heartless

right there... ^^^^

sorry to say that if it is the rear separator plate leaking, the only way to fix that is pull the motor and re-seal. and if you do that, you may as well do a few other things while it is out.. full timing update (at 110k if it hasn't been done, it needs it - not to mention the age thing), reseal oil pump, new cam cover seals, etc. just easier to do all these things with the motor out and fully accessible.

and age is exactly the reason I decided to get new tires last fall... the ones that were on were going on 4 yrs old, and starting to get cracks in between treads - meaning dried out. Still had lots of tread left, but cracking is bad Sadly, we did not get the dual range in Foresters here in the USA - in any form. the last ones to have dual range here were the old 80s GLs the 95 Legacy I had I did a Forester strut swap on, and used the Forester wheels too, so it sat quite a bit taller than stock. it still felt more planted on the road to me. The Forester does fine, don't get me wrong, especially with good snow tires, it just feels different after driving Legacy wagons for so long. as for manual vs auto - i would love to have a manual again, but foot problems preclude that... can't use a clutch anymore, too painful.

this is funny, because I feel the opposite.. my old 95 Legacy (with forester struts) felt much more "planted" on the road than my 2002 Forester does (both automatics) The Forester does fine, but it just does not "feel" the same to me. slightly lighter weight and shorter wheelbase I am sure contribute to this "feeling". i would love to have another 95 Lego again, a nice clean, mostly rust free, LS model... *dreams*

False. Aftermarket wires are KNOWN to be problematic, causing all sorts of weird issues, most commonly random misfires. Plugs should be NGK, wires should be OEM or NGK only. Any other brand is suspect

perhaps the selector is out of alignment with the tranny internals? honestly, I have no idea, just a thought..

as much as i like my Forester, I would rather have a Legacy/Outback wagon again. lol gonna be honest here, and i know this is not what you want to hear, but as a young person, stay away from the STI/turbo/high performance stuff. They are expensive to purchase, expensive to maintain, and expensive to insure. keep it simple. maybe something a little newer, sure, i get that.

just had a similar problem with my 02 Forester - found out the small metal lines that the vent tubing connects to were rusted shut! including the ones to that little switch assembly. rusted so badly they snapped when i tried to pull the rubber tubing off. got a new filler neck, with a new switch on it - installed, and presto, no more problem.

best starting point here is ... what is your ultimate goal? what do you want out of the car?" if you simply want reliability for a daily driver, the one you have is perfectly fine for that. Get all maintenance up to date and keep it there. This includes a full timing service with cam and crank oil seals, timing belt, pulleys, possibly tensioner & water pump. And while all that is going on, check the radiator hoses carefully - replace as needed. Also of note - most aftermarket thermostats are not recommended for a Subaru - get OEM for that if you need it - cost is a little bit more, but well worth it in piece of mind. Basic tune up would include new plugs (basic NGK copper cores) and maybe wires (either OEM or NGK only - do NOT use parts store brand wires, they do not work well on a Subaru), new air filter - please keep that stock, the car will be MUCH happier that way. Older Subies benefit from new vacuum lines as well - buy it by the foot, 2-3 ft worth if possible of, i believe, 2 sizes, and cut to fit one piece at a time. There are a couple of small ones under the intake on the passenger side that get very hard/brittle - kind of a pain to get at, but worth changing them. Get the brakes up to snuff. You do not "need" to get fancy here, the stock brakes work fine if things are in good shape and lines properly bled. if the brake fluid is dark, you will want to do a full flush - dark fluid = moisture... moisture = bad. as mentioned before, the only real "upgrade" i would do to this car is a small lift. this can be accomplished with Forester struts, or a proper lift kit. I went the Forester strut route on a 95 Legacy I had and loved it. You mentioned your current Subie is an LS model - does it have the air suspension? if it does, things are a little more complicated, but nothing you could not handle if you are even remotely mechanically inclined. It would simply include disconnecting the air system (the pump lives in the drivers side front fender in front of the wheel well - would have to pull the inner liner to get it out, or simply leave it there like i did, lol.)

agree with the others, there is pretty much nothing you can do to that car that wont be more cost & headache than actual "upgrade" the only thing I would do would be a mild lift. I had a 90 LS wagon and that car, in bone stock form, was a little tank. I would love to have another one.

not for heat it isnt.. on the other half's Outback (USDM), the outside mirror heat is connected to the rear defroster.. not sure about other markets, tho

hmmm... may have to check into whether or not it affects the other half's 06 LL Bean Outback.. we had it in for the 1st recall..

my 02 Forester has fog lamps on the far left, then cruise on/off in the center position, but also has one blank nearest to the steering column, not sure what it would be used for.

just as an FYI - GD builds Subarus for a living, and he is DAMN good at what he does. When he tells someone not to do something, one should probably take the advice that said, as a female, I have done more things that i was told not to do, or that I "can't" do (because of being female) than you can shake a stick at. Mostly because I was told I couldn't.. yes, i did run into things that i could not do well, or needed help with, but many things I did, and did well. But, I am also wise enough to listen to those with far more experience than I have in certain situations. GD is one of those people. rebuilding an engine - any engine - is not a simple task. listening to the advice of those that have the experience is just good common sense.

good luck, and keep us posted on how things go. i did the Forester strut swap on a 95 Legacy wagon, and absolutely loved it. Wish I still had that car (except for the rusty, leaky if more than half full gas tank)

two completely different things there.. Rod knock is bad, without a doubt. Piston slap is pretty much totally benign. yes, it sounds like a$$, but is harmless. Most noticeable when engine is cold (cold weather makes it sound even worse). Once warmed up it goes away - rod knock will not.

if you can get a socket up in there & access thru the grill, it doesn't hurt to try. I feel for ya, either way. Mine is the opposite, tho - have a hard time getting it to latch properly sometimes.. have to spray it down good and manually work the latch a few times when it starts acting up

I would start by putting those NGK wires you have on hand into service. Store brand wires are known to cause misfires, and all sorts of other "weird" issues. I have learned this lesson the hard way, no way will I EVER use store brand wires on a Subaru ever again. OEM or NGK only for my Subies.

a sure fire way to avoid getting counterfeit plugs (and often other parts) is to not buy them on ebay. buy from reputable sources - either locally, or known good suppliers with online stores (ie: not ebay!). Problem solved.

what kind of wires? it does make a difference. wires should be OEM or NGK replacements only. NO parts store wires! and i would run the plugs that are specified for the engine. double check the gap is correct.

yup, what Numbchux said.. The newer cars disable CC to get your attention. And it works, too Read the codes for the CEL, correct the issue what ever it is, and the CC should return to normal operation.

odds are that the oiliness is from the cam cover seals being shot, not the headgaskets. make sure you reseal the oil separator plate on the back of the engine.. if it has a plastic cover, get the metal replacement & the screws to go with it (the screws for the plastic cover are too long to use with the metal one).

perfectly normal. the trans is looking for certain temps internally before shifting. all of the auto trans Subies (3 so far) I have had have done this.. the colder it is, the longer it takes for things to warm up enough. it was so cold one time that it took nearly 5 miles for that final shift - yes, I was a little concerned, but it was just the one time when it was absurdly cold with high winds so wind chill was ridiculous. edit to add: the 90 Legacy had over 200K, the 95 Legacy was up to around 265K when i sold it, and the 02 Forester currently has about 257K - all did/do this when it is really cold out.

that is kind of like saying all (insert ethnic reference here) people look the same.. there are similarities, but there are also many differences. and i doubt very much that the item pictured above is actually Japanese.

yeah, Rock Auto is usually ok, i do a fair bit of business with them, too, but not for sparkplugs. Those I usually buy locally