heartless

possible that the nut that holds the strut to tophat is slightly loose. had a similar issue with a 1st gen legacy sedan some time ago - nut wasnt tight enough - allowed just enough movement to make creaking & popping noises. tightened everything up and no more noises.

should only need to remove the trim pieces around the door frame to see what is going on, possibly the seat to get down low - but yeah, what coolskaterkid said, probably easier to swap it out than to try to repair. I would offer up the one out of my old car, but it quit working a long time ago - luckily in the closed position...had to unbuckle it to get in the car, then buckle it back up...

Congratulations! keep in the back of your mind that you will need to do a full timing service at about 100K - better to do early than have it fail on you and potentially trash valves.

Congratulations - you have officially been bitten by the Subaru bug! LOL Intermittent squealing could be something as simple as a loose accessory belt, but the carfax not being clean & the multiple owners in a short period would turn me off as well. The right Soob for you and your family is out there, just requires a little patience and looking to find it. I would also suggest you start your search for a competent mechanic with Subaru experience now - someone that you will be comfortable taking your car to when needed. Even if you are the type to do your own work whenever possible, there are always times when you simply dont have the time to do something, you dont have the knowledge/experience to do something, or something requires tools that you dont have in your arsenal... I have done the greater majority of the work on my cars for many years, but the older I get (50 now), the less inclined I am to go crawling under a car...not to mention the lack of time these days. This board has been a fantastic resource for me since buying my first old Subaru in 2000 - I have learned much from the members here, and continue to learn from them. We are a 2 Subaru family here, my 1995 Legacy wagon, and my hubby's recently purchased 2006 Outback L.L. Bean wagon (have a lot to learn about that one!) Good luck with the search for that just right Subaru!

While I can understand your reluctance on this, all of my Subarus have been much older, used cars purchased very cheaply, with a few dollars spent catching up on neglected maintenance. My current car (my 3rd Subaru) is a 1995 Legacy wagon purchased late last year for $250, with over 200,000 miles on it & needing a transmission. As it sits right now - tranny changed, timing job, new struts & tires, I would not hesitate to drive it across the country. My first Subaru I paid $150 for, spent roughly $800 getting things taken care of - new clutch, axles, tires and a few other odds & ends - and I drove that car for more than 8 years before the rust made her unsafe to keep on the road (i live in the salt belt) - she stall ran very strong with a little over 265,000 on the odometer.

even new struts can be compressed by hand with enough effort. in fact, the KYBs I ordered for my car came with instructions to compress them and let them extend 2 or 3 times before installation to make sure things are in good working order. a small block of wood against the rod end saves the hand. Hydraulics, such as on an excavator, are a completely different beast, however. those require a fairly large resevoir of hydraulic oil and a pump...bare basics are: the pump adds oil/pressure to the cylinder to extend, oil/pressure are released from the cylinder to retract.

the struts on a Subaru should appear to be almost perfectly vertical - if they are visibly/obviously leaning one way or the other you have some pretty serious issues going on with the other suspension components

very nice little buggy - bet it is a blast to drive.

start here: http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Forester/1998/Service%20Manual/ENGINE%20SECTION/ 1998 Forester I know had the EJ25D engine - there are other years and models as well, but that should cover what you need.

at 104K it will need the timing belt & related components replaced asap if they havent already been done what condition is the body in? I see you are in Illinois, so probably got some rust issues? the 95 2.2 is a great motor, if properly cared for, and can go over 200K easily - my 95 Legacy is at 214K now and going strong. a failed cat converter at that mileage is kind of suspect, tho - why has it failed?

How old is the battery? most are only good for 4 or 5 years - less in extreme weather conditions. Most chain auto parts stores will test the charging system for you for free, but if you are having issues with it starting at all, you could pull the battery out and take it in to be load tested. I would recommend getting the alternator checked out as well. bad batteries can kill an alternator (over working it), and vice-versa.

floor looks really good - nice job!

Haha - that would be kinda neet... need a better shot of the cargo area flooring, too.

nice score, Miles.

easiest way to shut it up is buckle up.

Pictures - we NEED pictures!

how to install a brake controller will be specific to the brand & model of controller - follow the instructions for your model. If you dont have them (purchased used?) you may be able to find them online by doing a google search for the brand & model you have. basics are: fused power source (direct from battery) brake switch tie in (ours had a splicer in the kit) wiring to rear of car proper trailer plug in (car side) to get power to the trailer brakes & lights - ours required a round 7 pin connector is the 2000 lbs just the trailer weight (empty)? or is that gross weight (fully loaded)? either way, that is a lot of weight for a Subaru, and I agree with Fairtax - an external tranny cooler could be very helpful.

i would begin by verifying the timing is set correctly - even one tooth off can cause a no start situation.

just connect the green pair to cycle the relays and stuff - no scan tool needed.

they are general diagnostic connectors - not just for evap - they will cause many things to cycle on/off or open/closed, including radiator fans, fuel pump, and various other solenoids.

doing things like the screws on the back of these engines is where a good impact driver pays for itself - and it is pretty much a necessity on this stuff. Even a cheap one from harbor freight is better than trying to them by hand and stripping the heads out. In all honesty, looking at that picture - I would have left that RMS alone, it doesnt look that bad. I know you said it was brittle taking it out, but I still think I would have left it alone. the RMS on my 90 looked about like that - left it in and just resealed the metal separator plate and the access cover, no more leaky problems

keep a very close eye on oil levels - especially when on any longer, high speed drives (interstate) - and you should be ok as long as you keep it topped off - dont overfill, tho. my 90 was leaking pretty badly before I got around to fixing things - but regular oil checks/topping off kept things in good shape. on a 3 hour run from home to Madison, we would make a pit stop about halfway, stretch the legs, check oil & top off if needed - check again before the return trip, and again halfway back (yes, it was leaking that bad)

you cant find anything because there isnt anything like that made by the mass marketers.

when did the car last get a basic tuneup? plugs, wires, air & fuel filters? Plugs should be basic NGK copper cores, gapped at .040 Wires should be either OE or NGK - cheap aftermarket wires tend to be problematic to help narrow down possible torque bind issues, get it fully warmed up, then find a open parking area and turn several tight circles at low speed (barely above idle) - do in both directions. If it bucks or has problems turning those circles, you have a torque bind issue.

maybe check the wiring connector - make sure there isnt any corrosion or anything in there