forester2002s

Try Subaru's online site, where you can download Service Manuals (for a fee): http://techinfo.subaru.com/html/ixSearchKwAll.jsp?publication_type=10&model_year=2003&vehicle_line=Baja They list Manuals both for the 2003 Baja and the 2003 Legacy.

Disclaimer 1: I know nothing about airbags, so don't take my word for the truth. Disclaimer 2: I don't know anything about the 1996 Legacy. However, this is what the Factory Service Manual for my 2002 Forester, says about DTCs (Diagnotic Trouble Codes): - The long segment (1.2 sec on) indicates a “ten”, - and the short segment (0.3 sec on) indicates a “one”. And so I would say that you are reading DTC 11 and DTC 14. Again, for a 2002 Forester: DTC 11 DIAGNOSIS: Airbag main harness circuit is open, shorted or shorted to ground. Airbag module harness (Driver) circuit is open, shorted or shorted to ground. Roll connector circuit is open, shorted or shorted to ground. Driver’s airbag module is faulty. Airbag control module is faulty. CAUTION: Before diagnosing the airbag system, be sure to turn the ignition switch OFF, disconnect the ground cable from the battery, and wait more than 20 seconds before starting to work. Before replacing the airbag module, roll controller, control module, and sensor, reconnect each part and confirm that the warning light operates properly. When inspecting the airbag main harness, disconnect the driver’s airbag module and passenger’s airbag module connectors for safety reasons. DTC 14 is not listed (in my 2002 Forester FSM).

...a voice from the dead?

I would also do an oil & filter change just before the trip (unless this has been done very recently). And I would also check all the tires (including the spare): - remove and replace each wheel (using the jack and wrench that you keep in the trunk); - inspect tread for embedded foreign-objects; - check tire pressures; - if any wheel-shimmy, rebalance tire(s). Replace windscreen wipers? Have a good trip!

I call this: The Zen of Subaru ownership.

I looked at the NABISCO site, and it says to use Crunched-up Oreos mixed in with warm milk. I'll try that at my next coolant change.

I guess they'll just bore out the 2.0 to make it larger. Did I hear anyone say Headgaskets?

The longitudinal roof-rack rails are fastened to the roof with threaded studs. If these get loose (try shaking the rails), water can leak in above the headliner, and might then be channeled down the structure into the sides of the car. Just a thought....

I put single-platinum plugs in my 2002-Forester about 40,000-km ago, before I knew any better. Can I switch them over to 'the other side' and run them there for a while? To even out the wear... a bit like rotating tires? Any thoughts?

Here is a link to a 2006 thread on this subject: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showpost.php?p=469698&postcount=20 Note the reference to a 10-minute delay (before the Low Fuel Lamp comes on). Not sure if this applies to all models.

I have been using Fram filters (fuel, air and oil) for many years, on several vehicles. The only filter-related problem that I can recall, was a blocked fuel-filter due to dirty fuel (i.e. the filter worked!).

I don't get it????? My wheel nuts are cone-shaped, and they mate with a cone-shaped bore on the wheel. As the nuts are tightened, the wheel is forced into place, and ends up centered. Even if the wheels are on the ground.

I retorque my wheel nuts EVERY TIME after the car has been in for repair. I sometimes have to undo the nuts using my socket-set and a torque-bar, but I retorque them using the wheel-wrench that I keep in the back of the car, and I estimate the torque by feel (after more than 40-years of doing this, I am pretty accurate). Then if I have to change a wheel on a 'dark and stormy night', I know that I'll be able to get the nuts undone on my own with that wheel-wrench.

1,800 Watts? What did you say? I can't hear you.

FR5AP-11 NGKs are indeed 'DOUBLE-Platinum. Check out this link: http://www.ngk.com/results_cross.asp?pid=FR5AP-11

Yes, it does sound odd, but applying any kind of lubricant to dry threads, can cause the stud/bolt to be over-tensioned. It works this way: - tightening a screwed joint, causes the stud or bolt to stretch, and to develop tension. The more you tighten, the more the bolt stretches. - on the one hand, if the threads are dirty/rusty, one cannot turn the nut very much. Yes you can apply lots of torque, but the bolt won't stretch very much. - on the other hand, apply lubricant to the threads (ANY lubricant, even water or anti-seize), and one can turn the nut easily, and the bolt can be tensioned a lot. So, when applying a known torque (say, 65 ft.Lbs) to dirty threads, not much happens. But apply the same 65 ft.Lbs torque to shiny-clean slippery-threads, and the resultant bolt tension can be enough to over-tension the bolt. It's the bolt tension that holds the wheels on, not the applied torque.

A search for 'roof rack piece' came up with this recent thread: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=77619&highlight=roof+rack+piece Is this the same piece?

I would suspect front alignment. My experience with all sorts of cars, is that the normal slight toe-in keeps the steering very stable. And as the toe-in disappears to zero (=parallel front tires), that the steering becomes unstable. And if things get worse to a negative toe-in (=positive toe-out), then the steering is downright horrible!

Well, I bit the bullet and took my Forester in to an indie for a clutch replacement. It cost me $902 including machining the flywheel. Same day service (4.5-h labour) and no hassle. (I had two other quotes: $1,000 + taxes from another indie, and $1,200 + taxes from a Subaru dealership). I had been considering doing the work myself; but I needed to either buy or rent a transmission-jack, and it would have taken me 2-days minimum working on my own. So I gave in. I must be getting soft in my old age. But the job is done.

The clutch on my car (2002 Forester 5MT, 100,000km) is slipping, and needs replacement. I am considering doing the job myself in my garage. I have good tools, and I could rent an engine-hoist. Is it feasible to do the job myself (I have previously done the clutch on another non-Subaru FWD transverse-engine car)? And how long should I expect to take for this job? Does the engine have to come right out? Or can it simply slide forward if I remove the radiator? And should I also be replacing any other components at the same time (timing-belt, water pump)? The car has always had 'clutch-judder' when starting from cold, but this has always disappeared when the engine warms up. I recall some mention of a special clutch-kit that cures clutch-judder, but I can't find it on the forum using the search function. Anyone know the part-number for this kit. Any advice would be welcome.

The question of Subaru oil dipsticks comes up regularly on this Forum. NOTE TO SUBARU: If you can muster enough engineering resources to have have fixed the Head Gasket issue, then PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE have someone redesign the oil dipstick so it is easy to use. It can't be that difficult.

I find this language distasteful and unnecessary. I enjoy this board, and there's lots of good info here. I certainly don't agree with everybody, but I am not qualified to know if anybody is a 'moron'. And I don't see how it helps to be offensive to others.

I didn't realize that some Subaru engines, e.g. H6, have horizontal filters (fortunately my Forester has a vertical filter). I've had other cars with a horizontal filter, and I curse the engineers who designed such an awful arrangement. Each time that I have done a filter change with a horiz filter, and got covered/splashed with hot dirty oil, I have wanted to drag that design engineer under my car and insist that he change my filter in front of me, so that I could laugh in his (oily) face. Ha! Ha! Ha!

I've always had a 'kill switch' in my vehicles. In pre-electronic-ignition days, my kill-switch was wired to short-out across the contact-points in the distributor. With the switch closed, the starter would turn over, but there would be no spark. And now with all that computer stuff under the hood, my kill-switch is wired in series with the clutch-pedal switch. As someone else has mentioned, the starter won't turn over until the switch is closed. I've always located the kill-switch just below the instrument panel, not visible, but within easy reach. Perhaps not the most secure place, but easy to activate without drawing attention. And I usually use a double-pole switch. One pole for the kill-switch. And the other pole to simultaneously light a red LED in a prominent location on the instrument panel. I saw a TV documentary recently, in which a 'retired' car-thief explained that he just ignored cars with red warning lamps, since he didn't know what the lamp meant, and in any case there was another car a few feet away that was less trouble to steal.

Maybe this would be a good time to lubricate the lock. Try spraying a little WD-40 (using the straw thingy) into the lock, and then jiggle the key in and out multiple times. This will help to lubricate the tumblers and other internal widgets. Works well on door locks too.