Subaru Legacy/Outback Wagons Maintenance & Repair

xwesx

Agreed about the mileage. You will likely be able to run it another 150K without additional major repairs, assuming it was not abused prior to your ownership. If you decide to sell it now, you will end up with a significant debt on a vehicle you no longer own. Unfortunately, this is a no-win situation in the short term. :sick: Even if you decide not to keep it after you replace the block, you might find yourself further ahead than selling it in its current condition.

jay_24

I have a 2001 with the same engine and tranny. I've had the hesitation issue from day 1. I tool it in 3 times and they could never duplicate it. The hesitation for me was hit and miss. It would happen maybe 3 times a week and usually only in the summer(warmer temps). As the car has gotten older it has done it less and has never actually stalled. In fact with 93k miles on it I can't remember when it last happened. I do wonder if its the brand of gas used. Given high gas prices and large differences in price between stations, I've quit using two gas stations a year or so ago...Then again I had some sensor replaced a year ago that triggered a CEL. Maybe that was related.

amstern

give me advice as to whether or not I should install a new external latch handle

jjcunningham

Incidentally, replacing the Cam Position Sensor on my 1996 Legacy 4WD SW completely fixed the not-starting intermittent problem.... the bad sensor did not trigger CEL at all.

Occasioally the car will now stall from time to time say at a light. I figure this is a bad throttle position sensor.

JJC

njjuliano

Thanks for the response. I did end up taking the McIntosh out, and going ahead and sending it to a repair shop. Subaru actually referred me to the shop. They fixed it, and I just finished installing it back in the car.

xwesx

Absolutely incredible, the amount of work that went into removing (and, presumably, reinstalling!) that head unit. :sick:

What turned out to be the problem?

mcaiazzo

Hi All, I notice some of you have had issues with your Outback hatch leaking rain water...Has anyone found the source and a "cure"? Our 2001 Outback leaks into the rear lights and, when the hatch is then opened, drains out...and we have a nice mildew smell in the car! Any ideas?? Thanks, Rainin' in Richmond...

njjuliano

Yep, it was a bit of man hours. I tried to see if there was anything that I could do myself first, so I opened up the unit first. Cleaned any contacts that I thought might have been affected. Didnt make a difference.

My report for the repair states cleaning and a resoldering of something. Mentions that some pathway was dirty and had to be cleaned. I was charged the minimum charge, which indicates no new parts were needed.

My reinstall went better than I thought. Yes, it was a bit tedious, but everything really was pretty much plug and play. My biggest problem was losing the silly screws in the deep crevices.

Very glad to have everything back to normal. :shades:

gwellman

I don't drive our 1999 Legacy much, what with telecommuting - under 2000 miles a year lately. We bought it used in 2003, it is now around 42,000 miles and it's been a good car. On Thursday I drove to the airport (25 miles) and Saturday I returned. No problems. Monday I discovered my battery mostly drained (enough power to run the locks and lights, but not enough to start the engine). I got a jump and drove it 3 miles and back. What I discovered was that immediately after driving, it had enough charge to start the engine again, but after an hour or so the charge was depleted again.

So, I figure the alternator is fine (agreed, right?), but I suspect I have the electrical equivalent of a "slow leak" in a tire. Call it a "slow short". The question is whether the slow short is inside the battery (bridging) or somewhere else in the electrical system. Is there a way to tell? Or are situations like this the battery 95% of the time anyway? I figure it would be silly to pay for a full diagnostic if the correct course of action would just be to go buy a battery and put it in myself.

One possibly irrelevent factoid is that my neighbor thinks someone was trying car doors Sunday night because his alarm went off. I saw no sign of entry into my car though (which was locked).

TIA!

njjuliano

I would tend to go buy a battery. It is time for a new one anyway, especially if its the original.

peter_nemo

If the battery took a charge, but you drove the car for an hour and the charge was depleted again, that would indicate that the alternator is failing to charge the system. If the battery were bad, it probably wouldn't have taken a charge to begin with. So suspect the alternator.

stevenm1

If you have access to a voltmeter, you can make some quick checks yourself. With the engine idling, check what the battery voltage is. It should be in the neighborhood of 13 to 14 volts if the charging system is operational. If it looks like it is charging, check the battery voltage with engine off. It should be around 12 volts. If it is less, suspect that you need a new battery. These quick checks won't substitute for checks that a good auto shop would do, but they are easy checks that provide good clues. If you are going long periods without using the car, it may be good to use one of those trickle chargers that keep the battery charge level topped off.

garandman

With a Subaru, first thing to check is that someone didn't turn on the parking lights.

Item 2 - there was a recall on Subaru alternators. They charged OK at low speeds - but not on the highway. Sound familiar? Check on mysubaru.com to see if it's been done.

jfl

If the battery was drained, 6 miles is hardly enough to get it fully charged.

I'd check the battery to confirm that it will hold a charge. If it does, then get the charging system checked.

How old is the battery?

Jim

gearhead4

I agree that if the battery is more than 3 years old, begin by replacing the battery (last month's Consumer Reports has recommendations on a good brand of battery).
If it was the alternator, the engine would eventually stall because you need enough electrical power to keep the electric fuel pump and injectors going. The battery has limited reserve capacity that would allow you to drive a short distance (<100 miles) with a non-funtioning alternator -assuming you started with a fully charged battery.
- gearhead4

gwellman

I believe the battery is original (1999).

I bought a multimeter (it's silly that I didn't already own such a useful device). The car's non-running load on the battery is 3.4 mA, which sounds about right. The voltage on the battery is 10.5V, which to me indicates that one cell has shorted out. (Correct me if I'm wrong but a 12V battery is effectively 8 1.5V batteries in series.)

So, it's the battery, not the car. I'll probably buy the replacement tomorrow. The nearest "Batteries Plus" is a long way away, whereas there's a Schucks about half a mile from here, so unless there's some reason to go elswhere, I'll buy it at Schucks.

shrinermonkey

Autozone's brand of batteries are also excellent, I believe they are Duralast. They will even change out the battery for you no charge and recycle your old one.

goosegog

You're wrong. A 12V lead/acid car battery is six 2V (nominal) cells. But I think you're right about a shorted cell.

gwellman

Ah, that makes more sense, because apparently the correct voltage is more like 12.6V, so that would be 6x2.1, while the current voltage is 10.5, which is 5x2.1, so the math on a shorted cell works out.

xwesx

Well done on the diagnosis! As garandman suggested, keep an eye on that alternator as they were known to be somewhat problematic......

andrewcooke

10 days ago I bought a 2007 LL Bean Outback Wagon. I've now got 720 miles on it, and have been noticing rattles coming from the rear interior every time I drive over a bump or uneven surface in the road. I've tried lowering the seats, taking out the rubber mat in the cargo area, tightening the spare tire lug nut, etc., to no avail. This is my first wagon, coming from Honda Accord sedans after nearly 20 years. I love the car except for the distracting noise in back. Is this type of rattling normal for a wagon? Any thoughts re: solutions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, all.

zancat

I have a '93 Subaru Legacy with upwards of 120,000 miles on it. I don't know the exact milage, because the car is in the shop. Which brings me to my problem. Last week the pulley slipped, and now I'm looking at replacing the pulley, the key, both serpentine belts and the timing belt - a $900 repair. My mother and sister are convinced that its not worth the money to fix, and want me to buy a car 'made in this millennium', but I think the car has a few more years of life in her. Can anyone give me some advise? I've had the car for about five years, and I think its been mostly trouble free. I had the front alignment worked on two years ago, and recently had the front brake pads replaced. One weird/suspicious thing - according to the mechanic, none of the usual things that cause a pulley to slip has happened to my car. My family is afraid this means the pulley could slip again at any time, but I think the first place I went to for an estimate on the brakes may have had a hand in it (literally).

So - can anyone tell me - is it worth fixing? Or am I just 'throwing good money after bad'?

Thank you! - Sandra

zfk

I have the 2007 2.5i and the exact same problem happened at about 600 miles. The dealer tightened up the rear hatch and the rattle disappeared for a whole 200 miles but now is back. My conclusion is this is the result of a poor hatch design/assembly and perhaps finding some foam/rubber spacers to attach in certain areas of the hatch may help alleviate the noise.

Definitely take it in and complain to the dealer, this way word will work up that people are noticing the poor quality on this part of the car. Other than this issue I am happy with the car, but it is a most annoying problem for such low miles.

plim77

I had a similar problem with my 2005 LL Bean Outback. My rattle came from the cargo cover- the flap would bounce up/down when I hit a bump. It wasn't annoying, but noticeable. Good thing the solution was easy- extend the cargo cover.

If that's not the problem then I 2nd the notion to take it to the dealer.

jgsubaru

I have an intermitant speedometer in my '99 Legacy Outback wagan. The tachometer works fine. The speedometer drops in an out repeatedly. Any ideas on where to look..sensor, bad ground, loose wire, etc.

rob_m

Bad speedometer cluster. I had mine replaced on my 99 Legacy sedan.

rob_m

Don't forget to check the center seat belt retractor in the rear ceiling. That rattles on my wife's OB if the clip is not seated right.

xwesx

That is a tough call, Sandra, but 120,000 miles is not many - especially for a car ~14 years old.

The only reservation I would have with fixing it is not knowing the cause of the "slip" in the first place. I would think a loose nut was the problem, but if it was tight and still the pulley slipped, then there might be something else amiss in there. $900 is a drop in the bucket if you will get a known, reliable car out of the deal. But, that is just my opinion. You can ask the folks here... I am somewhat of a loose nut myself.

djkrs2

My wife and I recently purchased a 2005 Outback H-6. The other day when we went out and got into the car on a damp cool morning we both thought that the shoulder belt felt damp. I thought it was my imagination until my wife said something about it. We shrugged it off thinking that the material was just cold. The next day when we drove the car a little later in the day my wife rolled the window down (passenger) and notice a mustly/moldy smell coming from the door. Has anyone experienced a problem with water getting into the doors and causing any odor or wetness.

Thank you,

Dave

xwesx

This is happening on BOTH sides of the car? Very strange indeed... almost makes me think this vehicle had a run-in with water at some point in its past (e.g., flood vehicle) and you are finding moisture in the hard-to-reach places that were not properly dried.

Does your purchasing documentation include any sort of disclosure or does anything come up on Carfax?

un4so

Had the same problem with a 2007 L.L. Bean.
Cause:
The black plastic covers, next to the rear lights, under the rear gate.
Proof:
Lift the Gate and then tap those black covers, or stick a cloth in there and take a test ride.
Solution:
Self-adhesive rubber-sponge tape; the kind used for insulating doors/windows.
Instructions:
With the gate lifted, apply a strip of this shock-absorbent tape on the bottom edge of the trunk.
That is, just outside the trunk, above the rear bumper, between the bumper and the already installed rubber strip (that makes contact with the gate, when closed, of course). It will keep the gate steady and prevent it from smashing into those flimsy plastic covers.
If needed, apply extra tape on the rear gate itself, on each side, preferably lined up so that direct overlap and contact with the existing rubber strip is avoided.
Use a 1/2"x1/2" size, the type that sticks very well but is still removable without leaving marks (RCR Dennis, available at Menards ? I think).
I was pretty generous with this insulator and now it is too quiet.
I can hear now a (subdued) transmission whine
does anybody have a solution for that?

yaboo

I have the same problem! Anyone know where to get a new one and the cost? Do I have to go to a dealer to have the milege set on new one? Also my heater has just stopped working (no heat) and it is starting to overheat. Is it the water pump?

djkrs2

The Carfax report didn't have anything negative on it. The vehicle was purchased from my son (he works at a very reputable Toyoat dealership) so I know that he wouldn't have sold me anything with a bad history had they known about it. I doubt they would have taken it as a trade. I guess if it sounds like this is happening only on our vehicle I'll have to have someone look inside the doors and check for mold/mildew. We really love the car... I hope we don't uncover something bad from it's short life (36K).

rob_m

The dealer replaced mine under my 100k extended warrantee. The mileage was set to 0, and they placed a sticker on the front door jamb with the existing mileage.

As for the heat, it could be a stuck thermostat, or an air bubble in the heating system.

jgsubaru

If the engine loses antifreeze the heater will not work and the car most certainly will overheat. Hopefully you don't drive too long because you may warp or crack the head. A bad water pump is just once possible source of lost antifreeze. (Others: lose/cracked hose, a punctured radiator, etc.) The water pump went on my subaru at ~110K.

xwesx

I will chime in on that one as well..... sounds to me like a bad water pump. Fix it right away if it is. But, to make sure it is not air in the system or just low coolant, park your car on a slope with the nose up (like automotive ramps), pull the bleeder plug on the radiator (should be on top, opposite side from the filler cap) and top off the fluid until any bubbling stops, cap 'er off, and test it out. If the problem persists, I would look to the water pump. Mine failed at 172,000 (okay, so it gave me "warnings" for weeks and it failed at 0200 at -20F! I messed up on that one!) and symptoms were identical (no heat to interior, gradual but persistent overheating of engine - radiator cool to touch).

xwesx

Regarding speedo/instrument cluster.... it depends on what you need:

Here are estimated costs:

Speedometer sensor: ~ $90 MSRP
Speedometer "head" unit: ~$200 MSRP
Instrument Cluster: ~$300 MSRP

If you have to replace the cluster, including the odometer, it must be done by a certified shop with the "sticker" placed on the door panel indicating the "X+" mileage, but that should not mean you have to purchase the replacment unit from them!

plim77

What are folks' opinions about just changing only 1 tire (versus changing all of them) when a tire becomes unrepairable due to damage.

Subaru says no more tha 1/4" difference in rolling circumference between the new tire and the old tires. So if I understand that correctly, that means as long as the tread depth of all the tires is within 8/32" (since 1/4 = 8/32), then you don't have to replace all 4 tires.

Is this right? :confuse:

xwesx

That is a 1/4" on the circumference of the tire... which translates to very little in terms of tread depth differentials (perhaps 2/32"?). Basically, if you have put more than perhaps 10,000 miles on the "old" tires, you should not mismatch a new one. You can get a new tire shaved, of course, if the shop is so equipped. I had a tire go bad on me at about 20,000 miles into an 80,000 mile treadwear tire's life (about 9 months after original installation), and I put a new tire on it without shaving. It did not seem to cause any problems, but there was additional stress on the AWD system because any time I drove on extremely slick roads, I could feel the tire slip every so often as it compensated for the slightly larger rolling distance. Once I replaced that set (the older tire had 76,000 miles on them) last November with a new set, the "slippage" problem was gone.

In general, tires are cheaper than differentials.

ateixeira

I'd fix it. $900 is about the equivalent of 2 car payments nowadays.

Do you think it will last 2 months longer? That's very likely. I'm sure you'll come out ahead.

When you notice a pattern of break-downs, more than one in a month, then you retire the vehicle.

-juice

zman3

That is a 1/4" on the circumference of the tire... which translates to very little in terms of tread depth differentials (perhaps 2/32"?).

You are correct, but the difference is more like 1.25/32" (8/6.28) with 6.28 = 2 * pi.

Karl

andrewcooke

Thanks to all of you who had suggestions and advice! Here's what I did:
1) Re-seated the rear center seat belt into it's retractor housing after taping together the 2 metal buckles at the end;
2) Secured the rear license plate holder with 4 screws instead of the 2 that the dealer provided.
This got rid of 90% of the rattling.
3) Lastly, I did as un4so suggested, and installed adhesive weather stripping along the inside of the hatch opening, and the car has NO rattles at all now.
Thanks, again. I'm grateful to know there's a place to come for solutions. Cheers!

ateixeira

Glad to hear it, or not hear, I should say.

-juice

trbojnkr

I have a 93 Legacy Wagon Sport 2.2L Turbo I bought at an auction for $1200 three or four years ago. I have spent maybe four or five hundred bucks on it so far. Now the fun part,this july it over heated just like it did last summer so i pulled over to put water in it,just like last year and when i took the refill cap off and added water it started to boil. I assume this is a bad thing. I mean the water is in that square box thing that the radiator cap goes on [not the reservoir] and it immediately starts to boil. And it takes alot of water like it's going somewhere but there isn't a leak or steam anywhere. Is my head cracked,or is it just the thermostat and/or water pump! Any help will be appreciated. :confuse:

grumpy13

I own a 1999 Outback with 117K miles and just found out that it has an internal head gasket leak. The dealer is estimating a $2,500 - $3K repair job. Given the car's mileage, is the repair worth it? Other than the HG, the car is in great shape (has not overheated as a result of the HG) and has had all maintenance. My worry is that the thing will become a money sink. What's the expected life on a '99 vintage transmission? Any advice is appreciated. Also, for the record, EXTREMELY disappointed in Subaru!

whitemaryr

1998 Legacy Wagon 2.2L 215000K miles orig engine and tran runs like a top, is RHDrive mail car so has lots of abuse, drive on some gravel roads, lots of dust. any ideas my husband is at last straw

cptplt

I have a 98 with 130 K, tranny has been fine, so has engine except for an oil leak at 65k, had two 92s which I drove till just short of 100K with no tranny and engine problems.

garandman

Head gasket repair is about $1,200 at an independent garage. I had mine done at 140,000 miles [97 OBW] and it was still going strong when sold recently with 187,000 miles. Your car is worth $4-5,000 with good head gaskets and less than $2,500 with bad ones......

Subaru has not only severely damaged their reputation in the way they handled this problem, but also cost owners thousands of dollars due to the additional depreciation as word has gotten out about the Phase I HG problems. BTW your car probably has the Phase II engine.

mainepatsfan

Long and short of it. Went to start '01 Subaru Outback 2.5 Wagon with 105,000 and original battery Saturday night. Ignition just clicking, dome light real dim so I'm thinking time to get a new battery. Take keys out of ignition, close door and hear buzzing inside. Right rear speaker is making the buzzing. Insert key, attempt to turn on again and buzzing stops. Get new battery on Sunday, installed it properly and car starts but now radio, odometer, speedometer and tachometer do not work. Other indicator lights working at start-up including door ajar, Emer. brake light, etc. and they go off appropriately. Shut car off and rear speaker makes funny buzzing noise again which stops after I start the car again. Check fuses and nothing's blown though funny smell inside that I had first noticed Saturday night. Any thoughts? Any one with a similar problem? Thanks

sweet_on_subys

If your breaks are pulsating it could be a fault in your ABS system or breaks in general. Although your ABS light should light up on your dash if that happens. It was just a thought, but it might be your breaks.