jmoss5723

I bought a hitch on from a dude on craigslist for my 2004 Forester XS. I installed it and it technically fits, but the receiver is only like a millimeter below the aluminum bumper beam and is like 90% covered by the bumper plastic. Plus the hangers on the muffler (I guess the steel rod thingys that go into the rubber hangers, really) rub the hitch a little bit. Is this tight of a fitment normal? I'm thinking I might be able to flex the bumper cover up and actually tuck it in between the receiver and the bumper beam, but if not I'll have to cut it. Seems like every hitch install I've seen on these Foresters does not require cutting. Maybe I got a wrong(ish) hitch? If that's the case, I'm actually glad because this gives me absolute max ground clearance at the hitch. Thoughts?

Sounds like it's back to the shop then! Thanks everyone. I didn't explicitly tell them to make sure they were oriented exactly the same way as they were on the old struts, but I suppose I would just assume they'd have the sense to do that.

I am replacing the rear struts on my 2004 Forester and I had a local shop swap the springs and mounts from the old struts to the new ones. I got them back and I can't remember if the top hats are supposed to spin like the fronts. I'm asking because with the bolt holes that attach the strut to the knuckle lined up properly, the bolts on the top hats are rotated about 90° from their holes. I feel like I ought to be able to spin it to line it up, but I can't. Did the shop over-tighten these? Is something screwed up?

Bumping this thread from the depths. If I left a secondary battery plugged in to 12v socket in the hatch area (with a cord that is a 12V plug on one end and either regular batter terminals or just alligator clips on the other end...?) would I need to be concerned about backflow of power from the second battery when the engine isn't running or when I'm starting the car? If this IS a concern, the fix is simple in theory, but more difficult in practice: Just disconnect the second battery when the engine isn't running. I just don't want to have to open the hatch to plug in/unplug the battery every time I get in/out of the car, and I'd like to avoid wiring up a switch.

I've read about a 100A GM swap and a 90A Maxima swap. Which (if either) is right for me? I'm not afraid of modifying brackets or wiring, but doing less work is certainly preferred so long as I'm still getting a good end result. My 84 BRAT is noticeably low in the electrical power department. If I blow the heater while running the lights and wipers on a cold rainy night, I am well below 12V on the gauge. If i add the turn signal to the mix, I get a nice little bounce in the needle, but that might be a grounding issue. I'm running a OE spec reman unit from advance auto with only a few years and a few thousand miles on it. Even with no lights, heater, etc. on, I have to be over 4k rpm before the gauge reads over 12V. Does it seem like I just have a grounding issue? Do I need an upgrade? If so, which one?

Given the additional load on the suspension from cargo and passengers, have you considered using King or Ironman springs? Also, I don't know if you were planning to make or buy the rear seats, but here is a place to get some ideas: http://www.littlepassengerseats.com/outback.html#.Vhe65xHBzGc and https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.577023802326404.143968.250990354929752&type=3

When you say "not the right type" do you mean not the butt of a small Japanese man?

There is a gen2 BRAT for sale locally with a totally shot body. Like I'd be concerned about attempting to put it on a trailer without it tearing apart. But it has a decent looking low-height original roll bar, jump seat frame and belts, and supposedly the engine turns over. They're asking $500 OBO. Should I buy it and try to sell some parts, keep some spares, and then scrap the rotted hulk? What's a gen2 roll bar going for these days?

That sounds awful. And cold. 210s would definitely require the topper to be open, right? Actually that sounds awful for everyone involved. That's a long time to be in a car with seats that you can't really recline at all.

Who has had the longest ride in a BRAT's rear seat? Distance or time? I haven't had the jumpseats installed in my BRAT for very long, so there hasn't been much opportunity for long rides in them. Mostly quick trips across town for 5 minutes or so. I understand that they're not the most desirable seat in the world, nor are they the safest. My brother-in-law spent about 30 minutes in the back the other day and it got me curious about whether anyone has a story of a particularly long ride back there. I'm certain this one isn't the longest, but I'll start with it anyways. My brother in law rode back there for 30 minutes in 50ish degree weather the other night. We were cruising back roads from my house to his and he had to ride in the back because I've been DDing the BRAT so it has my daughters chunky carseat in the front. He reported that the ride was generally pleasant, but his head was cold and he was concerned for his life when I nearly hit a deer.

That engine bay looks awfully familiar...

Nothing new really with the cars. I've kept them all. The house has me super busy. My forester has a a slow leak in a brake line and a new strange clunk in the rear suspension, so I've been DDing the BRAT for over a month because I don't have the time to fix it right now. The Ski Wagon gets driven around every few weeks to keep it fresh, but has just been hanging out in the driveway all summer =( I'm still looking for usable rear quarters. This house has required almost a full gutting, but I'm actually really close to done with it now. After that, hopefully I can get my cars in order. In other news, I was made a Subaru Ambassador, which is pretty cool.

A pressure washer can do wonders to old carpet. Just don't use too high of a pressure or it can fall apart.

I know these cars are worlds apart, but for perspective, I have the OEM rack on my 2004 Forester with the load warrior basket and 2 Yakima bike trays. I've had no problems with this arrangement at all.

Yes, but chances are good I wouldn't be able to do it for several weeks. You're a good distance away from me.

I'd give you $100 for the motor.

Yes I have done it. It was really easy. I did it in half an hour over lunch in the parking lot at work. This fix has been working nicely for 2 years+ http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f87/how-adjust-c-compressor-clutch-116835/

You will get a better answer if you post your question in the right place. Try searching the forum first using the box at the top right. If nothing comes up, start a new thread here. I'm usually nice and helpful to new users who don't know what they're doing yet, but did you even try to find the right place to post, or did you just plop a condescending reply to the first thread you found?

Excellent answer Texan. This is one of the reasons that I love this forum. To 99% of the people on car forums, this is an incredibly elementary question. On many other forums, the original poster would be met with sarcasm, insulted, mocked, or maybe just ignored. But here at USMB, most of the answers are helpful and respectful. Sure you'll see the occasional comment saying to search more, but that is only for really common questions that get asked everyday. @bluepearlgirl, check out this link: http://www.howacarworks.com/ It will give you some good general knowledge about the parts of your car and what they do.

Would it be $85 like your other targa stripes?

Earl, do you have any decals like the ones in these pictures? They are pretty similar to the Gen2 BRAT decals listed on your site, except the letters are vinyl with cut outs around them. The letters had peeled away (been removed maybe?) before I ever owned the car, but you can still barely make out where they were. A repaint and new decals are in this BRAT's future and i would love to be able to use this style decal because it is something a little bit more unique.

That's a cool coincidence! I wish the subaru world was this small around here.

This seems like a perfectly reasonable approach. It wouldn't take much time or money to make this car right.

Is there a difference in suspension travel between the SF struts and the SG struts?

I'm betting the answer to this question will be that it is too early to say for sure, but I'll ask anyway. What is the projected cost for a kit assuming that the customer already has a donor car? Even ballpark pricing?