Mr B

Knocking !? Do you here or feel the knocking or both ? How much steering lock is needed to cause it ? Does it happen left & right lock ? Do you here any noises when turn steering while stationary with engine running ?

Best bet if removing the standard unit & throwing it in the bin & getting after market unit custom fitted Doubt ashburton MW will be any real help on the sat nav long term.

Those diesels have been known have a few clutch issues although your dealer won't confirm that fact. You should get it checked & if no improvement through adjustment or repairs to the pedal & clutch release system it may need new clutch & dual mass flywheel & that big money so best get them sort it under warranty & don't fall for any dealer fluff on it as expect you paid decent price from the dealer & to be honest the should be doing all this prior to sale.

Funny thing is you can have almost 100k for belt & pulleys in some countries. I would not recommend to a customer on fitting a new water pump on a 50k-60k run of the mill subaru if it checks out ok & is original subaru pump as throwing quality parts away that would easily be serviceable till next belt service. I tend to always do pulleys on stuff unknown but cars we serviced for long time service record with us we run on alternating change & never had a failure. We also do all pulleys every change on all high performance models or extreme/special use.

Changing pulleys & pump every belt change interval is a bit un-needed, ideally can be done every other change for all but extreme use such as heavy track car application. You also need to remember the UK belt service points are very very low compared to other country service spec from subaru.

Should be right, check it is a 4 wire sensor & if so I suspect that correct. P013 codes always relate to first sensor. Could try ICP (import car parts) if get stuck on your current supplier.

short trip driving is about the worse you can have for an engine. Oil never reaches full temp for long enough periods to remove moisture & fuel from oil. Best thing you can do is use a decent synthetic, ester based if can afford it & change perhaps at 3000 mile intervals or 2 years which ever comes first. You can never change your oil too much but then you also don't want to be wasting the oil from extreme over service.

Yeh they basically same in principal as both types are hydraulic. Your type has the hydraulic over spring assembly in the separate alloy cylinder that then pushes the piston onto a tab on the pulley. Later type has the pulley & hydraulic over spring assembly all in one working as a pivoting arm. I like the earlier one too as hydraulic unit stronger & the pulley is stronger in mounting too. Got that type on my old 95 Legacy ... Not everything new is better, bit like front wishbone bushing idea on the 05 onward foresters went a bit junk ...

Yeh the original pumps can go for years as superb quality, i've seen a few original pumps at close to 20years & almost 200k. I tend to advise on pump around 100k but if pump seem good when inspected it can be chanced, once over 140k I don't give them choice on pump. On performance subarus I would insist on new quality pump at 100k, just don't like chancing it on well wazzed motors ... Main thing is replace with top quality jap pump from ICP or BluePrint. Only around £50 Meyle pumps ok for run of the mill cheap subaru budget option (£31) but likes of Circoli should be avoided at all costs. A 150k mile original subaru pump would still be better than a tat Euro Circoli pump.

I would of personally bought the kit off of ICP as only like maybe £60 more for idler/pulleys to be included. You can get away without replacing them but that depends on car mileage & known history. Same goes with water pump over 100K I tend to be inclined to do it for extra £55 for quality Jap pump. waterpump acts as idler on back of cambelt so some pump failures can fubar your cambelt. Subaru pumps are damn good though so not something that should be done on engines first belt change but on 2nd or 3rd it getting good idea. Tensioners are all hydraulic driven by spring & oneway restriction valve mainly due to the boxer belt run length.

Yes you got that right. diagnostic code will highlight particular sensor. With no other running faults it is likely a Lambda & the work in harsh conditions so never surprising after 13yrs use.

OBD2 dongles are cheap I bought 2 before xmas on auction from HongKong at £3.08 each. couple of links below but not as cheap as fixed price. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ELM327-Car-OBD-OBD2-OBDII-Wireless-Bluetooth-Diagnostic-code-reader-Scanner-Tool-/261565896842?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3ce68ad88a http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ELM-327-Bluetooth-BT-OBD2-OBDII-Car-Diagnostic-Scanner-Code-Reader-/221678007212?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item339d09f3ac If you don't have an android phone I can link you to a PC diagnosyic sofware for a notebook. Other option is using cable & the FreeSSM software which gives you close to main dealer diagnostics. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/400786919123 You could also buy a autel reader which has handheld unit with lcd but they not so versitile. Besides the CEL do you have any running symptoms ? O2 sensor is quite easy remove but best do codes first as decent sensor not cheap. Main thing with fitting is to not handle the sensor nose or use sealants on thread as these things could poison a sensor easliy. Could even be broken sensor cable so check that should diagnostics be pointing to Lambda Sensor.

With your mileage & the vehicle age/mileage I wouldn't bother. Just sensible maintenance with attention paid to using top quality engine oil should keep you going for quite some time. Looking at a very decent independent subaru specialist would be good too.

Belt a bit loose, tightens via alternator adjustment ... belt works hard when cold as pump harder drive so normally squeals more at this point & when apply large amount of lock. Do check belt condition closely as if heavily cracked on inside ribs it may be wise buy a new one (not expensive) Belt link below > http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Subaru-Forester-97-08-2-0-2-5-Petrol-Alternator-Fan-Belt-5PK880-/251912379770? * do also check power steering fluid level * Glad 2 here MOT jobbed :-) Don't buy a newer car they not as good :-P (seriously)

Well they are coilovers but they not high performance or great performance. Spring rates are ridiculous & on public highways they are dangerous. Subaru 4wd like good travel in struts which makes most of grip & chassis design. Spring rates on these kits would require a super smooth race track to be usable. All the low cost ones are basically same design & taiwan made junk. decent coilovers will cost more than twice this price. Look at options from Bilstien, lowering springs for current struts or cross fitting better inverted struts to your model perhaps.

probably best idea. I would look at sti inverted struts & wagon springs then get springcoil make custom springs using wagon springs as reference for changes (height/spring rate) I get few cars in with cheap coilovers & most owners end up changing as the cheap coilover range is all same junk with different branding. Bilstien, Ohlins, Proflex is the real stuff with one strut about same price as whole set of the taiwan tat ... I have done Bilstien inverted inserts in nissan struts & with good springs & setup they make your normal low cost coilovers look like the junk they are on road or track.

so the strut rod only has 3" of travel from full droop to full compression :-O With struts like that it next to impossible to set rod to a central point of travel & ride hight as want as both adjustment come from spring perch. set central they only have 1.5" of bump compression, dumped low the rod could be 1/4 to 1/2" off bottoming out of travel. From my experience of coilovers, types with 3" travel & single adjustment are next to useless for proper setup . problem you have with softer longer springs is they will like a strut with more stroke range & also want bottom platform adjustable to set height while spring platform used for setting rod position/pre-load & corner weights. Going be big gamble playing with springs I think ...

Best option for home users with ssm1 socket is making your own ssm1 cable or buying one & using it with freessm software on a notebook.

Sounds good opertunity & plans Rick. Cars have changed a lot but it all quite quick to learn, most of it comes down to personal interest in the job as then learn easy & enjoy it. Good luck with it.

ICP don't do chinese tat They pretty fussy on quality so it will be up to the job. Worth calling them to make order so no issue of wrong part.

I would just use quality standard style drop links . extra cash would make bigger difference spent on decent strut braces upper & lower. drop links > http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SUBARU-FORESTER-IMPREZA-LEGACY-01-10-REAR-STABILIZER-ANTI-ROLL-BAR-DROP-LINKS-X2-/171037535002?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&fits=Model%3ALegacy|Plat_Gen%3AMK+IV&hash=item27d2a1ab1a front anti-rollbar D bushes is the D shaped doughnut bush holding bar to car, could use powerflex or whiteline or quality standard replacement > expect poly-bushes around £40 & quality standard style £25 for pair . best checking parts with your car details as few variations in size ...

That indeed the ECU coolant sensor ICP do them & quite a few other sources too: * worth checking with them to confirm part via reg-chissis-engine number prior to buying * http://www.importcarparts.co.uk/parts_info.asp?id=4279&cat=0⊂=0&sec=0&var=0&dc=&gen= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Forester-2-0-2-5-Turbo-NA-98-07-ECU-Water-Coolant-Temp-Temperature-Sensor-/271365238379?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&fits=Model%3AForester|Cars+Year%3A1999&hash=item3f2ea0ee6b Ideally want test sensor impedance over varying temp & see if it seems working/in parameters. Does plug-cable seem good. Bit of testing here good although sensor not over expensive if want chance it. Plenty of other things it could be & plugging in some diagnostics would be good to read faults & see what tenp signal the ECU getting if not flagging it faulty.

You would have trouble on codes readers for that model as expect ssm1 plug so need make own connector to use with freessm software, garage kit that works on these ain't cheap. If lucky you'll find something quickly/easily ..

Any luck with fault codes ! Ideally going need test some ignition components & crank/can sensors with multimeter & power supplies to them. Should be able dig up some tutorials if you google a bit. may find service manual below to help too > http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Impreza/

Quite hard do real long lasting job as does need all rust metal removed, pre weld primers applied prior to new sections added & likes of epoxy primers used due due high corrosion area. Inner side needs treatment too. Don't do bodywork myself & even in trade it hard get real quality, prices vary by 100% & big price not always the best work. Always get some idea on warranty against corrosion return, seen to many rear arches on nissan & subaru with repairs that don't make 2yrs & that shocking really with modern paints & chemicals ...