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Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

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Comments

  • grahampetersgrahampeters Member Posts: 1,786
    G'day

    It looks an interesting concept. The Prius looks very attractive as a commuter option but I wonder how it would go for longer trips. The Highlandder option looks even more appealing. However, I do wonder how they will get on for electric motor sealing etc. given that AWD is occassionally used for fording streams etc. Probably got it covered but it will be fascinating to see.

    Cheers

    Graham
  • once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    a bit off topic here, but the electric motor in my EZ-GO golf cart is a 36 volt DC motor that is completely sealed. Problem is, it also heats up under continuous use. So it is possible to make them water tight, but they need cooling.

    Another example: electric submersible motors for water pumps. Cooling no problem for them as long as water is flowing past the motor.

    John
  • once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    just for us techies, the electric motor shaft on the EZ-GO directly drives the rear differential via a step down gear. There is no rotating shaft or seal exposed to the elements, as the motor and differential are close coupled with a gasket.

    John
  • grahampetersgrahampeters Member Posts: 1,786
    G'day

    Yes my ponderings are around how they would dissipate heat from a sealed electric motor. In most industrial applications, they rely on air cooling. In a vehicle where the motors are presumably fairly close to the rear wheels, it could be an interesting challenge

    Cheers

    Graham
  • ballisticballistic Member Posts: 1,687
    However, I do wonder how they will get on for electric motor sealing etc. given that AWD is occassionally used for fording streams etc.

    Which, unless they do it really well, raises the question: What happens if you drive your electric vehicle onto an ocean beach and through a bit of conducting saltwater? Or, more common, on slushy salted roads?

    Short city?
  • samiam_68samiam_68 Member Posts: 775
    Ballistic, I wonder how those electric powered submarines cruise around immersed in salt ocean water....hmmmmmm......
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Graham: good point, a few early Priuses (Prii?) have had issues with that. At least Toyota has experience with that and knows it needs to be addressed.

    -juice
  • ezshift5ezshift5 Member Posts: 858
    body cladding is Teflon? I'm really impressed!
    That seems like a good idea....ez
  • ballisticballistic Member Posts: 1,687
    how those electric powered submarines cruise around immersed in salt ocean water..

    Very quietly. ( - ;

    I can tell you firsthand that we drilled constantly to handle various casualties, and the deadly chlorine gas that would be produced if seawater reached our battery compartment was one of the major threats prompting the training.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I should have said teflon-like. It may be teflon coated, actually I'm not even sure...

    Keep it clean, though, and you could call it a non-stick surface.

    -juice
  • mydonnermydonner Member Posts: 1
    Juice, thanks for the note above re warranty extension for head gaskets. My local mechanic told me after having my '99 Forester in (for my 2nd rear bearing!) that the gasket had a slight leak. I Googled into this site and found your message, called my Subaru dealer and they told me to bring it in! No guarantees, b/c "it's not a blanket policy." Any idea about what criteria they use? Luckily I found this at 95K miles. Thanks for any additional info.
     - MD
  • raybearraybear Member Posts: 1,795
    One of the criteria is regular maintainence, preferably at a Subaru dealer.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Keep service receipts/records, you should regardless. If you do stuff yourself, register the service at My.Subaru.com, works like a charm. I actually have a 3-ring binder with everything I've ever done, even tire rotations.

    My OCD Club membership is secure...

    Hmm, if it needed new bearings twice, they probably used the wrong parts the 2nd time around. They started using Legacy parts for those, and failures are very rare.

    Let us know the outcome.

    -juice
  • casecom2casecom2 Member Posts: 72
    Finally took my '03 Forester to the dealer to have my DOA seat heaters checked ... turns out it wasn't the heating elements, wasn't the fuse ... they took out the center console to examine the switches and found that they had never been connected. The thing was unplugged!

    Drove home with the bun warmer set to "toasty." Just in time, too ... current temp: -9 degrees F
  • suydamsuydam Member Posts: 4,676
    Thought I would share with anyone thinking about getting a Forester why I have one. This morning it was -5 F. My 5-year old Forester started right up, and seat heaters warmed me up and the de-icers cleared off the windshield and mirrors. Made it down my steep winding driveway with about 5" of snow on top of packed ice. Drove down an unpaved road to walk my dog on the trail and then on to work. Every winter like this I remember all over again why this "cute-ute" is so sturdy and reliable.
    '14 Buick Encore Convenience
    '17 Chevy Volt Premiere
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    sounds like a commercial. Staring...you! Did you take your dog to work with you? ;-)

    Casey - My OB didn't have its rear power outlet connected. Worked great Tuesday to blow up one of those tube sleighs.

    Greg
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    OK, I'm jealous. No seat heaters here and it's coooold, brr!

    -juice
  • suydamsuydam Member Posts: 4,676
    Actually, I do sometimes take my dog to work. I'm fortunate to teach at a rural, extremely dog-friendly college, which is why a car that was greatfor my dog was one of my priorities when looking for a car.
    '14 Buick Encore Convenience
    '17 Chevy Volt Premiere
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Hmmm, sounds like Subaru needs to work on their final QC before vehicles leave the factory. In my 01 Forester the wiring harness for towing wasn't connected.

    -Frank P.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Did you get a hitch port installed? If so the mistake was made at the port.

    -juice
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    To be honest, the instructions are terrible. They give you a couple of black and white drawings, with little/no instruction. I managed to figure it out mostly by poking around and just being handy with stuff like that, but a novice might get lost.

    -juice
  • once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    at 14 k miles: my'03 XS MT gave me 31.3 mpg. If it had been smooth sailing through LA, it would have been higher. 725.6 miles, 23.17 gallons of 87 octane. Good thing too, San Diego gas was $2 a gallon.

    John
  • once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    the Forester was impressive over the Grapevine with the mega crosswinds. Solid as a rock. My Trooper could seriously get blown a lane over before recovery. Granted, the Forester profile is lower, but does the AWD stabilize it also?

    John
  • once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    is the seat height adjustment. When it is all the way down, my legs lose circulation from the tilt of the front of the seat. When I raise the seat, the tilt changes more favorably but the seat scoots forward at the same time. What has anyone done about it? IIRC, washers under the rails, etc., can you give me a follow up report.

    John
  • once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    I had a question how the 5 speed would react in cruise going up the grapevine. I had it set at 71 mph and I thought it might not be able to maintain. Wrong again.

    John
  • ezshift5ezshift5 Member Posts: 858
    ..you are a real contender for top honors in the fuel efficiency category. Well Done..ez
  • allhorizonallhorizon Member Posts: 483
    Hey John,

    Perhaps I passed you on the Grapevine (see my message #3320 in the XT section...). How well do you think the NA Forester would have done at ~80mph with, say, 500-600lbs of load? Do you think the suspension/ steering would have been more of a limiting factor, or a lack of power? I am just curious how car-like the Forester felt to you in that situation --- the power issue could be dealt with by picking the XT.

    - D.
  • ballisticballistic Member Posts: 1,687
    When it is all the way down, my legs lose circulation from the tilt of the front of the seat. When I raise the seat, the tilt changes more favorably but the seat scoots forward at the same time. What has anyone done about it? IIRC, washers under the rails, etc.

    I have the opposite problem - the seat base in my XT is too "flat", and to get sufficient support under my thighs I need more angle, not less. I hope eventually to put spacers of some sort under the front mounts to raise the front edge an inch or so.

    It really is unfortunate that the 2nd-generation Foresters give only a single height adjuster, instead of separate adjustments for the front and the back of the seat base.
  • fryingbolognafryingbologna Member Posts: 85
    We are just emerging from a nasty little run of cold here in the Great White North. Monday and Tuesday of this past week I was forced to park my car at work unplugged, left all day (7:30 AM to 4:30 PM) with daytime highs of -22 Fahrenheit, with a west wind driving the temperature even lower.

    "Casper" started each day - with some hesitation and a high squeal - and quickly warmed up a few minutes after driving away. The seat heaters are really great as well.

    All I would add to this set-up for cold spells like this is a remote starter. I had one in my 96 Sentra that was replaced by the Forester, and it worked great. Is there anyone out there who has a remote starter in a newer Forester?
  • mtngalmtngal Member Posts: 1,911
    "perhaps I passed you on the grapevine..."

    What type of mileage did you get on the Grapevine (I read your post on the XT board). I'd be interested in comparing the gas mileage between the NA Forester and your XT. I wonder if that extra power and effortlessness would be worth it for me, since you could have easily passed me on the Grapevine - I drive it just about every day. While I'm not in a position to buy yet, I'm thinking about the Forester and wonder if I should go with the XT and its extra fuel cost.
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    mtngal- As far as you drive every day I'd think twice about getting the XT. Sure you'll love driving it and it'll satisfy most of your needs but you may come to resent it when you constantly have to stop for gas. Certainly if anybody needs a fuel efficient car it's you and that's not one of the XT's selling points.

    -Frank P.
  • akasrpakasrp Member Posts: 170
    Installed my splash guards today - noticed somebody dinged my passenger door - hard enough to chip off a small bit of Aspen White paint. <sigh>
    Anyway, any tips/suggestions on best touch-up?
    My old white honda&#146;s touch up paint yellowed - don&#146;t want to go through that.
    Has anybody used Subaru's Aspen White touch-up?
    Anything better?
    I recall seeing somebody on the web selling 'touch-up pens' for small scratches and dings.
    Hoping for success stories.

    -srp
  • ghgemmerghgemmer Member Posts: 5
    This is a rather long winded post but here goes.
    I have a 2001 Forester S, and in the last week on two evenings where the temperature was 0 degrees on one and minus 3 degrees on the other my idle started to act weird about a 2 minutes after I started the car. It would go down by about 600RPM for a second then back up by 600RPM and keep doing his until the car stalled (sitting parked in the parking lot). After starting the car a few more times and giving it gas to hold the RPM steady eventually the car warmed up enough in 10 minutes to stop this behaviour. The other time I drove off before the behaviour started and about a quarter of a mile down the road the car would suddenly reduce its speed dramtically all by itself. This continued on and off for a few minutes then the behaviour disappeared after the card had really warmed up.
    I normally use premium gas but the last fill up I used a midgrade ethanol blend. Thinking I had moisture in the fuel line I added some heet (and topped off the already 3/4 full tank with premium gas) the night the behaviour started and the next day things worked fine. But about two days later again on an evening below 0 the behaviour reappeared. This same behaviour happened about two years ago one very cold night but this is the first time it has occurred since then. Any ideas? I just had the 15000 mile checkup in Oct 2003 and everything was fine. I plan on taking it in to have it checked out but I'll have to pick a day when it is expected to be below or around zero to hopefuly reproduce the problems.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    31.4! Schaaaa-weeet!

    Stumbling at idle - I was going to suggest DryGas, but I think Heet is the same stuff.

    My other suggestion is to prime the fuel pump. Turn the key to the on position, but pause for a second before cranking the starter. You'll hear a "whirr", that's the fuel pump.

    Modern fuel injection systems prime fuel pressure up to 60 psi or so. Compare that to your tires at just half that. Getting the pressure up makes sure the fuel is fed to the engine so it doesn't starve.

    -juice
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Juice- Sound advice but don't think it's applicable in Greg's case since his problems don't begin until after the vehicle has been running for a couple of minutes.

    Greg- Certainly something you want the dealer to take a look at. It's going to be tough for them to reproduce though unless you leave it overnight (when you know it's going to be real cold) and convince them to start it first thing in the morning. Hopefully your description of the symptoms will help them diagnose it also. By the way, I'm jealous that your 01 has so few miles on it! Mine had 4 times that amount when I traded it.

    -Frank P.
  • rsay777rsay777 Member Posts: 100
    I have used the Subaru touch up paint that you can get from the dealer. I used the Platinum #01G for the X and it matches great. I would practice on a place that doesn't show (inside the door) so you can wipe it off. Depending on the size of the "ding" some different size brushes would help. The tip of a tooth pick is a good applicator. Wait until the weather warms up though. Bob L.
  • once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    "What type of mileage did you get on the Grapevine (I read your post on the XT board). I'd be interested in comparing the gas mileage between the NA Forester and your XT. I wonder if that extra power and effortlessness would be worth it for me, since you could have easily passed me on the Grapevine - I drive it just about every day. While I'm not in a position to buy yet, I'm thinking about the Forester and wonder if I should go with the XT and its extra fuel cost."

    I don't know specific MPG going up the grapevine. Low, would be my guess.

    Frankly, the more I drive my XS, the less need I see for an XT. Power is adequate everywhere. It holds 70+ going up a hill. Since you are a regular on the grapevine, then you know about the trucks going up at 40 mph. IMO, doing 80 going up is just asking for trouble given how much lane switching happens there.

    BTW, the CHP were in full force on the grapevine last week. They had 3 pulled over for speeding going Northbound last week.

    The XT wasn't out last February when I bought. If it had been, and it could have given me 25+ regularly, I would have chosen it. I might be in trouble today though, because I certainly get a nice adrenalin rush from speed and my competitive nature would possibly have won out when faced with a challenge.

    No regrets, the XS is all and more than I thought.

    John
  • ballisticballistic Member Posts: 1,687
    the more I drive my XS, the less need I see for an XT. Power is adequate everywhere. It holds 70+ going up a hill.

    I would agree, so long as you never want to pass a semi or a car-towing motorhome going uphill on a 2-lane road...
  • joseph50joseph50 Member Posts: 235
    2001S. On these cold mornings, I turn the key, the starter starts turning the engine, then all is dead silent for a full 1/2 second, followed by a "vroom" of the engine. This strange start-up mode is the first of this type since I have had my Forester. Is the battery trying to tell me it is dying?
    Thank your for your follow up.
  • mtngalmtngal Member Posts: 1,911
    For the report on the Grapevine. I guess I get tired of downshifting to 4th to maintain 70 mph on the steeper parts (my idea of struggling uphill), so like the idea of the turbo. You haven't helped me justify the extra cost, so I probably won't go that way.

    There is always a large CHP presence at the top, which is probably a good idea. I always cringe when I see someone driving fast/passing in the right lane, since those 18-wheelers sometimes can't even go 40 mph, and there are a number of drivers (mostly on Friday evenings) who drive the Grapevine at 90 plus...
  • akasrpakasrp Member Posts: 170
    You haven't helped me justify the extra cost, so I probably won't go that way.

    FWIW, I specifically got the XT for my Hwy 14 - 138 - I-5 (including the GrapeVine) - 166 - 1 to the Central Coast trips.
    Summer/ AC/ Loaded/ two-lane safe passing/ all that.
    Always liked the Forester but never was an option, for me anyway, until the XT came along.

    srp
  • dede2897234dede2897234 Member Posts: 6
    ghgemmer,

    Besides owning a 2003 Subaru Forester XS, my wife drives a 1997 Chevy Cavalier. During the last three weeks when the temperatures in Northeast Ohio were in the single digits and teens, my wife's car would hesitate to start (usually would require two attempts to start the vehicle). Once it did start, the car would shake terribly. To prevent the car from stalling after starting, my wife and I would have to press the accelerator for about 15 to 20 seconds. After driving the vehicle for about 5 minutes to reach optimum engine temperature, the vehicle would shake a little bit but exhibit no tendency to stall. After my father and I changed the spark plugs and the ignition (spark plug) wires, the car would start on the first time. In addition, it no longer shakes and exhibits no tendency to stall. The Cavalier starts and drives just like it was brand new! After my father did some detective work, he found out that one of the ignition wires had severe corrosion due to water infiltrating one of the ignition wire terminals. If I were you, ghgemmer, I would remove your existing spark plugs and see if there are any carbon deposits (replace any with carbon deposits). If your spark plugs are fine, I would remove your ignition wires one at a time to see if rust has formed on one or both lead ends (replace all 4 ignition wires if rust is present; be sure to squeeze some dialectic grease inside both ignition wire ends to prevent water and later rust from attacking the ends). I hope this helps.

    Dave
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    Just catching up, and I believe there was a question about touchup paint.

    I have had very good luck with the Subaru touchup paint, it seems pretty good. I also recommend using the Langka kit:

           http://www.langka.com/

    This allows you to fill chips and remove excess touchup paint (ie, no blobs). Using this method, I can pretty much make chips invisible on all three colors we have (silver, green, and red, all metallic). I generally apply 2-3 coats of touchup and then use Langka to remove the excess. Works like a charm.

    Craig
  • akasrpakasrp Member Posts: 170
    The blob control stuff sounds great.
    How about a final clearcoat?

    obsessively yours,
    srp
  • dede2897234dede2897234 Member Posts: 6
    Joseph50,

    I own a 2003 Subaru Forester XS. For the past three to four weeks in Northeast Ohio, the day and nightime temperatures have been in the single digits (almost below 0 degrees Farenheit) and the teens. When I had the original Panasonic 350 CCA battery in my vehicle, it would hesitate to start. It would take anywhere from 4 to 6 seconds to start. Once I replaced my original battery with a Sears Diehard Gold 640 CCA Group 35 battery, it would take between 2 and 4 seconds to start on those cold days. Joseph50, I think that the delay you experience on start up by your vehicle is normal. I think it is one of the inherent characteristics of the Subaru boxer engine. I hope this helps.

    Dave
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    I've been able to fairly successfully blend in scratches and chips using the Subaru touch-up paint and the Langka kit. I actually have had better luck blending in the Black Diamond Pearl upper body color than I have with the Slate lower body color.

    Ed
  • lfdallfdal Member Posts: 679
    Would you use the same steps on clear coat if you had a "blob" spot? I'd think you'd only need the clear coat for really big scratches. Or being parked next to a careless behemoth on a parking lot :<(

    Larry
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    FWIW, I'd still pre-pressurize the fuel system.

    My '98 L feels peppy at full throttle, actually if you never sample the XT I don't think you'll ever feel the need for more power. Note I said need, WANT is a different story...

    I've towed and driven up mountains and passed on 2 lanes, just not all 3 at the same time! :o)

    Sample an XT, and it's all over. Everything else seems downright slow. And yes, you could probably do all 3.

    Joseph: you can have the battery load tested, but they're so cheap, and so vital, that I'd replace it. Get one with more CCAs while you're at it.

    -juice
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    try turning your headlights on for 30 secs or so before starting the car. The draw on the battery will warm it a bit before the larger starter draw.

    Greg
This discussion has been closed.