Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

xwesx

Well, I am glad to hear you have it running again, but it was certainly no easy situation for you. As for the lifter tick - I don't think the lifters are adjustable on the 04 models, are they? I know they once were, but then the cam designs were changed. I am not sure when Forester's engine was affected.

Double check your oil level and grade. I find Subaru engines to be quite sensitive to oil level when it comes to hearing those lifters.

I had a terrible oil leak on my '96 Outback for a little while, though, and it got to the point where I had to put *at least* a quart of oil in it on every fuel up (~250-300 miles!). The lifters ticked probably as much as they didn't tick. Once I pulled the engine and replaced the faulty seals, it was quiet again and ran another 80,000 miles with no problem, so your engine's noise may not be a sign of impending doom. Maybe.

grahampeters

G'day

Check the oil level carefully when warm. Overfilling in a horizontally opposed engine means the pistons are slopping oil back and forth. Performance drops dramatically.

Cheers

Graham

pilot1226

Hello!

My wife and I purchased a 2009 Subaru Legacy Limited in August of this year. We're getting ready for our first service appointment, and recently we've noticed that there's a buzzing type of sound when the radio is on.

The buzz also exists when you play a CD.

I've tried adjusting the Bass, Treble, and Middle ranges, and noticed that when you turn the bass down, and the treble up, the buzz seems to diminish, but the audio sounds terrible, too tinny as you can imagine.

My wife and I don't really turn the radio up that loud - not really ever past 15, usually it's at 10 - so we don't think we blew out the Subwoofer or anything else.

Anyone have any suggestions on something else to possibly try, or what I can say to the service department when I can bring it into service so they know that this wasn't something we did (for instance, blasting the speakers)...?

Thanks.

johnmcc

The only time of heard of that was with the plug wires have a bleeding of electricity or non resisent spark plugs

aatherton

"... I'd also be very suprised if the shop that put in the clutch messed up the synchros..."

How could replacing the clutch affect the syncros inside a transmission that was not opened?

paisan

exactly.

-mike
Subaru Guru and Track Instructor

Tdisibio

My husband was driving to work a couple of weeks ago when the airbags in our 2005 Outback deployed for no reason. He didn't have any type of impact with the car anywhere. Unfortunately we are now stationed by the US Military in Puerto Rico and Subaru of America is being of no help to us. The Authorized Subaru Dealership has yet to find anything wrong with the car. They are very helpful calling everywhere trying to talk to people about what may have gone wrong with the car. Our concern is with this being a more widespread problem possibly injuring other people. We were lucky and my husband only suffered a few cuts and bruises but it definitely could have been worse. When we called SOA we were told it was something for the Insurance company but it isn't because there was no accident. We were also told they didn't have the means to send anyone here and investigate the problem and I was also told that they maybe more capable of helping me if I were in the US. Unfortunately, it isn't our choice to live here we were stationed here by the US Military. I was wondering if anyone else had heard this happening to someone or if anyone had any ideas of how I might actually receive some action from Subaru. When I was on the phone I was told I was not allowed to speak to anyone in the management department. So far I have written letters to anyone's email address I could find but I haven't heard anything. I was giving the Holiday weekend and then I was going to resend and rewrite until someone responds to me. I feel so let down and helpless. What if we get this fixed and it happens again, I have a fear of driving my car and Subaru could care less. Does anyone have any advice?

paisan

Please e-mail me directly mike@iace.com as I know some people at SOA who I'm sure would be interested in knowing the details of this.

-mike
Subaru Guru and Track Instructor

cptplt

I know someone whos fingers got broken by an AB going off on its own but that was in the 80's on a GM car.

jopopsy

Hey Gang,

The last two fillups, my fuel gauge will only register up to about 7/8's full. I've tried different pumps, but the pop off with the gauge reading the same amount.

The car only has 2500 miles on it; are my floats out of whack already? I'm assuming its time to take a trip to the dealer ... ???

Thanks in advance.

Jopopsy

dryfly

Hi. I have 2001 Forester w/ 100,300 miles. Check engine light has been on since
this summer. Finally the Subaru people checked it and say it is code 490 and catalytic converter needs to be replaced. But I look up codes online and there is no
code 490. And even if it is the converter, what if I do nothing about it for a little while.
What could be downside of that?

Thanks, don

kurtamaxxxguy

I cannot vouch for them but there are supposedly after market gas additives which will help clean out a catalytic converter. You might check with your local parts supplier to see what they recommend. JC Whitney and AutoBarn sell the stuff too.

xwesx

I recommend that you pickup an OBD II scanner (they are relatively cheap) as a first measure. That way, if/when the CEL re-illuminates, you can read and clear the codes yourself. P0490.... ? Not sure about that one, but if it comes back, you can find out what code it really is. If it is P0420, "Cat Converter Below Threshold," which is the most common one that results in a dealership recommending replacement, the cause can be multiple things, including a bad cat or oxygen sensor(s). I drove my '96 Outback for more than 60,000 miles with the P0420 code recurring, but never had any problems with my emissions readings (increased CO, etc). I did have lower fuel economy as the car aged, so I suspect a problem with the oxygen sensors, but I ended up losing the car before I had a chance to pursue it further. The car had 220,000 miles at that point.

jdesantis

I have a 2004 Subaru Legacy with 91K miles on it. It's the 35th anniversary edition.

Recently I have had an issue where the vehicle will seem like it will stall out. The car will idle at 2K RPM with the clutch in or it out of gear. When put into gear it will only go maybe 10 mph. I was told that this may be a "limp home mode".
Once I got it home and let it sit I fired it up again and it started no problem, I drove around town and maybe got 2-3 miles before it did it again. I was able to get home goign maybe 10mph again. since then it has sat.

The Cruise control light flashes maybe at 1 flash per second.

Anyone have any thoughts? I was thinking along the lines of the Throttle Position sensor but was told that it could also be a sensor connected to the accelerator as well.

mdshat

I have a 2000 subaru outback limited, the car itself has 170,000 miles and then engine has about 135,000, I dont know if the previous owner replaced my Timing Belt and i was wondering when i should have it replaced, as well as if i can wait to get it replaced or if it would severely hurt my car/engine, if i wait. I'm about to drive a thousand miles at the end of the month and would like to get it straightened out before then if it needs to be done. Thanks

fendertweed

right ... codes merely read symptoms, they do not tell you the cause...

I would hesitate to clear the codes without someone with more expertise than the OP (get a 2d opinion) going through it to see if its an O2 sensor or something other than the cat.

If the code isn't related to the cat failure and you don't fix the problem you can dump unburned fuel into the cat and then you will need a new cat.

ateixeira

It is an interference design so if the belt breaks you will suffer severe engine damage and potentially get stranded 1000 miles away from home. I'd change it before you go.

170k on a 2000, wow!

jopopsy: I'd let the dealer look at that, probably a bad sender or something simple like that.

jiromo

07 Impreza AWD
11,000 miles
Automatic

I found my rear passenger tire flat last Saturday (1/3/2008). There was a nail sticking out of the sidewall. My nearest dealership is about 50 miles away.

So, I had to have the tire replaced locally. I couldn't find the exact match for the factory tires (Bridgestone). So, I had to have a BF Goodrich with the same specs installed.

I took my car to Subaru on Wednesday for other service (I have been having issues with the heat/defrost controls sticking). It was slightly snowing that day and I took the interstate. I still drove around 65 to 70 mph because the conditions weren't bad. I had no issues with traction or sliding.

This morning, I got in my car and on to the interstate. I was going about 70 and the rear end of my car just started coming out from behind me. It was like I was driving on ice. There is no ice. It's too warm for ice. The roads were a little damp, but there was no reason for my car to behaving in that manner. (Honestly, it felt like I was driving my husband's mustang at too fast of a speed in pouring down rain.) I pulled off and was attempting to turn into a gas station. The rear end of my car just start skipping/jumping and shuddering.

My tire pressure appears to be fine. I checked all of my lug nuts. I have no lights on on my dashboard. I do not have a traction control button. My emergency brake was not on. I checked under the car and under the hood to make sure I didn't see any leaks of any sort.

I have never pulled anything with my car. I don't drive my car crazy-- I'm an adult female.

I can take curves at about 35 mph max without my car acting up. At 70mph on a straight-a-way my car starts fishtailing. My car has NEVER handled like this!

What else do I need to check before I have my car towed to Subaru??

I have Subaru Roadside assistance, so hopefully I won't have to pay for the tow. I don't like having to be without it. I don't like my husbands car.

Edited to add:
There was some kind of a low whistling noise coming from my car on my slow drive back to my home.

kurtamaxxxguy

my "guess" is something has gone wrong with the rear differential.
Many earlier Subarus (through around '08) used limited slip rear diffs, and if the diff's clutches have locked up, then it will not properly distribute power to the rear wheels, and cause fishtailing.

saywhat

I've been getting the message Ill 5 on my speedometer on and off.

It comes on for a minute or so then reverts back to the regular ( how many miles I've gone).

This is a 05 Legacy Turbo automatic.

Thanks for your anticipated help

Bob G

toboggan

There should be a note in your owners manual about replacing tires. IIRC, replacement tires should have the same or nearly the same tread depth as the other tires. something to do with the AWD. I'm sure that someone with more knowledge will have something to add.

MNSteve

samiam_68

My guess is the new tire you had mounted is not the same as the one you have on the other side. In AWD Subarus, all 4 tires should have the same circumference with a 1/4 inch deviation tolerance. The faster the speed, the more the disparity will show and wreac havoc with the AWD system, which, in turn, can cause fishtailing.

Just because the tire may have the same spec size such as 215/60R16, it doesn't mean the circumference will be the same. Have a dealer check this out ASAP before the AWD system gets damaged.

samiam_68

I think Ill 5 = ILL 5 = ILLUMINATION level 5 = dashboard illumination control.

aatherton

"07 Impreza AWD 11,000 miles Automatic... rear passenger tire flat... nail sticking out of the sidewall... had to have the tire replaced locally. I couldn't find the exact match for the factory tires (Bridgestone). So, I had to have a BF Goodrich with the same specs installed... took my car (50 miles) to Subaru... for other service... This morning, I got in my car and on to the interstate. I was going about 70 and the rear end of my car just started coming out from behind me. It was like I was driving on ice. There is no ice. It's too warm for ice. The roads were a little damp... The rear end of my car just start skipping/jumping and shuddering...."

Page 11-36 of my 2008 Forester Owners Manual says:
"Mixing tires of
different types, sizes or degrees
of wear can result in damage to
vehicle’s power train."

It sounds like the new tire could be mismatched enough to damage the AWD after the fast 100-mile trip to the dealer. Perhaps the new tread increased the diameter too much, or perhaps the new tire is even a size larger (check it). In those cases, I would think the Tire Pressure Monitoring System would detect a mismatch in diameter -- which is how it monitors pressure. If your car has TPMS and the new tire was a problem, a warning light should have showed.

kurtamaxxxguy

The '09 Forester manuals warn of the same condition wrt mismatched tires.

There should be mention in the Drivers manual of a fuse you can install to disable the AWD system (in the Forester, I believe that fuse is inside the car on the fuse panel near the driver's left knee). Once that fuxe is inserted (you can get spare fuses in the fuse compartment under the hood), the vehicle reverts to FWD only and an AWD symbol, indicating AWD shutoff, should appear in the instrument console.
If your shudder / fishtailing goes away when in FWD mode, that would suggest the problem is with AWD imbalance or possibly the rear differential.

saywhat

Thanks samiam 68, it was driving me nuts!

Bob G

fendertweed

these days anyone w/ internet access should be able to match tires easily... if you have a spare (even a donut), go to someplace like Tire Rack (tirerack.com) and have them ship you a replacement (assuming they can still get it); even if they can't get it they can tell you what tires match the diameter of your current ones.

I almost always buy from tire rack and have them drop ship to my local installer.

albrase

Hi. New to this forum, but have been a motorhead for 50 years. I'm trying to fix a 97 Postal Legacy that gets no drive to the rear wheels. My wife used to be a rural mail carrier and bought this rather hammered Legacy from a guy on Ebay for $5000. Winter came and the car would get stuck in its own shadow. I got to know the local dealer service manager and they ran some codes and decided it was either the transfer clutch solenoid or perhaps one of the VSS's. I ripped the rear housing off the tranny and replaced the solenoid. ( I took the old solenoid apart and could find nothing wrong, BTW.) I took the transfer clutch drum off and all looked kosher, but I did not take the assembly apart. When I reassembled, it SEEMED like it was working great. About a day later it was back to its old ways and I got stuck.
I just ended up driving the thing in FWD till this December, when I got under it and took off the pan. Some fine steel swarf on the magnet, but not bad for 210k miles. I pulled the filter and flushed it and found many pieces of a plastic electrical connector shell that appeared to be the connector to the part I'd fixed earlier. So, I pulled the tailhousing back off and, OOPS!, the connector had got tangled up with the parking pawl cogs. So maybe that explained why it seemed to work briefly.
So, I put it all back together, glued the connector. And it still doesn't work! I put a tester on the TCM wire that controls the transfer clutch and seems to get no signal.( This with the car up on 4 stands and someone else pushing the gas pedal and applying the E-brake. It seems like this scenario would make the transfer clutch apply as the TCM should think the front wheels are spinning and the rear have traction.) What's next? VSS's?
If you know of any other forums that might help me more, please let me know.
Thanks,
Al

samiam_68

Is the FWD light on on the dashboard? Could be a fuse keeps blowing.

cptplt

>In those cases, I would think the Tire Pressure Monitoring System would detect a mismatch in diameter -- which is how it monitors pressure. If your car has TPMS and the new tire was a problem, a warning light should have showed.

07 TPMS measures pressure directy (does not use the ABS to detect differences in rotational speed like some earlier TPMS systems)

as others have said, make sure there is not a huge difference in tread depth between your new tire and your old or your diff is toast

jiromo

My husband took out my car today. He said that there was absolutely nothing wrong with my car. He's used to driving rear wheel drive, so he didn't feel everytime the car got loose in a curve. He essentially called me stupid, without saying it. (I would like to note that my husband knows exactly NOTHING about cars. And, he wouldn't believe me when 2 of his cylinders were going out of his expedition. He continued to drive it... eventually the check engine light came on and it stalled. Then, he purchased a new motor.)

Unfortunately, the roads are bone dry today. I made him get out and I took it back out myself. I got up to 85 mph before it started handling funny again. The only time it really acted up was in curves and it just felt really loose.

I am calling the dealership tomorrow and seeing what I need to do.

I have no clue where to find a used Bridgestone Potenza with 11,000 miles on it. (They are currently measuring at 7/32nds). If I find a place around here that stocks new ones, or have a new one shipped here, then I am going to have a tread depth issue still right???
I am just going to have to buy a whole new set?

albrase

I don't remember seeing a FWD light. What fuse would control the AWD part?
It's not a REAL big job taking the tail housing off and accessing the transfer clutch parts.
But I'm looking for electrical answers first.
Al

samiam_68

The FWD fuse is only available on automatic transmission Subarus and should be located in the engine compartment near passenger side firewall. It's not in the fusebox, located separately. With the fuse IN, the car goes into FWD mode, good for towing or running on a compact spare donut. With the fuse OUT, the car should operate normally in AWD mode. Just something easy for you to check. Good luck.

xwesx

jiromo:

Unfortunately, you are probably going to have to buy a whole new set. You might be able to get the new tire shaved, but unless it has the exact same wear characteristics of the old tires, it is going to wear faster, slower, etc, and cause problems down the road.

Since the tire is new at this point, it may be a good time to get three more. Frustrating, I know, but far less expensive in the long run. If damage is caused by this, it will not be covered by the warranty.

Also keep in mind that faster speeds cause more strain on the system, as do dry roads. You are going to feel less stability on slick surfaces, but that is because the stress in the system is most easily vented through wheel slippage, and slick roads allow this to happen at lower stress levels than a dry, hard surface.

In the meantime, keep speeds down and/or trips short.

Oh, and this is definitely one of those times when you should *not* listen to your husband... no offense to him.

w8ifi

I had a sound like a whirring noise under the hood. Mechanic said it appeared the clutches on the air conditioning unit had gone out. He showed some excessive residue near the pump and tried the controls and the system is not operating.
Can the clutches be replaced or does the whole compressor have to be changed?

(85000 miles.)
Jim :confuse:

shlomo875

Hi, I have a 2001 Forester with 101K miles that also had a Cat Converter code read recently (after the CEL was on for a few weeks). He cleared the code and it's been a week since and the CEL hasn't come back on. Does this mean I don't have to worry about the Cat Converter unless the CEL returns?

kurtamaxxxguy

I'm noticing a lot of dust around Portland, which is a byproduct of the gravel they used for snow traction. Indeed, the engine bay has become very dusty - was not true through all of the summer months!

One high tech shop here is advertising AVO High Flow Panel Filters, which they claim have a dramatic improvement in airflow without loss of filtration.

But I am leery. The design seems similar to K & M filters which, while being higher flow than stock, let a lot more dust and dirt get into the engine. I'm not particularly interested in filling engine and oil with dirt and dust !!!

Any of the performance folks here know if AVO filters do what they say (increase air flow without loss of filtration)? I could just buy stock filters more often to be on the safe side!

aatherton

Do you think the snow gravel dust is affecting your air filter already? I thought Foresters were designed with gravel roads in mind. I suspect the stock filter is good until its scheduled change, for all types of roads.

ajuliano

Hello to all of you who have had problems with your foresters,
When do these issues happen?? after 60K, 80K.
I am almost to 36K and am wondering if I should purchase this ext. warranty??
any thoughts are appreciated.
Acunurse

kurtamaxxxguy

I checked my XT engine air filter and found it surprisingly unrestrictive. It's made of a 1/4" thick , folded polyester batting that appears to be electrostatic. There were some debris and dust on it, but not anywhere as restricted as I suspected. All I did was shake and reverse-air-blast most of the larger dust particles out of it.

There also seems to be a large whitish plastic container just below the main air filter housing...what that is there for, I am not sure. A Vacuum reservoir?

The internal Cabin filter, though, was far thinner (if more pleated) and seemingly more porous. I was able to gently brush and air blast the loose stuff and larger particles out of it. I doubt it will do much good for pollen sufferers, given its relatively coarse weave.
On other hand, it will not block up as fast as the GM cabin air filters for the ION and (by special assembly) Mailbu, which would turn gray within two weeks of installation.

kurtamaxxxguy

Suggestions for anything that might help protect windshields from rock damage would be appreciated.

It's rock throwing season on the Oregon freeways and my glass is already getting chipped.

redwood66

I have a 96 Brighton wagon with almost 105, 000 miles. Today, the CEL went on immediately after one of my headlights was replaced. Could there be any connection, or is this coincidental? No previous problems with CEL. I tried calling my mechanic, but had left for the day.

paisan

07 Impreza AWD
11,000 miles
Automatic

I found my rear passenger tire flat last Saturday (1/3/2008). There was a nail sticking out of the sidewall. My nearest dealership is about 50 miles away.

So, I had to have the tire replaced locally. I couldn't find the exact match for the factory tires (Bridgestone). So, I had to have a BF Goodrich with the same specs installed.

I took my car to Subaru on Wednesday for other service (I have been having issues with the heat/defrost controls sticking). It was slightly snowing that day and I took the interstate. I still drove around 65 to 70 mph because the conditions weren't bad. I had no issues with traction or sliding.

This morning, I got in my car and on to the interstate. I was going about 70 and the rear end of my car just started coming out from behind me. It was like I was driving on ice. There is no ice. It's too warm for ice. The roads were a little damp, but there was no reason for my car to behaving in that manner. (Honestly, it felt like I was driving my husband's mustang at too fast of a speed in pouring down rain.) I pulled off and was attempting to turn into a gas station. The rear end of my car just start skipping/jumping and shuddering.

My tire pressure appears to be fine. I checked all of my lug nuts. I have no lights on on my dashboard. I do not have a traction control button. My emergency brake was not on. I checked under the car and under the hood to make sure I didn't see any leaks of any sort.

I have never pulled anything with my car. I don't drive my car crazy-- I'm an adult female.

I can take curves at about 35 mph max without my car acting up. At 70mph on a straight-a-way my car starts fishtailing. My car has NEVER handled like this!

What else do I need to check before I have my car towed to Subaru??

I have Subaru Roadside assistance, so hopefully I won't have to pay for the tow. I don't like having to be without it. I don't like my husbands car.

Edited to add:
There was some kind of a low whistling noise coming from my car on my slow drive back to my home.

My guess is in this order:

1) Wheel Bearing

or

2) front lower control arm bushing

-mike
Subaru Guru and Track Instructor

paisan

I'm noticing a lot of dust around Portland, which is a byproduct of the gravel they used for snow traction. Indeed, the engine bay has become very dusty - was not true through all of the summer months!

One high tech shop here is advertising AVO High Flow Panel Filters, which they claim have a dramatic improvement in airflow without loss of filtration.

But I am leery. The design seems similar to K & M filters which, while being higher flow than stock, let a lot more dust and dirt get into the engine. I'm not particularly interested in filling engine and oil with dirt and dust !!!

Any of the performance folks here know if AVO filters do what they say (increase air flow without loss of filtration)? I could just buy stock filters more often to be on the safe side!

We just did a 30k on a customer's car with an AVO filter. The rubber around the edges of it came off in like 5k miles for him. We replaced it with an oem style paper filter. I would get a K&N before the AVO one.

-mike
Subaru Guru and Track Instructor

kurtamaxxxguy

I'll stick with Subie filters for now. Thanks, Mike.

vtdog

My son lives in Northern Maine. The rubber door gaskets on his '02 Forester need to be replaced. His local dealer wants $ 96 each plus $ 40 labor per door. They told him it was a common problem in very cold areas due to the rubber breaking down in the ice/cold.

Has anyone replaced the gaskets? Is it difficult to do? He will be at my place in a few weeks and we could do the change out in a garage. I don't think it would be difficult to stick the gasket clips into the body, but one never can be sure.

Thanks

joknecht

Hi to all

This question may have been answered previously, but I could find a thread for it. I have a 2006 Outback XT , manual trans., with 30k miles and just sliced a front tire on a piece of metal and had it replaced with an identical new tire. My tire dealer said I just had to replace the one tire, it was okay as long as it was the same model and tread pattern. I have since heard that you should really replace both tires on the same axle. Any advice?

hammerhead

You may have to replace all 4...

If the difference in circumference between the new tire vs other 3 30k tires is more than 1/4 inch, it can cause all manner of problems with differentials, AWD, ABS, etc.

I think .25" circumference equates to about 2/32" of tread depth (I know I'll get corrected if it's not) If the new tire has 2/32" more (deeper) tread than the other 3, it's 4 tire time.

Been there, done that.
Cheers!
Paul

stever

Or get the new tire shaved?

My sister is going through this right now with her Forester, but she hasn't installed the new tire yet. She got a set from TireRack not too many months ago so she's crossing her fingers on the differential with the new one that just arrived.

green_ob

02 Outback (4 cyl, auto) 82K miles.

3 yrs ago we moved from CA to Boston. Recently temps dropped below 25 during the day. After starting the car in the evening after a day outside, I started getting a very strong gas smell especially with heater/defrost on. The smell went away after driving about 5 miles (i.e., car heated up). A web search turned up many similar cases. A common cause was fuel hose contraction from the cold.

After a cold start I opened the hood but couldn't see anything but could smell fuel. I took it to the dealer today. They said it was a cracked (rubber) fuel hose near the radiator intake. It'll be $200 to fix. $65 part, the rest is labor. I'll get it back the next business day and hopefully it smell anymore.