Downbound

Had the same problem with my forester, Ac idler pulley....

Had exactly the same whine in my 2001 forester. Turned out to be the AC idler pully, also needed to repair the tensioner mount.

Here is a link to skips head gasket repair for the 2.5 engine. It lists everting you will need and step by step instructions. http://home.comcast.net/~skipnospam/Head_gasket_replacement.html

Had exactly the same whine in my 2001 forester. Turned out to be the AC idler pully, also needed to repair the tensioner mount.

2002 ob ltd wagon. Passenger side fog light must have got hit with a stone. I can get a replacement on line for about $45. How difficult are they to replace? I will be working outside and we are still in the middle of winter. Thanks

http://ottawa.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-trucks-Subaru-Justy-4-cars-one-price-W0QQAdIdZ449361543 Saw this ad today on Kijiji..thought it was intersting..

Here is the link to skips hg and clutch replacement... http://home.comcast.net/~skipnospam/Head_gasket_replacement.html

Hi, similar problem with my 01 Forester (Blue ridge edition, if that matters.) Illumunation control stopped working and the lights around the heater control are also out. All other lights are fine. I posted before and it was suggested that the lights burn out fairly often. Never did check or change them as we are in the middle of winter up here and do not have a heated area to work. My question is,would all the lights around the heater controls burn out together and is the fact that the illumination dial does not work related? I am not 100% sure but I think they illumination control and lights failed at the same time. All fuses are good. Thanks

2001 Forester, It is my wife's car and while driving it the other night noticed that the lights around the heater controls were not on. also I tried the illumination dimmer thinking it might be turned down and it was not working as it did not dim the spedo cluster. The fuse is ok and the other lights on the switches are illuminated. any ideas??? Thanks

2001 Forester Auto, 213,000 kms. We got an early heat wave and put on the AC and nothing but warm air. Have been told it is a leaking condenser and was quoted 800 - 1000 to repair. How dificult is it to replace? Is this something that should be left to the experts? Thanks

We had a steam jenny at work and it was quite a big unit that ran water through coils that were super heated. What came out the wand was definately steam, that did condense into water once it hit cold surfaces. We used it to melt ice on dams.

02 Outback LE. 183,000km's. Bought it last summer. The hg was leaking oil not coolant so had it replaced. The engine is really dirty, especially near the back where the leak was. The yellow top for auto tanny dipstick is black, covered in sludge. I am thinking of getting an engine shampoo. I have been reading that it is one thing that you should leave to the professionals as it is easy to screw it up. Any thouhgts? Thanks

I think I found this link here along time ago. It is also a good guide to hg replacement and also clutch. http://home.comcast.net/~skipnospam/Head_gasket_replacement.html

The wiper deicer on my 2001 forester had it's own switch next to the cruise control switch on the dash.

Hi: 2001 Forester Auto. 192,000 kms. Bought it a few months ago when it was warm and it is now getting colder here. I have noticed that when I first deive away the first shift is hard. Not a loud clunk , just not smooth and the second shift a bit better but still not smooth. It only happens on initial start up and only on the first 2 shifts. After driving for a couple of miutes it shifts fine. Tranny oil level is good. Is it normal to shift hard when cold. All my other cars have been 5 speeds so not very familiar with automatics. Thanks

I agree with Grossgary, you can't beat the performance of a dedicated winter tire. I run Good Year Ultra grip ice in the winter and Good Year Assurance comfort tread in the summer on my 99 forester and am very pleased with the performance. Also by running two sets of tires you will extend the life of your summer set.

99 Forester: I had a similar situation with a P0303 code. Did all the plugs, wires, injectors etc. and was still getting the code. Got a tip on here about doing the dollar bill test on the exhaust to check for a burnt exhaust valve. Start the car and hold a dollar bill over the tail pipe about 1/4 inch away..It should just flutter but if it alternatly gets sucked into then pushed out of the tail pipe it could be a burnt exhaust valave. That is what my problem turned out to be. A compression test would also let you know if there is anything else going on in there. Good luck

Disconected wire was the problem..thanks ..sorry it has taken so long to post this..haven't stopped shovelling long enough to get on here..just got another 20cm's (8") last night and another 45cms (18") on the way over the next day or two...thank god for subarus

99 Forester 218,000 kms. Had the starter replaced on Friday and Sat night when heading in to the city, cruise control would not work. It was definately working the week before when I used it. Is there any chance that when they replaced the starter they could have discontected something to do with the cruise control and maybe forget to reconect. I checked the fuse first (#18) and it is fine. Thanks

I have a 99 Forester and the rear wiper motor after years of slow noisy operation has finally packed it in. How difficult is it to remove the panel from the back lift gate. It appears that there are only 4 Plastic clips running across the bottom. Are these clips that are actualy holding the panel on or are the just caps covering up screws? It is -25 C this am so am worried about snapping the clips..Any suggestions would be appreciated..Thanks

It is definately a Subaru day here in Eastern Ontario. 25cm (10") already down and another 20-30cm to come. Live in the country with a 300 ft lane way, shoveled around the Forester warmed it up then ventured out. Running good year ice grips. Roads have not been plowed. Getting out of the laneway,no problem Winding unplowed country road, no problem Hills, no problem Getting to the liquor store and back in piece..priceless Btw: Saw about 5 other cars out..3 of them subarus and the only other two cars in the parking lot at the liquor store..you guessed it subies.......

Ok thanks, wonder why anybody would ever buy from the dealer with that much discrepancy..

Just got off the phone with the dealer and they want $181.00 for the part. Yikes...is it important to use oem for this part??

I have a 99 Forester, manual. CEL came on and started hesitating. Before I could get the code read, the light went off and normal operation for a few days. Then the light back on and hesitaion. This has repeated it self for the last couple of weeks. I finally got the code and it is the knock sensor. Did a search on here and checked to make sure it wasn't loose and the connections are all clean. I understand from reading here that when the sensor detects a knock the timming gets retarded to compensate and that is what causes the hesitation. My question is: I know the part is not overly expensive (80-100) depending on where you get it but with xmas right around the corner would like to wait till Jan. What are the ramifications if any by waiting?

93 Forester 5 sp. Had a similar problem and found a big parking lot and did 15-20 figure 8's in reverse and this seeemed to have cleared up the problem, it hasn't returned..at least not yet..that was over a year ago.. apparently going in reverse forces the fluid back through those holes nipper was talking about and cleans them up. worth a try..