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Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Yes, by e-mail they are as slow as molasses.

    You should be able to beat the oil filter price by a dollar or so, and I'd get a 17mm crush washer (I think that's the size, anyone confirm?) from the hardware store for a few pennies, maybe even buy a dozen.

    -juice
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    pat88pat88 Member Posts: 40
    I got my parts from Lisa (aka "Sugar" on the iclub) from Troncalli Subaru in Georgia. Her email address is sugar30041@yahoo.com or you can private message her (userid = sugar) if you are a member of the iClub messageboard.

    $5 for the filter & washer

    Shipping is $3 whether you order 1 or 10

    It took just about a week to get the parts.

    Hope this helps you!

    ~~~Pat
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    kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Haven't head of cracked blocks on the Phase I blocks either. I'm at 64K miles on mine and so far so good.

    Ken
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    brekkebrekke Member Posts: 304
    Liberty Subaru 1-888-782-9493
    oil filter is $4.60, washer is .39. If you get a dozen filters it's $4/each.

    fyi cabin air filter is $29.96.

    I ordered recently from them, I had to wait for a backordered item but once it was in I received everything 2 days later. Shipping was reasonable, but we're both on the east coast. Subaruparts.com charges 10% of your order for shipping.

    Very pleasant on the phone.
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    rangerron7rangerron7 Member Posts: 317
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    mortpeaberrymortpeaberry Member Posts: 69
    If you have to wait, pay shipping, use a credit card, AND hope that the shipping department is not using you pull tag to roll cigarettes (and take three weeks to process your order)...
    Is it worth $1 savings on an oil filter?

    steve-v
    santa cruz
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    rangerron7rangerron7 Member Posts: 317
    I just REALLY dislike my dealer service and parts departments.
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    locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Oh I *love* my local parts dept. $2.50 for a lugnut...

    -Colin
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    ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    does anyone know how to drain the radiator? I feel stupid for asking this. =(
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    locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    sure, disconnect the hose at the lower left that feeds the water pump. then open the radiator cap.

    -Colin
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    paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Use the peacock valve. should be on the left as you face the radiator.

    -mike
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    ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    any pictures? hmm...
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    fudd2befudd2be Member Posts: 50
    Hi All,

    Just to let you know (and Patti) that Subaru took care of my chattery clutch issue. They put in a new clutch for me last week and all is smooth again. My initial complaint (which was not duplicated by the tech) was at <15K and since then has gotten slowly worse, but unpredictable. I am now at about 35Kmiles.

    When my car was in for another service, about a month ago, the district rep was in town, drove it and approved the repair.

    Kudos to the folks at Van Bortel Subaru and SOA for their eager-to-please service.

    I wanted to re-iterate, because I have not seen it mentioned, the great experience I had with Premier Subaru (www.premiersubaru.com) as far as getting parts. I ordered the 6-disc changer, received it a few days later. They were the cheapest to boot! ralvine@premiersubaru.com is Robert Alvine's email there.

    Happy Holidays!

    Howard
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    stevekstevek Member Posts: 362
    How can a clutch be under warranty, a bad driver can burn it out. How did they determined it was not "driver error?".
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    locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    um, lots of people's clutches chatter. weak pressure plate.

    -Colin
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    pattim3pattim3 Member Posts: 533
    I'm glad things turned out okay. The Rep. for Van Bortle is a great guy and a personal friend. He does a lot to satisfy customers. Also, as a side note - we do not deny warranty unless it is "without a doubt" driver error. So, we do help when we can.

    Thanks!

    Patti
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    joseph50joseph50 Member Posts: 235
    Hi, all.
    Could someone clarify what is meant by "winter mixture" gasoline? Has it been scientifically verified to reduce mpg? Does my state of Pennsylvania use it? Are there officially stipulated dates between which northern states are to use it?
    Thanks,
    Joe
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    subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    Here in SE Wisconsin (and the entire Chicago metropolitan area, which includes Milwaukee), we use reformulated gas, or oxygenated fuel. There's several different blends out there - ours mainly is an enthanol type. I think there's a site (from Mobil?) that explains and identifies the different regional blends.

    Winter gas typically has more stuff in it to make it less polluting. That makes it burn differently and does affect the MPG in any vehicle. I know my mileage goes down slightly in the winter - about 1-2 MPG. I'm not sure if it's been scientifically proven, but the local papers have run stories on the affects a few times. I have kept a gas mileage spreadsheet (isn't that OCD?) and can see a slight decrease in mileage with the winter blends.

    I have read other stories about people getting worse mileage during the winter blend usage. I basically just shrug my shoulders and continue to fill 'er up. :)

    Hopefully someone will chime in with that web site and maybe a more technical answer.

    -Brian
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    stevekstevek Member Posts: 362
    Is a way for gas company's to make money. It is a proven health hazard and only helps reduce emissions until the converter warms up. Basicaly they sell you less gas for more money since they mix it with cheaper product. The emisison gain is negligable and the converters could be pre-warmed (like diesel glow plugs) eliminating the need for this mixture. Actualy congress is already phasing it out because of its health hazard.
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I think PA gets winter blends with MTBE.

    ramon: pix, yes, right here.

    -juice
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    locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    steve, interesting opinion about winter gasolines. I happen to work for a company that produces a lot of gasoline (among other things) and while I might be an IT guy and not a chemical engineer let me respectfully disagree.

    first of fuels are by no means the same everywhere. due to idiotic regulations, there are actually well over 100 different blends of gasoline in use right now. some differences are minor, but it still makes for a very specialized and optimized supply chain that is vulnerable to large consequences for certain markets based on a single failure.

    anyway, winter blends as a whole are not 'to make money'. quite simply the idea is to make money all the time, and because of basic economics (high fixed costs, lower variable costs) it is easiest to make money when the price of crude oil is high rather than low.

    oxygenates do not help emissions 'only until the converter warms up'. their waste more readily forms water and carbon dioxide, which we've decided is less dangerous than carbon monoxide. there are really only two readily available oxygenates, methyl-tetrabutyl-ethylene (MTBE) and ethanol. neither are great for you-- what is these days? ;-) -- but MTBE is a whole lot more toxic, carcinogenic, etc. and easily pollutes groundwater. and yes, it is being phased out.

    ethanol's problem is that it costs far more to energy to produce from corn that the resulting product is worth-- it ONLY survives on government subsidies. it also costs a good bit of money outside of corn-producing areas of the country.

    anyway, that's enough for now. you can learn more at www.api.org or use your favorite search engine.

    -Colin
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    subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    that we originally had MTBE here in SE WI, but it was quickly phased out with the newer ethanol blends.

    -Brian
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
    (I posted this in the Meet the Members area also)

    Hello, all!

    I just thought I would join the Subaru frenzy. My wife and I just purchased a used 2000 Subaru Legacy GT Limited sedan with manual transmission. It currently has 8,800 miles (low!), and has the Rio Red finish with tinted windows and a rear spoiler.

    The car is currently sitting in our garage. Thursday we will have an Invizibra kit installed to prevent the paint and lamps from being chipped up. It's been absolute torture letting it sit for the last week, but I'd rather wait until the Invizibra is installed before we take it out. What's worse is my area has received a ton of snow in the last week, and the Legacy would have been perfect in it.

    This is our first Subaru. Until now we've been Honda and Toyota fans. Any advice for maintenance and care of the Legacy sedans (common issues/problems)? Also, the manual mentioned you can't use snow chains on the GT models because of clearance issues. Will cables fit instead?

    Ty
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    dukephotodukephoto Member Posts: 49
    With all of the snow, how chipped up can the car get (unless they use LOTS of rock salt on the roads)? It's a shame to waste a good snow storm having a Subie sitting around! I know I can't wait for the first one we get here in WV (jealous, jealous jealous). :)

    Duke
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    rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Welcome aboard. Stick around, I think you'll enjoy these Subie forums.

    Bob
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
    dukephoto: I live in Utah where rock salt is VERY common and road construction is a constant. The road construction has been especially heavy as we've prepared for the upcoming olympics. Between those two factors, windshields are considered disposable items and chips in your paint are a given. By the way, Alta and Snowbird, two of our ski resorts, have the most snow of anywhere in the country right now. Gotta' love it. Now if only we could actually make it up the canyons to ski and board (there is such a thing as too much snow)...

    rsholland: thanks for the welcoming!

    Ty
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    jregen7243jregen7243 Member Posts: 91
    Can anyone recommend good synthetic automatic transmission fluid ('00 Outback)???

    Jon
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I wouldn't mind having some of that extra snow. We're hitting record highs today in DC, close to 75 degrees!

    -juice
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    bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Jon - While I don't have any experience with synthetic ATF, I've been very happy with Amsoil synthetic gear oil. A lot of people have complained that Redline and Mobil1 cause grinding and Amsoil has been great for me. I would think their ATF is good as well.
    You can check out the Amsoil ATF here:
    http://www.amsoil.com/products/atf.html

    -Dennis
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    bg18947bg18947 Member Posts: 184
    Congratulations on a fine choice. I have a Rio Red also but with the automatic transmission. No spoiler, I thought it ruins the look, just my opinion. First thing you should do is get yourself a set of decent winter tires. The Potenza RE-92s are not good in snow. I bought a set of Blizzak MZ-01s with alloys from the Tirerack and they will make a big difference. I use the off-season tire as a full-size spare. It will fit in the trunk with the foam tool tray removed. There's plenty of room in the spare wheel cavity for tools.

    I found that the current model Legacy/Outback sheetmetal does dent easily. The paint holds up pretty well. Most hood chips that I've got were from following construction dump trucks too closely.

    Second, upgrade the H1 bulbs with Catz Galaxy Whites. About $42/pr from www.autobulbdepot.com. If you are planning to work on the car yourself, get a set of the Blitz Rhino ramps. It's hard trying to slip a floor jack under the center jack points in a low ground clearance car.

    I have under 7,000 miles on mine cause the wife drives it mostly in a 3mi. commute to work. Using Mobil 1 in winter, dino oil in summer. Only problem I have so far which I need to bring in to fix under warranty is a tear in the weatherstripping in the least used door. Don't know how it got there. I have fog light protectors only.
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    hciaffahciaffa Member Posts: 454
    I haven't had any problems with any Mobil 1 products as of yet and I've been using them in my wife's 99 forester for about a year and a half. Oil, tranny, and differentials as well as Dex Cool in the radiator. It has made the engine and shifting feel very smooth. If you have a Forester and you plan to do the tranny fluid change you will need to get a filterespecially if its a 99 and newer. For fluid I bought 8 qts of Mobil 1 and used close to 7 on refill. When you drain the fluid you will get everything except whats in the torque converter. But thats ok because Mobil 1 is compatible to regular tranny fluid. Drain it at night after driving and let it drain all night, this way you get the most out of it. My dealer wanted way to much to drain everything out.
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    pattim3pattim3 Member Posts: 533
    Great information! Thanks for sharing it.

    Patti
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    pattim3pattim3 Member Posts: 533
    Welcome to the crew! I wish you many happy and safe miles.

    Patti
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
    Thanks for the advice.

    I definitely agree about the Potenza tires; they may offer good performance on dry pavement, but they slide around in the snow. I'm not sure about going with a dedicated snow tire, though. I may look into an all-weather tire like a Michelin MXV4 or X One. Since our roads are generally clear about 90% of the time, I'd prefer to have a good all-around tire and carry cables for those days we head into the mountains.

    Why new head lamp bulbs?
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    outback165outback165 Member Posts: 108
    First of all, welcome Ty, and congratulations on the purchase of an awesome car! If you can, post a picture - we'd love to see your car!

    I too would like to know more information about switching out the headlamp bulbs.

    On parts, my wife bought me a Subaru Cooler for Christmas. The only reason I know about it is because I answered the door when the UPS man came! She bought it at subaruparts.com and their price was significantly LESS than our local dealer! She said she got great service, and the cooler arrived in less than a week!

    Has anyone changed the filter for the air filtration system? How often does that need to be done? I thought I had heard that it needed to be done anually, but on subaru.com in the maintenance schedules, it says the "air cleaner element" needs to be replaced every 30K. I think I'm talking about two different filters... any advice?

    Thanks all- hope to see some of you tonight in the chat.

    Pete.
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Wish I could help - I actually have photos and instructions for doing both of these things on the Forester, but I know for a fact that it's different on the Outback. You have two filter, while I have one, and I think you need to remove the glove box, while I don't.

    For the headlights, I have one H4 bulb per side, I think you have two bulbs for high and low beam and they are different.

    Can anyone else offer help?

    -juice
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    jregen7243jregen7243 Member Posts: 91
    I just got one of those machines from Griots Garage that suck out the fluid from where the dipstick goes. I was going to use that to change the tranny fluid to synthetic after my 30k service. Anyone have one of these or ever use one???
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    hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Just installed the cargo net in the wagon this is one of the cheapest and best mods I have done, no more grocery,s rolling all over the place.

    Cheers Pat.
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    locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    not much to say... shop confirmed that it was the left head gasket (duh, that took me 30 minutes) but we had a miscommunication because they refused to use any carry-in parts. new, sealed Subaru head, intake manifold and exhaust manifold gaskets were sitting on the passenger seat and they wouldn't install them. I won't go into the whole thing, but I understand the concept of their policy... but I've been a longtime customer --one who obviously had never previously brought in parts-- and in this case there was plenty of money for them to make from a labor standpoint. (pull engine, replace head gaskets, install new aftermarket clutch.)

    in the end I paid nothing for them wasting my time and I won't be back. now I'm looking for a shop that does want the money for the labor and will use the parts I provide. if I can't find one soon, I will do the work myself.

    -Colin
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    bg18947bg18947 Member Posts: 184
    TyGuy: My wife complained that the stock H1 low beams were not bright enough. I had previously tried the PIAA H4s on my Odyssey, and decided to try another brand of higher temperature bulbs. The Catz are whiter than the PIAA, for sure. Also, I had stock MXV3s on my 91 Accord, and I thought they sucked in packed snow with any sort of incline. Don't know if the MXV4s are much better. MXVs are known to be hard rubbered tires which trade traction for long mileage rating.

    Outback165: The 30,000 mile scheduled replacement air filter (air cleaner element) is for the one in the engine. The one for HVAC (Air Filtration System) behind the glove box is at 7,500 miles. There are 2 elements that are behind the glove box which have to be removed. Instructions are included with replacement elements. I just opened mine up and I hope that the one used in 99 model year is the same as 00 model year. I bought it from subaruparts.com. The diagram looks like a 00 dash. Don't know what the 99 dash looks like. The instructions for my unit says 99MY.
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    bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    IIRC, all of the recent Subaru models do not have lube points.

    -Dennis
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    subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    The cargo net was already installed on our OB at purchase. I agree it should be standard. We use it all the time, not only for groceries, but for Brooke's baby toys too!

    -Brian
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    cptpltcptplt Member Posts: 1,075
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    leeduncanleeduncan Member Posts: 12
    Pete: Check post 2841 on Subaru Legacy/Outback (Station Wagons Board)Oct 9, 2001. The link will take you to pictures of the procedure. Also the URL below will get you to the Subaru Installation Instructions that are packed with the filters.

    Look under "Installation Instructions" then "Air Filtration"

     http://www.subaru-parts.com/

    HTH

    Greg in IN
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    hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    My time for corraling toys is long past, but I am really glad I put the net in.

    Cheers Pat.
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    oclvframeoclvframe Member Posts: 121
    I have just partially completed a swap of my 01 console to a new style 02 with two cupholders. My question is about part # 66155AE03AML...cupholder cap. So far my dealership has ordered that part twice and both times received the wrong part with that part # on the plastic baggie it comes in. The parts guy says that it is a problem with the 3rd party vendor's labeling of the part and as of right now, it could be weeks before they figure out how to get me the correct part. All of this sound strange to me....do you have any thoughts about what is going on?

    Also, there are a couple of dense foam rubber 'doughnuts' that are made to sit in the bottom of the cupholders. According to the parts guy, there is no number or source for those, they only come on new cars.

    Thanks for any help regarding these parts!

    -r
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    stevekstevek Member Posts: 362
    I had the same brightness problem with the H1 beams on my '01 Legacy GT and found that their aiming is incorrect. Once I got it figured out how to adjust it, it was much better. Out of the factory the beams are aimed to low and need to be taken up just a bit. On mine the passenger side was pointing into the trees (maybe a deer hunter set them) and I had to bring it "in" significantly. Now I am happy and oncoming traffic "does not complain" about my alignment so I assume it does not bother them. Oh and I did replace the high beams with crystal bulbs
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I wish I had that tranny drain tool to test out!

    Pat: me too, very useful at times, that simple net.

    Colin: I figured you'd do it yourself anyway. I'm not sure a mechanic is going to apply the exact torque and in the specific order they're supposed to for those heads.

    -juice
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    ayaresmayaresm Member Posts: 1
    Does anyone know if the rear window washer on my 2001 OB Limited Wagon uses the same washer fluid tank in the engine compartment for both the front and back windows?

    My rear washer doesn't work and the dealer checked it off as full when they did the initial service check of the vehicle. I can't the fill location for the rear and the owner manual is no help.

    Mark Ayares
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I think it shares the same tank. I've heard before that the pickup for the rear washer is higher in the tank, so it may just be a low fluid level.

    -juice
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