forester2002s

I use a solid silicone white stick (or is: solid white silicone stick?). I wipe it on directly to the DRY and CLEAN rubber door-seal, and then go over the surface very gently with a clean paper-towel. I do this once a year before the winter - it's never let me down.

To preserve your virginity, just stick a piece of black electrician's tape across the switch; that will keep it in the OFF position.

A Subaru wind turbine on the roof of my house, generating electricity for my Subaru electric-car in the garage. Hey Santa, that's what I want for Christmas!

Don't be misled by the look of the tread on 'all-seasons'. They may be good for mud, but they lose grip at low-temperatures. Best to get proper 'snow-tires', which are made with a softer rubber which grips the road better in the cold (below about 5C or 40F). You can do the fingernail test yourself: bury your fingernail into the rubber, and you'll see the difference between the softer snow-tires and the harder all-seasons.

Do you know for sure that it does not have keyless entry? Or is it just missing the remotes?

A good reply, nipper. But it's a long way to ship a tranny: from Melbourne (Oz?) to Canada!

There you go! Try jiggling the key back and forth between OFF and ACC. Failing that, take a sledge hammer to the ignition switch !

I wonder if this is a fault with the ignition key/switch? Perhaps the switch is staying in the ACC position, instead of turning to OFF? The radio typically is energised when the ignition key is in the ACC position. Are there any other electrical components staying on (when they should be OFF) with the key out? You might test: - windshield wipers; - power windows; - power mirrors; - cigarette lighter; - seat heaters. Some of these might normally be energised with the key at ACC, but should denergise at OFF. BTW, I assume that your radio only stays on (with the key out) when it was already switched on before the key was removed.

Question: Are you saying that you lose 1/4 cup of coolant from the overflow tank EACH TIME that you use the AC? And that it doesn't return to the tank later? If that is the case, then you are actually losing coolant somewhere. However, if the level of coolant returns to normal later, then this is nothing to be concerned about. Please clarify.

Yes, with a 16-footer mounted laterally, I think that you are wise to check either side very carefully.:-\

Heck NO! Don't discontinue this discussion! I open this thread first, each time I log on. And as for that recent 'black' week, well, I was in withdrawal! From my memory, from a long time ago, in another age, with another car, here is another idea: I once had a hairline crack in a spark-plug's porcelain insulator. It took me ages to debug. I was actually getting a physical misfire (which I don't think that you have). But could a cracked insulator set a misfire code??

Or you could look at it this way: 60 + 30 = 90 It depends which baseline you use for measuring.

Great fix! Talk about ingenuity! I had a similar problem one dark and stormy night... This was old Ford, the car stopped in the middle of nowhere. No fuel was getting through. I couldn't even start it. I tried removing a spark-plug to test for a spark, =OK. Then I pulled out the choke knob (remember those knobs?), and the car started. I drove a long way that night (to see my girlfriend), using the choke-knob as a throttle. The car didn't go very fast, but it got me there! Later, I dismantled the carb, cleaned the plugs, and all was well again.

Personally, I wouldn't mess with a badly rusted oil-pan. My gut reaction is: Replace that pan ASAP.

For the record: My 2002 Forester came equipped from the factory with Champion plugs (RC10YC4). They ran just fine. I changed them out (at 63,000km), but they appeared to be as good as new.

I once fixed a loose ball and socket on my rear-view mirror, by diassembling it, and then coating the ball with a bit of liquid honey, and then reassembling. It worked a treat.

I live away from gas stations, and so I keep a reserve 25-litre can of gas in my garage. I've never had a problem with this 'old' gas. Sometimes it is 6-months old when I use it, and it works just fine.

Just a thought, but on my 2002 Forester, the headlights and foglights are fed from separate fuses. In fact the LH headlamp, RH headlamp and foglight-pair are all on different fuses. So I hope that you are not overloading a fuse by piggybacking two loads into one.

I get it! I think that I'll have another 'cuppa'.

Because of the way that Subaru engines fire, you'll need 'double-platinum', instead of the slightly cheaper 'single-platinum'.

Make sure that you rename each downloaded file: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?p=174415#post174415

If possible, I would get someone to start the car occasionally (say once/month?). And even better, to move it under power a few feet forwards and back (to re-lubricate all gears and bearings).

If you meant 'kilometres', that's too soon to change your oil:banana: If you mean '1000 x miles', that's another story....

Word of caution: I would be very hesitant of driving a car that leaked fuel. Why? In one word: FIRE!

Have you tried testing the suspect thermostats? Boil them up in a saucepan of water, and watch them open up... A bit like cooking mussels from the beach.