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Comments
I guess I was overestimating just how much water she meant, it was just condensation from the A/C. She's been running the defroster in the Indian Summer we've had.
Whew.
-juice
Thanks in advance.
My husband had a similar problem about 10 years ago and I saw that his mast was bent a bit. A little tweaking and it was fine - but, I'm not recommending that you try this at home!
Patti
> viable option was to re-build the transmission. My dilemma is that the transmission seems sound i.e no slipping and how could I justify such a costly repair and yet the dealer has failed to explain where the pressure is coming from to push the diff oil out the ATF vent without mixing. Does the Dealer's explanation seem plausible and have you seen anything like it before? Sorry but I am not technically savvy when it comes to autos and would appreciate any lay person explanation if you are able to understand my description. I have a parts diagram if that would help.
>
>I realize that its a gamble with my cars estimated value at $3K for a private sale. What chance would you give me for not developing a transmission problem if I go ahead with the dealer's recommendation? I live in the city and commute to work yet I try to go easy on the acceleration and breaking. Possibly 8 or 9 thousand miles out of the 12K that I put on the car since purchasing it 2 years ago are highway miles. The only other repairs have been some front end body work/realignment and replacing engine oil gaskets.
An on-line buddy with family connections to an out-of-state subaru dealership wrote:
"If it is leaking higher than halfway up the case won't
be leaking from the top. Those things are only filled
halfway with fluid. If the fluid is leaking from the
top tell him to look up that it is not the
differential. It is also impossible for the
differential fluid to come in contact with the trans
fluid as they are 2 separate items. He is most likely
losing the fluid through a shaft seal not a big deal
like 200 bucks takes about 2 1/2 hours and part is
like 25-40 dollars."
What's your opinion about that possibility? Subaru is claiming that it will take them 6 or more hours to replace the back to back seal. I haven't noticed the leak within the past two weeks in the place I noticed it before. Although I have been driving it less and had a shop clean out both vents. Also I recall there were some loose bolts on the transmission case that had been worked on under a previous owner. They have since been tightened. Yet I still smell a hint of diff oil when the car is at operating temp and the heater is on. The smell is not as bad as before though although the weather is considerably colder than before. Thanks in advance for any assistance.
Thanks,
Matt
Boston,MA
Hey Dude... ;-)
I replaced the one on my Miata with a rubber fixed antennae. $10 bucks or so, plug and play.
-juice
Not surprising, It's almost snow country in what we former city folk call "upstate", and people in Rochester laugh!
!08,000 miles on my 00 Ltd, new Nokian WR's, and other than the "check engine" light, Subie's running great. I wish the new Nissan Quest we bought had AWD, (couldn't deal with the wait and the arrogance of Toyota dealers), but I'll finally get to do some comparisons between AWD and Traction control. It's odd pulling away from a stop on wet pavement with the van and spinning wheels! Kinda nostalgic! We held on to our 91 AWD Caravan to get through the winter, or at least until my wife feels comfortable enough with the Quest in the snow. Want to get snows on the quest but the wheel size (almost Subaru like) is 225/65 16.
I'm sorry this happened to your Subaru.
Patti
Our family has owned since Dec of 99 a 2000 wintergreen outback wagon. Presently, it only has 25,000 miles on it and at 20,000 the MAP sensor went bad-which means the power steering failed Thank God my husband was driving at the time because I don't think I could of steered the car. This Map sensor problem occurred right after the warranty was up. The repair was over $300.
Now four months later, I'm started to see the brake light come on. I guess and hope this means my brake fluids are low, but I can only hope.
Run, don't walk, away from that dealer. Here's a quick logic test for what they told you "It's leaking into a void space between the seals and exiting out the ATF vent". If fluid is going into this space, then how could it be going out the ATF vent? Unless they think the ATF vent is connected to that space. Hello??
We (you and us) are at a disadvantage here in that you don't know where the leak is coming from, nor do you seem to be sure what the fluid is. If it's coming out the ATF vent (you said 'appears to be'), it's not gear oil from the differential. If something's coming out the ATF vent, it's ATF.
One of the most basic things you have not told us. Is the tranny fluid at the proper level, or is it too high? Ditto the diff fluid? These are key to know.
Personally, I think based on the loose bolts and silicone from the previous ownership, you merely have a small weep from somewhere due to improper reassembly. If it were my vehicle, I'd simply get very good at checking the fluid levels in both the front diff and the auto tranny and check them monthly. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have them both changed (by a reputable mechanic) or you could to them yourself if you have an hour and can swing a simple wrench.
You simply open the drain plug in the tranny, then put 4 quarts back in the dipstick tube. Because fluid coming out the vent is an indicator of an overfilled tranny, I'd put in 3 quarts and warm up the tranny at idle, then check the level (standard practise check with engine running at idle after putting the tranny in each gear selector position). You may find it was overfilled, which would be a problem you've solved. If not, then add .5 quarts and recheck.
Then open the drain plug in the diff and put 1.5 quarts back in.
This is not rocket science, but I'm sure the mechanic would charge better than $100 for this. You'll pay about $18 for fluids and spend an hour on it if you break for coffee.
Doug
I noticed the leak myself and I am aware of the distinct difference between ATF and Diff oil. The first time the problem manifested itself the diff dipstick indicated the case was nearly dry. 3000 miles later it was half way down. The diff oil was leaking from the area of the vent on the side of the front diff dip stick not from the dipstick itself. Perhaps there are other leaks as well. I was told by someone that this is the tranny vent. Maybe I'm mistaken. If I could refer you to a parts diagram the dealership gave me: there is a ring (31348) with 4 holes sandwiched between the back to back seals that separate the tranny from the front diff. The ring looks like it is on the tranny side of a plate (31341) that seperates the 2 halfs. One of the holes leads to a vent (99073) that attaches to a plate and then the vent. Both an independent and the dealer came up with the same diagnosis. The fluids were changed twice since I noticed the problem.
Anyone else have that issue?
Steve
We saw some of those on the Phase II engines before they changed the intake the following year. Any intake mods would make it blow up. Is your car totally stock, or modified?
You're out of warranty, though.
Check the brake fluid level ASAP, it's under a yellow cap and near the fire wall. Have the pads inspected for wear and maybe when you change those also bleed the system, the fluid is old by now anyway.
-juice
Now the car smokes after being driven. My mother has a 98 legacy that is doing the same thing. I believe the drip is going onto the exhaust. My sister in law also had a legacy that did the same thing. My mother's mechanic has mentioned he heard of fires due to this condition.
Any suggestions and diagnois and pricing?
I have a 98 OB as well and had what sounds to be a similar experience which is fiarly common on our vehicles in this year range.
Often the oil leak is from the o-ring gasket for the oil pump which is located on the front side of the engine but is behind the timing belt cover. The oil will leak out from the low end of this cover and get blown back onto the exhaust y-pipe which is hot enough to burn it and cause the smoking and smell.
Like I said, the failure of this seal is pretty common and the dealers service area should be quite aware of this. It is also pretty easy to deterime since there should be an oil trail leading from the belt cover, over the oil pan, and onto the y-pipe.
The fix for this is to have the gasket replaced and the timing belt as well considering your mileage and that it is probably soaked in oil by now. The price for the parts are minimal, however there is a good deal of labor involved and those hourly rates do add up.
Tell the service area that you may suspect this to be the problem and get an estimate based on that. Since you have the complaint on record with them, maybe they will help you out on the charges. I'm sure that others will agree to open a case with subaru to see what they can do.
Alan
98 OBW Ltd
Greg
Greg
Make sure the wheels are the correct offset for your Subaru -- that's the issue I would be more concerned about. I believe my LL Bean Outback rims have an offset of +48mm. It is stamped on the back of the wheel, usually says something like "ET48".
Craig
Vonn
So consider it a worthwhile investment to buy a new set.
-juice
Does anyone exactly how the badge is attached to the grille?
Thanks,
Maybe someone has a pic, though, and can save you the trip.
-juice
Patti
I purchased a 2003 Legacy SE wagon early Oct this year. At first I loved the car but the wind noise is so bad I am starting to hate it. I sounds like it is right next to my left ear...much worse on windy days. By the way I have factory roof rack but no cross bars....doesn't sound like roof racks anyway....any suggestion? desparate...doen't want to get rid of car
I popped mine off by releasing some tabs and pushing it forward, so I'd say to line it up from the outside and push it into the hole (towards the engine). It should click into place.
Note: my LL Bean is an 02, and they changed the grille slightly for 03 and 04.
Craig
You can speed up the process by pinpointing the noise source. Press on the rubber window gasket near the mirror (called the "gusset") and see if that affects the noise. I think that's the most common source in my experience. Also, look at the windows from the outside, and verify that they are lined up right and sealing correctly (you can look at the other windows to get an idea).
They can adjust the glass angle and position, as well as the gusset angle. In extreme cases, they can replace the rubber gaskets if they are not sealing right.
You can also open/close the window up/down a little and see if that makes a difference. If it does, that almost certainly points to an adjustment issue.
The window gusset in my wife's Forester was making a ton of wind noise. I replaced a part myself and adjusted the window, and it's super-quiet now.
Craig
-mike
I guess that's the result of living somewhere where there are few Subaru's around. I'm hoping that they'll become more common with the new Legacy design.
Where would you install it on the SVX? It's a fairly customized part meant to snap into the Outback grille, so I am not sure it would even be useful to you. However, you can order the H6-3.0 rear emblem (which sticks onto any flat surface) for $27 (probably less online):
Description:ADHESIVE NAMEPLATE
Part #:93073AE670
Price:$26.95
By the way, I just noticed that you can lookup all Subaru parts online at Liberty Subaru's website, which is really cool:
http://www.libertysubaru.com/en_US/AboutServiceAndParts_1.chtml
I spent a couple hours there yesterday browsing.
Craig
Agree with Craig on the window seals. We have a Forester and a Legacy, both are quiet. It can be adjusted.
Cool about Liberty, I've ordered from them before and delivery came quick. Their prices were the best I found at that time.
-juice
-mike
Thanks
Think it starts in October, but not sure. I end up buying the non-oxygenated gas (92 octane) for my tractor, chipper and other small engines. There must be a web site around here that will tell us.
MNSteve
ummm, interesting I went on a hunting trip in Oct and logged one of best MPG/tank in long time (25.35) and it was oxygenated gas. I thought the oxygenated gas caused lower gas mileage? The bitter cold must have more to do with it than the oxygenated gas? Last winter I got as low as 16mpg on a few tanks.
link to MN AG page: http://www.mda.state.mn.us/ethanol/hugoiowa.htm
http://www.msra.com/NonOxygenatedFuel/Non-OxyFuel.htm
Best thing about it is that you don;t need to add Heet etc in winter anymore!
Is a 10% ethanol composition considered an oxygenated fuel? I know the gas in the Twin Cities has 10% ethanol all year round.
They found out in the twin city area that the air wasn't as "dirty" as they thought. So, several years ago they dropped the required yearly test. But the oxygenated fuel still remains with us.
One year I didn't run the gas out of the outboard. It cost a few bucks to have the carb cleaned and rebuilt as this oxy gas leaves residue when it vaporizes. Now I put Sta-bil in every tank/gas can when they will sit for a while.
MNSteve
At 51K all is still fine with both, but I need to get the rear pads checked. No other problems with the car (knock on plastic wood).
So, you should have gotten new pads. Some dealers do it right, some don't...
Ralph
I don't think you need to get new pads with new rotors. If the pads are in good shape, they can definitely stay in service. So, I wouldn't worry about it.
Noise coming from the mirror/gusset area can be fixed. The gusset angle and or glass angle and position are all adjustable. Worst case, the weatherstripping and gaskets can be replaced.
You can look here:
http://members.cox.net/craig.hunter/gusset/
for a fix I performed on my wife's Forester. Made a night and day difference in the noise level.
Craig
As far as I know, new pads are not required.
I was looking at Brembo's site, but they don't seem to have a set for my H6... oh well.
I will insist they hand torque them this time.
It is a 2003 Outback H6 3.0
With thanks
Some cheap dino oils have a low coking temperature which could be a problem with eg turbo engines which can run quite hot.Thats why I use it in my WRX . But I don't use it on my Legacy.
Will it make that much difference in a H6, probably not. But if you want to go to longer drain intervals and not hassle with getting that oil change as often and you are doing your own changes or supply your own oil to the dealer its not that much more expensive than dino.
I also use synthetic in my RV as it sits around a lot, regular dino could theoretically drain into the sump more and leave the cylinders etc less protected with an oil film when not used.
Jon
The door window angle can be adjusted to fix that noise, but you might want to consider working with a different dealer.
Great pics, Craig. Thanks for taking the time to do that.
-juice