85-325e

Hellllllooooo G-nu-man!

Math? Nobody told me there would be math on this test!

I'm pretty sure that if a tree falls on a Soob, or any other car for that matter, it says "Crunch." MGs... British Leyland = Lucas Parts = Constant Electrical Problems = Hair Loss = Screaming!!! My first car in 1970 was an Austin America. Lucas everything. Transverse engine, lovely car, major hemmeroid! Engine died 11 months from new. Engine replaced, no Lucas parts worked right after that!!! I think ANY car will weep when hit by a tree, and even if HITTING a tree! Sorry to hear about that...

On the BMWs, the timing belt is a major issue too. My Dad's Forester is due for the belt. I think he's struggling with the cost but no matter what, he has to get it done fairly soon. On the BMW E30, it's almost madatory to change the water pump, cam seals and belt tensioner at the same time you do the belt (another one of those 'while you're in there things). Is it the same on the Soobs?

So, on these Soobs, disconnecting the battery for an hour or so forces the ECU to be reset? That's what we do with the BMWs too... In my dad's case, I don't think his ECU is shot, but perhaps resetting it wouldn't be a bad thing.

Hi Brus... Yep, that's where he'd go. That's where the Soob dealer is too. Actually, the Riverhead Soob service recently moved from their OWN building to that of the VW dealership, just for service! They've also had quite a bit of managerial turnover there.

Thanks for the comments on the car. At 21 years old, it's still getting over 30 miles per gallon, chipped, up here at 9,000' above sea level! OK, I can positively verify that my Dad's light is NOT reflecting sunlight, but that's a GREAT story! "Doctor, it hurts when I do this..." "Then, don't DO that!"

Yes, that too!!! But, I can honestly say that the man is one of the coolest humans on the planet! At 84, he's so active it would make your head spin... And, since his A/C works like a dream, he's cool AND cool!

Thanks all... I'm talking to him on his cell phone, he's got 1/2 tank of gas, he's parked talking to me, the engine's running, and the light just popped on again! And, the A/C is on!

Thanks everyone! I'm going to have him crank down the gas cap and see what happens. I talked to him last night, and asked a very simple question. "When you went to Subaru to have them check it, was the light on or off?" His reply was that it was off so I told him that's no help whatsoever cause without the light on, there's no error condition at all and the codes would come back normal. I also told him to watch it and to get his butt over to either Autozone or Subie as soon as the light pops on so they can get a reading of the codes while the light's on. Maybe the gasket on the cap is screwed. He's going to be very diligent about watching the light and get us all the codes as soon as he can. Thanks for all the replies and the welcome too. Being a BMW nut, the Subie's a bit out of my realm. On my BMW, I'm the original owner, 220K miles, have rebuilt most of the car, new rubber everywhere under the car and it's immaculate! Unfortunately, now that I have it back to such incredible condition, I can't get myself to drive it that much!!! Here's a pic of my 21 year old car: Luckily, his Subie's in really great shape and he truly LOVES his car. WHen it looks like rain, he goes out there and lovingly soaps up the car (his condo place doesn't allow him to wash and rinse the car) just before the skies open up to rinse it for him, and every few days, polishes a panel on the car... After a few weeks, he starts over again on the first panel he did. Nothing like someone lovin' his car!

Thanks! Wouldn't Subaru have read the same codes when checking the problem? Doesn't matter though... There's an Autozone 18 miles from him which he can go to and check. He told me they checked the gas cap, and I don't know if they checked the wires, but the car's running great and he reports no weird behavior other than the light!

Hi everyone! I'm brand new, and have to be completely honest here. I'm a moderator of a top BMW forum (unofficialbmw.com), and with my 1985 325e, I'm a great mechanic. However, with my Dad's 1998 Forester, I'm lost because: My Dad's 84 and knows nothing about his car other than it drives great... I'm in Colorado, Vail actually, and he and his car are in the Hamptons in New York... I have no access to the car 2000 miles away. Therefore, I'm going to ask what will appear to be stupid questions, and may not understand the answers completely, or may have to wait a few hours until I contact him to respond to your suggestions. I'm hoping you'll all be patient with me cause my Dad's a VERY cool guy, and I'm just trying to make things easier for him. Also, he simply LOVES his Subie... About the car: 1998 Alpine White Forester Immaculate condition 72K miles Very Smooth and reliable His car's always serviced by Subaru (I would change that if I were there ) The current problem... His f--king Check Engine light!!! It comes on for a day or two, then it goes out. Sometimes it'll stay off for a week, 5 days etc. Then, all of a sudden, it comes back on again and stays on for a day or two, then goes out. He had it checked by Subaru and they said, "Everything's fine, just ignore it!" My 84 year old cool Dad said... "They must be kidding! How can you ignore a bright yellow Check Engine light at my age!" So, I'm throwing myself at your mercy to try to determine some conditions that could throw this light on for no reason at all!!! Help and thanks in advance....