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Subaru Impreza Outback Sport & TS

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Comments

  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Have the gear oil level checked. Those could be symptoms of low levels of oil. Yours is brand new so it should be covered completely.

    Subaru uses rubber bushings and a rubber insulated gear lever/shaft, so engagement is less precise but the shifter doesn't vibrate with the engine. You can get aftermarket levers that are shorter and use urethane bushings (S2000, for example), but you won't get the same level of isolation that you get with the stock lever. Those feel metallic and sort of snick-snick into gear.

    -juice
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Check out these photos here. The first photo shows the entire shifter assembly. Look closely and you'll see the bushings are black, i.e. rubber. Urethane bushings have less play, and look sort of opaque and white.

    The lever is in picture 3. The bottom one is the stock lever, with the thick part of the shaft insulated by rubber. The top lever is the STi shifter, which is not insulated at all. So you trade off some driveline vibrations for more precision, basically. It's also shorter, so you trade off leverage for a shorter throw.

    -juice
  • twrxtwrx Member Posts: 647
    Mine is a wrx but I do notice R being somewhat hard to engage. No other problems.
    TWRX
  • moparmadmoparmad Member Posts: 197
    My wifes 2002 Impreza Outback Sportwagon has developed a noise we can't find. It sounds almost as if a window is part way open. I tried opening each window to see if the noise quit or changed but it didn't. It seems as if it may be coming from the hatch,but at times sounds like it is coming from the dome light. We really can't pinpoint the source. It seems as though the direction of the outside wind may affect it. This noise is very loud and can be heard even with the stereo turned way up,but it doesn't occur all the time.
    Possibly related is the hard shutting of the hatch. The hatch on the car has to be shut very forcefully to make the inside lights go off. This is our first Subaru so we do not know what to expect as far as the working of the hatch,the hatch on her Jeep Grand Cherokee shut with probably half the effort of the Subaru,does this sound normal? Her car has 2700 miles on it and will go in for its first service at 3000 miles hopefully they can fix this for us. Thanks in advance for any information.
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    The rear latch can be adjusted to make it easier to close. You should be able to get that taken care of at your 3k service.

    Do you have the roof rack and crossbars? It's possible that some of the wind noise is coming from them. You might try moving them apart a bit more or removing the crossbars to see if the noise disappears.

    -Brian
  • celeste2celeste2 Member Posts: 362
    I've had mine since April. The hatch seems to close with less force now that it's broken in a little. You may find this is the case.
  • moparmadmoparmad Member Posts: 197
    She does have the roof racks,I will try moving or removing them,we don't use them anyway.
    Other than those fairly minor problems she has loved the car so far. We haven't had any significant snowfall yet so she hasn't experienced the bad weather ability of the car yet. Never thought I would be able to say that in the middle of December hear in western NY.
    Have a safe and happy holiday.
  • mtnobsportmtnobsport Member Posts: 3
    Tomorrow, I will take delivery of a new OB Sport, white, with 5 speed. Can any of you fill me in on any weak points this vehicle might have, and is there anything preventive that can be done to correct it?

    I live at 8000' elevation in the Rockies of Colorado, get lots of snow in the winter, and am looking forward to my 1st AWD vehicle to help me get up and down my driveway safely!

    Does anyone know of a manufacturer who offers any kind of power enhancement for the Impreza 2.5L? I wish for another 10-20hp to help me more easily get up some of our steeper grades. Any assistance will be appreciated!
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    One of the best ways to get 10 (don't know about 20) hp or so, is intake/exhaust mods.
    On i-club.com, a few people have put chips on their N/A 2.5's. No hard numbers yet though. You can go there and check the Normally Aspirated forum.
    Celeste (from this board) installed a GanzFlow cold air intake on her 02 OBS. You can get more info on that on i-club.com or Larry Ganz' site, imprezars.com.

    -Dennis
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    My hatch also takes a bit of a slam to close, FWIW.

    Check the window seals - I think the angle of the glass can be adjusted by the dealer if you find a wind leak.

    Performance mods? Yummy. Here are some options, with rough prices and claimed hp gains:

    $40 K&N filter, +3hp
    $180 UR Underdrive Pulley, +5hp
    ~$150 Complete Intake Kits, +5hp
    ~$400 Headers, +5hp
    ~$400 Cat-back exhaust, +5-10hp

    There are trade-offs in noise in some cases, but you can probably gain a few useful horses on a $600 budget.

    -juice
  • celeste2celeste2 Member Posts: 362
    Does really give the engine alot of pep. My husband and son installed it, it comes with full instructions and is easy to install. And you can get the air filter with the air intake, a choice of K&N or Amsoil. They're both good. Heck even just putting in a better filter (such as one of the ones I mentioned) helps the car breathe better.

    As far as weak points, people complain about the shifter being difficult to get into reverse. My first OBS was manual and I went to 2nd gear, then reverse. Some complain about it being difficult to get from 2nd to 1st but I think they're trying to shift into first when still moving slowly. Don't use first except to start the car rolling. Some have clutches that don't last but remember the car has power to all 4 wheels and if you do power launches all the time it will be rough on your clutch.

    Go to i-club.com as they have a search function and look around in past posts there. You will learn quite alot. Most of the people there have WRXs or RSs, however the clutch is so much like the one on your car you'll still learn alot about yours. Also in Yahoo clubs they have an Outback Sport Club and you can ask around there.

    Congratulations, you will love the car. I've had mine since April and I just love it more and more every day!
  • mtnobsportmtnobsport Member Posts: 3
    Thanks to Celeste2 and others for the info on squeezing a few more ponies out of my new OBSport!! I'll probably take the leap on the Ganzflow soon. Celeste, did you do this mod by itself, or with an exhaust mod also?? I'm interested in getting the freest breathing possible, but NOT at the expense of greatly increased noise. If anyone knows of a good, free breathing, yet quiet (or REASONABLY quiet) exhaust mod which will make a noticeable difference, I would appreciate the info. I have been to i-club a few times now, looking for info concerning an ECU mod for the '02 Impreza 2.5L, but have yet to find a vendor who is offering such a mod. Do any of you have direct experience with this, and if so, could you point me to the vendor you used...web page, e-mail address, phone #, anything!! Thanks again for all you assistance. This is going to be one fun car to drive!!
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Ted - the great thing about the above mentioned i-club, is the search feature. You can search with any words that you want to. Quiet exhaust, most h.p., etc.

    -Dennis
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    If you want a quiet exhaust, avoid SuperTrapp (the loudest) and get a Borla (very high quality, not loud). Remus exhausts are deep and have a nice burble but I've heard some kick back from them.

    Careful with intakes - they can increase noise a lot, especialy at high rpms and at WOT (wide open throttle).

    -juice
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    juice: Do you know if we can get Borlas or Remuses (Remi?) for our Foresters? I've been itching for an exhaust upgrade but I don't want to bother with the loud and low-quality Stromung. The only other Forester-specific exhausts I've seen besides Stromung are the UK-built Scoobysport and Prodrive WR Sport, both of which are designed for turbo applications and are prohibitively expensive to import. Most, if not all, mufflers designed specifically for Imprezas have different mounting points than for Foresters.

    Apologies to OBS owners for intruding with a Forester Q.

    Ed
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I don't, actually. It's such a small market.

    The exhaust are routed differently. To install the diffy protector, I had to loosen and lower part of the exhaust, which you supposedly do not have to do with the Impreza or Legacy. That means it takes a different path to the tail pipe.

    You could have a muffler shop custom build a SS exhaust for you, but it would not be tuned for sound quality. You could use a Borla muffler, though, and 2.25" pipes.

    -juice
  • brekkebrekke Member Posts: 304
    I just wanted to give a thumbs up to Wheelskins. I bought their leather steering wheel cover (from afterthoughtsauto.com), you have to stitch the sucker on with a sticky waxed cord and needless to say it is an OCD nightmare. I did a poor job of it but Wheelskins is sending me a new cord for free so I can redo it when it's warmer out:) (They also allowed me to make an even exchange since I originally ordered the wrong color which meant they ate the shipping cost back to me.)

    I found a similar product in pep boys for half the price but the Wheelskins leather was softer and thicker and I deserve it!

    p.s. they also have some nice leather shift boots, reasonably priced, I thought.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I agree 100%, go for the good stuff, pay extra if you have to. The stuff at Pep Boys is low quality, shiny, and the finish would probably peel.

    I got a cover from a Toyota dealer back in 1991. It was in their parts area, with other accessories, but it was not a Toyota product.

    Believe it or not, it's so good, I took it off my last car, after 107k miles, and put it on my Forester. 42k miles later still looks perfect, thicker than the stock leather covered rim.

    I wish I remembered the brand name, but it was over a decade ago.

    -juice
  • celeste2celeste2 Member Posts: 362
    I just did the Ganzflow. Be careful not to get too loud an exhaust. Ramon will tell you about the one he got on his 2000 OBS, right Ramon? Seems the cavernous back end on the wagon amplified the loud exhaust and I don't think it was bearable. He could have filled the entire back end with insulation though!

    Hey, check with the vendors at i-club and register there so you can ask about the ECU mod.
    I'm not sure but you may be able to ask in the Vendors' section. I don't spend too much time in that particular section there as I'm pretty content with mine as is.
  • ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    i don't have a 2000 OBS missy. It's a Silverthorn Metalic 1999 OBS! ;) And yes, mine was loud because it has a 2.25" midpipe with a Borla SS muffle. Hacked the resonator away. If u put the resonator in it, u should be ok. Key word: SHOULD.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    At least in the Miata world, Borlas are considered among the quieter exhausts (with resonator). They are very high quality, too.

    -juice
  • ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    aww come on... a 1.6l engine compared to a 2.5l?! of course they are quiet! i know, my stepdad has a borla catback. that thing sounds so docile compare to my RS's borla bark. Gotta love the boxer's rumble.... actually i am getting annoyed. I am gonna install a resonator when i upgrade to a full mandrel bent SS midpipe next year! guess i am getting old. =(
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    You married yet?

    I just went with the wife to her OB and heard our 2nd baby's heart beat. Thumpa-thumpa-thumpa-thumpa. Pretty neat.

    -juice
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    I didn't think your wife had an Outback. ;-)

    -Dennis
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Must be early, took me a while to get that one! :-)

    -juice
  • barresa62barresa62 Member Posts: 1,379
  • ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    in about 5months time.... yup. I wonder what's gonna happen to my Scooby flying days. nah, she's been very understanding and supportive over my fetish with Subarus. =)
  • rachelukracheluk Member Posts: 12
    My Ruby OB has close to 4000 miles on it and i too like the way it handles but don't like the amount of road noise from the tires, and plan on upgrading to the aforementioned REPotenza 950s as soon as these show signs of wear and tear. they seem to hold just fine in the rain though. And, for the record, I'm not having a problem shifting between gears or into reverse, nor the hatch closing difficulty that's been reported here.

    However, I am doing a lot of freeway driving and absolutlye hate being under attack by rock chips and flying debris: my poor windshield is already scarred in several places, and both my hood and bumper have had little bits knocked out of them. I'm staying back from trucks, but what can i do in the face of a piece of flying plastic that hit me straight in the windshield the other morning? Last time i tried to avoid flying gravel, I killed my Forester....

    Happy Holidays to all.

    rachel

    p.s. congrats juice - babies are miraculous!
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Thanks.

    Sounds like you're already doing everything you can, so now you just need a bit better luck.

    -juice
  • mtnobsportmtnobsport Member Posts: 3
    racheluk -

    Do you have a "bug deflector" on the front of your OBSport?? I have put one on my new one, and it at least HELPS keep some of the gravel/rocks/sand off my windshield that we have here in CO in the winter. If you don't have one, you might consider one. Go to subaruparts.com for the best price on them. Oh, and better luck helps too!!
  • outback165outback165 Member Posts: 108
    I feel your pain re dirt and debris on the high way. My OB's hood has a bad case of acne thanks to a single incident with a gravel truck with no cover! But I'm sure I'm not as mad as the silver S600 or the yellow 'Vette travelling along side me! I'm hoping a bottle of touch up and one of those hood deflectors will find their way into my stocking!

    I upgraded to Potenzas RE950s and they make a WORLD of difference. Quieter ride, and in rain, it's as if you have a bottle of rubber cement being poured in front of your tires! I doubt you'd get anything on trade on your RE92s, but see whether Firestone/Bridgestone could work some kind of discount with you -- they are SOOOOO worth it! Also, when you do it, get the alignment and balance contract from them. I just had my tires rotated/balanced/and 4 wheel alignment for the second time and the contract has already paid for itself. Good nationwide at any Firestone.

    Anyhow - just my humble opinion! :)
  • celeste2celeste2 Member Posts: 362
    Some people on the i-club have tried this clear stuff you put on over the areas prone to chips. I think 3M makes it. Sounds like it just presses and clings, like you can remove it easy. Go there and ask around, it sounds really nice. And I think you can order it in the shape of your headlights to go over them if you don't want to cut it yourself.

    Ramon: Sorry, now I was close--your car was so much like mine I just said 2000. Hearin' them weddin' bells chime louder?

    Juice: Congratulations! When's the little one due? Parenting is hard work and my work there is almost done. Finishing up now on the second one and can see the light at the end of the tunnel! Kind of miss all those fun toys at Christmas, though. I always did like playing with some of em'...
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    2nd baby is due July 24. Gonna be a hot summer for the wife!

    -juice
  • rachelukracheluk Member Posts: 12
    Thanks so much for all your responses. I am gonna try for the new tires sometime next year. Meanwhile, I remember another question i've wanted to put to you all: what do you think of the Audi Allroad Quattro? I've seen one on the hwy and have to admit i thought it looked totally beautiful. You can tell there's money in it from the high quality plastic bumper and wheel surrounds. Has anyone test driven one? How many ways can our Soobie OB Sports rival the Audi??!! Dying to know!
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Interesting concept, but the price is astronomical.

    Subaru used similar rubber bladders in the air suspensions in the early 90s, and those are now a nightmare - prohibitively expensive to replace. Most don't bother, instead converting them to springs/struts.

    So I like the idea of being able to control the height, but I'd be concerned about long-term maintenance costs. Also, the hardware is so heavy that even with the 250hp 2.7T engine, it's not fast.

    Does look good, though. I like it better than the Volvo XC.

    A UK publication called Car tested the XC, Allroad, and a Forester Turbo, and they liked the Subie the best, considering the price. They said for the price of the Audi you could buy two Foresters and still have enough cash left to pay for 10 years of insurance.

    -juice
  • celeste2celeste2 Member Posts: 362
    Not for the difference in price. That's like apples and oranges and I would never even look at an Audi because of the price.

    Juice: Hey hey hey, we know what you guys been doin'!! :) That's the funnest part though! LOL
  • piyapiya Member Posts: 5
    Hope you've all been having a happy holiday season. A belated thanks to you guys for your suggestions with the problems I've had with the stick shift in my '02 OBS. I did take my car to the dealer and they ended up telling me that these problems were just typical of the Subaru gearbox.

    Brekke - I have not heard any 'snap' sounds from the rear of my car when upshifting. My manual transmission is smooth for the most part, except when I try to put it in reverse or when I want to go from 1st to 2nd in freezing weather.

    This part of Michigan finally got some snow (yes we had a White Christmas :)!). It's about time I got a chance to put the AWD to work! Enjoy the rest of the holiday season and Happy New Year to all of you!
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Sometimes, if you're having trouble shifting into reverse, put it in 1st (or any other gear) then into reverse, without letting out the clutch. What is happening is the two gears are not aligning perfectly to allow a clean shift, so shifting into another gear will usually move one of those conflicting gears just enough to allow for an easy shift. This happens all the time with manual transmissions. It's not unusual, nor is it limited to just Subarus.

    Same with the cold weather shifting from 1st to 2nd. The transmission oil is cold and the oil gets thicker than normal, thus makes shifting difficult. As it warms up, the oil thins to its normal viscosity, and it works fine. Again, this is normal with manual transmissions.

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Also, in the tranny, physically, 1st gear is right next to reverse, so it has to move much less to get into place.

    -juice
  • bcohenbcohen Member Posts: 58
    Hey Piya - I'm in Kalamazoo and I've been looking at the new OBS. Now that there's some deep snow on the roads, how's yours handling?
  • ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    hello, just a drop in to let y'all know that i am still alive and kicking. =) Just busy with other stuff.
  • derekgdwderekgdw Member Posts: 51
    After shopping around (and shopping and shopping and shopping) looking for something to replace my old '93 Subaru Impreza L sport wagon I decided on an '02 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport. Ultimately I decided I wanted something with AWD (the last one was a front driver) and also decided I'd miss having a car of that particular style too much (plus I really like having a rear windshield wiper/washer)

    Overall I've been very happy with this car with the exception of one thing, the dash rattles and creeks like mad! I've taken it back to the dealership twice to have this taken care of but to no avail.

    What I would like to find out is, has any one else who currently owns a car like this had similar problems?

    I'm currently looking for another dealership to take this car to have this problem fixed . . . Especially the fight I had with Liberty Autocity in Libertyville, IL concerning a loner car while the dash was being looked at the last time. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another car from but I don't think I'll be going here for service for a while.
  • barresa62barresa62 Member Posts: 1,379
    I love my WRX wagon but I have the same problem w/the dash rattling, especially around the center stack. I also noticed that my front passenger seat creaks and groans when someone is sitting in it, regardless of their weight. I have to take my WRX in for its free oil change in about a week and will have the dealer look into these problems. I don't hold much hope for the dash though...it seems to be sporadic. The seat may just be loose on its track.

    Stephen
  • yellowbikedonyellowbikedon Member Posts: 228
    I lived in the Chicago area for years and never found a better place to have my Subarus serviced than Libertyville. I drove to the shop from Evanston, by-passing two dealerships on the way. This record goes back to my '92 SVX, a '96 Outback, my wife's '97 Impreza and my '01 LL Bean.

    Give these guys another try. Ask to speak with Elisha or Axel, the Subaru technicians or to Elmer Hansen, Subaru product manager. If the problem can be corrected, they'll do it. If not, they're not afraid to contact the regional office in Itasca for an assist.

    I've been living in Florida since the end of April and while I've "found" a great tech here, no one comes close to the service willingness of Libertyville. You can even tell them I urged you to return for a second try!

    Hope this helps.

    Don Braverman
  • celeste2celeste2 Member Posts: 362
    I'm in Florida, too... is the tech you're speaking of named Alan? If not, who?

    Dash rattles... I wonder if the cold of winter causes some parts to contract and rattle. Here in Florida I've had mine since April and not a single rattle anywhere.
  • yellowbikedonyellowbikedon Member Posts: 228
    The Subaru tech here is "Tim" at Delray Subaru. I had been given his name by the Midwest Region before moving here in April. I haven't been disappointed.

    Don
  • orangelebaronorangelebaron Member Posts: 435
    What's the best MPG an OBS gets on the highway?

    27 MPG doesn't sound that great.
  • derekgdwderekgdw Member Posts: 51
    Yellowbikedon - Alright I'm going to give Liberty another try. We'll see what happens . . . Worst that can happen is they'll cause more (like the first trip over there) or they'll fix a couple but the majority will remain (like the second trip).

    Funny you should mention Elmer "Fudd" Hansen, he's the guy I bought my car through. One of my coworkers bought a Forester through him and my sister also bought a 626 through him, very nice to work with.

    Celeste - The dash rattles were there throughout the summer. They do seem to worsen when it gets cold however.

    Oranglebaron - My OBS Automatic gets 27-28 mpg last I checked and that's with a daily 40 mile commute each way.
  • yellowbikedonyellowbikedon Member Posts: 228
    I agree with your comments about Elmer Hansen. My wife and I bought our Subarus through him. He also worked with at least ten others referred by me, especially from the Evanston Bicycle Club. Truly a knowledgeable gentleman. Now, let him intercede for you with the dash problem!

    Good luck.

    Don
  • brekkebrekke Member Posts: 304
    no rattles for me, thank goodness. That would drive me crazy for sure.
This discussion has been closed.