forester2002s

This site might help: http://www.cars101.com/subaru/keyless.html#05 legacy program remotes

Could also be the oil-pressure sensor, which is located on top of the engine.

If anyone has been near my lugnuts with an impact-wrench, I loosen them as soon as I can, and then retighten them with with the wrench that I carry in the car. Would hate to have a flat on a dark & stormy night, and not be able to get the wheel off.

Could also be noisy tappets. First thing to try is to do an oil+filter change. This sometimes works.

If the worn tires are already on the front, you may need a front-end alignment.

If the car is leaning back, you may need to replace the springs as well. The struts ((shocks), on their own, only dampen vibrations. It's the springs that set the height. And I agree 100% with your plan to 'reset' the maintenance cycles. Good plan.

Another thing about V-belts, is that they only bend in one direction. They won't do a reverse bend without cracking. Whereas a serpentine-belt CAN do a reverse bend, so they are like a serpentine-snake. The timing-belt on Subarus is a typical serpentine-belt

Grossgary: Check supermarket parking lots for concrete curbs. I've often seen shade-tree mechanics at work there.

"How to post pictures?" If you're using a full browser, click on <More Reply Options> at bottom right. Then <Choose Files...> to attach.

Could be a problem with the ignition switch? Thinks it to be OFF when key is ON. Thinks it to be ON when key is OFF. Weird!

There's a thread somewhere on this forum; it's a few years old, but it covers clock-problems. Do a search. If I recall it properly, there's an iffy solder-joint on the clock's circuit-board. I fixed my 2002 years ago, and it has worked just fine ever since.

Don't buy from Mizumoauto unless they specify the manufacturer of the belt. And then only buy if it is a known good make, eg Gates. I had a faulty belt from Mizumoauto, and they just ignored all my attempts at contacting them. Be warned.

You were lucky. A rear-ender, with 40mph relative speed, would more likely result in enough damage for it to be written off. Yes check the body carefully. Glad that you're OK.

All that sludge points to a lack of frequent enough oil changes.

Personally, I would only use a split-boot as a very temporary fix. Even then, I would probably try wrapping a torn boot with cling-wrap and tape, before trying a split-boot. But only as temporary fix to buy me time. There's a reason why car manufacturers don't use split-boots.

If you could find the correct wires under the dash, then you would be able to troubleshoot Volts & Ohms from there. That would tell you if the switch was behaving normally, or if the problem was located somewhere else. But you'd need a good wiring diagram.

Is there any resistance on the top of the clutch fork when you try to push it by hand? Or does it feel loose?

Soak the threads with a penetrant/lubricant for several days. Those nipples shear off easily.

I have a set of snow-tires mounted on their own (steel) wheels. I put these on the car for about 4-months each winter. I watch the weather forecasts, and put the snow tires on when the ambient temperature is below about 5C (40F), even if there is no snow. The soft rubber gives good grip on wet roads, deep snow, and hard-packed snow. I never have to worry about getting stuck. These tires are now 8-years old, and I see no signs of the rubber getting hard. Mind you, I keep the car in a garage at night, and keep the snow-tires stored out of sunlight when not on the car. The snow-tires are noisier on pavement, than my summer tires, and I'm usually glad to get them off at the end of the cold weather.

It's probably leaking when you're driving, so the oil-drops get blown away. Try parking with the engine running, with a piece of cardboard underneath. Maybe the leak will show up.

Your timing-belt should be OK, after only 20,000 miles, IF it was either OEM or other good make e.g. Gates. However, I've had two no-name T-Bs deteriorate badly soon after replacement. Check the T-B for surface transverse cracks, especially on the backside of the belt.

First click unlocks driver's door? Second click unlocks all other doors?

Could be a torn rubber-boot on one of the rear CV-joints. The torn boot would fling grease from the CV-joint on to the muffler or tail-pipe, causing smoke (and a horrible smell!) And the 'knocking' could be the CV-joint failing from lack of grease. But it could also be any number of other things...

I have taken my rear diff out, and reinstalled it (2002 Forester). Following advice that I read somewhere on this forum, I did not remove the two rear wheel hubs. Instead, I did the following: - Lowered the exhaust by unclipping the 4 rearmost rubber hangers (3 on muffler & 1 forward of the diff). I temporarily supported the weight of the exhaust using a long zip-tie on the rearmost hanger. - Disconnect the drive-shaft at the forward end of the diff (4 bolts) - Then disconnected the diff from the forward steel bracket (4 horiz & 4 vertical bolts) - Disconnected 2 nuts at rear of diff. - Slowly lowered front-end of diff, and pulled the diff forward to extract the two rear studs from the cross-member. (to do this, exhaust needs to be pulled gently towards the floor. - The two, left and right, drive-shafts can then be pulled out of the diff, and supported temporarily. And you're done! It's not too bad a procedure You'll need a trolley-jack, and loads of pieces of timber shims. There's a better write-up somewhere, maybe even a video.

I have always found that an oil and filter change does wonders for quieting noisy lifters.