forester2002s

+1

Nipper: you are back! How nice to see your post. Over the many years that I've been on this forum, I have come to recognize the names of those posters who had something useful and relevant to say. And you are definately one of those people! So welcome back! COVID here in Western Canada hasn't been too severe, and by and large the population support our politicians and health care professionals. But I chose this weird time of self-isolating at home to have a heart-attack and open-heart surgery. Still in recovery in the hospital. We recently bought a new 2017 Forester 2.5 CVT, since my wife wasn't as enamoured with our old 2002 EJ2.5 5MT, which we also bought new (and which we still have). 2017 Forester: runs great, nice car. Lots of plastic, but these days plastic can be pretty strong. 'Eye-sight' works great, rear-camera, which I thought would be a gimmick, is indispensable. CANbus is a nuisance for me, as I like to delve into the 12V wiring system to make minor mods (eg windows won't open in ACC mode - very annoying). Radio and phone have to reboot each time the engine goes off - very annoying. Display has a rev-counter (unnecessary with the CVT) but no engine temp-gauge (what were the designers thinking?) And no cabin temp-gauge, only the temp-setting. Minor problems I suppose. And no dipstick for the CVT - yes really. But my wife loves the car, and it runs well. But my heart is with the 2002 EJ2.5, where I know every sensor by sight. But I'm an 'old-school' type of guy.

Potential liability. They don't want to get sued if the airbags fail to deploy. There may also be government restrictions dealing with used airbags.

+1. Photographs; photographs; photographs!

Wouldn't that clog up the filter?

May vary by year, but for a 2002 EJ251: - The left-side cover (looking forwards) Part#13278AA220 has an extra flanged pipe-stub, for the oil-filler tube. - The right-side cover (looking forwards) Part#13264AA143 is without the extra pipe-stub.

I don't think of Subarus as being low-maintenance. It's more a case of easy- (or at least easier-) maintenance than other makes. Just because other makes don't recommend a lot of maintenance, that doesn't mean that parts won't fail. Yes Subarus can live for a long time, but they do require maintenance, but this is made easier for the do-it-yourselfers.

I've had experiences like that, but it was a case of talking to someone more experienced, rather than their gender or their age.

I'm sure that others will chime in with more details, but this Wikipedia entry is a good place to start: Subaru EJ25 engine

http://www.car-part.com

www.car-part.com

Tighten Head-bolts? It may sound appealing, but I've never heard of this being recommended , nor of anyone doing it.

Maybe it's time for a coolant flush. Flush the engine, the radiator, hoses and remove and clean the overflow bottle. Then refill with all new coolant. That way you'll know whether any unusual deposits in the coolant are new or old.

To boot or not, that is the question ! (apologies to William Shakespeare)

Yes, that connector is easy to forget.

You were correct in trying that switch on the steering column; that's what it is meant to do (turn off the parking lights). The switch could be faulty. Try prying the switch up and out; then disconnect the switch from its wiring to see if that solves the problem. Otherwise, there could be a problem with the wiring deeper down in a wiring harness.

The AC compressor-clutch doesn't activate unless the signal-wire has voltage applied to it (this happens when the refrigerant is at the correct pressure). If the compressor is removed from the engine, the belt-pulley should spin freely.

I don't bother with an engine stand. Just use a few blocks of spare lumber on the garage floor. It's not perfect, and OSH may not approve, but it works. And it's not that difficult to remove the engine, but you do need a lift of some sort.

Long shot: In case the valves are sticking, try an oil+filter change.

My 2002 Forester, which has the EJ251 engine, does have the timing belt guide.

Take the joint apart, reverse the donut, and reassemble.

I would be cautious about tying the seat-heaters into another existing circuit. The seat-heaters draw quite a bit of power (they are 'heaters' after all), and could easily overload a circuit designed for something else.

An overheated bulb-connector might be caused by a non-standard bulb. Some folks use high-intensity (and therefore high-wattage) bulbs to get better lighting from the headlamps. Worth checking the other side as well.

History of Subaru CVTs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Subaru_transmissions#Continuously_variable

The EJ25 engines typically have peak torque at around 4000 r/min. And torque drops off quickly below 2000 r/min. So I tend to keep the engine speed between 2000 and 4000 r/min (for my style of driving, there's rarely any need to go higher than 4000).