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If you wanted to file a complaint with NHTSA, use this link:
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm
If they see a pattern of lots of people having the same problem, they could force a recall.
Some years ago, one of the oil change shops cut a hole in it. And since then it has been falling apart.
The optional front and back guards do a similar thing, but are made out of either steel or aluminum depending on who the supplier is.
Briefly back to timing, I am assuming all of the idlers and water pump have been changed at least once. If not, and still good, they need to be. That timing belt has a 105K service interval. Might want to save some money later! 1st change, belt and seals. 2nd one everything in front goes.
Second thought. I have seen the coils, aka ignitors have cracks on the intake manifold side on them in junk yard units as low as 100K. I recall taking electrical resistance readings to be iffy in determining go, no go. I recall being able to read secondary, but primary readings for some reason read infinite on an operating unit. They are driven by the ECU.
Your thinking on ECU seems sound from what I can see. Do you have a professional grade wiring diagram? Too many times in a Chilton's/Haynes have very limited or poor diagrams. Mitchell maybe at the library or All data on the web? The dirty dealer just might have a book up for sale still. If they do, and you plan to keep this car, get it! We have one on the 300K mazda 323. Has been handy a few times already. It has been worth the $50 for a few pages already!
There must be something ahead supplying power to the ECU. Many leads to sort out. I would resolve this question first before I spent any money on the ECU. Which makes a good wiring diagram a must. I have seen fuse holders get weak and intermitant in high mileage units. Connectors fail in fuse boxes. Anywhere there is a mechanical connection there is potential for failure after a lot of miles.
Good information seems to be your biggest service problem at this point.
After you re-establish power to ECU and have no spark still, you have 2 options, change the coil out with a known good unit, or try to take a signal from the ECU with a good fast oscilloscope.
keep me posted, you, I and 1 other out on Edmunds here are running these higher miles!
If all else fails, there is a guy in Zachary, LA that repairs ECU's for a living. Know of him, but have not had to use him yet and hope to keep it that way!
Power steering fluid levels are okay.
Thanks for your help.
But something probably blew the fuse. I would certainly carry a spare. Does the fuel pump have a separate concatenated fuse in addition to the one that blew?
Are there any signs of frayed insulation on wires that are near metal?
While a fuse can fail on its own, it is quite unusual.
There is also another sensor on one or both of the camshafts. Be careful around them. They not cheap, $50 and up to priceless depending on year make and model. Priceless meaning if one can be found!
Reminds me of an old tv I worked on years ago. Hard headed back then. Learned a lot as well. Screen kept going red every so often. Had the problem down to one circuit, but could not isolate the component. Must have spent 120 hours looking for it. Finally ripped the entire circuit putting in new parts one by one. Pulled one power resistor. On the back side, there it was, a small crack in the housing causing that thing to open up when it got hot enough. These "now you see it, now you don't's" will drive any good tech nuts. But a lot of good ole sleuthing over time and a few cold ones will always crack the case. Then again, I learned to finally trash a few sets back then! It just comes to a point of no return. Guess I turned to cars at that point where you can rip out the entire assembly and let someone else deal with it! Thank you A1 Cardone!
Next tip for any one else following this post, mark your info that there is a failure possibility in that fuse panel. Will make your life easier when you see this come up!
Getting ready to drop a lot of $$$$ on a new Toyota. Guess it is time to pay up after the last one, still here at almost 24 years. Something about parts availabilty!
Happy 4th!
I am aware of one guy blowing a tranny. Had to get a new one from the dealer. If $ 4-5K is not a bank break for you, have fun! If it is, behave.
All the Japanese girls I have dealt with during the years can give you grief right back if you give them too much hell. So I go easy on mine, until I really need her.
Recently, while on LSU campus doing the speed limit, we got hit by a guy. Road rage. He ran in a late model GMC, we got most of the license plate. He had almost a whole block head start on me, when I realized he was not going to a parking lot to exchange info. At 240K, a 2.2 liter woke up and gave him hell to get those digits. He had to really get too dangerous crazy for me to break pursuit after 5 city blocks. I was not going to be the cause another accident, so we ceased. I doubt he will ever pick on another Subaru after that!
JUnk yard sheet metal, grille and headlamps went for $100, bumper for another $40. still need a little paint. I doubt he will get by that cheap either when his gets fixed paying for late model parts, not to mention if they catch him, he has a felony charge to face.
Why do I tell you this. Most traffic does not really need for you to get crazy. if you do, it will cost you somehow. A wise person uses the power they have carefully and knows when to use it. As for these American truck drivers who think they own the road, they better think again. One hard side hit into them with a 3000 pound car in a t bone, they are going to get rolled! See it everytime!
Oh, if you have been reading, those of us who do behave are pushing way up to 300K so far in this forum. One trick is to keep those rpm's low!
Can I lower the sensor? I will check with Subaru for a replacement.
If you are still questioning signal pickup here, get a scope if you know how to use one and check it for signal.
Timing off a tooth, on a crank, on cam? late or early? Not going to cause a misfire with that. Just like the old carb systems, you will see the problems in lack of performance. It will either run, lousy or not at all. Assuming no valves dancing on piston tops! One tooth will not do that.... usually.
Shiny spot on tooth, it has too be clear that it has been hitting something? If so, it would have marks on it, what? Most dealers are totally lost before 200K in service. rare they see units with that kind of miles. The local dealer here gets info from me on those! Check the dealer exploded view to see if there is a missing spacer between gear and pump. I doubt there is one.
Dang memory, trying to remember this car. Is this the same one with the compression readings that are uneven? Once in a blue moon misfire code? If so, pull that coil and check the underside of it for flash marks. If possible, try substituting it with another one with a known performance. Aging spark plugs go up in resistance which would aggravate a flash over problem on any coil. I had a weird occasional misfire on a 86 Toyota Tercel that drove me nuts a while back. Turned out to be a flash over problem on the coil on the back side of it. New coil made her purr nicely after that.
If this is the same car, a valve would only have to hang up once in a blue moon to throw that stupid code out again. I have one in the fleet right now, a 97 that tosses a code once in a blue moon. It will slowly get worse, that is when I will deal with it. No sense chasing something until it really comes to a head. Monitor it, watch it to see what it is doing. When it gets bad enough, you have enough info to nail the problem. We call it a watch status. Not uncommon for the higher mileage units to have a couple of them at any given time.
Just the nature of the mechanical beast as OBD II tries to make something old be perfect all of the time. Not realistic.
Not sure what this part above meant. BUT, An after thought came up, the timing belt hydraulic tensioners do become a problem after 2 belt changes or 210K miles. That could cause some slack in the timing belt. Which could create a fluctuation in operation. Doubt it to be enough to cause a code to toss out. But who knows? Just a thought, might be worth something.
I checked the coil pack no flash marks of carbon scaring. Plugs are brand new, swapped cables, problem did not move. Tried Lucas additive, code P0301 still popped up. I do not know where to get a good coil pack to try out.
The crankshaft sprocket has on the back something that looks like a bicycle gear. The tips are shiny, which tells me it was rubbing something. The teeth of the sprocket will be shiny (that is what the belt ride on). I think that the hydraulic tensioner pulley (which showed slight wear) was coming in contact with the gear spokes.
For starters, if that is the original tensioner, at almost 300K, it is past due for tossing knowing the few I have dealt with. Check Rockauto.com for the best price.
Get the gear to compare to a new one at an auto parts store. If it looks different, replace it. Keep the old one for now, tag it: not a confirmed defective part yet. Wish I could physically look at it. Could still have a magnetism problem with it, but I suspect problems from this area to be less likely. Usually it is go/no go.
Now, lets return to the coil. No external flashovers visible. Being a multiple coil pack, I am wondering if it is breaking down internally. If it is original, I highly suspect it to be: Years ago, 100K was doing good. The Toy had 180K, but the misfire problem had been around since 150K. As you gather, you are almost twice that now. Maybe there is a wrecked unit in a junk yard. I am seeing them new available at Rockauto for about $150, ouch. which means people are buying them: does not mean they are failing though. Educated guess, based on working on too many during the years. I would say somewhere between 50- 75% of being right. That low, because Subaru quality has proved me wrong before, but the 2000 if made in USA is also most likely made in USA parts. Reason why the next new car is coming from Japan. This is what I would look at real hard.
Hopefully, but not likely, a valve is sticking from gunk or beginning to burn/warp. This may have to be ruled out over time. Good oil and that valve job a while back should rule that out. Compression readings do not help the problem from way back then. I wonder what those readings are now.
Another thought would be to see if you could lay your hands on a real time code reading system like Autotap.com has. You need to be able to see what else the computer might be able to tell you that is not tossing out a code.
From what I recall, the code comes up within a 100 mile run, which forces it to be dealt with.
Yup, I agree with you about emissions. I am still amused by the rebates placed out there. 86 Toy may run well, but I seriously doubt it would pass an OBD II computer pain in the butt.
I'm leasing an 09 Impreza premium.... Since day one there has been a lot of vibration in the shift knob, even when stopped and idling. Is this normal for the model or is something up?
Thanks in advance
I suspect the clutch assembly or something is out of balance if the engine is running fine. No codes being tossed out? Like a misfire code?
My 2-yr old lab/mix decided it was better than his chew toy.
I chalk it up to the flat-four engine... which isn't the smoothest thing going..
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Also, there is JC Whitney you can google. One of our units has belts from there and they have worked just fine for the past 150K.
Generally this does not happen often, but it does. H-4's are more prone to problems with this especially if someone was sleeping on the job when they were supposed to be balancing! Why? The opposing piston is the counter weight. Where as in another configuation, crankshaft throws and sometimes additional counterweight shafts deal with this problem more. You still have to balance them as needed.
So far, there are 3 Subaru's currently in service that have not had this problem. 1 at 170K, another 215K and the last at 240K. Engine sizes 2.2, 2.5L. Neither have any in the past service/ownership. But when it comes to any engine being assembled, it can happen.
My biggest concern about an engine like this is overall lifespan reduction of the engine and when that heaviest piston begins to toss out a misfire code with the addition of any other varibles that become a problem.
Not sure what you could do to resolve this issue. dealer would probably blow it off as being "normal.' I would not buy that answer, but recourse is hard to prove short of a complete teardown. That is not worth it.
I'll check around at the junkyards and with JC Whitney for the best price.
Just wondering if anyone with an 09 has had the same experience. Will be taking the car to the dealer as soon as I can make an appointment.
Thanks in advance for any information.
Actually, the more irritating thing is the throttle.. It hangs on to revs way too long, making smooth shifts difficult... If you wind it out to 4000-4500 rpms before shifting, then no problem... But, otherwise, it's pretty jerky... There was a TSB, but it made only a minimal improvement to the problem..
I won't be sad to give this car back, next year...
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I have a 2002 Forester S (bought August 2001), auto, 71k miles, original owner. For a while I have been noticing drops of fluid between the front wheels, so today when I had the car at the dealer for an oil change, I asked them to look into it. Apparently the motor needs new head gaskets and is leaking oil. They said since it's not leaking coolant, the repair is not covered by the Subaru 100k warranty for head gaskets. They also want to replace the timing belt, at this time, and the total cost is $1850. The car has been maintained regularly at the dealer, never towed anything, never abused it, and the head gasket problem is known. Is there any way I can get Subaru to cover this, at least partially? Which number should I call?
Daniel
We have been doing that for some time on all of ours and we are pushing 250K on one unit and more than that on another by the end of the year.
Too many dealers do not give it to you straight. Ask questions if in doubt. Get a repair manual and learn how to fix or be ready to pay lots of money for a simple repair job.
Exactly why I like to buy a car and factory manuals, and the dealer never sees it again!
Daniel
Edit - I checked online and it's 105 months or 105k miles, whichever comes first.
The cycling is usually very noticeable in the first 5-10 minutes of driving on hot days, after that, the system should equalize and the cutting out of the compressor will be virtually unnoticeable.
If it keeps doing it on long drives, then have the dealer check it out - could be low charge also.
The car: 04 Forester X, 5-speed manual, 97K miles. I’ve owned the car since new and taken excellent care of it. Except for this, the car has been excellent. The only repairs have been the thermostat and the catalytic converter.
Starting somewhere around 40K, the car started to lurch and buck immediately after filling it up with gas. I found that if I stopped the car and restarted it immediately, the problem went away. This worked for a long time. Eventually, it would only go away once the car was stopped for a long time. I used to regularly overfill the tank a little (must get every drop possible!). But when I stopped doing this and stopped pumping on the first shut off. The problem mostly went away except for the occasional hiccup or two or three as I drove away from the station.
But now it’s bucking and lurching again. Only this time, it seems to happen after I’ve been driving for a while and has nothing to do with fill ups. A few days ago I drove maybe 80 miles – all of them in the city – and toward the end the car started bucking badly. It’s been doing this off and on for a month or so. It seems to get worse in really hot weather. I’m in Tucson, AZ.
Other times it just feels like I'm constantly letting my foot off the gas abruptly. But .I took it on a 150-mile drive on the highway earlier this week and it didn't do it all. Basically, I’ve tried really hard to pin down when the symptoms occur most, but they just seem really random.
I think I've got a good dealer, but they can never replicate the problem, which I can I believe because it's pretty random. We're leaving on a 3,000-mile round trip road trip this week, although, as I mentioned, the problem doesn’t seem to happen on the highway nearly as much, I’d like to get this addressed before we leave, if possible.
No CEL.
Possible ideas I’ve gotten from other forums, include: fuel filter, coil pack, charcoal canister, vacuum leak.
Any ideas?
Thank you.
I took the car into the dealer last night and went on a test drive with the technician who was able to confirm the issue. The tech checked the A/C temp on the coldest setting and the digital thermometer read 48 deg. and then the compressor shut-off. Once the air temp reached 52 deg. the compressor turned back on.
The tech said the coldest A/C setting should be below 40 deg so the next step is to hook the car up to his A/C test machine and check the system pressures. Of course his A/C machine was being serviced so I had to make another appointment.
The tech figures the cycling may be caused by low freon in the system which I don't understand since the car only has 1,000 miles on it to date.
What a pain....
Now, why did my 2006 Forester, auto, just 21K miles, turn its tranny fluid into nasty yellowed glob so quickly?
Tech did completed testing and diagnosis, found no code in memory...even did road test for 43 miles...found nothing
One possibility and cheap to fix is that you might have gotten some fuel with water in it. Put in a can of fuel line de-icer in the tank. Won't hurt and cheap fix if water is the problem.
Jim
I hope someone out there may have some insight into the problem I am experiencing with my 2006 Legacy SE.
I recently had my compressor replaced. Since then, I have had problems with the cooling fan. Apparently, the A/C won't go on unless the cooling fan goes on. When I first start driving, this is never a problem. However, if I start going slowly (like in stop & go traffic) or idling, the A/C and the fan (not sure which comes first - like the chicken or the egg) shut off.
The problem, aside from the lack of A/C, is that the cooling fan is no longer cooling the engine and my car starts to overheat. The problem solves itself once I start going faster again - the A/C (and the fan presumably) come back on and the temperature gauge returns to normal. However, if I am in slow moving traffic for more than a few minutes, I need to pull over and let the engine cool off.
Any ideas what is causing this and how to solve it?
- Fuel filter-- used to be a very easy-to-reach silver canister under the hood, don't know about your 2004
- Fuel injectors - buy a bottle of Chevron fuel injector cleaner, Techron is the best product on the market
- Ignition: changing plugs is a relatively easy DIY job, ignition coil(s) are on top of the intake manifold, plug wires are easy to change as well.
- Fuel pump -- it's in the tank and possible to change yourself, but by this point you probably want/need a mechanic to be involved.
After all that's done, you've either fixed it or you've created a very short of list of what else could possibly be wrong.
Evaporative systems will cause a check engine light (P0452 & P0453) but I don't think they can cause any driveability problems.. that I know of.
Hope this helps,
~Colin
The first thing to check would be that the fans are actually plugged in. There are two fans behind the radiator and they have wiring plugs on the lower side. If you have a slim build, you *might* be able to slide under your Legacy for a look. (Put a piece of cardboard on the ground first.) Otherwise, you will have to jack up the front of the car or use ramps.
~Colin
P.S. I am actually pained to admit that I once forgot to plug in the fans after working on my '99 Impreza RS. If you are overheating enough to have the car pulled over, that's not good. From my personal experience, it didn't seem like the all-alloy Subaru motor was too durable for stuff like that.
If the main radiator fans come on at all, ever, then it could be a sensor, relay, loose / burnt wiring, etc. But it would really strange.
~Colin