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Comments
Cheers!
Paul
The marks are the belt are shifted to the right by one tooth from the marks on the sprockets. I am going to check it again when there is more light. I will mark the belt then align the marks according to the service manual. Then run the engine.
Basically in a turn while on the throttle, you could get the rear end to break loose. But when it did, power shifts to the front axle and it pulls you out of the skid.
It was amazingly controllable, and repeatable. Just stay in the throttle, smoothly.
If you get REAL good at it, you can then slide the tail out in the other direction, and catch that skid, too.
Disclaimer: this was done in an empty parking lot. Make sure it's really empty!
http://www.subarupartsforyou.com/cp_partlistbymod.php?model=Outback&subcat=Cargo- +Curtain%2C+Rear+Privacy&year=2000
Oh, sorry about that. If that is the case, then is it really an interference design? The 2.2L DOHC was non-interference while the 2.5L DOHC was interference. SOHC means the valves cannot possibly interfere with each other. It would surprise me if they made the engine with the piston interfering with the valves a possibility. The 2.5L DOHC's pistons did not interfere with the valves, though the valves (intake and exhaust) would interfere with each other. In fact, the pistons actually had divots in them that matched the angle of the valves. I played around with them when I had the engine out of the car the second time (the one photographed on my web page), and even with the intake or exhaust valves fully open, the pistons did not experience any added resistance.
Anyway, you posted that you had it opened up and it looks like the timing might be off a tooth, so continue to let us know how it goes.
Put everything back together which took a little work. Everytime I put the idler in or the tensioner, the belt would jump it marks. Then I got smart I would put a c-clamp on both cam sprocket and a spring clamp on the crank sprocket just to hold it in place. Once everything was back and no extra parts, I started it up. It ran as before. It seems different but still misses during idle. Next is the compression test and while I am at it replace the plugs, I think they were due anyway.
In normal driving conditions with no slippage you have 50/50 torque split, however it works similar to a limited slip diffy, in that if there is an axle set spinning faster (front or rear) than the other one, it takes power away from that axle and puts it toward the other axle, until it gets to a 50/50 split. This is done via a viscous coupling internal to the transmission. On the ATs its an 80/20 split and uses clutches/electronic sensors in the transmission to move power toward the rear if one axle is slipping more than the other.
Each system has advantages and disadvantages. MT advantage is that it has more power to the rear than the ATs initially so it is less likely to loose grip. The AT has the advantage that it can shift 80% power to the rear if need be and is slightly quicker than the viscous MTs.
-mike
It seems that way. Apparently the most recent break down was due to a loose harness that the dealer did not install properly after replacing the ECU. The tightened up the connection and drove the car 200 miles with no issues. I picked it up yesterday and got a call today from Subaru of America. They are going to upgrade the car's warranty to the Gold Standard package with 100,000 mile - 6 year warranty.
Hopefully the warranty won't be needed but its good to see that they are willing to stand by their car.
There were 220,000 miles on my 1996 Outback and it broke down exactly one time, at 199,000 miles. The problem was my fault though (forgot to torque down a bolt when performing maintenance 7500 miles earlier) and no harm came of the stranding, so once I had fixed the error and put the car in working order, my family remained confident that the car would get us there and back. Confidence in me, however, may have waned. I am not sure how my wife keeps enough faith in me to let me do anything after 8 years of witnessing my recurring follies!
If I replace the spark plugs, how do I adjust the timing?
On my previous car, I would turn the distributor ever so slightly.
My mileage is still sitting around 25mpg with the problem.
(where's a driving course when you need one? ;-) )
The sales rep (then me) did a demo where left side of outback was on asphalt, right side on gravel, and floored it. Car took off in straight line w/ no weaving. When he slammed on brakes, all wheels on the road, the car simply slowed down without wheels chattering __or__ ABS sounding like it was trying to pound itself thru the firewall.
I wonder how good those Bridgestone 92A's really are (Tire Rack ratings weren't very good), and if I should ditch them for something "better" a few months later...
Wishing you happy motorings from here on
-Dave
Your brake fluid is low, but you SHOULD NOT TOP OFF. It generally means that your pads are low (and thus more fluid is being pushed into the calipers) and you should have your brake pads replaced, and at the very least checked. We specialize in brakes at my shop, racing and otherwise, and 99% of the time, when we see the brake light on it's time for pads.
-mike
A dealer will charge probably $500-600 for pads all around.
An indy shop will probably charge $350-400 for pads all around.
If you buy the parts yourself it will likely cost around $75 if you do it yourself.
Also you may want to get new front rotors as most subies need them around 90k in the front.
-mike
Holding tongue.... Significant amounts of stop-&-go driving can wear pads out pretty quick.
If you were up for an hour of fun, you could easily replace the pads yourself. You might also have your tires rotated and the pad levels checked to find out if they really need it. If they do not, where did your fluid go?
I took compression readings and here are the numbers. For cylinders 1-4: 165, 190+, 120(did not hold), and 210. It seems the number 3 has a bad valve and I do not know what to make of number 1. Any thoughts on the readings?
It me two hours at 38 degrees F with winds at 30 mph to take the readings in put in new plugs. So much fun this time of year doing the work in my driveway. But with that said, I look forward to taking the head off and getting the valve replaced. And then it will run like it did from the factory {smile}.
2 and 4 are on the same side, as are 1 and 3. If there is a problem with the compression on 1, it should be addressed while the head is off. The compression on my car netted anywhere from (I think it was) 156 to 205 PSI, but I could not tell you which was which at this point. I never did another compression test after replacing the head gaskets.
Holding tongue.... Significant amounts of stop-&-go driving can wear pads out pretty quick.
Yes some folks on here like you take 100k to burn up pads, or like me who go through em in 10-12k miles I think we fall outside the bell curve though.
-mike
Now, I am toying with the idea of trying to find a U-Pull-It yard and getting a head assembly there. That way I can pop the bad one off and put the replacement in without waiting for a shop to rework it. I might not have to do anything with it. What do you guys think?
Oh, by the way, I'm not much for cold weather even though I live in the northeast. But you are in Alaska, I take my hat off to you.
Hope so, that would certainly be cheaper to fix.
But it would be some coincidence that the gasket went at the sametime as the pulley.
I almost feel like you should take a wait-and-see approach, based on what you find when you get that head off there. If time is a critical factor here (you need the car to get you to work, etc), you could always hunt around and find a place with a used head before you tear the car down again, then purchase it later if you determine that to be the best course of action.
I don't know if you saw the compression readings I took. Cylinders 1-4 respectively: 165, 190+, 120(did not hold), and 210. I was told that it might be a head gasket. But that would mean the gasket failed just before or during the repair of the timing belt pulley failure.
The only way to know is to pull the head then put a new one in. Or, I would either have to have a used one on hand or have the bad one reworked if it is a valve. I could take a chance with the U-Pull-it until the bad one is repaired. If the U-Pull-it is good I won't have to repair the bad one. If the U-Pull is not true I would most likely be in the same place I am in now. A. J. says it might be a head gasket since cylinder one read 165 with a little bit of bleed off and cylinder three read 120 and did not hold pressure at all. Two and four were well over 190. My options: One; I have to find out how much U-Pull wants for the part. Two; do I want to spend two hours in a salvage yard in 30+ degree weather removing the part.
As before, I welcome any comments/suggestions and thank everyone for their input.
Sincerely - Phil
I'd consider the H6 variant but apparently it has even less low end torque than the Turbo does!
Or do we have to wait until the Outback redesign in '10 to see an improvement like that seen in the '08 Impreza WRX ?
I took the car back to the dealer and they agreed that the A\C was weak. They said they drove another '08 and the A\C behaved the same. They said the '07 was better, and surmised the '08 has a revised A\C system to maximize MPG. Of course this was months ago, but I wondered if the time that has past it had become "a known problem".
Maybe related, I have a soft whistle that has me puzzled. I only get the sound from 35 MPH to 70 MPH. The sound reminds me of what an turbo or A\C compressor would give off. I wonder if the heating system is doing something based on the load on the engine.
Having said that, Subaru A/C is well known to be junky. A lot of people find it inadequate. My Forester barely copes with 90+ degree weather. So did my older Legacy, although it was a bit better. Too much cycling on and off.
Also, to make sure the dealer is not blowing smoke about all 08's having weak A/C, I would suggest test driving another 08, just like yours, yourself. But, you will have to wait until summer.
Any DC/MD/VA area folks or other southerners who can talk to the issue of how Subaru A/C performs in hot, humid weather?
Thanks,
Jon
-mike
The problem is a small "Banjo Bolt" that contains a filter. This bolt is responsible for filtering the oil going to the Turbo.
big surprise.... :surprise:
-mike
Reference service bulletin TSB 02-97-05 AVCS Union Screw Filter Removal. This applies only to 2004 Turbo Forester XT. Later models don't have these filters anymore.
Look on scoobymods for more info.
part of the doc text follows:
"Turns out that there is an oil filter screen built into the factory oil feed banjo bolt at the cylinder head, and Subaru wants it either serviced regularly or removed completely in order to avoid turbocharger oil starvation and failure. The Subaru Service Technicians (from dealerships) we interviewed on this subject reported recurring turbocharger failures even on completely stock 2.5 WRX, STi, Forrester and Baja vehicles due to this problem, prompting an Official Subaru Service Bulletin in October 2007.
................
This turbo screen is not to be confused with the screen that filters the oil for the AVCS valve which does not affect turbo oil supply since it is after the "tee" that splits off the oil supply line to the turbo."
forcedinduction.net
so should I get a subie with turbo, I'll keep that, as well as using synthetic oil, fully in mind.
A) Poor maintenance (10k oil changes w/non-synthetic)
Poorly done upgrades (higher boost levels, ECU upgrades w/o proper supporting upgrades, etc)
On stockers taken care of properly I haven't seen any failures. If you drive it hard you should be doing 3k-4k oil changes anyway. If you drive it like a little old lady to church on sunday then 7k is probably ok, but who buys a turbo to drive like a little old lady?
-mike
The maddening thing about this, is that it is very sporadic. It happens usually when engine is hot.
Anyone have any suggestions? These are the things that I have tried:
Changed plugs and cables
Changed fuel filter (2x's)
Any suggestions would be great! Thanks
Hope this helps.
It's not so much the cooling capacity, which is actually fine, it's the temperature controls and especially the defrost.
People don't like that the auto climate control takes control away from them basically. Also, the temp sensor aren't always consistent.
Is this fact or fiction? Is it more acute with Turbos? That's the last thing I need when driving in heavy traffic.
FYI, My Malibu Maxx also uses throttle by wire, and has no hesitation issues.
Intuitively, I doubt it would be any different for the turbo versions save for the added power punch when the turbo itself kicks in, making it feel like there is some extended lag even if there is not.
-mike