forester2002s

The screwdriver method works just fine. There's a hole in the right-side of the engine, about half-way up. Insert the largest flat-blade screwdriver that will fit in the hole, and the blade will then lock the outer (starter) gear-teeth. Works for loosening and tightening the flywheel bolts. No need for a special tool.

Nice write-up. Thanks for this.

SOA = Subaru Of America www.subaru.com

'Brights'? If you mean that the Parking Lights are always on, then there's a switch on top of the dash just forward of the steering wheel. Turn it off, and cover the switch with some electrical tape, and you'll never have the same problem again.

In my 2002 Forester MT, I use Walmart's own brand of 80W90 gear oil. - MT takes 3.5 L - Rear Diff takes 0.8 L I change the oils more frequently than recommended by Subaru. Car is now at 252,000 km, with original gearboxes, and running just fine.

Looks like your oil drain-plug has been pushed-in to the bottom of the oil-pan. It may have happened when the engine was rested on the floor, with the drain-plug taking the weight. Anyway, the drain-plug doesn't appear to be leaking, but it is no longer the lowest point in the pan. So that when used-oil is drained through the plug, not all of the oil will come out. Not a big problem, except that any debris in the oil might can left behind in the pan. If you are thinking of resealing the oil-pan, then replace the oil pan with an undamaged one.

Snow! Here in the Pacific NW, there's still loads of snow in the mountains. I expect local CO members will be able to update you.

Could be any of these: - Failed headgaskets; - Failed water-pump; - Failed thermostat; - Failed radiator-cap. First thing to do: - get a new radiator-cap (the old one is clearly not working properly, if the upper-hose goes flat); - refill the cooling system with coolant (including the overflow-bottle to the correct fill). Then drive it and see if it still overheats...

I'm only suggesting that you turn the Eyesight off temporarily, to troubleshoot the audible warning.. If you still get the audible warning with Eyesight OFF, then you'll need to troubleshoot elsewhere. It's an easy test to possibly eliminate Eyesight as the problem.

Have you tried turning the Eyesight to OFF?

Paint them black? That should provide peace of mind.

If there are no other symptoms, other than flinging grease, then by all means re-boot them. You could try a different make of boot, if you suspect that the old ones were sub-standard.

Any oil-pressure gauge would work. Be aware that there are 2 types: - using a small-bore hose, teeing off into an oil passage; or - electric-sender type. Either way, actual psi accuracy is not that important. It's the trend over time that will give you the most useful info.

Could also be 'piston slap', in which case it should no harm, just a bit noisy.

This site might help: http://www.cars101.com/subaru/keyless.html#05 legacy program remotes

Could also be the oil-pressure sensor, which is located on top of the engine.

If anyone has been near my lugnuts with an impact-wrench, I loosen them as soon as I can, and then retighten them with with the wrench that I carry in the car. Would hate to have a flat on a dark & stormy night, and not be able to get the wheel off.

Could also be noisy tappets. First thing to try is to do an oil+filter change. This sometimes works.

If the worn tires are already on the front, you may need a front-end alignment.

If the car is leaning back, you may need to replace the springs as well. The struts ((shocks), on their own, only dampen vibrations. It's the springs that set the height. And I agree 100% with your plan to 'reset' the maintenance cycles. Good plan.

Another thing about V-belts, is that they only bend in one direction. They won't do a reverse bend without cracking. Whereas a serpentine-belt CAN do a reverse bend, so they are like a serpentine-snake. The timing-belt on Subarus is a typical serpentine-belt

Grossgary: Check supermarket parking lots for concrete curbs. I've often seen shade-tree mechanics at work there.

"How to post pictures?" If you're using a full browser, click on <More Reply Options> at bottom right. Then <Choose Files...> to attach.

Could be a problem with the ignition switch? Thinks it to be OFF when key is ON. Thinks it to be ON when key is OFF. Weird!

There's a thread somewhere on this forum; it's a few years old, but it covers clock-problems. Do a search. If I recall it properly, there's an iffy solder-joint on the clock's circuit-board. I fixed my 2002 years ago, and it has worked just fine ever since.