forester2002s

There's a switch especially for the parking lights. It is on the top of the dashboard just ahead of the steering column. I bet that it has been accidently switched on. Just switch it off, and put some tape over the switch.

Trans. and diff oils: In my experience when draining gear oils, a small amount of grey-fluff on the magnetic-plug is normal. And the drained oil might be slightly opaque, a hint of grey in an otherwise clear oil. And a few tiny metallic chips are to be expected. This is just normal wear on the gear surfaces. This never seems to go away, even on a high mileage vehicle. On the other had, a lot of grey-fluff, and really dirty oil is bad news. And large metallic chips (especially in the transmission) are a sign of hard service. My point is not to expect the drained oil to be in pristine condition.

I don't get it. The timing belt doesn't have that much load on it. It just drives the camshaft(s) and the water-pump. And in any case, wouldn't the parking brake be on whilst in transit?

How's the oil level in the rear-diff?

Pretty slick. But I wonder if the headgaskets will still leak?

Torque also comes into the equation. Your 2002 5MT Forester puts out peak torque at about 4,000 rpm. And the 5 speeds are chosen to allow adequate torque in each range. The automatic 4EAT has 4 gears, and these would also be chosen to give adequate torque, but with different speed ranges than the 5MT. With the old carburetted engines, one could achieve lowest fuel consumption by using a vacuum-gauge connected to the inlet manifold, and using the throttle to control vacuum level. I don't know if this still works with the new-fangled computerized fuel-injected engines. Does anyone know?

Bump. Any resolution on this?

Door switch?

I had a water-leak in the roof of my 2002 Forester. Water leaked in around the rear mounting-bolt of the roof-rack rail. The water ran down behind the roof-liner, and behind the rear side-liners, and then out onto the cargo-floor. It took a while for me to figure this out! I wonder if such a leak could get into the rear lights?

At the risk of asking the obvious, is the 'virgin switch' on the top of the steering column accidently switched to the ON position?

That should work. The wiring diagram for my 2002 Forester shows that the wiring connections for the washer motor are mostly inside the combination switch. The washer switch feeds two pairs of wires: One pair connects internally to the Intermittent Switch module (this is what triggers the wipers); the other pair feeds externally to the washer motor. One could disconnect this external pair of wires from the combination meter, and then reconnect them to a new push-button. The P-B would then energize the washer, but not the wipers.

Just bleeding the brake fluid may make the pedal feel firmer. So, it would be hard to factor-in new hoses too.

I don't understand your question. What brake problem are you trying to address?

125 psi of air pressure on a caliper to move the piston? No thanks. My life's not worth it. What you have is a small bomb, ready to explode and launch the piston where you least expect. Air is compressible, and can store energy when pressurized. Be very careful!

I agree. I buy the cheapest oil that meets API standards, and change it often. Usually the cheapest that I can find is Walmart's own brand. In over 50 years of driving, I've never had a lubrication-related failure.

15 seconds? If it takes that long to fire, then the car has other problems.

Could be just a question of terminology. After all, Taiwan is officially called the 'Republic of China'.

Not good! Without knowing how these 2 failed, it is possible that the other 3 have also been overloaded in some way. If this was my car, I would replace all 5.

I have my snow-tires mounted on steel rims. The rims are supposedly for Subarus, but the centre hole is too large, so there is clearance to the hub. I have run these rims for about 10 years, without any problems whatsoever. PS I make sure to tighten the 5 wheel-nuts 'gently', alternating 1-3-5-2-4-1 etc., so as to make sure that the rim is centered correctly before the final torqueing-up.

Ditto. Ditto. Ditto. I once worked on research into the expected lifespan of gears. Keeping the oil clean, especially during the early stages, is crucial to the longevity of gears.

There's also an adjustment to the parking-brake lever (under the central console-cover - on some models) http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2779

It's a long shot, but are the batteries in your new remote OK? You should be able to pry the case apart and then measure the battery voltage.

Well done! You had a problem. Figured out what was wrong. And are fixing it with less-than-ideal resources (no lift, & no concrete floor). When this is all done, you deserve to feel good about it all. It's a kind of a Zen thing.

I have to admit that I'm a bit confused about the warped heads. Are the heads warped because: - the head-gaskets have failed, allowing some coolant seepage? or - the engine has overheated, causing the head to warp, which in turn caused the HGs to leak? i.e. which comes first, failed HGs or warped heads? Or to put it another way, does engine overheating have to be present for the HGs to fail?

Is the same stuff that Subaru recommends? The 'Holts' sealant?