Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

rob999

I've really enjoyed my (base) 2001 Outback Wagon and wouldn't change it except for one thing - I wish the intermittent wiper had the 'variable speed' control. Can any of you wiring techies tell me if the variable control is completely self-contained in the wiper lever arm available on the LTD? (e.g. if I bought a replacement LTD wiper control arm, would it be a simple swap, or are there additional wiring harness/components elsewhere in the steering column or under the dash that would have to be changed)?

hondafriek

Rob I believe there is a relay involved as well as changing the switch, there is also probably a different wiring harness as well while it looks like a simple swap it is not and would probably be quite expensive you will probably find that the combo switch alone will be in the area of $200 to$300 while this is a nice feature I think you would be wise to leave well enough alone.
Cheers Pat.

ateixeira

I was wondering what year her Maita was. Mine's a '93 (but it's a toy, not a primary vehicle).

What mods does she have?

Actually, e-mail me if you would - ateixeira@ifc.org.

I'm just curious.

-juice

locke2c

Emailed you... I agree we keep this forum Subaru.

snapp3of3

Hi,
I own a 98 Forester S which just surpassed 60,000 miles. Knowing that 60K is usually the changing time for timing belts in other makes, I was wondering if somebody could tell me when to change it in a Forester.

Thanks,
Dan

kens

Dan,

I believe it's 60K for the 98 Forester (check your owner's manual). You don't want to skimp out on that since the Phase I DOHC engine is an interference engine -- a broken timing belt an mean big trouble.

Ken

hondafriek

A very good site for anybody interested is www.skillcentre.com you can check the replacement interval for just about any car, you can also check which engines are interference and which are not, this is only a fraction of the information on the site.
Cheers Pat.

erics6

Dropped my 00 Outback off this morning for an oil change. The service rep. said Subaru had just announced a recall on a large number of 00 Subaru's to replace the MAP sensor. (I think he said air flow sensor - I assume that's same thing.) They were getting parts in later today and would replace mine today. I've been having a problem with pinging, so hopefully this will solve that problem. The service rep's 00 RS is also included in the recall.

kate5000

I know that many old Hondas look great when washed and waxed. However, just recently a piece of clear coat just fell off the front portion of the hood on my husband's Accord EX'97. Nothing like that ever happened to my old Loyale'92. Maybe, this car (Honda) dislikes us as much as we dislike it...

joeb24

I have had my LL Bean about one and a half months and generally love the car so far. The only misgiving I have is the following: When cruising on the highway above about 55 mph, if I decelerate (quickly take my foot off the gas pedal) or accelerate, the deceleration or acceleration motion is a little jerky. I am not sure if this is to be expected with an AWD system (It's my first), or if it is a problem. I briefly mentioned it to a service advisor at Subaru; he said it was normal with AWD. I am not sure if I should pursue it. In any event, it is a small annoyance rather than a big problem. Anyone else experience this or have an opinion?

paisan

If you take your foot totally off the gas, you should notice that it jerks quicky slowing down. Don't forget all the mechanicals that are now working against the wheels to slow down the vehicle. You should never take your foot off the gas completely like that, instead ease off the pedals rather than lifting completely off.

-mike

joeb24

Thanks Mike,

What you say makes sense, and goes along with what the Service advisor said. I guess all the mechanicals are working in the opposite sense when I accelerate quickly.

kens

juice,

Couple questions for you on regular maintenance:

- Do you use ramps or a jack stand when changing oil? I couldn't remember and homepage.com has been extremely slow. I want to start doing oil changes myself (yeah, I'm lazy) and I was curious which would be easier to use.
- Do you need to remove the brushgaurd to access the oil filter?
- What coolant brand do you use if and when you need to top off?

Ken

ateixeira

I used to use a jack and jack stands, but since I got Rhino ramps I use those. Each has advantages, though.

The jack goes higher, and leaves more clearance underneath and in the wheel well to make the cover easier to remove.

The ramps are much quicker. I can still remove the cover anyway, and it's probably safer.

You do not HAVE to remove the cover, but I recommend it. There are access holes for the filter and drain plug, but oil will spill on the cover and you'll end up with a mess. Unless you get one of those nifty quick release valves and have a hose attached. Still, the filter will make things messy.

I flushed my radiator for the 30k service, and then used regular Prestone (with 50% water mixed in). There are longer lasting types that I'm not very familiar with, but since you're supposed to stick to the maintenance schedule anyway, I don't use them.

There is a drain at the bottom of the radiator towards the passenger side. I have photos, but like you said homepage.com STINKS and it's down right now, again.

Just loosen this screw (do not remove it) to drain it. You can use a hose to really flush the old stuff out, but mine was clean and green so I just drained and refilled it.

Again, it helps to remove the cover for the radiator, so do the oil at the same time to save effort.

-juice

kens

juice,

Thanks for the tips. A couple follow up Qs for ya:

- Rhino ramps: just the front wheels or all four?

- Coolant: I've read that it's not good to mix different brands of coolant. Do I need to do a complete flush or can I just top off with a 50/50 mixture?

Ken

ateixeira

I use Rhino ramps only, on the fronts, for the oil change.

I only have 2, so when lifting all four is required, I use the ramps AND the jack with jack stands for safety (never use a jack alone).

Mixing brands is probably OK as long as they're the same type. It may be worth asking Patti or Darlene what brand they use to begin with.

-juice

bigfrank3

Subaru has done away with the access "hole" for the oil filter. I am not sure what year they made the change but my 01's don't have it. The access to the drain plug is still there.

It was kind of funny at the dealer because I asked for a Forester to be put on a lift so I could look under it. I wanted to see how it "looked" underneath, especially since I do my own maintanence. The salesman put it on the lift and walked over to where the "hole" used to be with his finger pointing. He was shocked that it wasn't there and started looking around as if they moved it! I pointed out to him that if they were going to give access to the filter, it would HAVE to be under the filter. Pretty logical, I thought. hehehe

Frank

ateixeira

*juice chuckling*

True. Here's an idea for a quick project: get a Dremel and cut three sides of a square under the filter. That would create a "flap" you could open for access.

You could drill two holes that could be used to run a tie strap through to hold it closed it later.

Probably more work than it's worth. Just yank the cover off.

-juice

hciaffa

Juice you mention that you have drained your radiator but have you really flushed out the coolant from the engine as well. I guess what I'm saying is I wish to do a complete flush and but when you drain the radiator your really not getting the coolant that is still in the engine core. I was trying to figure out where to mount a flushing tee such as Prestone's flushing kit but its not to easy to decipher the coolant hose routing from the fire wall. If any one has figured this out or done it can you post your solution.

paisan

Aren't the coolant changes on late 90's and newer cars like around 100K intervals? I just remember reading that recently on most new cars, but I could be wrong.

-mike

bluesubie

paisan - According to Subaru, it should be replaced every 30k miles. http://www.subaru.com/subaru_care/maintenance_fr.html

Maybe some manufacturers use the new "long lasting" coolant.

Dennis

ateixeira

Mine was only drained, and the refilled.

I had the front up on ramps, and the rear on a jack (tip: the rear diffy is pefect for this). I got it so the rear was a bit higher, and the drain was at the lowest point possible.

This ought to do the trick, unless the stuff in there is extrememly old or has rust in it.

You could probably run a garden hose into the top, and then force water through, but then how do you get that water out?

-juice

kens

Just got back from my appointment with the district technical manager, Mike, at Santa Cruz Subaru. I'm happy to report that the entire process went extremely well. What a HUGE difference a competent dealership and SOA manager makes. I'm getting 1st gear and related parts replaced again under warranty.

I had both the DTM and the head service manager sit in my Forester as I took it for a road test. Sure enough, 1st gear popped out on my first try. I tried it again and it happened. Mike explained to me that he's seen this with some 98s and 99s but no 2000s (juice, you might be experiencing this too). Apparently, the 1st gear fork has a bit too much play that causes the popping out when under load. There is an "updated" part that they will use to replace it. The service manager is currently checking on parts availability and will contact me later to schedule an appointment.

Many thanks to Patti who put me in touch with the right people to get this resolved.

For anyone who lives in the Bay Area, Santa Cruz Subaru is excellent -- a very competent and professional staff. Mike told me that they encourage customers to go to Santa Cruz for repairs and that they've been rated extremely highly for serivce.

One last note -- I spoke to Mike a bit afterwards and asked about future models. He told me that the H6 would not make it into the GT (they tried already, but the extra 100lbs threw off the balance) and to wait a bit because there may be a 2.5 turbo instead. Woo hooo! (more on this on Future Models).

Ken

ateixeira

2.5l turbo? Not 2.0l? OK, move to Future Models.

-juice

hondafriek

Way to go Ken, I sure am glad that you are being taken care of sometimes you just have to keep plugging away to get satisfaction, hope this repair cures your problem permanently, Juice take note i think you said yours was doing this same thing occasionally. By the way Kuice I have major back problems so no 5speed unfortuately.
Cheers Pat.

eharmonic

I purchased a 2001 LLBean at the beginning of the new year. This is my first Subaru.

First off, I'd like to say this is the sweetest car I've ever owned. Since I know I'd be preaching to the choir about features, etc., I'll get right to my questions.

1. With my foot lightly on the brake as I back out, I get a _lot_ of squeaking. No squeaking with braking while moving forward.

2. It started about 2 weeks ago...when the weather started to become more rainy. While at low speeds and turning (in parking lots, etc.) a loud creaking starts somewhere in the front. The car turns fine and doesn't appear to have any problems with rubbing tires in the wheel wells. I think it is part of the steering mechanism...because I don't have to turn the wheel much (about 3 inches either way) before the noise happens.

3. Also...I don't understand who tested their mpg...I'm not able to get over 20-22 yet. (But most of my driving is short trips.) What is everyone else getting?

Anyone have any insight or similar issues with their new Subaru? These are only small annoyances in what has otherwise been a wonderful new car experience.

Thanks for your feedback.

eharmonic

ateixeira

I have to test mine out some more. I'm not sure if mine was in gear or not to begin with, so it may have been a missed shift, not popping out of gear.

I'll try the ramp at work, which is quite steep and ought to tell for sure if it'll pop out once it's engaged.

-juice

bg18947

The long lasting stuff is the Texaco/Havoline or General Motors brand Dexcool fluid which is an orange color. Good for 5 years or 100,000 miles. Not all cars are using this orange-aid yet. For environmental reasons, most manufacturers no longer say to flush, but to drain and replace. Car Talk had a question on this as well, and the brothers said that if you follow the maintenance schedule, you really do not need to flush out the fluid. In New Jersey, it is illegal to flush a radiator. All service centers simply drain and refill.

ateixeira

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

-juice

hondafriek

By the way Juice, sorry for the misspelt name in post 624 I hit the K instead of the J and did not catch it.
Cheers Pat.

kens

BG -- Thanks for the coolant info. So, if I understand correctly, then is it ok to mix different brands of coolant as long as they are of the same type (green vs. orange)?

juice -- I found that I don't even need that steep of a hill for it to pop out of gear. Basically you just need a hill steep enough for the RPMs to climb to about 3000. Today, it popped out of gear at 2500.

Ken

pattim3

I'm glad you joined us at Edmunds also. You'll find that Juice, Mike and Drew are great resources.

1st - Brakes - Tough question. It might be good for the dealer to look at to make sure it is the "normal" brake noise. By "normal" I mean, we have a high metallic content in our pads. It helps them last longer than softer pads that are quieter. On initial start-up/braking, you may get some surface rust on the rotor from the car sitting. A few touches on the brakes should clean the rust off and stop the noise.

2nd - Turning noise - I'm not familiar with that as a characteristic, so you might want to check with the dealer on your first service visit.

3rd - MPG - We (SOA) do not put those estimates on the car. The EPA test the cars under "ideal" circumstances and makes the determination on the numbers. Some folks will get better mileage and other's may get less. I wouldn't be too concerned until you get a least 2K on the car. By then, it should be pretty well broken in and your readings should be more in tune with what you can expect.

If you need anything, make sure you call us. We'd be happy to help.

Patti

kate5000

I'm willing to go [many] extra miles, to get my Soob serviced well -- when time comes.

joeb24

Hi,

I have had my LL Bean since Dec 27 and I also love it.

Regarding the break squeal, I had some slight break squeal when backing up, but it seems to have abated since about the 2000 mile point. I have about 2500 miles now.

I don't have any noise connected with steering mechanisn.

I am getting about 18-19 mpg in mostly city driving, and about 24 mpg highway. After driving a Toy 4-Runner for the last three years, I am happy with that.

I have had to replace the front windshield after catching a rock! $500. at Subaru dealer ($250. deductible).

Please see my post #609. Do you have similar experience with your Bean?

Thanks

eharmonic

JoeB24 - yes...I've noticed the odd deceleration around 55-65...I was reading in a reply you recieved to this that it was a matter of easing off the gas pedal. I think you and I are used to non-AWD cars that coast a little more...

Heh...I was getting 19MPG for awhile there...I think it was due to the fact that I just let the temperature control system turn on the AC whenever it wanted...I have been told that can affect mileage significantly. (Could be misinformed...anyone want to sound off?)

My first service is coming up...I'm at about 2500 miles...gonna have lots of questions for the dealer.

Thanks,

eharmonic/Todd

yellowbikedon

Hi Todd,

Welcome to the ever growing LL Bean population.

My LL Bean wagon, with just a bit over 1,600 miles, has been averaging over 20 mpg for the last three fills. The range has been from 20.4 to 21.7. This is with 70-75% city driving and 25-30% expressway. The temperature here in the Midwest (chicago area) during the past three weeks has been fairly mild. Still think our gasolene contains a winter" mix which lowers mileage. I use Shell premium.

Be patient. Mileage will improve, especially when the warmer weather arrives. BTW, I find around-town mileage the SAME as I got on my '96 Outback with the 2.5 engine during the winter weather!

Don

shoobsube

Ken-I noticed you had recommended a good wheel allignment shop in Mt. View and I figured you might know a good general mechanic for Subarus in or near Mt. View. I have a 2001 Outback so I'll have to go to the dealer for a while for warranty stuff, but I'd love to find a great local shop for oil changes and general upkeep in the meantime! If you or anyone else has any recommendations, I'd love to hear them! Thanks.

--ShoobSube

logger2

I'm off to the dealer today for service and i am at 150 k kms. I was wondering if there are any specific things I should look out for. I am hoping to get the brakes looked at as they are beggining to fade a bit and the front discs look grooved a bit and shiny. Any other things of note to have checked? Not to jinx myself but I havent been to the subie dealer here since christmas, the longest stretch yet!

On another note, I still havent got any feedback on my claim to subaru Canada since i sent my letter in early January. Is it worth calling someone else to shake them up a bit?? When I called a couple of weeks ago, the guy was pretty short with me and that wasnt very cool either so I am not sure what to do.

Thanks

ateixeira

Pat: no sweat, I'm sure it was unintentional.

Ken: we have another road trip coming up this weekend. Back to CT again, this time for my brother-in-law's wedding. We're taking Sandy, of course, so I'll have every chance to see if that happens to me (once I get moving, popping out of gear, not before the gear is engaged and in motion, right?).

Let's see, 150k km is about 93k miles. That's a whole lot of miles. It depends on what you've done since 60k (96k km), but by now you should have done everything:

* oil and filter
* fuel filter
* PCV valve
* O2 sensor (if yours lasted this long, it's a record)
* air filter
* rotate tires
* alignment
* trans fluid (ATF or Gear Oil)
* differential fluid (AWD)
* fuel cleaner/additive
* spark plugs and plug wires
* timing and accessory belts
* cooling system hoses
* wipers
* radiator flush and fill
* check power steering fluid
* bleed brakes
* turn rotors (at least)

That's about it. Basically, the 60k mile service calls for everything, so whatever has not been replaced yet I'd do now.

-juice

bluesubie

joeb24 - That's a good deal. My wife just had her 99 OB Ltd windshield replaced and it was over $700 here in NJ. It was at a local glass shop. The same one that our dealer uses.

I read about not flushing radiator coolant because of environmental reasons (#627). Is there an "environmentally friendly" way to clean an oil filled air filter like K&N or Amsoil? Or is that too small of an amount to cause any damage?
Dennis

ateixeira

I'm thinking that would be pretty hard - you could recycle all the water/detergent you use to clean it, I guess.

-juice

kens

ShoobSube: Unfortunately, I don't know of any general mechanic in particular in the Mountain View area. The only Subaru-specific shop that I can think of is Santa Cruz Subaru, but that's pretty far away.

juice: Yes, 1st gear fully engaged, no gas, no brake no clutch. It happens when the transmission is under load -- above 2500RPM. You can do this by coasting down a very steep hill while engine braking. Adding passengers/cargo will make it happen quicker. Let me know what you find.

Ken

ateixeira

Will try it. I'll be out of town 'til Monday, but I'll let you know if/how it happens.

-juice

henne

Hello, I just got a new Outback sedan for my wife. It has keyless entry and the alarm. Does anyone know what activates the alarm i.e. remote signal or the locking of the doors? No one seems to know. I want to add remote start and I want to know how it will effect the alarm.

Thanks in advance.

Robert

dannyka

I have a small (about 1/2 inch long) tear, like a cut, in the vinyl on the lower half of the driver's side door. What would be the best way to take care of something like that, short of replacing the entire panel.

Thanks,
-Dan

ateixeira

You can buy a vinyl patch kit from Pep Boys or your local auto store. If it's low in the door, you probably won't even notice it.

Practice on an inconspicuous area first, until you get good at it, though.

-juice

oldjayhawk

I test drove my '01 Forester S Plus with automatic with Juice a few days ago. Juice heard the same whining noise I reported in previous posts of mine. The noise came on when the car went at 50 MPH. The noise got louder as the car went faster. We tested it up to 65 MPH. It made no difference whether the radio was on or off, or whether I stepped on the gas pedal or let off my foot. There was no noise when we reved the engine at neutral to about 3000 RPM. Juice said he could hear the noise when he put his ear next to the transmission and drive shaft area. Juice said the noise was abnormal because his '98 Forester did not have that. I would like to thank Juice for taking an hour of his precious time to do the test drive with me. I will take my car to a nearby dealer to have them look at it next week (when my car is due for the 3000 mile oil change and check up). Please wait for my report after that. This is quite frustrating because the dealer had already replaced the rear differential in my car before. If the dealer does not fix it this time, I am considering filing a complaint with the NHTSA and giving Patti a call.

kens

FYI, I was just browsing the NHTSA website and saw that the "1st gear popping out" is listed as a service bulletin:

Service Bulletin Number: 034899
Bulletin Sequence Number: 819
Date of Bulletin: 9907
NHTSA Item Number: SB608198
Make: SUBARU TRUCK
Model: FORESTER
Year: 1998
Component: POWER TRAIN:TRANSMISSION:STANDARD:MANUAL
Summary: VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS MAY EXHIBIT FIRST GEAR POPPING OUT WHILE DRIVING. *TT

Ken

paisan

I'd give em at least 4 shots to fix it. There isn't much you can do as far as Lemon law until they have worked on it 4x. Also if the dealer is in your opinion making a best effort at it, I'd let em try and figure it out before taking out the elephant gun!

-mike

hondafriek

Robert if you add a remote start the subaru keyless entry will have to be bypassed to utilise the keyless entry of the remote start the reason being the factory system will not allow you to lock the doors with the engine running, if you had not already had the factory alarm I would have suggested that you install a complete alarm remote starter combo. from Clifford or Viper This way everything is compatible with each other it is never a really good idea to add bits piecemeal it usually is more grief than it is worth especially trying make aftermarket compatible with factory. hope this helps with your question.
Cheers Pat