DaveT

Any trapped air will get cycled out in a few drive cycles. If everything is sealed up well. A seep that only happens when hot can be hard to find, since it will evaporate. Air could get in while it's cooling likewise.

See if you can move this to the older generation section of the forum. You should get more replies there.

It depends on the leak. If it's seeping to outside the block, it might help. Not much to loose. If it's the bubbles in the coolant system - combustion chamber to coolant leak, it won't help. I've run cars with this kind of failure, but check coolant every day. Sooner or later, it goes bad fast, and you're done.

Take the belt to Napa or the like. Get the next size bigger or smaller as needed. Yes there is supposed to be a tensioner and a second belt.

You can look at the cylinder bores. Look at all the rockers. Best way to avoid snapping a stuck bolt - get the engine to operating temperature, then carefully loosen the bolts. Intake manifold bolts in particular. Head bolts - Not sure when they switched from studs with nuts to bolts. You need to resurface the heads. There's a thread on here on how to DIY, or go to a machine shop. When you put the rockers back on, check that they are all in place correctly, a couple times as you bring the nuts tight. Best if you can turn the engine until they are all released [all valves closed] on the side you are doing. The intake manifold gasket mating surfaces might need resurfacing also.

Floating like you said.

On EA82s there are a couple of small coolant hoses, and one connects in a similar location. I've seen the hose get a pinhole leak, or coolant seep from the nipple. It will evaporate so it'd tricky to spot.

You can also burn coolant via an intake leak or throttle body leak at a noticeable rate without evidence in the exhaust. I am not sure what engine you have, or the coolant passages in the newer engines. This is based on my experience with ea82 engines. Some leaks can happen iutside, on top of the engine, and evaporate before you can see it or dripping occurs. You have to look while the engine is warming up.

There is supposed to be a check valve and storage tank in the feed between the manifold and the heater controls. If the check valve is missing or stuck open, that's what you get. Or if the tank is moderately leaky.

This is not normal. This needs to be fixed before you cook a head gasket.

I just got the 2009. I need the shop manuals. There are a lot of CDs and downloadable listed on eBay, for pretty cheap. Are these for real? Or crappy scans? Anyone know? Would I be better off going to a dealer? Do they even make printed ones anymore? Most of my Subaru experience is with the old EA82s, which I still run. I got real manuals from dealers for those, a very long time ago.

I have a socket adapter that I can put in a drill. Use it to spin the oil pump before installing the timing belt. Oil system primed.

When I have had the slow leak bad headgaskets, I have gotten away with running a zero pressure radiator cap. And I have continued the experiment since resealing the engines in both of my wagons last year. I have had no problems with the cooling systems.

My experience is with the older Subaru engines. You can run with the slow leak bad headgaskets for a while. But watch the coolant every day, or even every drive. It will get worse sooner or later. It's time to reseal an engine and swap it in, or find a useable one..

What I've done, is get the Fel Pro head set. Use all the gaskets and seals in there, except Oem intake gaskets, and the oem o rings for the oIL passage to the cam. Do not put anything on ahead gasket! Resurface the heads with the post apocalyptic method, or a machine shop. Be sure the block faces are good also. I have one head bolt that I ground the end of to make it like a self tapping screw, and use it to clean the threads in the block. Get the engine to operating temperature before trying to remove the intake bolts or the head bolts. A space heater and a heat gun do this pretty well. Meat thermometer to verify temperature.

We just got a 2009 Forester. I need to get a FSM for it. I need to get the fog lights that mount in the bumper. I have a 2001 Forester. Are any parts interchangeable? I need to sell or part out the 2001. I have noticed there are seemingly endless variants of the newer Foresters - what's the best way to find out what I have?

Oh, you do need that spacer!

Here is how to fix 34 and 35 permanently: http://home.comcast.net/~davidtief/solenoid.html But those won't effect idle / running noticeably. 51 is the neutral switch always on error. I've never had that one.

There are places you can get all of the parts. Try alternatorparts.Com If I had one, I'd post a pic.

Unfortunately, aside from the main function /purpose, most things are designed for these items: sale price, lowest cost to initially assemble, speed (as in get the design done) Some add in life time / reliability.

OH, that SUCKS! That will be modded if I ever find myself owning one like that.

IF the compressor is turning, and nothing else unusual is happening, and there is no cooling, it is pretty unlikely that there is any significant amount of refrigerant left in the system. In my experience, something [o ring] developed a slow leak, and then you notice it doesn't work any more. Partial charge with fluorescent dye, use a black light to find the leak. Fix leak, recharge. It does help to have a refrigeration gauge/ manifold rig. And I also removed the compressor from a small window unit and added fittings to it to use as a transfer and vacuum pump.

My biggest would be the too close to just big enough radiator, and there isn't enough elevation to make the air get out quickly. Timing belt idlers made with non replaceable bearings. I remade 2 sets, and now just replace the bearings. I used to complain about replacing the belts every 50K, until I did the belts on our Forester. Yes, you only do them half as often, but the cost is around FIVE times higher. Another big one for me, is how since the EA82 era cars, Subaru in general has continued to drift further and further away from basic reliable cars toward luxury froo froo frills and cost.

There should be a check valve in the vacuum line to the vacuum reservoir that supplies those vent actuators. The check valve could be bad, or there is a leak. That could also explain crummy idle.

where did you get the 1 row AL radiator?