ThosL

2002 Forester; I found the source of the metal grinding noise; I changed out the brake pads and the driver's wheel was very wobbly. Replaced it with a used hub/knuckle a year and a half or so ago. Probably will look for another as my experience with pressing in new bearings has not been good.

Pulled the plugs, that are in very good shape. I got the PO420 code, catalyst system efficiency, which leads me to believe the catalytic converter after nearly 3 years is clogged up so will use some cat. converter cleaners. This is the end of the 02 sensor.

Thanks, I'm thinking that the rings/oil burning issue is affecting sensors. A friend thinks it may be a sensor connected to when the car warms up as the issue doesn't develop until then and is sporadic. I've changed fuel filter a year ago, plug wires, pvc unit, 02 sensor, etc.. I'll pull the plugs when it's not raining.

No problem starting; will check plugs, but never saw issues with them in the past.

I changed out the upstream oxygen sensor under the engine, Denso unit. Very tough to get out; less than 3 years old. I showed it to a different mechanic today, it is covered with soot, he says that it is probably running too rich. Is there any remedy for that? The p130 code has not come back up yet, as it usually takes a while. Still getting the performance issue, stuttering occasionally when it's warmed up. Thanks as usual for advice.

So, the O2 sensor (front one) replacement is not indicated? It would not cause the sputtering/stuttering? Updated; changed out the PCV, no real difference. Car is fine until it warms up, then the sputtering, so probably heat related or sensor.

I will ask them, what is customary? The machine shop charged $250 for the half of the engine they worked on. I was getting the following codes before I erased them: p130, 447,452,171, 107. Some of those could have been the result of the loose battery cable. Now just evap. system and 130. I just ordered a PCV, will see if it makes any difference. I pulled the rubber hose off and it seemed as if there was a fair amount of oil below the rubber hose intake.

Oil consumption is not bad, I'd agree the side that was not redone may be the issue.

I have this 2002 Forester with 265K miles that has been stuttering/sputtering in the last month or two. When the timing pulley failed, we had the machine shop do the half of the engine showing the low compression. I'm not getting other codes connected to performance, evaporative cannister, etc., just the p130, which is the front oxygen sensor. I'm getting some oil burning puffs, say when I'm going downhill on the uphill acceleration, burns oil then which I assume is valves. I've changed out the plug wires and ignition coil; I pulled a couple plugs which are ok, the plugs have always been fine. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I'm thinking the p130 may be indicative of excess exhaust possibly a threat to the cat. converter.

I ordered 5 quarts of high mileage synthetic Valvoline oil on Amazon and an oil filter. They did not mix up the oil, but the filter was the wrong one. What's with their vehicle matching algorithm for auto parts? You click on brand of vehicle and model and year and the matches fail. So I ended up biking down to Auto Zone because I was in the middle of the oil change with oil and filter out; they actually had an OE Subaru oil filter for about $12!

I was stopped by a cop yesterday after dark as he noticed the front beams out; though I usually have the secondary lights on. 2002 Forester. It's hard to know often whether they are on as they are not particularly strong when they are. Is this a known problem? One of the high beams work. I'm thinking replacing the bulb on the one where the high beam is not working is probably the first step. I didn't see fuses burned.

When I finally got a mechanic to check out the Forester today, the P122 stood out, and he said that until that was addressed, transmission diagnosis and work would be ineffective. I remember that I had pulled the sensor off the throttle body and put it back without examining alignment thinking that that was automatic. The mechanic saw the mark on the throttle body and mentioned that. After readjusting the sensor and aligning it properly, the Forester ran like a top.

An emissions shop sent me to the "National Transmissions" shop; said they'd diagnose it for fifty bucks, leave it for the day until they get to it. I spoke to a couple Hispanic shops, they don't have a lot of experience with transmissions and don't like to get into that type of work. Croce Transmissions charges $180 for a thorough diagnosis, I avoided stopping at Aamco, has some problem reviews, "free" diagnosis. The car is driveable but should it be driven in rough shape? I did the trip on bicycle yesterday. This is a good video on replacing solenoids: I'm went through the trouble shooting procedure, just two flashes a second so no special codes, just 731 and 122.

I saw that series of shift tests elsewhere, will try it tomorrow. I spoke to several different transmission shops and garages yesterday; unfortunately once you commit to having a transmission shop checking out or working on your car it gets quite expensive quickly. From what I've seen they often will not do limited work, ie one transmission solenoid, but want to do the whole valve body. No there is no damage to the transmission, dents, burned fluid etc..

The engine is running fine. 260k or so miles. Shifting very rough; tranny fluids are fine. Must be solenoids from all I see online.

I had this go on when I was working on the mass air pressure sensor, after disconnecting the plug. After reconnecting it it went away but is now on constantly. I've gone over possible loose wires or hoses on top of the engine for my 2002 Forester and don't see anything loose. I replaced the mass air pressure sensor. I'm thinking I may have triggered a short in the system. The Forester is now almost undriveable. Lots of jerks, losses of power when going down the street. Prior to this it was just running with lack of power at higher speeds. Thanks in advance for any trouble shooting help. I'm getting the p122 and 731 codes.

Completely reckless driver, should have the book thrown at them! There are reasons to pass slow vehicles but this broke all the rules and all reason.

Fuel pressure was 36 or more, I assume that is normal from what I've seen online. I ordered three MAP sensors on Amazon, two were wrong and the third I get tomorrow. It was a mystery to me where the sensor was, so I disconnected other ones to see if any of them looked like the right one and settled on the one to the right of the coil pack. I may have messed up the connector as I couldn't get it to snap into place. Oil pressure gauge was flashing when driving but power came back. Will hopefully get it fixed tomorrow.

Apparently the "MAP" not MAF sensor. Mass air pressure sensor. Also was getting a code for O2 sensor #1 but have been ignoring it as it has been on a while without performance issues.

Changing the fuel filter made no difference. I spoke with a mechanic at the local Gulf station who kindly gave me his best guesses. Very likely the MAF sensor is at fault as the vehicle is bogging down as I said and bucking from time to time. I picked up the Auto Zone free fuel gauge tester and will try to find a couple lines to connect it to tomorrow.

The car is running ok generally. Just a lack of acceleration and bogging when going uphill or trying to accelerate. I'll figure this out and let others know. Auto Zone has a lot of free tools as rentals. The Hispanic guys who've worked on my Forester in the past said they had a Legacy Outback with similar mileage they were willing to make a good deal on. Look, it hasn't been that many miles since they last worked on the Forester. They are bad with diagnosis. Video on diagnosing fuel pressure failure:

I'm running it on premium, put in some Lucas and STP fuel treatment and ordered a heavier duty gas treatment. I'll see if I can get proper help to run those tests.

I did not see any vacuum leak; I had it checked out by the mechanic and their computer code device which came up with the same code as mine. It's pretty continual acts as though the clogging builds up, why we thought it was a the cat. converter. Diagnostics look pretty complicated as recommended on Amazon's site. Any good mechanic could nail this down in person, but not the Hispanic immigrant mechanics except their "instinctual" judgments. This is their usual diagnostics on the Amazon site, apparently the warranty is through Amazon: Use an OBD-II scannerNote: Refer to the user manual for the exact location of the OBD-II port.Note: Refer to the user manual for instructions on how to do this for different models.Note: Error codes related to the catalytic converter usually start with P0420 to P0439. Locate the OBD-II port under the dashboard. Plug in the OBD-II scanner and turn the Ignition to ON Scan for error codes Interpret the codes Perform a visual inspectionNote: Refer to the user manual for the exact lift points on your vehicle.Note: Typically located between the engine and the muffler.Note: Physical damages may require immediate replacement. Safely elevate the vehicle using a car lift or jack stands. Locate the catalytic converter. Inspect for physical damages like cracks or dents. Test exhaust backpressureNote: Refer to the user manual for instructions on how to do this for different modelsNote: High backpressure typically indicates a clogged catalytic converter. Remove the oxygen sensor before the catalytic converter. Connect a backpressure tester in place of the oxygen sensor. Start the engine and check the backpressure reading. Conduct a temperature testNote: A properly functioning catalytic converter will have a higher outlet temperature compared to the inlet. Use an infrared thermometer to measure the inlet and outlet temperature of the catalytic converter. Compare the temperature difference

This was the Walker unit I got: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AGPD96/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Bought in early 2022.

I ran my 2002 Forester by the mechanics who usually check out my car, pretty intuitive guys. The diagnostics were showing lean fuel, P0171 I think. Put your foot on the gas and it lugs, not the usual alertness and power. I was thinking letting the car run low on gas, maybe sucking scum from the tank into the fuel filter could be the cause. I started filling up with premium and used some STP fuel treatment and today some Lucas fuel treatment, says to use 3 oz per 10 gallons. I ordered a fuel filter and some catalytic converter cleaner. The mechanics were thinking something may be broken inside the Cat. converter. I replaced it with an after market unit in the winters of 2021-22. Any recommendations on this?