By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
Larry: two questions - what year? And what tranny?
There might be some Phase I vs. Phase II differences, but even more likely, auto tranny models have oil coolers standard (cool, eh?), so the oil filter mount might look different and even be in a slightly different location.
Blocks are both similar EJ25s.
-juice
The oil cooler itself is a heat exchanger nearly identical in size to the oil filter. With it installed, the bottom of the oil filter is about even with the bottom of the oil pan, otherwise the filter is tucked up closer to the engine block by the length of a filter. Coolant lines run from the heat exchanger to the passenger side block drain located right next to the oil filter and the thermostat housing cover on the lower radiator hose.
It's an easy add-on for anyone driving a MT 2.5 - you couldn't ask for better access. Ours is a phase II. YMMV if you've got a phase I, I'm not familiar with that engine.
We added it because we tow a camper (and because I think it ought to be standard on all engines, personally).
hth,
-brianV
Who can confirm that the 2.5T has an OEM oil cooler standard ?
-brianV
What's funny is the auto is rated to tow 2000 lbs, while the 5 speed can tow 2400 lbs, and it's the auto that gets the cooler standard.
-juice
Both cars are MY03, both are automatics both are stock units from the factory, so that's why I expected them to be exactly alike.
Larry
-juice
Larry
How's that soundproofing project coming along? I'm curious to hear the results and apply those that might make sense for me, especially when it comes time to replacing tires, which will still be a while since I'm just coming up on 4K. I was pleased to see that the roof rack's cross rails are to go, as they did before I even drove off my dealer's lot. With the room for my bike in the cargo area, I've no use for them and their noise AT ALL!
Re: fog lights, I could never figure out why they come on in conjunction with, instead of, regular beams. Not with high beams, sure, but I think regular beams destroy their utility just as well. Any thoughts?
My stereo upgrade remains a work in progress. The Polks are installed in all four doors along with the tweeter kit near the mirrors and the 200W 4-channel Power Acoustik amp is tucked under the shotgun seat. If I'd do it again, I'd put it under the driver's seat, since there's less chance of it being knocked by someone's feet back there in that already cramped space, thanks to my own long legs. Adjusting its output and tuning it is taking some time, though, and if my tastes ran to rap, I could crank out some serious bass with that unit. But right now the installers are getting the balances and faders properly set, so once that's done I'll be able to provide a proper report.
Haven't tested my own mileage yet, but it was nice to pay under $1.40 a gallon for a change while I was back in the Midwest. $1.55 is a rare find in the world of SD gas prices.
To the guy who's moving from CA to Hyde Park: check out the NW Indiana Subaru dealers. Probably closer to you than most outside Chicago, and definitely less expensive, thanks to lower taxes and overhead. Take a ride down US 41 to Schererville and Merrillville and you should be able to find a few nestled among the White Castles along the way.
Proper foglights ought to have both the wide, low, sharply-cutoff beam pattern AND sufficient power to reach out a reasonable distance. They would indeed work better with the main headlamps off.
However, I have yet to find any factory-installed foglights with the requisite power and range. Running on them alone, I think you'd be seriously overdriving your lights at anything much above 20-30 mph. Therefore, it's probably not a bad thing that the weak foglights can't be used by themselves.
jb
jb
Bob
jb
Thanks,
Walter
-brianV
Bob
jb
We have a financially strapped friend with a '98 Forester in dire need of new tires, we're talking way past the wear bars into the bald territory. They are 205 70R15, IIRC.
I recently upgraded our TS's wheels to WRX wheels, and I'm wondering if:
-Our OEM TS wheels will fit our friends Forester? (pretty sure this won't work since offset for Forester = +48mm & TS = +55mm, from a previous post by Hypov) TS = 6" wide rim, FWIW.
-Option #2: Sell her just the TS tires (195 60R15) to be mounted on her OEM Forester wheels, and keep our TS rims for some snow tires later. I know the circumference and sidewall are different... other than changing gearing and speedometer and odometer... will this even work? Any other problems or downsides? It'll probably look kinda funny, but sliding off the road or blowing out a tire would be worse.
Thanks for any feedback!
utahsteve
yes, I was that unfortunate to wrack my right fog light (5 days old car). Plastic housing is gone and it looks like metal piece that holds it in place and provide for adjustments is bent. So what are my options now. Is it a specific Subaru part that I have to go to dealer, and what kind of money am I looking into? Or, can it be obtained from other sources?
Thks.
Kid
Did I read/remember that correctly? Is there a exact CR issue that can be cited so I can look it up for myself?
Thank you.
Mind if I ask where you take your car for service, and are you happy with them?
Anyone else in the San Diego area have a recommendation? Thanks.
John
Still, you're lowering gearing by 8%. That will hurt gas mileage, and it will rev high on the freeway.
Whatever savings they have on tires will cost them in gas in the long run, not to mention more wear and tear. Plus it'll lost a lot of clearance, and look just plain silly in those huge wheel wells.
I was going to suggest lightly used tires, but even then, with AWD it's important to match sizes closely, so no, I wouldn't even recommend that.
Call Tire Rack and Discount Tire Direct, ask for their generic tires. Overall you'll do better with those vs. TS tires or used ones, IMO.
-juice
My soundproofing project is progressing more gradually than I would have hoped, but I'll have some data to post this weekend.
Summary of work done so far:
o Removed roof rack cross bars
o 3 coats of QuietCoat on the cargo area floor
o 3 coats of QuietCoat under rear seat
o 2 coats of QuietCoat on underside of hood
Details: Cross bars
It was easy to remove the cross bars: Subaru provides the required Torx wrench in the tool bag with the lug nut wrench. They're currently living in my storage unit.
Details: Cargo area floor
I removed the spare tire cover and the left and right-side floor pieces. They're held in place by plastic clips and require a little tug to get them off. I didn't manage to remove the forward-most floor piece (the "umbrella holder"): it seemed quite securely attached, and I didn't want to break the styrofoam. I also removed the plastic trim that surrounds the rear hatch strike plate.
Details: Rear seat
The rear seat in the Forester is secured by one bolt on either side (behind your calves if you’re sitting), plus a hook at the back center of the seat cushion. Simply unscrew the bolts, lift the front of the seat cushion, and push the seat back and down to release the hook. Once you lift the cushion out of the way (it’s light and fits in the cargo area), you’ll see both bare metal and some asphalt melt-sheets. You’ll also find 2 holes in the sheet metal covered by thin, black plastic dots, plus a bit of wiring. I lifted the wiring out of the way, but covered the entire surface with the QuietCoat.
Details: Hood
Using a paint scraper cushioned with electrical tape, I popped off the 9 plastic buttons that secure the heat shield to the underside of the hood. I then applied two coats of QuietCoat to the entire surface, including those areas not covered by the heat shield, and then reinstalled it. I did the hood for the heck of it, really: most of the time, engine noise is drowned out by wind and road noise, and coating the firewall would have had more affect on the cabin (but way more complex than I’m willing to attempt).
QuietCoat: Usage notes
It’s viscous and thick. The first coat creates a “thirsty” surface for subsequent coats (a plus). Use a drop cloth when coating an under-surface such as the hood. The color is dark gray. Stray glops can be blotted out of carpet with a wet rag if you act quickly. According to the manufacturer, you must allow 4 hours between coats, and then 7 days for curing and maximum sound reduction.
Decibel measurements:
I purchased a digital sound meter and found a lousy stretch of freeway in San Jose: 280 between 87 and 101. Concrete, grooved, potholed, your basic noise nightmare. Pre-project sound measurements ranged widely with the changes in pavement quality, but averaged between 78 and 80.5 db. This is quite high, I realize, and much higher than magazine tests of the Forester (which are probably run on better pavement in controlled conditions). But it’s my real-life drive, and I’m trying to improve life on the street, not in the lab. I’ll take new measurements this weekend and post them.
Pending project: QuietCoat on the doors
I still plan to remove the interior door panels and apply QuietCoat to the sheet metal, but I had trouble removing the door handle trim and lost my nerve, not wanting to damage the interior trim. Can anyone offer advice and encouragement?
That’s all for now
Eric
John
I don't necessarily like that the shop has to service Dodges, Hyundais, and something else besides the Subarus, but the service writers are attentive and the work has been good.
Steve
Try using a cargo cover, too. Maybe measure the same stretch with the cover open, and then closed.
-juice
Bob-
I'm 85% sure Hella has them in the form of the Xenon Micro DE in Foglight version. I have this in Driving Light version mounted in the grille and had used them in fog condition during my trip up to mike's cabin in Caroga Lake. From a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate the denseness as a 7. With the HID it appears that I gained ~20ft visibility over the stock head/fog light combo. Despite of the curtain of mist being emphasized I was able to see the road and detect objects more distinctively.
-Dave
Too bad I'm not looking to sell my OB tires or wheels, those would fit nicely
utahsteve
Whoa! On the 03, the speaker grilles are molded into the door panel, and not removeable.
--
This ought to help with door panel removal:
http://content.subarunet.com/snet/business/fixedops/guides/Forest- er_2003MY_Speaker_Upgrade_Kit_IxI.pdf
The hardest part is getting the trim ring off from around the door handle lever. Based on experience with other Subarus, I've found it's sometimes easier to loosen up the whole lever assembly (there's a hidden screw) and wiggle it loose as the door panel is lifted away from the frame. And if you happen to break a trim ring (common), they are about $3-4 each from the dealer. I ordered a set of them for my WRX before installing new speakers, and needed to use 1 to replace a ring that cracked.
Good luck!
Craig
I wonder if paisan still has my old tires, they were worn but not nearly bald. He wanted the rims, and may still have the tires.
-juice
The Forester A/C is so powerful that before I get home (3 miles and 5 minutes away) I am turning it down because I am too cold.
No problems with this Forester A/C. I rarely use it at full power even when it is over 100 because it is simply too cold to do so.
Hope this info helps.
Rebecca
Don't get swelled heads, but this has got to be the friendliest and most helpful boards on Edmunds. Much less posturing and bickering than on some of the other cars I've been looking at. Here's hoping that a happy board reflects very satisfied owners.
Lots of options.
The Fumoto is tempting. With the nipple and some plastic tubing, you could drain the oil right into a recycling container. But you still have the oil filter's mess to deal with.
-juice
I would say if you live in a climate that is really hot and you're going to be using your A/C a lot, look into tinted windows. I don't have tinted windows but I know many others here do and it helps a great deal in cooling the interior.
Interesting post forestergump, I'll have to have our Subie's freon level checked next time I take it in for service, perhaps ours is just low too.
On 4 you'll have icicles dangling from your nose. I only use it to cool down the interior quickly after sitting in the sun, baking.
I do have tinted windows, that helps some. But I also have a moonroof with no sunshade, to offset the tint.
I don't want my head to swell because my bald spot would get bigger! LOL
-juice
Greg
Jim
OHSubeGuy
Craig
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/home.jsp
I'm not sure if they have that size (70 series), but have her check. I'm happy with my NT460 tires, so long as you don't get much snow.
No idea on the thermostat, anyone done this before?
-juice
Steve, Host
Your dealer is pulling your leg. You'll need a maximum of 1/2 hour for this job, and access couldn't be better.
If I'm not mistaken, you have the same phase II 2.5 engine that I have. If so, the thermostat is mounted on the lower radiator hose on the bottom of the engine. Drain the radiator, remove the cover bolts, swap out the thermostat, close-up and refill the cooling system. You're done. You don't even need to put the car up on Rhino ramps.
When I refilled, I ran the heater on high and let the engine warm up to "burp" the system (you want the thermostat to open in order to pump the antifreeze through the engine). I checked the expansion tank regularly for a couple of weeks to make sure it wasn't low.
Definately a DIY option, if you're so inclined.
-brianV
-mike