forester2002s

I have used similar 'spring-inserts' years ago on a Dodge B150 van. The ones that I used were all steel, and fitted between the coils of the spring. Yes, they brought the rear-end up a bit. And, yes the springs survived the modification without apparent distress. But in retrospect, now that I am older and wiser(?), maybe that wasn't such a great idea. I suspect that these spring-inserts put more stress on the remaining 'free' coils. So that the actual sprung-load is then shared between fewer coils. That higher stress-per-coil could result in overstressing the springs, and catastrophic (and sudden) failure. That didn't happen with my old Dodge, but I'm not sure that I would use these spring-inserts again....

Bad wheel bearings can be hard to identify. I had a noisy 'rumble' from the rear, gradually getting worse, but I couldn't figure out if it was left or right. - I tried an infrared thermometer - no temperature difference between left and right. - I tried jacking up the wheels and rocking the tires - couldn't feel anything. Tried that many times. - I tried a stethoscope on the hubs while rocking the wheels - couldn't hear anything. Then, eventually, when doing the rocking test, I heard a very faint 'click', couldn't feel it just heard it. Had that wheel bearing changed, and all was quiet. Having said that, your noise is more of a 'whine', which I would expect to hear from a noisy gear-set. So it might be the diff. Does the diff get warm after driving at high-speed?

+1 on using a 6-point socket, instead of a 12-point socket.

How to post pictures? - Go the box 'Reply to this topic'. - At bottom-right click on 'More Reply Options'. - At bottom left click on 'Choose Files...'

It may have something to do with alignment. A 2-piece drive-shaft with a u-joint allows for some misalignment between the transmission and rear diff. And so the flexibility of a u-joint puts less stress on the transmission and diff bearings. But there may be other reasons.

Give the battery-terminals a little tap with a hammer (or convenient rock). It just may be corrosion at the battery-terminals. One way to check for this is to turn on the headlights just before trying to start the car. If the headlights dim noticeably when you try to start, it may be corroded battery-terminals.

Same thing happened to me. I agree 100% - don't install an unbranded Timing-Belt on your Subaru. I installed an unbranded T-Belt from MizumoAuto, and after 39,000 miles, it had the same transverse cracks at each rib. I asked MizumoAuto to tell me which brand of belt this was. I only wanted to avoid buying another one like that. MizumoAuto failed to reply to my repeated attempts to contact them. See my earlier post (with photo of the cracked belt): http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/154398-timing-belt-best-buy/ One way around this it to buy a cheap kit (with all the idlers and water-pump), and throw away the unbranded belt. Then buy a good belt separately, e.g. Gates or OEM. Or just buy a more expensive kit, with a better belt.

What happens when you try to start the car? Does the starter crank the engine? Or is just quiet? Is there a 'click' from the starter, and nothing else. Or does the engine crank, but not start?

Manual or Automatic? If Manual, could be the Clutch-pedal Switch. If Automatic, could be the Neutral Safety-Switch.

Impressive work! I bet that you're looking forward to a good dump of snow...

My 2002 came from the factory with the Geolanders. I was happy with the tires, except that they wore out fast. They have a softer rubber than other tires, so give good road-grip, but faster wear. And they were quite good in light snow conditions. But since replacing the Geolanders, I now have 4 snow tires on dedicated rims, which I use from about Feb. to March. They also have a softer rubber composition, so have good grip in colder temperatures and on icy roads. The rest of the year I use 'normal' tires on the stock mag rims. I get tires that are good in rain, and with good wear predictions.

Maybe it's your choice of music.....

Emily, Yes, 'Left' and 'Right' are always facing forward. But the 'driver's side, and 'passenger's side' depend on whether the car is LHD (Left-Hand Drive) or RHD (Right-Hand Drive). So what might be correct in the Americas, would be the opposite in Britain/Australia/NZ etc, So, lets just call it 'Left-side' and 'Right-side, facing forward.

My 2002 5MT Forester doesn't have a Neutral Safety Switch; just the Clutch-Pedal Switch. Isn't it Automatics that have the NSS?

+1 to check the clutch-pedal switch. If something gets under the pedal (carpet for instance?), this can physically stop the pedal going full-travel to the floor. Easy thing to check.

The over-pressure bypass valve has different settings for different filters. So two brands may look alike, but be different inside. 'Gold-colored' and price-level are no guarantee of quality, IMHO.

2016? Under warranty? Take it to the dealer.

Exhaust heat-shields rattling?

Yes, my bad. Torx is indeed 6-point. I just cannot visualize a 12-point bolt-head.

12-point bolts? Maybe you need a Torx socket.

Best place? = Subaru dealership. Most economical? = Junk-yard.

No matter what someone on this forum tells you, you're still going to need that tape-measure if you want to buy a physically larger battery.

A flashing CEL can mean that the system is in diagnostic-mode. There should be 2 green connectors under the steering-wheel. These 2 green connectors should be UNPLUGGED for normal driving.

Change the PCV Valve, and see if that makes a difference.

On my 2002, I have to push the lever DOWN for it to latch in. The UP position is for 'momentarily' flashing the high-beams.