Downbound

Nipper, I have been reading all the posts on TB and I know you are a proponent of trying easiest cheapest solutions first. I posted chattering on turns in my 99 manual forester a while ago (last July I think) and mentioned about doing the reverse figure 8's in a big parking lot (about 10-15 of them) and the chattering did stop. I then had the diff oil changed and the chattering on tight turns has not returned. I think this might be something to add to first steps if you suspect TB. Can't hurt to try and it dosen't cost anything.

Another successful digital clock fix. 99 Forester and the clock has been working sporadically for quite a while..Read the posts on the "fix" and finally got around to doing it...20 minutes and bingo, we have time...

Herb White Automotive in Merrickvile is a very good independent Mechanic who has tons of experience on soobs...Call him and see if he will do it with your parts ..i believe his rate is 71/hr for labour.

you say the cel flickered then went steady...think a flashing cel that then goes steady indicates a misfire..mine did .. check the codes first before changing anything

hi..99 Forester also and live just outside Ottawa.If the dealer is Westboro Subaru I have found them to be be fair and as honest as any dealer can be and the quoted price sounds resonable. If you are looking for a good independent I would recomend you check out Heb White Automotive in Merrickville, only about 45 minutes from Ottawa..

had the same symptoms on my 99 Forester, clunking on a very slow tight turn..noticed it first in a parking garage doing slow tight turns around corners. I have a MT so not sure if this will work with yours but it was suggested that I try doing figure 8's in reverse maybey 10-15 of them. The clunking disappeared and I then had the diff oil changed and the clunking has not reared its ugly head since.

g/f's come and go..subies are for life....................

Well...I have put 1300 kms on the rebuilt engine and it is running great, it was a little noisy at first but seems to have quieted down as the km's added up. My local mechanic had suggested to bring it in for oil and filter after a break in of around 12-1500 kms. and am going to do that in the morning..My question is.. since it is basically a new engine should I consider puting in synthetic oil? Thanks in advance..

Update..well my 2 month saga is over..I picked up the forester with the rebuilt engine on Dec. 18, was a little noisy at first (lifters??) but after 200 kms has quieted down. The first place I took it given the history of the dealer"s work on it was my local subie mechanic to give it the once over...Everything seems fine except for a leak around the oil presure switch which he corrected. He also noticed the right front inner c/v boot was torn and replaced it. He said bring it back in Jan for an oil change and he would re-inspect the engine after I have put some km's on it.. the dealer had also washed, waxed and detailed the interior of the car so it actually had that new car smell..I must admit that they did step up to the plate on this one but wonder if it was because I had my local guy tear the engine down where he found the stipped and bottomed out head bolts and he contacted them...guesse we will never know..so now hopefully it will be many more years and many more kms of happy motoring..btw if anyone in the ottawa area is on this board and needs a competent and honest subie mechanic I would recomend they get in touch with Herb White at Herb White Automotive in Merrickville.

Update...Well it has taken a long time but my engine has finally arrived and is being installed as I type..The dealer claims they never heard back from CCR (personally I think that the air freight shipping costs to Canada would have boosted the price to more than the dealer was willing to pay) but managed to get one from Eagle Japan Engines near Toronto..Stopped by the dealer last night and there it was in all it's spotlessly clean glory....They are still picking up the cost of the engine and I am to cover labour (shop rate 10.4 hrs @ $88/hr.). I have had a number of people tell me that once I get it back to get rid of it...What experence has anyone had with replacement engines?? All things being equal and with regular maintenance can I still expect a couple of 100k out of it??

I haven't heard back from the dealer. They were waiting for a quote from CCR to ship to Canada but with the Thnaksgiving holiday i don't suppose I will hear from the dealer till Monday or Tues. The dealer isn't a Subaru dealer, they began as a used car superstore but recently have also become a Chysler/Dodge/Jeep dealer too. I have a feeling that this is far from over but having them admit responsibilty is a big first step. My gut feeling is that they really don't want to fix the car, as they may be on the hook further down the line should something else go wrong. If that turns out to be the case ie: the cost of importing an engine from CCR is too expensive, it will be interesting to see what sort of deal they are willing to make on another vehicle. As i mentioned they have an 02 OB with low KMs, and if we end up going that route, you can be assured that the local subie mechanic I found who took the lead with the original phone call to the dealer will be getting all my buisness. And if they do get an engine and install it the first stop will be at my local guy to make sure that the work was performed properly. Will update when I hear from the dealer.

They quoted me 10.2 hrs.(shop rate to change an engine)should be around 900 + tax. The dealer is Car Canada, and I must admit they have stepped up to the plate. This is the second vehicle I have bought from them and have had the majority of my service done there. I will update when I hear from them. Thanks

A brief history first: Bought a 99 Forester in Sept /2003 with 113,000 kilometers on it from an independant dealer. Check engine light was on at the time p0303 misfire #3. they said not to worry we will take care of it. Well, 2 coil packs, 2 sets of plugs and wires later I finally asked for a compression test and lo and behold turned out to be a burnt exhaust valve. Had an extended warranty so that side was covered but since they had the engine apart decided to get the other side done and a new clutch installed. This was Dec./ 2004 (155,000 kms). By Jan 2005 noticed bubbles in the overflow..back to the dealer and they calimed wrong head bolts had been supplied so they would need to replace hg, which they did no charge. Drove ok untill this fall when noticed hot smell from engine (temp light never rose above 1/2 way at any time) and bubbles in the coolant (182,000 kms). Found a local subie mechanic who tested for hydrocarbons and sure enough hg again...Wasn't about to let the independent dealer have another shot so told my guy to tear it down and do it right..He found 2 head bolts had been stripped and one had bottomed out on the block, the bolt was tight , the washer loose. He suggested getting a new engine but felt that the dealer was responsible so he called then on my behalf to see if they would anty up any cash. To my surprise the dealership asked me to come in to see what could be done to make things right. They have offered to pay for a new engine if i covered labour. They also covered all the costs of my mechanic in tearing the engine down and the tow to their shop. They tried to get a used one from Japan engines with less than 50 k on it but none were available so I told then to check with CCR and they are in the process of doing that. The other option is to trade the car in with them on something else..They have an 02 ob with 47,000 kilometers on it. So I am in a quandry... They were willing to pay around 2300 Cad for an engine from Japan Engines. If the cost is not prohibitive (CCR ships air freight to Canada $$$) they will probably get one from CCR. Should I go that route? Or should i really look at dumping it? Any thought would be appreciated.. thanks

Had a similar problem with windows fogging up and found that the air intake switch was in the cabin position instead of outside air position..could it be as simple as that?

had a similar problem with my 99 forester..drive slow no problem , under a load, missing..took it to my local guy and turned out to be leaking valve cover gasket..He replaced plugs, wires (subaru parts), gasket and new plug tube seals for 350 Canadian, parts and labour...Works fine now..

Sorry for the long delay, work 6 days a week, 11 hrs a day during the summer..Found a good local mechanic who does subies and he suggested first thinb to find a big parking lot and drive in reverse doing figure 8's, maybe 10-15 times to see if the problem would improve and lo and behold it did..no noticble shaking on tight turns anymore..anyone ever heard of this and what did the manouver do to help..

Hi..99 Forester 5 speed with 180,00 kms..had the left axel assembly replaced in Sept of 05 and 166,000 kms after noticing bad shudder while doing a tight turn to the left at low speed. I am now noticing the same shudder when doing slow turns in either direction..sounds like clunking and the gear shift shakes. Any ideas, axel again? wheel bearings? Clutch was replaced at 150,000 kms. thanks

99 Forester, Pirelli P3000 Cinturato for summer and Good Year Ice Grips for winter.

Had the same problem with my 99 forester, turned out to be a burnt exhasut valve in #3 but you would have never known it from driving it..smooth, no hesitation..you could just hear a bit of a put put put from the exhaust when idling..

You might want to try the old dollar bill test on the exhaust...start the car, hold a dollor bill about 1/2 inch away from the exhaust, it should just flutter but if it alternatly gets sucked into then blown out of the exhaust there is a good chance you have a burnt exhaust valve..pretty simple but might just give you another clue to what is going on...

Here is the service note from subaru regarding the hg and coolant addititve. Once you get this issue resolved you should get thousands and thousands of miles of superior driving from your roo. Good luck Service Program WWP-99 February 2004 Dear Subaru Owner: This email is sent to you in the interest of continued customer satisfaction. Subaru of America recently announced a campaign on certain model year vehicles starting in 1999 through 2002. Official Owner Notification Letters will be mailed to all affected customers starting in late February through May of 2004. The timing of the mailings is based on the vehicle model year, starting with oldest affected model year in February through the newest affected model years in May. The following text is similar to that contained in the Official Owner Notification Letter that will be sent to you during the mailing phase affecting your vehicle. Therefore, this email is most likely arriving before most owners will receive their official Owner Notification Letter in the mail. Please do not schedule your vehicle for an appointment for this campaign until after you have received your Official Owner Notification Letter, unless you are experiencing vehicle problems. You can contact your local Subaru dealer for any questions related to this or e-mail us at Subaru.com, contact us. CAMPAIGN MESSAGE As a precautionary measure, SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC. is recommending that a special conditioner be added to the engine cooling system of certain 1999 through 2002 model year Subaru vehicles equipped with 2.5 liter engines. This recommendation, which applies to your Subaru vehicle, is made to prevent a possible external coolant leak at your vehicle’s engine cylinder head gaskets. WHAT YOU SHOULD DO Once you receive your official Owner Notification Letter in the mail, you should contact your Subaru Dealer as soon as possible for an appointment to have the Subaru Cooling System Conditioner added at no cost to you. The approximate time to perform this operation is 15 minutes. However, it may be necessary to leave your vehicle the full day of your scheduled appointment to allow your dealer flexibility in scheduling. Please present the official notification letter to your Subaru Dealer at the time this repair procedure is performed. BACKGROUND INFORMATION Your vehicle’s engine cooling system contains liquid coolant/anti-freeze. Over time, it is possible for small external coolant leaks to develop at the engine cylinder head gaskets. This is the result of normal expansion and contraction of engine components caused by the heating and cooling of these parts. To prevent coolant leaks from developing or to correct existing leaks at the head gaskets, a special Subaru Cooling System Conditioner should be added to your vehicle’s cooling system. FUTURE MAINTENANCE In the future, it will be necessary to add Genuine Subaru Cooling System Conditioner to your vehicle’s cooling system whenever the engine coolant is replaced. The recommended service interval for coolant replacement can be found in your Warranty and Maintenance Booklet under the heading "Schedule of Inspection and Maintenance Services". As a reminder, with the official owner notification mailing, we will include an update page that should be added to your Owner’s Manual and Warranty and Maintenance Booklet. We ask you to keep in mind that replacement of fluids (including Subaru Cooling System Conditioner) during inspection and maintenance services is not covered under warranty. WARRANTY EXTENSION Once you receive your notification letter, you should have this Service Program repair performed promptly. If so, Subaru will extend coverage under the Subaru Limited Warranty on your vehicle for cylinder head gasket external coolant leaks to a period of 8 years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first. Warranty coverage begins on the date the vehicle was delivered to the first retail purchaser. If the vehicle was used as a demonstrator or company vehicle before being sold at retail, warranty coverage begins on the date the vehicle was first placed in such service. As a further condition for this extended warranty coverage to apply, you must have Genuine Subaru Cooling System Conditioner added to your vehicle at any subsequent cooling system services at the interval specified in the Warranty and Maintenance Booklet under the heading "Schedule of Inspection and Maintenance Services". Resulting damage caused by a lack of maintenance or low coolant level will not be covered. CHANGED YOUR ADDRESS OR SOLD YOUR SUBARU? If you have moved or sold your vehicle, please reply to this message with your Vehicle Identification Number and your updated information. IF YOU HAVE PREVIOUSLY PAID FOR A RELATED REPAIR In the event that you have already paid an authorized Subaru Dealer for repairs to remedy an external coolant leak in an engine cylinder head gasket at less than 100,000 miles and your Subaru’s cooling system has been properly maintained, you may be entitled to reimbursement forthe head gasket replacement costs. Any reimbursement by Subaru will be based on our suggested retail parts pricing and suggested labor time multiplied by the dealer’s hourly labor rate at the time of repair. Because Subaru Dealers are independently owned and operated, Subaru of America has no control over the actual charges. The actual repair cost may be higher or lower than the rate used by Subaru of America to calculate reimbursement. If lower, reimbursement will be limited to the amount you actually paid. Please send the ORIGINAL service repair order, which has complete information including the name of the repair facility, date of repair, mileage at the time of repair, complete vehicle identification number (17 digits), and your name, with correct mailing address and telephone number to the address listed below. Subaru of America, Inc. Customer Dealer Service Department Attention: Service Program WWP-99 P.O. Box 6000 Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-6000 Please send original receipts only and retain a photocopy for your records. Please be assured that we will attempt to process your reimbursement request as quickly as possible, but may take up to 120 days for this process to be completed. IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM Should you have any questions regarding this customer service program, please contact your nearest Subaru Dealer. To locate the nearest Subaru Dealer you can access our Website at and select "Find a Dealer". Or, you may call us at 1-800-SUBARU3 (1-800-782-2783) during normal business hours for assistance. Please call us immediately if the dealer fails or is unable to make the necessary repairs free of charge or write to the address listed in this email. Again, this email is possibly being sent before you will receive your official owner notification. Therefore, we would appreciate it if you would wait until that time to have the service campaign completed. Your continued satisfaction with your Subaru is important to us. Please understand that we have taken this action in the interest of your vehicle’s proper operation and we have staged the owner letters in phases so that Subaru dealers can perform this service within a reasonable time frame. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this matter may cause you. Sincerely, SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.

The thing I like most about my Forester is thinking about where we will go tomorrow......

With all the talk on here about leaking head gaskets and what to do, does anybody make sure to add the subaru conditioner to the coolant when they replace it? There was a service note from subaru in feb 2004 addressing this issue.. ..it is long but i think it might be of interst. Service Program WWP-99 February 2004 Dear Subaru Owner: This email is sent to you in the interest of continued customer satisfaction. Subaru of America recently announced a campaign on certain model year vehicles starting in 1999 through 2002. Official Owner Notification Letters will be mailed to all affected customers starting in late February through May of 2004. The timing of the mailings is based on the vehicle model year, starting with oldest affected model year in February through the newest affected model years in May. The following text is similar to that contained in the Official Owner Notification Letter that will be sent to you during the mailing phase affecting your vehicle. Therefore, this email is most likely arriving before most owners will receive their official Owner Notification Letter in the mail. Please do not schedule your vehicle for an appointment for this campaign until after you have received your Official Owner Notification Letter, unless you are experiencing vehicle problems. You can contact your local Subaru dealer for any questions related to this or e-mail us at Subaru.com, contact us. CAMPAIGN MESSAGE As a precautionary measure, SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC. is recommending that a special conditioner be added to the engine cooling system of certain 1999 through 2002 model year Subaru vehicles equipped with 2.5 liter engines. This recommendation, which applies to your Subaru vehicle, is made to prevent a possible external coolant leak at your vehicle’s engine cylinder head gaskets. WHAT YOU SHOULD DO Once you receive your official Owner Notification Letter in the mail, you should contact your Subaru Dealer as soon as possible for an appointment to have the Subaru Cooling System Conditioner added at no cost to you. The approximate time to perform this operation is 15 minutes. However, it may be necessary to leave your vehicle the full day of your scheduled appointment to allow your dealer flexibility in scheduling. Please present the official notification letter to your Subaru Dealer at the time this repair procedure is performed. BACKGROUND INFORMATION Your vehicle’s engine cooling system contains liquid coolant/anti-freeze. Over time, it is possible for small external coolant leaks to develop at the engine cylinder head gaskets. This is the result of normal expansion and contraction of engine components caused by the heating and cooling of these parts. To prevent coolant leaks from developing or to correct existing leaks at the head gaskets, a special Subaru Cooling System Conditioner should be added to your vehicle’s cooling system. FUTURE MAINTENANCE In the future, it will be necessary to add Genuine Subaru Cooling System Conditioner to your vehicle’s cooling system whenever the engine coolant is replaced. The recommended service interval for coolant replacement can be found in your Warranty and Maintenance Booklet under the heading "Schedule of Inspection and Maintenance Services". As a reminder, with the official owner notification mailing, we will include an update page that should be added to your Owner’s Manual and Warranty and Maintenance Booklet. We ask you to keep in mind that replacement of fluids (including Subaru Cooling System Conditioner) during inspection and maintenance services is not covered under warranty. WARRANTY EXTENSION Once you receive your notification letter, you should have this Service Program repair performed promptly. If so, Subaru will extend coverage under the Subaru Limited Warranty on your vehicle for cylinder head gasket external coolant leaks to a period of 8 years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first. Warranty coverage begins on the date the vehicle was delivered to the first retail purchaser. If the vehicle was used as a demonstrator or company vehicle before being sold at retail, warranty coverage begins on the date the vehicle was first placed in such service. As a further condition for this extended warranty coverage to apply, you must have Genuine Subaru Cooling System Conditioner added to your vehicle at any subsequent cooling system services at the interval specified in the Warranty and Maintenance Booklet under the heading "Schedule of Inspection and Maintenance Services". Resulting damage caused by a lack of maintenance or low coolant level will not be covered. CHANGED YOUR ADDRESS OR SOLD YOUR SUBARU? If you have moved or sold your vehicle, please reply to this message with your Vehicle Identification Number and your updated information. IF YOU HAVE PREVIOUSLY PAID FOR A RELATED REPAIR In the event that you have already paid an authorized Subaru Dealer for repairs to remedy an external coolant leak in an engine cylinder head gasket at less than 100,000 miles and your Subaru’s cooling system has been properly maintained, you may be entitled to reimbursement forthe head gasket replacement costs. Any reimbursement by Subaru will be based on our suggested retail parts pricing and suggested labor time multiplied by the dealer’s hourly labor rate at the time of repair. Because Subaru Dealers are independently owned and operated, Subaru of America has no control over the actual charges. The actual repair cost may be higher or lower than the rate used by Subaru of America to calculate reimbursement. If lower, reimbursement will be limited to the amount you actually paid. Please send the ORIGINAL service repair order, which has complete information including the name of the repair facility, date of repair, mileage at the time of repair, complete vehicle identification number (17 digits), and your name, with correct mailing address and telephone number to the address listed below. Subaru of America, Inc. Customer Dealer Service Department Attention: Service Program WWP-99 P.O. Box 6000 Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-6000 Please send original receipts only and retain a photocopy for your records. Please be assured that we will attempt to process your reimbursement request as quickly as possible, but may take up to 120 days for this process to be completed. IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM Should you have any questions regarding this customer service program, please contact your nearest Subaru Dealer. To locate the nearest Subaru Dealer you can access our Website at and select "Find a Dealer". Or, you may call us at 1-800-SUBARU3 (1-800-782-2783) during normal business hours for assistance. Please call us immediately if the dealer fails or is unable to make the necessary repairs free of charge or write to the address listed in this email. Again, this email is possibly being sent before you will receive your official owner notification. Therefore, we would appreciate it if you would wait until that time to have the service campaign completed. Your continued satisfaction with your Subaru is important to us. Please understand that we have taken this action in the interest of your vehicle’s proper operation and we have staged the owner letters in phases so that Subaru dealers can perform this service within a reasonable time frame. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this matter may cause you. Sincerely, SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.

Had a burnt exhaust valve and when they did the fix i experienced the same problem..coolant filling the resevoir and not flowing back in... replaced rad cap no luck..turns out they used wrong head bolts and had a head gasget leak..they redid the gasket with the correct bolts and everything has been fine ever since.

Get them to do a compression test on 3 & 4 before they pull the heads..