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Have a flash light with you- next turn on the car so you get electricity to the unit, use your finger to completely cover the front photoelectric sensor while covering the rear sensor as well- this should keep the mirror completely transparent, now while keeping the front sensor covered, shine the flash light into the rear sensor- you should she the mirror gradually turning translucent (darker- less light getting through).
My Tribeca's works very quickly, my Lexus dims all the rear view mirrors (not just the center one).
Hope that works...
Cheers,
AKA1
She took it to the dealer for an oil change, and mentioned that the clutch makes a bit of a squishy or scrunchy noise during the last inch or so of pedal travel near the floor. So, they take it back for the oil change, and an hour later tell her that we need a new clutch, and it will be covered under warranty. She was so happy that they used the word "free" that she didn't bother to ask what happened and why we need a new clutch, and (more importantly to me) will it happen again?
Any insight into what might be going on?
thanks...
We'd need to know more to say what it was, maybe ask the dealer when you pick it up?
-juice
If the car has a distributor, was the distributor cap changed? Did it happen before the cap was changed? (I had a similar problem with an old Honda. Turned out the cheapo distributor cap had a "knit line" where the coil wire enters the distributor. Moisture would cause a short and the current never reached the spark plug. Solution: a factory dist cap!)
Jim
Jim
HB
Does anyone now if Subaru will cover this...I know a lot of manufacturer's cover rust problems even after warranty...will it be an issue upon resale or trade in of the car, ie is it worth fixing?
Thanks all,
Caleb
After wasting several hundred dollars trying to diagnose the problem (no code was ever tripped in the ECU, though the CEL would come on after every time this happened), I finally started following hunches. Oh, I should mention that it got to the point that the car would occasionally stall in traffic if the engine had not warmed up yet. After stalling, the same symptoms would appear.
The first thing I replaced was the MAS (mass airflow sensor). That eliminated the stalling problem and reduced the frequency of my gremlin to about once every couple of weeks or so (maybe.... 50 or so starts?), but it was still there. Then I pulled then engine out of the car and replaced a whole slough of seals and gaskets to correct some horrific leaks. After reassembling, the frequency was even less.... about once a month. Then, in August of '04, I started having some severe problems that were causing flooding upon start up, rough idle, etc. I replaced the cam sensor, crank position sensor, and the knock sensor. The severe problems were eliminated, and oddly enough.... I've never had another recurrence of the dreaded gremlin. It is over a year now since the last time it happened (July 04).... and nothing ever stays that stable on this car for that long!
If you want sensor locations, you can see them on the photo I posted for my head gasket rebuild last month. The crank sensor is located at the top-front-center of the block, the cam sensor is at the top-front-right (when looking @ the engine.... driver side), and the knock sensor is at the top-back and just right of the center of the block.
I am not sure if it was random that this has not happened since replacing those sensors, but without a code in the ECU, gremlins can be hard to isolate. I do not personally think it is a mechanical problem.
Keep in mind though, that your problem only seems to happen when the car is COLD rather than warm, so it may not be anything similar at all">link title. Argh. It's enough to cause madness! :mad:
HB
From the sounds of things, your dealership did not throw you a lifeline, so here is the procedure: Call 1-800-SUBARU3. Have all of your info ready, including how long ago and the mileage when you first heard it, and the local shops you visited. It also helps if the car is up to date on servicing, such as when the tranny fluid was last changed, etc. The most important aspect is your attitude! SoA seems to be pretty good about extending help to reasonable people.
Good luck, and let us know how you make out.
Steve
Joe
I am trying to do this from memory, as I remember someone else having the same situation maybe 2 years ago, or so. IIRC, the water was trapped in the side sill rails - those boxed-in frame-like supports that run under the doors. They are open in the front of the structure, into the front fender / wheel well area near the strut towers, and under the dash area. There should be drain holes at the bottom, although I suspect that they might not be so obvious on Outback models as the plastic lower body cladding wraps around the sills. You need to go look for the drains, as it sounds like they may be clogged.
Please let us know what you find!
Steve
Tell me more about the "tail pipe is sucking air". If it is really pulling air back in, you might have a stuck valve that is not seating at low engine speed.
Steve
To begin with, you need to recite the basics when asking for help. I ran with the transfer clutch and assumed an automatic, as that is what you reported your dealer said.
OK.... Yes, the auto and manual are different. The auto uses a fairly sophisticated electronically controlled transfer clutch that varies torque applied to the rear based on gear, load, road speed, detected slippage, etc. The manual uses a simple viscous clutch fixed at 50/50, IIRC. In either case, this is considered the center differential.
Between the rear wheels is the rear differential, with CV joints extending outward to the rear wheels. Attached to the front of the transmission is the front differential, with CV joints extending outward to the front wheels. Perhaps the second dealership is suggesting that the noise/binding is from either the front or rear differential, and not the center (transfer clutch / viscous clutch) assembly???
Why didn't the second dealership want to examine the car? Call Subaru, explain the entire situation, and ask them to assign a dealer.
Steve
Joe
Typically, this signifies blocked drain holes. However, the blockage might be less clear. It may be anti-rust ax whcih has clogged the drains or accumulated dust/mud . The fix in either case is a climb under the car with a fine proe to poke around. One of the best is a bit of the plastic packaging tape often used as binding around pallets, newspapers and the like as it will not harm paintwork.. You can split it to about 1/4" wide or less. when you find a drain hole, push it up and poke it around a bit, making sure your eye is not directly underneath.
One prime point for blockage is the cavity immedietly in front of the doors. I fabricated a small tool from a length of 4mm dribpper hose, siliconed into a hose fitting. This could be threaded through most hoses and drains to blast out any muck. When connected to a hose it is extraordinarily effective in clearing junk out.
Cheers
Graham
The big thing is the stabilizer bar. Gerald Subaru quoted me $68 for the links. A couple of days ago I called Subaru of Schaumburg, and was quoted $63 for a stabilizer bar. I'd assumed that I might not have been clear enough to the counterman and he qouted the wrong part.
Yesterday morning I hit the internet, and found http://www.mileaautogroup.com . Here the stabilizer bar is $44.76. The online catalog pulls up the same photo the dealer uses and id's the part by number in the picture. Similar to what a counterperson uses. ATF Filter $25.90, Heated Seat Switch, 27.03.
So they have a little markup. Personally I think they are GOUGING me for the stabilizer and the filter. Matched the filter up at local parts shop for under $9. Today I take the filter back, cancel the rest of the order, and buy online. I didn't think I'd come across a Subaru dealer that would gouge it's customers like that.
David
Water sloshing - common on Miatas as well, I had to poke the holes to unclog them. Wear eye protection! :shades:
-juice
I pulled over and popped the hood (engine still running) and did not see anything unusual. Both heater fans running, Overflow bottle was 3/4 full and bubbling a little. (No engine light by the way)
I contiued on to my destination and the temp gauge was still pinned but did go back to the red area. I parked under shade and came back and drove it back home after 4 hours. The gauge was back to half temp. is this normal for my EJ251 engine? Always half up on the temp gauge?
Very concerned I took it to a Subaru dealer the next day. (Temp gauge seemed normal at half way up)
I told them to change t-stat, put in the Subaru coolant reccommended for the recall, and pressure test the system. They called and said everything went well. (No pressure problems) There was a strong odor coming from the old coolant when I smelled the opening of the recovery bottle, almost like gas BEFORE this service. I am concerened from what I have read on these boards that I may have more to discover with engine temp problems.
I have read the recall issure regarding the head gasket problems. I get 28 miles per/gal, engine runs smooth, no tail pipe smoke of any kind.
I have not gone back up to 8000ft to see if it will do it again.
Are there anymore test I should do?
I guess it could have been an inaccurate reading, but if the needle gets pinned like that again, I'd park it and call 800-SUBARU3 to see if they can tow it to a dealer for inspection.
-juice
My question is, where is it located? Is there anything special required to hook it up? It looks like it just threads in on one end, and plugs into the computer wire on the other - is that all there is to it?
Any help is appreciated - Thanks!!!
Help!! I really do not want to replace the Trans. It has 110 K. I have always had it serviced and the fluid is full and clean.
BTW it was her husband's car!
I did remember that I opened the bottle and it was not overly full for an engine that was overheating. From the manual the "full" mark is about 6" below the cap when the engine is cooled down. Now that I just had the Subaru service coolant put in and pressure tested with new thermostat the coolant level is near the top after normal driving. I have sent a message to Subaru tech support listing my events and hope they can get a history of re-call service from the VIN.
I really like the way this car drives, smooth and heavy and quiet. I drive 130 miles per day round trip. (Not up hill as much as the other day)
How much was the HD job $$?
Does your temp gauge read exactly half up?
I will be going up to 7800 ft this weekend and will put it through the test.
I replaced my head gaskets, so no labor costs involved. All told, I spent $1100 on it in the last 45 days, but much of that was work unrelated to the head gaskets. If I had JUST replaced those, it would have been about $120 in parts and $100 in tools, plus about 16 hours worth of work start to finish. For a shop to perform the same work, probably about $1800, but it varies by shop I would imagine.
Good luck with it. I hope it is not a HG issue, but have yet to be fully convinced either way. Go easy on it during the climb and don't push it if the temp rises - you could do serious engine damage. Take what you need to get through a stranding if it happens. In my opinion, it is worth the fix (if it comes to that) should you plan to keep the car for a few years otherwise.
-Wes-
While it is certainly not an ideal situation, I would not be too terribly worried about it unless the engine is showing obvious signs of distress.
The short distances means that the condensation and blowby gases never get heated to the point that they will evaporate and get purged from the system thru the crankcase ventilation. But because of the low total usage, I doubt that their presence has had a substantial wear effect on surfaces either. Oil can degrade if acids (blowby and water) react and damage the detergent and additive package, but again, this is a long term effect.
I am willing to bet that many speciality car owners face similar issues with low total usage. Synthetics might be an advantage here. Your thoughts, Colin??? Get her to change fluids more often, and let her keep driving!
Steve