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Subaru Legacy/Outback Wagons Maintenance & Repair

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  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Should be in the fuse box under the hood.

    Weird thing is, you *insert* a fuse to get it in to FWD mode, for when you tow for instance.

    If your FWD light is on, there must be a malfunction in the AWD system.
  • soe7soe7 Member Posts: 2
    Given the condition, an average from KBB, Edmunds, and NADA puts it around $4800 for trade-in so I guess I'd be breaking even, but then I'd be buying another used Subaru which I'd have to finance. I'd probably look at getting a 2005-6 with less than 60k on it which might cost be around $11k. I can't sell it privately because the finance company has the title and I can't afford to pay it off so I can get the title and then sell it.
  • markk1markk1 Member Posts: 30
    A couple of days ago we had torrential downpours here is upstate NY. On my home from work I encountered a deep puddle, maybe just below the bottom of the car door on my 2000 Outback. Some cars turned around some went through it. I figured with the high ground clearance I would have no problem I went through it ok, but then started having what i believe were transmission problems. Basically at low speeds it felt like i were popping the clutch (but the car is an automatic), it seemed like the clutch (if there is one in an automatic) was slipping and then catching both on acceleration and deceleration, once I got above 10-15mph everything seemed ok. The symptoms have slowly gone away over the next day or two. Any idea what happened? is this a sign of future trouble? The car has 125k on it, but the original transmission was replaced at 75k
  • bigblueoxbigblueox Member Posts: 1
    I have the 2.5 DOHC the timing is off and my book does not tell me how to reset or retime the belt. From scratch how do I reset the timing and install a new belt?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Check the condition of the ATF at the yellow dipstick on the trans tunnel. I wonder if it got contaminated? The water could have evaporated later.

    For the other issue I'd search on Scooby Mods.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    You're talking about two different things here....one is ignition timing and the other is engine timing. Which timing do you think is off, and why?
  • newsbrcarsnewsbrcars Member Posts: 1
    What a sexy finger-tip! She moves her fingers over the body.
    Youtube - SUBARU OUTBACK 2009
    :shades: :lemon:
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    OK, that's just ... strange.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Bizarre marketing for a Subaru. Do they think they are going to sell them to power-shoppers who drive Lexus RXs?

    We'd have to do a poll to see if most Subaru owners who "name" their cars choose masculine names. If mostly feminine, Subaru is in deep trouble here with this ad. :P
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    That's a Japanese commerical, as it uses a JDM car and there is some Japanese lettering in it somwhere.

    Bob
  • melevinemelevine Member Posts: 1
    I have babied my car for the past 31/2 years and love it. I have 46K miles on it now (keep up on all service, keep it clean, tight, polished, change oil ~every 3500m, rotate/balance tires 3-4000m, do alignment at same time as I have lifetime plan which I got a great deal on years back, new tires put on 6000 miles ago...love them!). Just found out that "they" never changed the cabin air filter (was not given a good reason why they hadn't).....so I want to do that now.....I moved recently from CO to CA and live almost 100 miles from closest Subaru dealer. Do you think that I should attempt to change this filter myself? Is access going to be difficult and do I run the risk of "loosening" up some dashboard parts that will ruin my quiet/tight interior?

    Still on my original brakes......realistically how much longer can I expect them to last....and how much (range) should I expect to have to pay for brake replacement?

    Thanks in advance...
    Mike
  • lilengineerboylilengineerboy Member Posts: 4,116
    So for excrement and giggles, the Subie decided to simultaneously lose both front low beams last night. That led to a drive home annoying everyone on the freeway with the high beams on (I would rather people see me and be pissed than not see me and crush me like a lil bug).
    That said, it seems weird that they would both go at exactly the same time. The 15 amp underhood fuses look fine, the relays give no indication of failure, and I don't know what else to check. I think I need two new bulbs. I am open to suggestions!
    It also looks I have to pull the battery and the air intake thing to get to the right and left bulbs. Any other suggestions or BTDT?
    Thanks.

    EDIT: 7.5 amp fuses on the inside fuse box were fine too
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    1. Remove the instrument panel side cover.
    2.Remove the clip and damper (string).
    3. Remove the A/C filter.
    4. Install in the reverse order of removal.

    Visiting Host
  • saedavesaedave Member Posts: 694
    Both at the same time sounds like a possible loose wire. What can you get at with a voltmeter to trace? Is there a high/low beam relay ? Tapping on a stuck relay (if any) won't hurt. Had you flashed your lights before the failure?
  • lilengineerboylilengineerboy Member Posts: 4,116
    Both at the same time sounds like a possible loose wire. What can you get at with a voltmeter to trace? Is there a high/low beam relay ? Tapping on a stuck relay (if any) won't hurt. Had you flashed your lights before the failure?

    It was apparently the bulbs. I checked fuses and relays, then checked for voltage at the lamp. Then I replaced both bulbs and I have normal functionality again. I think that maybe one of the lights died earlier and we just didn't notice and then the second bulb croaked last night.

    All in all, it was about 45 minutes to pull the battery, clean it, check it, etc, R&I the bulb on the d/s, put the battery back in, pull the air intake, R&I the bulb on that side, and put the air intake back in.

    The car seems happy and as an added bonus, cleaning the battery seemed to solve an intermittent radio flicker issue.
  • mpansare1mpansare1 Member Posts: 29
    Is there any difference in the automatic 4-speed tranny gear ratios between a 2006 Legacy wagon (special edition) and the 2009 Legacy limited sedan? I just traded my '06 in last weekend for a sweet deal on an '09. The new '09 takes off like a bullet compared to the '06, which was quite sluggish. I don't remember ever getting the kind of throttle response I'm getting on the '09 (which is nice!!). Did I have a throttle body issue on the '06 which I never recognized? Also, is there a change in engine mounts on the '09 (are they fluid filled)? The '09 engine does not exhibit any vibration and is very smooth over the entire power band. The '06 used to vibrate a little on idle, and was also rough during takeoff. Before you ask - I do not 'lead foot' the new car, nor did I lead foot the old wagon. The old wagon was very well maintained. Comments appreciated.... :)

    Also.....does anyone have a link or 'cheap' version of the 2009 Legacy shop manual? 05-08 available on ebay, but 09 nowhere to be found...TIA!!!
  • rocelprocelp Member Posts: 1
    My sun visor keeps falling down (drivers side). I looked at it and saw that the visor is not engaged to the left clip at all. I keep pushing it in the hole but it's not clipping inside. Should I use some type of substance inside the visor's hole to keep the visor engaged? I've been using velcro but sometimes it drops down anyway and cannot use the visor on the up windshield position. Pls. help. I don't want to pay $40 on ebay.
  • gjksngjksn Member Posts: 35
    I took my car in Saturday for an oil change and also because I was noticing that the front wheels were "binding up" when I had the steering wheel at full lock for maneuvers like parking. The service people noticed it too and said they'd have to tear down the (manual) transmission ($690 but 98% sure it's covered by the last month of my Subaru Gold extended warranty) to get at a differential. It's a 2003 Subaru Legacy wagon with 51,400 miles on it. I bought the lifetime oil change service ($300 well spent) when I purchased the car, so it has always been babied and serviced only by the dealer, Bloomington Subaru. Right now, I'm in a 2009 Outback loaner with an automatic which reminds me why I bought a manual. Can anybody explain to a mechanically challenged person what might be going in layman's language? Or why this might be happening? I'd be appreciative.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Basically it sounds like your viscous coupling in the differential might be the problem. When a car turns, the two front wheels enter the turn at different speeds, so the coupling has to slip to allow this. If it holds both axles tight, you'll get this binding, since the two front wheels cannot possibly turn at the same speed and be "locked" while in a turn. Subaru AWD systems are something like 80% front wheel drive.

    Subaru AWD systems are prone to this type of failure from time to time. It's certainly not unheard of in an Outback, but usually happens much further down the time line.
  • gjksngjksn Member Posts: 35
    Thank you so much for your reply. Sounds expensive. I assume the $690 is for the transmission teardown, but it's sounding like a much more expensive proposition than just that. Any idea of what range of prices might be reasonably expected for a repair like this? The spoiled brat part of me thinks, "Woo hoo, time to trade in for a new one while this one is still worth something." The part of me that writes the checks thinks, "I have a seven year old Subaru with only 51,400 miles. It should be good for a few more years." So much for the Three Faces of Eve. ;)
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well the viscous coupler, if that's the problem, is not serviceable as far as I know, so that's about $500. Then we have about 2 hours to swap that out and get the diff all back together, and then we have labor to R&R the transmission itself, which is what...?....another 6 hours (I think). So yeah, we gotta be looking at $1500 bucks here....and of course, "while we're in there" we'd want to look at the clutch.
  • jogaohesjogaohes Member Posts: 5
  • jogaohesjogaohes Member Posts: 5
    I am currently having all sorts of problems with my outback. To be up front, it has 104,000 miles on it. ( I work in the trades, got to go where the work is...) I have a brake light that comes on occationally for no apparent reason, then it switches to the engine light with a flashing cruise light, then nothing at all for a while. But the biggest problem I am having is with the ignition. I went camping with my family, and one evening, my son left the rear door light on. Then the alarm was triggered. We shut that off and reset it via directions in the manual. Then we couldn't start it. battery was fine, we tried to jump it just in case.

    However, we could push start it.

    We got it home with no issues until we turned the car off. All we got was clicking. This is what we know. Not an alternator problem, not a starter problem, not a battery problem. There is current available to start the car, .my husband, an electrician, was able to manually start the car by bypassing the ignition system, and then trace the circuit to the plug that goes into the starter from the firewall. he fixed what may have been a loose connection, but got no readings anyway. This has to be something between the plug and the ignition that is causing the circuit to be broken. This is what we know, what we don't know is what might be between those two points that is disrupting the flow. Any help will be greatly appreciated!
  • gjksngjksn Member Posts: 35
    Thanks Mr. Shiftright. I got the car back last night, and the service advisor at Bloomington Subaru told me they had replaced that viscous coupler (differential?) and that my Subaru Gold warranty had paid for everything and saved me $1300 or so, meaning it almost paid for itself. It was just slightly less than your estimate, so thank you again for the good information. Much appreciated. I'll have to give them a call to find out if whoever worked on it remembers anything about the clutch. Speaking of that, it's nice to be back to a manual transmission, although the 2009 automatic Outback loaner was very nice -- and appreciated. I'm just a geezer who's had manuals for 40 years.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Sweet, score one for Subaru Gold.

    I had one on my 02 and may still get one for my 09.
  • ths258ths258 Member Posts: 10
    Please do keep us posted if you find a good deal on that Subaru Gold policy.
  • bigdadi118bigdadi118 Member Posts: 1,207
    From quotes I received from dealers, Basic and Gold+ price is add 200 to 300 on top of 50% of suggested price.
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 16,788
    Well, the wires from the ignition undoubtedly go to the ECU before going to the starter. Do you only get the "clicking sound" when you try to start it, or does it click all the time, any time the key is in the ignition, etc? Also, is it a repetitive clicking or a single click?
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100, 1976 Ford F250
  • jogaohesjogaohes Member Posts: 5
    I get the clicking sound only when I turn the key to start it. it is repetative and in quick succession.
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 16,788
    I know you checked the connections to the starter, but....

    I suspect that the clicking sound you hear is the starter solenoid, but it is not getting enough current to engage the starter. I had this problem once with my '96 Outback, and it turned out to be a bad ground connection. There were two points where the grounding cable was mounted... one between the cable and a bracket, and a second between the bracket and the starter + engine block. The second point I mentioned was just *slightly* loose/dirty. I pulled the bolt out, cleaned the contact points, and reassembled. I never had a problem with it again.
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100, 1976 Ford F250
  • jogaohesjogaohes Member Posts: 5
    Oh, and the clicking only lasts for about 5 seconds. And for those of us that are completely car ignorant, what is the ECU and where is it? His knowledge is based on International Scouts...
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 16,788
    ECU is "Engine Control Unit." I am not exactly sure where it is located in a Subaru, but I'm pretty sure it is inside the fire wall either mid-cabin or toward the passenger side.
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100, 1976 Ford F250
  • jogaohesjogaohes Member Posts: 5
    Here is my husband... I can put a cheeter wire from the starter activation tab (forgot the name of the contact point) and tap it onto the + battery terminal and it will start and run, every time. the starter, solenoid, clutch engagement safety switch, battery and primary battery cables are good. I am getting nothing from the wire that is supposed to go to the starter activation tab. I have most the dash pieces removed now, but the wiring harness is very concealed. I believe there is a bad piece or connection between the ignition switch and the activation point on the starter. either some kind of faulty relay, fuseable link, connection, or other. Brian Lee
  • hammerheadhammerhead Member Posts: 907
    I assume the same thing can happen in the rear diff as well?
    Seems I have the same sort of binding problem, but it feels like its in the back end, not the front.

    Cheers!
    Paul
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    that could be just a normal differential problem.
  • hammerheadhammerhead Member Posts: 907
    I can only hope :confuse:
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    spider gears? same principle though....the differential has to allow one wheel to turn at a different speed than the other while the car is making a turn.
  • jonharpurjonharpur Member Posts: 1
    My first guess would be it's the triggering of the alarm which may be to blame for the car-not-starting behaviour - something to do with anti theft stuff? Try resetting the alarm again and see where that gets you. Just a suggestion.
  • grahampetersgrahampeters Member Posts: 1,786
    G'day

    Sounds like something to do with the alarm activation. I had a Mercedes years ago that was fitted with an after market alarm which interlinked to ignition system, but factory fitted engine immobilizer. If both alarm and immobilizer were in synchronization, everything was sweet. However, for some reason, they got out of sync. and I had power to starter, but not to engine, or other way around.

    In present case, it sounds like you have power to the starter solenoid and ignition, but not to starter.

    It may be worth entirely disconnecting ECU, which is usually under the dash area somewhere. (there is a multi point plug going into it that unclamps. Leave it disconnected for a while so volatile memory clears, then reconnect.

    Cheers

    Graham
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    First off hi to the Crew. Long time...

    My 2001 Legacy ran rather hot recently. Driving up a long grade with a full load of camping gear and 2 adults the temp gauge began to rise above "normal". Almost got up to the red area but not all the way to "hot". I was in 4th and turning 4+k and the outside air temp was 90. Never had this happen before that I have noticed. Shifting to 5th and the hitting the summit the temp dropped right back down. The whole incident was only maybe 30 or so seconds. No noticeable loss of water over the 300 mile trip.

    I know about the head-gasket issues and have added the Subaru cooling additive with yearly flush and fills.

    Any thoughts? I just passed 100k on this trip.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    You might as well have the head gaskets tested. You're right at the mileage when it happens and you have the engine it happens on. Once you've eliminated that, you can then address more common problems with overheating----but if you do it the other way, you might end up spending all kinds of money on radiators, water pumps, thermostats, coolant, cooling fans, etc., only to find out that it was the head gasket all along.

    The head gaskets are by no means inevitable. You could just have a clogged radiator or defective cooling fan. Generally, high speed overheats are coolant circulation issues, not air circulation issues.

    Visiting Host
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    What's up bit? Long time indeed. Good to see you again.

    My 93 Miata started behaving like that and it was a bad t-stat. It got gradually worse until I fixed it.

    Do a compression test, though, to see if the head gaskets are OK. Better to find out now before you have warped heads.
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    Thanks for the info guys!

    Is there any warranty coverage if I have been doing the coolant treatment per Subaru?
  • frandsenfrandsen Member Posts: 3
    I had a Subaru that overheated some time ago. I tried washing the radiator with a garden hose and I was amazed at the amount of fine sand and dirt that came out. Once the fins were clean, I had no further problem. Yoiu might try it, it's a no cost item and at the very least, you will have a better functioning radiator.
    Dave
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    No but they will sell you an improved head gasket so that it won't happen again.

    Visiting host
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Not on an 01 model, that's gotta be 8-9 years old by now, and I think coverage was 7/100 or something like that.
  • grahampetersgrahampeters Member Posts: 1,786
    G'day

    Washing the fins backward (ie from engine bay spraying through toward front of car) can clear a surprising amount of junk out. We get occasional insect plagues, especially plague locusts which clog a radiator rapidly. You will occasionally see flywire screening wrapped around the radiator in country areas, to reduce impact

    Cheers

    Graham
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    Dealer did visual inspection and found a leak on the driver's side. Tested coolant and found hydrocarbons.

    I guess I don't need a compression test and will just bite it and do the head gaskets.

    $1,400.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    AH, too bad. Welcome to the Subaru :P HG club. I'm a member! I hate to bring this up, but you might want to replace the radiator right now, too.
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    Radiator? Really?

    Luckily I already did timing belt and water pump.

    How is the price I am getting? $1,400 for head gaskets new thermostat and hoses.

    I love this car. Perfect for long road trips like the 6k round trip to Florida we are taking in November.
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