Fairtax4me

If its always the same cylinder its possibly the fuel injector. Those are a fairly easy swap but you do need to clear the fuel rails before pulling the injectors out or all the fuel in the rail will dump into the first one you pull.

Not normal. It should be just a below half. Likely someone drilled holes in the thermostat or took the thermostat out entirely to stave off overheating and cover up bad head gaskets. Look for bubbles in the overflow tank while the engine is running. Another tell-tale sign is to check for pressure in the cooling system after only about 10-15 seconds of running. Before the first start of the day open the hood and open the radiator cap. Put the cap back on and squeeze the upper radiator hose. Now start the engine, after about 15-20 seconds of running squeeze the upper hose again. If there is pressure in the upper hose, thats a bad head gasket.

Make sure none of the breather and PCV hoses are plugged. Check the PCV valve as well.

What about plugs, wires, air and fuel filters, PCV valve?

Head gasket would be the last thing I would blame for an oil leak on the Ej22. Pull the flywheel off and check the separator plate. That's the common leak point and will leave plenty of oil on the exhaust Y-pipe and run down all over the cross member. That could also be a front cam seal leak that's being blown back along the bottom of the block.

Not that its unheard of but I wouldn't put money on a burned valve until youve checked everything else that makes the thing fire. Two major points to consider. 1. How long ago did it last get plugs and wires? This is the number one reason for an intermittent misfire. Standard copper plugs will be worn out in 50k miles. If it hasn't had plugs in the last 25k, its probably worth it to check them. 2. A burned valve will first show up at idle, and they are NOT intermittent. Once a valve is burned its burned for good. Ot doesn't fix itself or get any better. That said, the valve lash on that engine is easily adjustable. It would be worth-while to check it.

Anyway, now that the board's back... Yes, probably a burned valve on #3. The DOHC heads have shims for valve adjustment and they hardly ever get adjusted. I would bet you have 0 clearance on one or both of the exhaust valves on cylinder 3.

They take a bit of wiggling to get to to start going in. The spline part should at least slip in part of the way. Then its just a matter of wiggling the cup a little to get the splines to line up. Turning the pinion flange back and forth may help. Then put a block of wood on the opposite side of the case and smack it with a 3lb hammer. Also make sure the opening in the circlip is pointed down. A mechanic I used to work with taught me this a few years ago and it really does make a difference. I've swapped the rear diff in my car without pulling the axles out of the rotors, didnt unbolt any part of the rear suspension, didnt even take the rear wheels off the car, so I know it can be done. And to me it was easier than fiddling with strut bolts or that 8" long lower lateral arm bolt that never comes out in one piece.

#3 has low or no compression. What year is your forester?

Right. If it doesn't click you can check for 12V at the injector plug with a digital multimeter. You need a noid light or LED test light to check for pulse.

Yup. As long as its phase 2 to phase 2 it'll plug and play.

Put a stethoscope on the injector and listen to see if it is clicking. A long handle screw driver works well if you don't have a stethoscope. Just put your ear against the handle. An injector wiring problem will set a code and turn on the CEL. Unless you have a code for the injector in the computer the problem is either spark or compression.

"Wheels barely spin" is just a little too vague. Describe this part in a LOT more detail.

There is a seal in there to keep water out of the important bits. I'd probably run around in there with a wire brush and some WD or PB then spray it out with air or cleaner. Smear some axle grease around in there and call it good. Might want to spin the front diff a few times and just make sure the little nub turns before you put it in the car.

Clunk or thump under the car could be a worn out or broken transmission mount. Could also be the exhaust hitting the bottom of the car which would be because of a bent pipe or broken exhaust hanger. Way too many things that can cause hard starting. How many miles are on the car? When was the last time it had a tune-up?

A few years ago I ordered a set of Megan Group N mounts for my car off ebay and they're solid as rocks. Seems to me they were under $200 at the time. I'd only recommend them if you really want to feel and hear everything the engine does. They transfer a LOT of NVH to the chassis.

Well its not a computer so I'm not sure how you just "delete" it? The stock turbo setups the cat pipe runs up to bolt onto the back of the turbo and the first cat is almost directly off the back of the turbo. Second cat is in a similar placement as the NA engines. Your setup with the kit may vary. You may have to get a down pipe made, or you may be able to bolt in a stock down pipe from a WRX.

It's actually really easy to rebuild these pumps, but most of the time its just the o-ring on the reservoir that leaks. Clean it up and see if you can determine the source of the leak. For a 98 I imagine anything from 95-99 should be the same. Possibly more. Look up your car on opposedforces.com and click the part number for the pump assembly, then click on "Usage Info".

Unless they've used the wrong name for the valve their diagnosis is incorrect. The canister purge valve, which is on the engine, does not affect filling with fuel. There are several other valves back near the tank that do, but on such a new car I have a hard time believing any of those have gone bad already. I would have to look in the FSM on this particular for specifics, but in general there is a small filter in the right rear behind the bumper. The filter has a hose from the evap charcoal canister or from the tank with a large valve. That valve should be open normally to allow fresh air to enter and exit the tank via the charcoal canister and the small filter. Anywho, the filter is usually round and has a vent hose that leads into the frame. On later models they built the filter into the evap canister, in which case there will usually be a hose leading from the canister into the frame. That hose is the perfect size for spiders and moths and other crawly things to build a best in, and that obstructs airflow through the hose during re-fueling when air needs to be pushed out of the tank. If you can find the hose, pull the end of it out of the frame and see if something has decided to live in the end of it. Clear the obstruction and it should be good to go. If not, there are some valves that will need to be checked for operation.

Yeah that's a nice custom bend for sure. Just tap the cat with a mallet a few times and see if it rattles. If it sounds solid then its good. $85!?! That's three minutes with a wire brush and less than a minute of weld! Is there a welding shop in your area? I had a filler neck TIG welded back onto an aluminum radiator for a 4 wheeler for $50, and he had to straighten part of the end tank before he could weld it back together. And the guy did it while I waited.

That's an easy weld for an exhaust shop. Especially with the cat already off the car. Just drag it up there and have them weld a new one on.

Purolator is 14460. Walmart just plain doesn't carry them. I've asked my local Walmart if they could get them and they apparently don't have ANY control over what inventory comes into the store. All decisions of what products they normally carry are made at the corporate and distribution levels. So I buy 2 or 3 at a time from the parts store anytime I have to go there. But there's no way I'm paying $30 for a jug of Valvoline at the parts store when the exact same thing costs $17 at Walmart.

The compressor should be engaged when the selector is on any setting that uses the AC. There are several relays and switches in the way between the control panel and the compressor, so yes even if the pressure switch shows continuity power could not be making it to the compressor clutch due to one of the other switches or relays. Obviously make sure all the fuses are good first. Power for the compressor clutch does not flow through the pressure switch directly. Power for the compressor clutch comes from the ignition switch, through a fuse in the AC relay holder, through the AC relay, through the compressor thermal switch (if equipped), then through an AC cut relay, then to the clutch. Not all models have a thermal switch on the compressor so you just have to look and see. If it does you'll have a 3 wire plug at the compressor. If there is only one wire at the compressor there is no thermal switch. The AC cut relay is normally closed so should show continuity at all times. This relay is controlled by the evaporator thermal switch, and will only open if the evaporator core gets too cold. The pressure switch controls the coil side of the main AC relay. Power flows from the mode control panel, to the pressure switch, then to the AC relay, then through the thermal switch on the evaporator, then to ground through the fan switch in the mode control panel. You can easily check for 12v at the pressure switch when the control panel is set to an AC position. If you have the thermal switch on the compressor you can check for 12v there. Also check for continuity through the switch.

All this does is change the air diverter flap from fresh air to recirculate. It starts pulling air from the floor area inside the car rather than through the cowl vents outside. Makes a shorter path for air to et to the blower motor, so you get better airflow. Really has nothing to do with the operation of the compressor.

99 had a problem with a snap ring on the center differential popping off and getting caught up in the rear transfer gears. There is also the all too common worn out mainshaft bearing, so you may have two separate issues.