successfully replaced solenoid contacts on starter assemblies that look like the ones on the following two links (ebay provided the easiest links with pictures). http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SUBARU-LEGACY-OUTBACK-WAGON-BAJA-Starter-1YR-WRNTY_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33576QQitemZ8025914003QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Subaru-Legacy-Starter-1994-2006-2-5L-3-0L_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6763QQitemZ8026580026QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW My starter looked more like the one on this link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Subaru-Starter-for-SVX-Forester-Impreza-Other-Model_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6763QQitemZ8026579768QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW These seem to be the two types of starter designs. I removed the solenoid from my starter, which resembles the one pictured in the third link, but the contacts seemed to be sealed within the casing. Has anyone successfully replaced the contacts on this type of starter solenoid? If so, how the heck did you do it? For others considering this issue, you may want to confirm what type of solenoid you have before attempting to replace the contacts. Out of curiosity, does anyone know why starters are designed in these two ways. It seems that easily rebuildable units such as those pictured in the first two links make much more sense.

I checked the battery, cleaned the leads and terminals but it still wouldn't turn over. I tried tapping the solenoid with a hammer and it still wouldn't go. Thanks for the the offer, Larry, but I needed to get the car back on the road quickly. My local autozone had a rebuilt starter for 124.99+tax with a lifetime warranty in stock so I went for it. 1stsubarparts.com sells the solenoid separately for @$215, much more than the autozone rebuild I was a bit disappointed that the contacts were not readily accessible on my starter solenoid as they seem to be on those pictured on this and other sites. Again, mine seemed liked a sealed unit and I did not want to risk attempting to dismantle it for fear that Autozone would not accept it for the core charge so I just bolted in the rebuilt unit and it started right up. Thanks for all your input.

Thanks PAezb. It was indeed a faulty "bridge wire" that caused the failure. This wire is essentially a fuse on the positive terminal of the dc socket. I used regular copper wire to reconnect the points because I do not have a cigarrette lighter and see no need for the extra fire protection. The 20 amp fuse will work just fine. Thanks so much again. Taking care of this little issue has made my 2006 that much brighter.