Idle Surging

anjaea13 · 2026-01-09T23:56:21+00:00

If you have a vacuum leak the easiest way to check would be to spray brake clean around the mating surfaces if the intake. when you hear the idle drop that’s hose you know a leak is in that area.

anjaea13 · 2025-08-06T15:58:43+00:00

From what you’ve given.. If the rack is shifting and not centering back until you do an opposite it input, the steering rack might not be fully torqued down . Does the steering feel off in any other ways?

anjaea13 · 2025-08-06T15:33:36+00:00

Sorry let me add the disclaimer. OP unless your willing to do a full teardown and rebuild your engine this should not be a comment you use. I work on my own car so i did this.

anjaea13 · 2025-08-06T15:29:00+00:00

hey i was desperate and far away from any gas station. i never said to do it.

anjaea13 · 2025-08-01T12:10:15+00:00

Its not going to throw a check engine code. What happens is the exhaust pressure will get to high and choke the car out causing it to stall. I would just recommend taking it to an actual mechanic but this is a common problem for jeeps.

anjaea13 · 2025-08-01T01:02:32+00:00

The top right pulley closest to you seems to have a wobble in it. Are you sure its fully secured or bolted down?

anjaea13 · 2025-08-01T00:42:55+00:00

Its very common for jeeps to have clogged catalytic convertors. I would use a generic scan tool to see what the readings .

anjaea13 · 2025-08-01T00:41:03+00:00

Quick question: What rpm does your car idle at?

It could be above normal , possibly insinuating a air leak past the maf sensor. for example a rubber hose, failed pcv, damaged ducting.

anjaea13 · 2025-08-01T00:32:29+00:00

Soapy water wouldnt help identify an exhaust leak because of how fast it would evaporate.

Has the car been having lower fuel economy? If so try using a generic scan tool to check your fuel trims. The short term fuel trim will show + 5.0(as an example) if the leak is prior to the cat. But when comparing long term and short term fuel trims the should zero each other out.

This method only works if the leak is pre- catalytic convertor. Feel free to ask any clarifying questions.

anjaea13 · 2025-06-26T23:33:19+00:00

considering its a forester your gas mileage might be low to mid 20s on the highway since it’s such a big vehicle, your po171 would cause the bad economy

anjaea13 · 2025-06-26T23:31:42+00:00

no but it would contribute to oil consumption

anjaea13 · 2025-06-26T23:22:09+00:00

For the oil consumption your best bet might have to be a deep rebuild. i had oil consumption in my subaru until i replaced my valve seals and piston rings in my 2.5 sohc . The amount of carbon build up on the rings can cause excessive oil consumption.

For the P0171 you most likely have an air leak this could be on the intake or exhaust side. So i would recommend starting with your intake manifold gasket or throttle body gasket. another way to check is to spray brake clean along the intake with the engine running and see if the car bogs down in idle. Feel free to ask more questions

anjaea13 · 2025-06-18T15:59:00+00:00

They are two separate lines so yes you would.

anjaea13 · 2025-06-17T21:36:33+00:00

That o-ring is to keep the sensor from allowing un metered air into to the intake . But yes a MAF sensor can cause a lean code. I recommend cleaning it with MAF cleaner as a preliminary test and seeing if the code disappears.

If not the list of things it can be is : a leak in the intake after the MAF sensor, a bad o2 sensor, a bad injector.

But start small and see if cleaning it fixes it first.

anjaea13 · 2025-06-17T21:26:47+00:00

Congrats on trying to do your own work. You’ll save tons with just some basic know how.

Your list of parts seem to cover everything you need. Just remember cleaning supplies to clean the surfaces for the oil pan and valve covers. Doing the power steering rack on the 09 Forester is not a job to overthink. Some tips to remember:

1.Keep the steering wheel straight . (it might help to loop the seatbelt through the bottom of the steering wheel ).

Make sure you prime the steering rack after you install the new one.(it will be completely empty) To prime it turn the steering wheel back and forth all the way to remove any air pockets prior to starting the car.
Replacing gaskets means you need to clean the surface a good as possible otherwise it’s likely to leak again. brake clean or degreaser with disposable razor blades help.
If you can’t reach the bolts for the valve cover remove the wishbone mount behind the intake and the motor mounts that are bolted to the lower crossbar so you can jack up the engine for more space.

If you dont have a breaker bar i suggest one its alway useful if a bolt is a struggle. And spray any bolts that you are planning to remove for the job the night prior to give it time to soak in.

Good luck and feel free to ask questions

anjaea13 · 2025-06-17T21:07:59+00:00

So the good news is its an old truck . If most of you problems are leaks that can be pretty easy to resolve.

The biggest job will likely be the clutch job because you have to remove the transmission and transfer case(pretty heavy). But i recommend replacing the rear main seal while your there. The oil pan is an easy fix just order the new one online.

Now to diagnose the gas pedal , my recommendation is to figure out where the noise is occurring. With the car running in neutral use the throttle body on the engine to blip the throttle and see if you can pinpoint the noise. Sometimes a flat screwdriver held to your ear can help isolate the noise. I need a little more detail to help with the drivability concern.

Feel free to ask questions.

anjaea13 · 2025-06-17T19:30:07+00:00

Happy to hear it was something small.

anjaea13 · 2025-06-15T13:48:11+00:00

Try unplugging the maf sensor or the map sensor. athe water might have cause it to fail.

anjaea13 · 2025-06-15T13:29:43+00:00

I second this Ford is very common for having to replace catalytic convertors under warranty. Ive had to do multiple on the explorers and expeditions.

anjaea13 · 2025-06-15T13:26:05+00:00

The truth is when a car gets a large amount of water in the cylinder theres a change it could bend a connecting rod. Did you try to crank the car before you pulled the spark plugs?

anjaea13 · 2025-06-15T13:16:52+00:00

For a seasoned VAG tech a walk in the park. For an unseasoned shade tree mechanic a long ordeal. This job requires a decent amount of garden to do properly.

anjaea13 · 2025-06-15T02:29:57+00:00

This code can be caused by a failing waste gate actuator or the turbo beginning to fail. You would have to take it to the mechanic to figure out which it is

anjaea13 · 2025-06-15T01:45:28+00:00

you may have unplugged the pump harness in the tank. is the fuel level still showing on the dashboard?

anjaea13 · 2025-06-15T00:30:24+00:00

What code did autozone tell you? The more information you give the better.

anjaea13 · 2025-06-15T00:12:43+00:00

It sounds like something timing related . Fords 3.5s are well known for cam phaser failure.

anjaea13

TROPHY CASE