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My car is outdoors year-round.
Does starting and revving the engine (raised output voltage) help it to work? How warm does the car have to get before it starts working again? Willing to take off the door panels yourself to investigate?
I took it in for warranty repair a couple of weeks ago, and the shop said that they were "frozen," and worked fine once the car had warmed up indoors for a couple hours. I was skeptical, so I watched them like a hawk for a few days after we took the car back, and so far they work just fine.
My cars also live outside, in Fairbanks, AK, so locks that don't work in cold weather are not acceptable to me. This was, however, the first time I had ever had a problem with any "frozen" locks on any car, so hopefully it was just an unhappy convergence of conditions.
See if you can borrow a garage from a friend for an evening, and open the car up to increase air flow to help it warm faster. Four hours should be enough time to do the trick if that's the problem.
Periodically on the highway, my steering wheel would vibrate/shake. Mostly around 65 mph. Then, it would calm down and be fine. It happened about 4 times in my 30 minute ride on the highway. The tires only have 7000 miles, been rotated and balanced about 1000 miles ago.
Is this wheel bearings? Can I just deal with it for a few months before my next oil change?
Generally, I won't have that problem with my Escort, but I guess the ice just doesn't stick/build up in the same way.
That's where I would start.
if the alternator checks out okay, and if you don't have problems when you disconnect the cable each night, then for sure your issue is a drain.
How to Track Down a Battery Drain Issue
good luck with it!
Or do you have warranty on your battery? Could be faulty if it is only one year old.
Last year I had a wheel bearing changed on the drivers front, I am wondering if the mechanic botched the job and said part is failed and thus making noise (part not loose but is making noise like it did before it was initially changed. I also wonder if my Left front strut is failed, there is oil/greasy dirt/residue from the strut that would indicate to me that it is leaking/failing and has been that way for a while but I've never had an issue with. Any other possibilities? thoughts on what might be wrong?
I've had the front CV axles replaced about 4 years ago, they don't make that clicky sound as when the CV boots are ripped open.
Another contributing factor could be worn ball joints, but if the noise was coming from them directly, I would expect a squeaking sound any time they are dry and warm, not just on turns. Might it be wheel bearings? Yes, though I am reluctant to implicate them if recently replaced. That said, if they were not installed properly, they can fail rather quickly. Wheel bearings deal with an incredible amount of force - it is not a forgiving environment!
Also, can I expect a "jerking" problem with this CVT transmission?
Can I expect any problems with the AWD? I had a 1992 Mitsubishi AWD, and the transfer case had to be repaired every 35,000 miles (a $6500 repair).
Can I expect any other problems?
The salesmand told me the Outback I was looking at was a 5-Speed Automatic with CVT. I thought a CVT had infinite speeds, not just 5. Was the salesman correct?
Personally, i'd go for the 6-speed true manual with the short-throw shifter kit. But that's just me.
Power windows don't get used a whole lot up here in MN. 5 months its too cold and 3 months its too hot for putting the windows down. Most of my commuting is freeway, so the windows tend to stay up the rest of the time too!
The window switches just get harder and harder to push up and down---they move but they don't make contact very well after a while.
Did you know that Subarus get more speeding tickets than any other car? Weird, huh?
It gets the FB engine block. The coolant lines for the head and block are completely separate now.
No coolant will leak from the gaskets no matter what - because the coolant no longer flows through the gasket at all.
Recent gasket improvements all but solved the issue, but with the FB blocks ( now used on the Forester, Impreza, Outback, and Legacy) that chapter is thankfully completely closed. :shades:
The FA block in the BRZ is designed similarly. The EZ36 block is not, IIRC, but it never had many problems in the first place.
Our new 2012 Impreza is the replaceement, and the Outback can go to my daughter who will be learning to drive soon.
Here is the situation where it happens.
I have my car in the driveway. I need to just start it and move it about 2 feet and then will shut it off again. This was Saturday afternoon.
Today, Monday, I go out to start my car for my morning commute. It takes a good 2 minutes to get the car to turn over. I wait, as always, for a bit for the dashboard needles to move over and back before starting. Just like I always do.
My question, is this a common problem with Subies if you start them for a quick move and then shut off again? Does the engine not burn the fuel enough or something? This has happened with all 3 Subarus I have had. Hard starting the next time after a short start.
Does this make sense what I am describing?!
The car always started (with a little extra effort) the second try so I've never really cared or was concerned.
It hasn't happened on my 2012 Impreza yet, but one or two others complained of a "hard start" once.
You had to mention it didn't you. 3 weeks later and its in the shop. Oil and coolant leak from headgasket. So i didn't dodge it, but just avoided it a bit longer than some. 200K miles on the 2001 Outback.
The 2013 or 14 Outback might be the replacement for it in another year or two.
Ah, well...your car has served you admirably well, so it's time for you to reward it.