Jscottrob

Ok, here goes. My girlfriend put a piece of black electrical tape on the dash, to cover the check engine light. In addition to that, she also covered the oil light. Needless to say, the engine does not start now. It cranks and turns over, but doesn't sound too good. It's a 2000 forester S. I'm not a mechanic, and have no idea how to fix it. I have a friend who can, and he is rather inexpensive. A friend has a 97 forester, with 200k he is willing to just give me, he is getting a new one. He states there is something wrong with the trans. Some switch/spring problem that would require dropping the whole thing. What should I do? Thanks, Scott