New light expo/dd 2004 Forester

[Mrknowitall]

I brought home a new addition to the fleet today: a seemingly unmolested 2004 Forester X 5 speed. It was previously a toad car and only has a bit over 117k on the clock. Just 45min into the ride home, the honeymoon ended. Above 65 mph, this unsettling vibration builds. It gets progressively worse. I pulled over, it first looking for a flat or the like, but nothing. When I set off again, all was well until I got up to about 70 again. The vibration started again. It stays present down shiftinag, on or off throttle, clutch in or out, in 4th and 5th gear and neutral. After stopping, all seemed well again. On secondary roads, its smooth as glass.

 

[NJMedic]

Check the balance or condition of your tires. I have an 02 Outback that had a shimmy which went away with new tires and balancing. Good luck and have fun !

Mark

 

[ddog45]

Sounds to me like its been "molested"

 

[txnight]

At 117K it's time for some front end service. Vehicles that are towed behind RV's can get whipped around during travel.

The Subies are tough as nails. Get it running right and you will have a great all around vehicle.

 

[fike]

Bad tire. Most suspension problems don't wait until such a high speed to show up. Probably a broken belt.

 

[Mrknowitall]

Update on vibration- It seems to be much improved after running around for a few days. It's possible the thing was sitting with a flat for a while. Tires are a new-ish Michelin all-season, so I'm not eager to change those yet.
It has a fresh dealer (Suburban Infinity, part of a huge Metro Detroit chain) oil sticker, so I need to check into what dealer service has been done- hopefully the timing belt.
Next additions will be:
Battery- it feels a little weak in the morning, and looks pretty tired. clean/repair corrosion of battery terminals.
Fit the Yakima railgrab bars I have.
Source a pet barrier- ideally one like the OE units, w/o paying $175 for it.
STI rear sway bar- just going to watch for one on e-bay.
LED light bar for the front bumper- the high-beams could use some help.

 

[abeaudin1971]

Update on vibration- It seems to be much improved after running around for a few days.

I did run into an odd vibration problem on a '98 forester I had previously. After much troubleshooting (including balancing etc) it turned out to be the RF Axle - one of the CVs was bad - bad enough to cause a vibration at some speeds but not bad enough to click on turns.

-a

 

[Mrknowitall]

I did run into an odd vibration problem on a '98 forester I had previously. After much troubleshooting (including balancing etc) it turned out to be the RF Axle - one of the CVs was bad - bad enough to cause a vibration at some speeds but not bad enough to click on turns.

-a

We shall see... I got the thing cheap enough to cover some needed wear service.
Update- whatever it was worked itself out- clipping along between 75-80 mph, only thing now is boxer-buzz (just over 3 grand) and lots of wind noise.

 

[Mrknowitall]

6K mi later, all is well- the battery is a little un-enthusiastic, however. I found a smoking deal on a Gr34 AGM on Amazon- II though I read of those fitting, but now I can only find swaps to the Gr35 (which is not a smokin deal) Will the Gr34 fit?

 

[Rosco862003]

Update on vibration- It seems to be much improved after running around for a few days. It's possible the thing was sitting with a flat for a while. Tires are a new-ish Michelin all-season, so I'm not eager to change those yet.
It has a fresh dealer (Suburban Infinity, part of a huge Metro Detroit chain) oil sticker, so I need to check into what dealer service has been done- hopefully the timing belt.
Next additions will be:
Battery- it feels a little weak in the morning, and looks pretty tired. clean/repair corrosion of battery terminals.
Fit the Yakima railgrab bars I have.
Source a pet barrier- ideally one like the OE units, w/o paying $175 for it.
STI rear sway bar- just going to watch for one on e-bay.
LED light bar for the front bumper- the high-beams could use some help.

The 2004 model year 4 cylinder engines fall into the years of Subaru's that were affected by the bad leaky head gasket. If you have ANY sign of overheating, pull over immediately as these cars hate to get hot, and will make you miserable for subjecting them to such treatment. If you do run into the need to change your head gasket, make sure you do the water pump and timing belt as well, as this will save you a few bucks on labor down the road, and will take care of items that most likely need attention anyways.

In regards to the STi sway bar, you'll also need the bushings and endlinks that go along with them. The Forester endlinks unfortunately won't work with the STI sway bar as I believe the STI sway bar is a touch wider making for a different design in endlinks between Foresters/Imprezas and STI's. The Foresters along with Imprezas rear endlinks resemble a C, whereas the STI endlink is straight.

Good luck with the car and have fun.