Recently, my car had started having cooling issues. It was running hot, into the danger zone, and it would not blow hot air. I took action and replaced the thermostat myself, drained the coolant, and bled out any air bubbles, filled it up with coolant and the problems still persisted.
View 14 Replieswill it hurt my 98' forester to drive it when one cylinder has no compression? They tell me it needs a valve job for 2,500. They already put a mass air flow sensor in, and replaced plugs and wires. Still got the miss, but I need the vehicle.
View 2 Replies1998 Forester, 233,000 miles.. Two years ago it started running hot after 15 minutes of either driving or idling. Coolant seemed to vanish into thin air. The Subaru Dealership said that I either had a bad head gasket or a cracked cylinder wall. They said if the head gasket was bad then need to replace the head gaskets. They said if the cylinder wall was cracked, then we would need a new engine.
View 4 RepliesI just bought this car for my daughter. It's in very good shape; runs like a top. But the gas mileage is a lousy 20 mpg. All of my trips are local (no stop and go stuff as we live in the country). A buddy of mine with the same car and similar driving habits says she gets 25-28 mpg. So far I have changed the oil, oil filter and air filter.This can't be the best I can expect, can it?!
View 10 RepliesSo I am trying to figure out where my AC system has failed in my car.
The back story is: While I was on a road trip down to southern Utah in the middle of summer (you know, painfully hot desert area), my whole AC system felt the need to blow up in my face.
It all started when I pulled over for gas and noticed a giant puddle of water under my car. Then when I got back on the road, the system was still blowing air, but it was no longer cold (yes the AC was still on). A few miles later the fan stopped blowing all together. Then windows down, riding through the desert, a passerby shouted through my window that my car was smoking, I pulled over to find my AC compressor belt lying on the road under my car.
Now I would love to repair it but I don't know where to start. I have replaced the fuses to no avail (at least the interior ones labeled "blower", but they also seemed to be intact upon a visual inspection).
I have noticed that while on the highway the vents will produce air (not blow it though) of the temperature the gauge is set on (I assume that matters). Also, the AC button under the vent control (air speed) does not appear to light up.
Okay, I've been trying to diagnose this problem for ages. Whenever I top off my tank with fuel, the garage smells of fuel until I use up about a quarter of the tank. The smell stays mostly outside of the car. So far I have replaced the drain filter (a few years ago), fuel filler neck, hose leading from the filler neck to the tank, and had the system pressure tested. I'm fairly certain it's not the tank because the car has been undercoated since new and my mechanic saw no signs of a leak when he replaced the rear crossmember recently. My next guess is either the gas cap, the charcoal filter, or some hose leading to/from the charcoal filter.
View 7 RepliesI can not get my car out of park. I must replace a fuse every time . 1998 subaru forester . 241,000 miles
View 4 RepliesHad the oil changed in 2006 forester. They put 6 qts of oil in. The car was driven for 1 day, less than 50 miles and was blowing white smoke. Had the oil changed again with the right amount. The dealer is saying the car needs a head gasket. Did the oil overfill cause this?
View 10 RepliesI got a 98 Subi Forester L, stick, 130k mi.
I've been thinking about what gs ragtop & tester mentioned about the silicate stuff and I'm ready to take the chance, but there's one thing bothering me: If that stuff is supposed to be drawn into the combustion chamber where the silicate comes in contact with the super hot temps that solidify it, thereby sealing the leak, that assumes coolant is going into the combustion chamber, right? Well, I've been driving this car with a blown hg for at least 2yrs maybe 3, (that in itself amazes me), and I've never seen any sign of coolant in the exhaust, no smoke, nor any rough starting issues to speak of.
So, my question is simply, HOW THE HECK DOES THAT HAPPEN!! How in the world can I lift the hood and watch exhaust gases bubbling up in the radiator, yet when I park on a hot, 95 degree August day with a fully pressurized cooling system, the next time it's started there is no sign of coolant. The physics of that defy me! I mean, it says that the head gasket magically blew a "one-way" valve in itself? What do you think? Am I missing something?
I have a 1998 Subaru Forester that is leaking oil through the head gasket. Repairs for the head gasket seem to be in high range, which is at or above the value of the car. Is trying any of the head gasket sealant products such as Blue Devil worth trying? Do they have the potential to do more damage than good? I love the car, but I'm also not sure if it is worth getting if fixed or if I should be looking to sell it for parts and buy a different used car.
View 15 RepliesI drive a 98 Subaru Forester with ~190,000 miles on it. This car is incredibly reliable and excluding the following incident I have never had a problem with it. The other day I went out to run some errands and when I came out of the store my car wouldn't start. I turned the key and nothing happened. There was no sound from the engine or starter whatsoever, but the radio, air, etc. came on. It had started perfectly fine just an hour earlier that day. I had a friend and with a few strikes from a hammer on the starter the car fired right up so that appears to have been the problem. It's been a few days now and it has started right up every time I've turned the key since. Was this incident just a fluke? Is this what they call a "dead spot" in the starter? Should I replace it or can I get away with just carrying a hammer and push starting if worse comes to worst?
View 2 RepliesI drive a 98 Subaru Forester and last month the village cop pulled me over for having no brake lights. It turned out to be a blown fuse for the brake lights so I replaced it, problem solved. Well, I got pulled over by the same cop, in the same place tonight. Blown fuse for the brake lights. It seems like a fuse should last more than a few weeks. Is there a problem which would over tax the fuse?
View 4 RepliesGot a 98 Subaru Forester with 130,000mi. Good car so far. Just got a good deal on a scanner and it reports 1 code - PO0400. I see it mean EGR flow error. What is the most probable cause or a troubleshoot process to narrow it down? My repair manuals on the car are kind of lacking and I can't even find the blasted EGR valve! I thought I found it but I think it's the knock sensor.
View 14 RepliesI have a 2003 Subaru Forester, bought it this past January. Got 163,000 miles on it, and we've driven it mostly around town. Over the last month, it has developed an intermittent problem with stalling and rough "putt-putt" running, and will only keep running if the gas pedal gets pumped. This seems to happen about every other time we turn it on, but without a pattern. It can be running fine, and then switch mode, as it were, to running rough and tending to stall. I've gotten ignition codes (check engine light came on and I had my guy check it out on the computer) twice. My mechanic (a long-term Subaru mechanic) has checked out the injectors, and replaced the head gasket, but the problem has not changed. I'm thinking that this may be an electronics issue or possibly something in the gas tank/line.
View 1 RepliesI have an 06 subaru forester with a little over 130k miles on it. The AC has now become intermittent and when running doesn't blow super cold air. I had it recharged but that didn't fix the problem. What happens is that it will run fine for like 15-20 minutes or if not hot. The clutch will start by attaching very firmly but then suddenly for no reason will disengage. It is not slipping the belt at all. I dont think that it is a matter of too much air gap because when it grabs it does so very firmly. Also when they were charging it i noticed that the for a moment it was kicking on and off rapidly and then he did something that looked as though he might have released some and it stayed more constant?
View 1 RepliesI took my car to my previous shop for a P0325, Knock Sensor Circuit Malfunction. They wanted nearly $500 to fix it. My new shop said that I just needed some engine treatment and the code went away for a week and a half, but it came back yesterday, and my engine ran a little rough.
I heard what sounded like a very rough engine and it was my car. The technician came in saying that I was only running on two cylinders, but that sounds like far worse of a problem than I had been experiencing. They say that I need a $266.80 valve adjustment, which is all labor, but the total is $300 more than that:
Engine Light diagnostic: $44.99 Shop Fee: 35.00 Tune up package Remove and replace spark plugs: 60.03 Additional access time - remove: 64.20 and replace spark plugs: NGK Spark Plugx4: 9.96 Adjust Valve Clearance: 266.80 Pepguard Limited Extended Labor: 58.65 Warranty BWD Custom fit ignition set: 36.39
Parts: 46.35 Labor: 436.02 Other: 93.65 Tax: 6.55 Total: 582.57
Of course, my roommate, who is upset that I am not continually pouring fluids into leaky power steering and AC systems butted in and said the entire thing is preposterous. Problems with cylinder firing are invariably the result of bad spark plugs andor wires.
Well, they say that I need to replace those, which cost $46.35, the least expensive entry in the entire estimate. They just want to charge $124.23 to replace them.
Why don't I replace them myself and see if that fixes my problems?
They say that if the valve clearance adjustment does not fix the problem then I need new cylinders and valves.
Regretfully, I have a "service plan:""Engine: All internally lubricated parts contained within the engine block, cylinder head(s) or rotary engine housing(s); oil pump; timing belt or chain, timing gears and timing tensioners; water pump; engine block, cylinder barrels, engine head(s), rotor housing(s) if damaged by the failure of an internally lubricated part. Dipstick and tube; harmonic balancer; oil pan; timing chain cover."
I cannot imagine that it would cover a valve clearance adjustment and they would only cover cylinders and valves "if damaged by the failure of an internally lubricated part."
So, ride my bike eight miles tomorrow, replace the spark plugs and wires, and hope that it is enough?
First & main issue: I throttle on, the RPMs jump, speed drops. I think I dealt w/ this before in my old Toyota pickup by replacing the clutch master cylinder. Is that right?
Secondly, I don't know if the engine of this lil car has been rebuilt, but the smoke from under the hood has been alarming. It smells of oil, and I've seen some spots that appear to have leaking oil dropping onto the exhaust, but the smoke keeps coming from various spots.
I really enjoy driving this lil car, it's my first Subaru and my first wagon, but if the trouble is just now starting for me, at over 210,000 miles... I've replaced a few things, but I've never owned a newer(ish) vehicle (except a Harley), and come to expect to do work every once in awhile. I'm fairly regular w/ preventative maintenance, but not strict about when to change fluids or flush things (i.e. transmission or radiator). Maybe I should just sell this one and move on.
I also hit a deer the other day going pretty fast and fortunately only busted out the passenger side head light, fog light, and blinker. The other day being over a month ago. I just don't drive at night and try to avoid right turns. Any thoughts on where to get cheap replacement parts? I can't seem to find anywhere that'll sell me those plastic bits for under a few hundred dollars.. strange considering a necessary part like a master cylinder is only $40..
I have a 2004 Subaru Forester xs and the a/c goes out intermittently. I was told I need a new compressor clutch and that the whole compressor assembly will have to be replaced. I contacted another mechanic and he said that he would fix just the clutch but I should replace the whole thing. So, what do I HAVE to do? Are these prices in line? Can I get used parts or discounted parts?
View 2 RepliesI have an '06 Forester XT 2.5 turbo that has, what I can only describe as a stumble around 2500 rpm. The car's maintenance is always up-to-date, and never has anything under 91 octane run in it.This started out when you had the cruise set and now does it all the time whether or not the cruise is used. I've had it to 2 shops including a Subaru dealer that had it for a month and couldn't find the issue. We've been through injectors, coils, maf sensor, etc. to no avail. The trouble code that we're given is a misfire in cylinder 1. We discovered, while trying to find the issue, that there was only 30psi in that #1 cylinder and the valve guides were the issue. So the motor was pulled, heads planed, etc. and new guides installed. Also, put in a new timing belt, and so on, that is usually done when the motor is out.They have done a leak down test and compression tests as well. This is my wife's car and she absolutely love it, so I need to get this figured out.
View 2 RepliesAt 56,000+ miles on my 2006 Forester, I was horribly shocked to learn while having 60,000 maintenance done that my head gasket was leaking. inclusive of timing belt replacement required. I have read some discussions in this vein, but none regarding a car with this few miles on it. It does not seem right. I have had other issues with this car, my 2nd forester. I do not know what I should do.
View 12 RepliesI have a 2015 forester & the seats are not wide enough so my right leg rests on the front corner of the seat & after driving 70 miles my legs & back are hurting. I think the outback has seats 2 inches wider , that could work.
View 2 Replies