forester2002s

I would also replace the radiator cap. Just in case it was over-pressure that caused the lower hose to split.

Replace Slave-cylinder?

The filter-box was in-place, underneath the glove box. The box-cover comes off, after taking a couple of clips off. The filter-medium slides in from the side. I first made a cardboard template, to get the right size. The final version was made in two pieces, each 7.75" x 4.5" (in order to get the filter-medium through the opening).

My 2002 Forester came from the factory without the cabin air-filters. I made my own by custom-cutting a piece of furnace-filter medium. It works OK, catches a few dead flies and the occasional leaf.

(2002 Forester 2.5MT) How important is the time limit (105-months)? I am at 100,000 miles, and I am getting ready to do the timing-belt (and idlers, water pump, etc.). But I am also at 115-months (i.e past the 105-months limit). Should I be concerned that I am over the time limit?

That's a bit risky! Most drivers wouldn't pay attention to gauges (did I mention my wife?). But a warning light might attract their attention.

The oil in the filter itself may not drain out, but oil in the oil-passages downstream of the filter could indeed drain back into the filter, leaving those oil-passages dry. But all things considered, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

I can tell you about my 2002 Forester, but I don't know how it compares to an Outback. I have three seats in the back of the Forester: - 2 child seats; and - 1 booster seat. The three seats side-by-side completely fill the width of the car, from door to door. The booster-seat is in the middle, and that child gets in first; we have to separate the other 2 empty child-seats a bit, in order to get the middle belt fastened. Then the other 2 children get buckled-in. It's a bit of a hassle, but it works. We are grandparents, so we don't have to do this on a daily basis. The biggest problem is having the 3 kids sitting within punching distance of each other!

Are you sure that the part without a 'valve' is actually the PCV valve? Maybe it's just a nipple for some other vacuum hose? This is how a 2.5L Subaru PCV valve should look. If my memory is correct, you'll need a 19mm wrench (or long-series socket) to unscrew it.

Sticking clutch pedal? Could be that you need a new slave cylinder. Plenty of info on this board. Search for 'clutch slave cylinder'.

You could check the resistance of the heating elements. I don't know how many ohms you should find. But it would be easy to compare the driver's-side with the passenger-side. I would start there.

Too much AT Fluid can cause excessive 'frothing' inside the case. The excess will then blow out of the air breather tube (on top of the AT case). If the discharging froth gets onto the exhaust pipe/cat, that's when you'll see the plume of white smoke in your rear-view mirror. It looks quite dramatic, but is unlikely to do any harm.

Purolator Specifications for PL 14460: http://www.purolatorautofilters.net/resources/Popup/Pages/PartDetailPopup.aspx?partnum=PL14460 Purolator Specifications for PL 14459: http://www.purolatorautofilters.net/resources/Popup/Pages/PartDetailPopup.aspx?partnum=PL14459 These are the main differences: PL14460: Anti-drain-back valve NO; Relief Valve setting 20-25 psi; PL14459: Anti-drain-back valve YES; Relief Valve setting 12-15 psi. Based on those specs, I would definately change the filter ASAP.

On my 2002 Forester, the clutch interlock switch prevents the starter-motor from turning. No juice to the starter relay. It doesn't have anything to do with the ignition circuits. In other words, the interlock would not prevent the engine from firing, if it was already turning over.

My 2002 Forester came with those plastic fog-light 'protectors'. I took them both off, and threw them away! They were so flimsy, that I couldn't see them doing any good at 'protecting' anything. And the plastic grid just obstructed the beam from the lamp. Good riddance!

You don't say what year or model. Perhaps it doesn't matter in this case? The FSM for a 2002 Forester says to torque the AT pan-bolts to 3.6 ft-Lbs (similar to the figure given by #2 above). The key thing to remember, is that this isn't much torque. It would be very easy to accidently shear off those pan-bolts. Good luck.

I presume that this double-negative was a typo, and that you really meant to say the opposite.

How many miles on the timing belt when it broke? My 2002 Forester is nearing the recommended miles for a new timing belt. I'm planning to replace the TB soon, so it would be interesting to know how old was your TB when it failed. 16 bent valves! Ouch!

I agree. And, since oil level is so important, one has to wonder why Subaru's engineers haven't fixed this problem years ago. It's not rocket science...

This wording had me puzzled at first. But I think I understand what you mean. When you say "e-brake light", I assume that you mean the "brake warning lamp". As I understand it, when the "brake warning lamp" comes on, this can indicate any of these problems: - Low fluid in the brake reservoir (nothing to do with the e-brake); or - Parking brake (e-brake) applied. So when you added fluid to the brake reservoir, and the lamp went out, this actually had nothing to do with the parking (e-)brake lever. Or I am I barking up the wrong tree? EDIT: On second thoughts, maybe this is what happened: - You have rear drum-brakes (not discs); - When you apply the parking brake, this forces the brake shoes apart to contact the drums; - this small movement of the brake shoes might suck in some brake-fluid from the brake lines, and depress the fluid-level in the reservoir; - and that could cause the "brake warning light" to come on, indicating low fluid-level. Is that what happened?

Keep trying to remove the upper plug. You've probably thought of this, but whatever you do, DON'T remove the lower plug first, as that will allow the oil to drain. Then how will you refill the diff with the upper plug in place?

My understanding is that you should NOT warm up an engine by letting it idle. Admittedly, my experience has mostly been with carburetted engines. The driver's manual used to say that prolonged idling causes harm to the engine; I assume that this was because the cold-start 'choke' produced an overly excessively rich mixture for starting, and the mixture stayed rich until the engine warmed up. Now, with computerized fuel-injection, that mixture goes leaner as soon as the engine starts, and so idling may not cause so much damage. My practice has always been to start the car, wait a few seconds (10-sec minimum, 30-sec maximum), and then drive away. As others have said, don't overload the engine until it is warm.

Is this only just after turning the engine off? Or does the noise persist for a while? Overnight, for instance?

When I get this hesitation problem, I make sure to NOT drive away immediately after starting the engine. I start the engine and wait about 10-seconds (without touching the throttle, nor any electrics). Then I drive off, and there's no engine hesitation. Try it. It just might work for you.

That sounds normal to me, especially after sitting overnight.