forester2002s

How are your head-gaskets? Your 2.5L engine may have the classic head-gasket oil-leak. There's a spot under the right-side gasket, just above the oil-filter that may leak oil. But I agree, that you should eliminate an oil-filter leak first.

You can replace the rocker-cover seals with the engine in place, but it's tight. On the LS, remove the battery and the W-W reservoir. On the RS, remove the air-inlet plastic pipes. But it's much easier to do if the engine is already removed for other work. For my 2002 Forester, I bought a Magnum kit VS25021 on Amazon, for less than $25. It seals the rocker-cover tight and dry. There's no sealant involved, just clean everything with rags, and bolt up. Take care not to overtorque the 10mm cover bolts, otherwise they'll snap off, or else strip the threads.

+1 for warped front rotors. If this was my car, I would install new front rotors and brake pads (they're due anyway).

First things first: Unplug the connector to the fan. Check if you have 12V at that connector, when the fan is supposed to be on. (Note: beware of rotating fan blades!)

BEFORE removing the old timing-belt: - Use a grease- or wax-pencil to MARK LINES on the belt, and on all the pulleys, and on the alignment marks on the block. - THEN take some PHOTOS of this original setup. - Then proceed... The few minutes that you spend doing this will save a lot of angst later.

Fuel-filter clogged (or partially clogged)?

That particular nut is one where I say to myself: "Who designed this terrible arrangement?", and then: "If that person was here with me now, I would give them a piece of my mind". However, there are not many such bad designs on my Subaru; far less than on other cars; the worst IMHO are the 'Detroit' designs, where I swear to myself continually about stupid layouts. For that lower nut, I use a swivel ratcheting/swivel wrench, similar to this one: http://www.sears.com/craftsman-12mm-locking-flex-ratcheting-combination-wrench/p-00942479000P?prdNo=40&blockNo=40&blockType=G40 (I can't recall if that nut is 12mm or 14mm; I've got both of these wrenches) The main problem is that you cannot see the nut, and wrench it simultaneously. You have to get in position to see the nut's location (best place is from above), and imprint that picture in your memory. Then (from underneath) blindly attach the wrench, by feeling with your fingers, and hope that you can get enough torque on the wrench to free the nut. Not the best arrangement, and not easy, but it works.

Can't help you with a diagnosis, but that's a great video!

+1 on the Oil Separator Plate leaking oil. It's hidden behind the flywheel. Do a search, and you'll lots of discussions about that plate leaking.

Does the axle free up a bit when you untorque the axle-nut? And if so, do you hear (or feel) anything unusual when you rotate the driveline?

Replace the coolant hoses: Upper rad-hose; Lower rad-hose; and Bypass hose; plus new hose clamps.

How important is it to add a lubricant to the refrigerant?

Is this a manual transmission? If so, it could be the clutch-pedal-switch that is faulty. Try jumpering the switch.

My car has a secret-switch that does 2 things: - A small red LED-lamp on the console lights up. Mine is a 'solid' light, but a 'flashing' light might be better. - The switch is wired in series with the clutch-pedal-switch (this is a manual transmission), so that depressing the clutch-pedal does not allow the starter to work (as it normally would). I've had something similar in all of my many cars. In the old-days, pre-electronic ignition, the secret-switch was wired in parallel with the ignition contact-points, thus making the distributor not work. I once saw a news item about car thefts. A 'reformed' car thief explained how easy it was to steal cars. The news camera followed the thief as he went from car to car. When he looked into a car and saw a flashing light, he said "I don't know what that light means, and I haven't the time to find out; I'm moving on to the next car".

I have bought most of my new cars through a local Leasing company. How this works is that you sign a leasing- agreement; the leasing period is essentially zero, with immediate delivery and ownership, with full warranty in effect. The Leasing company orders the car from a local Subaru dealership, with whom they have an arrangement. You pay the total up-front (or borrow what you need); my present Subaru was $300 over list + dealer prep & taxes. My local Subaru dealership hates this arrangement (I gave them the option of matching the price but they would not).

Those rattling heat-shield are sure a PIA. The biggest problem is actually locating the source of the rattle. I've tried hose-clamps, with some success. And I've tried stuffing material in between the heat-shields and the actual exhaust-pipes (I use clumps of St.St. pot-scourers, bought cheaply at a dollar-store). This works well for a while, especially once I've found the actual location of the rattle. But it's an ongoing battle (almost 10-years in my case). I've got the rattle cornered somewhat: the noise is only noticeable when cold, and goes completely away once the engine has warmed up. Others have suggested torching the shields off. But I haven't got to that point yet.

+1 for a Magnetic Pickup tool. And also for a small extendible Mirror. Both are available at Dollar Stores for cheap.

Blocked fuel filter?

Has anyone had any experience with Red-Angel A/C Stop-leak? http://store.gobluedevil.com/a-c-stop-leak-49496 My 2002 Forester has a minor leak somewhere in the A/C system, and I cannot locate it. On a fresh charge, the A/C works OK. But the system pressure gradually diminishes, until after about 24-h, the pressure is so low that the A/C clutch will no longer engage. The slow-leak started a year ago, after I took the engine out to replace the clutch; that required me to pull the A/C compressor out of the way over the side fender; and that caused the A/C hoses to bend sharply. But I've soaped all of the A/C components, and I cannot find the leak. And I've replaced the 2 banjo-bolt O-rings on the compressor itself. I'm looking at the Red-Angel additive, because it is compatible with R12 refrigerant, to which I have already converted. Any recommendations, or otherwise?

OK, I suggest that you test for 12V at the starter solenoid-coil. There should be a single light-gage wire that plugs into the side of the starter - NOT the heavy-gage wire for the starter windings. With the engine not running, unplug that light-gage wire. Test the voltage coming from the wiring harness into that plug, and compare to any engine ground: - depress the clutch-pedal to the floor, and hold it down. - with the ignition-key in OFF, ACC or RUN, voltage should be 0V. - with the ignition-key all the way over to START, voltage should be around 12V. IF SO, then the problem is with the starter. IF NOT, then the problem is 'upstream' of the starter.

You say that you've bench-tested the starter, and it was OK. Did that test include energizing the starter using the solenoid and its contacts?

It could be something as simple as corroded battery-clamps. Try removing both battery-clamps, and wire-brushing them clean before reinstalling. That would be a good starting point.

A loose gas cap will set code P0440 'Evaporative Emission Control System Malfunction'.

Something to do with the dog??

I have the same problem - my hatch latch-switch doesn't activate the 'door-open' warning lamp. If you figure out how to get into the latch-mechanism easily, please let us know. Thanks.