Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

toboggan

bulb web sites.

Paul, I put Amsoil synthetic 75W-90 gear lube in the front (& gearbox (MT)) and rear differentials at the 60K service last fall. Has been working just fine. As long as the synthetic meets the requirements as stated in the owners manual, you should be OK.

MNSteve

rangerron7

I take it that the H1 Vision Plus is not available here in the US.
Thanks,
Ron

canpaul

Thanks Steve
Did you add a friction modifier to the differentials?

maverick1017

I have been using Mobil 1 in front and rear diffys since 30K, no problems what so ever. I am using Valvoline maxlife semi-synthetic AT fluid since 60K, shifts are smooth.
Yeah, Prestone is fine for the radiator, I like their quickfill stuff, don't need to mess with mixture, open and pour.

Mike

leo2633

Michael,

Thanks again for the info. I'll make an appointment with the dealer to get it checked out. I'll post the results after I find out.

Len

steve

I had BOTH rear wheel bearings go within 300 miles of each other in my '97 Legacy GT (60k mi.). The cost was $600. I emailed Subaru, and they are going to reimburse me the full amount. That's excellent customer service.

stevek

same thin happened to me on my 99 Forester, it was a faulty signal.

stevek

maybe we can get together one day and compare bulbs, see who's is bigger LOL

hondafriek

Paul, as regards changing antifreeze, Subaru will be have a service campaign whereby when you have the antifreeze changed and a conditioner supplied by Subaru added the warranty on the head gasket will be extended to 8Yrs and 100,000 miles.

 The affected years are 99-02 so it might be worth holding on changing the Antifreeze for a month or two.The owners of 99 model years are being the first notified in the States.

  Cheers Pat.

hondafriek

Paul, as regards changing antifreeze, Subaru will be have a service campaign whereby when you have the antifreeze changed and a conditioner supplied by Subaru added the warranty on the head gasket will be extended to 8Yrs and 100,000 miles.

 The affected years are 99-02 so it might be worth holding on changing the Antifreeze for a month or two.The owners of 99 model years are being the first notified in the States.

  Cheers Pat.

fibber2

Ron: The Philips Vision Plus is ECE approved, but not DOT. So I doubt you will find it for sale in North America.

Steve K: Drive around to the Rt52 side of B/310, middle doors. I would be glad to show you who's bigger!!! Yep, we really do have to get Lyn & Greg and have lunch together. Four of us in a cluster of buildings in a pretty high concentration.

Steve

fibber2

I know that the additive is part of the campaign, but will the coolant change itself be provided free? I am within a week or so of beginning my 30 month (but only 21k miles) service, and will hold on the flush if it will be gratis.

Steve

hondafriek

As I understood it you have to pay for the coolant flushI don't know if the conditioner is free or if you pay but I understand it is costing only a few dollars.

  Cheers Pat.

nygreg

I'm up for lunch. Just after I clean the OB!

Greg

rangerron7

ateixeira

Steve: a blinking light usually indicates a more serious problem, I hope it was a faulty signal. Probably, if it doesn't come back.

Len: absolutely, wheel bearings.

-juice

ateixeira

I'm at 59,999 miles so I'll be doing the fluids soon myself. First time, though. I hear the rear diffy's bolt is a bear to get off. You need a 1/2" drive and a *lot* of torque, some people use a jack!

-juice

canpaul

I guess that I will hold off on the coolant change. Of course I bought a jug today, but later this spring I guess the Mustang will now get changed! I also bought 5 litres of ATF today, but I could not find any Mobil 1 synthetic gear oil. I did see that two of the Canadian Tire stores I was in today stock a fairly good selection of Amsoil products, which I thought were a mail order only item. The fluid changes were going to happen this coming weekend, but my neighbors have asked my to do some painting inside their house, so Saturday is probably shot.

rob999

Thanks to the heads-up from Patti, I delayed my coolant flush/change at the dealership until they had the coolant conditioner in stock.

I paid for the flush/change, but the coolant conditioner was included NC as a recall item. Also got an official sticker in the engine compartment indicating the related Service Bulletin had been complied with.

toboggan

No friction modifier added as the synthetic is supposed to be slippery enough.

MNSteve

toboggan

Used a jack on my rear diff. with a 1/2" breaker bar. Very carefully exerted pressure, the car raised slightly and then the "bolt" loosened up. Whew! that was tight.

MNSteve

locke2c

steve,

gear oil with a friction modifier actually INCREASES friction which is necessary for some brass synchronizer gears and some types of limited slip differentials to function.

too slippery is not good in the case of the Subaru 5MT. I hope your experience is otherwise, but a lot of others have ground, err, found out the hard way.

~c

hammerhead

... as usual

I'm approaching 90k service time. Some information I've heard says timing belt is due at 105k, but maybe do it at 90, since you have to look at it anyway, etc etc.
Now I look at mysubaru.com, and the timing belt isn't due until 120K.

Also, any opinions regarding adding the coolant additive prophylactically, as it becomes available OTC, even if there are no leak/head gasket issues currently?

Inquiring minds want to know

Cheers!
Paul

kens

Paul,

Most people just want to be conservative and get the Tbelt done before the recommended 120K change interval. However, I'm sure Subaru is also conservative so things are getting doubled up. Since the Tbelt replacement is quite a bit of money, it also makes sense to not take such a big hit at the 120K mile service interval.

One thing to think about -- when getting the Tbelt done, it may make sense to have other components changed out (water pump, accessory belt) since the tech will be in there anyway (you'll save on the labor).

Ken

Ken

paisan

Is the same as the 30K and 60K IIRC. I wouldn't bother with the timing belt til 105K, but that's just me. We do the 30/60/90K and check the belt during this service.

-mike

hammerhead

Dealer did the 60k at time of purchase (actually @53k), so my 90 is due any time now (I'm at 86k now). Makes sense to do the water pump & accessory belt when the t-belt gets done. I still think 120k may be too long to wait, but that's based more on gut feeling than fact.

Cheers!
Paul

paisan

They are belts so by checking them, you will get a pretty accurite idea of how soon they are gonna go. If they are dry/brittle/cracked definitely replace it, but if it's moist and juicy then no need to replace before the 105K mark.

-mike

p0926

A loose gas cap is the number one cause of CELs in any vehicle and Subarus are no exception. Just for reference, I always click mine a good 1/2 dozen times. Also, if it was a loose gas cap it normally takes a couple of days for the CEL to go out. Since you manually reset the ECU and the CEL didn't come back on then it probably was just a loose gas cap.

IRT topping off the tank, there are numerous web sites that recommend against it. The following is an excerpt from Arizona's Dept of Weights & Measures:

Gas nozzles are equipped with an automatic shut off valve. When you are filling your tank and the automatic shut off activates, it means your tank is full. When you continue to pump gas after the automatic shut off activates, the extra gas you try to put into your tank may actually be returning to the gas station's underground storage tank and NOT in your vehicle. Topping off your tank can also block the vapor return line, which may create problems for the next customer.

In addition to the above, topping off can damage your car's evaporative recovery system by ruining the system's charcoal filter.

-Frank P.

98redgrey

Frank, thanks for the response. I'm not the type to shake the car back and forth to get more gas in the tank. But I read somewhere that the narrow delivery tube was causing the auto shutoff prematurely (~7/8 full with my experience). I guess to stop pumping is preferable to flooding the canister and/or possibly bending the tank float etc. A consistent fill operation can only be healthy for the vehicle.

I wonder how long it will be until the driver/owner is informed about the status of the vehicle with an actual dash monitor that converts ECU codes and idiot CELs into text etc. Until then it's a trip to Autozone to read codes.

"Onstar...what is the CEL on my Subie telling you?"

Thanks
Jon

paisan

Or at least not on non-highend cars. Since it costs $80 everytime you go to a dealer to get that CEL checked....

-mike

subearu

a code reader like OBD-2.com. It's an app that you load onto a laptop pc and lets you see realtime data and activate or clear codes. I paid $100 or so for it in a group buy last year. Works on both my MPV and Outback.

-Brian

ateixeira

I e-mailed that company about a group buy and they never got back to me! I would have bought one, too. :-(

-juice

subearu

I got in on a group buy from mpvclub and it seemed the guy was responsive then. I think he goes on frequent 'holidays' throughout the year, so maybe that's what happened. *shrug*

Thankfully (knocking on the fake wood desk) I haven't needed to use it on either of my vehicles.

-Brian

jay_24

Is it possible to adjust the gas gauge some how?
I really doubt it, but here is what happened.

Before pistons were replaced the gas gauge on my 2001 OBW was very accurate. half a tank was about 8 gallons, 3/4 empty was about 12 gallons. Dummy light wenton just before "E" and had about 2.6 gallons left.

After pistons were replaced (battery disconnected) the half tank is not about 6 gallons used, 3/4 empty is about 10 gallons used.
Today the gauge was nearly at "E" but the dummy light hadn't gone on yet. When filling up it took 11.8 gallons.

The gauge drops nice a even through out....but seems to be 2-3 gallons off.(about 25%)

My gas mileage has been about 26mpg the last three tanks. Guess I have to drive now with the needle pointing at "E" more often? or what can be done?

--jay

PS: 6-8 inches of snow today

ateixeira

My Miata is like that, ultra-conservative fuel guage. Just use the trip odometer instead.

-juice

jay_24

Juice,

that's what I've been doing, but why did the guage change? it worked fine before the enginge repair.

--jay

ateixeira

Good question. Mine's just always been that way.

Don't feel bad, though, my Escort's was so bad it would go up and down, you could actually see it fluctuate.

-juice

ebony5

The gas guage on my '96 OBW also went out suddenly and is no longer accurate.The Subaru service adviser where I have my car maintained told me the sensor is in the fuel pump and to fix the problem would entail replacing the pump,an expensive proposition. I too use the trip odometer.

samiam_68

Try this - run the car until the E light is on, and then 20-30 miles after that so that the tank is almost completely empty. Then, when filing up, dump a can of fuel injector cleaner in the gas tank. See if that helps.

My theory is the car was sitting for a number of days while the engine was being repaired, some settlement in the gas tank may have impaired the sensor/float somehow.

Another item to check, although somewhat difficult, is to make sure all the wiring connectors under the hood are tight and clean. I'm sure quite a few had to be disconnected during the repair.

Good luck!

timo43

Hi-- I've posted several times on this board about my ongoing check engine light headache (thanks for all the suggestions!), and I will not repeat the whole history. Suffice to say that from the time my 03 Forester had 50 kilometers to now (33,000 kilometers), I've had an ongoing CEL problem-- it has probably gone on 20 or more times. The dealer has been great, and they have tried a number of things (replaced the soloniod drain valve, and the ECU), but so far, the problem continues (it has been on, right now, for the past week). And yes, thank you, I know about loose gas caps and so on.

I have, of course, been trying to pay extra attention to what is happening with the vehicle at all times. I suddenly realized a couple of weeks ago that the gas cap has a warning on it about spray back, and to remove it slowly, making me think that normally there should be some pressure in the tank. Guess what? I have never heard any hissing, or pressure in the tank on opening the cap. For the past few days I have tried opening the lid with a full tank, a partially full tank, and almost empty tank, and after driving short or long periods: no hiss, no pressure. I just talked with the service department, and they said that there should be a hiss or and indication of pressure (this is my first Forester, so I do not know what one usually hears on opening the tank-- is there a hiss?).

It looks to me like this might be a big step in figuring out what the problem is. The dealer is far away: an expensive ferry trip, and a day off work for me. So I can't run over to the dealer every time the light comes on. Besides, by this point it almost seems normal to have it on!

My question is, if this car has been running for 33,000 kilometers with often not the proper pressure in the system, what sort of damage, if any, might this have done to the engine or to the exhaust system? Help from you experts on this one will be deeply appreciated. Tim.

mrk610

I also have the same problem with my outback . I also just had the pistons change too. I have noticed that the car seems to have better acceleration. I feel that the knock sensor was detecting my slap knock and retarding the timing . I'm also getting about 2-3 miles more per gallon now with the new pistons .The hot oil smell that I've been getting since the operation seems to be slowly going away . I have only got 400 more miles to go on my new break in period .

Mike k

rob_m

Same happened on my 96 OBW. Tank was 1/4 off. Replaced the sending units. $300 with labor. I believe that they are about half this now. Rob M.

krobinson42

Recently we've been having starter problems on our 97 Outback Legacy Wagon (91k miles), but I only mention that to explain what happened this morning. Went to start the car, and it wouldn't crank -- ok, this has happened a few times recently. Wait, try again (click). Wait, try again (click). The starter problem (we're guessing it's a starter) has been intermittent, but today was particularly bad. Anyway, after about 20 tries, the engine finally cranks and the car starts.

Immediately something sounds like it's wrong -- there's a high-pitched whine coming from the engine, and the car sounds loud. I look at the tachometer and the engine is running at between 1500-2000RPM. Try letting the car run a while but it's still loud.

Recently (4k miles ago) we were told that we would probably need to replace the cam shaft belt in the next 10-15k. Does this sound like it could be related? We're scared to drive it right now because we don't to do any damage to it, but need the car for tomorrow if possible. Will take it into a mechanic on Monday, but being the weekend, they're closed right now. Any recommendations?

steve

I just received this notification about coolant causing head gasket leaks in my '00 2.5RS. It says that I need to have the dealer add Cooling System Conditioner, and I'll have to add it every time I change coolant, which I do every other year. Of course, I will comply, but does anyone know if this CSC is something I can purchase at the dealership and add myself, or will I have to go to them to get the coolant changed and this stuff added? Thanks,

Steve

subearu

right now, early in the campaign, that over-the-counter supplies of the conditioner will be scarce. Once they've gotten to all the vehicles, then I'm sure it'll be in good supply for you to DIY.

-Brian

steve

Thanks, Brian, but what I'm concerned about, and I failed to mention this in my post, is that SOA will warrant the head gaskets for 8 years from purchase (another 4.5, in my case) if I use the conditioner. How do they know I'm using it if they let me buy and install it? I'm getting a little leary of this car because of the past year's problems (new ECM unit, new transmission, and new front oxygen sensor). And last ween the AT Oil Temp light came on, briefly, again. This is supposed to be the same 2.5L engine that's in my '97 Legacy GT. I'm getting a little nervous. Any thoughts?

subearu

just save your receipt! that's all that would be required to prove your case. Plain and simple.

-Brian

jmccall1

I have a 97 outback wagon and had this cranking problem last year, replaced the starter and problems gone, picked up starter at autozone for under $100 and took about 1.5 to 2hrs to change.
I bought this vehicle new and can't be more happier with it, I have 270,000 miles on it and
still runs strong, I had head gasket replaced at 250,000 and oil pump seal at 125,000, alternator at 220,00. Even though I've had some major repairs at high milage, I would be hard pressed to find another vehicle that has severed me like this one, good gas milage for an all wheel drive vehicle and proven reliabilty. Great in the snow belt.

subaru_team

once the campaign is closed (that has to be done at the dealer). If you add it during regular coolant changes, you shouldn't ever have a problem with external leaks. If you do, we will honor the warranty. We don't try to find a way NOT to cover something.

Thanks!

Patti

steve

I was more concerned that this was something I wouldn't be able to do on my own than anything else.

Steve