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Comments
-juice
Len
The good news is if you have less than 60k miles, it's covered under warranty. If you have more than 60k, and they haven't failed already, they probably never will.
Plus, you can change the seals when you do the timing belt. You usually get a one year warranty on service work, so again you're covered a little longer.
-juice
Thanks,
Ralph
Also, change your interior air filter if you haven't done so in the last year.
-juice
-mike
-juice
Greg
The Engine Management Unit is adaptive, modifying its fuel and spark maping depending on the use of the vehicle recently. This is measured over about twnety minutes with greatest weighting toward most recent behaviour.
If the car has been idling for a sustained period, it has likely leaned out. To correct this, accelerate hard through the gears. This modifies ECU mapping rapidly.
Cheers
Graham
I did this to my wife's Honda Accord and it worked! The one draw back is the over powering smell of Lysol. It does go away after awhile. Plus the Lysol kills the bacteria and mold causing the smelly problem.
To help keep the smell from returning too quickly,remember to shut off the AC a few minutes before you reach your destination leaving your fan on high to "dry" the moisture in the AC system.
This bouncing rpm thing was tracked down to a computer problem.
Ours not only reved up and down by itself but would literally take off by itself. If you did not have your foot on the brake, LOOK OUT!
Well, According to Subaru, the FUEL TRIM sensor ( one for high trim, one for low) has been out of whack on my particular vehicle. It SHOULD turn on the engine light I am told, but for some reason does not. When the low trim is out of adjustment, it screws up the fuel injection giving to little fuel. The computer senses a dying motor and tries to correct by giving it more fuel, whalla- takes off rapidly by itself! Scary as hell when it does it too! It is very likely a similar problem where the computer keeps manipulating the fuel injection.
When I read stuff like that, especially stuff like the bit about the car "taking off by itself", I figure this is someone who either knows absolutely NOTHING about driving a car or else someone who is trying to set up a lame-brained lawsuit and is fishing for stories to feed their lawyer. In any case it is not someone whose words carry any weight with me.
rgds,
-wdb
I did not post it here, I DID post it elsewhere. Take a pill and mellow out - I am not looking for going after a lawsuit . In case you didnt notice, this IS a Q/A section.
Am I a SUB lover, ( not in the least, I hate ours - no secrets here ). Is this a necessary function to LIKE the vehicle that you are talking about?
I am GLAD you like your car.... Buy more of them!
Others may actually be helped by the solution the mechanics found wrong with my car and the fuel/computer problem with unsteady RPM's. The mechanics at the dealership did an absolutely fantastic job in locating a difficult problem to find. MOST mechanics think in the ( No engine light - No problem ) realm. This was NOT the case with my local Subaru dealer. They appear to be a great crew...... They spent the time and actually found the problem. It is not the way of most dealerships.
Before the car would barely pull its own weight. It now flies up mtn roads with no problem.
Kudos to good mechanics!
For those with car computer brains, WHY or HOW does one computer differ from another in its programming from the factory - Is it faulty sensor information?
After 44K miles, my OB has a problem. During a drive yesterday, it would hesitate and shudder under hard acceleration. Light to moderate acceleration and all other conditions were normal. Later in the drive, at a stop (idle speed) for more than fifteen seconds there would be a buck or two, followed by a rough start. Everything would smooth out very shortly followed by normal engine response, except under hard acceleration. My fuel level was low and I suspected bad gas, so I filled up with 76 regular, making sure the gas cap was on tight. The rest of the trip exhibited the same conditions.
On my return trip, all seemed normal for about forty miles, then I decided to test the hard acceleration starting from about 30 MPH on an uphill after a toll plaza, and the shuddering and bucking came back bad and the Check Engine light came on and stayed on.
I drove it the remaining 30 miles home, following the handbooks' suggestions of not driving hard, towing, etc. and took it to the dealer this morning. Before I took it I checked the air filter and all fluid levels. Everything was OK.
Anyone have any suggestions as to what this may be before the dealer calls back? The first thing the dealer asked was if I wanted the 45K service done, when I declined he stated he may not be able to get to my car today because I don't have an app't. I dislike this treatment, but need to know what's wrong with my OB.
TIA, Brett
Greg
rgds,
-wdb
My 02 Bean has been great, 'cept for a recurring problem with the brakes wearing fast and rotor warp. Dealer has me thinking it's my "driving habits" and says I need to go with after market "racing" (guessing slotted/drilled) rotors. They replaced pads and turned rotors at about 17K saying Subaru "allows" one fix like this under warranty. But, at 31K, they replaced the pads and turned the rotors without my even my asking. Now, at 35K, the shimmy returns....
So wassup? Are the stock rotors junk? Is the dealer giving me a story? I've heard other owners getting new rotors under warranty.... any comments?
Wind noise: this is a classic. First problem was my door panel kept coming loose at the bottom edge and the rubber seal would hang out. After three trips to the dealer ( the first two they just pounded the panel back on and said I shut the door too hard) they finally ordered a new panel. Unfortunately, it didn't match the Bean interior, but the wrench and I used the new rubber and clips on my old panel. Viola! never had floppy panel problem again.
But... then a nice wind hiss developed near the front of driver's window near the mirror post. Again, after more than 4 visits, they finally replaced the upper rubber seal. That problem is gone, but now a new wind noise is coming from just below where my left shoulder is. ARRRGH!
Again... wassup wit dis s---? Think mebbe the door is warped? Anyone else experience this rig-a-ma-role?
This is my third Subie, but I'm losing my patience.
The only thing that keeps me hanging on was getting to sneak preview the 05 OB totally redesigned body and interior style... yes, I got to touch it and sit in it too. Very sweet! Needless to say, if the dealer and SoA treat me right, I'll be doin the trade-in as soon as it comes out.
If you must replace them on your own dime, I don't think you need slotted or drilled rotors. There are very good basic rotors (i.e., Brembo). They're more money that OEM, but not nearly as expensive as slotted or drilled.
Always make sure that tire lugs are hand-torqued to approx 72 ft-lbs to avoid one possible cause of rotor warpage.
Good luck and let us know how you make out.
Jon
02 OBW
The first time they were cut was under warranty, and the dealer cut all 4 rotors.
The second time was during front brake pad replacement; the rotors had actually been warped for some time but not so badly that I felt the need to cut them before the brake replacement. If I had still been under warranty I would have tried to get Subaru to cough up a new set of rotors.
When the time comes for new rotors I will replace them with something like Brembos. I will probably just get regular smooth finish, although I might get slotted rotors because they are supposed to provide more immediate stopping power in wet conditions. I will not get drilled rotors; from what I have read and learned those are for racing and provide virtually no benefit under normal use.
rgds,
-wdb
After my experience, I would recommend that you ask the dealer to check your fuel filter, if it hasn't been changed in a while. The dealer said I should get it replaced every 15K from now on.
rgds,
-wdb
Greg
LLBean - front rotors turned at 10k and front rotors and front pads replaced at 22K. Still fine at 44K - either original rotors were defective (according to dealer) or the alloys were torqued too high at factory. Will never know...
Check out those Forester crash stats released today (6/17/03) at the Insurance Institute site - blew away the competition! Can't wait for the 2005 Outback with curtain bags!!!! How about knee bags, too, Subaru??!!
Ralph
Maybe try adding some octane boost and fill up at a different gas station next time. Hope this helps and good luck.
Michael
If you look at the passenger door how it closes, you will notice the glass does not strike as high on the window seal as it does on the drivers side. Try this - Hold the door latch open on the passenger side and close the door several times and watch how the window hits the door seal near the top
( latch side ). Repeat this on the drivers side and compare how it seats. You will undoubtably notice they are NOT the same. I looked through the lot locally and found every window on the drivers side -Outback ( Beans too ) are not aligned correctly on the drivers door. Once the window is aligned correctly on the track - whalla - noise dissapears and the door closes correctly. ( The window hits to high from the factory - on the latch side-top corner - ).
I have heard of others placing rubber tubing under the door seal. Adding tubing under the seal is not necessary once the window is placed in the window track correctly.
As I have come to find out, these cars are not exactly "free from wind noise" even when you fix the window correctly.
I did change the fuel filter at 30K, but it is almost 15K more and will probably change again.
I originally thought bad gas and filled up (added 12 gallons) of Union 76 during the trip. I was then going to add dry fuel, octane boost and reset the ECU to see if the hard acceleration stuttering went away after I got home, but when the CE light came on and stayed on, my wife got paranoid and so I took it to the dealer more for her benefit.
I'm still awaiting their diagnosis.
-Brett
Need some quick advice - went to a Valvoline Quick change to get the oil changed in my 96OB w/ 2.5L AT. They claimed to have filled it w/ 4.5qts, however, when I check the oil, the line is well above the full mark (in fact, I have a hard time discerning where the fill line is). Be assured that I have checked the level after letting the car sit overnight on a level surface. My question is this: should I be concerned about potential engine damage if the engine is over filled by .2-.3qt? Should I return to Valvoline and have them drain and refill the engine. I have 117K on the car and I need it go at least another 83K more (hopefully). Appreciate your input and thoughts!
Thanks,
Outbike
Maybe the dealer did screw me. Unfortunately, my car was stuck at an out-of-town dealer, and I didn't have much choice.
Maybe someone here could have a better suggestion for the cause of the problems that my outback had.
1. It started last December, with a check engine light. Took the car to a dealer, code was "Misfire on Cylinder 4". Dealer couldn't find problem, reset code.
2. Again in January. Check Engine light came on, car ran a little rough. Took it to the same dealer. Same code. This time, replaced fuel injector on Cylinder 4.
3. Road trip in February. Car gradually started stuttering worse and worse, losing power gradually as well. Got the car towed to the closest (a different) dealer. This dealer claimed that all four fuel injectors were clogged and that they needed to be replaced along with my fuel filter. He took out a couple of the injectors, knocked them upside down on the counter, and showed me the junk that came out.
My car has ran fine since this last dealer trip. Seeing how all four injectors were clogged, I assumed that the main problem was that I had waited too long to replace my fuel filter.
Does anyone else have another explanation for this problem? Or some sort of preventative maintenance to prevent this from happening again?
An '00 OB with moderate mileage should still be covered by the EPA warranty. Poor driveability is often accompanied by an increase in emissions. Items like plugs and filters are owners responsibility. But you should be able to make a good case for a CEL caused by early failure of wires, coil & a single defective injector.
2) <<Fuel filters don't fail.>>
True - usually they clog and restrict. But there are documented cases of filter blowout. One of the car magazines discussed this some years back. Tiny metal particles can enter the tank when you fuel up, usually from scraping between the pump nozzle and the 'unleaded restrictor' at your fill port. Ever notice how damaged those nozzles look? As the filter clogs back pressure rises, forcing those metal particles against the cellulose filter medium, eventually puncturing it. The raised pressure at the small breakthru bursts the dam, letting all of the junk thru at once. Remedy: Care when fueling, and change the filter occasionally!
Steve
My wife has a 2000 Outback. For the past 1-2 months, she has been having problems with it stalling and idling/driving roughly and the "Check Engine" light comes on.
We have had a lot of rain, so I tried dry gas. That seemed to work for a few days and the "check engine" light went off. Problem started again, so I tried fuel injector cleaner. Again, problem went away for about 4-5 days. Now the problem is back and seems to coincide with rainy weather. Is there a connection? What else could it be? We did just have a tune-up and 36K maintenance performed in April. Thank you! - Jason
1) Electrical leakages. This is often seen on the high voltage ignition side of the system, but could also be an issue on the 12v side as well. Leakage on HV typically reduces spark output, but could also cause 'crosstalk' where the wires meet at the coil (mounted on top near the air filter). These do not use a mechanical distributor, so you can eliminate that. On the 12v side, leakages can attenuate or slow signals that are collected and fed to the ECU. For instance, replacing the distributor is a crank and cam optical sensor. A reduced or delayed signal could change spark timing. It get worse, becaused the poorly burned fuel will be detected by the O2 sensor, which then begins to fiddle with the mixture. A bad cycle is set up.
Cool/rainy weather could be promoting tank condensation, which the gas dryer could be fixing. Cool, moist air burns a bit differently, requiring a slightly modified mixture. It is always possible that the O2 sensor might not be responding properly and is 'skewed' more often on damp days.
Hope these help..
Steve
bit
Not good news really. It has an immediate effect in performance drop and fuel economy loss - about 15% when it happened to me. Drove me to change dealers
I gather it can also have long term impact if not corrected although I think it would need to be a really big overfill to do this.
Cheers
Graham
Jim
Jon
Good luck,
-wdb
The last few times I've changed my oil and filter I've paid keen attention to not putting in too much oil, even using a measuring cup to dole out the final 0.6 quart after putting in the first 4 quarts straight from the bottles. The last time I even measured out only about 0.3 quart.
However, despite my precautions the oil dipstick reads high, indicating an overfill. WHat gives? Does anyone have a similar experience?
Greg
2.5L = 4.7 U.S. Quarts
2.2L = 4.2 U.S. Quarts
Alan
2.5l SOHC = 4.2 US qt.
Rob-
If you have a SOHC then you're 0.4 US qt over.
-Dave
For the life of me I don't know where I got that 4.6 number I've been using. Thank goodness I've not had any side issues - at least that I know of! Thanks again.