forester2002s

If it drives OK when you "mash" it, then I don't think that the fuel-filter is blocked. It could be either the Throttle Position Sensor TPS, or the Idle Air Control Valve IACV.

If the new timing belt has no manufacturer's name on it, I wouldn't use it.

Are your wheel-studs long enough?

That's probably what is know as a 'by-pass' hose. Is it bent by about 90 deg?

Only use a new timing-belt from a respected manufacturer. Have a good look at your belt that "was lying in the back". If it has no manufacturer's mark, I wouldn't use it. Some 'no-name' timing-belts have been known to deteriorate and fail prematurely.

My 2017 Forester has a fuse (square-type) No.SBF-4 30A, located in the centre of the under-hood fuse-box. When I pull this fuse, it disables all windows. Your 2016 Forester should be the same. BTW, you say that you have a 2016 Factory Manual. Is this the Subaru Forester 2016 'Service Manual'? If so, where did you get it from? I can't find the 2017, nor the 2016, Forester Service Manual available for download on the Subaru.com website. The most recent version listed is the 2015 Forester Service Manual, which is a full version including wiring diagrams.

My 2002 Forester has had the Left-rear wheel-bearing changed twice. Right-rear still has the original wheel-bearing. I found it hard to diagnose a faulty wheel-bearing: - rear noise gradually gets louder over time; - jacked-up rear wheels - no apparent looseness; - jacked-up rear wheels - listened with stethoscope while hand-turning wheels - nothing heard to confirm bearing problem; - checked hub-temperatures with infra-red gun after long run - nothing obvious noted. The noise was obviously from the rear, but I couldn't tell if it was left or right. My wife kept saying: 'It's the LEFT', but I couldn't be sure. She was correct. It eventually got loud enough to pinpoint the noise to the left-rear bearing.

I wonder what's included with a $65 rebuild axle. Has it just been cleaned and rebooted? Or have the CV interior-mechanisms also been refurbished?

You might want to remove and clean the IACV. Lots of YouTube links available on how to do it.

Crankshaft Position Sensor: P0335 Camshaft Position Sensor: P0340; P0341 Faults can be due to a failing sensor OR to failing wire-insulation. If you get one of the codes, give the wiring and connections a good shaking and push-pull; sometimes this helps to either clear the fault, or to exacerbate the problem. Either way, this helps with diagnostics.

Intermittent low-idle/stalling could also be due to: - Idle Air Control Valve. The IACV can be cleaned to remove excess carbon; or - Crankshaft Position Sensor (on its way to dying completely); or - Camshaft Position Sensor. Do you get the low-idle when going over bumps & potholes?

+1 on this being a 'grounding' problem. If one headlight filament doesn't have a good ground, it may try to find a ground through another route, possibly through another headlight. Hence the 'dimming' and other 'weirdness'.

All Subarus 'buck' at 4000 rps (revs per second).

Try smearing some solid white silicone lubricant-stick around the edges of the gas-door. That works on rubber door-seals to prevent ice from sticking to the rubber. And it shouldn't damage the paint around the door.

I try to remember to spray WD40 into the insides of the door locks, BEFORE the winter weather hits. This usually prevents the door-lock tumblers from freezing up (not so much of a problem these days with remote fobs). Perhaps WD-40 would also act as a preventative on the gas-door latch?

If the noise is a 'rattle', this could come from the exhaust 'heat-shields'.

Does the scanner work when the car is "running fine"? Here's an idea: - If the scanner doesn't work when the car won't run; but... - The scanner works OK when the car does run; Then perhaps the problem is somewhere like the ignition-switch having an intermittent fault.

I also broke that little aluminum adjuster piece for the AC tensioner (2002 Forester) I was pleasantly surprised to find that my local Subaru dealer had a replacement in stock, and for minimal cost. EDIT: Here's the Subaru part number: 73134AC001 EDIT #2: I see that the part is also available on Amazon. Search for the part number.

With all the brakes on, try engaging the clutch slowly in first gear. The engine will move around a bit, but not much. If you can see the engine moving a lot (upwards or side to side), it could mean failed engine mounts.

Also check the 'dog-bone' that connects the rear-top of the engine to the bulkhead, just below the windshield. It's unlikely that this part would fail, but it would only take 10-seconds to do a visual check.

Could be faulty diodes in the alternator. Do a search on this forum. There should be plenty of posts about failed diodes.

My cheapo MAXX Battery from Walmart (Canada) has 800CCA. Maybe the Canadian market has different batteries than in the US. Regardless of the price/CCA/warrantee figures, my experience is that all batteries seem to have a life of only 4 to 5 years, before they'll let you down on a cold morning!

Maybe the low-fuel lamp has burnt out. Does it come on briefly (along with all the other warning-lamps) during the starting sequence?

How old is the engine oil? Now might be a good time for an oil+filter change. A thinner grade of oil might help with cold-weather starting.

Are you sure that the CEL lamp is an LED? On earlier Subaru models, the panel lamps were incandescents. The used to be available from RadioShack #272-1092 Micro-lamp #7219. I'm not sure if RS still carries them.