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Hey man, There's always a social dynamic, but I think that certain topics just get more attention than others (i.e. ECU, Headgaskets, and, of course, any listing by a female or at least female username) for better or for worse - no personal slight. If you are secure in your own masculinity, you could always re-register with a feminine username; I'm sure you'd get 10 responses per posting. In any event, I don't have the same car, but I've pasted a copy of instructions for radio removal from another posting I made, which might help you out: )If AT, put shift lever to "1" position. 2)Disconnect Battery Ground Cable (Negative Terminal) 3)Remove console trim (there are two screws under the lid of the center console) a)Engage parking brake. b)Open center console cover and remove parking brake trim caps (2), phillips screws (2) and flat washers (2). Pull upward and back to remove parking brake trim. c)Remove shift trim by pulling upward and back (You won't need to totally remove this part, just pull it back in order to remove the radio trim). 4)Remove radio trim a)Remove ashtray. b)Pull radio trim outward from the bottom and disconnect cigarette lighter or socket. This is the trickiest part: the bottom part will come out rather easily, but the there are two fasteners at the top, located on the sides at the climate control unit, that are a bit stubborn. It's a fragile piece so you will need to be careful about where you pull it - grasp on the sides of the trim b/t the top and the horizontal piece separating the climate control and the radio (which you should not pull on because it is so delicate) and firmly pull it straight out. It will come straight out with a firm tug. Good luck, and enjoy. At this point, you need only to remove two screws to lift the Climate control unit out, and I imagine you only need to replace the bulb. Also, check to see if your owner's manual lists the bulb(s) you need. Good luck.

Hi Ben, It's a BKR6E-11; the standard plugs are BKR5E-11, which are slightly hotter, but www.1stsubaruparts.com (click on OEM accessories) sent me the former with a tune-up kit that also inlcuded oil, air, + fuel filters - all for $38.95 plus s+h. The 1st owner of my Forester had the standard (?) Champion plugs in there for over 70K miles - elctrodes were worn such that the gap was twice that of specificed gap! Still, I did not notice any ignition problems with the old plugs nor any real power gain after popping in the new NGKs - perhaps better mileage and some piece of mind. I have a Phase II engine. They list two different kits for the legacy 2.5 L, and I imagine that Phase I + II 2.5 engines run different plugs and that the plugs differentiate the two kits and account for the price difference. The kit for a 97 OBW is $66.95 so the standard plugs in your car must be platinum. Alternatively, you can also check out www.expressautoparts.com - free s+h for orders > $50.

I run the OEM NGK copper plugs in my car w/o any problems. Even if you run the platinums, you're going to have to pop them off every 30K miles to check the gaps anyway. NGK copper plugs are less than $2, and I have not had any ignition issues with them.

Hi Dave, I bought a brand new 6-disc underseat changer on ebay for $85, which was a perfect fit (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7907060162&category=43948, but the removal procedures are the same: 1)If AT, put shift lever to "1" position. 2)Disconnect Battery Ground Cable (Negative Terminal) 3)Remove console trim (there are two screws under the lid of the center console) a)Engage parking brake. b)Open center console cover and remove parking brake trim caps (2), phillips screws (2) and flat washers (2). Pull upward and back to remove parking brake trim. c)Remove shift trim by pulling upward and back (You won't need to totally remove this part, just pull it back in order to remove the radio trim). 4)Remove radio trim a)Remove ashtray. b)Pull radio trim outward from the bottom and disconnect cigarette lighter or socket. This is the trickiest part: the bottom part will come out rather easily, but the there are two fasteners at the top, located on the sides at the climate control unit, that are a bit stubborn. It's a fragile piece so you will need to be careful about where you pull it - grasp on the sides of the trim b/t the top and the horizontal piece separating the climate control and the radio (which you should not pull on because it is so delicate) and firmly pull it straight out. It will come straight out with a firm tug. Good luck, and enjoy.

Pretty interesting; hadn't thought of that. Changing your fuel filter at te suggested intervals will also maximize the life of you fuel pump.

Agreed. 3k-mile intervals are overkill. It's really just a waste of resources, but we are Americans after all. Oil companies and service people benefit from more frequent oil changes, but Subaru even recommends 3,750-mile intervals for severe service and other car manufacturers recommned 5K-intervals for this category of service. I don't think that car manufacturers would jepoardize their repuations for quailty, therefore, if 3k-mile change intervals were necessary, they would certainly change their maintenance protocol and help their dealers make more money. I think folks, including me, are obsessive about engine oil changes because they're easy to do and oil gets appreciably darker from thermal oxidation - turns black after 1K miles of service.

By the way, very clever username - I lol everytime I see it in bold capital letters. Regarding oil change intervals, though, I don't know if it's really an issue of oil getting dirty, unless you often drive on dirt roads, as much as thermal oxidation and acidity of the oil -- a high quality synthetic will hold up better than a conventional oil on both counts. But, to each his/her own -- I've seen good results with both.

The latter, almost all the oil is in the oil pan and the oil filter is mounted above the drain plug. Prime the new oil filter before installing, and your owner's manual should give a volume for oil+filter change and oil change. You would add the difference of these volumes including the oil used to prime the new filter. Take care. I don't know if I would push the drain interval to 15,000 miles even though it's probably fine, but I would feel more comfortable with changes at 10K-mile intervals and filter changes at 5K-miles. Take care.

Yeah, it's pretty weird: The rear sensor for my forester is also more expensive than the front one. For some reason, it's the opposite for MY '00 Legacy Outbacks for which this site also lists different prices for AT and MT vehicles. Since the engines are the same on this car and the my car, I wonder if it's the connector that makes for the price differences. It's a mystery, and I wonder if these prices have to do with marketing issues (supply + demand) or manufacturing issues (that these sensors are all acutally different). Does the NPT plug have threads on the insider? For a permanent fix, I imagine that you could get somebody to weld the sensor housing back into the header pipe for a nominal fee if the metal around the opening is still good.

Greetings outback legolas, It's probably not the tie rods as you surmised. Your wheels are probably not balanced. I had the same problem with my forester, and just had the wheels balanced today to address this very issue. No more shakes. All tire services are warrantied only to the orginal purchaser so you will need to pay to have them balanced. I would suggest finding a place that offers a lifetime warranty on this service. I had mine done at a Goodyear Auto Service Center for just over $50, which includes lifetime tire balancing and rotation every six months/12,000 miles for the life of the original tread. It's good, though, to re-torque the lug nuts after each service as shops that use air tools tend to overtighten them. Additionally, how is your alignment? Take care

Hi there, Your car shares the same phase II 2.5 L engine that is in my forester. If you can run 87 without compromising performance or, more importantly, without causing predetonation (pinging or knocking), its the best thing for your car. How your car performs will depend greatly on environmental factors such as temperature and altitude. 87 is more volatile than the higher octanes, which is why it may cause predetonation in older engines or certain engine designs such as the first 2.5 L Subaru engines (pre-Phase I). However, if you can run 87 without any adverse effects, it is the best way to go. Using a higher octane than necessary only increases carbon deposits in your engine and risks contamination of expensive emissions components. Generally, low elevations and high temperatures increase the likelihood of predetonation so if you hear pinging during during the summer months, bump up to 89 (or higher, if absolutely necessary). Congratulations and good luck.

I empathize with your plight, but an 00 Outback is not a bad ride for a college student. I am a graduate student, and yes, it's true: we really do live below the poverty line. In any case, you can get a universal rear O2 sensor at the above website for about $60 including shipping - just need to use the old connector. The more important front sensor is about twice as much. Take care. And Harborseal55, Good luck with the sensor. Can you use a helicoil or are you past the point of no return?

The only way to check the condition of the O2 sensor, aside from the Engine management computer (emc), is to take it out and look for contamination - not disimilar to checking the condition of spark plugs. Oxygensensors.com should have helpful photos if you plan on performing this task yourself. At 107K miles, it's doubtful that your rear (post or downstream from cc) oxygen sensor has been replaced as it does not affect performance. It just monitors the exhaust leaving your tail pipe, therefore, most people don't ever replace it. As for the front catalytic converter, you may want to replace it as preventive maintenance - I plan to replace mine when I change the timing belt at 105 K. It detects the amount O2 in comubstion gasses, and this info. is processed by the emc in order to achieve optimal fuel-air mixture or stoichiometric ratio. The emc is constantly adjusting the fuel/air ratio because the amount of O2 depends on environmental variables (i.e. temperature, altitude, pressure). Your temporary poor fuel mileage may have been just a fluke, but poor fuel mileage and engine perfomance are indications of a bad O2 sensors. Check to see if the dealer replaced it when they serviced your fuel injection system. If not, you can pick one up online and do it rather cheaply if you are so inclined- it's as easy as changing a spark plug. Other members of USMB report that Bosch supplies these sensors to Subaru. All you need is an open end 22mm wrench. Just make sure you put some of the antiseize that should come with the sensor on the threads in order to facilitate easier future replacement. Take care.

Depending on the state, it is illegal for shops to service or tamper with the catalytic converter (cc). If your car is running fine, I wouldn't worry about it. How many miles do you have on your car? Has the post-ccO2 sensor been changed? This sensor does not affect performance, but it does monitor the performance of the cc. A bad sensor may be annoying by way of the indicator light, but it will not cause any damage to your vehicle. These sensors are relatively inexpensive and easy to install. If you should decide that you want to replace it yourself, check www.oxygensensors.com and do a search on this site. Also, if your car is running "great"and you gas milelage is normal then your cc and pre-cc O2 sensor are fine. The only way to maintain your cc is to to take care of your vehicle by performing the recommended engine maintenance (i.e. spark plugs, air filter, fuel filter) at factory recommended intervals and by avoiding certain fuel additives that contaminate the precious catalysts.

Hi Linda, My wife and I just purchased our 5 spd. Forester earlier this year w/ 72K miles, and have put about 4K miles on the care ourselves. I should begin by saying that it's impossible to speculate on how many of these cars are plagued by problems that you will find reported on the this or other sites because no extensive study has been conducted with random sampling. You can check the research engine at consumerreports.org, msn.com, and yahoo.com to read their conclusions, which are based on consumer surveys. I own a '99, and you're interested in a '03, which is when the Forester was completely redesigned, so it's difficult to project any of my experiences or information into this newer generation of these cars. If you are considering 98-02, I would consider the following issues: (1) '98 engine is a Phase I DOHC 2.5, which is prone to internal coolant leaks, leading to a blown headgasket. Valve jobs and Timing Belt changes are also more complicated on these engines, and perhaps more expensive if you're hiring a mechanic to do it. Subaru began using the Phase II 2.5L SOHC engine in the 99 Forester (and 00 Outbacks). There is a recall on these for external coolant leaks, which entails adding a bottle of coolant conditioner containing silicone. My local mechanic in VT says it's doing the trick, but only time will tell. They use this same engine in the new non-turbo Foresters, but perhaps with a redesigned headgasket. In any event, external leaks are less severe than the internal variety, and my car has had no issues thus far at 76K miles. In general, the SOHC 2.5 L engine is a better designed than its predecessor. (2) My car had both rear wheel bearings replaced 2X by two different dealers during its first 70K of service, but this issue has been rectified w/ different bearings (same ones as in Legacy) and different installation procedures. If you buy an '01 or older, just make sure that roller bearings were put in the rear. Otherwise, I think it's a great car, and we really love. Also keep in mind that the preceding is not a caveat, just information that any smart consumer might want. I think it's a solid car that I plan to have for a long time. Good luck.

Hi, I absolutely agree with you; it's difficult to conduct an objective study with random sampling. Nonetheless, I own a car that had both rear bearings replaced at 36K and 69K miles by two different dealers to the tune of around $800 each. I am not a Hondaphile, but my 85 Accord, the only other car I've owned, had no wheel bearing issues up 220K miles when I gave it away. I have a Phase II 2.5L engine in my car so I expect to have pretty good luck with the headgaskets, but even if just small fraction of the Phase I 2.5 L engines are having premature headgasket failures due to faulty quality control issues rather than owner neglect, it really is something that Subaru should unequivocally cover.

I have found 2 oz. squeeze bottles at bicycle shops, but not the 12oz aerosol cans in stores. The best price I've seen on the net is $8.10/12 oz. can at http://www.crawfordtool.com/tri-flow.html, but they accept only orders of of >$25.

Sorry guys: I don't want to spoil the party, but don't you see the irony? Who knows if or when the Subarus of the new millenium will begin to show chinks in their armor? This is a non-profit website dedicated to technical support for Subie owners - it's the best thing going. How about an add that says, "Subaru: we pay more for advertising than for Research and Development." Didn't these obscene quality control issues coincide with Subaru's Sport Utility Wagon campaign.Those of you with headgasket issues or premature wheel bearing failures (Foresters) can relate. The only explanation as to why Subaru does not send out mass recalls is because they realize that Subaru customers are quite loyal and that the cost of, say, a headgasket recall on all Phase I 2.5 L engines does not flip the cost/benefit equation in their favor. In other words, the benefit of keeping loyal customers happy does not outweigh the cost of paying for the recall. Subaru believes that they can make up for this loss with a new add campaign. This is an abominable case of corporate irresponsibility. While I have greatly benefited, and enjoyed, reading the input of so many knowledgeable members on this site, it galls me to read about some of the premature failures that result from nothing other than defective design and poor quality control (I am thinking of theotherskip's treatise on headgasket and clutch replacement). As for those of you with the glorious 2.2 L engine, you probably have every reason to sing the praises of Subaru. That said, I really love my Subie and agree with almost everything that has been written. We have had good luck with it thus far. Just one man's honest opinion.

Nope, totally unrealated. Fuel pump motors do burn out over time, but you can extend the life of your fuel pump by replacing the fuel filter at the suggested intervals: a clogged filter will cause the fuel pump to work harder and cause premature failure. By the way, if you can get away with using a lower grade fuel without any ill effects on the engine or its performance, it will actually keep your combustion cleaner because there is an inverse relationship b/t octane level and volatility. Hence, the lower the grade the more competely the fuel/air mixture will burn on each combustion cycle, leaving fewer deposits. That said, I've never owned a turbo engine. Take care,

Yeah, this USMB is pretty amazing. I really like the car I have but wish I had known about this site before I purchased it so that I could have done exactly what you're doing.

Does the Ti have the Turbo engine? I wasn't sure. does the "T" in "Ti" stand for turbo? I would not go for the turbo, the 2.2 L engine w/ a MT will have enough pep, though I know this is subjective, but it will surely be more economical because it gets better mileage and only requires regular fuel if the engine is in good condition. I have no experience w/ turbo engines, but I imagine they run hotter by virture of more potent combustion cycles, hence a lower grade fuel would cause knocking as a result of preignition, which will stress the engine and, over time, cause engine damage.

I would keep looking until you see something that is exactly what you want. I think it's good to think long-term when making a car purchase, and though dealers may provide warranties, they also take problem cars that customers could not or did not want to sell privately. The used car market is a big racket. My wife and I were in the same predicament this past April, and decided to scrap our waning 85 Accord because there was a 99 Forester S available from the original owner for $8,800. At the time of the purchase, I had no knowledge of the difference b/t Phase I + II engines, but I am certainly glad that there were no enticing 98 Foresters (Phase I like the 96-99 Outbacks and selected Legacies) in the paper. Although it seems that headgasket problems plague both the Phase I + II engines, the former are prone to develop internal leaks and the latter to external leaks. Subaru issued a recall for external leaks in Phase II engines, which are being treated with a silicone additive manufactured by Holt's of England, and it seems to be doing the trick w/o any adverse effects on the cooling system including the water pump. I had this service done under recall after I flushed and refilled the cooling system - no problems thus far at 76K miles. Furthermore, you don't have any contamination of the cooling system with an external leak, and if you are attentive, you can avert disaster. However, I don't want to go too far afield because I know that you are looking at mid-90s Legacies so if I were in your shoes, I would wait for a decent 2.2L engine, available in MYs 90-96. You can check out the following webpage to research year to year changes and different trims: http://www.cars101.com/. A private Subaru mechanic in Vermont, where Subaru seems to be the state car, told me that his customers were virtually guaranteed 300,000 miles on a 2.2L engine, with one customer having 500,000 on an original 2.2 L, while almost every 2.5L Legacy or Outback (1996-1999) he had for sale on his lot has had the headgaskets replaced. There really is no way to know what kind of damage is done to an engine that has overheated - short of splitting the cases and tearing the darn thing down. However, I also believe there are some suspension issues with the 90-94 Legacies, according to consumerguide.comu, but this seems more fixable for the long haul. As for the 96LSi you mentioned, you should be aware that the first 2.5L engines require premium fuel in order to run correctly. I think that 97 and beyond 2.5 engines ran just fine on regular octane. As a side note, my wife and I got over 26 mpg on our forester during a roundtrip drive from Philly to VT with AC running the whole time, our two labs in the cargo area, and the back seat fully loaded with our belongings - all on 87 octane. That's right around what Subaru projects. In any event, I think it's wise to be patient, if possible, when making a car purchase. I would look for the following: (1) Private seller, original owner if possible: why pay the dealer as a middleman? Chances are, you will not utilize the warranty. (2)Manual Transmission: I just think with used cars, there's so much that can go wrong with an AT, and they're a fortune to fix. With a MT, a clutch job at @ $500 for parts and labor and you're good for at least another 100K miles. Hydraulic components of the clutch are easy to service, if you are so inclined. (3) Get the car that you know you can live with - you do not want to pay good money for a garage queen. Be patient, you should buy a car that you don't have any doubts about because there may be unanticipated problems anyway. This is just one man's honest opinion, hope it helps. P.S. Just last week, I saw a 5sp., 94 Leagcy GT Wagon with 114K miles advertised for $4,000 obo by a private seller in a suburb of Philly. Had this been available when I was in the market, I would have jumped at it.

You know, Subaru offers a complete front end bra for your OBW. I think 1stsubaruparts.com usually has the best prices, but check the shipping costs. However, I don't know how this will affect you hood deflector, and dirt or debris that squeezes b/t the bra and the finish will certainly scratch up your front end. Ultimately, I think it's better to save your money and let you Subie age gracefully, as difficult as this may be to witness.

Yes, that's what I figured. I had the same problem some time ago with a tank bra on my motorcycle. As to the hood deflector, I was really concerned about the windshield but understand that this was an issue only on the 98 foresters. Windshields on the MY 99-03 foresters remained the same until this car was completely redesigned for 2004. I'll probably keep it simple not install one. I can deal w/ the chips on the leading edge. Thanks to both of you for the input.

Hello All, I am thinking about installing a hood deflector on my Forester and was wondering if they keep suicidal bugs off of the windshield as welll. We drive through many farms during the summer, and this would be an incentive to get it. Also, what would you go with: OEM, VentShade,...? Any suggestions you have would be appreciated.