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Comments
-Frank P.
This 2.5 XT is full of gremlins..:(
Or did the radio not even turn on?
If the radio didn't turn on at all, you've got a loose connection in your Battery or Ignition connection to your radio.
Is filtered water (we have a Pur filter pitcher) the right thing to use? It's been sitting in a pitcher since yesterday.
-Brian
DaveM
Greg
Removed the battery clamp and soaked it in some Pepsi. Wiped up the top surface of the battery, popped the vent caps off, and topped off the 6 chambers with about 1/4 gallon total. I took the level to just about the tip of the plastic extension from each chamber hole.
-Brian
Keep an eye on the water level of your battery. When it gets low your battery may start charging more than normal. That can lead to lots of acid deposits. When I clean mine I use warm tap water & baking soda. That stuff bubbles the acid right off. Then drink a Pepsi. As has been said for filling the battery distilled is the way to go.
Chuck
-juice
DaveM
This is the first time I've filled the battery in my '00 Outback (3.5 years old now). I remember wiping things down back in October and didn't notice the 'chunk o' crud' on the bracket and (-) terminal. I'll be keeping an eye on it now as it's clean again.
Actually, I expected to fill it with more water than I did. *shrug*
-Brian
John
I thought it would be a good oppertunity to check the cars performance again in the snow.
Taking a corner very slowly, the back end slid out violently, thankfully the oncomming car was far enough over to avoid incident, and it took a series of corrections to bring her back under control.
I love the car, but I am appauled that Subaru would install skiis on a car built for snowy climates. I know there is a winder traction trade-off when using all-seasons, but these are just a joke. I would go as far as to label the car dangerous in this weather.
The tires are correctly inflated (Checked 2 days ago) and have only 28,000 Kilometers on them.
I will be writing a letter to Subaru Canada customer service requesting that they replace, or contribute to the replacement cost of a decent set of tires.
I was really looking forward to the '05 once it arrives, but I'd might as well be riding a sled to work.
Sorry for sounding like a jerk, bt I bought the car because I wanted a safe car to drive to work in ini these conditions. Now I am not sure if I want to drive to work tomorrow.
What year is your Subaru? How many miles do you have on your tires? I would highly recommend installing snow tires in your climate, you will be amazed with the traction you get with them coupled with the AWD. I live in West Michigan, and have them installed on my WRX. All season tires are okay in all climates, but don't excel in winter.
Take care,
Paul
Sebastian: those tires are OK when new, but when worn, well, they earn their nickname: Blowtenzas.
-juice
HTH
Larry
Bob
I very much doubt Subaru will do what you are asking. Drivers in Canada should be prepared to own a second set of tires designed for and dedicated exclusively to snow conditions.
Where I live, we get snow maybe 2 or 3 days of the year (Canada isn't that frigid and snow covered). When it comes, we wake up to it and have no time or ability to change the wheels (I'm not going to do that in my garage before going to work).
I am simply saying that Subaru should equip a $40,000 car with better tires. There were too many front wheel drive cars pasisng me on the highway today.
Does anyone have any experience with the BF Goodrich Traction T/A tires? They seem like they have pretty impressive specs for all season driving. Any other suggestions?
Many thanks
Spend a few hundred $$$ on some winter/snow tires and mount them at the beginning of your winter season. http://tirerack.com has some of these, I'm sure you have some local tire places that have 'em too.
-Brian
Running a quality all-season tire in limited days of snow / ice can be a good compromise. I ran 2 sets of BGF KDWS's "all-season" (W speed rated to 168 mph) on my Gen III SHO which performed quite well in snow & ice conditions but I've also been fine running bias plies & performance radials in RWD vehicles in the 60's & early 70's, etc. without a problem. I mounted Bstone Dueller Revo A/T's on my Trooper which are great in the snow but they don't offer the added performance benefits of a dedicated snow tire. Running narrower tires offers less rolling resistance & more lbs per square inch of tire loading but there are obvious trade-offs. Also, some tire compounds get quite hard after a couple of years from UV & / or heat cycles regardless of mileage or tread depth - but they would tend to be slick on any surface.
Getting new tires will help but it all boils down to knowing & improving your limitations while maximizing the capabilities of your equipment in any given situation. Driving within those capabilities are paramount not based on how other drivers / vehicles are performing at the time. Drive smart & always plan ahead with timing - including speed differential for obstacles
To me, with tires at 17k + maybe a year or 2 of being in-service, this isn't Subaru's problem.
Despite that, I was thinking of selling this set and getting studded tires if I still felt the need for them, but unless I run into some weather I haven't seen yet with these tires (and that would be scary) I'm happy the way they are.
Larry
Oddly, I can't wait until my wife's tires are worn. She has 18k miles and they're actually still OK. We usually take the Forester when it's snowing.
-juice
To clarify, the car is new ( 3k miles ), has not been in an accident or even hit a major hole for that matter. Bone stock. Does not pull right or left continuously as in needing an alignment or due to the crown of the road. Issue is weak on center feel combined with constant slight wander left or right if you move the wheel even slightly. Hard to describe but annoying and requiring constant attention to drive in a straight line at normal speeds. Windy days, feel like a drunk driver.
Anyone have similar experience or insight, would appreciate hearing from you. Thanks in advance!
Matt
That said, I notice none of the twitchiness or instability that you've described. On a freeway straightaway, I can hold my steering wheel motionless in the dead-ahead position and the car will maintain its direction straight down the road for long distances before any slight corrections are required. I very much like this good directional stability; I dislike cars that require constant small back-and-forth corrections to maintain their heading.
The steering ratio on Foresters and Imprezas might possibly be "quicker" than what you're accustomed to. The combination of a quick ratio (small number of turns lock-to-lock) plus the relatively small turning circle means that small changes in steering wheel position translate to large changes in vehicle direction.
It's possible that your Impreza's wheel alignment isn't correct, even though it's nearly new and hasn't hit any chuckholes. I'd suggest having the dealer check it.
jb
Mike k
BTW - you are describing the location that has been the problem. Always cylinder #4. The coolant leaks to the outside and not to the cylinder. Oil is not affected.
Greg
thanks
Mike k
Months ago when you were not available, there was an informal census regarding Subaru owners on this board with blown head gaskets. The end result was that this problem was not altogether rare--common knowledge in some circles, actually. Do you have any information that you could share regarding this issue? Is Subaru aware of it? Is it a design flaw? Is it as widespread as it seems? Is it preventable? Thanks for any information you have regarding this potentially serious problem.
From what I've seen, it's mostly older 97-99 models with the Phase I engine. Mileage tends to be around 70-80k.
Some folks here were able to get help, so call 800-SUBARU3 if it happens to yours and work with them to get a resolution.
-juice
Way back when, a number of folks on this board, a total of twelve, responded saying they had had blown head gaskets. Others made comments that dealers told them it was a common problem. In fact, one person said the dealer was completely out of them due to having to replace so many. Another Subaru board on the Internet also had similar comments posted to it.
Juice, I don’t know what you base your “97-99 models with the Phase I engine. Mileage tends to be around 70-80k” statement on, but most of the respondents on this board were later models with much lower mileage. Message 785 was a 2001 with 27K, for example. Even the two just mentioned a couple of messages back are ’01 and '02.
Also, I’m not asking for information on “specific cases”. My questions were very general.
If there’s an issue with Subaru head gaskets, I would like to know. Is there anything we can do to monitor or prevent it? Or maybe Subaru needs to issue a service bulletin. If they haven’t heard of anything, why not? Everyone else on the planet seems to know about it.
Like other folks, I’ve plunked down hard earned to own a Subaru, and although yes, it is still under warranty, and yes, it’s great there’s an 800-SUBARU3 phone number to call, and it really IS wonderful that Patti monitors this board, I sure as heck don’t want to have my car towed to a dealer and go through the hassle of getting head gaskets replaced, or even worse, a new engine due to a warped head. I bought the car to drive, hopefully for a long time, without any problems.
When Patti was absent, a few of us noted that we’d like to hear if she had any input. Your response, Juice, way back on message 798 was “Yep, she’s looking into it. As soon as I hear I’ll share.” Still waiting, but like Oliver, I’m now beginning to wonder if we’ll ever really know.
-juice
Juice was explaining that with this being "unchartered" territory, I have to tread carefully on what I can share prior to getting permission. That being said, I had seen issues here on the board and I've been in the loop at SOA on what is being done. We do our best to be proactive, but sometimes it takes a bit longer than what we'd all like.
Thanks for your patience. If you are having a problem now, I strongly encourage you to get it to a dealer and call us at 1-800-SUBARU3 if you need help.
Patti
<chuckle>
You gotta keep in mind that some people *cough* my wife *cough* have an extended warranty and expect to get some sort of benefit for it if an issue comes up. So it might not be fair if they cover everyone's issues, why should we pay for the Subaru Gold warranty, then?
I think if they find a design flaw and issue a recall or (more likely) a TSB for some models, that's different. The key is if they can find some sort of pattern, perhaps a certain batch of gaskets, maybe?
I bet they're looking into that now and just haven't come out with an official position yet.
-juice
Ergo, if on a particular car there is early evidence of any leakage past the gasket at all, the first thing I'd want would be to have the head bolts re-torqued. That early intervention just might prevent the larger problem later.
Message 2383 was the closest description I've heard yet of an actual observation, but I'm not sure if I can see the same location on my Forester because the plastic covering hides much of the engine. And all right, I'm not entirely sure if I'm looking at the right spot.
Any suggestions for an easy method of detection, or maybe a layman's explanation of how to look? Would it be a good idea for folks getting an oil change to have their service person check? Or, if there is a leak noticed, is it already too late?
Next time you visit an auto show, see if they have a boxer engine cut out. You can see the parts we're discussing more closely.
-juice
Having a well maintained cooling system goes a long way to help reduce engine heat stress. In addition, head gasket leaks may not be visible externally & can leak across cylinders internally. It's amazing what a little steam can do.
Any way back to my heads . The mechanic put the car on the lift and I showed him were i saw the leak . ON my car you can see better from the top of the engine .Mine were leaking from the back and bottom of the block around the # 4 cylinder. When I showed him it said ohh well whats another one when I do about 2 a week .He said that I caught mine early because the gasket didn't fail around the coolant jacket . Mine was only leaking oil. He is going to call SOA and see if he can autherize to have both of my heads done , since he has to pull the engine anyway.He said that there seems to be a problem with the late 01 model builds and the early 02 model builds . Mine 02 outback was built in 6/01.I'm dropping the car off next Monday and he said it will only take 1 day which seems kinda short to me .
How long did it take to have your head gaskets done . For the people on here that have had this problem .
Thanks
Mike k
Next summer, check if you can rev it in "park" and if it stumbles then or after you shift into drive. Another thought is what juice often suggests. Switch the key "on" to start the fuel pump but don't start the engine for a few seconds until the pump has built up some pressure.
Jim