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Comments
They're trying, but in the end what they're doing is unlikely to resolve it. Hang in there, and I bet eventually you get either a topend rebuild or a whole new motor. Pinging like that is not normal.
the NA 2.5 is the same on an Impreza, Forester or outback/legacy and a different beast to the 2.5 turbo in the WRX
Maybe you did use junk gas. Junk gas would be the brands that do not have the detergent content of the Top Tier:
http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html
The ECU assures the fuel is combusted properly, or it gives a warning light with a diagnostic trouble code. The engine is prevented from pinging by a knock sensor that tells the ECU to retard the ignition. If the knock sensor allowed pinging, that also would bring on the light and a code.
In your driving habits, do you start off easy, with the transmission upshifting sooner than you want which bogs down the acceleration, and then do you apply more throttle to cause a downshift back to the previous gear? The rattling could be the transmission being confused about what it is supposed to do under light acceleration. If so, using more aggressive acceleration might stop the problem.
I drove an 08 Outback auto trans loaner car for the day my car was in the shop (not a turbo model). Car performed *just fine* going up hills, freeway entrance ramps etc. No ping, no sluggishness. As a loaner, that car is probably driven by someone different every day, yet it knew exactly when to shift, when to deliver power. No problems.
If a car can't seem to switch back and forth easily between driving styles, I think there's a design or other problem. Do ALL new cars do this? Why would a manufacturer design a car that won't reliably do what you tell it to do?
There's not a design problem either. There's a specific and uncommon issue with your car. And like I said, I give Subaru and the dealership an "A" for effort, but their efforts are likely in vain. It's rare, but sometimes there are bad engines.
Have other models had this problem? Will Subaru correct even though I am out of warranty ( 49 months, 46k ) ?
Thanks ,
Jerry
My 2001 Outback Wagon Ltd with 130,000 miles is making some kind of squeaking noise. Imagine, if you will, the sound brakes make when they squeak. This is happening when I am driving. I drove around a Honda dealership (just peeking...still love my Subie) and driving around the lot about 10 mph, it was making the squeaking noise. I have been hearing it at lower mph only b/c I have been driving more with the a/c on and can't hear it then. Is this of concern? It may just be intermittent now but want to know if I should bring it in sooner than later.
Cheers!
Paul
Cheers!
Paul
I spray brake cleaner and check the pad thickness each time I rotate the tires, so about every 7500 miles.
I usually wait until 30k miles or so to bleed the brakes.
Any how, what I do it steal the wife's turkey baster (m-hu-hu-huaaaah!) and siphon out as much as I can from the brake master cylinder. Then refill.
Then bleed in the proper order, topping off with fresh fluid as I go along.
Fresh fluid is very nearly clear, the old stuff is yellow (or brown if you waited way too long).
I may actually buy some of that blue stuff to make the process easy. Can't miss that! Stop when it changes colors! :shades:
I do not ever recall changing the fluid. The pads, of course. The fluid, maybe one of you guys can give me a hand {smile}.
I had one caliper fail on my 1993 Miata, but it was 15 years old at the time, so I'm not complaining. Replaced it with a rebuilt one rather than rebuilding it myself (too messy, plus it's my safety at stake).
You shouldn't need to service a caliper or piston before at least 60,000 miles unless there is a problem with the brakes.
Having said that, you have uneven wear, so it may be worth it to have that caliper rebuilt when your next set of pads are installed. Some would even say do both sides on that axle.
Now, put the new thermostat in and put it all back together! When you refill the fluid, make sure the nose of the car is at an incline (probably will be if you have it lifted up for the work) and open the bleeder screw on the top of the radiator to help air escape. Once the air seems to be out of the system, I like to give a few forceful squeezes to the upper radiator hose to try and dislodge any remaining trapped air.
Is it the "best" way? I do not know, but it works well for me, and basically did that job four times on my '96 Outback.
Hey, what is the best way to clean the terminals on the battery?
The whole job might take you ten minutes if you stop for coffee in the middle.
They put the car on their computer and said that my misfire code could be from oil leaking into the spark plug(I did not change the seals in the tube). The spark plug was not tight. And the valves could be sticking (I will try some more Lucas, this time on the next six fill-ups). There was some oil pooling on top of the engine (they said I did not tighten the head gasket properly).
The other things on this laundry list: Fuel Service, Battery Service, Cat Converter (P0420), O2 sensors, power steering rack boots, coolant service, and fuel filter. If they did all this work it would come to $3738.
They were going to charge me $52.70 to replace the driver side headlight. I did for $9.99.
And as I was leaving a salesmen handed me a card. With 302,823 why should I get rid of it now. 400K here I come.
Quite an interesting note in a car advice page in the Melbourne Herald Sun today. Subaru Australia explained to them why they recommend the use of a fuel additive on a regular basis. They claim that fuel additives in some fuels result in carbon flakes delaminating from the cylinder walls when the engine cools. In a conventional engine this is not a severe problem as the carbon flaes fall onto the top of the piston and then discharge through exhaust once engine is running. However in a horizontally opposed engine (ie boxer such as Subaru), the flakes of carbon can lodge across the exhaust valves, resulting in the exhaust staying open. thus the engine runs rough until it clears the carbon flakes, if it can be stared at all
This can also result in flooding of the engine and wet plugs. Apparently, flooding self clears after 12-24 hours when fuel evaporates off the plugs.
Interesting if true.
Cheers
Graham
I hope it is not the valves sticking. Otherwise, you could be in for another run pulling the head(s).
I still lament the loss of my Outback. I would surely be close to 300K by now.
I am using Lucas for the next 6 fillup for the sticking valves.
Thanks
Autocenter.net lists it for $114.26.
Rock Auto, which I have used and has great service, great prices, and good shipping rates, has it for $102.79.
That kind of stuff is bound to happen sooner or later....
I spent some time studying this and it looks like the lever is supposed to be moved by a solenoid that is actuated when the gear shift lever is moved into park and the release button on the shift lever is released. In my case this solenoid will not move the lever reliably. When that happens the key cannot be turned all the way back into the lock position and thus cannot be removed. In this condition, the steering wheel is not locked so wiggling it from side to side does not help. I tried lubricating the lever mechanism but that didn't help either.
So I think this solenoid needs to be replaced. Has anyone out there done this before? It seems to be located rather deep on the underside of the steering column and it is surrounded by a lot of structure and parts that look like they would have to be removed. I am wondering how involved this job would be and if this requires removing the steering wheel and dealing with the airbag, etc. I'm just trying to decide whether this job is best left to the dealer.
Can anyone offer some advice?
Thanks,
Rich
Just curious.
On a Pine Barrens run with a water crossing we had a couple of cars take in water. That happened to an Isuzu Trooper. A Subaru XT6 stalled before any damage was done.
Water doesn't compress like air.
I think that car advice page in the Sep 11 Melbourne Herald Sun said cylinder heads, not walls.
Anyone, how often should the F U E L filter be replaced? What happens if you wait to long?
-mike
Subaru Guru and Track Instructor