All About Foresters

With the Forester being on sale for 4 years, we now have a fair idea of the do’s and don’ts in setting them up for improved off road use. In standard manual form with their 1.447 low range, 4.1 diff ratio, 15 inch rims, 92 kW EFI engine and 200 mm ground clearance they are probably the most capable off-road model produced by Subaru to date. Even automatic transmission models fitted with the latest gearbox developments perform well. The only things that could be improved are the centre viscous coupling diff (which is great for AWD on all surfaces, but not so effective when lifting wheels in rougher conditions), and the low slung plastic front and rear bumpers and plastic splash guard.

 Forester owners now have Suba Xtreme producing all the right products needed for setting up their vehicle for off road use. Suba Xtreme’s range includes everything from air bag approved alloy bull bars, sump guards, rear bars, tyre and jerry can carriers, lift kits, suspension upgrades, electric fan override switches, lower low range, auto transmission modifications, and an alloy fold up picnic table that fits over the spare tyre. Depending on your budget and how far you want to go, stage one would involve replacing the standard plastic splashguard with an alloy unit, stage 2 would be to fit a 2” lift kit with standard springs or raised after market springs for extra clearance. If you want to prepare your vehicle for more difficult work, the struts could be modified to enable higher profile tyres to be fitted. For added protection from damage and for longer distance trips you could fit front and rear bars.

 Excellent preventative measures include the fitment of an electric fan override switch that controls the engine’s electric fans during water crossings to prvent the flow of water from forcing the fan blades into the radiator. Filling in the bell housing rear gap in manuals with a strip of foam helps stop dust and sand from entering the bell housing and causing the rear engine seal to leak. In automatics there is no bottom bell housing cover plate fitted so there is a larger gap to be covered. The sump guard also gives added protection in keeping dust and sand out. The fuel tank is mounted before the rear axle and sits either side of the tail shaft, so fitting 2 alloy guards is a good idea for more protection - especially without a lift kit and larger wheels fitted. The front outer CV boots are now made of a stronger plastic material that is more durable, while the rear boots are still made of the usual rubber material. They are now quite well protected by the rear crossmember and strut legs. For models fitted with ABS, it’s a good idea to fit rear protector flaps to the rear ABS lines to each wheel. To prevent water entering the gearbox and diff during deep-water crossings, fit hose extensions to the breathers. For the manual, fit a hose over the dip stick hole and run it up to a high point under the bonnet and refit the dip stick over the hose end. The auto needs 2 hoses – the right side is the diff and the left is the gearbox. For the rear diff remove the top off the existing breather, fit over a hose and run it up into a rear double panel via a wiring grommet.

 Also unique to the Forester is the steel rim design. Because of the rim’s offset (which creates a flush rim face), the valve stem is in a position where it can be sheared off if an object gets stuck between the brake caliper and rim. So far it has only happened once, in muddy conditions, on a club trip. Again, because of the rim design, sand can be forced into the rim’s inner joint (which is shaped like a V) during sand driving. This can lead to front wheel balance problems.

 The interior fan slide switch is not very positive through the speed graduations. The sun visors when turned around to the side windows are too short; they need a slide out extension. The carpets are thin and are difficult to vacuum because of their curly loops. In the cargo area the plastic tailgate is easily scratched, it should be lined with carpet. The two front bumper bar overrider plastic mount covers can fall off if the overrider has been scraped or bumped. To fix them, place a washer under each steel mount bracket to raise them so the covers can grip on better, then apply some silicone sealant under the covers.

 On the warranty front; some front inner double offset joints weep grease out through the joint’s welch plug because the original grease is too thin for the new tripod type joints. The joints are removed, cleaned and regreased with thicker grease. Some steering wheel rim grips become loose, the bonding gives way from the steel inner rim. It is fixed by injecting glue for rebonding. Some manuals have a clutch shudder on first take off when cold. In bad cases, the clutch plate is replaced using a different material. A number of rear wheel bearings become noisy because of a factory manufacturing and fitting fault. The faulty bearings are replaced. The rear tailgate can rattle, and is fixed by loosening off the mounts, readjusting then tightening the mounts, and covering the side striker plates with small plastic pads. A very small number of manuals experience jumping out of first gear while travelling down steep slopes, it is an assembly fault regrading too much shaft end float. Most Forester’s don’t have any trouble at all but these are the main warranty jobs carried out by the dealers.

Disclaimer: Technical information given or disclosed in this website is given with the best intent and is advisory only. No responsibility is taken by the the Subaru 4WDrive Club of Queensland or its members for any damage or injury caused by any vehicle modifications made, or by the use of any products or the adoption of any procedures mentioned in this website.