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Showing results for tags '2003'.
Found 18 results
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I have a 2003 Forester XS and the sunroof will not open. I removed the glass and with the glass off, the mechanism works with no problem. However, with the glass installed the sunroof will only open about half an inch. I think there might something obstructing the glass at the back end, closest to the rear of the car, but I can't figure out what it could be. The sunroof was stuck partly open last time it worked and I had to gently coax it back into position and since then it won't open. I'm wondering if this is a common problem with a simple fix, or perhaps the electric motor is worn out to the point where it won't move the glass. -
So first off, let me start off by saying, I know practically nothing about this car, past the very basics. I've been wanting a Subaru for a long time now though. One of my coworkers heard that I was searching for an affordable Subaru. He told me he had a 2003 Impreza that was basically just taking up space in his garage, that he's trying to get rid of. He said the only thing that may need to be fixed or replaced is the transmission, and he estimated that it would be around two grand to fix. That aside there's no damage to the car from what I know of aside from a small dent (I'll be taking someone with me who knows what they're doing when I check it out). With this information is this a good deal for a 2003 impreza? I've tried searching around but I could find nothing less than 6-10,000 for one. -
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So. I bought a 2003 Outback LL Bean with 196k. The car is in reasonable shape and runs pretty well except a slight hesitation and sometimes it idles a little rough/vibrates at idle. The main issue I'm having is that it likes to kick out about 1-2 cups of coolant every time I top off the radiator, it doesn't seem to keep pushing out coolant after that but it will have a very slow bubbling from the overflow hose into the tank at idle. I tested with a combustion gas test kit and after 2-3 min of testing the fluid hadn't changed color in any noticeable way. I do not see any active coolant leaks, maybe there is some seeping slowly but not that I can find. The only time I see coolant actually leaking from the car is if I keep topping off the radiator without removing some from the overflow. Also no strange smoke on cold starts, no contamination in the oil or transmission fluid. Currently I can just top off the radiator every morning and drive it all day (about 100 miles a day of stop and go traffic) and it never overheats; although the primary radiator fan does run a bit more than I'm used to with my other car (95 ej22) but that's it. I have replaced the radiator cap with a "safety" style and an OEM cap is on order; but I haven't changed anything else. I'm thinking a coolant flush, new OEM radiator cap and thermostat would be a good start but I'm not sure if any of those (besides the cap) could cause this issue and I'm wondering if I'm seeing the start of a head gasket failure but not enough at idle to show up on a test? Maybe a partially clogged radiator? Any ideas or advice are welcome; especially if you have experience with similar issues with an ez30d. (aside from things like telling my my engine sucks or I should buy another car...lol) -
2003 Outback H6 Taking a little road trip to the hill country next month. I rotated tires today. Took the opportunity to inspect around and try to get a little lube in the sway bar bushings - hoping to help an occasional 'groaning sound' from the rear when maneuvering/bouncing the car. some good news, some bad; tires evenly worn Centric PQ ceramic brake pads really last! So do OEM rotors. rear diff mount bushings look good, rear axle boots and everything back there actually looks OK to good. One or 2 suspension arm bushings look 'off-center/worn'. One of those could be source of noise I guess? No movement on rear wheel bearing up-down - side to side rocking test. No oil on top of (replaced, not original) struts. some wetness on the charcoal box ? - and, now I think, there may have been some wetness under the car from around there - will investigate further if it smells like fuel - haven't noticed that and it seems it would be quite strong in the garage if even a little gas were there??? Both sides of the front have about 2-3mm of 3-9 o'clock movement at the wheels(tires on) - appears to be inner tire rods. No apparent problems felt inside or tire wear but, I will put that on the 'to-do' list for this fall or more likely next spring. One front bearing test moved about 1mm up-down. I may let that wait...can't decide. If I diy that, everything I've read leads me to believe I should tackle it one of 2 ways - on the car with some 'hub tamer' type of device, or take the knuckle to a dealer/shop. thoughts? Still looks like the oil cooler adapter is weeping, not enough to spot the ground yet....I have read mixed reviews on success at swapping that seal so, I'm gonna wait. a front outer axle boot is ripped so, need to deal with that. I THINK I have an OEM spare axle, if not, I'll try to find a used one, reboot the inner and swap. No clicking yet so, I'm gonna let it wait too.Since it's the outer, an interesting experiment might be to try knocking the Rzeppa joint off and installing a new aftermarket one on my OEM axle...might do that and hold the axle in reserve for the other side or ??? for the money/hassle, used entire half-axle is still probably better. glanced at resevoirs and checked the oil. likely do that again before the trip. -
Please see my video at this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11FP39hKrU2XqiSRT4n7GRie5ra_5cdiY/view?usp=sharing I was experiencing a vibration at speed. It felt like front wheels/bearings/balance... but I would slip it into neutral and it would roll just fine. I figured it was "drive-train" somewhere and took it to a shop for diagnosis. They found a torn boot and told me that 1/2 axle was bad and causing vibration and that when I slipped it into neutral it took the torque off the axle and allowed it to re-center itself and spin freely. I started installing new axles and seals. When I removed the driver side retaining plate to replace the seal, the axle stub just clunked to the bottom of the opening (unlike passenger side which had stayed centered in the hole...) - Please watch my video and let me know what you think has happened inside the case. Thanks!! -
Just got word back from the dealer. I’ve got a bad catalytic converter, possibly bad rear o2, and am leaking oil from cam carrier, oil pump, and valve cover (just replaced valve covers, not sure what I did wrong). Car is worth around $5000, has newish (30k) head gaskets and clutch. 100% rust free which is unheard of in Michigan, and is already lifted. Dealer wants $4700ish, which isn’t gonna happen. My main issue was getting very low mileage, I can live with the car eating some oil. Right now I’m thinking I’ll get a tsudo hi flow cat and an o2 sensor and o2 sensor fooler since the high flow will trip the p0420. This should clear out the MPG issue. It doesn’t seem like fixing those leak points is too hard (I’ve done clutch work and a lot of stuff on my brat, I’m comfortable doing anything besides engine/trans internals). Do you guys think it’s worth it? My only real hesitation is the engine has a nasty piston slap. Thanks, CL
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We own a 2003 Subaru Forester XS 2.5L, VIN 6, 6th digit. Unfortunately, the engine heads and block cracked. We are searching for another 2.5L engine that would work. Main Question: What years/models come with a compatible engine for the 2003 Forester? For example, would a 2.5L from a 1999 Legacy work? Thank you in advance. -
2003 Impreza Outback Sport 5 speed I recently bought the car and it’s really fun to drive! Some noise coming from the rear end area above 30mph got me thinking I should look at the rear drive shaft universal joints and carrier bearing. With the drive shaft off there are definitely sticky spots in two of the joints. Napa, O’Reillys, and the local Subaru dealer all told me a very similar tragic tale: The U-joints are not replaceable and have no part number, but I can buy a whole new drive shaft for 500+ dollars. Not to be so easily discouraged, I removed one of the “non-removable” U-joints using a dremel and a steady hand, and took it to Napa and O’Reillys, neither of which could find a match in their stocked parts. Has anyone dealt with this before and happen to know of a U-joint that will fit in the 03 Impreza Outback Sport drive shaft? Thanks for any help! -
I just recently bought my 2003 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport with 170k miles on it for the intention of making it a tuner... sort of. I bought the car because it was my best friend's. He had the car for about two weeks, then he very sadly got into a horrible accident (not car-related) that gave him fatal injuries. I miss him a lot and I bought the car to remind me of all of our great memories and so I could turn it into what he would've done. This is my first car that is "tunable", so I don't even know where to start.
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Hi, I'm trying to fix an issue with our 2003 Outback 2.5L Automatic 143K miles. Started with a regular CEL, then elevated to a Flashing CEL. Car would idle rough when it was damp outside and or cold. This is what I've done so far. When car was running well and it was dry outside I spritzed water, very lightly around the engine to re-create the problem. The very first place I hit caused the problem. I spritzed some water on the Coil Pack module, immediately a spark started jumping from Terminal 4 to the mounting bolt nearest the terminal. It was a very big spark and from my point of view it appeared like there was a crack in the terminal. I purchased a replacement and replaced the original with a brand new piece. The #4 terminal was blackened on the original coil pack. I did notice the connection from the spark plug wire on this terminal was looser than the others. I crimped it slightly with a terminal crimper and re-installed all of the wires. At first I thought I had it fixed, but not very long as the car sat idling the rough idle and the same spark happened from the same terminal to the mounting bolt. My first thought was to coat the mounting bolt and the end of the spark plug wire at Terminal 4 with Silicon RTV. This held up for a few days, but again, as soon as we had some rain, I had the same issue. I also ran the tank down to near empty and put in a bottle of quality, can't remember the name, Fuel System Cleaner, then filled the tank with 87 Octane Sunoco So went to Advanced Auto and per recommendations on the web I replaced the wires with a set of NGK, and a set of NGK replacement plugs. I went for NGK plugs that were for my car. The Autozone system came up with NGK G, which I found are Platinum tip. I've since read that I should have gone with copper. Is this a real issue? I used dielectric grease on all connections. I used Permatex Anti-Seize on the plugs. The number 4 plug looked like it had un-burnt fuel on it. The original plugs felt like they had been torqued too tight, but had no signs of stripping. It was just hard to break loose and I had to wrench them a long time until they were finger loose. Not having a torque wrench I put them in finger tight, then wrenched them 1/2-3/4 turn snug. I took the car on a quick local shakedown drive and it felt great, had more power than it had since we bought it. 2 days later we drove it much further, about 50 miles each way on the PA turnpike at speeds up to 75 MPH. No CEL's car felt great until... On the way home we were stopped by an accident. It was in the 20's outside. We sat idling for almost 30-45 minutes. As we were pulling away from there, the car started running a bit rough when de-celerating. Then about 10 minutes later as we sat in line to enter the turnpike the idle started getting rough and the CEL came on. My wife was afraid to drive it the remaining 35 miles home, but I said it's not flashing, and when we stopped it was OK if we put the car in neutral. When we got home I ran the car at idle in front of our home, about 30 degrees now. It was dark and I was looking for evidence of sparking again, but saw none. I've read through several threads on this issue on another Forum, before I found this one. They suggested after a tune up was performed that it's the Fuel injector if I'm lucky, or burnt valves if I'm not. Or possibly the small chance that the same plug or wire is bad again. I'm hoping that since it ran so strong for over 60 miles at speed and at idle that it's not the valves or head. I really pray that is true, because I don't have the money, or skills to repair that. So if you were me, where would you go from here? If the next step is the injector is a re-manufactured one OK? Which Brand? While i'm in there is it foolish to not replace both injectors on the drivers side of the block? I really would rather not buy 2. Everything seems to point to Cylinder #4. BTW, While I spent the last 20 years as a photographer, I went to school for electronics and feel comfortable around a DVM. Thank you in advance for any replies, I really appreciate any helpful feedback. Spiney-Dave- 7 replies
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Hi All, I am new here but could not find this... I live in the BVI and recently got a 2003 Subaru Forester XT 2.0 Turbo imported from Japan. Yesterday not sure why the 'ECO' light started flashing and the car stopped switching gears. Mechanic checked today and looks like it is stuck on 3rd gear so he asked me to buy (we can't get the parts here) 5 transmission solenoids... First of all... is it correct? There are 5 Solenoids? Are all of them the same? Where can I get parts that will fit my Japanese import? As you can see I am not really one that understands about cars (would love to though) and have no clue what exactly to buy... Thanks in advance, Sergio -
I need some help with my car not starting, 2003 Legacy GT 2.5 So on my way to class this morning, my car started right up and took off with no problems. Just as I was about to get to campus, I lost power to the engine and my power steering cut out. I hopped out and pushed it to a side street before trying to start it back up. The radio, dash panel, and headlights still worked fine. I remembered that I had left the dome light on all night and thought that maybe it had drained the battery to the point where it had enough charge for on start, but that doesnt make sense as to why it would just start. I had my room mate pick me up and take me to O'Reilly's so I could get another battery, (When I had my oil changed a couple weeks ago, they said my battery was at the end of its life and I should look into getting a new one) If it didnt fix the problem I still needed a new battery anyways. After we threw the battery in and got everything hooked up, I tried starting it again, and it was the same issue. It would sound as if it were going to turn over like usual for a second, but then it went to a lighter, less guttural starting sound. I had half a tank of gas so its not that. Is it the alternator or would that effect the power to the whole car? I thought it could be the fuel filter needing to be replaced and the engine was just starved of fuel. Any ideas? -
So I am inbetween cars right now and I found this awesome community. Ive been considering a 2003 Subaru Forester XS, and I really just want everyone's opinion. My main concerns are: I do not want to buy someone else's problem; I just got rid of a car that had plenty of issues, which is why I sold it. I hear nothing but amazing things from people about Subarus. The one I am looking at has 150,000 miles, but has been a one owner vehicle, no crashes, clean title, regular maintenance, etc...what do you all think? Sound like a sure thing, or should I have reservations? I am excited nonetheless. Thanks! -
Hey everyone! I am brand new to this forum and actually joined in order to get some advice from more experienced owners of Bajas and Outbacks. That being said, I am no newbie to working on cars and love learning more about them, anyway, on with the questons... I inherited my '03 Baja from my dad who passed away in February, right now it is in need of heaad gaskets, well basically most of the engine seals are leaking a little, and new metal needs to be attached in the area of the drivers' side rocker panel/pinch weld below. There are other minor things; paint touch ups, some bondo from when it was rear-ended etc. BUT, I was looking into installing a turbo. I don't really know much about this specific engine, but i have heard that the oil and coolant feeds for a turbo are already there. I haven't looked into it at all and am wondering if that is true, and if not, maybe I would be better off getting a new pre-turbo'd engine. Also, is it easy enough to do a 5 speed swap? Or, maybe an H6 5 speed swap {{evil grin}}? I realize this is a big old money pit at this point, but I want to have it for at least another 10-15 yrs, I want a Subaru, and I'd rather my dad's than any other, so it's worth it to me. I'm just sort of trying to get a better picture of what is feasible, and what wouldn't really be worth it. I've got a local welding shop estimating $1200 to fix all frame issues and guarantee the whole thing for 10yrs, and I'm thinking the head gaskets will be another $1000ish, which leaves me with around $1500-$2000 to do some upgrades etc. Obviously some of the above mentioned mods wont get done for a while, but what do you think would be the best use, as far as upgrades, of my extra $2k-ish once all repairs are done? I was thinking about some high mount offroad lights, a turbo, and maybe a new audio system, the current one works intermittently. Basically getting rid of it is out of the question, and I'm going to be having some extra money to dump into it soon. Let me know what you think, any opinions are greatly appreciated. ~c4pt1n54n0 -
I had my muffler on the bench, I was renewing the short piece of pipe I use to connect the muffler to the pipe from the resonator (ever since the muffler/pipe flanges disintegrated). The muffler was upside down on my tool cart and water started coming out of the bypass valve cover. The cover has been coming off for years and I have been ignoring it, but if water can come out an exhaust leak can't be far behind. I have been fully confident the valve has been stuck shut for years, if not since I bought the car. Recently I put softer springs from the ex pipe to the frame (pulling the exhaust against the converter donut since the bolt flanges disintegrated) to help the donut last longer, and when gunning it the pipe was forced back! A lot of back pressure. I didn't realize when you took the cover off it gives access to the shaft and spring, but you cannot remove the valve. Anyway the metal around where the cover bolts on was paper thin, so I just chiseled around the metal frame of the valve mechanism and then cut the metal frame with the die grander, and removed the entire valve. I cut a piece of 16ga mild steel to fit the over the opening and brazed it on (amazing how good a treadle shear can cut outside curves). Definitely revs up cleaner, starting at 4k or so. No longer sounds strained above 5k. No longer seems to creep from 5.5 k to redline. BTW I had driven over 20 miles in temps over 50 degrees, and the bypass part of the muffler had a good bit of water in it. Exhaust finds it way in there and the water condenses out, apparently even after everything is well warmed up. -
I just purchased a 2003 Legacy Outback with the H6.3.0 engine and VDC. It has 74,500 milkes. This is my first Subaru and I really like it. To my chagrin, I learned that it requires premium fuel and NO ethanol. What has been other owner's experiences? Why is the ethanol bad if the octane rating is acceptable? I would appreciate any comments. Thanks. -
I am about to tear my motor in my 03 forester X because my timing sproket bearings come out which led to the sprocket slinging off. i tried just replacing that and retiming it, but i still am not getting compression... I was just wanting to figure up some good pistons and rods that aren't OEM. I figure if Im going to have to rebuild i may as well add some horsepower too, but do not know where to look to find some good after market parts. help Will be greatly appreciated. ask questions if you need more details. p.s. This Will be my first subaru build always been with muscle cars till i found this reliable car. To bad one small thing put it in my shop. -
Hi all, I am poised to buy a 2003 Forester with only 91,000 miled on it. One previous owner, no accidents, carfax looks great mostly dealer serviced local to where I am buying it from. $6995, with tax and conveyance fee it'll be just shy of $8,000. Dealership did timing belt, waterpump, and head gasket. Tires look new. 1: Would you say go for it? This is my first sube and I'm switching from an '01 camry. I really need a wagon for this summer. I hear these last forever so when I saw one with less than 100,000 miles I pounced on it. 2: Where/how can anyone suggest I get an extended warranty? The dealership is only offering a 60 day warranty. While I consider myself a fairly educated person, I don't know much about buying cars as I've been driving my camry forever- so feel free to point out anything you might consider obvious that I might not have considered yet. I will be making my decision on it very soon, I have paid them to hold the car for a couple days while I come up with the money. A big thanks!
