98 Forester questions

[Stewart DIBBS]

I have had a 2005 Imprezza wagon for a year. Got a nice condition 98
Forester S (needing a brake job and power steering tubes) yesterday for my
son, and have several questions.

Today I replaced the clock and a broken power window control switch panel.

After fixing the power steering ...


1. the Airbag light now does not extinguish after the usual 6 seconds after
IGN on. I had to drop the rack to replace the tubes, but did not remove the
steering wheel so I can't see that there is a clock spring issue. Where is
the airbag controller and (I assume) fuse for it? Do I HAVE to take it to a
dealer to get the SRS system reset? Is there something I've missed here?

2. My OBD2 reader does not report any error codes, but the Evaporative, O2
sensor and Cat systems don't complete their scan. I don't recall if this was
the case when I checked the car a couple of days ago. I did disconnect the
front O2 sensor today to drop the exhaust so I could drop the rack.

Is there another fuse for these systems I should look for?

Disconnecting the battery for a while does not clear any of the above.

Final question. How do I remove the dash top-center panel with the air
vents. I see the two screws under little plastic covers. Do I have to remove
the radio bezel to find more screws?

SD

 

[mulder]

I have had a 2005 Imprezza wagon for a year. Got a nice condition 98
Forester S (needing a brake job and power steering tubes) yesterday for my
son, and have several questions.

Today I replaced the clock and a broken power window control switch panel.

After fixing the power steering ...


1. the Airbag light now does not extinguish after the usual 6 seconds after
IGN on. I had to drop the rack to replace the tubes, but did not remove the
steering wheel so I can't see that there is a clock spring issue. Where is
the airbag controller and (I assume) fuse for it? Do I HAVE to take it to a
dealer to get the SRS system reset? Is there something I've missed here?

2. My OBD2 reader does not report any error codes, but the Evaporative, O2
sensor and Cat systems don't complete their scan. I don't recall if this was
the case when I checked the car a couple of days ago. I did disconnect the
front O2 sensor today to drop the exhaust so I could drop the rack.

Is there another fuse for these systems I should look for?

Disconnecting the battery for a while does not clear any of the above.

Final question. How do I remove the dash top-center panel with the air
vents. I see the two screws under little plastic covers. Do I have to remove
the radio bezel to find more screws?

SD

Did you turn the wheel while the rack was disconnected? If you did, and
turned it too far, the clock spring may have been destroyed. One way to
tell if you have clock spring problems is to see if the cruise control
and horn are working. If they are inoperative or come and go as you turn
the wheel, that points to a bad clock spring.
When the airbag light is on there is a stored trouble code which can be
read with a Tech 2 by a dealer, or with a DIY procedure that is in the
service manual (the diagnostic plugs under the dash are connected
together and the code is read by counting flashes of the airbag light).
This can point towards the cause of the problem if you haven't already
figured it out.
When the OBDII monitor cycle has been reset, either by clearing codes or
disconnecting the battery, all of the monitors will default to a "not
ready" or "not complete" state and will have to run their cycles from
the beginning. For some of the monitors, it can take multiple driving
cycles and up to several hundred miles of driving before they are able
to complete. Note that every time you have been disconnecting the
battery the monitors have been getting reset so you're only making
things worse by doing that.

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

I have had a 2005 Imprezza wagon for a year. Got a nice condition 98
Forester S (needing a brake job and power steering tubes) yesterday for my
son, and have several questions.

Today I replaced the clock and a broken power window control switch panel..

After fixing the power steering ...

1.  the Airbag light now does not extinguish after the usual 6 seconds after
IGN on. I had to drop the rack to replace the tubes, but did not remove the
steering wheel so I can't see that there is a clock spring issue. Where is
the airbag controller and (I assume) fuse for it?  Do I HAVE to take itto a
dealer to get the SRS system reset?  Is there something I've missed here?

2. My OBD2 reader does not report any error codes, but the Evaporative, O2
sensor and Cat systems don't complete their scan. I don't recall if this was
the case when I checked the car a couple of days ago. I did disconnect the
front O2 sensor today to drop the exhaust so I could drop the rack.

Is there another fuse for these systems I should look for?

Disconnecting the battery for a while does not clear any of the above.

Final question. How do I remove the dash top-center panel with the air
vents. I see the two screws under little plastic covers. Do I have to remove
the radio bezel to find more screws?

SD

I doubt I can help with any of your questions, but have a coupla
points to mention;

If you still have you old clock, it MAY be easily repaired if it is
among the models that had a cold solder joint on, IIRC, a reisistor.
Worth a search for info - I think there are even pictures available
online showing how to do the repair. You might fix it and recoup some
money selling it on ebay/somewhere.

Also, do you know it your car got new headgaskets in its life?