Subaru Legacy/Outback

ateixeira

Just saw an iPod yesterday for the first time. They are nifty.

They do have that cassette adaptor, but the new FM sender is even neater, and it's *tiny*, hard to believe. That would be wireless so you could put the iPod in the center console, where it also wouldn't attract thieves.

Very neat.

-juice

hammersley

My new cell phone (Moto V60i) has a special headphone available that converts the phone to an FM radio! I can only imagine adding that distraction to the already overburdened clueless driving airheads out there!

Saints preserve us!
Cheers!
Paul

tamara6

Hi Guys,

Still strugling with which Subaru to purchase. Can anyone tell me how the gated shifter on the automatic works. I mean, how are you supposed to use it while you drive? I only drive automatics when we rent, so I'm not really sure about these things. Can I just drive it like a 4-speed without a clutch?

Thanks,

Tamara

c_hunter

The gated shifter is the same as the shifter on any automatic. Instead of a button lockout, it has the gates, presumably to help prevent you from accidentally doing something bad (D to R while moving, for instance). But, it's a regular automatic. Just put it in D and go. You can manually override shifting and do it yourself, but it's not really intended for that.

You can get automatics that allow for a pseudo-manual shifting experience (so called "manumatics"), but the only Subaru in the US lineup to have one of these is the 2002 Legacy 2.5GT. It happens to have a regular style shifter with a lockout button (ie, non-gated).

Craig

ladywclass

Put it in D ... and .. go .. that's about it ..
lol ..
Brenda who has no intention of driving a stick ...

kens

The gated shifter is set up so that you can easily switch between "D" and "3" but not everything else. Instead of putting an "OD lockout" button and go with a P-R-N-D-2-1, they simply added a "3" position.

I personally like it -- clicking back the shifter one notch and having the engine kick in is kind of nice.

Ken

nygreg

I agree with Ken. "D" most of the time, "3" around town and when I am in a good mood (or late), "2" and "1" for snow storms. "R" for adjusting my rear brakes....ohhh.....sorry, that's my Sienna.

Greg

seayakker

(spoken with an Aussie accent) <grin>

Just thought I'd check in & let those of you who may remember me know that I'm still loving the '02 Wintergreen Bean, & so did the houseguests who were driving it while I was in Australia last month. I looked for Outbacks while there, and saw more than a few, but I saw even more WRX's! A definite percentage reversal from here.

14K miles & ticking along - need to make an appt. for the recall work & trying to make time to get it over to Marin Subaru so I don't have deal with the closer, but annoying, Albany Ford/Subaru :-Þ

One of these days I'll catch up with all these posts....

Jillian & the Bean

jfl

Jillian, welcome back from the land down under. As I peck this into the computer, my boss is somewhere over the Pacific returning from Australia. Hope to visit there again but on the company next time.

Jim

grahampeters

G'day

Well, I am glad that we have been spreading the word on how to speak Australian far and wide. We offer extra tuition in "good-on-ya-mate" and "beaudy".

It's certainly true that there are a lot of WRX's down under but they have been available for years wheras you have only had them for a year or two. Still Subaru enjoys 3.5% of the market for passenger vehicles down under, rather more than in the US

Cheers

Graham

paisan

It's just like other ATs in that you can put it in 1, 2, 3, D.

1= 1st gear only
2= 2nd gear only (starts in 2nd for snowy weather)
3= 1, 2, 3 gears
4= 1-4 gears

I have been driving ATs for a while, and generally my rule of thumb is this:

D= Highway and normal driving
3= For "spirited" driving, and if the AT jumps from 3->4 too often
2= For "extra-spirited" driving and snow driving.
1= for Extra snowy driving

Generally though D works and 3 is good for offramps and twisties.

-mike

ateixeira

Cool, Paul, you could be an amateur DJ.

You can put the gated shifter in "2" to start in 2nd gear when it's snowing. That reduces power so you're less likely to slip.

Graham: yeah, US market share is about 1.1%, so I guess you see 3 times as many Subies on any given day.

-juice

tamara6

So is it safe to use "3" on the highway if you want extra power to pass someone? (When you are going, say, 50 - 60 mph). Would you use it to get more power while on the onramp and merging into freeway speed traffic?

I guess what happens is that I know *nothing* about driving an auto. except to put it in "D". I'm trying to figure out how these extra gears help, and if they could make driving an automatic feel more like driving a stick.

Thanks,

Tamara

paisan

You don't really need to put it into 3 for highway passing and onramps. If you mash down the gas pedal the AT is smart enough to know you want to rapidly accelerate, and will automatically move shift points to redline.

Putting it in 3 for offramps helps keep the revs up and apply some engine braking, and during sprited driving it doesn't shift as often in 3 so it will keep the ATF temp down.

3 is a perfectly acceptable gear to be in at any speed (that people would normally drive)

For instance my SVX under heavy acceleration wil shift from 1->2 @ 50mph, 2->3 @ 92, 3->4 @ 126.

3rd gear is good to about 110-120 on most ATs. 4th is your overdrive gear and helps save gas milage.

-mike

rsholland

Gears in an automatic are simlar in concept to those in a manual transmission.

D = gears 1,2,3 & 4 (& 5 if you have 5-speed automatic)

3 = locks out the top gear (4). So, at highway speeds you can use 3, but you will be turning more RPMs, than if you were using D. The engine makes more power at higher RPMs, than at lower RPMs, therefore the car is quicker. The down side is you use more gas at higher RPMs.

Bob

nygreg

The ECU will also learn your driving habits and adjust the performance to suit your style.

Once I was on the highway doing 80mph and noticed this really sweet sounding engine. Definitely a boxer I thought. Must be a Porsche around me somewhere. After looking around, and seeing no Porsches, I realized it was me and I was in 3rd gear. Music!

Greg

ateixeira

It might be a good idea to put the gear selector in 3 if you're descending a long, steep hill, to prevent brake fade. But you can get by without using it at all, and just leaving it in D.

-juice

senturi

My wife had her Outback repaired by the auto body shop after the passenger side door was hit by an '01 Honda this past December. Since that time my wife says the FM radio stations are hard to hear because of static. It's not all the time though. She has had the Outback for over a year now, and she knows the response from the radio is good. Is there something we can check before taking the car in for service? Any ideas as to the problem?

Thanks

ateixeira

I've removed and installed a couple of radios - the antennae plugs in pretty sturdy, I can't imagine that would pop loose unless the accident was severe.

Maybe there's a short circuit in the wiring?

-juice

c_hunter

If it was a fender or A-pillar mounted antenna, I would not be surprised if the wire got damaged or disconnected during repair. However, you've got the in-glass antenna. Have you checked the antenna grid on the rear quarter window to make sure it has not been damaged? Might also be a loose antenna cable at the radio, as Juice suggested.

Craig

hypov

guess the radio has to be removed, unplug the antenna jack. Test the wiring with an Ohm meter (is that what you call it) to determine if it's a short circuit or open circuit.
Where I am going with this?... haven't got a clue. Hope it's just the antenna plug not plugged in.

-Dave

toboggan

may be good for stop/go traffic. But there's nothing like a good five speed gearbox for stirring the gears. If the speed has dropped to around 50MPH, I'll drop to 3rd gear (clutch in, gear shift to neutral, clutch out, blip to get the gears spinning at speed, clutch in, pop into 3rd) and put the right foot against the air-box. Upshift at 6450 RPM (no fancy double clutching) to avoid the dreaded RPM limiter. Hot D**n, that K&N filter sure seems to let the engine breath. And we've blown by the slow poke at about 80MPH.

Only do this on a closed course with a professional driver <grin>.

Steve in Minnesota

fibber2

<< .......(is that what you call it) to determine if it's a short circuit or open circuit.
Where I am going with this?... haven't got a clue. >>

Thanks, Dave. I needed a good laugh. I have had a customer here all day for FIB chip repair on a very difficult microprocessor circuit, and something to break the tension was very much appreciated!!!!

Steve

sebberry

After hearing many problems with H4 head gasket failures, does anyone have any reliability predictions for the H6 motor? Is it safe to expect 300,000 or more Kilometers out of it?

Thanks for your ideas

paisan

ATs are fun too...

Nothing like Punching the gas at 80, downshifting to 2nd til 95 then upto 3rd at 7000rpms, up to 126mph and then turning 4600rpms at 140

-mike

c_hunter

I don't think any of us can say if the H6 is any better/worse than the H4. I have/had both and haven't had any problems personally. My dad has 35,000 miles on his H4 Outback, and I have 20,000 miles on my H6.

I think the main differentiation between H4 and H6 remains performance, refinement, and cost.

Craig

ncvol

Since the H6 only came out in MY 2001, there are probably very few of them that have been driven 300,000 km yet. Certainly not enough to give you any statistically significant data.

nygreg

not heard of any issues with the H6. I remember one person on this board say that his dealer thought the H6 had a lower rate of problems. Again, thought the overwelming majority sold is the H4. It is a great engine.

Greg

mrk610

We'll after having my outback for 1/2 the day my service writer called and said they are not replacing the tensioner . They have a new technical service rep for the tristate area . He said that my cold engine knock is a characteristic of the engine . He said that all subie engines make the noise some just louder then others. He said it has to do with the way the piston is designed , no skirt and barrel shaped. He said they have to make it that way because of the different expansion rates of the aluminum they use to build the pistons and engine. He also said that even if the noise is present when warm there is no engine damage being done .That I kinda don't believe . I also had the tranny recall done. Boy did they use a lot of sealer on the tranny pan .Of course when I got home and checked the fluid it was a 1/2 quart low . That really pissed me off . Ohh well glad I checked I wonder how many other cars were done my dealer and are driving around with low fluid .We got 7 " of snow here in SJersey .Great subie weather had alot of fun on the unplowed roads.

Mike k

nygreg

It never made sense to me why the tensioner would make a knocking noise. I think I will up my oil to 10W30 and see if it helps. Not worried though.

Greg

sebberry

regarding the audio system in the '03 Outback H6.

Can anybody tell me if the McIntosh stereo in the VDC is available as an aftermarket add-on for the non VDC model?

Secondly, where can I find information on the connections on the back of the stock head unit? I would like to add an amplifier and better speakers, but don't want to change the head unit to some aftermarket one with disco lights all over it.

Thanks

tamara6

Hi folks,

So if we buy a 2002 OB wagon with the radio/WB/cassette, we will want to add a cd player. First, does the unit from the WRX have weatherband on it? I'd really prefer to keep that, if possible. I've been looking at the Subaru cd players (thinking we could buy our own and install it ourselves). They have one at http://www.subaruparts.com/catalog/?section=129 and another one at http://www.subaru-parts.com/php/subarusearch.php?model=outback&am- p;category=sound systems The question is, which one would be the one for the Outback? (the one at the first link has the standard buttons for forward/reverse, etc, the one at the second link only has an eject button).

As irrational as it sounds, we'd like to stick with the OEM parts. We've put in two stereos in our previous cars, and they never fit as well as the radio that we've removed. The trim that hides the crack between the radio and the surrounding dash typically doesn't go back on. We want something that looks like it belongs in the car, and to us that means OEM stuff.

Anyway, I'm sorry to keep asking questions, but I appreciate all your answers.

Tamara

hypov

Tamara-
They'll all fit.
The WRX unit does not have the Weather Band, or the clock.
If you're looking for multi cd player, you could still get them after market and mount it under the driver seat.

-Dave

mrk610

The service rep said that the noise from a bad tensioner is not a knocking sound but more of a plastic sound . He said the sound is made when the tensioner is slack and the belt is slapping the plastic cover on the front of the engine .I did get them to add 10k miles on to my powertrain warrenty .So mine is 5year 70k miles .

Mike k

barc

I have an 02 L wagon. They replaced my tensioner also. Engine still clatters when cold. Not worried about engine damage really. Clatter goes away when engine warm. Clatters only when cold and only under load, so I knew it couldn't be a tensioner problem. I think the tensioner may have made some diff though, but didn't get rid of the piston noise.

The real problem is, if the clatter ever continues when the engine is at full temps.How can you sell a car that has constant noise? What will the knock sensor do to the ignition timing?

I'm still happy with the car and it seems very well built. Other than the engine noise everything else has been excellent. The factory CD player also plays CD-R's which was a surprise to me.

I looked at a 96 Legacy with 60k miles and it had a constant loud knock sound at idle, which we thought was piston/wrist pin type noise. Dumped in some mobil1, but no diff. Not good. Who would buy that car? Probably no one.
-B.

c_hunter

I put the add-on CD player in my first Outback (2000 model), and recommend it. Works nicely with the stock radio, fits well, and it pretty easy to install. If you e-mail parts@libertysubaru.com and ask them to quote you a price on the CD player for a 2002 Outback, they will know which one. By the way, it's the one with just an eject button.

Re: the tensioner, the sounds does come from the loose timing belt slapping the plastic cover. You can feel it on the cover if that's truly the problem. It can be worse when cold.

Craig

c_hunter

> Can anybody tell me if the McIntosh stereo in
> the VDC is available as an aftermarket add-on
> for the non VDC model?

You could probably order some of the parts, but it would be hard to create the full system since it is quite different than the other audio systems in the Outback line (speakers, insulation, wiring, etc). It would likely be easier/cheaper to build your own custom system.

> Secondly, where can I find information on the
> connections on the back of the stock head unit?
> I would like to add an amplifier and better
> speakers, but don't want to change the head unit
> to some aftermarket one with disco lights all
> over it.

I have looked for info on the connectors before, but never found anything useful. One thing you could do is buy an adapter harness from Crutchfield, and then use that to back out what pin does what.

If you do add an amp to the factory radio, it will need to have speaker-level inputs. In my experience, this never sounds as good as a setup using line-level inputs. The reason is that any distortion generated by the radio's amp gets passed along to your add-on amp. You can get good results by upgrading the speakers with aftermarket units (the upgraded speaker package from Subaru sounds pretty good too).

I have been surprised by the system in my LL Bean, which has the upgraded speaker package with 8 speakers. It's actually quite good and has tight, clean bass. If you want really deep bass, you can add the Subaru subwoofer/amp module. My wife has it in her Forester and it really fills in the low end, but adds some "mud".

Craig

fibber2

I have an '02 OBW (base model with the AM/FM/WB/Cassette) and had the dealer add the single CD. As per Craig's post, it is the one with the single eject button. The basic head unit already has all the functional controls built in. Overall, the performance is quite good, and you get to keep the weatherband (which I use often).

I think your second posted link showed it for $290. As expensive as it sounds for a single disk player, that is an excellent price for this unit.

BTW: Don't be afraid to ask questions! On some other brand boards maybe, but the Subi people here don't bite! (nibble maybe, but rarely bite...)

Steve

tamara6

Hi Everyone,

Saturday afternoon we became the new owners of a 2002 Outback Wagon - Wintergreen Metallic/Titanium Pearl, automatic transmission, 10,000 miles on it. But really, it looks and runs like new.

Then, as if on cue, this morning when we woke up there were 2 inches of snow on the ground, and it has continued to snow into the early afternoon here. The roads early this morning were snow covered and slick looking. But the Outback performed just as advertised and we had no problems. What a great way to enjoy our new car!

Thanks to everyone for your patience, answering all sorts of questions over and over. You've all been a big help!

Happy in NW Arkansas,

Tamara

ladywclass

congratulations .. hope you like that color as well as *I* do ...
enjoy the car!!!

hammersley

Juice: Dabbled in radio in college KUGR FM @ Washington State. (KUGR = Cougar = WSU Cougars - weren't we clever!) Long time ago, but something I've considered getting back into after I retire, maybe more informally before that. After all, I do have a great face for radio!

Cheers!
Paul

hypov

it's about time. ;-)
Congratulations Tamara!!!
Wintergreen is a great and favored choice for color.
10,000 miles, the car is barely broken in.
Many many more miles of happy motoring.

-Dave

c_hunter

Congratulations! I think you made a good choice (like the color too). Buying a "new" car with 10,000 miles on it is a good way to save big bucks.

Be sure to ask if you have any questions about your new car.

Enjoy!
Craig

nygreg

to go Tamara. Congratulations. My daughter wanted us to get the Wintergreen. We got the Winestone with Wintergreen as a close second.

We are expecting another 3-5 inches tomorrow. Wife will most likely have the OB.

Greg

romy4

Tamara. Hope you love your Wintergreen 2002 Outback Wagon as much as I do mine!
Romy

ateixeira

Congrats! I hadn't followed another purchase like yours in ages. I'm very happy for you. 10k miles is not quite fully broken in!

Our Legacy is Wintergreen, beautiful color and always looks clean. You'll love it.

So what stereo does it have? Did you get everything you wanted?

The only issue with the H6 is the coolant reservoir may be a bit small, but the level seems to stabilize for owners here and it hasn't been a problem. So no real issues have been identified so far.

-juice

tamara6

It is just the base wagon, not the H6, so I guess we don't need to worry about the coolant. :-(

It comes with just the radio/tape player. Thanks to this group, we looked over the directions for installing the cd player and decided we could do it ourselves. So we'll do that soon, probably next month. Strange as it may sound, but the tape player was a really important feature for us.

It has the automatic transmission, which is a little strange. I keep reaching over to shift it, but I guess I'll get used to that after a while. Fayetteville is pretty hilly, and we drove it up and down several hills before we bought it, just to make sure it had enough power. We had no problems.

One thing we were amazed at was just how smooth the ride is. We also have a Camry, and I think the ride in the Outback is smoother, and possibly quieter. It is a really nice car.

The color was a tough decision. We were split over red and green. But the green ran smoother, and just seemed to be calling our name somehow.

But, and this is terrible, we've only owned the car for two days, we have a small scratch on it. It happened yesterday when we went to the mall. When we came out, there was the scratch. I am 99% certain it wasn't there when we bought it. I checked it over pretty well, and there were no scratches. So, snif, I guess I better go get some touch-up paint and try to take care of that. Doggone it!

Tamara

fibber2

Congrats!

We lied! Were only nice to you because you were an outsider! Now that you have joined the ranks, we can return to our mean old selves and begin nibbling and biting.... ;-)

Steve

ateixeira

The H4 is plenty fine, in fact we own two. :-)

I was actually commenting on the H6 for the person that asked about it earlier.

You might get lucky and find the add-on single CD player on E-bay or NASIOC. Try a search. I still have tapes, too. Our toddler's music is on tape, plus you can use a tape adaptor to plug in an iPod, which fits 1000+ songs vs. 120 or so for 6 CD-Rs in a 6CD changer.

Don't worry about the scratch, just clean it and touch it up (use as little paint as possible). The steel is galvanized and shouldn't rust anyway.

-juice

hypov

Tamara-
if it isn't a deep scratch, touch-up paint won't be necessary. Usually a coat of wax will even it out. Me, I use 'Finish First' polish which will over time [coats] smooth out the fine scratch.

http://www.finishfirstpolish.com/GoCart/enter.asp

-Dave