forester2002s

... fuel filter ...

When you say 'can't fill gas', what exactly are the symptoms? Does the gas nozzle shut off automatically? Or is something else happening?

BeerGarage! What a great name, and what a great collection of photos!

I agree that gear and rear-diff oil should be changed periodically. Why don't people do this? I think that Subaru is partly to blame. The recommended maintenance schedule only requires an INSPECTION of the oils every 48,000km, and doesn't actually require any oil REPLACEMENT. When I drain these oils, and see those little metal particles, I'm know that I've done the right thing for my car.

Here's a (belated) update: - I replaced the Slave Cylinder last summer, and bled the system. - That cured the sticky pedal problem completely. - Now, 9-months & 20,000-km later, I am free of the sticky pedal symptoms. Moral of the story: A sticky clutch pedal is probably due to an ageing slave cylinder.

I measured the dipstick on my 2002 Forester 2.5 SOHC 5MT. These are the measurements (taken from the underside of the yellow plastic handle, which is where it contacts the top of the filler tube): - 504.8mm to end of dipstick; - 487.8mm to Lower hole; - 466.2mm to Full hole; - 456.0mm to upper notch. The FSM for this model says to add 4.0L (4.2USquarts) of oil after an oil & filter change. When I add that amount, run the engine, leave overnight, then check the oil level, it shows at the Full hole. You can see a photo of the dipstick at

Let it sit overnight, and then check the oil level again. That might allow the 'froth' to settle, and give you a better reading on the dipstick.

And do a search on this board for <hesitation>. There are lots of posts with your same problem. My own solution (2002 Forester 5MT) is to let the car sit for about 10-seconds after start up (not touching the throttle, nor any other electrics), and then to pull away. I find that if I drive off immediately after starting, then I get the low-speed hesitation that you describe.

What happens if you change the oil & filter, and then add the recommended volume of oil? Where does it show on the dipstick?

I used one of those cylindrically shaped bottle-brushes to clean inside my coolant overflow tank. It did the trick nicely. Now I can actually see the coolant level through the plastic.

A happy ending is always nice! Now you'll be ready for that final blast of winter !!??!!

I have Wiring Diags for my 2002 Forester. Not the same year as yours, but the wiring may be similar. So, on the 2002, the heated side-mirrors DO have a 'Mirror Heater Relay': There is a connector in the bulkhead area, under the dash (the wiring diags show the location on the right-side, but I haven't actually looked for it on my vehicle). The relay appears to just plug in to the connector (and keeps the heater on after the heater button is pressed). The connector is shown as: - Black; - 4-wires: (Black/Yellow, Black, Red/Blue, Black) (actually there may only be 3 wires going to the connector with the two Blacks internally connected). (the Red/Blue is 12V; the Black/Yellow is connected to the 2 side mirror heaters; the Black is grounded). So if you find this connector under the dash, and nothing is plugged in to it, then you may need to buy a relay.

I agree 100%

Partial Zero? That's like being 'a little bit pregnant'.

I suspect that the OP didn't want to mess with the 3-position switch on the OE dome-light: - ON - OFF - AUTO

I guess he wanted your repeat business...

This happened to me once (a long time ago, when I was a student). Rather than tow the wreck from my driveway, the insurance company offered to sell it to me. So I bought it, fixed it up (mostly with parts from a junkyard), and drove it again. In those days, that was legal. I don't know about now.

Wise words. I agree.

I sure hope that someone from Subaru has been reading this thread. And that they take some appropriate action.

Bump. Any answers out there. My son has the same cold-start symptoms on his 2004 Impresa.

Exactly what I was thinking!

Am I missing something? Why not just remove the fuse?

Do an oil change on the Gearbox. And strain the old oil to see if there are any unusual bits of metal in the oil. And then take it from there...

I see that you're tri-lingual.

Yes. And taking photos with a digital camera costs nothing. So mark the pulleys, and take loads of close-up photos of the t-belt, tensioner, pulleys and idlers BEFORE disassembling anything. This is good insurance, and has saved my bacon more than once.