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Subaru Forester (up to 2005)
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Comments
Thanks....Vitaly
But it lasts too long. The Click click click click speeds up and down with engine rpm.
The oil level is fine.
The car has 33,500 on it - and I'm bumping up against the warranty soon.
Could this be the timing belt? I've heard these need regular replacing.
= = = = =
Another, infrequent problem is a very high-pitch, constant beeeeeeeeeep. After I've run the car a while and park it, it occasionally makes this noise for about 5 minutes. It is somewhat alarming, but, of course, would not do it for the dealer. I hope the computer is not close to frying... that would be huge!
Any suggestions for either problem are much appreciated.
Going out on a limb here, I believe your '03 2.5 SOHC naturally-aspirated engine has hydraulic valve lifters. The sound you describe is very often caused when the very small oil passages in a hydraulic lifter get blocked with carbon or other contaminant. Then, the lifter partially collapses, leaving more valve clearance than intended. If so, your 'click-click' noise results when the lifter hits the valve after taking up the excess clearance.
Sometimes these problems clear themselves up over time, sometimes not. If yours persists, one cheap approach would be to add a can of high-detergent oil additive, in the hope that it might dissolve the contaminating build-up. If that fails, the hydraulic lifter will probably require replacement.
Beyond what JB mentioned, we did a "throttle body service" on our 626 because the fuel system was clogged up, and it made a world of difference. The main symptom for us was a severe hesitation.
-juice
Steve, Host
Greg
Just so all of you know I dont runaropund with them on at all times just to be cool. THey come on in inclement weather (rain, fog, snow) and when I want to see the side of the road clearly. I live in a deer infested area of S.E. PA and like having at least a little bit of more warning. I am trying to teach my wife to do the same.
Regards,
Kyle
Regards.
Hope it helps.
I have owned a 2003 Subaru Forester XS with the factory security system for the past 16 months. I too have noticed during the last two winters a constant high pitched noise coming from the engine bay (this noise comes and goes but is now constant). This noise occurs after I have been driving this vehicle for 30 plus minutes in cold night-time weather (below 32 degrees Farenheit) in the city or highway. The noise comes from the engine while I'm driving and after I park and shut off the engine. The noise goes away about 30 to 60 minutes after I park and shut off the engine in my garage. One night, late December 2003, I took the front grille off. Then, I took a Radioshack sound level meter and guided it throughout the engine compartment and in front of the radiator. The strongest reading I got from the sound meter (76db) came from the keyless entry buzzer hanging in front of the radiator. A few days later, I took the car to my local Subaru dealership (since it was forcasted to be below 32 degrees Farenheit outside). After parking the car in their garage, the keyless entry buzzer was making the high pitched noise again. I let the service manager verify the noise while I took apart the front grill. Then, I took the sound meter an pointed it to the keyless entry buzzer in front of the radiator. I showed the service manager the high reading (76db) on this device. He concurred that the keyless entry buzzer was defective. The service manager ordered a new keyless entry buzzer for me. I came back a few days later and their service department installed the new part. I have not heard that high pitched noise since then. As a result, I think you should take your Forester to your Subaru dealership (when it is below freezing outside) and let the service manager hear that high pitched noise coming fron the keyless entry buzzer after taking off the front grill (the removal instructions are in the manual). I hope this helps.
Dave
High beams are altogether different. They concentrate their light at the farther distances, consistent with the higher speeds they're designed to enable. They deliberately do not put much light on the pavement directly in front of the car, because that would cause the driver's pupils to contract and become less sensitive to the weaker reflections from distant objects and hazards.
If you rewire your foglights so that they can come on with the high beams, you in effect reduce the all-important range of your high beams by reducing your eyes' sensitivity. Not at all a good idea.
If you truly want to supplement your high beams, the only recommended approach is to add driving lights - not to use foglights at the same time.
My take... the more light at night the better! (I have a simple mind...lol)
(Hee Hee)
Gene
Regards,
Kyle
Regardless of which is right, I think any perceived gain from using your fogs at night is inconsequential. Yes the area immediately in front of you is better illuminated but I don't think that's going to help you when you're traveling at 55 mph. You won't have enough time to react if you did spot something. Also, I think that the argument could be made that having the fogs on might inadvertently cause the driver's eyes to focus closer in where the illumination is better vs in the distance where he'll have more time to react.
-Frank P.
As for adding aux driving lights to a Forester:
what are some good sources of driving lights
Daniel Stern Lighting - do a Google search on that. He's a lighting consultant who has testified before Congress, and he genuinely knows his stuff.
and where would be a good place to put them?
On a Forester, that is an excellent question without any really good answers. My preferences, in descending order:
1. Remove the entire stock grille and, carefully using a Dremel tool with a cutting wheel, cut the thick horizontal grille bars out of the integrated surrounding structure. Then replace the heavy-looking bars with tidy, clean mesh across the opening, and mount the driving lights in front of or behind the mesh in the newly-opened-up grille. I think this would also improve the Forester's appearance; the stock grille doesn't do anything for me.
2. At substantial expense, purchase an aftermarket replacement grille that accomplishes the same as above, but more cleanly. At the moment, the only sources are in Japan, and the cost is probably upwards of $400. Too steep for this skinflint.
3. A fellow on NASIOC drilled right through the top flat surface of the bumper, continuing through the plastic and down into the aluminum bumper beam. Then, using self-tapping screws driven down into the aluminum, he mounted a pair of driving lights a fraction of an inch forward of the stock grille bars. The lamps are thin, and don't appear (in his photos) to be terribly vulnerable to damage from careless parkers. They actually look quite good there, like a rally car installation, and he says the screws are holding just fine.
3. Several aftermarket outfits sell a stamped steel light-mount bracket that attaches behind the license plate (using its existing mounting holes); the bracket extends above and to the left and right of the plate, giving mounting locations for two aux lights. I'd have to look at one of these to see whether the resulting light mounts are sufficiently sturdy and ridid so that the lights don't vibrate all over the place.
I heard that a bright light, as a rule, attracts wild animals, and they have a peculiarity to remain motionless in the middle of the road looking fixedly at the coming in the opposite direction lights. I vote for Jack's point if even one deer will be saved by less light.
May be North American deer is more clever then ours.
BTW, Jack, why don't you sleep at the night?
If I'd use separate circuit, I'd also spliced a RELAY after the switch in order to avoid enormous current draw from the power supply. If relay is not installed you will need large wire gage and dash switch with large current rating,(it would be bulky and not very attractive) otherwise the switch will get very hot and eventually will fail.
Although I ordinarily prefer fewer laws to more, I can't tell you how much I wish this rule applied in the USA. All of these "look how cool I am" loons who leave their foglights on all the time are incredibly thoughtless and irritating.
They are FOG lights, people. They are not to be used otherwise.
I usually turn them off, though.
Some luxury cars have what they call "cornering lights", that come on when your turn signal is on, and only the side you're turning towards.
-juice
Another approach that's beginning to crop up is to move the headlamp beam left or right corresponding to which direction you're steering. Not sure why this hasn't become more widespread.
-juice
Greg
Repeat after me: "They're FOG lights...they're FOG lights...they're FOG lights..."
At least fogs are aimed down, and set low.
-juice
They are just called Fog lights, they do practically nothing in fog - you cannot drive through dense fog no matter what kind of lights you have - if you can't see more than x feet in front, do not drive. The only purpose they really serve is to light up the perimeter around the front of the car which is great for lower speed driving and making turns. And seeing other's fog lights does not annoy me at all. Improperly aimed headlights, people driving with their high beams on, poorly aligned HID lights, phony HID look-alikes, driving lights aimed it face level - those annoy me. I still consider the old sealed beam lights to be best for illumination. They were tried and true and the same on every car. All these new designs are inconsistent from car model to model, and sometimes do not provide decent illumination.
Fancy multi-reflector lights just scatter the beams all over the road unevenly. A simple parabolic reflector provides the optimum aim and even diffusion - ask any optical guru.
But among the many loons who insist on leaving their foglights on when there's no trace of fog for miles around, there are those especially obnoxious types who either raise the aim of their foglights (gotta make 'em more like driving lights, don'tcha know?) or put in high-wattage bulbs - or both.
Anything that really sears the retinas of oncoming drivers must be a Good Thing...
Wrong. Any automotive light is classified by its beam pattern and the usage it was designed to meet. The names reflect the intended usage; this is not mere semantics.
Fog lights, by definition, put forth a sharply-cutoff, wide, close-in intense beam. They are strictly to concentrate light in the near distances during fog conditions, reducing scattered reflection (from the fog droplets) as much as possible, while illuminating the shoulders and lane lines. To use these beams when there is no fog condition that demands them is to be deliberately inconsiderate of every other driver on the road.
Steve, Host
BTW - my 94 Sable had cornering lamps, and they worked great. I really miss them sometimes. I like the fogs on my Forester XT a litle more than the 03 OBW's.
Larry
One of the new premium brands now has that feature too. I'm not sure which one, other than I think it is either German or Japanese. I remember reading that recently.
Bob
'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
Hella makes them
DynaView
-Dave
Our neighbor had one back in the late 50's, early 60's. Too bad he didn't keep it, only 50-60 were made. It now would be worth a small fortune. But he couldn't keep it running. Parts were scarce by the early 60's. People then thought the Corvair was every bit as good then also (rear drive, rear motor) but look what happened to that.....Enough living in the past....Back to the Future......2004...
Anybody got an ingenious way to dampen the rattle of the back plate against the hatch as it closes?
Thinking maybe I'll superglue or double-back tape a thin strip of ensolite high density foam running horizontally about 2/3 of the way down on the backside of the plate - rather than just sticking the plate to the hatch itself.
Thoughts?
-srp
Put 2 cans of dry gas in and then filled it with a premium brand gasoline. Filled it up again with a premium gas,but did not add dry gas. On the 3rd tank added 1 can of dry gas along with a premium gas.
We are still having some difficulty starting when the weather is cold (around 20 degrees), but haven't had to tow it as it manages to start after a while.
Any suggestions to getting rid of the water in the tank.
Appreciate any help.
Len
I'm not able to notice any difference in performance depending on where I buy my gas.
Convenience and cost are the biggest factors, since I'm not convinced that any given brand is better than the next.
I buy at Sams once in awhile, i.e., when I make one of my rare trips to Sams and if I need gas when I'm there. It's usually about .10 cheaper there than anywhere else.
Most common stop is a convenience store selling an off brand that's competitively priced. More important than the price, it's on the right side of the street, and it's at an intersection where if I have to stop anyway and the tank is low, I might as well fill up then tank then.
Has Consumer Reports even done a test on gas?