1 Lucky Texan

I admit to being fairly ignorant of Foresters. One thing to consider is if the car has a cabin filter and how dirty it might be. But, honestly, hard to know how that might affect vent selection unless some debris is blocking a 'blend door' or something.

whether it has ethanol in it or not, run the higher octane rating fuel in the H6. Lower octane will lead to a little knock, that will cause the ECU to retard the timing. Some say, the car also gets more/faster carbon buidlup in the cylinders with regular gas. You could try the mid-grade in winter and run the hi-octane in summer. I run high octane year round.

If they came on the car, don't have uneven pad deposits, aren't cracked from the drilled holes or at the minmum thickness - just run them. But, as said above, a daily driver does not get any benefit from them. In fact, modern pad materials even for racing do not outgas as badly as in the past so, even some track cars wouldn't need them. Of course, if you're gonna track the car regularly, you would need to use w'ever combo rotor and pad works best for you. If you plan to refresh all 4 corners, get Centric premium rotors and try Centric PosiQuiet Ceramic pads - good value. If you track occasionally - or zoom around in a spirited manner all the time, upgrade the pads to Stoptech Street Performance. On a car that old, you should consider all new rubber lines too. maybe 4 in the back (?) and 2 up front? not sure. That old rubber probably balloons a lot and fresh lines won't - more solid brake pedal feel. Fluid flush might be a good idea too.

^^^^ good post. I wouldn't discounta dragging brake caliper or even a pebble stuck between the rotor and dust shield

ah, I only considered the green connectors and rejected that as he didn't have relays and fans activating... bet that's what it is. probably masking an evap code!

I have never read of this. waiting for the gurus to explain it......

just to be certain, are all the tires the same? same model and same wear-level?

I'd be concerned that I got a bad new part or there was a wiring problem. maybe temporariliy put the old one back in?

csprings - you should not have added fluid if the stick indicated full. Also, make certain you are not using the front diff dipstick on the passenger side. (don't scoff, it's happened before) any part s store can read the CEL - post the code here. For <$20 , you can get an elm327 device to use with a smartphone and a free app like Torque and read your codes yourself.

The main problem with used, inexpensive 'sporty' cars is - they have often been reamed-out by kids. The advice above about being OVERLY cautious on researching the car before purchase is CRITICAL. (I love my 06 WRX wagon)

quite a project. Be sure the final drive of the new tranny matches your rear diff - or just get the entire drivetrain and motor and ecu from a WRX.

with the engine idling, have you checked the level with the dipstick? usually, you have to pull the stick, wipe it, and wait 3-4 minutes before taking a reading, and do the same after adding fluid (add 1/2 pint ata a time near the full marks - unlike the engine dipstick, the low-hi marks are only about a pint apart on the tranny stick.)

frozen u-joint or possibly carrier bearing problem. fuel smell and evap 'could' be related. Sometimes the fuel filler neck has corroded holes behind the plastic.

could you have slipped cam timing? One or 2 teeth might just drop power a little. at 211K miles, you're due for the second TB change unless it was just done.

If this car is new to you, perhaps a previous owner swapped in a transmission or rear diff with improper final drive ratio? But, definitely followthrough on the fluid change - perhaps try an additive to the trans fluid as well.

any signs of rodent damage? they will chew wires.

if you want a project, maybe check into a frankenmotor.

have you looked for a WRX or STi engine?

I also think a bad cam sensor will prevent the ECU from sending fuel but, not sure. maybe scan for stored codes?

when you cycle the key to on, can you hear the pump run for a few seconds?

there just might be some useful images in the cabin air filter replacement section at cars101.com .

I used one of these; pour slowly. I used one of these for the rear diff.

what's wrong with the rotors? Keep them unles they are below the min. thickness. you can also try https://www.knsbrakes.com/ and http://www.rockauto.com/ as mentioned above, quality ceramic pads will feel like the stock soob pads for less money. good time to have them adjust the parking brake too.

maybe crank or cam position sensor?

not sure what the complaint is. Is it unable to re-start after a short drive? in only 4-5 blocks, I'd think the car is still pumping xtra fuel in cause of the xtreme cold. So, it may be possible the fuel is washing down the oil in the cylinders or condensing w'ever. I have read of folks who move their car a short distance, shut it off to close a gate or garage door, then the car won't start after they return. Next time, try starting with your foot on the floor. FI systems detect that as a 'clear flood' condition and will hold fuel back during starting.