1 Lucky Texan

any history on the car? it occurs to me a cracked IACV hose could cause misfires, low idle and maybe a noise...?

2010 Forester would be good.

maybe a stub axle popped out?

try a reset - neg cable off the battery, press the brake pedal to drain any residual voltage, maybe wait 10 minutes to be certain, reconnect. car may start run oddly at first, but see if the problem with the trans is better. Our 4EAT will do some very odd downshifting/slamming at high speeds when passing unless I clear the tcu before a road trip. how old is the trans fluid?

might get a JDM engine with half those miles, for far less hassle hassle , but more money(?), to drop in.

some folks feel a repetitive binding at 10 and 2 ,or, 11 and 1 o'clock positions that is from the u-joint on the column. strut bearings might be binding some too. I'd really want to confirm there's no bubbles in the PS fluid - very common.

do you feel this surge like a grabbing/releasing in the whole car? or just in the steering wheel? will the car turn tight circles on dry pavement without jerking/binding? (is the car a 5spd or auto? all 4 tires identical?)

^^^^^ look for bubbles in the PS tank while idling (may need a helper to turn wheel back and forth) - easy fix with o-rings or hose clamps, very common and +1 to possible crank pulley

check cam/crank timing. how long since timing belt service. how much oil was added to bring it up to the proper level? a used engine oil analysis may be helpful if bad rod bearing is suspected. was there an overheat event? any missing coolant? (look in the radiator-never trust the level in the overflow bottle to accurately reflect the radiator's level))

does it make the noise sitting still idling in N ? Or, can you rev in N and get the noise? If so, when the noise is happening in N, does it stop if she depresses the clutch pedal?

input shaft bearing? symptoms don't match too well but ??? no FWD fuse on manual trans.

new contacts and maybe plunger in the solenoid - many folks get them and DIY . cheapest approach. I think there are a coupla youtube videos too. another option, take the starter to a local shop and pay them to rebuild the solenoid. riskiest is a typical rebuilt starter from a parts store, but, probably less risk than some other items like alternators and axles.

miles on engine?

look for a broken axle any smell when this occurs?

oil analysis might help rule-out piston slap or rod knock - depending on what metals are high? here's the tensioner noise mentioned above, skip to about 4:30 or so;

when I was wondering about coolant analysis I found a lab called Polaris.

strut and maybe inner tie rod, and crappy tires ???? start from a known good, tight base with decent tires and monitor that corner while doing proper tire rotations. Then deal with w'ever crops up. that's what we all do with our old cars.

hmmm, maybe a weak strut is allowing too much bounce. Or, could be a bad tire? details on car and tires please.

TTIWWC (this thread is wasted without content)

I'm no expert but, I suspect that's normal - looks dry and if there was a severe issue there, I'd bet fluid would be leaking past the seals. (NOTE: might be a good idea to check the fluid level back there - or just do a fluid change) they are retained by C-clips like front stubs/axles IIRC. you could dig around at www.opposedforces.com for a diagram. sometimes, bad u-joints can mimic torque bind - probably have to disconnect the shaft to really test them but, the symptom seems more like the center diff has gone bad. One more test. Arrange to drive the car in tight circles on dry pavement when it is STONE COLD. Not even 5 minutes of driving OK? If it doesn't buck when cold, but does after 5-10 minutes of driving, 95% that the center diff is bad in the trans. Have read of this several times in the past.

how did this play-out?

bump for report?

how did it go?

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