wkoepp

Don't forget anti-seize goop on the plug threads and di-electric grease on the porcelain part of the plug, it's worth the trouble to avoid other problems later.

Having experimented with Miatas, in my opinion there's nothing you can do to the torque unless you can alter the timing; the air intake and any attendant nodules put there to quiet the sucking sound is restictive because of the length ( just try attaching 50 foot of hose to your shop vac and see what the added friction does for the power). Adding or keeping the cold air intake is important as colder air is a denser air/fuel charge to each cylinder. I tried a cold air intake out by first running a set course ( no cold air intake) on a hot day and the thermocouple recorded 90 degrees inside the filter box, then I hooked up a cold air intake, ran the same course immediately and recorded 80 degrees in the box, a denser air/fuel charge. A K&N air filter helps as it's less restrictive, it cannot change the engine torque, only timing can do that in a home shop. An engine builder can alter the torque by changing the cams or using adjustable cam gears which are available for some makes like Mazda. If you want more hp, incease the air/fuel charge with a turbo or add cubic inches.

We have a '04 Forester (no turbo) and it emits no sulpher smells here in California, however our '97 Toyota 4-Runner does smell, I don't put the rear window down under 20 mph or the smell enters the cabin.

I'd check the simple things first; the sparkplugs, sparkplug wires, etc.

I'd bet that it's the turbo wiring. Turbos add complications to an already complicated engine system.

I'm also new to Subaru ownership and so far I'm really impressed with our green '04 Forrester XS (I've owned a 4wd jeep and a 4wd toyota). It has the best lighting of any car we've had, headlights, foglights, parking lights, running lights and the best ride of any 4wd I've owned. A fun car that handles great; tomorrow we'll go up into the snow for a little fun!

Replace the plugs, plug wires and the fuel filter. They need it anyway so if that doesn't do it you've eliminated a few things. I'd also do a check of the vacuum lines, a split hose at one end or the other makes for mysterious symptoms.

On the '04 Forester it's shown in my owner's manual, I have to remove nine (9) screws and pull out the glove box to access the filter!! Really stupid.

My '04 Forester manual says 29/28 for light loads and 29/36 for heavy loads. On my other cars I just did 30 cold all around, as they'll heat up to about 33-34 on a trip. As for light loads or heavy loads how are you supposed to judge that? Are 2 people a light or a heavy load? How about one person, 3 suitcases and 2 ice chests?

I've always heard that if you keep accurate records and receipts of the oil purchases and do it on time, you are O.K. How do ranchers or others manage when they are isolated from a dealer? They do it themselves I guess. Call the dealer and check in with him or go to the Subaru home site, they will know the details.

Check with U-Haul, they have a wide range, they had a Forester hitch.

Removing the intake silencer is common practice on sportscars, most believe (as I do) it lessens the restrictions on air entering the filter box. It does no harm, it makes the engine intake sound louder. I took a different approach so I could use the stock mountings. I got an identical intake pipe from a wrecking yard and drilled the heck out of it, so some air can come in closer to the filter box thus lessening the restrictions, I hope. Any air traveling through a pipe loses motion due to friction. Hook a 100 foot hose to your vacuum and see the difference; less vacuum and a harder working motor.

The Forester has the same type of rubber tray, I paid $ 82. for ours, it fits perfectly. The Sub.cargo net is cool too. Do a search for Subaru accessories.

My Forester XS has the heated seats, the two switches are marked high, off, low; which indicates there are either three wires coming out of each seat or a resistor in the switches ( just a guess). If your dealer gives you the o.k. on the safety of doing this, you might try hooking 12 volts to one seat to see if it warms up. You should remove a seat and do this on your workbench so that if anything unusual or exciting occurred it wouldn't effect your new Subaru! Note to all readers: I carry a good fire extinquisher in every car I've owned, since a buddy of mine watched his D Jag burn to the ground one day. I've never had to use it on my car, but I've put out two other car fires with them.

That's the 20 dollar version I spoke about. Thanks, but no thanks.

I'd like to read all of the TSBs ( Technical Service Bulletins) fo the Forester, without paying Subaru 20 bucks for the privilege. I'm on another car list and the TSBs are displayed on the web page for all to see. Is that the case here and I just missed them?

Many thanks! I found the tags and now I finally know where they are.

I have two questions, does my '04 XS Forester have side air bags, if so, where are they stored? I'd like to put on sheepskin seat covers but someone told me the side air bags are in the seat! I don't have a service manual to see where the bags might be and I don't want to pay Subaru 20 bucks to look at the manual. Can anyone educate me? Thanks! Bill K

Hi, The shift gate on my '04 forester is a real jigsaw, is there a straight line aftermarket shift gate available for adults? Thanks, Bill K