ferret

04 Forester XS 5 speed.....Best mileage 34 mpg. Worst, 25. This far surpasses my 02 Forester which at best got 24 mpg. That also had a BAD BAD case of piston slap which I suspect kept the knock sensor busy and the timing retarded. I run the tires at 35 psi. I average 31-32. On the interstate, I set the cruise for 65, no higher. 70 mph drops the mileage by 2-3 mpg. That 34 mpg was on a 55 mph road for over 3 hrs. So I have concluded...higher tire pressure than on Placard....Under 65 mph so long as I'm not trying to make time. My $.02

I've owned 7 Subaru's to date, all 5 speeds...currently an 04 Forester XS. The WORST was an 02 Forester.....7 Oxygen sensors in 2 yrs.....lived with a Ck Eng light at least once a week....(many many other things also caused this light) Bad Bad case of Piston Slap (as the Avitar was created for)...Clutch replaced Twice (for the shutter problem)....Many Many letters to Subaru did nothing.......but with the good service I had from the 5 previous ones, I was willing to give them another try. The 04 IS the car I thought I purchased in 02 and restored my confidence in them. My wife even said the 02 must have been built on a Friday, by other than Subaru employees.....Heck our 94 Caravan outlived and was far more reliable than that 02 Forester.....(02 Forester 58K when traded, 94 Caravan 4 cyl/ 5 speed stick...yes a 5 speed.....179K)

Had this on my 02 Forester...and a neighbors 01 Legacy. Both turned out to be the Front O2 sensor. After warmup, it would send a signal as if the engine were running too rich and cut off the injectors. Both Bucked like crazy. Only happened after warmup. If these are your symptoms, try the following (but be aware, this WILL set a code, You can erase by removing the battery cable). The way I proved it was when it was acting up (on an interstate for me), I pulled off and 'unplugged' the front O2 sensor. Engine goes into 'open loop' mode. (no sensor feedback). Engine IMMEDIATLY ran better. Plugged sensor back in, Buck-Buck-Buck.....took a little persuading of the dealer to change it under warrenty (I was well under 36K), but without a code, he didn't believe me. He finally did after the 3rd visit.

If these are the 'Speed Bleeders', they are torqued to the same as the factory. 8Nm / 0.8Kgf-m / 5.8ft-lb. Any others I would torque to the Factory Specs also unless they indicated differently.

Been using tire rack since 1985 (before internet). I used to see the ads in Car & Driver. Every set of tires or tire/wheel sets since then, I have purchased from them. Never had a problem. I also have the G900's (on an 04 Forester). Haven't considered a replacement yet. Have lots of tread left. But I just purchased Yokohoma H-T-S G051's for my wife's 04 Highlander (225/70/16).....just about 2000 miles on them and I am pleased with them. However they don't come in the Forester size. (215/60/16).

Cory, ALL 2.5's are interference engines. As far as phase II Head gaskets, they are suspect to an external coolant leak. I would recommend ONLY the dealer/Subaru purchased sealer. You have an all Aluminum block and radiator. I wouldn't trust any other off the shelf sealer than what Subaru tested. They tried a few for over 2 yrs before releasing the one they did (My $.02). Most Phase II 2.5's will not develop this leak, but after the phase I problems, Subaru was under pressure to insure the phase II's didn't follow the same pattern. Also external leaks like this are remedied easily by a sealer. As far as being an interference engine, Most out there today are. Just be sure to do your maintainence at the recommended service intervals and you should be fine.

Mis-fire accoring to the Theory of operations is detected after xx.ms AFTER the plug is fired. The CRANK sensor MUST see a pulse within this window. The window length varies according to the RPM. (Faster RPM...Smaller window to detect the crank pulse). So ANY thing that causes a cylinder not to 'detonate' will cause a miss, no matter how slight, the PCM / ECU / Logic unit will detect it and post a misfire. Most common I have seen across many vehicles in order are: Plugs, Wires, Fuel filter, Fuel Pump, Fuel Regulators, Coils, Crank / Cam sensors. The Flex plate was rare, but others with mopar experience put me onto that one. These have been my experiences, but every car and problem can / will be different.

As I stated..Right by the Rear Spray nozzle....in the top of the tailgate.

There is a check valve right by the rear sprayer...It's an inline valve in the hose and looks like a hose connector. These usually stick shut. Open the hose and use a toothpick to dislodge the small ball / spring. It will usually stick again, replace it. Subaru part only and the dealers have'em in stock. It's there to keep fluid in the hose so it sprays as soon as you push the button.

Yes..Your Subaru, as most, have only 1 bank of Oxygen sensors..Bank 1. Sensor 1 in the front, usually right in the Y pipe Cat, Sensor 2 is the rear, usually by the tranny tailshaft. On Newer, some 2003 and up, the rear is in the backside of the same Y pipe Cat.

All EJ's use Iron Liners in the cylinders. Talking to a Tech I know from the Subaru Region site in Orangeburg NY, They have had a 'few' liners shift in the block. He has seen the 2.2 and both the DOHC 2.5 and SOHC 2.5 do this. As he stated, it's NOT common. The Turbo block IS different and he hasn't seen any of these shift, but he states, they still could. When these shift, it is always been away from the head (lower into the block). And he says its not by much (.005 to .0010). But enought to see when you have the head off. Symptoms........You guessed it.....Same as the 2.5 DOHC head gasket. So for a Service Mgr to make a blanket statement is ir-responsible. As with all mechanical things, you don't know until you take it apart. But the ODD's are in favor of a blown head gasket, and not the liner shifting. P.S.....EndWrench has a good writeup this month on Subaru Cooling Systems...Confirming what I have done for the neighbors for over 20 yrs....Do NOT FLUSH COOLING SYSTEMS....and ALWAYS use De-ionized / De-minerialized water when refilling. Can get it in almost any supermarket. http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/CoolMay05EW.pdf

Best of luck to you....I have had Subaru's since 1978, both FWD and AWD. Yes they have given me good service. But our other vehicles during the same time have also. Others will have a problem with this, but next to my 90 Legacy, our 96 Dodge Caravan gave us good service for 162K with only routine maint. That Caravan owed us nothing. As the kids are now older, it was replaced with an 04 Highlander. Our immediate neighbor has a Pontiac Vibe(Matrix twin).....she is very pleased with it. I haven't heard anything bad about them. Again best of luck to ya.....

Howard, Follow this thread from last week: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=39118&highlight=knock+sensor

Great URL for you...it's a .PDF also you can save and print http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/TBeltEWWin05.pdf

Starting in 2006, the N/A 2.5 SOHC gots Variable Valve Timing. This is hydraulically done via a solenoid to control oil flow to a chamber to 'advance' valve timing at higher RPM. Also other changes to the Head. Other changes are cosmetic, like the New front end, and clear tail light appearance. Inside, newer materials, new sliding armrest in the front, fold down armrest in the rear. And I didn't notice it when I looked, but they said the rear seat backs now recline. Also exterior color updates. Your choice. I would look at both. On a side note, when the 05's were just being shipped, Subaru sent me an offer, since I was having issues with my 02 which they were not addressing. I traded the 02 for an 04 at a reduced price. Never looked back. Not upset I didn't get a 'newer' 05. extremely happy with the 04. My point is, for the money, the 05 improvments were not worth the extra cash. If you like an 05, and get an acceptable or great price, the car, handling, ride are pretty much the same. Keep the extra cash for a nice vacation....By car.

2 Things I come to mind here. The first X number 05 Legacies/Outbacks were recalled not for the side curtain air bag not deploying, BUT they were put in 'backwards'. So they deployed toward the roof, not covering the side. Now to the other, This by the way is no excuse, but I might have your buddy contact Subaru or a local authority to investigate WHY they didn't deploy. But the Side Sensors are mounted low by the door side pillar. Again, I didn't see this car, but of they were not impacted, this may be why they didn't deploy. In either case, It would not give me a warm fuzzy, BUT the Legacy/Outback design does. In May 1996, my wife was driving my 90 Legacy LS wagon on the NY thruway and was cut off by another car at 70mph. After she swerved, the Legacy rolled 3 1/2 times landing on the roof (sunroof was open at the time). Legacy was destroyed.....She walked away with seatbelt abrasions. Even the EMT's were amazed. And in 1990, they didn't have air bags yet. They became an option in 1991. That's another reason I'm still a Subaru Owner.

Before I would rip anything else open, I would remove the drive's side timing belt cover. Then start the engine, look and listen. Some timing belt tensioners, both the older type on the 2.2, and the newer type on later 2.2's and 2.5's are known to become sloppy and make a noise like yours. In colder climates, this happens when first started and is sometimes confused with piston slap. But I have seen one that was bad all the time. Take the time and pull off the cover. Start the engine, watch the belt for slack and slop. I use and old piece of heater hose for years now as my 'stethescope'. Holding one end to my ear, it helps me locate engine noises. I also had a Water Pump (90 legacy LS wagon), back in 1992 when the 2.2 was only a baby, make a percolator type sound. Found that after it seized and took out the timing belt. (overheated and destroyed itself). That made that sound for less than a week. Good luck....hope it's not your mains.

Right click on them, then download (save) them. Use Acrobat to open them. If you open them in a message, the message defaults to a text editor instead of acrobat.

99S had rear disk/pads. Very simple. You don't go near the parking brake at all for simple pad replacement. See attached .pdf files

Without seeing or hearing the engine, the problems you mentioned can also be caused either by a defective Temp Sensor (not having the proper resistance for a 'cold' engine), or more likely the front Oxygen Sensor. Especially when you mention the black smoke (running rich) and bogging down after it shifts. Granted it can be other things, but I would have the front Oxygen sensor plotted with an OBDII reader capable of doing so. It may not be 'bad' enough to throw a code, but I have seen these create havoc otherwise.

Because you have a misfire on ALL cylinders, let's get a little 'technical' here about what a 'misfire' is. First for combustion, we need the basics, air/fuel , compression , and ignition. (I'm aware we all know these). Then with the help of the Camshaft pickup, we ignite spark at the proper moment. NOW the Crankshaft sensor MUST see the next pulse within a certain time, (and it is RPM dependent, ie faster RPM, ECU expects that pulse sooner). Bearing this in mind, AND the fact you have a misfire on ALL cylinders, you can have a fuel / delivery problem (common for the first few starts after replacing a fuel filter, but then goes away). Still can be the filter, or a 'cranky' fuel pump. If you can, test the Fuel Pressure. Can also be the Coil assy they replaced. I know there are 2 seperate coils inside, but it may have been the wrong p/n. Can be the ECU, very expensive, and a long shot, but also a candidate. Also the Crank or Cam sensor, May not be putting out a 'clean' signal. OR something mechanical, Timing belt, Tensioner (allowing the crank / cams to move a few degrees at certain RPM / Loads). Or a connector on any of the component not making good contact. Are there any other sounds heard at the time, I know of a damaged Flex plate on a Dodge I serviced causing a misfire, but there were also other 'noises' associated with that vehicle. Misfire on ALL cylinders is a tough code to resolve. You just have to eliminate suspects one at a time. Sorry I don't have a HERE's THE FIX answer.

Since I don't know your car or mileage, I did a Kelly Blue book lookup. It also only listed the US. I did a 98 Legacy AWD 5sp. with 80K miles for Buffalo in Excellent/Showroom condition. Tradein value $4400 US. In good Condition dropped to $3900 US. Mileage over 100K, the value drops quickly. Now it depends if the car is worth more than that to you, or if you want to layout that much money for a newer vehicle. I would get at least 1 more dealer to offer a trade, just to see if they are in the ballpark. Also 05's are discounted now, so they should be able to give you a better overall price. If you talked Invoice vs Wholesale tradein, He may have not been to far off the mark. In any case, Good luck shopping.

Replace the tires. We had the Aquatreads on a 96 Caravan we had. After about 6 months and 12K miles, they became very loud and I had them 'spin balanced'. Didn't help. We sold the van last year, depite what others experienced, we got good service from that 96 caravan 157K when sold, no major repairs. Just before we sold it, I went to a local tire store with a $200 special tires which would fit. Done Deal. Became a selling point....New tires, one less thing for the next owner to worry about. Granted they were cheap, but most new factory tires are also. Love the Jersey Shore....!!!

Thats because in the last 4 yrs, I have had an 02 and 04 Forester...and 5 Subaru's before them. I speak only from experience....and maybe an old service manual.

98 to 02..Nope. 03 and up, the switch no longer illuminates, but on the dash, the word cruise illuminates in green.