Sensor?

[flyfisher7]

Hi guys. I have a 1998 Forester, automatic, with 249,000 miles on the
clock. Bought it new, and been throught the wheel bearing and H.G.
issues. Car has run great since HG job at 184,000.

My question:

At the very front of the engine compartment there are two units, one on
each side, mounted next to the level indicators. They consist of a thin
plastic rod with black and red radial lines on it, inside of a plastic
housing, and attatched to a black plastic housing that has 13.8 %
marked on it. What are these?

Long story short, the housing on the unit on the driver's side is gone.
I likely knocked it off yesterday when changing the battery, but didn't
notice it at the time. About 100 miles following the battery change I
got a CEL. Car still seems to run OK.

Would the loss of the housing cause a CEL? How expensive is it to
replace, and how would I reset the CEL if I did replace it.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[flyfisher7]

Hi guys. I have a 1998 Forester, automatic, with 249,000 miles on the
clock. Bought it new, and been throught the wheel bearing and H.G.
issues. Car has run great since HG job at 184,000.

My question:

At the very front of the engine compartment there are two units, one on
each side, mounted next to the level indicators. They consist of a thin
plastic rod with black and red radial lines on it, inside of a plastic
housing, and attatched to a black plastic housing that has 13.8 %
marked on it. What are these?

Long story short, the housing on the unit on the driver's side is gone.
I likely knocked it off yesterday when changing the battery, but didn't
notice it at the time. About 100 miles following the battery change I
got a CEL. Car still seems to run OK.

Would the loss of the housing cause a CEL? How expensive is it to
replace, and how would I reset the CEL if I did replace it.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Upon further inspection, the device I described seems to be part of the
headlight unit, and thus would not have contributed to the CEL. Guess
I'll head to my local indie mechanic tomorrow to get the bad news. If
it's expensive, I think it will be time to retire the car.

 

[mulder]

Upon further inspection, the device I described seems to be part of the
headlight unit, and thus would not have contributed to the CEL. Guess
I'll head to my local indie mechanic tomorrow to get the bad news. If
it's expensive, I think it will be time to retire the car.

Those are the headlight adjusters. If they are broken you may not be
able to align the lights properly.
You should be able to find a set of replacement headlights in a
junkyard, this alone should not be a reason to get rid of the car.
New headlights from the dealer will be very expensive, and as long as
the lights are currently working and aimed properly and don't move
around, you can take your time looking around for a used set.