Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

paisan

we don't hold it cranking, you blip it and it only moves a few inches, you keep doing it until the belt comes all the way around...

-mike

volkov

If you can hold an engine with a wrench in one hand and turn it with the other. Don't most mortals have to use a hoist? ;-)

fibber2

Pretty much what I assumed. The crank pulley bolt is easly accessable for rotating the engine, and that split cover was just begging to be removed for some reason! Chalk mark the belt when I start, and inspect its full length.

Steve

john284

I found that when I replaced the spark plug on my 2001 sub forester at 60 k, one plug got engine oil on its boot, is that a sign of head gasket leaking or some other gasket leaking? Thanks.

hondafriek

Was'nt talking about spinning the engine on the starter I was talking about turning it over Manually.

I have checked more than one timing belt in my life.Give me credit for having a little sense:-)

  Cheers Pat.

locke2c

oh, I did. do.

~c

stevek

75K+ on my '01 Legacy GT and no head gasket or clutch problems (knock on wood) so far. The only think I have done is a tune up at 30K and brakes at 50K.
My fincee's 99 Forester had both head gasket replaced at 30 then at 70K one side failed again. Also for some reason my GT is better in snow, even with wide tires.

[Deleted User]

Headgaskets can leak internally or externally. If it's external, look for the following:
1. Drop in coolant resevoir level
2. Moisture at and below where each head meets the engine block. Coolant doesn't evaporate very fast, so you should see a green, slimy build up that will collect dirt.
3. Engine operating temperature spikes (pull over and shut off the engine IMMEDIATELY)

If the leak is interal, look for the following:
1. Oil inside the coolant or coolant inside the oil.
2. Drop in either the oil or coolant level with a subsequent level increase of the other fluid.
3. White smoke out of the tailpipe (burning coolant).
4. Engine operating temperature spikes (pull over and shut off the engine IMMEDIATELY).

Engine oil on the spark plug is not an indication of a failed headgasket. It could be as simple as spilled oil during an oil change. I'd recommend simply checking the oil and coolant levels periodically, and watch that specific spark plug for awhile. Chances are you won't see further build up. If you do, then further checking of the cylinder needs to be performed.

fibber2

John,

In a multivalve design with a centrally mounted spark plug, the boot must pass thru the valve cover into a galley filled with engine oil. In most engines it is kept dry thru the use of a plastic tube with rubber grommets on the ends. I assume Subi's are similar. One of these is probably leaking. As long as it is minor, no real issue. I really don't know how conductive used engine oil is, but a lot of it might eventually lead to grounding of the spark down the plug ceramic, and misfiring of that cylinder.

Steve

hondafriek

Incidently although a visual check of the timing belt through the inspection cover is better than nothing, it is only a cursery check at best, at least you will know that chunks are not missing from the belt.

But the real wear on a timing belt is on the inside that you cannot see. 9999 times out of 10,000 the belt will fail between the the teeth where the belt is running on the cam sprockets or gears. This is where the cracks usually show first.

  Cheers Pat.

ateixeira

Ok, I think I'll pay someone to do mine.

-juice

fibber2

I think that Pat's point (and correct me if I am wrong) is that nobody is going to see this any better than you will, and that is marginal at best. With an inspection mirror and light, you will be able to see both sides of the belt, and you should be concentrating your imaging on the toothed side, looking at where the teeth join the body of the belt.

Steve

hondafriek

Is that no matter who does the inspection it is impossible to tell from a visual check that a belt is 100% it is very hard to see cracks unless they are really obvious.

 I have seen belts taken off that looked new until you actually turned the belt inside out and bent it at the teeth then the cracks showed up.

 But yes Steve you are also right a dedicated DIY. will probably do a closer inspection.

 But then again Subaru must be confident in their belts when the recommended replacement is 105K.

  Cheers Pat.

atomic_robot

Just found out that SOA is going to cover the fix/repaint on my '01 OBW's rusted hood seam.

Many thanks to Patti and everyone at SOA for all your help!

-Chad

jcabin

It has been three weeks since I was told that SOA was going to "research" the issue of Piston Slap on my 2000 Outback.

I called a week ago and was told that it was taking a while to get a district manager/rep freed up to take a look at the vehicle. Three weeks seems like a long time to me. Too long!

Is this common?

troop2shos

Oil in the plug wells from the valve cover gasket doesn't cause a problem but any condensation floating on top over time can cause shorts / misfires.

Also, head gasket leaks may cause coolant to leak into the chamber(s) & turn to steam literally eating the aluminum heads resulting in coolant loss - may or may not be visible from the tail pipe. If caught early enough, the head will be decarbonized...

timo43

Hi,
I posted a number of times on this excellent board regarding a persistent CEL problem on my 03 Forester (first on at 70 kilometers, and then on about another 20 or more times during a year long period).

The dealer worked on this problem several times, but now apparently has fixed the problem. It was a sensor in the gas tank-- they said they had never seen this before, but I thought I would post this in case anyone else has this problem. The fix involved removing the gas tank and replacing the sensor.

I did not get any paper work yet-- they were going to mail it to me, but have not yet done so. Does anyone know what this sensor is, and what, aside from triggering the CEL, driving for a year with a faulty one might have done to the car? It may be my imagination, but I feel that the car is driving slightly more smoothly now-- but not sure about that. At anyrate, this does seem to have solved the problem-- so am most pleased as it was the only problem with this great car. Thank you. Tim.

p0926

I sure hope you didn't have to go to the dealership 20 times before they fixed it!

I wonder if that's the same sensor which triggers the CEL when the gas cap isn't tightened far enough? If so it's the emission control sensor (I think) and it shouldn't have affected the operation of your Forester at all. The corollary is that it shouldn't be driving any smoother now but as you pointed out that might be your imagination.

-Frank P

cmuniz

I agree with Frank - should be no problem.

timo43

Thanks, that's sounds like good news. And Frank P., no-- not 20 times, but each service they would give it a shot, so it was not an easy thing to nail. In the end, they had to remove the gas tank to get to this sensor. Quite a time consuming fix, I gather. Well, I'm real happy that it is fixed, and thank those on the board who have provided suggestions. Tim.

quocphucle

The vertical molding on my 1997 Subaru Outback came off, and I can't put it back. Some of the plastic clips are gone.

Where can I buy these clips?

Thanks for any input.

Regards,

QL

edunnett

Does anyone know a dealer or other entity where I can buy inexpensive OEM parts (oil filters, accessories, etc) over the internet? THanks!

once_for_all

mrk610

It took 4 weeks for them to decide that I had piston slap .Do you have Patti involved and have you gotten a case # yet .

Mike k

fibber2

I just used Subaruparts.com for my 30/30 service (oil/air/gas/cabin filters, plugs, etc.). Reasonable and fast...

Steve

jfl

On the west coast, I use 1stsubaruparts.com. They are a dealer in Washington state that accepts Subaru bucks as payment. I call to get the actual cost and mail then the subie bucks. Great service.

Some of the other sites are East coast and may be more convenient based on where you live.

Jim

edunnett

First: thanks Jim and others for parts dealers on the internet! I checked them out and will definitely use!

So, you know, I just picked up my brand new forester XT with automatic tranny. It had 2 miles on it (not used for test drives) and now has 100. I have been noticing that when I'm accelerating, usually up hills when it's under more load (2000-2500 RPM so no Turbo) it makes a noise I'm not familiar with. Its' still in the break-in phase so I'm not pushing it passed 4000 and I think that means the turbo hasn't kicked in yet either. The noise is VERY quiet and I can hear it with radio off. It is coming from under the hood, is high-pitched and reminds me of a squeaky drive belt slightly as it has the same pitch. Is that normal??? The noise goes away if I let up on the acceleration. All gauges appear normal. No other strange behavior although the auto tranny shifting from 2-3 @ 20MPH is a bit more pronounced then I'd like. Any comments VERY much appreciated! I'm all new to this turbo thing - but lovin' it so far! Can't wait to use it! - Elissa

p0926

Elissa- Whether you realize it or not, you've been using the turbo :-) which kicks in pretty much any time you accelerate (regardless of the rpm). In fact you might be hearing the turbo which can make a high-pitched whine as it spools up. I don't recall hearing such a noise in mine but perhaps I'm just use to it. I have had other turbo-charged cars in the past where the turbo made a much more pronounced whine.

-Frank P

njswamplands

without a boost guage, one can not state that the turbo is not coming alive.

ateixeira

I agree, you're probably hearing a slight whistle followed by a Pssst from the blow-off valve upon shifting.

Subaru's is actually fairly quiet. Check out VW's 1.8T. I can hear those even when I'm mowing the lawn, I don't even have to look up to know that it's a 1.8T motor.

-juice

samiam_68

Elissa - the noise is the turbo kicking in. It doesn't matter what RPM you're running at, if the engine is under high load (as in uphill), the turbo will kick in and you will hear a high pitch noise.

ateixeira

Funny thing is it smoothes out the exhaust, so in steady-state driving it's actually more quiet.

-juice

edunnett

Huh, thanks all for the info everyone! No one sounds terribly concerned ...

Funny, I've always considered myself a bit of a car geek wrt doing all my own maintenance and knowing my own vehicle's specs, but I've never had a car I've considered "performance" ('84 subaru gl, '93 civic, '01 forester s) so this turbo thing is ALL so NEW!

The reason I was so concerned about my noise is that during my test drive on another F-XT, I heard the turbo in the form of a hissing sort of hydrolic noise - I knew right away that was the turbo. But MY F-XT makes a different noise - a high pitched whistly/rattly noise. Does the turbo noise really vary that much within a model line? Or could the noise I'm hearing at 2K-2.5K RPM be something called the wastegate, related to the turbo?

Anyway, does anyone think I should be concerned with the noise I'm hearing as described (like a very quiet fan squeal under hood when under load/acceleration at 2500 RPM)? Thanks so much!!! And yes, I'm paranoid. :-)

hypov

2000-2500 rpm? Yes, the turbo will begin spooling at about 2000 rpm and that's probably what you're hearing.
As for the rattling, I think bluesubie and others had observed that on their FXT and will chime in with some enlightenment.

-Dave

rangner

Hey ya'll

All this info about the timing belt sounds good, as I've put off doing an inspection of mine as I've passed 60k now at 61k or so.

Anyway, my 00 OBW is having a steering problem. Whrn I bought the car from its previous owner he stated that the front diffy had some play in it, but was within subie specs, according to the dealer. While somewhat annoying, now when I come into a hard turn on the gas, the steering feels like its slipping or like it wants to jump off the teeth.

My gut feeling is that it's probably the front diffy screwing it up with the excess play. Any recommendations as to inspecting the front diffy and steering interface?

Thanks,
Eric

stevek

I found that many times a good alignment can make most steering problems go away. I hope that is all you need.

locke2c

um, you could very well be describing front wheelspin! it feels a lot like that. if it were something mechanical it should be observable at lower speeds, less radical steering.

with crappy tires and really enthusiastic driving it's very possible. with top-notch summer tires you have to be driving in the "please give me a ticket" mode.

:-D

~c

p0926

you have to be driving in the "please give me a ticket" mode

Not that Colin would know anything about that ;-)

-Frank P

volkov

I never drove like that before. Now with the WRX, I can't stop myself. Is there a 12 step program?

Nicholas

paisan

Step 1 = Auto-x
Step 2 = HPDE
Step 3 = Road Racing

-mike

jfl

volkov

?HPDE?

PS Check your e-mail.

Nicholas

cmuniz

Probably nothing to worry about, but it appears easy to duplicate so why not take it to the dealer and let them hear it to make sure all is ok. You can make a note on your maintenance records that they said it was ok in case there is a future problem. This is offered more as a cure for your self-admitted paranoia than for the car problem.

rangner

yeah I was driving about 50 in a 35 zone with some twisties Luckily the cops don't frequent that road

 I also seem to feel the steering weaker when driving on a gravel secondary rd (FR) at low speeds. Any mods to beef up the steering?

Eric

edunnett

mnf

With my new forester (2500 miles) it still has that smell when first pulling in to the garage and turning it off . Does it go away with time / miles.... Thanks Matt

edunnett

It has to do with the gas you are using and I thought there was a TSB on this but seems AllData is charging now :-\... I just read about this the other day. It happens to several makes of car because of the design of the catalytic converter and the way it processes the gasoline you are using. So it partly depends on the fuel available in your area and how much sulfur in the fuel. You can try a different octane rating and/or a different brand. -elissa

mnf

Thanks I will try that......:)

rangerron7

Try switching among 3-4 different gas stations/brands. If you STILL encounter a rotten egg smell it may be the oxygen sensor.
Our 2002 Forester had this symptom along with pinging under accleration and poor gas mileage. First the O2 sensor was replaced and then the cat. So far, after 3 tankfulls both the smell, pinging and mileage have improved. I chalk this up to the presumably "bad" O2 sensor. Only time will tell whether it is fixed but I'm optimistic since the pinging has virtually gone away.
I only relate my situation just in case it is NOT a case of bad gas (high sulfur content). My experience might give you areas to look at down the road.
Ron

paisan

E-mailed yah back Nicholas!

Gravel roads are probably not the steering, probably the tires need improvement, unfortunately the only thing to give a better steering feel is to put on the poly bushings for the steering rack.

-mike