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I would bet that is not a head gasket problem. Hopefully it's just a hose or clamp that needs attention. One thing to check is the radiator drain -- in the lower corner of the radiator on the passenger side. Maybe they did not close it all the way.
Craig
Barring hoses, it could also be the "weep hole" in the water pump. I don't know why it would have started just after a serivce, but if the water pump's bearing seal failed for some reason, the coolant will leak out this hole as a warning that the seal failed. If your coolant system is full, it will leak rather profusely until it drops to about 75% capacity. Hopefully this is not the case, but I just want to throw it out there. I didn't know about the weep hole and thought the pump gasket (between pump and block) was the culprit. Lo and behold, the pump failed and stranded me at -15F. :-D
It's real easy to see. Drive the car up on some ramps and remove the plate that is blocking your view. The water pump is on the bottom of the engine, driver's side, just above the thermostat housing. The thermostat housing is the plastic part to which the lower radiator hose attaches. The weep hole is just above the housing on the driver's side and you should see greenish stains and/or fluid over the surface of the pump. If you do not see stains on the pump, but do on the hoses, it may just be the lower hose connection or the heater hose (5/8" black hose just above the lower radiator hose connection and next to the weep hole).
Thanks again for all the input.
Paul
As Gold customers also, they've always treated us like royalty.
-juice
No offer of a loaner, however we didn't ask either. My wife and I work at the same hospital and it was no big deal to ride together, although I start 30 minutes before she does.
Turned out to be a cracked radiator. No explanation as to how that could have happened. It was covered by the Gold warranty (sp).
Thanks for the help guys. Good Karma all around if you believe in that sort of thing.
Hopefully they'll swap it out and that'll be it.
-juice
Mike
My experience (and one other poster also mentioned this) was that our rear brake pads wore much faster than the front pads.
I think 52k is pretty good for RE92's. I replaced each set of RE92's at 40k: my originals and a second set (takeoffs from a WRX w/wheels). There was still quite a bit of tread but not much grip.
Jim
Any suggestions anyone.
mike k
I have run my Goodyear Assurance Triple Tred tires for about 3500 miles now, including several trips to ski areas in Idaho and Oregon. I really like them. I have posted a tire report at comment 5988 I think over on the 2005 Subaru board. I got mine from Discount tire direct.com because Tire RAck was out of them. The price was $105 ea vs $104 ea, but included shipping. There was also a $50 rebate, and a 30 day return policy, so I couldn't resist. Good luck.
Any suggestions anyone.
I have the Michelin HydroEdge on a 97 OBW. Outstanding all-around tire. I have 32,000 miles on them and still have 9/32nd tread (11/32nd is new). Either tire should be a big upgrade over OEM, although dedicated snows like the Nokian MRi are much better on snow and ice at the expense of dry handling and wear rate.
Tires worn to 6/32nd or less have much worse snow and rain traction than new tires. I'm willing to drive a tire to 5/32nd during the summer, but if they're less than 6/32nd when winter is coming I usually replace them.
Unless you're buying wheels, by the time you get through shipping and mounting/balancing there probably isn't much of a savings. NTB and other shops often offer lifetime rotation and balancing, which is tough to beat, especially on a Subaru or other AWD vehicle where routine rotation is so important.
I want to have the same dot matrix design that the oem one has .Or has somebody in my area have a good place to go .I also have to get a new battery the oem one was barly able to start the car in the cold temps we had while skiing .
Thanks all
Mike in South jersey.
They will have a harness that is specifically made for the Outback for your year.
FYI, I got the wiring harness for my 00 Outback at CircuitCity.
2) My temp gauge seems to sit a little high... maybe 2/3 up the dial. My 97 Honda always sat about 1/3 of the way up... is this just a Subie thing, or do I have a potential problem that needs looking at. 33k on the odometer.
Thanks!
Chuck
DaveM
-Brian
Why the bump? Maybe some water in the fuel lines making it stumble?
-juice
While there, I finally got a copy of the 30k service they did to prepare teh car for sale. I compared it to the Subaru maintenance interval recommendations. Everything matched, except my dealer does not replace brake fluid. I showed them the print out of what Subaru calls for, and they said that every dealer gets to create their own 30k mile service package, and this dealer does not include brake fluid change in the package.
Strike anyone else as weird?!?
Chuck
read on, lots of posts!
Yes, as my dealer seems to load up on every service, citing 'following an extreme conditions maintenance plan', and 'doing this will make your car last longer'.
FWIW, brake fluid change costs about $20, and I would highly recommend it at 30k. Rob M.
Hence.....following exhaustive research of many months and weeks, the 2005 Outback is it.
So yesterday, finally, I test drove the XT (limited). Never mind what I consider to be a wonderful interior and (for once for a Subaru) 1/2 decent looks.
It's about drivability/performance.
BTW....after driving manual trans. most of my life, the demo happened to be an automatic (sport shift, etc....whatever). Bottom line - forget the pain-in-the-*@# manual...the auto was just fine and fun. Acceleration, although not quite as good as the WRX, was great. Some reviews speak of persistent turbo lag. I thought lag was not an issue at all. The car handled wonderfully on snowy roads (it had fresh Bridgestone WS-50's).
The only knock is (I have read this somewhere as well.) the floaty/bouncy suspension. If only it could be a bit stiffer.
Then today I was all pumped to demo the 3.0 VDC.
2 things: 1) after fooling around in an icy parking lot inducing skids, I found I did not like the VDC. Instead of being able to go from understeer to oversteer by adding a bit of gas, the VDC seemed to just want to slow me down and keep me plowing straight off on a tangent. I really think now that if you have a few reflexes and good tires, and like to DRIVE (underline 'drive'), there is no need (for VDC). On top of everything I dislike the mandatory taupe leather and the wood trim.
Oh yeah.....did I mention the 3.0 engine? It is GUTLESS in comparison with the 2.5 turbo. I had read many 'expert' reviewers saying that "performance was more or less the same with both engines, the six cylinder being a bit smoother".............BALONEY
So all that remains to do is try and get an OK deal on the 2.5XT(Ltd)...hopefully I'll get that done in a few days.
Good luck,
Ed
In addition, the VDC has come in very handy during ice and snowstorms. I've managed iced up ramps with Jeeps, Explorers, and other AWD/4x4 vehicles sliding off to the side. The 3.0R didn't even slip a bit. Most upscale cars are adding this feature as a standard because it has proven to get the job done.
If you prefer the XT, that is understandable... everyone has their own preferences and I certainly wouldn't knock the vehicle.
From my experience, most of the expert reviews on the 3.0R engine have been right on target.
Personally, I'm looking forward to the Tribeca platform that will share this engine. Subaru has done a terrific job with it.
It would without question be the legacy GT (wagon)...i have not driven it, but i find it very attractive to look at and i'm sure it's a pleasure to drive. Trouble is our roads here in Quebec are about what you'd find if you ventured a little off the beaten track in a place like Costa Rica. (they pour all our huge tax $ into healthcare i guess)
Good thing about Costa Rica however is all they have is big honkin' potholes. Here we have the potholes plus cracks plus bumps, etc, etc.
I live in the country 90 miles east of Montreal and travel 50/50 dirt roads/'paved' roads. Again, the state of the roads is so bad I need something to (a) soften the ride, (b) hold up to the pounding a little better and (c) get out of and into my frequently unplowed driveway.
There really is, for me, no choice other than the XT.
I'll be making a deal somewhere on Monday.
I have one main issue to iron out 1st. My (small town) local dealer can't match the Montreal dealer's price.....there's a $1300 difference, and perhaps more if the Montreal dealer improves on my local dealer's trade-in offer for the WRX. (i'll find out on friday)
I could easily find a reason to go to Montreal a few times a year for maintenance.
OTOH, I do like the dealership here at home. They have serviced my WRX very well the past 3 years. They have all kinds of free shuttles, courtesy cars.....they aim to please.
As for any out there whose back i may have caused to mildly get up regarding my trashing of the 3.0 engine, my apologies. The words I chose were a reflection of how unexpectedly different I found the 3.0 to be vis-a-vis the 2.5T.
Good luck with your purchase.
Ed
Yes, they would have to service the vehicle if I asked them too, but perhaps there would not be a lot of friendliness to go with.
It is handy to have a local dealer who will deliver me to the golf course and pick me up after my round while my car is being worked on.
Like I said however - if there ends up being $1500-$2000 savings to be had by buying in Montreal, I'll probably have to do it.
Best of luck to you!
i will post again next monday or tuesday to finish my story.
decided on a 4 year lease.
just have to get rid of (by all accounts very crappy) OEM tires and buy snows and summers.
leaning toward HAK2 studded and Turanza LS-V.
Sly
my dealer offered me the same - $50 ea. for the 92's.
monday i'll see if the tire store can do a bit better.
have just read a bit about the upcoming HAK 4. square studs, genuine Finnish rapeseed oil of all things, and supposed improved grip vs. the HAK2. i don't think it will be out 'til next year however, so what to do, what to do?
i guess i could put on the Turanzas and try to be careful for these last 4 or 5 weeks of winter and wait 'til next fall to get snows. i suppose i'll be driving a bit on the slow side for a month or so, breaking in the XT, so....maybe this is easily do-able.
I had the previous generation H6, and I agree, it is one smooth and quiet engine. In fact, I have not really come across a nicer engine in any car. If you want refinement, the H6 is hard to beat and it is much better than the H4 turbo. That said, Subaru made huge improvements in NVH on the 05 Outback models, and you're less likely to notice the H4's more raucous behavior.
Craig
B
hox
These tires are supurb in rain and handle well in the dry. Best all-around passenger car tire I've ever had. The other tire that OBW owners seem to like is the Goodyear TripleTread, but I have not driven on them.
I got a good deal on the MXV4s at Costco. I've had the MXV4s on my 1994 Lincoln Mark VIII (same size as the OBW), and have been satisfied.
They are a bit expensive, but worth it. This is the fourth time in the last six years I have used Costco for tires -- consistently the best price I could find anywhere.
Alan
98 OBW Ltd
-juice
Group 35?
Actually, there was a label on the top of my old battery that had the size and CCA specs. Group 35 with 490 CCA.
The battery swap took less than 5 minutes to do with just a 10mm deep socket wrench. Remove the two nuts that hold the securing apparatus, and then loosen the two nuts for the battery terminal connectors. Take off the securing apparatus, move the wires out of the way and lift out the old battery. Install new one by reversing these steps.
Oh yeah, add another couple of minutes to reset the clock and radio presets
Alan
98 OBW Ltd
The battery box may have some old acid / crud built up from the old battery. Removing that and rinsing the area with some baking soda and water, then rinsing with some clear water will help neutralize any acid that's accumulated over the years.
Don't forget to wear rubber gloves and eye protection.
Also, don't forget to disconnect the negative (-) terminal first. Else, you might find out just how much juice is left in the old battery.
Larry