forester2002s

Could be that the OP was committed to an Insane Asylum, a few days after asking his question?

I wouldn't say that Geolanders are that bad. They appear to be made of fairly soft rubber, which makes them grip the road like a cat, but they wear out fast. If money is no problem, I would leave them on, and just replace them when worn out.

Do a search for 'hesitation'. There have been lots of posts on this board. What I have found (on my 2002 Forester 5MT) is the following: - Start the engine, and drive off immediately = Hesitation at slow speeds. - Start the engine; idle for 10 seconds, then drive off = No hesitation. The other thing that you can try, is to reset the ECU (by disconnecting the battery for 20 mins).

http://techinfo.subaru.com/html/referenceHome.jsp USD35 for 72 hours access to the whole site for downloads. Do a search on this site for tips on how to do the download most efficiently.

This reminds me of a safety tip that I learnt: - When using jumper cables, ALWAYS TURN YOUR HEAD AWAY when making the last connection to the battery. All it takes is some errant hydrogen gas, and then a small spark, and BOOM. At least if you look away, you might save your eyes.

I use a 'club' for the same reason: Why try to steal my car, when the one parked next to it is easy pickings? And so my club is nothing special, just the cheapest one that I could buy at Walmart. Sometimes I don't even bother to lock it! But there it is in full display.

Subaru sell Factory Service Manuals on-line at: http://techinfo.subaru.com/html/ixSearchNkSm.jsp?level=1&model_year=1998&vehicle_line=Impreza You can either pay for specific portions of the manual, or else pay USD35 for a 72-hour access to download any and all of Subaru's technical info. It is all in pdf format. Do a search on this forum to find tips on how to do the download.

If you are reading 6.5V on the ignition switch during 'start' (and the starter doesn't turn over), try tracing this voltage back to the battery. In particular, what voltage do you read during 'start': - on the battery clamp? (if only 6.5V, then you may have dirty battery terminals). - on the centre of the battery post? (if only 6.5V, then you have a deceased battery). And you could also check the voltage between the centre of the negative battery post to ground on the engine block (this should be near 0V even when cranking).

I can't really help either. But, I have a similar problem with my overhead garage-door opener. During the winter, when the garage is colder, the opener works fine. But in the summer months, the door will close on its own, usually just a few seconds after it has been opened. Its been like this for a few years now, and is quite repeatable. Definately temperature-related. I assume that something happens to an internal electronic component, which changes the device's logic. Maybe your remote is doing the same?

I used to have a gas-guzzling Dodge V8. To get through the e-test, I used to increase the idle speed as far as I dared. In my case, the V8 would fail on the idle test, and this helped get it passed. The test centre had a max limit on the idle RPM, I think that it was either 1100 or 1500 RPM. One time I was over the limit, the engine was screaming at idle; the testman let me get away with it, but warned me: 'not the next time...' And one other obvious tip: make sure that the engine is good and hot before going in for the test.

I use the cheapest API-tested oil that I can find (usually at WalMart). I change the oil and filter every 3000km (2000 miles). And I use Fram filters. I know that they have a bad rap. But I've cut several open after changing them, and they all look fine to me. Is there any evidence that Fram filters cause engine failures? In over 40-years of maintaining my own cars, I've never had an oil-related engine problem.

My 2002 Forester has two outlets. The dashboard outlet is controlled by the ignition; and the other outlet is in the cargo hold, and is energised all the time. Is your Outback the same?

2002 Forester: 87 Octane (RON+MON)/2 = No pinging. BTW, a build-up of carbon deposits in the combustion chamber can cause pinging, even with the correct fuel. Try a gasoline additive for a while, and drive at high-speed for a few long trips. That might burn off the carbon deposits (if you have any), and get rid of the pinging.

If you do this (with a ground jumper), just be VERY careful not to touch the ground jumper onto any live (12V) terminal. Otherwise you'll get one heck of flash, and probably blow some fuses.

1995 Models: Lots of Head-Gasket problems. 2005 Models: Few HG problems. Any connection with mileage driven?

My 2002 Forester has front floor mats (actually not mats, but carpets; perhaps I should call them carpet-mats). The one on the driver's side is attached to a floor-post in the rear left corner. From day one, the carpet decided to exhibit a counter-clockwise tendency, and consequently it rides up towards the left (under the clutch pedal), and folds itself into the left-side wall. Occasionally I shift it back into position, but now the left-side of the mat is bent, and it sticks up in the air! The passenger-side mat has no floor-post, so it just slides forward up towards the bulkhead. Both mats have a pattern of raised nipples on the underside. I think that these are supposed to grip the underlying carpet, preventing the mats from moving, but they don't work.

And check that the battery terminals are tight. A loose battery terminal could give you intermittent loss of electrical power, and might cause the starter symptoms that you have described.

I couldn't find a Legacy hitch on uhaul.com, but have a look at this site: http://www.hitchesonline.com/auto_hitch_selection.htm If I read that site correctly, they show the same hitch for all Legacy wagons from 1990-1999.

Before resetting the ECU (which involves disconnecting power), just try starting the engine and letting it idle for about a minute. Then drive off. This might do the trick.

I had an annoying squeak in the trunk of my Forester. It turned out to be the spare wheel sidewall rubbing against the spare-wheel well. I tightened the spare-wheel clamp-screw down hard, and that fixed it.

Two ways around this problem: - Go to a car junk-yard, find the exact same connector, and cut it out of the old car. Then splice it into your car's wiring (solder connections are best IMHO). - Go to an electronics store (Radio Shack?) and find a similar connector with the same number of wires. Then splice that in. Of course, if you think that you'll never to need to disconnect the faulty connector again, then you could just discard it, and make a permanent solder-splice in its place.

What's a 'flip key'?

I bought a little OEM touch-up bottle (with small brush in cap) from my Subaru dealer. I think that it was about CAD$12 (about US$8). It's OK for touching-up small areas or chips, but obviously not for a paint-job.

Yes, this really works on my 2002 Forester: - Start up, and drive off immediately: Causes engine hesitation and surging. - Start up, idle for a few seconds then drive off: No hesitation, car behaves properly. I have been testing this out for the last few weeks, and it seems to be the answer to my hesitation problems. I use a car ferry every day, and they ask drivers not to idle their engines on the ferry; so I always used to start-up at the last possible moment, and drive off immediately. WRONG thing to do in a Subaru! Try it, you'll like it!

My 2002 Forester has the seat-heater switches in the centre console. Do you have seat-heaters? If not, then you may be seeing the pre-installed wiring for that option.