Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

logger2

Does anybody have an idea of what a clock would cost for my Forester. Mine is very temperamental, as in it doesnt work most of time unless you keep hitting it, then it comes back on for a second or so and goes back off. Can anybody recommend a good set of aftermarket speakers for the Forester - I am looking to upgrade the ones in mine to match my new CD player. One more thing, has anybody heard of a transmission mount "letting go" on a forester causing vibration etc in the shifter and car in general. That was the explanation that the service manager gave me yesterday but i am not sure what he meant - pretty sketchy on the details.

Thanks, Jason

ateixeira

Jason: is that still under the 3/36k B2B warranty? I can't imagine it would be expensive to buy or even hard to install.

I've heard of engine mounts going, and that can cause a pretty serious shake in the engine bay.

-juice

paisan

I'd say it would be around $200US for the clock unit. I know I looked for the overhead console temp/barometer/altimeter/compass for my trooper that is pre-wired and it cost $560 from the dealer.

-mike

ateixeira

WHOA!

I'd buy a stick on clock from Wal Mart!

-juice

kens

Jason,

I've upgraded my front speakers with Sony Xplod 3-ways and the rears with Polk 501a coaxials.

Ken

torek

OK, so I picked up an air filter for the 15,000 mile replacement (expensive thing, $26 or so). Got home, opened the hood, found the obvious large black plastic housing at the back of the engine with the three spring clips. But -- if you undo the spring clips, the housing is still not ready to open up. What is the trick here?

Chris (who has been away for a while :-) )

torek

Never mind, I figured it out. There is a bolt on the driver's side (right hand side as viewed from leaning under the hood) that you have to un-do. My security-system siren is also on this bolt. Having undone that bolt, you then have to pull pretty hard on the back of the air-filter housing to get the thing loose enough to get the old filter out.

Something slightly odd: the old filter was part number
16546 AA07A
and the new one is
16546 AA070

Seem to be the same size and construction and all though. Bright orange paper filter with a rubber seal around the engine-side edge.

Chris

snizave

Hey guys, i think my alternator may be bad, but i'm not sure. I drive a '92 legacy, and a few days ago, I noticed a strange sound coming from the engine, and the next day my battery was dead. I jumped the car, and it seems like the alternator might be charging a little at low rpm's, cause the radio will work when the rpm's are under 1500 or so and cut out higher than that. It won't build up any charge that will last more than an hour or so, even if i drive for 20-30 min. I know when i got my clutch fixed a couple weeks ago, the guys said they adjusted the belt. I wonder if it is possibly slipping now. Anyway, i plan on putting the alternator in myself if that is the problem, so any leads on where to get a cheap one(I have $2.76 in my checking acct. right now, must donate plasma!) would be appreciated also.
Thanks,
Mike

stevek

Should of put in a K&N for under $40 and never have to buy another filter. IMHO

ateixeira

Chris - my filter was red. Guess that explains the part # change!

I was thinking along the same lines, Mike. Could just need belt retensioning, or even new belts. Are they cracked or frayed? They're cheaper to change than the entire alternator.

If you need parts, you can always get aftermarket parts from Pep Boys or Trak Auto. Or go through a wholesaler like subaruparts.com.

The K&N is a little controversial. Some say it allows way to much dirty air through. I had one in my previous car, and it was a royal pain to clean it (plus you have to wait for it to dry before driving again). Much, much easier to just get a new paper filter, I think.

-juice

paisan

I'd check everything else before doing the alternator. Since it's somewhere around $200 for the part (at least for my XT6 it is) Also you might want to try to get your alternator re-built. New brushes and bearings usually are only around $30.

-mike

luck11

Its been a while since I've posted.

Mine is a 00 OB which has served me extremely well. However, recently I began hearing squeaking coming from my front suspension when I go over large bumps. Eg. coming out of my garage onto my driveway (which has not yet been paved...new house), there is a bit of a drop (approx 1.5 inches). When the tires go over the lip of the concrete garage floor onto the gravel, the weight obviously causes compression of the suspension. Well, upon this compression and decompression, I hear this noise. Its not a metallic squeak, more like the friction noise of a piece of rubber being rubbed against metal.

Anyone experience this? Any ideas or suggestions what it could be? I'm hoping its not serious.

Luck11.

ateixeira

Just a guess - but that could be an anti-sway bar needing to be lubed with some lithium grease. They use rubber bushings to hold those in place, so it would create a rubber-to-metal squeek.

-juice

luck11

Thanks....I was thinking the same thing. Although, I wasn't sure if the sway bar rotates in the bushings when both tires drop at the same time, therefore, no sway from side to side, just straight down and up.

Luck11

torek

If it cuts out when it speeds up, I would suspect the voltage regulator first. The amount of power coming out of a generator/alternator depends on the amount of power going in, i.e., speed. If the regulator gets too hot there should be some sort of thermal cutout, etc., so this kind of failure mode might not be impossible. (Normally if the regulator dies you should get nothing at all though.)

Chris

mikezak

I was out-of-town on business the last few days (with my new OBW) so I did not get to post a followup question regarding the levelness of the vehicle when doing an oil change (posted a few days ago)....

After 10K, I was planning on doing my own figuring Mobil 1 would be the same price as compared to a regularu Dealer oil change if I do it myself. I was going to use the longer gradually sloping ramps. Even though I see that the oil plug is near the front of the oil pan (on the passenger side) I never even thought about having the vehicle on ramps affecting the quality of the oil change.

Do I really need to be concerned or is this line of thought really for the true puriest???

My thanks.

royallen

Mike: Since you did not mention getting a "charge warning light" (with a battery profile) I would include the battery as a possible source of your problem. Stores like Auto Zone will do battery diagnostic checks for free.

gevans1

Several months ago I posted regarding my 00 OB Ltd 5 speed manual having no power in moving up my mountain roads here in western NC after coming to a stop. I had this problem again last week when I pulled to the side of the road to let a vehicle pass coming down the mountain road. This is single lane gravel road. I would rev it up to about 4000 rpms as Juice suggested, but the engine just bogs down and the smell is awful. Some 15 minutes later I tried to back up an incline and the same thing happened in reverse. Well, I took it to the dealer today to have the oil changed and the tires rotated and asked the service manager to try to get it up the dealership's entrance driveway from a standing position, and it did the same thing. He went right in an ordered a complete clutch assembly and told me to check back with him in a few days to see if it had arrived. Sure am glad to know it is not my driving. The vehicle will be 18 months old tomorrow and has 10,750 miles on it. I did not have any problem with the 97 Outback Am now looking forward to getting a VDC in 18 more months. Where I live, 4,000 feet and a 1/4 mile from the eastern boundary of the Smoky Mountain Nation Park, I just plan on buying a new Outback every three years. This vehicle has never given me any problem other than trying to get up an incline from a standing position. I usually just back down to where the road is a little more level, but there are not a lot of level spots in this part of NC.

Certainly enjoy reading all the information all you guys and girls give to this forum. Thanks.

Glenn

ateixeira

Mike: if it's not level, you could just end up with maybe half quart in the oil pan. The catch is, that's the dirtiest portion of the oil. Any metal shavings will be hiding there.

I'd either get it near level, or at least have it so that the drain plug is furthest down, which means the car would face down hill.

Glenn: I'm glad that dealer is getting it fixed for you. At those high elevations, a WRX would be perfect. The turbocharger has excess efficiency, and can compensate for the thinner air. That means you don't give up any power, like most other cars do.

WRX wagon next time, maybe?

-juice

bigfrank3

When you put the air box back together make sure you engage the lip at the bottom, otherwise the panel filter is not held firmly in place. (The bottom of the back part of the box goes into the front part.) This could allow dirt to bypass. It WILL go together incorrectly and still allow the bolt to line up... I know.

My '01 Forester came with part number 16546-AA070.

I agree with stevek on the K&N. The part number that matches the above Subaru number is 33-2154.

Regards,
Frank

hondafriek

Hi guys, I said in the chat Thursday that I would post again the way to change pads, there is no mystery it is a simple procedure although it looks complicated, first remove some brake fluid from the master cylinder you will displace some fluid when you push the pistons back into the bores. Remove the bottom caliper bolt and swing the caliper up, clamp one piston and push the other piston into the bore as far as it will go, then clamp the second piston and push the other piston back in, you now have both pistons back in the bores, you will see that the pads are just pushed into spring clips pop the pads out and set the new pads in place drop the caliper back down and reintall the bottom bolt, if you are doing the rear brakes the procedure is basically the same except you have only one piston to worry about in the rear, after you have intalled new pads pump the brake pedal back up before driving the car otherwise the first time you use the brakes the pedal will go all the way to the floor remember you pushed the pistons all the back at the start, this sounds more involved than it really is when you are doing the job remember that you always have a fully assembled brake set up on the other side of the car to refer to, do only one wheel at a time and you will not get into trouble, if anybody wants any more info you can e-mail me, you can find my e-mail address in my profile.
Cheers Pat.
PS. to push the pistons into the bores use a large c clamp or some large water pump plyers if you have them just be careful to push the pistons in squarely.

mikezak

My neighbor has a Corvette (looks great), and from a Corvette Website, brought a Oil Plug that has small magnetic head on the inside to capture metal shavings. What a heck of an idea!!!

Does or has anyone heard of an OEM Magnetic Oil Plug for the Subies??? If not its a patent waiting to happen. If so, please let us know where we can purchase.

Thanks.

ginnystu

Tonight we had a horrific accident with out '98 Outback. Seemed to accelerate without warning (while parked) in a parking lot, hitting four cars, the last hard enough and broadside to push it into another car while deploying the airbags (both) and spilling our child out onto the pavement (he's okay). Car is totalled.

Anyone have problems with this? I notice some discussions about it other places. We are trying to come to grips with this. email at: ginny@wi.rr.com.

powerslider

I doubt that replacing the clutch will fix your power problem ... not if dropping the clutch at 4000 RPM bogs the engine. If your clutch was bad, the power loss should have been accompanied by a noticable increase in RPM ... did you notice anything like that?

The problem could be a broken or clogged catalytic converter (just a guess).

armac13

was a standard feature with my 1968 Austin Mini Cooper. Probably a good idea since the engine and transmission shared the same oil.

Ross

thors_hammer

The plug for the transmission pan on our Impreza is magnetic. My Tahoe has magnetic inserts inside the transmission pan. It is a good idea.

-Bryan

hammersley

And here I thought a sloping driveway was a curse! (Still is in the winter)... I just put the OB pointing downhill in the driveway, then make a left turn in the final few feet - puts the car at about a 45 degree angle, and the drain plug is almost pointed straight downhill... makes the trajectory of the draining oil a little more predictable, too!

Cheers!
Paul

kchiang

Hi,

I was driving down to NC on Sat. On the way back to Boston, I heard that there is a humming noise coming up from somewhere under the body. It becomes constant humming noise when the speed is 30 mph or up. I know it's not the engine, belt, and anything from the front end because my foot can feel a vibration associated with the humming sound. I just have my 30000 mile service done. Anyone has any idea what's wrong with it? I'll bring the car to dealer tomorrow, but I still like to hear from you to see if anyone has the same issue. By the way, my car is 2000 Forester I with automatic.

Any reply is appreciated, thanks.

Kai

ateixeira

Mike: I looked for magnetic drain plugs at my local auto supplier, but they were mostly sold out. The Forester was not even listed in their guide. If you have a 2nd car, remove the drain plug and take it to the store, where you could then match it. I haven't done this yet.

Wow, ginny. Glad you guys are OK. I would work with your insurance company and Subaru to try to figure out what happened.

Kai: where is the humming coming from? Maybe it's the drive shaft or the rear differential? Try to trace the location, with someone else driving. Or do this with the service manager.

-juice

kate5000

First service on my Forester S+.

I had my first 7.5K service on my Forester done on Sat at Santa Cruz dealership. They told me,
they recommend low 40s for tire pressure for Foresters (I was running 32 psi on all 4). In fact, they bumped my tires up to 42 psi on all 4. Handling is terrific now but I'm not sure I like ride that bumpy. I'll see if mpg improves any. Switching from recommended psi to 32 did not improve my mpg at least not noticeably.

My out-of-pocket cost for the service was only $1.77. The remaining $100 I paid with Subaru coupon accumulated while using Subaru Master Card. If only I could pay my mortgage with that card: I'd have enough coupon-dough for WRX by now!

Subaru Santa Cruz is far from my home (70 mi), but it was highly recommended, so I decided to give them a try. Hwy 17 is very nice: speedy and twisty, and on Sat it was not jammed with traffic -- just what my Forester likes. We went to the dealership, left car there, walked to the beach, ate ourselves senseless with fresh seafood, and to top it off, ran into some old friends who happened to stay there for a getaway... Definitely a lot of fun for 7.5K service!

ateixeira

I'd dial back the tire pressure a bit. 42psi is OK for autocross, but for the streets you're increasing the risk of a blowout.

-juice

locke2c

Whaaa?

No way, juice.

-Colin

ateixeira

42psi? Isn't that a little excessive?

Wouldn't there be less "give", with so much surface pressure?

-juice

erics6

New MAF sensor creating problems?

A couple of weeks ago I had my MAF sensor replaced on my 2000 Outback as part of a service recall. Since the replacement, the car has idled very roughly at idle - causing the whole car to shake. (Kind of like my old 71 Power wagon.) I called the dealer (Wentworth Subaru in Portland Oregon) and got the big blow-off...oh they all do that with this type of MAF sensor...not as sophisticated as those used on previous Subaru's, but more durable. I've called SOA but haven't gotten a call back from my rep. yet.

The whole reason I went ahead and replaced the MAF sensor was in the hope that it might solve the pinging problem I've been having. The car used to idle smoothly. Now I've got two problems - rough idle and pinging! I'm planning to take the car in to the dealer this week and see if they'll blow me off after experiencing the problem with me in their face. I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this and has any suggestions.

-Eric

ateixeira

Ask for the old MAF back!

Seriously, those things are worth a fortune. Folks that have the SAFC and blow them up spend upwards of $300 to replace them.

-juice

locke2c

42psi probably is high enough to cause abnormal tire wear in the center of the tread, but it isn't nearly high enough to worry about blowouts!

Low pressure will cause a blowout long before high pressure...

-Colin

paisan

I rode my XT6 around with like 45-47psi for a few months after an auto-x. Then again, everyday is an auto-x for me.

-mike

bigfrank3

kate5000 - The "P metric" radial (any size that starts with a "P") was designed with an engineering specification of 35 psi. This means that the best overall performance for the tire should be around 35 +/- a few psi.

Low pressures recommended by manufacturers are the minimum for safety, clearly biased for "comfort", and this is what got Ford/Firestone in trouble since low pressure causes extra heat from flexing and friction, and it is this heat that usually causes blowouts.

Higher pressures, if the tire is rated for it, are for increased safety when carrying loads, again to counteract the heat that could come from the load and tire flexing. Running these higher pressures will decrease your rolling resistance and will probably give higher fuel mileage, but as colin said you will also probably get unbalanced tire wear.

I think you will find the best compromise around 35 psi. I personally run my Forester tires at 38 front 35 rear to counteract some of the understeer. I also like to "hang it out" a bit on a twisty open road, and the vehicle feels comfortable with these pressures.

Regards,
Frank

theob

H-6 Sparkplug replacement:
Noticed on the VDC thread in the Station Wagon forum that someone said that their dealer's service manager told him that the "engine had to be pulled to replace the plugs". Anyone confirm or deny this?
Thanks,
Theo

ateixeira

Interesting factoid, Frank.

I'm sure you don't have to pull the engine. That's urban legend.

-juice

hammersley

Used to have to jack up the engine off the motor mounts on V-8 Chevy Monzas to get to the plugs, but a complete pull sounds a little suspicious.

Cheers!
Paul

seamus3

when i get out of my car it has the smell of burning oil or hard boiled eggs. i took it to my dealer 5k miles ago for 60k mile deal and oil change. i checked my coolant and it was full but i don't know if it is the right color. it is darker green, not blackish just dark green. the place i go to for service recommended that i have something done to my cooling system. they have a way of forcing water or some fluid through the system at a high pressure to clean it out. is this just a ploy to get $75 out of me or is it for real? i just changed my oil yesterday so i am sure it can't be that.

ttamatruda

Another post on an issue which I have posted here and on the outback VI board.
My Subaru outback limited 2000 has clutch and smell problems. The clutch burned out at 7500 miles, probably due to defective fingers on the clutch pressure plate (locke2c, 998, thanks for the pictures of the clutch!). Now, the clutch has been replaced, but the car smells like its burning up after going 30 miles on the freeway. Similar problems reported by ebahe, 1230 and gevans 1267 and seamus3, 1291.
Houston, do we have a problem? Is the clutch a dog? Should I replace the replaced clutch, or is the smell caused by something else burning? Juice, you noted salt and grime on the undercarriage. Will that burn up after the catalytic convertor heats up?
Thanks.

seamus3

whoa whoa whoa,

are you trying to tell me that the smell is my clutch burning up? please tell me that it is something else. how much is it for a new clutch? i have a 96 legacy 2.2L SOHC.

hsilva

Help! A small rock hit my beautiful 01 Red Forester and dinged a 1/2 inch hole in the paint. I got some touch up paint from the dealer and tried to fix it, but it's noticeable. Is there a way to smooth it out so it's less obvious? Thanks for any help. Also thanks for all the great information and tips on this site. I read regularly and am really starting to feel (for the first time) that I know how to take GOOD care of a vehicle.

henne

well my new outback sedan with just over 3000 miles is in for the 5th time, 3rd for this particular problem. when you push in the rear window defroster button the radio loses reception and goes to static, and the defroster itself has a line that doesnt defrost. any ideas? the dealer keeps working under the dash. seems to me they should be working under the rear window. any ideas or suggestions greatly appreciated.

robert

stevek

On my 2001 GT sedan, some of the lines in the rear window are actually the radio antenna and not the heating elements. I assume you have the same. Sounds like the wires are touching somewhere or may not be grounded properly.

paisan

Can you disconnect the actual element in the window from the wire? If you can do that, put the switch on and disconnect the element. If the reception is un-effected by the element being un-plugged, then I'd say the problem is in the under-dash/switch, if when disconnected, but turned on the reception is fine, then I'd say it's the actual element causing the problem. Also you might want to have the dealer check with Patti @ SOA or the tech center who may be able to help them diagnos the problem.

-mike

subaru_team

I am so sorry we have not been responding in a timely manner. I'm taking your case at this point, and I'll be in touch with you later today.

Sorry,

Patti

subaru_team

The "egg" thing is usually raw fuel that is not being burned by the catalyst. Have you had a dealer look at it?

Patti