Rooster2

If it were me, I would add a can or two of refrigerant to see if that fixes the problem. If it is a slow leak it may take a year or two, maybe more before more refrigerant needs to be added. It is an ez do it yourself project to add refrigerant. Just ask how, if you don't know how. We will be glad to advise how.

2nd the vote on possible bad fuel filter. It is cheap as a do it yourself replacement. Under $10.

All the above is good advise. Suggest also to try a battery "jump starting" from another car. Maybe the extra power will get the starter to work. Like said, clean your battery cables real good to make sure you have a good electrical connection. If you get it started, go to an auto parts store, where they will check your charging system at no cost to verify that your battery and alternator are both good.

I don't think the car is THAT heavy. I use an Audi jack, instead of the Subie jack, just because it is a better jack, and don't experience any problems. The lane jumping is a sign of bad struts, and or, ball joints, and even tie rods. Bad struts on the rear, result in bottoming out on bumps hit at speed. As good as Subie struts are, I wouldn't be surprised if the struts are the originals with a zillion miles on them. If so, strut replacement may be the way to go.

Looking at your pixs, I am thinking that you have the wrong size donut gasket installed. The two pipes should be much closer together, when the spring bolts are tightened down. No torquing is necessary. Maybe NAPA got the diameter correct, but could the donut be too thick? My experience with Haynes manuals is that their repair info is rather shallow and generic, and lacks a lot of depth on actually doing the repairs an any car they write up. It appears your experience bears this out too.

Oh you are from New Zealand. Maybe your Subies are different from those sent to North America. Send us some pictures of what you got, then maybe we can all figure this out.

I haven't worked on a Subie power antenna, but they are all work the same. You will need to pull loose the trunk liner out or loose in the trunk below the antenna. Once exposed, you will be able to see the power motor unit with electrical power wires attached to it, as well as the shielded co-ax cable that carries the signal to the radio. The coax connector will unscrew, and the power wires will disconnect for removal. There will prolly be a bracket that holds the power antenna in place, remove that if you want to remove the antenna.

Follow your 4 spark plug wires back from the plugs. The other end of the wires plugs into the coil pack. It is located on top of the motor. You can't miss it.

Get a helper, someone to sit in the car to operate the squirter switch, while with hood open, you listen to see if the squirter motor/pump is making noise when it is suppose to be pumping. If you hear noise, then pull off the hose to see if fluid will squirt out. If so, then the squirter holes on the hood are plugged up. Use a needle to poke in the holes to clean out dirt. Hope these ideas help.

If it is a power antenna, use some silicon spray on the mast. Wipe off any dirt or crud first if you think it is causing any binding. If the mast is bent, then prolly the entire antenna needs to be replaced. Over the years, I have not had any long term success with a power antenna. Seems like they either bind up, or get bent and won't retract, or go up as is suppose to happen. I replace with a non power antenna. I unscrew to remove the mast before entering a car wash.

Sparks using a dremel tool may be okay, if there is no gasoline vapor present. The vapor is what not to mess with, because that is explosive. If any chance of gas vapor, then don't use the dremel.

Some 02 sensors can be difficult to remove. Engine heat and time can really make the sensor difficult to break loose and unthread. Spray with PB Blaster or other great penetrating oil, but not WD-40, wait an hour or longer, best to wait over night, then use a good socket with good driver or breaker bar. Slide on an extension bar over the driver or breaker bar handle to gain extra leverage if necessary. I cut the wires to the sensor at time of removal just to get them out of the way. The new 02 sensor will have anti seize on the threads, maybe add a little more anti-seize if what there is really skimpy. Be careful to not get anti-seize on the tip of the new sensor, or you may ruin it. Are you going to buy an OEM or aftermarket sensor? Regards, Rooster2

Years back, I had a private shop mechanic swap in a 2.2 from a 92 Leggie into my 91. I remember him saying the swap went well, everything was plug and play, with the exception that some of the wiring had different type of electrical connectors that didn't match up because of the connectors changed with the model year. This resulted in changing some of the electrical connectors. I have read enough on this forum to learn that all normally aspirated 2.2 motors from 90 to 94 will interchange. Much has been written about proper bolt up of the auto transmission. Do it wrong, and it will ruin the A/T. Others here will tell you more about this, or read about it in the archives on the search mode on this forum.

Suggest you continue to keep a sharp eye on your temp gauge while driving. Yes, I hope the good proper burp solved your over heating problem, however, if it burps some more, the coolant level in the radiator will be a little low. If so, add some more antifreeze or water to top off to proper level. If over heats again on an intermittent basis , then I would start to suspect a bad head gasket. They start doing that on an intermittent basis, when the head gaskets are going bad. I owned a 91 with your same 2.2 motor that blew a head gasket under conditions just described. It is not common with the 2.2 motor, but it does, and can happen. As far as your battery problem, I don't think the over heating and battery problems are related. Suggest you check the water level in the battery, if the battery caps are able to be pried off. Even if battery says it never needs water, don't believe it, check the water level anyway. My last thought is to take the car to an auto parts store, where the counter guy will take his charging system evaluation instrument out to the parking lot to determine if your alternator or battery are defective. The store does not charge for this service.

Shop said I need to replace lower ball joint. I work on cars, but never tackled this job before. I did a search, but no info on the how to do this job. Any advise appreciated. Any special tools needed?.......Thanks!

Sounds like the pump. I would replace it with one from a wrecking yard for about $35, if you go to a pull-apart lot. Racks seldom cause trouble on Subies

My own experience after several attempts, is that I could never get a splice connection to work well. They would last a year, then the connections would go bad, no matter how well I soldered the wires together. $160 sounds really expensive for an OEM unit, but maybe I just haven't kept pace with inflation. If it were me, I would go with an OEM unit, and would shop the internet parts stores for the best price.

There must not be enough profit in the sub compact car market for Subaru to be interested. I bet Toyota doesn't make much from Yaris sales. Guess they feel that is pretty well dominated by Kia and Hyundai as well. IMO, I am thinking they see themselves as a small auto company that can make a profit in the niche SUV market, and small car market by being different with the boxer motor and AWD, with a quality built product. That precludes making a small car with FWD, and 2.0 Litre or smaller motor.

Just read in "Drive," the magazine from Subaru, Fall 2010 issue, that the 2011 Forester gets a new motor. The article says it is "the first completely new design from Subaru in 20 years." Well, I am not so convinced that it is "completely new," as the article implies. The guys in the Sub marketing department must be over eager to support the sales department with a glowing press release. It appears that it is still a an EJ25 engine with changes. According to the article what's changed is: Smaller bore and longer stroke slightly higher displacement chain driven double overhead camshafts instead of belt driven single overhead camshafts Compared with the previous non-turbocharged EJ25, the FB25 produces: Same horsepower, but at lower rpm slightly higher torque at lower rpm improved fuel economy I like the idea of chain driven camshafts, which negates changing the T-belt, (prolly like the current 6 cylinder, 3.0 motor.) I am thinking that the FB motor will be the future source for parts to build yet another variation of Frankenmotors! Time will tell!

You can be confident that a 2005 2.5 motor will not have head gasket problems. Sure, it is not impossible, but unlikely to be a problem. I can't remember any issues with the 2005 model year.

All the cash talk on previous responses is spot right on. When I sell or buy a used car from a private seller, I always use cash. I never consider taking a personal check from a buyer, no matter how honest or trustworthy they seem. It is never worth the hassle of dealing with a bad check. I take either a check, or a bank counter check, which I know the bank guarantees the money is set aside at the bank to cover the check amount. When I am on the buying side of the ledger, I often will carry two wads of money when making an offer. One pocket has what I consider what I will pay for the vehicle on the low side. If appropriate, I offer that wad of money first to make it look like that is maybe all I have, and I kinda act that way too. The other pocket maybe has a thousand or so for extra bargaining should I want to do that. It is very important not to flash a wad of money around anywhere, particularly if there are a bunch of people around. You don't want to look like someone that would be inviting to be robbed.

Insert a new fuse in the holder, even though the existing fuse does not look blown. I have had the spades on a fuse or in the holder get dirty, and cause a bad connection to the fuse. I used a sliver of emery board to clean the fuse holder insert portion, as well as to clean the spades on a fuse. This did fix my problem. You don't even want to think about pulling the steering wheel, but If you have to, be sure to learn all there is know about how to disconnect the steering wheel air bag. You do not want the air bag to blow up, while working on the steering wheel.

Keys made at WalMart are just plain keys, with no chip. I just had one made there for $1.50 for my Subie last week.

I use Autozone ceramic pads on my OBW. I am happy with them. They stop well, and no squeal. Price is good too. It is very easy to change pads on a Subie. Previous responder layed out good directions on how to change the pads. If you need to remove the rotor for resurfacing or replacement, there are two holes near the center. Just screw in bolts in the holes, which will force the rotor off the hub. It is great that Subaru designed it this way!

I don't think any of the auto glass companies would have a part like that in stock. They sell glass and that is it. Agree with you that a Pick n Pull is the most reasonable place to find that little plastic wheel. It may even be easier to replace the entire window track then just replacing the wheel. Suggest checking out your existing track carefully for damage, because when a wheel like that breaks, it can bend and strain track components. I bet the dealer would want to sell you the entire track only for big bucks, and that is not a reasonable way to go. Yep, Pick n Pull is prolly your best source. Any Leggie window track from years 95 to 99 should fit your 97. Just be sure to pull parts off the same side rear window as on your car. Good luck to you, and report back your repair progress. It helps us all learn something.