forester2002s

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.

You say that you have the heads ready to reinstall. Have you checked that you have the correct clearances between the valve-stems and the rockers/lifters? These clearances should be very small (see the FSM), but more than zero. Otherwise the valves will not seal completely.

One extra check to make when test-driving: - check that all warning lamps work on the start-up sequence (all warning lamps should work when the ign.key is turned to start, but before the engine actually turns over). For example, the CEL or Oil-pressure lamps might not work. You'll need to be aware of that.

How is your PCValve? If the PCV is not venting properly, pressure could build up and blow out seals etc.

Does the Mitzumo kit tell you the make of their Timing Belt? If the make is unknown, I wouldn't buy it. Stick with a Subaru OEM or a Gates Timing Belt.

No need to be apologetic. You're doing the work yourself, and learning from your mistakes. How many other drivers do that?

Could it be a flakey contact in the rheostat for the instrument panel-lights? Try turning the adjustment for the panel-lights (located on the headlamp stalk); that just may clear the problem.

+1 for snow-tires on steel rims. When the first snow-storm of the winter is coming, other people will be lining up at the tire store to get their tires mounted. You'll be able to change wheels yourself in no time.

If you have the fobs, why not just try to reprogram them? cars101.com will tell you how to do this.

It'll probably require a little bit of rewiring. On my 2002 Forester, I rewired the windows from the 'Run' circuit, to the 'Acc' circuit. Still need the key in, but don't need the engine running to open the windows. It helps to have proper wiring-diagrams to this kind of mod. EDIT: Just reread the question, and I see that the car doesn’t have a keyed ignition switch. So my comments don't apply.