John Shera's Forester 100,000 km Report

I own a white Forester Limited with a manual gearbox which has done just over 100,000 km. The vehicle has an active life, having done over 60 club and private 4x4 trips. How reliable is it? Very reliable, it seems. The only problems I have had are:

• 5000 km: Torn CV boot, rear, outer.

• 5000 km: Series of punctures HT duellers.

Both these problems occurred on the Birdsville and Inaminka tracks due to the sharp stones.

• 98,000 km: We have to jump a few Ks here before we come to the next problem – a delaminated steering-wheel grip fixed under warranty.

That’s about it for problems. Not bad for a vehicle that has crashed and banged over heaps of 4x4 tracks.

I have done a series of modifications to the vehicle in that time to improve its off road ability and reliability. I will list them with comments:

• 2" Scorpion lift kit.

• King springs (front).

• Removable 18-mm spacers which sit between the front lift kit towers and vehicle. These add more clearance. I don’t leave them in permanently as with the car jacked up that high there is not enough adjustment to get the camber exactly right.

  Spacers in place Spacers Removed Click on photos for larger view 800x600

• 12-mm spacers between the back lift towers and vehicle.

• Lengthened rear struts (17 mm) – this was to fit the larger diameter tyres 215.75 BFG Mud Terrain. With the lift kit they fit on the front with no modifications, however on the back they just touch the spring seats. Originally I had King springs on the back but I felt that with the lengthened struts they would open the suspension too much affecting camber and drive-shaft angle.
  An alternative modification here is to raise the rear spring seats.

  Lengthened Strut Click on photo for larger view 800x600

• Sump guard, 6 mm Aluminium, stiffened with angle iron. The guard extends back past the junction of the engine pipes. Also a steel plate 170 × 400 mm extends back to protect the gearbox crossmember. The extended sumpguard probably reduces airflow over the gearbox and steering rack so I have lagged the engine pipes with thin Al sheet. An overreaction? Maybe.

  The Forester's underbelly showing guards Click on photo for larger view 600x800

• Fuel tank guards, 2 mm Aluminium. A bit of light steel would be better.

• Rubber flap CV boot protectors. These protect the rear inner CV boots. I haven’t worked out how to protect the outer boots yet which can be damaged by stones jamming between the boot and strut.

• Rubber flap protectors for rear ABS sensor cable.

• Overriders bolted to towbar to protect bumper from scraping.

• Tailpipe strengthened to stop it crushing against the towbar. This is a piece of scaffold tubing rammed into the tailpipe. Its internal diameter is the same as the exit diameter of the muffler.

• The hole at back of the bellhousing which exposes the ring gear has been blocked with a block of foam to stop dust entering.

• The rear diff has a breather pipe extending into the tyre well. The plastic breather cap has been drilled with a length of 5-mm hose inserted and attached with silicone and wire, then sealed back on the diff with more silicone. You can test for a seal by blowing in the tube.

• Gearbox has a tube extending from the filler pipe to the top of the engine with original dipstick reinserted into the extension tube.

  Engine Bay showing gearbox breather tube. Click on photo for larger view 800x600

• A Suba Xtreme fan controller switch is fitted for deep creek crossings.

• Fly screen is wired between radiator and grille.

• A loop-type bull-bar with spotlights is fitted. This reduces approach angle somewhat.

• A dual battery is set up. Owing to limited space under the bonnet the second battery (an Odessy 800) resides in the middle of the spare tyre.

• The rubber valve stems have been replaced with steel ones to prevent them shearing off. This can happen with this style of wheel.

• I have a full-length, 8-point attachment roof-rack for expedition-type trips [made from plywood and aluminium] plus an easily removable twin jerry-can holder which bolts on to the towbar. A 60-watt solar panel fits neatly behind the back seats on extended trips. Interestingly it is quite easy to collect the wastewater from the air conditioner in the Forester. Simply pull the rubber drain hose out of the firewall and redirect it into a plastic bottle. The few litres a day collected could come in handy on extended trips.

  Cold Water Collector Click on photo for larger view 800x600

• The UHF radio fits neatly in the space beneath the car radio. The 27-meg. just squeezes in above the clutch foot.

• A word on the tyres: The 215.75 BFG Mud Terrains seem to be durable and long-lasting, they seem to work equally well in mud and sand. I don’t consider the road noise to be a problem. It is noticeable at first but you seem to get used to it. This size, the smallest size available in muddies, increases the circumference and thus the Speedo error by 6%. This also effectively increases the gearing, which is sometimes noticeable on very steep hills with the car seeming to “run out of puff”. Despite this the tyres considerably enhance the car’s overall performance partly due to the ability to run quite low pressures off-road. (The thicker sidewalls make them more puncture-resistant.) To fit in the tyre well the spare must be stored deflated. If you don’t wish to modify the suspension to fit 215.75s the 205.75s fit to standard suspension.

• Future modifications? Soon I intend to fit the SubaExtreme 10% gearing reduction. This will more than make up for the larger diameter tyres. A centre diff lock and replacement bumpers would be on the shopping list.

 Words and photos by John Shera SC 466