Stevo F

I'm having a full headgasket job with new timing kit done on my 2006 Forester, EJ253 N/A engine and automatic transmission. I had noticed the Aisin TKF-006 timing kit that fits most 2006- 2010 EJ253 engines specifically excludes the 2006 Forester with automatic transmission. I investigated further to find that Subaru lists OEM water pump # 21111AA290 for my car where all other 2006- 2011 EJ25 engines use 21111AA280 (which is apparently the water pump that Aisin stocks in the TKF-006 timing kit). Does anyone know the difference in these water pumps and why the 2006 Forester with automatic specifically would use a different water pump (which appears to be a one year only part)? I decided to play it safe and ended up ordering an OEM # 21111AA290 water pump, but the part now seems to be in an infinite delay thanks to USPS. It would be great if my mechanic were to be able to install the 21111AA280 part that comes with the Aisin timing kit, but I don't want to risk any further problems with this car (it already is overheating due to internal headgasket leaks from both heads per the pressure test my mechanic performed).

I've owned many 4EAT automatic Subaru's with no issues. Since you mentioned the Honda Accord issues, our one non- Subaru is a 2001 Honda Accord which is on its 2nd automatic transmission.

Yes that different water pump has me stumped especially since EJ engines are usually interchangeable between manual and automatic transmission cars (EGR vs. non- EGR is the only other difference I've heard of). I checked Aisin's website itself and they only listed one kit for turbo and the other (manual only). I believe the water pump used with the manual was the one used on al N/A EJ25's from 2007 on, so that's likely why all for the Aisin TKF-006 kits have it (I know that's the kit installed in my 2008 Forester with automatic). Not sure what the difference is, but I don't want to discover it only after everything is back together, so I'll save the water pump that comes with the kit as a spare for my '08.

Thank you. I'll pass that on to my mechanic to resurface the heads. Likely will anyway as I imagine there is warpage assuming the previous owner overheated it. In the process of the ordering the parts and I found the for the '06 Forester engine, that the Aisin TKF-006 kit is only listed for manual transmission and not auto (like mine). I dug into the OEM part numbers and found the OEM water pump for manual trans is 21111AA280 and for auto is 21111AA290 (this only applies to 2006). Apparently the 21111AA290 was a one year only part and the Aisin kit likely comes with the 21111AA280 part, (which is why they say it won't fit my car). To be on the safe side, I'll order the Aisin TKF-006 kit plus order an OEM water pump # 21111AA290 (OEM is the only thing I would trust other than Aisin) to make sure my mechanic is installing the right parts. My mechanic also noted that he saw signs that someone put stop leak or some other sealer in the cooling system (not a big surprise!). I'm just hoping that things aren't too gunked up inside the engine and cooling system. I've talked to people that said piece of that sealant gunk can break loose and clog up water jackets or other parts of the cooling system causing more overheating- definitely would not want anything like that to happen!

I recently acquired a 2006 Forester X with 204K on the clock and receipts showing full headgasket and timing job was done at 160K miles by a local mechanic. I did notice a little oil seepage from the passenger's side headgasket but not really concerned as it's common on the EJ253 engine, but the car runs really well. A couple of weeks after I purchased it, I was checking under the hood, preparing to take it on a 90 mile round trip drive, and noticed coolant was now a little low (never a good sign- had to add about about 6 ounces, but no coolant leaks I could find). I set off on my trip and after about 9 miles after sitting at a light, the temp gauge rose slightly over halfway, then back down again. I pulled off at the next light and, lo and behold, saw a nice stream of bubbles in the coolant overflow tank. I took it back home figuring pretty classic symptoms of an internal headgasket leak. Several days later, I took it on the 9 mile drive to my mechanic and about 4 miles in, the needle went almost to the red before I pulled off and shut down for a few minutes. It settled down the rest of the trip there. My mechanic has had a lot of jobs but did have time to do a hydrocarbon test of the coolant which surprisingly came out negative. he next wants to check into the water pump, radiator, pressure test the cooling system, etc... I also sent over a gallon of Subaru Long Life coolant and an OEM thermostat. My main question still is what would be causing air bubbles/ pockets to get into the cooling system. It ran about 100 miles before it started losing coolant/ overheating and coolant was full up to the top when I bought it. May some stop leak in the radiator masked the problem? It will be interesting to see what else my mechanic turns up.

I had a '98 Legacy wagon for a long time. It was a great car- wish I never sold it last year. I replaced it with a 2006 Forester that began overheating 2 weeks after I got it and has spent more time at the mechanic than with me.

I let my ‘98 Legacy EJ22 wagon go last summer, after 8 years, and kind of miss having a wagon. I do like how the LL Bean drove.

The seller lives near my office so after I drove the 60 miles home, I had a text from the seller “ So the results of our experiment are inconclusive. The coolant level was low by about 2 oz. Im going to replace the cap. There were no bubbles but the level was raising and lowering”. He then wrote “I put a new cap on and the fluid level is still high so negligable air is in the system. Ill drive it tomorrow morning as its getting a bit too cold for me” It sounds like he is thinking air is in the cooling system which is leaving the overflow tank full even when it cools down. I think I could deal with the little bit of shake and the noisy CV joint (also could use a couple of better front seats) but I really don’t want to get into having headgaskets done, even though he’s come down on the price and I could probably get for $2,500 or less.

I just took a look at it. The engine seemed to run quietly and it drove pretty nice. The seller disclosed the the CV joint is noisy on turns which I did hear. I also noticed a bit of a shake under the car when letting off the gas and am guessing it has either worn u-joints or carrier bearing and may need a driveshaft. I did notice that it appears the overflow tank was full which makes me concerned about headgaskets, or else maybe it just needs a radiator cap. I mentioned to the seller that there likely be bubbles in the radiator when removing the cap. He had to leave but said he would make a video of the radiator with the cap of in the morning when it's lighter. The coolant in the overflow tank is concerning to me though, but everything on the car seemed to work.

I've owned lots of Subaru's but never had an H6 before. Thinking of checking one out this weekend. It's got 167K miles, appears to have little rust, was told it doesn't use or leak much oil. Curious what I should be looking for when I check this one out (I already will check for torque bind on the test drive, excessive undercarriage rust, etc..) but anything in particular with the H-6 engine? In general I'm hoping for a cheaper winter car where I don't have to worry about a timing belt and hopefully not headgaskets. Thanks, Steve

I'm thinking of checking out a 2010 Forester Premium for sale by a private individual. This would be my 3rd Forester (my other two current Subaru's are a 2003 XS and 2008 X). I really like the look of the SH Foresters and I'd prefer to avoid the high oil consumption issues for the FB25 engine which came out in 2011, although I know that headgasket leaks plagued the EJ25 right through 2010. My 2003 and 2008 both had headgaskets replaced before I purchased them. This car has 132k miles and the current owner replaced the timing belt on schedule at 107k miles/ 8 years old. The seller is asking $6,500 which is not bad per KBB, but I know I will likely have to replace the headgaskets in the next few years. Were the late EJ253 engines known to have any engine failure or oil consumption issues besides headgasket concerns? Are there any other issues known to SH / 3rd gen Foresters that I should look for?

The past couple times I checked the coolant on my 2003 Forester with 239k miles, I had to add 4- 5 ounces (after never having to top it off previously). No signs of overheating but I decided to see if there are any air bubbles coming up in the radiator and found there are a few when revving the engine (see video at link below). I know that the EJ251 engines used form 1999- 20054 are mostly known for external coolant leaks (this one was no exception- the previous owner had a Subaru dealership replace the headgaskets at 180K miles after the typical external coolant leak from the driver's side headgasket). I think there are a few that ended up leaking internally (similar to the earlier EJ25D's), so I'm wondering if tihs is happening to mine. The engine is pretty well worn as it uses some oil and has a light knock on acceleration sometimes, so I've been thinking having a lower mileaged EJ251 or maybe a JDM EJ20 swapped in down the road, but I'm wondering if down the road is now.

I'm thinking of getting this same generation Forester as well. I like the 2009/ 2010 models for the durable EJ25, but any used purchase will likely need a complete timing belt job and later headgaskets at some point. 2011 brought the FB25 engine so no more timing belt to worry about (and not much worry for headgaskets) but 2011 seems like the worst year for oil consumption issues (per carcomplaint.com). 2012 and 2013 still seem to have cases of high oil consumption, but not as bad as 2011- that's my biggest concern for those years. I like that all of the years for this generation- 2009- 2013 still had the durablee 4EAT transmission and 2014 and later had the CVT (which I don't care for personally).

I will soon be having a complete timing belt/ idler/ tensioner job done on my '98 Legacy with the 2.2 liter engine since it is due. Since we also noticed bubbling in the radiator when revving the motor, as well as pushing some coolant out of the radiator, probably a good idea to do headgaskets at the same time. I'm going with an Aisin timing kit as I have on my other Subaru's, but what is a good brand of MLS headgasket for the EJ22? I know people like using OEM EJ255 headgaskets for EJ25's, but I don't believe Subaru ever made an MLS gasket that fits the phase 1 EJ22's.

I wish they did report more major repairs/ maintenance, but it's rare for Carfax. I've ended up doing the timing belts as soon as I buy a car to make sure. I actually just ran CARFX on a couple of our used car acquistions where i hadn't before. Found out our 2003 Forester had been in a minor accident in 2014 but you can't tell from looking at or driving it.

I'm considering replacing the stock headlamp assemblies in my 2005 Impreza Outback Sport with projectors for better lighting. I was looking at the following: https://nintestore.com/products/for-subaru-04-05-impreza-wrx-led-halo-projector-headlights-lamps-black-clear?variant=31854527185014&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&utm_campaign=gs-2018-10-07&utm_source=google&utm_medium=smart_campaign&gclid=CjwKCAiAkJKCBhAyEiwAKQBCkt7PK_22taLivrWuo47zWqiUEzuuZzOz_dxcF5RZJCxiPn7pKyrNGBoC4lwQAvD_BwE https://www.carid.com/spec-d/chrome-led-drl-bar-projector-headlights-mpn-2lhp-wrx05-g2-tm.html?singleid=2727432931 I'm assuming these come with LED light bars for daytime running lights but come with H1/ H3 Halogen bulbs for low beam and high beam. Has anyone used either of these aftermarket lights, and do these projectors improve low and high beam lighting? Also, would these headlamp assemblies be compatible with converting to LED low and high beam bulbs? I'm assuming since they are projectors, they wouldn't have the same issues with light vcattering and blinding oncoming traffic like installing LED's in stock headlamp housings may do.

I have a 2005 Impreza Outback Sport that had very poor condition seats so I swapped out the originals for front and rear seats from a '99 Impreza wagon. They fit pretty well with front seatrs a direrct bolt in and the rear seat bolts in, but the older seat had fewer bolt holes, but everything works. The trouble is the front seats sit way too low for my liking. It sounds like I could interchange with front seats from most any model 1990- 2005, but I want front and rear seats to match, so I really need to find a set that will bolt in with little to no modification. Also, since I have a wagon, I assume I would need a rear seat from another wagon (Legacy, Outback or Impreza) or Forester- does anyone have any experience with Legacy/ Outback or Forester rear seats into an Impreza? Alternatively, has anyone swapped the popular 2002- 2007 WRX (rear) seats (which should fir and bolt in similar to my Impreza) into one of these other models? For example, I found a 2002 Forester being parted out locally with nice seats, but don't know if the rear seat from an SF Forester will swap easily into my GG Impreza.

Now I'm thinking I should focus on Alternators since I've had more failures personally than fuel pumps. Clearly Subaru OEM would be the best choice, but most expensive. If I could find a Subaru remanufactured alternator, that's the next best since they replace any parts that might fail. For the two Denso remanufactured I bought, I checked back and they only replace defective parts and test everything else, so not so great after all. I checked my 2005 Impreza and 2008 Forester (both bought used in 2019) both still have Mitsubishi branded alternators, which I believe it means they are both OEM. The question for both of these is, even though they are OEM, how long before they might fail given both are over 10 years old and over 100K miles (I assume the Impreza has the alternator that came with the swapped engine or else it would have 257K miles on it). he best price I found for new OEM for the Impreza is %520, and for the Forester $430. For the two cars I put the Denso units in, my 2003 Forester is the same $520 unit as the Impreza. For my 1998 Legacy I found what appears to be OEM for only $66?. All the other sites are out of stock. The reason I'm thinking I need to have the most reliable alternator is because I mostly drive long trips of 45- 60 miles and if the alternator fails even halfway, I doubt I'd make it far enough to reach my destination. Luckily the two failures I had were both under 10 miles from home, but I seldom drive locally.

Yes I believe both alternators had been replaced with cheaper aftermarket units. Hopefully the Denso units will outlast them.

Actually I thought of alternators too. I had it fail on two different Subaru’s in the same year (both were close to home luckily) I replaced both Denso remanufactured since Denso makes OEM parts so hoping they are good

The fuel pump recently went bad on my dad's low mileaged 2000 Outback (luckily it was in the garage and just didn't start). That got me thinking about whether I should replace the fuel pumps on some of my older Subaru's with far more miles (my my 2005 Impreza with 257K miles) than his. All were bought used so I'm guessing maybe still has the original fuel pump. Should I go ahead and do this so I don't up stuck out on the road someplace (even though there's not been a hint of fuel issues on any of my Subaru's) It doesn't seem like a hard job especially if you buy the entire assembly (with sending unit, etc...) as one unit and just swap out for the original. I'm also wondering what recommendations are for replacement units (OEM?)

Thank you. The car otherwise runs fine so for the P0028 I suspect the switch or solenoid is at fault, vs. an actual VVT issue. So you are referring to the oil pressure switch that sits next to the solenoid and recommend replacing them both? For the P0171, I do have some MAF cleaner so I will try that. I assume the MAF on this model is located between the the air box and intake duct (like it is on my '98 Legacy with MAF).

Not sure if these two codes are related or a coincidence. We've owned our 2008 Forester since last year and recently started getting CELs for first P0171, I did a couple of ECU resets, then we got both the P00171 and P0028 codes. For the P0171, my mechanic advised it's most likely a vacuum leak but I didn't find anything obvious wrong, so not sure where to proceed from there. For the P0028, I've read this is Intake valve control solenoid circuit. I'll start with the obvious- clean the connectors for the solenoid and the oil pressure switch. Also the oil level is fine and the oil is clean. If the cleaning doesn't work, would it make sense to replace the oil pressure switch since it is an inexpensive part? Since the cheapest OEM solenoid is nearly $100, I don't want to put money into replacing it until I've been able to test it or rule out other issues.

Actually I'm thinking of getting an additional set of wheels/ tires (from a 2001 Legacy) for my '98 Legacy on which I installed 2003- SG Forester front brake calipers and rotors and am curious if there would be any clearance/fitment issues with the 15" wheels with this particular brake system