heartless

and what years/models had this pump???? that is 98% of my problem.. no idea where to look

187K on this car.... the 02 had over 280k and never had a problem like this. We will be doing a full timing service on it very soon (as soon as the weather will allow) so, if looking at replacing the pump, i would like to have one on hand and ready to go. I do have a 2005 parts car here, but it has the 253.. and around 165K, give or take.. so, in all honesty, would just as soon leave that one whole if I can for a possible transplant if needed

the new to us 2004 Forester (EJ251) seems to be having oil pressure issues.. once it gets to full operating temp, the idiot light will flicker while driving, and come on full at idle (stopped at a light, etc) even tho it has plenty of oil. never had an issue like this with the 02 which had the same engine. I constantly see comments about upgrading to a 10mm pump, but have no idea which models had this pump, and the parts sites do not give that specific info.

check the front diff oil level - separate from the auto tranny fluid... usually the dip stick is on the opposite side from the ATF dipstick, and is often overlooked

i used the Forester 15" wheels on my 95 Legacy (95 L had 14s stock)

yeah, front one is important, rear one not so much

you can get a factory service manual here: http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/ that will have all info regarding teardown and re-assembly in it.. including torque specs

what the guys are not saying is that the tire needs to be sized properly so it does not rub on the spring perch of the stock strut - that spring perch is your limiting factor. (laegion did kind of mention this) yes, you can put a bigger wheel on, as long as the tires are sized to clear. Alternatively, you can easily put early Forester struts on which will slightly increase the spring perch clearance area allowing for a larger tire. This is what I did on my 95 Legacy...and I loved it!

lol, we all had to start somewhere, none of us was born knowing this stuff.. even if it does seem like a few might have been.

what lmdew said.. check fluids - fill or change as needed. Oil probably is the biggest one to think about changing right away. you can find the factory service manual here: http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/

make sure the hose is all the way on, and clamped properly. if it isnt leaking, leave it alone. and just because it is black means absolutely nothing. I have ABS materials for 3d printing in all colors of the rainbow, including black... Lego is ABS plastic. I also have other materials in many colors, including black - so the color means nothing. doing a google search says the plastic parts on a radiator are high temp nylon

need to clarify that pre-1996 is the only guarantee of non-interference. There are no shortcuts to good maintenance. Do it right, every time, and dont cheap out on parts. Cheap parts will do you no favors.

extension cords are cheap, as are the magnetic oil pan heaters. we do get extended periods of extreme cold here in WI, altho not too terrible the last couple of winters.

I am willing to bet that the rear seal is NOT leaking. 99.8% of the oil will be coming from the rear separator plate.. the flywheel will throw that oil around and make it LOOK like other things are leaking. and again.. unless that seal is VISIBLY DAMAGED - dont touch it!

lol, not the bar that needs upgrading..just doing the links and bushings will make a huge difference and there are NO "good" assemblies on the market for Subarus.. You buy the strut, spring and tophats separately.. KYB for struts, KYB or OE for tophats OE or King Springs for springs.. if going all brand new and just want to change assemblies, which i have done, you will also need all the rubber bits (spring pads, boots, etc), spacer washers, etc that go along with it. for mine, i went with the KYB Forester struts and KYB Legacy tophats, and OE Forester springs with the various bits and pieces purchased from reputable online Subaru parts sites. total cost is not cheap - i did all 4 at one time, but well worth it in ride quality and handling.

KYB for struts - anything else is going to be too soft, and yes new springs DO make a big difference.. Match the spring to year strut you are using see for yourself here: https://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/168389-strut-top-nut/?tab=comments#comment-1395227 springs on the old strut in that image were shot and not supporting things like they should have been.

not freeway, no.. but we do live in the country, so yeah, lol, lots of 55mph zones. Plus, relatively "flat" country.. rolling hills, nothing real steep - its all farmland around here city mileage wont be near that, no.

not that much a fuel mileage difference between forester and legacy.. I have had both the 95 Lego automatic I had, i put forester struts in and ran the 15" forester wheels.. got around 27-28mpg out of it on average. the 02 Forester, pretty stock, also automatic, ran around 25-27mpgs, depending on the season. i think i am getting slightly better with the 04 Forester, but it is a 5spd, lol

yup, just plain old green stuff - save yourself a bunch of headaches and buy the premixed ready to go stuff - 2 gals should be plenty install the radiator, hook up the lower hose, but leave upper off temporarily... raise the front of the car, and pour antifreeze in the upper hose to fill the block, attach hose, and fill the radiator, wait a minute or two, top up, etc, until you cant get anymore in. dont forget to fill overflow bottle to the correct level with front end still raised, run the engine to full operating temp (rad cap on). Shut car off and let it cool completely. DO NOT try to open the cap hot.. when it is completely cool, pop the cap, top up as needed, and check the overflow. should now be ready to run.. carry any excess coolant with you for a week or two just so you have it if you need to top up the overflow.

about the only thing I think the shop is way off base on is the labor hours.. I also realize that most shops have a "shop time" listing that is used to estimate pricing.. but i still think the 20hrs is excessive. and yeah, go look up prices for the parts, even at the Subaru discount places, and the prices are not that far off when looking at individual parts - thus the reason for the Aisin kits.. a third of the cost, and quality parts. I am lucky enough to have a decent shop near me that is reputable, and i trust enough, to take my car to when I am unable to do things for various reasons.. stuff like wheel bearings (dont have the equipment), alignments, etc.. And they have no issue with me bringing in parts that I have sourced myself.

yeah, i get it... and this is probably one of the biggest reasons I learned to do stuff myself.. despite the fact that "women dont work on cars" lol buying the components individually is ALWAYS going to cost more, always. And buying direct from a dealer.. yeah..

i am sitting here looking at the timing costs.. OMG is that WAY overpriced!!! the total of JUST the timing components is $689.35 - plus taxes... that is some serious raping there. a good Aisin timing kit is about 1/3rd that cost - just purchased one for our 2004 EJ251 at a cost of $244 & change - i would expect one for the EJ25D to be similar, possibly a little less and yes, this includes the water pump, all the idlers, etc.. and i have to agree on the EJ251 - with proper care, they are a good motor.. my 2002 Forester had one, as does the 2004... the 02 had similar mileage when I sold it and was still going strong. I personally have no experience with the EJ25D, based on info from this forum, i tend to avoid them, LOL

thoroughly check the air intake.. make sure there are no blockages, debris.. also, how old is the air filter? Air filter is cheap - change it.

agreed! the rubber compound (blend of materials) used to make the tires is a huge factor.. Cheap or expensive. Touring tires are not going to do as well on snow/ice... the compound is too hard - this is what makes them last so long. They are great in the summer, or in places that dont see a lot of snow, but not so great in winter. snow tires are a softer compound, having more flexibility, but will also wear faster. Also, how much you drive the vehicle will be a factor in how long your tires hold up.. the rolling friction of going down the road does play into this. Tires that sit will dry out much faster than tires that move.

probably fine, but the codes will be stored in memory. And Yes, Advance can do code reads for you. As mentioned, they wont clear them, but they can read them and probably give you a printout. Bad battery can kill an alternator... flip side of that, Bad alternator can kill a battery.. the two work hand in hand to keep things working right. FIX that bad connection!! don't put it off, Find it, Fix it! That bad connection is probably the reason you have had to put so many alternators in.. (altho i do agree with GD on the aftermarket alts being junk, lol)