Stevo F

Has anybody tried the Subaru climate control cleaner that is sprayed through the drain hose into the evaporator to clean it out- does it work well?

As a contrast, I checked my 2003 Forester which I would assume has a similar A/C system, and the A:C temp (on recirculate) got down to 44 degrees abs I ran it that way for at least 5 minutes with no cycling

Thank you. Interestingly, If I drop the Dan speed the temp all starts dropping and that’s when the cycling starts. Has anybody tried the Subaru climate control cleaner that is sprayed through the drain hose into the evaporator to clean it out- does it work well?

At the start of the hot weather, I started up the air conditioning on the Outback I bought from my Dad last year and noticed that the A/C compressor would run for 30- 40 seconds, then cycle off for another 30 seconds, then repeat. I obtain an HVAC thermometer with a probe, that I inserted into the center dash AC vent. I found that when the compressor would run, it would get the air temperature down to about 48 degrees F, then the compressor kicks off and the temperature coming out of the ducts would rise to the upper 50's, then it would kick on again. I had my mechanic hookup up his gauges to the A/C system and he found the refrigerant was 1/2 lb, low, so he added refrigerant and checked for leaks (he couldn't find any). I'm not sure when my father last had the A/C serviced (he doesn't recall). My mechanic said the compressor wasn't cycling so all seemed well. When I drove it, I checked the air again, putting it on recirculate as you are supposed to with air conditioning, then it would cycle again 30- 40 seconds the same way, but when taking it off of recirculate, the compressor did stay on and kept the A/C temp at 53- 54 degrees, pretty cold, but not really as cold as it should be. I rigged up the thermometer to measure the air temps as I drove the car 45 miles home from my Dad's (90 degrees and humid), and as I drove, if I kept the fan speed on 3 and didn't recirculate, keeping the temp around 53 degrees, the compressor never cycled, but if I dropped the fan speed to 2, or put it on recirculate, then air temp dropped to about 49 degrees and it started cycling on and off again. So I have concluded that it seems like there is a switch that is switching off the compressor when the A/C temp drops (possibly to keep the evaporator from freezing up) but it seems to be shutting it off at too high of a temperature. Is there such a switch, and is there a way to test it see if it's functioning properly?

Swapping in a used ECU shouldn't be a big deal on a 2007. I tried this on my 2008 Forester and had no issues (also didn't solve the problem so I now have a spare). I'm not sure about that generation Outback, but it was plug and play for my Forester.

Yes plugs are just a few thousand miles old and I just put new NGK wires on it. Just replaced both O2 sensors with Denso units as well.

Yes, OEM alternators are pricy but worth it compared to other rebuilts. Other rebuilders only replace defective parts but Subaru replaces anything that might fail so it's as good as a new one. I recall pricing one for my 2005 Impreza and it was around the same price as you found. I kjust put an OEM on my 2000 Outback and luckily for that year it was only around $250

The reservoir has never overflowed nor has this car ever had an air bubbles in the reservoir with the engine running (I had two newer Foresters with internal headgasket leaks so I knew what to check for on this one)

I figured it out the other day. I took another look at the heater hoses and there was wet coolant residue at the heater core ends of the hoses. The clamps weren't super tight, so i tightened them down (I replaced the heater hoses and used new clamps 5 years ago). I figured I was pushing on the heater hoses when accessing the transmission dipstick when I was checking the ATF level, and the loose clamps let some coolant leak out when the hoses were pushed on. I ran the car and even pushed on the heater hoses, but the connections to the heater core are still dry.

Funny thing that I started and warmed it up a couple times after and no leak at all. I found the radiator was full but the coolant overflow reservoir was empty when it was cold again.

I checking over the 2003 Forester in the garage, and shut it off after checking automatic transmission fluid level. I heard a dripping sound from underneath and saw a small puddle under the transmission pan. I put it up on Jack stands and got underneath, but the dripping had stopped. I confirmed it was engine coolant but looking up underneath, I couldn’t determine where it came from. My first thought was from a heater hose, since it was from that general area, but both heater hoses were clean and dry (they were replaced 5 years ago). Also no indication of leaking from the heater core. Not sure where else to look for coolant leaks near the rear of the engine. Are these are any other small coolant hoses on the EJ251 engine? I recall my old EJ22 had a small coolant hose that ran to the IACV. Not sure where else to look for coolant leak from that part of the car.

Last year, I bought my father's well kept, low mileage 2000 Outback Limited with automatic transmission and only 70K miles. The car runs and drives great, however acceleration seems laggy for an EJ25 4EAT Subaru, especially accelerating up hills. I've owned a number of other Subaru's of this vintage and none were as laggy, including my old EJ22 '98 Legacy. My '03 Forester with 250K miles and the same EJ251 engine, 4EAT transmission, and 4.11 drive ratio seems much peppier. I know the Outback weighs several hundred pounds more than the Forester, but I can't believe that would be make noticeable difference. I wish there was an inexpensive way to get a little more performance from this car. Too bad the power mode hack for 2nd gen Legacy's can't be done on this car (that only applied to Phase 1 4EAT's), and Sport mode didn't come out until 2005. I can see why the H6 was such a popular option for this model when it came out in 2001.

I had two '05 Outback Sports which I miss driving now. I believe there are a lot of aftermarket headlight options, including projectors to run LED/ HID bulbs in. Fun to drive cars and I got close to 30 MPG to boot. The '05 engine was a bit of an oddball too, as it was the first year for the EJ253, but starting in '06 it had variable valve timing. The '05 motor was solid as a rock in both of mine.

On my 2021 Crosstrek I just make it a habit to push the button on the dash to turn it off every time I drive the car, as I find this feature very annoying.

Sounds like you've done all the common fixes. I've hsad these codes on my 2008 Forester and the 2006 I used to have. For me, the oil control valve did the trick. I believe they are sensitive to oil levels, so an oil or change or two might help

I checked but the belt shroud doesn’t come in contact with power steering hoses at any point

I have a low mileage (68K mile) 2000 Outback Limited that I recently acquired from my Dad. I recently replaced the alternator, and the following week, I noticed occasional vibration when turning the steering wheel at low speeds. The first thing I suspected was drive belt tension since I had just removed and reinstalled the belt when I replaced the alternator. Tightening the belt seemed to make it worse, and backing off the belt tension seemed to alleviate the vibration, but I still feel it occasionally. It also doesn't matter if the vehicle is moving or not and it while shake pretty well when moving the steering when parked in the garage. It will shake often but not all the time. I'm suspecting something with the power steering pump- could it need a good power steering fluid flush (power steering fluid level is good), or is the pump itself at fault?

Thr headlights on my 2003 Forester are yellowing like most (I polish them periodically to remove it) but now the passengers side is leaking and getting moisture inside, so I think it’s time to replace them. Are there any good aftermarket brands that would be durable enough not to leak or yellow for a few years? I’d love to find a set of projectors, but it appears that they aren’t mass produced for the 2003- 2005 Forester, other than finding a set of lights retrofitted as projectors, but I don’t intend $1,000 for a set of headlight housings, so likely want a set of good aftermarket housings that will last awhile. .

That makes sense since a rod knock with theoretically occur with each crankshaft revolution, but a valve with too much clearance will only open every other crankshaft revolution, so only half as frequent. My mechanic weighed in that is sounds like valvetrain to him as well.

On our old '98 Legacy GT, we pulled the same code (12 was a very generic code on older Subaru's). Out mechanic was able to pull some more info that indicate the clockspring (although everything else was working) and that took care of it.

I had 3 late 90's Legacy's and all had issues with the HVAC control units. I tried used units and they'd work for a short time, then the buttons to change the flow would no longer respond (it would usually get stuck coming through the dash only no matter what buttons I pushes). I believe it was a design flaw with the system board that the cable plugs into. The only triue fix I found was buying a new OEM HVAC unit (they can be had for around $200+ online). After that, both new units worked well until we got rid of the cars.

Timing belt tensioner is new and actually the noise is a bit loader towards the center or rear of the engine, and on the driver's side.

Bought this 2006 Forester earlier this year, partly based on receipts for headgasket replacement. It started overheating within 100 miles after buying it, so I got over to my mechanic who confirmed it was an internal headgasket leak (likely cheap headgaskets were installed 45K milers ago by a previous owner). I had my mechanic install OEM EJ255 turbo MLS headgaskets, and an Aisin timing kit. It ran well except for an oil leak from the driver's side front cam seal that we couldn't diagnose Several cam seals later, we decided to go ahead and install a used head. The head was not warped but the valves were in poor shape, so had them replaced as it was failing a leakdown test (leaking into the exhaust). Anyway, it was all put together runs smooth, no oil leak or headgasket leak but I noticed more engine noise from before when pulling it into the garage. I've uploaded a video of the noise at the link below. I'm fearing it's a road knock (my mechanic noted he may be hearing a little low end noise) and the previous owner could have overheated it badly. Perhaps my mechanic left a little too much valve clearance? He did remove and reinstall an injector so could it be injector noise? Also, it is a 205K engine so just normal high mileage noise? One thing I noticed is that the noise gets louder as the engine warms up (which is opposite of what something like excessive clearance or piston slap does)

I had my mechanic install new headgaskets on my 2006 Forester X, naturally aspirated EJ253 and automatic transmission, as the headgaskets installed by a previous shop had failed internally, causing it to start overheating shortly after I bought it. I had my mechanic install the thicker MLS Subaru OEM headgaskets for the EJ255 turbo, as I was advised these would be better than the single layer OEM gaskets that originally were installed with this engine. He also replaced the front cam and crank seals. Once it was done, the car ran well except for an occasional rough idle at startup with an P0304 code, but ran well after the first 30 seconds, with no codes after that. Also, there were no more bubbles in the overflow tank, and no more overheating, so the headgaskets seem to be sealing well. What had developed, however, was a drip from the front of driver's side head which would stop a minute after shutting off the engine. My mechanic, pulled the front of the motor apart, replaced the cam seal a second time with sealant and still leaked. He then resealed the part fo the head that is removed to remove the camshaft and it still leaked. Since the camshaft, was scored a bit where it had contact the front seal, we replaced the cam with a new one and a new seal and the leak persists. It does appear that the oil is leaking around the camshaft, vs. from outside the cam seal itself. My mechanic is thinking maybe there is excessive oil pressure in that head which is causing oil to breach the cam seal, but can see nothing wrong or no blocked oil passageways in the head. Has anyone run into a persistent front cam seal leak before ( a total of 5 cam seals have been installed so far).Any ideas?

I recently had headgaskets and complete timing kit replaced on my Forester X. I was noticing that engine stumbled a little bit when first starting for a few seconds an it works smooth out and seemed to run smoothly on the road. Today it ran even a little rougher after starting and threw to simultaneous codes- P0302 & P0304- cylinder 2 & 4 misfire. Interesting that both misfiring cylinders are on same side of the engine. Looked for loose or crossed spark plug wires but everything looked OK, I reset the ECU and it ran a lot smoother on startup but a I could feel a bit of a miss when revving engine at lower RPM’s. It then threw another code but just P0304 this time. Given the work recently done, what works be the most likely causes of this issue? I don’t want to keep driving it if this is a potentially serious issue. I just had bought the car prior to having my mechanic do the headgaskets so I can’t say if it felt like it missed before, but this is the first CEL I’ve gotten. It has to back to my mechanic anyway because of a small oil leak and some A/C work.