forester2002s

I always use my parking brake. If it is adjusted correctly, it holds really well, and I CANNOT drive away with it engaged (and there is a red warning light on the dash too). I once saw the inside of a Dodge transmission, and saw that the parking-pin was about 3mm diameter. It could easily shear off. In fact this happened to a friend of mine - his parked van full of plumbing supplies took off down a hill and destroyed itself; he now always uses his parking brake.

Just a thought: If the wind noise comes from the triangular gap between the mirror and the mirror-mount, then why not try sealing this gap? Could you try using duct-tape, or even scotch-tape around this gap, as a temporary fix, to see if the noise lessens?

A friend of mine had a (1950?) Rover, that had an OEM oil level gauge. Actually there was a single gauge for fuel/oil level, and a toggle switch to select which one. I recall that the oil level reading was pretty steady, and didn't fluctuate even when driving. I have no idea how it worked.

The Factory Service Manual for my 2002 Forester says: Wheel nut torque = 88 N.m (65 ft-lb)

Same thing happened to me recently, when I bought new tires at Canadian Tire. When I got home, the first thing that I did was to check the wheel-nut torques. They were all beyond the range of my 100 ft-Lb torque-wrench. I wasn't surprised. It always happens. This is one of the reasons why I hate to have 'professionals' touch my car.

I use a solid 'white-stick' silcone lubricant for my door seals. Wipe some on to a rag, and use this to wipe along the rubber seals. I think that apart from the 'anti-stick' properties, the silicone also seals the pores of the rubber, and stops water infiltration into the rubber (which might later freeze). I use WD-40 in my locks. I try to apply this when the lock-mechanism is bone dry. With a bit of luck, this will last all winter, and prevents freeze-up of the lock.

My Factory Service Manual (2002 Forester) says to torque the bleeder screws to 8 N.m (5.8 ft-lb). This isn't much torque, and so don't overdo it. I've sheared off more than my fair share of bleeder screws.

I keep away from filling stations when the tanker truck is there. But my main reason is safety. That truck is like a bomb. I don't want to be anywhere near it when something goes wrong. Same goes for propane trucks. On a related note, one of my most frightening driving experiences involved a tanker truck. I was passing a tanker truck on the freeway; we were both going at high speed; when I was exactly level with the truck's rear axle, one of his tires exploded, and he started fishtailing. Boy oh boy, I thought that my days were over. Fortunately, the truck driver regained control, and we both lived to tell the tale.

Tires: I've heard stories from the North about tires developing ''flat-spots' in very cold weather. This happens if the car is parked in the cold, say overnight; the rubber 'freezes', and it takes a while for the flat-spots to 'thaw-out'. Maybe some rubbers are designed for the cold, and avoid this phenomenom. Anyone know?

I once worked in a research lab, testing new gears. Two things helped prolong the life of gear teeth: Running-in; and Clean oil. Running-in of new gears in the lab was done by not allowing full-load to be applied until after the gear-teeth had been 'polished' by applying a slowly-increasing amount of load. i.e. go easy on the throttle for about 1000km. I don't think that high RPMs will do too much harm; it is more important to keep the torque low. Clean-oil: I changed my engine oil, gearbox-oil, and rear-diff oil at 1000km on my new 2004 Forester 5MT. The drained rear-diff oil was grey and opaque, and the drain-plug magnet was covered in metal filings. The gearbox-oil was a bit cleaner, and the engine-oil was fine. I repeated the oil-changes at 3000km, and found all 3 drained oils to be 'normal'. I figured that the run-in period was over. As someone has pointed out, I'll never know whether this worked, but it didn't cost me much, and gave me peace of mind.

I've also noticed that little notch on the dipstick, above the 'full' mark (2002 Forester). I get an oil-smeared dipstick (both sides) regardless of how I pull the dipstick: slow; fast; hot; cold; overnight or at gas-station. It usually takes a few tries and wipes, to guess at the level. Maybe the oil level isn't too critical, as long as it is above the starvation level???

Thank dsmith for that write-up. That explains a lot. Are any Subaru design engineers reading this?

My 2002 Forester will go about 40km after the yellow light comes on. Then it starts to misfire, and I assume that the tank is almost empty.

Oh boy, Oh boy! Here we go again. This question comes up with monotonous regularity. Just check down the page, and you'll see the most recent one. Or else do a search for 'synthetic oil', and you'll find more info than you can digest.

A piece of advice when downloading from the Subaru site: - There are literally hundreds of individual files to download. - All of the downloaded files have incomprehensible file-names (e.g. MSA5T0222A21517.pdf). - As you download, add a text description to the filename (e.g. 'MSA5T0222A21517 Engine Oil.pdf') - As you download, create the relevant folders (e.g. 'Engine Section'), and also sub-folders (e.g. 'Lubrication'). and put the downloaded files in the right place. This is a lot of work, but worthwhile in the end. You end up with an excellent manual. Wait for a rainy day; fill the coffee pot; and be ready for an extended stay at the keyboard. You must have broadband to do this; don't even try it with dial-up (it would take you days!).

Here is link to a Consumer Reports article (July 1996): 'The surprising truth about motor oils'.

To buck the trend..... I have been using dino oils in all of my cars for over 40 years. I usually buy the cheapest API tested oil that I can find. I change the oil and filter religiously every 3000km. I do the work myself, and so the cost is minimal. I have never had an oil-related problem on any of my vehicles, some of which I have kept for many years.

"A grinding sound when you depress the clutch pedal"? This could be the clutch throw-out bearing wearing out. If so, it will need changing soon. Get a clutch kit and do the whole clutch at the same time, bearing, clutch-plate and release spring. I've done this on other cars, but not yet on my Subie. Maybe others have some advice....

As mattocs says, the RPMs go up, but sometimes it can be quite subtle at first. The car may drive normally, and the clutch may not appear to slip at low throttle positions. But if you accelerate under load, either driving up a hill, or with slight brake pressure, the clutch may slip and the RPMs go up. This shouldn't happen on a properly adjusted clutch. So if it does, it tells you that the clutch is wearing out. And there really isn't any alternative except to replace it.

Does the car have an Automatic Transmission? I had the same symptoms (trailing thick smoke, going up a long hill) on another vehicle (not a Subie), a few years ago. It seems that the AT had been overfilled with fluid. This hadn't caused a problem until the long uphill haul with a full load. The fluid aerated (or something), and escaped via an overflow pipe, directly onto the exhaust pipe. You wouldn't believe how much smoke this created. No apparent harm. I drove on a few minutes later, and it never reoccurred.

What happened to Alias20035? He/she used to post all the time and very helpful posts too. Then he/she went on a cross-Canada trip in the middle of last winter. And hasn't posted since then. Where are you Alias20035?

Do what 'mattocs' has suggested: Carry a gas can (with a known amount of gas in it), and run the car empty. If the 'low-gas' light comes on, record odometer reading, and keep driving. When the car stops (or starts to miss), fill her up from the gas-can, and read odometer again. Head for a (hopefully nearby) filling-station and fill the tank to capacity. You should then know two things: - actual fuel tank capacity; - distance from 'low-gas' light to 'empty' (40km for my 2002 Forester).

If the fault has cleared itself, then the CEL should go out after a few runs in the car. If the CEL stays on, then a fault still exists.

Sounds like a good idea. What type of 'nylon/fiber screen' do you use? And how do you fasten it in place? And presumably the screen doesn't reduce the air-flow significantly?

Crocodile hunters.