Finally got around to changing out the spark plugs on the forester. I’m hoping that this will solve the rough idle and gas mileage. They are pretty corroded and you can see some black soot on the two rear (top) ones. This is probably because I couldn’t move the wrench very well on those two because there isn’t much space between the engine and the frame. I have a good feeling about this! Of course it still could be that I set the timing wrong when I changed the belt. There is some oil leaking from the cam seals, so I’m probably going to have to get back in there anyway. But I hope it can wait till summer.
Changing the spark plugs is just like any other job on the car, it looks tough at first, but you get the hang of it once you do it once.