unibrook

That is interesting. Especially since my 2001 Forester with 106k is suddenly using a quart of oil every 2 months....and my timing belt is due to be changed now anyway. I will definitely be checking out that oil pump and the plate and bolts while I am in there! Thanks for the post!

Replace them when they go bad. They will howl like a banshee when they need to be replaced. PM me if you want a step by step guide on using a HubTamer to replace the bearing.

That is great that you folks get such reasonable pricing for your exhaust cut & weld service down there. Something tells me up here in Taxholechewschitz, I would be paying much more for the same service. So, yes, I have to order 2 sets of those split flanges and buy 2 bolts to connect them, but that will total right about $40 (Amazon had a good price). Worth a try. If I can't get it tight enough to pass inspection, then I will farm it out to the muffler shop.

I will be trying out the Walker split flange on my 2001 Forester this weekend...106k miles and original exhaust. Not bad for life in New England. I was amazed to look under there and see that the muffler/tailpipe still looks in decent shape....as does the center/resonator pipe. Only the flange that connects them and its bolts have rusted away.

I assume you have already replaced the front o2 sensor?

Has anyone tried that Stop Leak fluid? I used that in my old Saab and it worked very well. Just curious if it works for Subes too.

.5" breaker bar + 4' extension pipe = silly flex, but gets that puppy off.

I think you can test your type of Tswitch by removing it from the radiator. Boil some water, put the threads of the Tswitch into the water, and test the wires with your multi-meter for continuity. I think that is basically what you were saying anyway, yes, that should work for a test.

since that Tswitch is diff from the one I just tested on our 1982 GL (ours had only one wire coming out of it) then I am afraid I can't offer any good advice on how it is supposed to work...ie, at what temp etc. does that fan come on with your AC and Fan controls turned on? If so, I am guessing your Tswitch is faulty.

is the CTS the thermoswitch? How do you know your fan is ok? Have you made it turn on by turning on your AC and Fan cabin switches? If so, and if you want to see if the thermoswitch has failed: disconnect the single wire (yellow?) coming out of the back of the thermoswitch at its connector point....probably 5 inches away from the radiator. Put a piece of wire into the connector coming from the harness, turn the key to ON (don't need to start engine), turn AC to ON and Fan to ON, then touch the wire to the radiator ground screw. Your cooling fan should turn on, since this completes the circuit to ground. (and this will imply the problem is your Tswitch). Does this make sense? or am I missing your prob?

You can bypass the thermoswitch by turning on your AC + fan on you internal cabin controls. The AC tells both radiator fans to turn on, thus providing extra cooling. But you need to turn your dash fan on also. shouldn't matter if you turn it to Fan 1--4. Any of those settings should work. Just lift the hood, turn those switches on and see if both fans turn on. You will need to check your coolant level daily from now on. The joys of old car ownership. TLC sponges!

Ok, I figured it out. Here is how it works: The power is sent to the fan; then its ground wire coming out of the fan snakes into a harness and is in some way connected to/becomes that yellow wire which sends the power into the thermoswitch which in turn grounds to the radiator to complete the circuit.

The thermoswitch on our 82 GL is oddly wired. It has a yellow wire with 2 red stripes on it that sends power into the screw-in thermoswitch. BUT no wire coming out of the switch to send that power to the fan. Hmmmmm oddness. Why would they design it this way? I guess it saves money on an extra piece of wire. The circuit is completed by the thermoswitch sending the power to radiator ground which sends it to the fan. (if I worded that correctly). Anyway, we need a new/used thermoswitch if anyone has one to sell me. thx.

chix X cars = expensive disaster in the making! (just generalizing, of course)

You can probably spot the issue pretty quickly with a visual inspection of the sensor/ring itself.

The OPOC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UesbkO3NvoY&feature=related

2001 forester. On this car, I reached the front O2 sensor by leaning over the passenger side on top of car.

When my front O2 sensor was failing, it threw ONLY a misfire code.

My 2001 Forester speedo shows 2 mph faster than my actual speed.

Have you replaced your front O2 sensor?

I clean out that plastic thing occasionally to try to prevent this rust problem. We shall see if it works.

my vote is for early stage front 02 sensor failing. does it act up mainly under load?

I took it to an inde AC specialist shop in Medford, MA. They found a leak in the "discharge line" that runs from the compressor to the condensor. They replaced it and recharged it, and now it chills like new. I asked if they would replace the receiver/dryer at this age, they said no...unless system was wide open for a long time, and this one was not. Funny how the magic price around here is always $514.00 to fix an AC leak. Cost me the same 2 yrs ago to have a diff shop replace the condensor. Ridonkulous $$. But I don't have room to store lots of tools to do it myself.

$514.00 always seems to be the magic price around Boston for an AC leak fix!

I use Purolator