idosubaru

Awesome! So you think the cables were bad? In case it comes back keep these things in mind: 1. replace the starter contacts. Starter is 2 12mm bolts and easy to remove. Disassemble it and the contacts are like $10. Much cheaper and more reliable than aftermarket new starters which can fail in less than a year. The old contacts will be burnt, pitted, warn. 2. Older gen Subaru's very commonly have a starter signal issue from the signal wire/ignition/reference voltage. Here's a thread that I think somewhat describes it.

Ha we own that movie, great flick. For some reason I don't recall those parts and must of missed them!?! Land Rovers were assembled and parts manufactured in south africa starting back in the 50's or 60's and have well over a half a century of developing a strong network of assembly plants, parts manufacturing, supplies, and distribution. So I think their excellent utility is supported by dependable networks more than strict individual reliability. Which, as an XT6 and H6 driver I might favor ubiquitous parts availability over reliability. lol

Oh yeah, I can see it appearing that way if you've heard of the old school 3 speeds. XT6's all have 4 speeds, but they only have 1-2-D on the selector. They just don't have a selectable 3rd and 4th. XT6 auto's have a fantastic beastly transmissions, it's the same transmission found in all legacy/forester/impreza's from 1990-2009 though they seem far less prone to torque bind. Excellent transmission.

If it’s an engine starter with 100amps available, it was set right, connections to clean metal was sufficient, and the starter cables aren’t thin cheap garbage then yes the cable or starter is bad. But some huge clarifiers: clamps and cables are way harder to get right than most people think particularly in this day and age of cheap Chinese garbage clamps and cables. “Charger” - what kind? Lithium Ion like a NEECO or corded 120V power pack pushing 100 amps? The lithium packs do poorly on batteries as bad as you’re saying unless it’s a huge beefy one If it’s a plugged in variety and if equipped with settings, was it set to “engine start”? Charging is like 40 amps, starting is like 100. “directly from a charger to the starter mean” - where was it clamped? Directly from charger to starter suggests it was fed power to the starter bypassing the cables so those can’t be the issue. And this isn’t a bad test to do but it’s a little tricky to get clamps down there or run wire. But you’re suggesting the cable is bad so maybe you mean the charger was clamped to the cables or battery terminals? Thats hard to say - often times the clamps don’t provide enough surface area of clean contact to pull all the amps necessary. I’ve got huge heavy duty heavy gauge cables that work most of the time and light duty cables that often won’t start a car, can’t get good contact and the cables get very warm after trying to start a car. Those cheap cables and poor connections cause lots of misdiagnosis. And the 10V battery is useless so we need great connections Many chargers and clamps and connections aren’t solid enough for pulling 100 amp engine charger/starter. I don’t think this matters here but XT6s never came with a 3 speed auto. So you either have an XT6 with 4EAT, XT with 3AT, or it was converted which is highly unlikely.

Unlike newer autos which can be excellent, those autos are horrible. Highly not recommended to do that swap. You’ve got a couple options some are very simple: 1. remove rear half of driveshaft and locked 4WD will now be FWD. 2. Unbolt the 4WD cable from the bracket on the side of the trans, so you can manually move the lever on the side of the trans. Manually push it forward abs back for fwd and 4WD. Be advised it doesn’t move easily. 3. Remove the cable from the 4WD and bolt a long rod to it so you can just grab it under the hood and pull it back and forth for 4WD or FWD. Ive run a rod like that and routed it inside the cabin passengers side, but I don’t recommend it . I used some of that long straight steel they have at Lowe’s. 3. Fix it. Check vacuum lines and the big bellows looking actuator. That’s probably the issue

P0171 Bank one system lean. A vacuum hose issue might cause brake issue and system lean? I'll check brake booster? Right on, didn't cross my mind. It is full. Today he said the parking brake didn't work. I found a TSB for 2010-2014 unlimited mileage 15 year extended warranty on the automatic parking break module. TSB 06-71-19R https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2019/MC-10166898-0001.pdf

Why is the brake light flashing with check engine light, but nothing else is on? 2014 H4 OB If it’s brake related the traction, ABS and cruise lights would light up. But this isn’t doing that. There's a TSB for the parking brake actuator failure. Though it doesn't mention if the check engine light comes on: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2019/MC-10162997-9999.pdf Gas cap and oring is fine. I’m going to operate the parking brake a few times, check the coolant level. I’m traveling for holiday and not my car so I’ll drive it later to read codes at store.

Battery/alt voltage good? Any recent work or prior accidents around air bag stuff: steering wheel, front bumper/sensors or passengers side heater core or dash? If it’s ever been in an accident or recent work check connectors in that area and front sensors. Horn and cruise work? I’d suspect clock spring, they fail often, unsure how consistent 90s SRS codes are. “Airbag module (passenger)” - does that mean the passenger air bag? Can you tell by looking at the whole list of codes?

You have a bad battery. I described that *exact* situation earlier:

XT6 Dash gauges for oil pressure and voltage aren’t very accurate. I wouldn’t even look at those. How old is the battery? It may have 13 volts for 2 milliseconds and bad cells brings it too low almost instantaneously. Charge the battery then try to start the car once or twice if it’s below 12 after that then it’s fried Use quality jumper cables or power pack - does it turn over then? Give power directly tk starter post - what happens? huge issue with jumper cables is cheap cables with anything short of exceptional connectivity won’t flow enough amps. people all the time misdiagnosis a car because jumper cables didn’t start the car but the issue was cheap cables or not good enoug connection

Yep, JDM isn't as attractive now as it used to be - they're pricey and old which does headgaskets no favor.

10V isn't usable, it should be ~12.7 volt, 10 isn't even close to good enough. This means one of the following: 1. The battery is bad. If it never gets above 10V with jumper cables or an external charger then it's bad. Sometimes they can test good and still be bad. That's rare but when it happens they'll show 12.5 volts and then *very quickly* drop to well below that the first time the battery is used for anything electrical, like the first time you bump that key to start the engine. 2. The alternator isn't charging the battery, which means one of the following: a. The harmonic balancer is separating and the alternator isn't spinning fast enough to charge. Post a photo of the face of it or paint/grease mark a line across the entire face and see if the line is separated after getting the engine to turn over with a jumper cable/jump starter. b. Test the alternator - jump start the vehicle and test output voltage at the alternator Okay, I didn't think so but I wanted to be comprehensive - that list is everything it could possibly be if what you have currently described it accurate.

Cut back the battery cable wiring 6” and see if it’s corroded. Tons of white stuff will be caked into abs between all the wires of the cable. Voltage drop or resistance testing will likely confirm without cutting if that scares you Measure voltage at battery. Measure voltage at starter. Tell us those numbers. It’s either: 1. battery (is it new?) 2. terminals (are they 100% clean and tight?) 3. corrosion inside the battery cables 4. starter 5. the engine is seized

Replacing them is nice just to avoid cleaning them up, that's annoying. Subaru headbolts aren't TTY so there's no need to replace them unless they're rusted/damaged. Another option is to chase them with a 11x1.25 die. That will clean them and confirm the threads. https://www.ebay.com/itm/325066150971 I've seen repeat failures of new Fel Pro headbolts on engines I didn't work on. I'd guess it's more of an issue with the type of person replacing the bolts than the bolts themselves. For instance someone who ignores well known Subaru approaches to HG and just does it like they're grand daddy did it, which happens to include replacing the bolts. Although it is a stretch to assume Fel pro uses the same quality grade raw materials, machining and quality cotrol as Subaru OEM. I'd install used Subaru bolts before any aftermarket. I doubt the bolts are an issue but just providing additional options in case it's helpful as you dig in.

Resurface heads, clean and lubricate the bolts and holes/threads and use Subaru head gaskets. I rarely get kits, I use Subaru MLS OEM or Fel Pro gaskets except when I need a custom thickness for a custom EJ then it’s cometic if necessary If you want to just get the parts needed: head gasket, intake and exhaust manifold, valve cover, spark plug tube, crank seal, cam seals, oil pump oring, thermostats gasket and water pump gasket. And engine coolant crossover orings I’ve never used anything but Subaru OEM and fel pro sometimes. I wouldn’t install anything else except cometic when I need a custom thickness for a custom EJ. Mahle, Beck Arnley, etc doesn’t have to always use the same supplier. Prior post says you’re good to go now. it just may not always be that way, I’ve seen suppliers change for the same brand and part number.

Front pinion seal. Or just swap in a used rear diff. They almost never fail and have zero demand. On parts cars I never sold one and routinely scrapped them.

scan for check engine codes. You could have a pending code that hasn’t tripped the check engine light yet. unlikely but it’s free and takes 2 minutes and is a good starting point. Do you notice any difference when warm verse cold? How about when driving slow or letting off throttle completely or at a stop sign? are there conditions when it’s more apparent? Test, clean, or replace idle control. Check for vacuum leak like Loose intake or vacuum hoses. It’s not the fuel filter.as the prior post said they’re cheap and easy so doesn’t hurt to replace. But Subaru fuel filters routinely last the life of the vehicle, the pumps have a huge sock/screen on them, and you’ve taken good care of this vehicle. If it sat for a long time and had rust issues galore and needed lots of work then yeah maybe a rusty tank clogged the filter and your pump is trashed too. By your description that’s not you. Otherwise it’s a terrible first guess. Too many anecdotal “successes” get reported as fuel filters when it was something else and they just didn’t know it. Its such a standard low grade answer that doesn’t make any sense in the face of reality. I assume fuel filters or gas used to be trashy clog prone garbage of some bygone decade or fail all the time on other equipment for as often as I still hear them talked about even though diagnostically confirmed demonstrable *Subaru* issues are basically unheard of.

If you get one with less than 36,000 miles see if you can get the extended 120k warranty? It can be added until the original warranty runs out but not sure if it has to be the original owner to add it?

Hahahhaa. Lmao Great point !

It's common across the entire automotive sector. I'd imagine it varies somewhat by years/models and maybe some are worse than other but there are issues across the board.

If the same generation I’d be surprised if it didn’t swap. That’s unfortunate you have to disassemble a new seat. I’ve swapped 2014-2017 forester lower seats. never dealt with the upholstery or a nonheated seat so I don’t know for sure but the wiring, electronics, and hardware are all swappable between various trims and options. Seems impossible the heated hardware isn’t the same like Larry said of the 90s stuff. I needed a 2017 steering wheel airbag and they weren’t available this summer, also with no timeline.

Don’t know for sure but 235/60 should do it. Try those on the tire size calculators. Subarus can almost always go up one tire size so 225 to 235 and play with the ratio. Those 235s will fit your stock rims just fine. If other foresters of the same generation, different trim or turbo, have different wheels/tires that may give a clue as well. Taller sidewalls are more forgiving of punctures too.

EJ swap sounds like the way to go. When bolting an EJ engine to an EA trans you make or buy an adapter plate, I forget what happens when you do it the other way around. Get one 3.9 final drive and keep your rear LSD. EA rear diffs are a cake walk to swap to 3.9 so you can swap your 3.7 LSD to a 3.9 final drive really easy. I’ve done it.

Not just failed transmissions but zero symptoms from not following those instructions. There would be noise, shifting, codes, or other symptoms…if it was an issue. But quite literally none - not one person in 10 years has done just a drain and fill and had issues. And I guarantee it’s been done tons of times. I mean look at how many CVTs fail. It’s not definitive but highly suspicious. In 10 more years we will probably find out it didn’t matter.

I got Amsoil for mine. What I’m unsure of is can the first Amsoil fill be a partial drain fill or does it need to be a full evacuation? I want to know what happens if you just drain and fill and drive without following those specific directions? What symptoms result? For all the specificity I’ve never heard one person say they had issues. Anything that requires something slecofic like that always has people posting online or calling me when they do it mistakenly. But not this time. After 10 years of silence on that this suggests it’s a nonissue or overkill for very rare conditions or CYA for not having a dipstick?