heartless

thank you for updating this post with the information about what fixed it for you. This will help others down the road.

Without a doubt - This ^^^ Just verify that everything is where it is supposed to be. Don't dismiss it out of hand because the car was running fine, then suddenly not. Check it, make 100%, absolutely, positively sure that this is not the source of your hair pulling. It only takes one tooth to throw everything out of whack. Line the marks up and MAKE SURE! I have had this happen to me, a couple of different times, on a couple of different EJ22s... Once while actually driving down the road... traffic light was about to change, and I was too close to stop safely, so hit the throttle hard to get through it...Car started to speed up and then suddenly died... I made it through the light ok, but had to coast to a safe spot to stop (luckily it was a slight downhill grade) Trailered the car home and dug in to it, pulled the timing covers, and found it had jumped time by exactly ONE tooth due to a weak tensioner. the belt was perfectly fine and intact, but it was still out of time. Remember - this is a 22+ year old car, and if it has the original tensioner, chances are very good it is worn out, making it quite plausible that it has jumped time. Moral of this story is - if your car suddenly wont start (or suddenly dies) - CHECK THE TIMING FIRST! IF it checks out, then you chase down other gremlins as needed.

so got the AC belt off today during my lunch break - the whining is gone, so definitely related to the AC and/or AC belt system... The tensioner pulley does seem to be a bit sloppy, but didn't spend much time investigating it today.. will look at it more closely this weekend. just happy the whining is gone and I got the belt off before something seized up completely causing more problems... just in time, too - the weather is supposed to turn frigid cold again.

this leads me to believe the switch itself is your problem.

hmm, might be worth checking into.. I can live without the darn thing for the winter, but would like to have working AC come summer again.

my 2002 Forester, EJ251, 4EAT, with approx 235K - started making a whining noise on Saturday... sounds just like if the power steering fluid was low, but that is confirmed to be good...weather was quite cold - sub-zero over night, barely above zero during the day... Today was finally warm enough to be outside for more than a couple of minutes, and after getting the car fully warmed up driving a bit, I popped the hood, and the whine seems to be coming from the AC compressor pulley... There is no change in the whine by cycling the Defroster on or off, just a steady whine even sitting still in park. Anyone else ever have this sort of issue? What are the options to fix it? if any? Will be pulling the belt that drives the AC compressor in a day or two to confirm that it is the problem.

another possible issue is broken wire(s) in the bundle where they go between the chassis and the door - 20 years of being bent back and forth (opening & closing of the door) is hard on wiring. either way - failed switch, unhooked linkage or broken wire(s) - you are going to have to pull the door card off and do some investigating

you can not link directly to your email... it does not work

if you do leave the covers off, try to stay out of deep snow... been there, done that before.. lol doing the timing - again - in the cold = not fun.. I would at least put the center cover back on.. that would help prevent deep snow from packing up in there and causing the belt to jump like mine did. the only up side is 95 = non-interference, so not a huge deal if it does jump.

We have an 06 LL Bean Outback and a digital FSM for it - Yes, the CEL and other warning lights in the dash are indeed LEDs to the OP - the FSM states that the combination meter should be replaced if there are problems with the LEDs as for the odometer, make a note of your current odometer reading when replacing the unit. and the miles that appear on the replacement unit when installed. That way you have a record of where it was.

definitely check the fuel line clamps.. that mechanic sounds like one that is only out to make a buck on unsuspecting people that don't know much about cars. Run - don't walk - away as fast as you can from that place.

yes, a 95 Legacy does have OBDII - 1st year for it in the Subaru lineup. the low gas light never did work on the 95 I had, but then again, I rarely let it get much below 1/4 tank either... and my fuel mileage ran around 27-28 in the summer, 24-25 in the winter - pretty normal. the light itself should have zero bearing on fuel mileage - it is most likely just burned out. the correct way to calculate fuel mileage is to keep a log of miles driven and gallons purchased (i use my trip odometer for this, reset to 0 when I get gas) miles / gallons = mpg - example: 250 miles / 11 gallons = 22.7 mpg Do this over the course of several fill-ups then take an average to get a better idea of overall mpg. Do not rely on just one calculation as a good indicator of overall mileage - there will be fluctuations based on several factors - temps, where you bought fuel, driving conditions, etc. If your mileage has indeed dropped way off, then I would suspect other things besides a dead low fuel light. Coolant temp sensor (the one for the ECU), failing O2 sensor, etc.. Extreme cold weather is hard on cars/car batteries - they do not like it. A magnetic oil pan heater (warms the oil so it circulates easier) or a battery blanket can help with that. Up here in Wisconsin, we regularly see sub-zero temps in the minus teens during the winter months (northern Minnesota gets even lower). You learn to take measures to help your vehicle cope with those kinds of temps.

if the battery is weak, then yeah, it needs to be replaced. Extreme cold temps will cause starting issues, regardless - batteries do not like extreme cold... I have a new battery in my 02 Foz, and at sub-zero temps, even it struggles initially to start the engine on the first start of the day... While an Odyssey battery might be a worthwhile investment, the price point is kinda high for those of us struggling to make ends meet ($295 for an Odyssey vs $85 for a regular one to fit our Dodge pickup which is in need of a better battery) One thing that can help a little is to warm the oil/oilpan with a magnetic heater... they can be found all over for about $35 - just reach under, slap it on the oil pan and plug it in.. it heats the oil pan, warms the oil, and depending on conditions, that heat can radiate up into the block itself. makes first startups on very cold mornings a bit easier. We have a couple of these around - have had them for years. Just don't forget to unplug & remove it before driving away.

to be honest - I don't like crimp nuts, either. LOL I use heat-shrink myself. do a western union splice, with heat-shrink over it, never have another problem.

Glad to hear you got it sorted out, and thanks for letting us know spending a couple of extra bucks on the harness adapter is sooo much better than doing a hack job on a car's wiring. Drives me nuts that people refuse to do it the right way.

Lifting the car is NOT going to help your issue - in fact, it would more likely make it WORSE...

CA emissions are stricter, from my understanding (more "junk" added) As far as drive train goes - a lot is dependent on general maintenance. If the car has been taken care of, there should be few problems, altho there is always that one outlier my 95 Legacy had the 4EAT and a bit over 200K miles when I got it - it got abused by a teenager and had 1st & reverse fail (we got it cheap) - swapped in a used tranny with around 150K on it and never had another problem - sold the car with 265K on it when I got the Forester. My 2002 Forester also has the 4EAT - currently just about to roll over 235K, as far as I know, it still has its original tranny - shifts smooth as silk when warmed up (a little bit harsh in cold weather, but still smoother than some cars i have had over the years). A cared for Subaru can easily see 300K or more, depending on where you live. Here in Wisconsin, they die from rust cancer, not drive train failure. In places that don't use salt, it should be easy to make one last. 120-150K is barely broken in with a Subaru.

i use this one a lot - it does go down periodically (funding issues, perhaps?) http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/ this is another one specific for 95 Legacy: http://www.mediafire.com/file/s3lyjha4hvfvrgj/USDM+Legacy+FSM+1995+%28BD-BG-BK%29.zip

the Forester never came with a 2.2 in the US..

currently own a 2002 Forester with 234K on it, and I do like it, but if I could, I would go back to the Legacy based wagons.. they just feel more "planted" to me. the Forester is lighter, taller, and a shorter wheelbase - gets tossed around on windy days pretty good. I came out of a lifted 95 Legacy wagon for this one. The other half has a 2006 LL Bean Outback with the 3.0 H6 - it is not without its own issues - mostly worn out suspension bushings and needs new rear struts, but still feels more planted than my Forester does. 100K on a Subaru is not that much, in the grand scheme of things. One thing to be aware of, however, is timing maintenance is due at that mileage... and not just slapping a belt on it either - but a full timing service, including all pulleys, water pump, etc.

i thought about this a little on my way to work this morning... while listening to my poor car's pistons slapping away in 8 degree weather. it is possible that there was a partial oil passage blockage to one (or more) of the hydraulic lifters that could cause them to collapse - either partially, or in full... it is also possible that it resolved itself given that it only lasted for a few thousand miles... true piston slap will not come on then completely go away, it will be there every time you start the car from cold - less noticeable in warmer weather than in cold weather - but still there.

my 2002 Forester (EJ251) does have piston slap (also has nearly 235K on it), and yes, the sound is a bit annoying at first start up - especially so as it gets colder out, but it goes away when fully warmed up, so not worried about it. the "sewing machine" noise on a 2.2 would be lifter noise, not piston slap - piston slap is much louder, almost alarmingly so..

Depends on the car - my 2002 Forester, yes, it had to be in gear the other half's 2006 LL Bean Outback, they are on immediately with the key, even in park

He did say when using the physical key in the door lock - I doubt it is an aftermarket. on the 95 i had, i could unlock drivers door only by turning the key to the "stop", or unlock all doors by twisting the key a bit further in the lock - past the initial "stop" point.. I would be investigating the battery drain - as noted, simply pulling that fuse when the car will be sitting for a bit could help isolate the issue. looking at the wiring diagram, there is no relay, but a door lock timer, which is located behind the dash on the far right side (requires removal of the glove-box and some other stuff to get to it). fuses listed are fuse #11 (20amp) in the fuse box inside (FB-7), and fuse #25 (15amp) in the main box under the hood (MB-9. Sounds like that is the one you had blown. Note that the MB-9 also lists radio as one of the items it serves.. as well as several other items, any one of which could be causing the fuse to blow if there was an intermittent short (ps: sorry for the 2 part page on the wiring diagram, but it was the only way I could make it large enough to be legible)

Sorry, but unless there were NO other vehicles within sight on the road at the time, and, you were not going under a bridge, it is very probable it was a stone kicked up by another vehicle that caused the crack. Stones fly off of and get kicked up by other vehicles all the time - depending on the size of the stone & how it started moving, they can, and do, travel great distances before either settling down again, or striking something else. It is one of the more common hazards of driving. 300 ft is not that far, all things considered - it only takes about 4.5 seconds to cover that distance at 45mph - plenty fast enough for a stone to do some damage. Yes, it sucks that this is on a brand new car, but I sincerely doubt it is the manufacturers fault. Especially since you say there is an impact spot in the middle of the crack.