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I've seen TV shows where they press and pack bearings and it's a bit beyond what I'd do myself at home.
-mike
Hopefully these new wheel bearings fix this issue.
-Frank
2) I had a riped cv boot, had a local shop swap the front axle shaft with an aftermarket pos. Now I get a vibration. He swaped it again for the same aftermarket pos and I still get the vibration. ANy experience this with aftermarket shafts.
-mike
Of course it is possible that something else is wrong but the symptom appeared immediately after the CV shaft swap. The shudder or vibration is at low speed and typically tires show problems at higher speed. My tires are in poor condition and will swap them and see if it makes a difference.
You mention you swapped oy may CV shafts with aftermarket and had no issue. Was that on all wheel drives Subaru's or regular FWD cars.
Thanks...
-mike
Funny thing was Tire Rack said they would not fit. Discount Tire Direct said they would, so they sold me the tires.
They never rubbed, but it was very close.
I had aftermarket rims with a different offset, though.
If you do this, just measure it closely. The tightest clearance is at the rear strut base. Make sure there is room there for a taller tire.
It works out to about 11mm taller tire, so a tad less than half an inch taller.
Check there, and also check the front tire through full lock steering, left and right. That's also close.
There's not much room, but 65 series tires aren't that much taller, either.
-Frank
We are considering used Subaru Forester 2003 to 2005, how reliable it is?
What are the common problems to expect? Head gasket? Bearings? - please be specific.
Which one is better in terms of reliability turbo or non-turbo?
Thank you for your help!
The revised head gaskets arrived in 2002, IIRC. You should be fine there, too.
Inspect the head and valve cover gaskets, plus the front and rear main seals for oil leaks, as you should for any used car you shop for, really. Drive in a figure 8 with the windows open and the radio off, listen for any strange driveline noises.
The good news is with AWD any problem will make itself obvious, you should hear or feel it.
The difference is the S' bumper is painted body color, the L's was unpainted.
You can attach it with 3M two-side tape.
-Frank
Thanks - by 'side impact protection' do you mean side airbags in the seats? That's how the 2003-2007 models are listed in the MS CarPoint comparison chart.
Yes, sorry I didn't clarify that. The front seat mounted airbags also provide head protection.
-Frank
The curtains (new for 2009) added protection for the rear seats, though.
Given that I may somehow permanently lower the rear seat to prevent my 16-year old from having more than one passenger, I don't mind the lack of curtains :P
After a long drive, to be sure the battery is fully charged, I would reset the ECU, to give yourself a clean slate.
Just disconnect the negative battery terminal, wait 20 minutes. Have your key fob handy, reconnect the battery but be ready to lock/unlock with your keyless a couple of times to stop the flashing lights and beeping.
At least that gives you a clean slate to start with.
Len
Those can read and clear the codes, so we know more.
A while back I recall that Kate used a bottle of HEET to remove water contamination from the fuel lines, and that helped. Maybe he just got a bum tank of gas.
My guess is the original windshield broke and they replaced it with a cheap one, instead of one with the heater element.
If you bought it from a dealer I would take it back and complain.
Report 1) the catalyst system efficiency for bank 1 (which I guess is cylinder 1) is below threshold for the current engine operating conditions. As one of the probable causes, the report says that it could be a defective catalytic converter.
Reports 2) and 3) are the same: that a misfire has occurred in cylinders #3 and #4, for which a probable cause is faulty spark plugs.
I plan to replace all four spark plugs and hope that this will do it. Is there anything else that you think I should be doing? Many thanks for all your help with this.
Try the plugs first. Next in line would be the wires. Lastly, the ignition coil. Don't worry, the coil is just $80 and there is only one, plus it's very, very easy to replace.
That should fix it, let's hope.
My '09 has AWP and my wipers don't rest on the heating element thing; they sit above it...don't seem to be able to move them either. Wondering if it's something I should mention at the next service?
Assuming the wiper blades rest somewhere close to the heating elements, I wouldn't worry about it. The heating elements will warm a fairly large area of glass.
-Frank
That photo is just a sample, I don't think it's a Subaru.
They will melt the whole area around them. Also, if you're pushing slush beneath the wipers, that's just where you want them - to melt the stuff that piles up there.
Thanks for that. It's pretty nice having knowledgeable people to ask advice for advice! Especially when you're not a car guy...
I had the 'coolant conditioner" added every time coolant was changed. Obviously this didn't do the trick.
I understand SOA has a warranty but just for pre-2003 models and under 100,000 miles.
Despite that, would it still be worth calling SOA to see if they would help pay the $1,400 expense for a known defect?
Also, is this an inherent problem with boxer engines, where fuel/oil and other corrosives are in longer contact with the head gasket, eventually leading to the problem?
At 119k, though, all bets are off. You're at double the powertrain warranty's mileage. I'd be surprised if they helped, but call 800-SUBARU3 and ask, can't hurt I suppose. Be friendly, you get more flies with honey.
I had snow tires on a 98 Forester and it was virtually unstoppable.
On worn touring tires, well, let's just say it was easy to coerce it to drift on demand.
I am sure we all know the little trick of applying the e-brake to help your car rotate around the corner if you start to plow. I do it occassionaly but can't recommend it, seeing that it depends on speed, conditions, experience, Etc...
We haven't had a bad Forester yet. My wife's cousin has an 02, and my brother has an 08. Both of those have been very good vehicles too. There have also been a couple of Legacys around the family. Our extended family has never had a bad Subaru.