Was getting ready to do some pretty major front suspension work on the 04 Forester yesterday.. and soon realized it was just a tad beyond putting that money into it..
We knew she was pretty rusty underneath, but just how bad it really was didnt hit until we started really looking at what needed to be done... the old girl is going into retirement - immediately.

packed the parts we had already ordered back up - they will get returned for refund...

jumped on craigslist and started looking for a replacement... and we found a little gem that had been posted only 2 hours before - a 2001 Outback wagon, in that pretty silvery green color.

with 184K.. 5 spd, and immaculate inside. has a bit of the typical rust in the wheel wells, but not bad, and partner says the undercarriage looks fantastic - like it has spent its life in a garage. This car has been VERY well maintained. Have receipts for the major work of headgaskets and timing, new clutch not long ago, and a couple other things. Well worth the 2 hr trip to see it, buy it, and bring it home (another 2 hrs).

it does have 2 codes currently - one for knock sensor (easy fix) and one for the O2 heater circuit.. but it still ran great, drove very well and I am a very happy camper.   Been wanting to get back into a wagon for some time now, LOL

One thing i did notice on the drive home was an intermittent vibration... very mild, but definitely there... would come and go... seemed to come on while pulling a hill... any chance this could be related to the knock sensor?

Will get some pics up later.. havent taken any yet, LOL

 

Enjoy and best of luck with it. 

That vibration could be a drive shaft, it’s possibly running the tripod style inner CV joint driveshaft. 

Or the tyres are slightly off balance. 

Cheers 

Bennie

Happy to bring a rust free Colorado Subaru back to WI for you.  I've done half a dozen over the years for family and friends.

Enjoy the new to you Subaru,

I suspect the driveline as well. 

Best to disconnect it at the rear end  and see how smooth the joints feel.

CV 's can give a vibration on acceleration.

Tire ballance is always worth checking.

Enjoy your new outback, I consider the second generation to be the best ones made.

honestly, not too terribly worried about the vibration at this point - it seemed like it only happened at freeway speeds, and I really dont use the freeway much, so... 🤷‍♀️  it is so mild, and comes and goes that to me, it really is not a big concern yet.

side note to that... checking the receipts over a bit closer yesterday, when it got a new clutch put in not too long ago (around 141K - has 184K now), it also got a front axle put in, and my bet is that vibration is the aftermarket axle - anyone else want to take that bet? LOL

my plan is to take it to my local mechanic that i trust and have him put it on a lift to get a good look at things underneath - do a thorough inspection of everything.. also think it needs an alignment

2 hours ago, lmdew said:

Happy to bring a rust free Colorado Subaru back to WI for you.  I've done half a dozen over the years for family and friends.

Enjoy the new to you Subaru,

If we had had more time to think about things, and to look around, i probably would take you up on that offer! LOL but it was a "need a car NOW" situation - and we got darn lucky to find the right car at the right price at the right time.
The underside of the Forester, unfortunately, is looking like swiss cheese... not really safe anymore. It gets retired, but we might keep it around for a while since it does have a good motor and trans in it - and axles... gonna have to check into interchangeability there... if they will swap, i will grab one off the Forester.

On 10/22/2023 at 10:00 AM, heartless said:

 

One thing i did notice on the drive home was an intermittent vibration... very mild, but definitely there... would come and go... seemed to come on while pulling a hill..

 

Front CV axle and it'll be the inner joint that's bad.  If it's a subaru, clean and regrease the joint.  The grease will be gone or pour out like a bucket of water. If it's aftermarket, install a Subaru axle. 

5 hours ago, idosubaru said:

Front CV axle and it'll be the inner joint that's bad.  If it's a subaru, clean and regrease the joint.  The grease will be gone or pour out like a bucket of water. If it's aftermarket, install a Subaru axle. 

yup, pretty much my thoughts on it.. the axle that was put in was only $110 - i doubt it was a genuine Subaru axle

just wish the forester axles would swap, but that is no go - inner ends are different