forester2002s

You're right! My Forester does that that extra bracket for the prop rod. Right on the right-side suspension 'hat'. I was looking in the wrong place. I was expecting a second hole somewhere on the inside of the hood! Thnaks for pointing this out.

My 2002 Forester doesn't have that secondary hood-prop. However, the hood will push back to the vertical, and stay there. This works well inside the garage. But I'm not sure that I would trust it outside on a windy day. EDIT: I was wrong, there IS a secondary hood prop on my car. See my correction #38, a few posts down.

This is an interesting topic. Unfortunately, I have no first-hand experience to offer. But please do report back, if you do make this change. I, for one, would love to know what you find out.

As each piston reaches TDC, you'll feel resistance as you turn the crankshaft. And as the piston passes TDC, the resistance disappears and the crank turns suddenly on its own. Take all spark plugs out, and the crankshaft should turn freely.

... and hidden from view! It has a yellow plastic handle, which helps a little to find it. It is also hard to maneuver out, and even harder to get back in. Good luck!

My 2002 Forester 2.5 also looks just like this. It's been leaking for the last couple of years (on the left-side only, the right-side is as 'dry as a bone'). It uses about 1L oil per 5,000km (about 1USQuart per 3,000miles). And it doesn't drip on the floor, so the oil probably getting blown away when driving. I just keep an eye on it (wipe it off occasionally), and check my oil-level religiously. For now, it's not a problem.

My 2002 Forester has 16" wheels. The original Subaru mags have a 48 mm offset. The aftermarket steelies (for snow tires) have a 42 mm offset. When mounted, the offset is such that the centre of the tire's tread is CLOSER to the car than is the mounting face for the wheel.

About lifting the engine: - Use the 2 lifting-points that others have mentioned (1 on rear near wiring-connectors, & 1 on A-C/Generator bracket); - Use a Leveller-Beam between the hoist & engine. Mine is a 3/4 Ton (750kg), & cost $30. With the engine partially-lifted, you can adjust the Leveller-Beam to tilt the engine this way & that, and also adjust the jack to raise & lower the transmission slightly. This helps get everything in line, and is particularly useful when reinstalling the engine. Good luck.

Thanks for this tip. Yes, I've been using WD40! I'm going to try ATF + Acetone. (ATF means Auto Trans Fluid, right?) What proportions would you suggest?

Thank for the replies. I would love not to have to remove the long outer lateral-link bolts, and take out the rear-diff that way. Can that really be done? It seems to me that the output-shafts engage into the rear-diff by quite a bit. I haven't tried prying out an output-shaft from the rear-diff, since I've assumed that it wouldn't work with the wheels in place. I have been following the procedure in the FSM, which says that the lateral-links must be disconnected from the wheel, so that the wheels and output-shafts (rear-axles) can be pulled outwards freely, and be withdrawn from the diff. And I've also found this write-up, which suggests the same thing: http://www.scoobymods.com/showthread.php/diy-upgrading-replacing-rear-differential-14270.html?s=041abbabc731a0fd38f9148b3b5bc0ec& Has anyone managed to get a rear-diff out, without messing with the rear-suspension? By the way, the reason for wanting to work on my rear-diff, is a rumbling sound from the rear-end, and the subsequent finding of a loose output-shaft. I've edited my original post to add the 'rear-end rumble'.

2002 Forester 5MT, 205,000km I am trying to remove my Rear Differential, to fix it (I think that one of the output-shaft taper-roller bearings is worn - I have a rear-end rumble & about 1mm radial & axial play on the output-shaft at the diff). But I am stuck on the first step of the procedure. I cannot get the suspension lateral-links (front & rear) disconnected. I cannot remove the long outer lateral-link bolt (#20540AA000). This has a 19mm hex head, and is about 150mm (6") long. I can remove the 19mm nut, and I can turn the actual bolt with difficulty, using lots of lubricant and a long breaker-bar. But the bolt will not move along its length to remove it. I've tried hammering on the loosened nut, but the bolt won't move. How can I remove this bolt? I'm reluctant to use heat, as this will destroy the rubber bushings. But maybe that doesn't matter, as it could be that a rubber bushing is seized onto the bolt any way. Any advice for me? Thanks. EDITED to add "a rear-end-rumble"

The EJ251 engine in my 2002 Forester weighs 119 kg (262 Lbs). I had trouble finding this info online, so I thought that I would post it here. I had taken the engine out to replace the clutch, and before resting the engine on the floor, I weighed it on my bathroom scales. Not exactly 100% scientific, but close enough. The weight is for a bare engine: - No oil; - No coolant; - No A/C pump; - No Alternator; - No Power-steering pump. But includes: - Flywheel and clutch; - Timing-belt, all idlers and covers; - Main drive-pulley; - Rocker-covers and spark-plugs in place; - Engine-mounts attached; - Intake & Exhaust manifolds attached.

I found this 5-year old thread while trying to solve my clutch problem. This poster had the same symptoms that I had, and mine resolved itself suddenly just like in his post. I had changed my clutch in my 2002 Forester 5MT. I changed the friction-disc, the pressure-plate, throw-out bearing with new clips, and the pilot-bearing. All new parts from Subaru. The engine went back in OK, and it fired up first time. So far, so good. But with the engine running in neutral, and the clutch-pedal to the floor, I couldn't change gears. When I tried reverse, the gears grinded. When I tried first, the synchromesh wouldn't let me in. There were no unusual noises from the clutch. It was as if the clutch was clamped firmly together. With the engine off, I could change into all gears. I left it overnight, then I checked and rechecked the clutch-pedal, the slave-cylinder, the clutch-fork. All seemed to be working OK. I asked myself: Could it be a broken clutch-fork? I had checked the fork visually, and had seen no problem with it. Could it have been the pilot-bearing seized? But I had installed a new Koyo pilot-bearing, and used the splined alignment tool to center the clutch-disc. I was on the point of pulling the engine, when I came across this post. So I tried starting the engine in first, then in reverse, each time allowing the car to lurch forward or back, and then immediately braking hard to stall the engine. After a while, I sensed that perhaps there was a slight improvement, so I went for a drive. My plan was to drive down to the mailbox in first gear. I started off, and out of habit, I changed into second gear: it worked! All gears worked! Reverse as well! Something that had been sticking, had now freed itself. If I hadn't read this post, I would have probably pulled the engine. So thanks to the OP! EDIT: Afterthought - If I've learnt anything from my experience, it is to do a trial-assembly of the friction-disc to the splined input-shaft of the transmission. Next time I'm doing a clutch job, I'll add that intermediate step of temporarily sliding the new friction-disc onto the splined-shaft, just to make sure that it moves freely, and that there is nothing to catch on. And only then will I assemble the clutch to the flywheel.

I spray WD-40 into the PCV valve periodically, and then give it a good shake before reinstalling it. After doing this for 10 years on my Forester, I felt guilty and bought a new PCV valve. But I've kept the old one as a spare, because it seems to be perfectly serviceable.

It could be that with 'regular' fuel, your engine is knocking on acceleration. Or should I say 'trying to knock', because the Knock-Sensor will attempt to prevent knocking by adjusting the timing automatically. So with changed timing, you get reduced performance/acceleration. Using higher-octane fuel, the tendency to knock is reduced, and you get normal acceleration. Why is your engine knocking? I don't know. Back in the old-days of leaded-fuel, combustion chambers were prone to a build-up of deposits. When these got bad enough, the hot-deposits could cause pre-ignition with the familiar knocking sound. But that is all in the past, now that we have unleaded-fuel and computer-controlled timing. Anybody have any other ideas?

Bad engine mounts?

Have you tried using higher-octane fuel, to rule out the knock sensor?

And thanks for posting your progress, including the glitches. I'm going to be doing the same work on my Forester soon, and reading this has helped me get prepared.

Have you tried higher-octane fuel? Perhaps the knock-sensor is doing its job.

You might have a leak from one of the roof-rack side-rails. Water can get in through one of the mounting-studs on the roof. Water can then drip down the inside of the roof-liner and exit somewhere inside the car. In my case, I had a pool of water in the trunk; but it could equally well find its way to the carpet.

Could be a leaking headgasket. The leaking coolant would be swept back towards the firewall. Check the lower rear portion of the headgasket to see if it is wet to the touch.

If you do this, make 100% sure that the transmission is in Neutral or Park, with the parking-brake set. Otherwise the car might lurch forward unexpectedly.

Start with something simple: - take the battery out of the key-fob ((or take the fob a good distance away from the car)

Different brands of tires may have different handling characteristics: - different internal construction (number and construction of plies). - different tread design. - different rubber compound. All of this can affect road handling. At the very least, you should have the same pair of tires of the front, and another pair on the rear. In other words don't put mismatched tires on the front, nor on the rear. However, even this can result in dodgy braking. My own preference is to have all four tires the same.

Glad you found the problem. And thanks for reporting back with the solution.