Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

ateixeira

Dad had a white Land Cruiser with a diesel 6 cylinder and a 5 speed manual! Imagine that. It clattered loudly outside, but was silent as a church inside.

Hose-out vinyl seats and carpeting. Cool, eh? Low range, 3 rows of seats, knobby tires. Totally no-nonsense.

Sounds like VWs cost a bit more to maintain? I haven't spent $200 on my Forester, in 47k miles. That's for parts, since I do it all myself.

-juice

ateixeira

PS The UN pays US$18k for those, sans taxes. For an individual it's under $25k delivered, insured, and with a spare parts box.

ateixeira

Whoa, hold up. Do NOT use WD40 on any rubber parts like bushings, because it's oil-based and will make it deteriorate over time.

Also, WD40 (water displacing) is good for clean up, but it'll actually remove any lubrication you have on there. So it'll be quiet for a day, and then squeek worse than ever the next, and eventually make the rubber start to crack.

Use white lithium grease instead, which is not oil based. You can even buy it in a spray can.

The noise in the front suspension is very likely the anti-sway bar. Any twisting or bouncing sort of make the bar slide in its track (basically two rubber bushings). Grease keeps them quiet and lets them slide smoothly.

If they are dry, you have rubber and metal, a recipe for noise and anything but smooth sliding. Grease 'em up generously.

The best time to do this is at every tire rotation, every 7500 miles. When you take the wheels off, they are easy to access, just spray a bit on there. Alternately, do it at every oil change when it's up on ramps.

It could also be a dirty spring seat. Hose 'em out and spray them as well.

Both our Subies are quiet and do not make any front end noises, but then again both are well lubed with lithium grease. I do not believe that is a coincidence.

Fitzgerald in Rockville gives us great service. We get a loaner and they put one of those service reminder stickers on the windshield. I usually do my own oil but we got a few freebies with this purchase.

-juice

Mr_Shiftright

No, no, what I meant was that on level ground, you engage the clutch to go forward but the hillholder sticks for a minute and doesn't let you go. THAT's what I meant would be annoying if that was happening. I think this was the poster's complaint about the hill holder malfunction.

There is a place somewhere where your car rolls uphill but I forget exactly. Somebody check out Ripley's.

hypov

Doug-
I do believe that the 96/97 steering will lock like the '98s just got to get the sequence write. I know I haven't gotten it packed down, but I do unknowingly get them locked every now and then... each time I'll be like "OK, how did I do it?".

-Dave

originalbitman

So my friend got her Jetta back from the dealer. $800 rather than $1100 for the brake job... because they decided she didn't need rears after all. But they went ahead and cleaned them (drums not disc) for $140!

bit

idahodoug

I've never heard of a steering lock that didn't lock each and every time the key was removed. Can anyone shed additional light on this? I'm 2000 miles from my Subie but would like to let my Mom know how to do it if indeed it is something that must be selected. As I recall the ignition even had the word 'lock' on it but it would not in fact lock...??

We're 80 series fans and have had 2 of them. In fact, I was on the warpath to buy another when I ran across the Subaru. After I got the first one in the family, we now have 3 others in the family besides ours. Phone conversations sometimes go like this:

"Hey, did you ever figure out a way to lube the rear door hinge stopper on the 80 - mine are squeaking now, also? I can't get a WD40 tube through the darned seal."

"Yeah, stick a ball point pen minus the guts through the seal and then put the tube through it."

"Cool, good call. Hey, when you get to my mileage don't forget to clean out the air filter precleaner....blah blah. "

Drives our wives nutty. Heh.

IdahoDoug

locke2c

Doug,

Most all locking steering columns / ignitions that I've ever seen will not lock until the wheel is moved slightly.

So it's not just removing the key.

However if turning the wheel a tiny bit doesn't lock the column on your mom's Subaru then yes something is wrong with her car.

-Colin

ateixeira

My buddy at work spent $600 on a brake job for his Jetta. But he wore through the pads and then the rotors, and even damaged the calipers. So that was to be expected.

-juice

ateixeira

You mean http://www.mysteryspot.com/?

Planes are told to avoid the area. Normal laws of gravity just don't apply there, it's bizarre.

-juice

gburrell

I dropped my car of a the dealership for an oil change yesterday and they told me I needed new
tires and brakes which kind of floored me as
I've only got 28000 miles on my car. My car is a 2000 outback. Is this typical for these cars. I'm looking at a about $1000 after only two years.
Any recommendations on tires that last and/or after market pads.

My last subaru a legacy had a lot of brake problems (rotors replaced twice under warenty) but after I replaced the continuously warping rotors with after market (sorry subaru) I put well over 50K on without any brake work. I was told at the time that this was a common problem with subarus but I thought by now they'd have fixed it.

ateixeira

My tires on my Forester lasted 28k also, coincidentally. Subaru doesn't use the Firestone Wilderness any more, nor do they use the Desert Duelers (now it's Potenza on Outbacks, Yokos on Foresters).

Try Dunlop SP Sport A2s, or if you don't get any snow, Nitto NT460 like mine (same size as your Outback). They are very durable but not suitable for winter climates unless you have snow tires as well. Discount Tire Direct carries them, and they're cheap to boot.

Brake rotors went up in size for 2002, I think the fronts are 0.7" bigger. But the cars weigh more and more nowadays, too.

-juice

kevin111

For tire, it is really easy to see if you need new tires. There is a marker in the groove. If the tire wears to about where the marker is (marker is flush with the rest of the tire) it is time to replace the tire.

Also ask him how much wear you have left on the brake pad. I would not be surprised if you have at least a quarter of a pad left.

Personally, I would be skeptical. This might be more preventive maintenance than neccessity.

toca

2001 got the beefer rotors.

"Brake rotors went up in size for 2002, I think the fronts are 0.7" bigger".

kevin111

My WRX is about 2 months old with 4000 miles on it (yes, I love driving it!) Recently though, it seems the headlights (not the fog lights though) and the tail lights stay on well after the car is parked and locked. Is there a way to fix this, assuming this is a bug or a problem? I was planning on going into the dealer on Saturday anyway.

kevin111

I am hoping it is just a bad fuse. Man, you bring the car in for a carwash, and a fuse acts up!

idahodoug

OK, need someone with a 96/97 to go out in the garage and see if their steering wheel locks just by removing the key. When this happened on my Mom's '96 I went to my garage and was able to turn the steering wheel back and forth quite a bit on my '97 and hers was the same. Coincidence? Someone settle this please. Neither car is available to me for the next weeks.

On the Cruiser, from '93-97 (last of the 80 Series) you could get a factory locker on both axles. They're electric and very durable. A bit slower than an air locker to engage though. You can lock rear only, or front and rear.

IdahoDoug

subaru_team

From my experience with our vehicles, if the wheel is left in a "turned" position when the car is turned off, it will lock once the key is removed with very little movement. If it is straight (12:00), you have to move it a bit from side to side to lock it.

I'm not sure if this helps but....

Patti

subaru_team

That's a new one to me. Do you have a security system on the car?

Patti

cptplt

my 98 locks with just 5-10deg of movt of the wheel. every Sube I have had (4 so far) locks when you move the wheel.

kevin111

Thank you for your attention Patti. I am dropping it off at Sierra Subaru of Monrovia, CA - right now. We will see.

paisan

I've decided I think I'm going to buy a '97 Grey or Cherry colored FZJ80 in a few years. I saw em on the road and they look awsome!

-mike

Mr_Shiftright

Tires and brakes at 28,000 isn't unreasonable. It's a believable range for normal war and tear on a modern car. And Outbacks are pretty porky and can run up to 3,700 pounds. My car weighs about that and my brakes and tires are pretty much toast at those mileages (not a Subaru). Okay not "toast" exactly but I'm uncomfortable with the wear showing at 28K.

mrdetailer

Now, I don't have the Outback, but on my older Legacy with Disk in front and Standard drums in the back I replaced brake pads as follows: 90K front Disk brakes; 125K rear brake shoes. The front ones are still holding well.

I generally get 40 -- 60 K on a set of brake shoes. I'm light on brakes and clutches though by what I've been told.

So I think that 30K is too short. When you replace them, make sure you get the higher quality ones. They cost just a little more. It's very beneficial in my experience.

My son definitely brakes harder than I do, and he is able to get 40 -- 50 on his 1991 Legacy Sedan.

ateixeira

Kevin: I bet you have the parking lamps on. Are they a bit dim compared to the regular headlights?

In Europe these are common. Mercedes have them, for instance.

To turn it off, check on top of the steering column. There is a button right there. It's purpose is to park in very dark/narrow streets and allow people to see you.

I have the original brake pads front and rear on my '98 Forester with 47k miles.

-juice

kevin111

Is this button at the end of the steering column where the light switch is?

If this is all it is, I would feel much better. I would it rather be due to my stupidity than an electrical problem. Thanks. I will call the mechanic.

ateixeira

Sort of on top of the rack, directly in the middle.

-juice

kevin111

Left a note with the dealer. Thank you! I suspect this it.

kevin111

It was my stupidity. The switch on top of the steering column was indeed pressed in.

Thanks ateixeira for the info!

Thanks Patti for the check in!

Personally, always prefer it to be a false alarm vs. an actual issue.

stoner420

lol, man, that was my first thought when I read your first post too.. ;-) what a weird button, huh?

kevin111

Also thought it would be extremely odd for this particular model of car to have an electronics glitch. ;-)

kens

I just got my Forester back from service yesterday. The rattling/buzzing noise I was hearing was, indeed, due to some errant heatshields. I had a total of four heatshields replaced.

After driving my Forester after the replacement, I realized that the heatshields must have been going bad for some time. Well before I noticed the buzzing while in gear at 2500RPM, I began noticing that I would get a clunk/clatter everytime I would shift. The noise was pronounced when driving by a wall where the sound from underneath would be reflected back towards me. I would get a similar noise when crawling at low RPM and allowing for some drivetrain lash. Finally, the noise would be more prominent when cold. It all makes sense now.

Now all I hear when driving is the pleasant burble of my Boxer engine. :-)

Ken

miksmi

Ken, Do you have a breakdown of the parts and labor? I've heard these repairs can be pricey.

..Mike

fgaydos

I have been snoping around different boards researching new cars, nice to know you care enough to be present and read the list.

I keep coming back to the Subies after ZX5, Vibe, Matrix, PTCruizer,P5 etc.
As you can see I'm interested in a small wagon/hatch type car. I am replacing a ZX3 Focus.

Question,
Of the Subies, which car should I be researching that is mostly the same size as the cars above?
Also, I get confused with the outback thing. Is outback another name for Sport? Legacy Outback? I'm very active with no kids, as a potter I haul things around a lot.
TIA
Frank

armac13

Outback Sport is a variation of the Impreza Wagon. The Outback is based upon the substantially larger Legacy. It sounds as though the Sport, the Forester, or the Impreza TS Wagon would be the size for you. I had a Forester S and loved it. The Sport was my second choice. The Outback was much too large for my tastes. Hope this helps.

Ross

kens

Mike,

I had the right hand upper and lower Y-pipe covers, the left hand lower cover and lower cat cover replaced (4 in total). Parts came out to $96 and labor to $120.

Ken

miksmi

Not as bad as I thought. It'd be worth it to me, as I wouldn't want to try to break free those rusted bolts, assuming I could get to them without a lift.

..Mike

fgaydos

Thanks for the feedback.
That is very helpful.

idahodoug

Patti,

Thanks for the input. Can't explain why two Legacy wagons wouldn't lock with keys removed. Neither locked when turned either direction several times. Strange. Perhaps something that is on current models you'd have access to that was not on the '96 and '97 I checked...

IdahoDoug

locke2c

Good to hear, Ken. I still think I would've chosen Borla headers (with no heat shields) myself, but then again that's more money and I'm not sure that they are CARB certified.

-Colin

kens

Colin,

Yeah, I thought about the Borlas (especially with the sale they have now) but they are no longer CARB certified in CA.

Since I am considering trading in my Forester for a WRX wagon next year, I thought I'd stick to stock parts for ease of resale. Also, I figured that exhaust modifications go a longer way with forced induction anyway.

Ken

originalbitman

So I have had Redline 75w90NS (tranny) and 75W-90 (LSD) sitting on my shelf for 6 months. Can't tell you how many time I have read through the posts here and on i-Club regarding this stuff and can't decide if I should make the switch. Leaving on a 7k roadtrip in a few weeks and ready to change my gear oil on my 01 GT wagon (22k miles) this weekend... any comments? Oh yeah, been running 5W-30 dino oil in the crankcase. The trip will take us about 5 weeks and through a real mix of temps... should I stay with 5W-30 or move to 10W?

bit

kens

bit,

Just like yourself, I've found for every positive comment of switching to Redline 75W90NS, there is another complaining of gear crunching. Personally, I've never felt that the shifting on my Forester had to be any smoother especially since we don't live in extremely cold climates.

Why don't you wait to try the Redline when you're not about to embark on a long roadtrip? That way, you can always drain it and go back to dino oil if you don't like what it does.

As for crankcase oil, it's usually better to use the narrowest spread your driving habits and enviroment will allow. How broad a temperature spread will you experience? Given that it's summer, a 10W should be plenty.

Ken

idahodoug

My comments on changing the tranny and diff fluids would be limited to making sure you did it correctly. Don't overtighten the plugs, drain when the car's still hot from driving, etc.

As to changing the crankcase to a different weight for your trip "real mix" of temps sounds like normal US driving. So use what you've been using. A 10W will be slightly thicker on startup, but I'm assuming you don't mean straight 10W but in fact a normal multi-viscosity oil, eh? Your car can handle significant variations in outside temp with a single oil type - check the manual and match expected temps to the chart if you're concerned.

IdahoDoug

subaru_team

Thanks for considering Subaru. The Forester is kind of a nice in-between. It's on the Impreza body (Outback Sport) but provides a bit more space. Not as big as the Legacy Outback. Ross' definitions are correct.

Very active w/o kids? Maybe a WRX wagon? It is peppy and attention getting with plenty of room. We have a few folks at work that are leasing them and they love the amount they can haul along with having a sporty car.

I hope this helps! I look forward to welcoming you as a member of the Subaru family one day.

Patti

kevin111

Just kidding. Fun car though!

legacy2001

My 2001 Legacy GT is shifting gears very roughly. Automatic transmission. We changed the Torgue converter (lock-out cylinder) because is was shaking periodically and it wasn't always catching (just bought this car in July - 13000 miles, now I own two suburus) but once the torque converter was replaced the gears started changing really rough. My mechanic is the only certified Suburu mechanic in my state (he's good) and the tech guys at Subura are aware of the problem but for three weeks now we are all stumped. Any ideas out there?

idahodoug

Roughly is a fairly generic word that's hard to do any remote trouble shooting with (rough downshifts, rough upshifts, rough upshifts under power, rough upshifts while coasting, etc, etc??). However, if the behavior of the tranny changed after the work was done, I'd suspect the tranny is not coordinating its shifts with the engine like it should be. This points to a sensor damaged during the work, a connection not good, etc. The only person who's going to track this is the dealer with their electronic diagnostics to step by step check out the engine and transmission electronics. Even the best mechanics could be the victim of a sensor or connector that did not survive being removed and reinstalled for some reason. I'm guessing that the entire tranny had to be removed for a torque converter changeout - major work and lots of electrical connections to handle.

Of course, I'd also check (and smell) the transmission fluid level.

IdahoDoug

fgaydos

to a car lot today to check out the Subies in person. I Like the styling of the 03 Forester but like the size of the Impreza sport.
Looks like I could lift a bike up there easier.
Never considered a WRX Wagon as I thought they would be much more expensive Insurance wise because of the higher power?
Besides, might get into trouble with that extra HP. :>)

Thanks for the helpful info, you too Kevin:>)

originalbitman

So I went ahead and put the Redline 75w-90 syn in the rear diff and dino in the in the tranny. It was pretty much a breeze other than the low ground clearance of my GT wagon. I had to run to the parts store and get a fluid suction pump to fill the diff. Some crud on the magnetic plugs but otherwise the oil was pretty clean at 22k miles. Also lubed the sway bushings (thanks Juice) and did a little OCD waxing while I was under there.
bit