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Comments
While I haven't experienced any problems with head gaskets yet (knock on wood) on my 96' Outback, I have had 2 oil leaks, one at 63K - the oil pump o-ring and gasket, the other at 101K - crank seal. The crank seal was not a big deal as I had the timing belt done anyway, and as long as the front of the engine was opened up, I had the mechanic replace the oil pump seals again for good measure. Still, I consider these oil leaks a major safety issue as the leaks usually flow back and fall on the y-section of the exhaust below, causing the oil to burn/smoke and smell.
Not to mention these repairs by themselves can take some serious cash from your wallet. I'd also should mention in the 2003 April issue of Consumer Reports, their "car issue", the 96 Legacy/Outback as the dreaded full black circle on the engine line.
I believe you'll find in various forums on the web that there are attempts to gather information on these problems, and to summit the findings to the NHTSA in hopes that there will be some recall pressure put on Subaru. We'll see.
All in all, I'm fairly happy with my Subaru. However, given the frequency of reported engine problems on forums such as this, I'm a little leary to include Subaru on my short list again for new vehicles until SOA addresses these current issues.
if it's not covered under warranty just go to a custom muffler shop* and have them take care of it. they should be able to weld any minor issues.
*the reason I say a custom muffler shop instead of a generalist repair servicer or chain muffler store is because they probably actually know how to weld properly at the custom place. those other yahoos generally weld about as well as I do, which is to say they're better at cutting and making a mess than fixing something like an exhaust leak. bolt ons and entire new sections are their bread & butter.
-Colin
John
I forget exactly the cost, but we put a new muffler on the 626 just before selling it, and it was much more than I had expected for only portion of the exhaust.
-juice
I'm sure some bean counter finally determined Toyota had more to lose, financially (due to a damaged reputation), by not doing anything, and that is the only reason they did it. Otherwise they would have covered those right away.
And remember - lots of those sludged up engines had warranty claims denied. Subaru seems to be covering the gaskets under the powertrain warranty, unlike Toyota did.
Any how, what to do? I'd suggest everyone that has had the problem and was denied any fix go to NHTSA and register a complaint about the gaskets. I'm not sure it involves any safety issues, but it's worth a shot.
Also call 800-SUBARU3 to open a case number, that'll help them trace the problem to certain models or production dates.
Finally, we'll keep the discussion open here and count the number of cars affected. So far I've seen about 10-12, although most were covered, only a couple were not.
John: good point, it is a slippery slope, one upset consumer can turn a constructive and useful discussion into a nasty fight. So far I think we (and the hosts) have kept this discussion constructive, and IMO that is what will yield the best results for all in the long run.
-juice
I thought I'd have the dealer take a look at it first since they worked on the exhaust last year. I still have the 1yr/12K miles warranty on parts and labor.
Ken
They're quoting me $420 P&L to replace it.
Is this something that I could simply have repaired?
Any advice?
Ken
I'm sure others will chime in.
-juice
Is a Y-pipe the same thing as a header? I see the terms interchanged on i-club.
Ken
-mike
Honda uses it on their V6 even the Cadillac STS uses it.
I personally find it a vain attempt to achieve some kind of look ...it certainly does nothing for power and only adds to the maintenance costs.
It is certainly not a header since you can just kneel down and look under most of the cars and see the "Y" pipe.
OK....hope that helps
the Y-pipe is where the two headers join. paisan's estimate sounds accurate to me...
-Colin
So, for a performance header like Borla, for example, is the y-pipe built in?
http://home.att.net/~teaguesauto/exhaust.htm
If I do go to a exhaust shop, I may still run the risk that the crack is too bad to be welded, right?
Ken
Sorry...I did not read the thread....jumped on the wrong thingy and am at the wrong end of the exhaust system ...: (
But on Subies, it's the opposite. The exhaust is basically 4 into 2 into 1. The Y in this case is the second half of that, the 2 into 1, where the two streams are joined to form one pipe that then feeds into the main cat. From then on it's just one pipe.
The photo on Teague's shows this better than I can explain it. In essence there are three "Y"s, but I'm betting the crack is in the last one, downstream just before the cat.
I think for $309 I'd get the Borla, though you'd still have to pay for the install.
-juice
I wonder what installation of the Borla would be.
Decisions, decisions...
Ken
You might not get the full benefit (what, 5hp maybe?), but I bet you'd still get at least half or it.
-juice
We just had a big layoff at our office and I'm swamped running around picking up the pieces.
I really appreciate the input, though folks. I'm sure the info will come in handy in the future (when things are better, I hope).
Ken
-juice
I'd rather spend that than pay the dealer's asking price for new. Borlas make neat noises. :-D
-Colin
Ken
Cheers Pat.
I'm new to this forum and not sure if this is a right place to ask technical question.
Can anyone tell me how to change spark plugs on my Subby 2003x. It looks like it requires to remove some bits and peaces to access plugs
Regars From down under...............Vitaly
If you do tackle it ourself, you will gain a measure of self respect and certainly admiration from many of us here. But wear goggles!
I used to like working on my car and making repairs for nothing more than cost of parts (sometimes less) that would have cost hundreds more if I went to a shop. But in the last 10 years, I have realized that there are many more enjoyable ways to spend time than under the car.
Good luck on whichever path you choose.
Steve
not much biz travel recently, so no freebies. :-( I have faith in you though!
-Colin
FYI: I sent my set of Magnacore wires back over a week ago (for a full refund, although I did not ask for the two shipping charges, and what a mechanic charged to "professionally" install the wires), did not hear anything from them yet.
I took my OBS to the dealer once for a bad heat shield rattle. They spot welded it for $25, and within a couple of weeks I heard a loud exhaust noise. Turns out there was a piece of weld (or solder??) that popped out from its location exposing a dime-sized hole. I took it back and they patched it up again. Never had another problem with it.
-Dennis
The bright side of it is that my low end torque is back, my exhaust note no longer sounds like some cheap boy-racer car and my garage is fume free. But, boy did that new exhaust stink and smoke right after I picked up the Forester from the dealer!
Colin -- It's wise of you to have used up your miles. I'm nervously looking at my UA stash wondering if it will be useless in a year.
Ken
It is sort of like what sfdriver is stating. What is interesting is that I do have the upgraded speaker package, and was not experiencing this before. It is more of a high-pitched tiny-vibration that is intermittent (not all the time, but specifically with talk radio), so maybe something fell into the speaker? I am still trying to locate the problem.
Thanks to both of you for the suggestions, I will keep these in mind with the diagnosis.
Why even the fact that there are over 1000 posts in this topic will lead some people to conclude that Subarus are problem-prone when the fact is that there are only a few problems repeated several times along with numerous responses. Add in the general questions like the spark plug one above coupled with the fact that Subaru owners are some of the most prolific posters on Edmunds and suddenly it looks (on the surface at least) like Subarus are pieces of junk when in reality Subaru is one of the most reliable makes.
-Frank P.
For instance, the clutch shutter issue. I started experiencing this on my car, and would have just assumed it was normal (it was getting worse though). Finally, it dawned on me about my model having issues with glazing over the clutch, causing it to shutter. Thus, I was able to describe the issue to the dealer and explain to him what was wrong. As a result, they understood the issue, and are replacing my clutch. Probably would not have happened if I was not aware of this issue.
- Kevin
-Frank P.
For a fix like that I could afford to be very patient, and do it myself even if I'm clueless about 'xorsts.
-juice
green: thanks, but I consider myself a novice too. I just try to help gather/share the info.
-juice
http://www.med.uc.edu/pstp/students/fortner/rulights.htm
http://www.randomsoup.com/how_acpanelbulbs.html
The original link source:
http://pub1.ezboard.com/fultimatesubarumessageboardsfrm6.showMess- age?topicID=46.topic
The temporary use spare, being of a different rolling diameter, will be interpreted by the center diff as continuous slip. Constant torque transfer to the other 3 tires will take a toll on the diff. Reverting to FWD (with it's open front diff and no torque management) will spare the system from excessive wear.
While this sounds very logical to me, I can find no reference to it in my ('02 OBW) owners manual. I even got a chance to look over the full shop manual set from my friends '99 Forester. They only have a vague reference to the fuse slot as for 'emergency use' but with no specifics. Anyone have a reference, or even confirm that my suggested use (as above) is sound?
Steve
-juice
However, there is one catch - I'm assuming they'd want two full-size tires on the front axle. That means the donut goes on the rear axle.
Better solution? Do what I did with our Legacy - get a full size spare.
-juice
Exceeding this 1/4-inch difference in tire circumference can place unnecessary wear on drivetrain components, possibly causing them to wear out prematurely.
If your vehicle is AWD (All-Wheel Drive) with an automatic transmission and the temporary spare tire has been installed, put a spare fuse (15 amp) inside the FWD (Front-Wheel Drive) fuse holder (refer to your owner's manual for location). Confirm that the Front-Wheel Drive (FWD) warning light comes on before you drive the car. Installation of this fuse deactivates AWD to prevent possible damage to the drivetrain components that can result due to the use of the smaller temporary spare tire. After re-installing the conventional tire, remove the fuse from the FWD fuse holder to restore AWD operation.
The manual shows where the fuse is located, but no instruction on its use. Wierd. HTH.
-mike
If you have the rear LSD, definitely put it on the front (open) axle.
-juice
It is greatly appriciated. I will do as you suggested.
Vitaly