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Everything posted by heartless
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it was a direct bolt in on the earlier 90's cars, but they changed the rear suspension at some point (not sure exactly when) so the rears probably not. I did it with a 95 Legacy and loved it.. only reason to unbolt the sway bar is to make it easier to get the longer strut mounted - once in, the sway bar gets bolted back up. I am sure others with more experience with the 2000+ models will chime in soon.
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honestly, i never really understood the desire for the delayed dome light and/or headlights. To me that is just an unnecessary drain on the battery and in really cold weather, it can actually be a problem. my boss drives a mini van that has the delay on the headlights and they stay on a LONG time.. seems like at least 3-5 minutes. Why?
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yes, the door panel will need to be removed. if at all possible, get the vehicle inside a warm garage.. cold clips are more prone to breaking look carefully for any small covers that could be hiding more screws - check at both top ends also..under or around the rubber seals. you may also want to remove the triangular piece over the mirror mount - makes it much easier to remove and reinstall the panel if that is out of the way. it is usually just held with clips - pry gently all the way around to prevent breaking things. remove the screws you have found, then with a wide flat tool get under the edge of the panel and gently pry it away from the door - there are small plastic push clips that keep the bottom edge fastened in.. once the panel is loose and hinging at the top, push upwards at the back end to get it started out of the window channel. (note: door handle can be kind of a pain, but it will come out) once you have the panel loose from the door, you will have to unplug wiring to fully remove it. from there, replacing the master switch should be pretty self explanatory - installation is the reverse of removal - plug everything back in, set top edge back into window channel, and pop clips back into their holes in the lower section, reinstall screws and any covers and you should be done.
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thermostat not operating correctly (or lack of one) can make warm up time take a lot longer.. and the colder it is outside, the longer it will take. thermostats are intended to stay closed until the desired temp is reached in the engine, then they open to allow full circulation of the coolant. not having a thermostat allows full circulation all the time, which increases the time it takes for the engine (and coolant) to warm up and is actually detrimental to optimal engine operation. and I hope you know not to use aftermarket thermostats in a Subaru..
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KYB is the preferred brand for Subaru struts. Springs - unless there is an obvious problem the stock springs should be fine to re-use. there are aftermarket springs out there, but i have no experience with them myself. something to pay attention to are the top mounts - especially the fronts.. there is a bearing that allows for turning - carefully inspect from the top looking for grease oozing out, rust, or other signs of deterioration... I personally recommend ordering a pair of mounts for the front at least so if there is a problem you can swap them out easily while you have things apart and you only have to do it once. once apart, if the bearing is anything but smooth rotation, the mount should be replaced.. And welcome to the world of Subaru! I am on my 4th, a 2002 Forester with over 255k on the clock
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how hard the drum is to get off kind of depends on how worn it is inside.. if it is worn there could be a bit of a lip that will hang up on the shoes when you try to pull it off. there is an adjusting wheel accessible from the back side that should allow you to adjust the shoes to give more clearance. recommend getting a drum hardware kit as well as the new shoes.
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you can get the Suretrak axles from RockAuto for about $40 - depending on the application.. I have one in my 02 Forester and so far it seems to be fine.. was installed in August i think.. maybe late July.. This is the one I purchased for the Foz https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=3854955&cc=1378739&jsn=407
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well, my issue turned out to be vent lines that were rusted completely shut (the metal nipples) new filler neck with all new vent connections (and the shut off switch at the top) has solved my problem. was going to try pulling one of the vent lines to test as described above, but after removing the clamp, tried to twist the hose to loosen it, and it twisted the metal tube right off of the switch.. oops.. so ordered new filler neck and a new shut off switch.. when the neck arrived, it already the switch installed, so the separate switch got sent back. got it all installed, and YAY! I can put gas in again without fighting with it!