idosubaru

Great, thanks! The tool i have is not like my small crimper for stereo wires - but large, beefy and "geared" or levered, and made for crimping fittings on up to 0 gauge wire and I'm told they work really well for this size wire. That's awesome! My torch is large, not very portable, and i haven't dialed it in and learned how to use it properly yet, but I'd like to be able to do that. Oddly I have a roll of about 10 feet of that A/C copper line from years ago. It's a long coil - like 10 feet probably and seems like it's 2" in diameter, clearly I have no use for something like that! Why isn't copper used for the actual clamps that bolt to the battery terminal - is it too soft?

Great, thanks. By “#2 on a #4” do you mean using a larger end on a smaller wire? I have crimping pliers, I’ll keep those hammer jobs in mind. #2 and #4 is a standard measurement ? Why have I seen confusion between AWG and nonAWG gauges before?

i certainly wouldn't pay much for an aftermarket one if you end up going that route. make sure it's the right one - it's easy to screw up part compatability/interchangeability on a 1999 Subaru. OEM fail so rarely that a used one for a few bucks isn't a bad idea. that's what I'd do.

What gauge wire does Subaru use for battery cables?

here are some starter relay threads with diagrams:

keep in mind that one time isn't a good diagnosis. maybe if previously it was problematic 20 times in a row and then this worked. but walk carefully around assuming too much. a. you've identified the safety switch as a potential issue - i'd wash-rinse-repeat and make sure i can pinpoint the diagnosis b. starter relay mod is a common need - people have posted diagrams on how to do it, might want to search for that. c. the battery contacts/terminals/cables need to be clean and tight d. the starter often just needs new $10 contacts. remanned starters are a roll of the dice, though the odds are in your favor but they're still not high. you're better offer replacing contacts and keeping the original OEM starter than replacing it with aftermarket.

What John said - You need 3-4 feet of pipe or breaker bar. The right size metal pipe slides right over the handle of a socket and works perfect like butter. Take you 7 seconds. a 1 foot breaker bar is basically a joke except for the simplest of home type mechanics - you're beyond that if you're playing with an engine out and on the floor. a 1 foot bar is like trying to be a butcher with a butter knife or change a tire with a screw driver or paint an entire house with a fine point art brush or plow 10 acres with a hoe...etc, that will work....sometimes...with enough luck and effort. Had the harbor freight socket not failed, you may not have ever gotten it off with the air tools either if they're not heavy duty enough. a 1,000 ft-lb 3/4" air gun with upgraded high flow milton fittings won't budge some nasty axle nuts for some reason.

Exactly Cutting power to it “locks” the 4WD. Looking at that FSM find the wiring pinout for the trans connector or the TCU and look for the duty c wire. Cut it and it’s “locked” install the most basic “on/off” switch to properly open and close that circuit. On later models the TCU light will flash 16 times after every time is starts with the switch in “locked” position. Just happens once due to you flipping the switch. Ignore it or build a fancy circuit to mimmick the resistance the TCU needs to be happy. Since that is pointless I’ve never done it.

try to find the FSM or wiring diagram online. for US versions you can find nearly any one online for free. you might even just start there and see if your EU info is identical to US, shouldn't take long to tell if the wires are the same colors/locations. I've accessed the wiring at the transmission harness in the engine bay or at the TCU under the dash. maybe a wiring guru could explain a simple mechanical way to find it, for example (these are for illustration/starting points only): 1. if the Duty C solenoid has a distinct resistance then just check all the wires until you find one within the range of the Duty C solenoid. 2. can you hear the Duty C click when it's activated? if so: a. find the ground wire - easily test each wire while the car is "on" and find the trans ground wire. b. disconnect the trans connector - ground the ground wire, and then apply 12 volts to each wire and listen for the Duty C to activate.

looks too small to be an EJ oil pump o-ring.. Im wondering about a VVT solenoid or sensor o-ring. Did you disconnect any AC or power steering lines? i haven’t had the 2010’s off but fuel injector o-ring?

previous poster said they're hard to find - find one similar and make it work with washers as spacers, etc?

1,000 pounds is nothing. that's like 4 adults and some gear, if it wasn't able to do that Subaru would have some serious issues. if you're also carrying a full cabin, full gear, and a topper....then watch high heat, steep grades. the first limitation of basically all Subaru's ever made is cooling, they will overheat.

On initial coolant leaks of original factory gaskets, Subaru coolant conditioner works nearly 100% of the time. Change the coolant and add a bottle of conditioner. this isn’t a good option If it has unknown or various coolant issues. It should only be used if everything else in the cooking system is known good. Repair is obviously the best option and what purests would recommend. And I generally aboud additives but this is one case where they work and are a great fit in many instances.

hour and a half south of pittsburgh. with all the rust up your way you should be able to find a craigslist special to makes this one pointless for you and a waste of time for me.

Numbchux knows that car/engine and they are great engines....sounds like it's more work and 3-8 years from now chances are you'll wish you went EZ. if you already started with the EZ30 why not just finish it? i've got a 2003 H6 parts car with blown headgasket that could possibly be a supporting donor but probably not worth your dollar or my time.

Overheating is the ubiquitous over-taxed Subaru weak point when towing across multiple model's/decades with AT/MT. It's largely dependent on ambient temp/humidity and grade. If you're towing in flat land and zero degrees you can tow well over the limits. I'm not saying it's safe or wise I'm just saying it'll do it. If you're traversing steep grade mountain passes in high humidity and 100 degrees with a heavy load/poor aerodynamics, you can plan on it overheating.

VFD - Vacuum Flourescent Display. I’m told I can’t just easily power them directly like a bulb. Thanks, I’ll pull it out and do a closer inspection of the panel and ribbon.

4 cylinder or 6 cylinder? VDC or non-VDC trans? i think for that year all JDM trans are VDC...or all JDM H6's anyway are VDC, but that is not the case in the US, so what do you have?

you checked fluid level and condition right? how long you can drive depends on too many variables to say, more turns are bad, less forgiving surfaces are bad, straight driving is fine, mismatched tires may exaccerbate things, how long was it previously driven, was it towed improperly in a past life (common)....hard to say, but generally you can driven them a little while. they do fail from binding - usually the ujoints in the rear driveshaft fail, or the internal drum shears off, i imagine a weak rear CV joint could also let loose since those fail on the offroad guys, but i haven't seen it happen strictly due to torque bind. if you can't fix it soon, ideally you force it to "locked" and disconnect the rear driveshaft so you can just run it in FWD until you figure it out proper.

The VFD's (lights) for the control dials have never worked 2 other complete control panels = no change in symptoms. All other interior lights work and dim properly . Even the small red lights for defrost adjacent to the dials work and dim properly so presumably the unit is getting power and dimable (ruling out the fuses, light switches and dimmer i'd assume?). They used to work for 5 minutes then dim and maybe sometimes come back on occasionally. But now they don't work at all. The dealer is likely going to want to install a new control panel and are 3 months out to schedule...I find it hard to believe I've installed 3 bad panels, and I've sold two of them with no complaints from new owners. I'm also told I can't simply power the VFD's by grounding/powering them - they're too integrated and controlled and the diagnostics in the FSM are vague and don't specify anything about testing nonfunctional VFD's only. What would the professionals do?

what he said - they could be smooth sailing.....or not.

Ideally we know what codes we're discussing but if we rely on the diagnosis presented here and it is the sensors - why not just swap the sensor instead of the entire exhaust? quick ebay search shows the connectors are different. maybe you can splice the 03 forester connector onto the 99 oxygen sensors if they're the same number of wires. This listing suggests the sensors may be the same but have different connectors: https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Bosch-OEM-Universal-4W-O2-Oxygen-Sensor-for-1998-2010-Subaru-Vehicles/380478459845?fits=Year%3A2003|Model%3AForester&epid=7005674554&hash=item5896488fc5:g:Pd4AAOSwajRZboeP

Testing is best in case odd things are present, but if the FWD fuse is working does that suggest the circuit is likely good?

Solenoid is most likely failing, it happens sometimes. That your FWD fuse works suggests the wiring is almost certainly fine, which is the suspected diagnosis anyway. Easy fix: install a rock switch to switch between FWD and "locked" 4WD which is what you're experiencing with the torque bind. Switch it there in snow or offroad, then drive in FWD nominally. It's a great fix for some situations since it's essentially free and works every time. Or replace the Duty C solenoid. Ideally you replace or address the clutches while it's apart for the job as well. In the states here it's roughly $200 - $400 in parts if you're DIY or $700 - $1,000 to pay a shop to do it, largely depending on local prices and if you replace just the solenoid or solenoid and clutches.

It’s not *struts*. The *strut mounts* permit rotation via bearings for steering but the ones I’ve seen should make noise as well. Ive shot great grease into dry/rusty bearings of front Subaru top mounts before that are rusty and making noise. That Freed them up.