20 Most Recent 2002 Subaru Forester - Page 6 Questions & Answers

This is a somewhat easy problem to fix. Your "clock spring" is broken. This is a device which allows the wheel to turn and still maintain an electrical connection. They will cost $75 -$250 from junk yards or the dealer. A dealer will be able to replace it in about 1 hour, It requires the removal of the steering wheel.

Hi!!
The cheapest, fastest and easier way to replace the mirror would be getting one from a local junk yard. Try to see how it is removed so you can DIY later. Your other option is the dealer which will be very pricey.
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check to see if the belt is loose, if it is a sepentine belt, [one that is routed for your power steering , air conditioning, and pulleys it just might need replaced, also chech to see if the tensioner pulley has not lost some of it's tension. ]

change the fuel filter

check the bulbs behind the dash.

if you got power to the starter in both cables one from batteri- one from keyswitch , its the starter who has gone bad , but some cars have switches in the clutch pedals that can give the same fault .

ewery 50 thausend miles

check the fuse first as this only cost pence,then the lamps.(bulbs)

Seems that the vehicle may have gone into 'limp mode' to protect itself from further damage. Do a scan on the vehicle, but it soulds as though the solenoid may need replacing

P.S. With all best intentions, garages DO have screw-ups. It is possible that the tech went to get another bottle of fluid, and well...

Well, I feel certain that you have already figured it out, but for the benefit of another coming behind you...

If you are referring to the battery leads, then the smaller of the two connectors (usu black), is normally the negative cable and should be attached to the - terminal on the battery. The larger of the two connectors (usu red), is the positive and will be attached to the terminal of the battery.

In case you are referring to the battery harness, this has a ground lug that should be connected to the nut which is normally close around the battery compartment. Check for a nut that is fixed to a part of the vehicle chassis. If you were simply replacing the battery though, this cable would not normally be removed, so you should not have to reconnect it.

The rear seatbelt of the forester was a bit of a puzzle for me as well when we first got ours. The buckle is really in two parts. The first part anchors the strap, and the second part secures the occupant.

Check if your belt is fully retracted, look in the inertia reel housing at the roof in the boot of the vehicle. Remove it passing the end through the 'loop' in the backrest Make sure that you have the two buckle parts I referred to earlier. There should be an odd looking buckle fixed at the end of the belt, and the more familiar buckle that slides up and down the belt. The end buckle goes into the receptacle vertically below the loop between the centre and window passenger and achors the belt in place. This buckle should not be normally released once used regularly. Once the centre passenger is in place, use the sliding buckle as you would for any other seatbelt and fasten on the receptacle on the other side to secure.

Use same procedure for fixing a car seat or booster, etc.

You will have to get the vehicle scanned and get the exact code in order to understand the exact problem.

Well my first guess would be that you need a new fuel filter. It isnt to expensive either, they should be able to do it at your local oil shop.

if pressure is low it wont stay engauged. the pressure switch wont let it stay engauged .it should stay on after you start filling it

Did the belt break, or just maint? Did the cams move when you took the belt off? If they did, they should not have moved far. You should be able to do this with some help, You can't move the crank without the belt in place, it will hit a valve, somewhere, You should have aligned the marks before removing the belt. Take out a couple spark plugs to make the engine easier to turn over by hand. Then with a breaker bar on the crank bolt, turn the engine to the right, have two people , one on each cam, and slowly turn with the crank, do not let the spring tension snap back, Mark your dots so you can see them, bring the engine over to TDC, each cam will be on it's mark also, if you can find a clear channel for the valves to run in. If the crank meets any resistance, back up, try to turn a cam to clear a path, If you have to pull the rocker covers off, to see the valve position, do it, But your engine is almost impossible to get to. I could hardly change plugs on mine. Once you get it on the marks, clamp the cams if they have a tendency to move. put the new belt on, the belt should have marks on it too, and they better line up with yours or something is wrong. You have a belt tensioner also, if you didn't replace the pin in this, you will need a new one.get the belt on, lined up, pull the pin on the tensioner, all set. I hope that is a 2 cam engine without turbo? If not, it will more difficult to do. Hope this helps.

it not too hard to do,you may be able to replace by removing the cover on the inside of door, then remove the nuts holding the mirror on, then disconnect electrical connector, you may need to pry panel back a little to get to the electrical plug, the panel pops out on that side, no need to completely remove, to remove all the way then you would need to remove the screws, but not needed, just pop loose in the area near mirror to get to plug then install new one.

no u don't, u do that from under the car.

I would suspect wheel bearing first
Test just like the front
Wheel off the ground
grab the top and bottom of the tire and rock

However...If I remeber correctly the rear uses axle bearings which are pressed on and difficult to diangose

Therefore... I'd advise you seek a Subau dealer since so few tech see a Forester even once a month