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Good luck - it is a pain to do, but less so than the hit taken by the wallet to have someone else do it.
If so, I'd take it in to the dealer and have them fix it under warranty. Actually they should have taken care of it in the first place during the pre-delivery inspection.
Anyone ever change the rear brake pads on an '01 Outback? The bolts that hold the caliper in place seem extremely difficult to access due to all the suspension components in the way.
I tried to get the sway bar end links out of the way but could not get *that* bolt all the way loose, later I could not get it firmly tight! Ugh.
That round black thing, is that a rubber plug on the one side of the end links? i.e. do you need tools on both sides to get it tight?
This is on my dad's OB.
-juice
It wasn't all that bad, but the rear 2 are a PITA.
For the record, I used some combos of 6 in, 3 in and a flex joint 3 in socket. The flex joint is more like a CV joint then a universal joint but a U joint probabally would have worked too.
A 2nd joint between the 3" and 6" might be nice, too! Glad to hear you got it - there will be no disagreement on this thread about your "PITA" assessment, tkanic!
The only time you have to take out the 2 bolts holding the caliper to the hub are when you're changing rotors or checking parking brakes or something like that. If you're checking parking brakes I would recommend against that (from personal experience), I wouldn't mess with the sway bar too much and for heavens' sake don't overtighten it'll break the bolt. (also from personal experience) :sick:
So the best way to remove the bolts are to have a long ratchet extension and reach behind the hub and there should be a hole in the hub just for the purpose of getting a socket in there to get at the bolt. IIRC there is no nut to tighten against; just the bolt. Take out both bolts and voila the whole caliper comes off.
Eric
The instructions I refered to were for a Legacy and an upgrade brake kit at that. Harder than the job needs to be!
The sway bar end links - do you need tools on both sides to get it tight again? Looks like one side has some sort of rubber boot covering it? Sound familiar?
-juice
I say have them ship it to a friend's address in the US and then ask the friend to re-route it to you. A PITA for sure, but better than the bite your wallet would take from a $73 part costing you $377.
This happened a few times. When I press the button for the driver's side window nothing happens. After a few tries it does what it is suppose to do.
The first time this happened I thought it make have been some lockout botton preventing it, or in other words I was nto sure it was a actuall problem. Today it happened again, the rear 2 windows worked, the front 2 did not, for about 20 seconds.
Also if I recall corectly one time it happened all 4 did not work. So I am leaning towards the switch.
Any advice on this one, what to look for, apx cost, how to get to the switch, additional tests?
Thanks
It has only happened so far when the windows were fully up, which is my normal mode of travel, only opening them for tolls, drivethru's, checking the mailbox, and to talk to friends. So when I open them it hasn't been opened for a while, but when I close them it is sually very shortly after opening it.
I thought it was around $85. Try 1stsubaruparts.com. They have a very thorough online catalog.
Jim
I am very new with this so if you could just bear with me. I have 3 problems that i am so frustrated with that makes me to never want to be a subaru owner again
1. I have a 99 subaru OBW that has 137,500 + miles and have been hearing this rattle when i have been driving the car for over 15 miles. I think it is the Heat sheila on the exhaust system. Can this be tightend or replaced?
2. I have been having this oil leak ( actually a few couple drips a day on the garage floor) Can this be from the head gaskets? My husband cleaned the area on the engine and he said it looks like the leak is come from the top of what he is looking at.
3. and last, everytime my husband changes the oil about 300 miles later my check engine like comes one. We check the oil and it shows it to be filled perfectly. the last time (3 months ago and i travel over 60 miles a day) my dad added close to another quart after 2 days the light went out and didn't; return until this most recent oil change.
I know I am asking for a lot of information in this first post but anything anyone can help me with will be great. I am trying to make this care last until may of 2007 but i am about ready to take my husbands double barrel shotgun to it. :sick:
B)From my experience the oil dip stick on Subarus is extremely difficult to read;the conditions (flat surface etc.) must be perfect. I would be surprised if you did not have to add oil between changes to an 8 year old car with 137k on it. Good luck.
i am keeping notes so we can try some of these things ourselves instead of paying out the labor to an garage
1. Probably a loose heat shield, likely something on the exhaust. If your hubby has ramps have him inspect the exhaust (wait 'til it cools or wear gloves). The exhaust on our Mazda 626 rusted apart far before 137k miles.
2. Could be head gaskets, valve cover gaskets, or front main seal (O-ring). You can re-torque the bolts to try to seal it but keep an eye on that.
3. I don't think the check-engine light has anything to do with the oil. I bet it's worn out spark plug wires, or something like that. Fouled plugs. Or even a loose gas cap. Try to get the codes read, I bought an ODBII scan tool for under $100. Sears has them, or any auto parts store.
-juice
I’ve noticed that the lighting for both the radio and heating system will flicker at the same time. This also happened during the first 5K of owning the car, however, we brought into the dealer and get the response” we can’t duplicate the issue, therefore we can’t fix it”
Any ideas or topics I should discuss with the service advisor before I make the dealer appointment???
Thanks in advance...
Krzys
-juice
Can't help with the oil leak, never had one.
I agree with Juice, I doubt the CEL has anything to do with oil. Usually emissions related which could be fuel, ignition, sensors, etc. You need to get the code read and be aware that some scanners used by non-Subaru places (and the ones you can buy yourself) will not necessarily read all the Subaru-specific codes. And I don't recommend replacing parts based on codes alone...this can get expensive without fixing the problem. Sometimes you need experienced help to interpret codes.
The switch panel will just pry out. If it's like my 00 you'll find two modules screwed onto the panel; one for the windows and door locks and another for the mirrors. Just replace the window module. Don't bother to pry the back off the module in the hope of fixing the switch, all you see is the PCB which can't be removed. Ask me how I know.
Hopefully it is the switch and not a circuit board. Oh, well, looking at goosegog's post, it really does not matter!
Krzys
I'm scheduling the appt today, not confident that it will be fixed by the dealer.
-juice
1) make sure the oil in the engine is at the correct level (dipstick near front of engine)
2) assuming you have an automatic transmission, the tranny fluid is reddish in color and is at the proper level (dipstick driver side)
3) there is gear oil in the front diffy. (dipstick passenger side) again assuming auto tranny
If all three are fine, I wouldn't worry about the light. You could also call and ask a dealer why it's happening.
HTH,
Jim
) there is gear oil in the front diffy. (dipstick passenger side) again assuming auto tranny>
and yes it is an auto tranny.
I figure at this point if everything is ok, that it's a dummy light, but if all fluids are ok I'll just give them a call as well just to double check it.
Thanx for the help, I really appreciate it!!
Thanx for all of your help
I would appreciate hearing from anyone who knows where Subaru hid this little guy. It would be a plastic connector about 1/2-inch square with six female connections.
For some reason this question keeps coming up. Wonder why Subaru chose to hide this thing so well? Even my dealer didn't know where it was.
I am curious...how much weight have you towed? The owners manual is adamant that towing more than 1000 lbs requires trailer brakes. What is your experience?
Thank you again for the information on oil changes. All went well. I was able to tighten the filter completely by hand. The manual showed that an access panel had to be removed to reach the oil filter, but Subaru must have eliminated it for 2006.
Best regards.
But regarding trailer brakes, my new 07 tent trailer has electric brakes although it is scarcely heavier than the old one. Local state/provincial regulations vary and mandate trailer brakes at various weights, but it is usually between 1000 lbs and 2000 lbs. In a panic stop you really want trailer brakes! And if you have them go for an inertia controller such as Prodigy, not the cheaper ramping ones. Search the internet for more details.
Anyone have experience with this? Should I worry about it?
Thanks very much.
So you're saying not only should I avoid downshifting approaching stops, as is always my habit (I thought a good habit, when done well, to save the brakes...), but actually shift to Neutral? Are you concerned about wear on the transmission or wear on the engine?
Frankly I normally commute by bicycle or scooter, but I'll be a reluctant cage pilot for the next 2 days as you've advised and see how it behaves. (I do love this car, as cars go.)
Thank you very much. Anything else you think of, please don't hesitate.
With the A/T, idling above 1200 or so makes the car really want to bolt off when the brake is released. My car's idle responsiveness is a little iffy on occasion, so sometimes it will be at 1400-1500 RPM approaching a stop. I toss in in neutral to wait out the light and the engine usually drops back down to normal idle (650 IIRC)once the shifter is in neutral.
If it would save you from a cage, then perhaps do the car testing for an idle hour or two in the late evening.... ?
What it comes down to is, if I leave this car at a trailhead in the middle of nowhere for 5 days and emerge exhausted to find that it doesn't start because this repair didn't happen, I'm going to be screwed. As will my traveling companions. Because AAA means nothing where we're going to be. So I really just need to understand how serious this is, could it wreck a trip that we've looked forward to since April... see where I'm at?
I would ask your mechanic about his suspicion of the problem and the parts he things would resolve it. That may help one of us here be able to better say whether the problem could lead to something more serious, like a no-start.
I do trust this shop, have for years, and he said if it were his car, he'd take it. He said that there are some designs of this part that actually would affect start-up, but this is not that type. (The difference is in-line vs. not in-line, but I don't remember which he said mine was -- but perhaps that's a clue to know what part he's talking about.)
I do notice a slight pulsation in the brake pedal when they are applied. Has anyone had a similar problem & if so how was it corrected?
Thanks, Bob :confuse: