Compatibility of tow hitch for 2002 Subaru

[1 Lucky Texan]

I don't know much about adding a hitch other than reading that sometimes there is some trimming of the plastic bumper cover I think?

have you tried searching youtube ?

Edited October 5, 2021 by 1 Lucky Texan

[jonathan909]

All of the Subarus I had or have are from '95 to '02, including an '02 Forester, and they're all as I described.  Download the installation instructions for a Curt, Hidden Hitch, Drawtite, etc., for your model/year and they'll show you where the plugs/holes are.

[laegion]

The holes in the frame rails aren't obvious until you get underneath and see how the hitch installs. I have a Curt hitch receiver and I just swapped it from my 95 wagon to my 2003 Wagon. It used one different hole on the hitch for the drivers side tie-down loop, some extra washers to space it out and that was all. Bolted right up with the 4 bolts.

 

Sometimes those plugs on the frame are so covered in dirt they aren't noticeable.

I got my hitch from etrailer dot com. They even have good installation instructions on their sight.

Edited October 6, 2021 by laegion

[ThosL]

I went to the auto junkyard today as they said they had a Forester with a hitch.  $65 for the hitch from the somewhat rusted vehicle.  $75 for one from another junkyard, new, but no bolts.  The somewhat rusted one may or may not have salvageable carriage bolts.  

 

If I get the new one without carriage bolts how many will I have to get?

[jonathan909]

As I said, I've always been able to salvage the bolts, and between the Legacy/OBW and Foresters that totals more than half a dozen hitches fetched from the boneyard.  So I'd go for the used one myself - more for the hardware than the sawbuck difference.

I stand corrected on the bolt style - it's the Legacy/OBW that uses the carriage bolts fished into the frame.  Here's the one for yours:

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Subaru/Forester/2001/36311.html

You can see that it uses seven (7) hex bolts screwed into the frame from below.  I just confirmed it on my '01 Forester (same as '02).

Edited October 7, 2021 by jonathan909

[ThosL]

I ordered a "Draw tite" unit and finally got around to checking out trying to install today.  But no way to install with non power tools.  There is just too much rust on the tie down bolt/nuts that come out to make way for the hitch installation.  I'll check with a mechanic who has the power tools.

[jonathan909]

Please elaborate on exactly which power tools you think you need for this.  I've installed this hitch on a 1999, 2001, and 2002 Forester without using any, and in all cases they were hitches salvaged from the wrecker being installed on old cars.  If you read the installation instructions (PDF) to be found on the page from my previous posting, you'll find the following:

Equipment Required:

Wrenches:12mm, 14mm, 17mm

Drill Bits:None

So I'd be interested in hearing where you think both the manufacturer and I got it wrong.

 

Edited October 16, 2021 by jonathan909

[ThosL]

15 hours ago, jonathan909 said:

Please elaborate on exactly which power tools you think you need for this.  I've installed this hitch on a 1999, 2001, and 2002 Forester without using any, and in all cases they were hitches salvaged from the wrecker being installed on old cars.  If you read the installation instructions (PDF) to be found on the page from my previous posting, you'll find the following:

Equipment Required:

Wrenches:12mm, 14mm, 17mm

Drill Bits:None

So I'd be interested in hearing where you think both the manufacturer and I got it wrong.

 

I followed the directions, used my brother's quality ratchet with a 17mm socket and there is no way on earth using that that the bolts or nuts holding the rear tie downs in place will come out like that.  All the PB Blaster in the world would not help much either.

[jonathan909]

Fair enough - it's a fine point, but what you're having trouble with isn't installation - it's removal of old rusty stuff.

I'm not under there with you (with rust and dirt falling in my face), but just because something's too tight to turn doesn't necessarily mean power tools are the answer.  I've frequently found that stepping up to a 3/4" drive socket and breaker bar will convince those parts to cooperate - and without breaking 1/2" drive tools.

Edited October 17, 2021 by jonathan909

[heartless]

9 hours ago, jonathan909 said:

I've frequently found that stepping up to a 3/4" drive socket and breaker bar will convince those parts to cooperate - and without breaking 1/2" drive tools.

and not many have 3/4 drive at their disposal.   just sayin..

@ThosL - there is a product called "Freeze Off" - not exactly cheap, but it does work more often than not.. read and follow the directions on the can carefully and you could have success. Living in Wisconsin, I know the pain of rusted fasteners.. Freeze Off has saved our butts more than once when working on the older, rusty vehicles.

 

[jonathan909]

59 minutes ago, heartless said:

and not many have 3/4 drive at their disposal.   just sayin...

Sure, but that doesn't mean they're expensive or hard to find, only that they haven't been considered necessary (to date).  I was in that category until I needed to replace the front hubs on my old 4x4 Dakota.  In the junkyard, in the space of about 15 minutes, I broke my 1/2" ratchet, 1/2" breaker bar, and another 1/2" ratchet belonging to the yard (they're not supposed to lend tools, but there was a guy nearby...) trying to remove a pair from a donor truck.  There may have been an inappropriate length of pipe involved.  Anyway, I popped a mile down the road to the nearest Princess Auto (kind of like Harbor Freight up here, but family-run (I think) and with the greatest returns policy (We don't care what the reason is, you can return it within the next two years) ever).  Bought a cheapie 3/4" breaker bar and big@ss socket to fit the hubs and had those babies out on the first pull.  So I don't have a lot of 3/4" drive stuff, but it's the last line of defense, so I add the odd socket to the set from time to time, as needed.  Totally worth having.

[1 Lucky Texan]

breaker bar is gonna be better than a ratchet - and you may need to put a 'cheater pipe' over the handle as well. Pipe is a very common 'hacke' to get more leverage.

I had to use a floor jack on the end of a breaker bar to bust the fill and drain plugs loose on a rear diff. And there was no rust.

Many parts stores have equipment to loan out. They may have some 3/4 drive breaker bars. Maybe even some power stuff like an electric impact.

Or heavy equipment rental cos might(like the fork lift and stump grinder rental places), call/ask around. If the hitch came with new bolts, don't be afraid to use the 'blue wrench'. Heat can sometimes help encourage things to move.

 

Edited October 17, 2021 by 1 Lucky Texan

[heartless]

the "quality" of the tool has a lot to do with things, too... lets not forget that.

we do have some 3/4 drive stuff here, but not a lot.. one set that was purchased to do a hub on a Dodge truck.. go figure, LOL  we have several 1/2 breaker bars here.. including an extra long, heavy duty one purchase from HF.. i love that one.. being female, the extra leverage is a wonderful thing,

@jonathan909 does Canada use the salt or brine on the roads up there? Here in WI we get both.. depending on the situation... the spray the brine before a storm, and use salt after if things get icy. makes for some interesting times dealing with under the car stuff.

[jonathan909]

1 hour ago, heartless said:

the "quality" of the tool has a lot to do with things, too... lets not forget that.

we do have some 3/4 drive stuff here, but not a lot.. one set that was purchased to do a hub on a Dodge truck.. go figure, LOL  we have several 1/2 breaker bars here.. including an extra long, heavy duty one purchase from HF.. i love that one.. being female, the extra leverage is a wonderful thing,

To the question of quality:  Of course, but I think this is a case of intersecting curves - that is, because 3/4" is just such a big brute piece of metal (cross-sectional area going up with the square of the radius and all that), you can get away with a cheaper mechanism and weaker alloy, and it's still not going to break.  My most recent acquistion was one of these, bought on sale at half-price, methinks:

https://www.princessauto.com/en/3-4-in-dr-x-24-in-ratcheting-breaker-bar/product/PA0008609018

What sold me on it was the reviewer who said that it didn't fail even with his big fat brother jumping up and down on an extra 2' snipe...

Quote

@jonathan909 does Canada use the salt or brine on the roads up there? Here in WI we get both.. depending on the situation... the spray the brine before a storm, and use salt after if things get icy. makes for some interesting times dealing with under the car stuff.

It varies from place to place.  My general understanding has always been that the ice melters used are more corrosive as you go east, but that could be a misapprehension.  I do know that the salt that's used in the Maritimes adds a whole other level of danger because it draws moose onto the road to lick it up, and you come over a hill or around a curve and bang you're dead.  Here out west I think some jurisdictions use non-NaCl melters to cut down on both corrosion overall and environmental contamination.

Edited October 18, 2021 by jonathan909

[ThosL]

I showed the bolts with the instructions from Draw Tite to a good mechanic today, and he did not know how he would get it off (though he probably could) and is very busy.  So I may check with a shop that is available to do it.

[jonathan909]

I'm not sure this problem is worth a good mechanic's time - odds are that even a sh!tty one can handle this gig just fine.

Edited October 19, 2021 by jonathan909

[heartless]

19 hours ago, jonathan909 said:

To the question of quality:  Of course, but I think this is a case of intersecting curves - that is, because 3/4" is just such a big brute piece of metal (cross-sectional area going up with the square of the radius and all that), you can get away with a cheaper mechanism and weaker alloy, and it's still not going to break.  My most recent acquistion was one of these, bought on sale at half-price, methinks:

https://www.princessauto.com/en/3-4-in-dr-x-24-in-ratcheting-breaker-bar/product/PA0008609018

What sold me on it was the reviewer who said that it didn't fail even with his big fat brother jumping up and down on an extra 2' snipe...

It varies from place to place.  My general understanding has always been that the ice melters used are more corrosive as you go east, but that could be a misapprehension.  I do know that the salt that's used in the Maritimes adds a whole other level of danger because it draws moose onto the road to lick it up, and you come over a hill or around a curve and bang you're dead.  Here out west I think some jurisdictions use non-NaCl melters to cut down on both corrosion overall and environmental contamination.

interesting...

my "quality" comment was meant more for the 1/2 drive stuff than the 3/4, lol
like i said.. i have an extra long 1/2 breaker that i keep in the car (w/19mm socket) for lug nuts.. the head of that bar is FAR beefier than the standard breakers. I would not hesitate to put a nice long cheater pipe on that bad boy and have done so.. i forget exactly what we were doing... axle nut, maybe... but yeah, 5-6 foot cheater and other half basically bouncing on the end of that and it showed no signs of giving way.. the nut, however, did break free... and when it was all said and done, the cheater was bent, LOL    would never attempt a cheater that long on a standard 1/2" breaker...

[ThosL]

At least one of the bolts is stripped out so the job is more complicated; I checked with a local shop that does hitches who said that with the older frozen ones you may need to get a strong lubricant into the bolt from above or side, as spraying on from the bottom does not get where it is needed.

[jonathan909]

2 hours ago, ThosL said:

At least one of the bolts is stripped out so the job is more complicated; I checked with a local shop that does hitches who said that with the older frozen ones you may need to get a strong lubricant into the bolt from above or side, as spraying on from the bottom does not get where it is needed.

Okay, that's nasty.  And since it's unibody, getting the penetrant in there may be a challenge - although once you get one of the bolts out, you should be able to spray up into the hole.  I've never looked in the Forester, but if you lift the floor and foam around the spare tire, you may find a couple of holes (perhaps plastic-capped) that open into the frame in more-or-less the right neighborhood.  They're there for bolting in the bumper in the OBW.  Just spitballing.

Edited October 19, 2021 by jonathan909

[1 Lucky Texan]

I learned on a forum, that heating a thread interface, then (carefully, smoke OK, no fires!) spraying with penetrant can pull the fluid into the rust as cooling causes any gas in side to contract. Not as helpful as Jonathan's approach, but you could try it a few times over a coupla days. Also, try TIGHTENING too. You have to bust the rust and working back-&-forth might help.

[ThosL]

I meant that the head of the bolt is stripped; they do make ratchet fixtures to turn bolts like that but considering I haven't gotten it to turn yet I would rather have a mechanic tackle it with his expensive tools at $70/hour.

[jonathan909]

Trust me, this is a case in which "expensive tools" don't always provide the answer.  On the plus side is that it's probably a relatively large bolt (and head), so if one of those "extractor sockets" won't grab it, you/he might be able to drill into it and use one style of easy-out or another.  Those things are notoriously easy to break, though, leaving you worse off than before.  As discussed above, persistent and repetitive use of both heat/cold and serious, no-messing-around penetrants may very well make the difference between success and a piece of extremely hard tool steel snapped off in the work.

Edited October 20, 2021 by jonathan909

[ThosL]

Thanks for the information;  I picked up a breaker bar at Auto Zone some 1/2" tools, and was able to loosen a number of the bolts; just have the one that is somewhat stripped so will be looking for a bolt removal tool tomorrow to get out the last one.  Unfortunately my brother gave away a lot of his tools a couple years ago so has only 3/8" ones left.

[heartless]

can highly recommend these... https://www.amazon.com/Irwin-Industrial-Tools-54019-Extractor/dp/B001MXPRV6

make sure to get the Irwin brand.. there are cheaper sets out there, but they are crap. Irwin is pretty darn good.. available in both metric and ASE... we have both and they have saved our butts more than once

you should be able to find them locally, but if not, online is an option

 

Edited October 21, 2021 by heartless

[ThosL]

9 hours ago, heartless said:

can highly recommend these... https://www.amazon.com/Irwin-Industrial-Tools-54019-Extractor/dp/B001MXPRV6

make sure to get the Irwin brand.. there are cheaper sets out there, but they are crap. Irwin is pretty darn good.. available in both metric and ASE... we have both and they have saved our butts more than once

you should be able to find them locally, but if not, online is an option

 

I will probably use one just once so will not buy a set I will never use again, and I did see what Amazon had but want to get it done as soon as possible.