Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

dcm61

FYI - You can delete the duplicate by selecting the delete option.

 

It looks like they took away the ability to delete your own message. Just like edit, you only have 30 minutes to delete. I'm pretty sure you used to be able to delete your own messages at any time. :-(

 

DaveM

hypov

If it beeps erratically vs rythemic, then it could be a short - like you said, the horn element being close to the radiator.

 

If it is rythemic, it would be what I'd mentioned earlier, low battery alert, or the system is sensing a door ajar.

The next time it occurs, take a look at the dash [without disarming or opening the door] and see if the little car is lighted.

 

-Dave

jfl

I've found that when rear tire pressures are too high, the rear end bounces around like a basketball on bumpy curves...not exactly good handling. I think 40 psi is in that "too high" range.

 

I generally run plus 4-5 psi.

 

Jim

sduford

Canada became a country in 1867, but for some reason I do not understand we still pledge allegiance to the Queen of England.

 

We implemented the metric system gradually from 1970 to 1980. However, the older generations often still use miles and farenheit. I am of a generation that started learning the imperial system and then was switched over to the metric system in grade 10. So I understand both and can use both interchangeably.

 

The younger generations are pretty much fully converted to metric. However there are still a few more obscure measures for which we stuck with imperial, PSI is one of them. The construction industry also stayed with feet and inches. Also, in large part because of the heavy influence of our big neighbors to the south, horsepower, ft/lbs of torque are still the measures commonly used by the auto industry.

 

So if you look at a Canadian car or car brochure, you will see all the dimensions in metric, gas consumption is in metric, our spedometers are metric, but the engine power and tire pressures are still imperial!

dcm61

Thanks for the informative post.

 

DaveM

sduford

Hey Dave, sorry if I came on strong there, but I do find that kind of "51st State" comment demeaning. Especially in these days when we have never been further apart, ideologically speaking.

 

Sly

p0926

Sly- Actually it was I that took offense at the tone of your post. I’m pretty sure that Dave's "51st State" comment wasn't meant to offend but was an honest attempt at humor. In fact it’s been my experience that most Americans have very positive opinions of Canadians and consider them to be close neighbors. I also think the two countries are far closer ideologically than you give us credit for. In any free society there is going to be plenty of opportunity to disagree and the US has a huge variety of ideologies represented. Therefore to pigeonhole all Americans as sharing the same political convictions as the current administration is both wrong and unfair. Besides, I could point out that Canada has its own share of domestic political problems.

 

Okay I'll shut up now. Perhaps we should get back to discussing what makes Subarus tick ;-)

 

-Frank

sduford

Well then I apologize to you too Frank!

 

I have lived in the States for a few years and I have many friends and family and co-workers who are American and I certainly didn't mean to lump everyone into one category. As a friend from Chicago told me recently "half of his country scares him". He is, as I am, deeply troubled that Bush could get elected at all! I blame it on your incredibly biased and un-critical news media.

 

Yes we are ideologically very close to about half of America, unfortunately not the half that is currently in power. We are taking our country towards a more liberal, peaceful, and environment-friendly ideology, and we are sad to see our best friends and allies go the other way.

 

Yes we certainly have our share of political problems here at home, but we are largely peaceful and innofensive and keep our problems at home.

 

I'll shut up too, enough politics...

 

Sly

hypov

jfl, "Subaru Crew: Care & Maintenance" #9051, 13 Dec 2004 11:56 pm

 

Jim-

 

I too find the rear to bounce/hop around at too high a pressure, especially when you hit a bump at a turn.

 

sduford, "Subaru Crew: Care & Maintenance" #9052, 14 Dec 2004 7:34 am

 

Sly-

but for some reason I do not understand we still pledge allegiance to the Queen of England.

So I guess Canada is still a Commonwealth, like Australia, with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth as Head of State.

 

psi, hp, ft/lbs., maybe Megapascal, kilowatt, newton doesn't really sit right on auto

 

-Dave

sduford

Well not really. We keep her as a figurative head of state, purely an expensive symbol that serves no purpose.

 

We have a Lieutenant Governor who is the Queen's representative, but all she does is host diplomatic functions, give out the Order of Canada medals, and read the Speech to the Throne once a year (same as the State of the Union Speech). But she has no political powers whatsoever.

 

People are becoming more and more upset at her $40M budget, not including the cost of security...

dcm61

Sly, I apologize for stirring up a sensitive topic. As Frank mentioned, it was an attempt at humor. I guess in hindsight, it was a poor choice. Next time I'll just refer to you as our northern neighbors.

 

DaveM

 

P.S. I also apologize to Frank and others for sucking them into this topic.

officeglen

I had the same beep last winter. I took a video with my digital camera and brought it into the dealer. If I'm not mistaken it was the remote door lock sensor. It was replaced and the problem didn't reapear.

Karen_S

I'm glad the air has been cleared. No reason for me to say anything about getting back on topic. ;-)

kens

Just returned from a speciality alignment shop and my suspicions of a slight right pull were confirmed. It turned out that my Legacy GT wagon's front caster spread is off resulting in the right pull.

 

Unfortunatley, as we all know, the caster is not adjustable. The shop had a brand new Hunter balancing device that also measures tire lateral pull. Using the device, they were able to find a tire mounting combination that creates a net left pull to counteract the right pull from the caster. It's a band-aid for now, but it made a noticeable difference on the straightaways.

 

So, any advice on what I can do to have the caster spec corrected? I am planning on contacting my dealer to see what they say.

 

Ken

hypov

Interestingly, I have the slight right pull too.

I'll probably be biting the bullet and get a set of this



to correct the problem.

 

-Dave

luck11

Well, I was just about to place the order for the Fumoto, when out of curiosity,I decided to call the dealer to find out how much they charge for oil change. They charge $70 for synthetic (castrol). My cost is $48 including oil and OEM filter, plus the cost of the fumoto valve over time.

 

So I have decided not to do my own oil changes. My free time, especially with a young child, is very limited and certainly not worth the $44 extra per year to have the oil changed by the dealer. Also, at least they do the 30 point inspection (I know, its BS), but by bringing in the car for regular service, I have found that they go out of their way to make me happy (ie...replacing parts even after they were out of warranty). Also, dealer is on my way to work so not an inconvenience.

 

Sly, you interested in 4 changes worth of M1 at 15% off? Got it at Cdn tire during a sale a few weeks ago. If not, I'll return it next time I'm there.

 

Cheers,

Jay.

sduford

Thanks for the offer Jay, but mine is 4 year lease, so I'm just going to stick to the good old dino oil.

 

Sly

ateixeira

Martin: a dealer I don't particularly like also made the Stellar Performer list, so I take it with a grain of salt. The manufacturer awards them, not the consumers. Show me the list of dealers that the consumers like best.

 

I mean, I want the dealer siding with me if there is a dispute, not the manufacturer!

 

Has your temp gauge ever budged?

 

I think the coolant reservoir was just not well designed. We saw a lot of cases with the H6 where the coolant level kept going to the low mark or even just below, yet people didn't have a problem and it didn't get any lower than that.

 

As the temp heats up, I know it'll spill out any excess, I wonder if they didn't design it with enough tolerance to hold coolant all the way up to the full mark.

 

Just my speculation, but fortunately we only saw one single case (in all these years) of an H6 that overheated, and the guy was such a troll that I'm not even sure I fully believe what he wrote.

 

-juice

snowbelter

Juice: Thanks for your comments. Temp gauge doesn't move. I'll live with it. I reported my concerns to SoA Customer Service so there will be a record on file. Hope you and your family have a good safe trip and Happy Holidays. We went to Rio for our honeymoon, but that was a while ago. Martin

ateixeira

Smart, did you get a case number? I'd file a copy of your complaint, and then not worry about it. Just flush the coolant every year or two.

 

I'm off to Brazil tomorrow night! :-)

 

-juice

ateixeira

Those price seemed high until I realized they were canadian dollars. ;-)

 

The local dealer has coupons for US$20 changes, but they tack on a $2 environmental fee.

 

What nonsense, that's a $22 service, not $20.

 

-juice

snowbelter

Got a case number and wrote it on the invoice for my most recent service where they checked for leaks. Its snowing away here. Enjoy the beach. Martin

locke2c

I had a set of cusco camberplates on my Impreza. they were noisy in two ways:

 

1) clunking from the metal/metal contact between the strut tower top and the camberplate

 

2) an interesting "psst" noise from the cusco spherical bearing. it sounded a little like a blow-off/dump valve or maybe a pair of scissors. I've never heard another brand of camberplates make that noise, but cuscos definitely do.

 

~Colin

subearu

they must have the GSP9700 balancer: http://www.gsp9700.com

 

If Patti were here we could have her investigate possible caster corrections...

 

-Brian

hypov

Ya, I've heard that they were noisy, besides being expensive, that's why I hadn't jumped for them.

 

Know of any that isn't noisy and value for the dollar?

 

-Dave

luck11

Are we talking about 05s here? Am I missing something here, but is this not a warranty issue?

 

I mean, hesitation on accelaration is likely an ECU issue which we can deal with, but pulling to one side is somewhat hazardous and will result in premature tire wear will it not? Can the dealer simply get away with "this is normal...nothing can be done"? What does the dealer say?

 

Cheers,

Jay

hypov

In kens' case, '05 GT and in mine, '03 WRX.

I've gone through 3 alignments already.

For me, it's more like a veer than a pull and during some hard stops will I feel the pull.

 

-Dave

kens

Brian:

 

Yep, that's the unit the shop had. It's very cool. It bascially can tell you what the lateral pull for each tire is and then calculates the net pull based on which corner you mount the tire. It basically allows the shop to quickly determine the best arrangement accurately.

 

In my case, not only was my caster off, but the tire force was 7lbs. right biased making the right drift even worse. The shop found a combination that made the bias 14lbs to the left and negated the caster setting. Again, a band-aid, but it works for now.

 

Dave:

 

I'd like to know if there is an inexpensive one too. But the other part of the equation is the labor to install one of these.

 

Ken

hypov

I'd like to know if there is an inexpensive one too. But the other part of the equation is the labor to install one of these.



 

It would entail removing the strut and replacing the strut top with the adjustable tops and remount. Not time consuming.

I can see the labor going into the alignment fidgeting with the adjustable tops.

 

-Dave

rochcom

1) It could be that when filling, the coolant does not settle all the way into the system because of air bubbles. After awhile it drops a bit and stays there as the air is worked out. This would explain juice's comment about going to the low mark, but no lower. If the coolant was changed at 30,000 miles as required, this might make sense of your having had to add more since then. Maybe it just needs to be checked and topped up after a while.

 

2) If the coolant is evaporating, it shouldn't be. Was the system pressure tested?

 

3) If the coolant is NOT evaporating or leaking, and if it is not simply air bubbles, then it has to be going somewhere. The worst case would be a head gasket leak. If enough coolant is leaking into the engine oil, you will see a cream-like substance on the dip stick. I hope this is NOT the problem.

locke2c

what's the overflow tank look like? by far the most common type of coolant loss in a subaru is where a head gasket fails and combustion gases overpressure the cooling system, forcing coolant out of the radiator and into the overflow.

 

~c

snowbelter

1). System has been pressure-tested a number of times. 2)The coolant level in in the overflow tank is going down 3)The coolant was changed by the dealer at 30k and the coolant loss seems distinct from an air bubble loss 4) This has been happening from time to time since the car was new 5) Its an H6 and the head gasket shouldn't be an issue 6)The dealer has pressure-tested and put the car on a lift and has found no leaks and 7) "Evaporation" is the diagnosis of the experienced and long-term Service Manager at this dealership. Martin

crashton6

I believe with those you can just adjust camber. Move the top of the strut in or out. For caster the top of the strut would need to move forward of back. Unfortunately that's not adjustable on a Subi, or with that camber plate. Yes it'll be noisy. It's a race car part & anything to make the car faster. Noise isn't a consideration.

hypov

Ya, those pictured only adjust camber, but

there are tops that adjust both camber and caster though

 

So far, there are all, cusco, hotchkins [sp], noltec, mrt, in the $250-300+ range

 

-Dave

kens

Hmmm. $300 + installation + re-alignment. Can get pretty pricey.

 

I talked to my dealer and while they are willing to look into it, they did admit it would take a lot to get Subaru to correct anything. They've run into this issue plenty times before with WRX and STi owners that track their cars.

 

My cross caster isn't off by a whole lot (-0.5 degrees) but it's biased the wrong way so it emphasizes a typical crown.

 

Ken

subearu

My '04 F-XT manual (and my '00 Outback manual IIRC) has alignment specs. Here's the F-XT specific ones:

 

Toe:

Front: 0 ± 0.12 in (0 ± 3 mm)

Rear: 0.08 ± 0.12 in (2 ± 3 mm)

 

Camber:

Front –0° 25’ ± 45’

Rear –0° 50’ ± 45’

 

I'm not sure how different the Legacy/Outback is from this, but I'm guessing it's similar. Would seem then that -0.5 is within the front range.

 

-Brian

locke2c

I would never use camberplates unless doing serious motorsport often. Dedicated autocross (personal opinion: waste of time and money), track days, something like that.

 

They're too noisy and you don't need them on the street. If you have an alignment problem that a competent shop can't fix, something is probably bent. Again a competent shop can probably advise you what that is. Usually on a subaru it's the lower control arm.

 

~Colin

hypov

Usually on a subaru it's the lower control arm

 

Hmmmm I didn't think of or thought to consider that.

You're a great guiding light Colin

 

-Dave

locke2c

That diagnosis is absurd. Coolant does not evaporate at normal temperatures. The coolant in the overflow tank can't evaporate because it is a fairly sealed device, and the water will not easily separate from the ethylene glycol --that's the point of coolant.

 

Have you attempted to burp the system yourself? Elevate the front of the vehicle on a steep driveway, driving on to ramps, or by jacking under the crossmember brace. Run the engine with the radiator cap open until it reaches a warm enough temperature to fully open the thermostat, then let it run some more for a few minutes. Shut it off, return to level ground, and add coolant to the overflow as necessary. Do this again in a few days.

 

If the problem stops, you had an air bubble. If it continues, you're truly consuming coolant which can only be going two places: into the oil or into the combustion chamber. Both are bad and both are probably a head gasket, EZ30 H6 or no.

 

~Colin

snowbelter

Colin: Thanks for your suggestion. When it warms up a bit here, I'll give "burping" a try. I haven't bought in to the "evaporation" theory since I first heard it a couple of years ago.

kens

Colin,

 

Any advice on how to address a slighlty off cross caster setting (right side 0.5 degrees less than left)? Adjustable plates are overkill and the difference is too small for the dealer to take any action.

 

My shop currently is using radial tire pull to offset the slight tendency to drift right.

 

Ken

stever

Show up at the Subaru Crew chat tomorrow night and you can borrow Mod Bob's BIG hammer.

 

Steve, Host

locke2c

caster... i'd loosen everything, including the steering rack and then align again.

 

that little cross caster shouldn't be noticeable at all in a straight line. sure you're not feeling the crown of the road?

 

~c

baydrive

Hey guys....I am very upset here. I have a new Forester X.....4000 miles on it.....automatic Transmission......today I came to a stop light that was on a steep incline......car was in drive.....when i lifted my foot from the brake to apply it to the gas my car rolled backwards!!! Not the half wheel turn that the car makes when it settles in park, but a real roll.I called the dealer immediately and I am taking the car in next week......has anyone else had this problem? The dealer told me that it was odd...

c_hunter

How steep is it?? If it is steep enough, the car will indeed roll (engine idling) and it is normal. I wouldn't worry about it at all.

 

If it starts rolling back on flat/slight inclines, then it's a problem.

 

Craig

kens

Colin,

 

There was definetly some drift to the right even factoring in the crown. The alignment shop also felt it on their roadtest. When they looked at the caster measurements (Left: +6.4, Right: +5.9) they thought it was significant enough to induce a right drift tendency.

 

[interesting side note, but Subaru clearly increased the caster setting on the 05 Legacys]

 

However, when they checked the radial tire pull, it was also biased about 7lbs to the right. They remounted my tires to induce a net 14lb left pull to see if that would do the trick. It seemed to have worked as the car tracks pretty darn straight now.

 

Since we never tried a net 0 configuration, I don't know for sure how much the the caster offset indepdently contributed to the right drift. But considering the tire pull was doubled and reversed in orientation resulting in better straight line tendencies, there must have been some effect from the caster offset.

 

 
Loosen and retighten -- maybe I'll have them try that when I get a new set of tires.

 

Ken

locke2c

it was probably excessive runout in that one tire. a Hunter GSP9700 balance machine would show this.

 

~c

samiam_68

Rolling back on a very steep incline is possible even with an automatic. Try it on a very mild incline - if it still rolls backwards, you have a problem, otherwise, normal behavior.

kens

Yup, they were using a GSP9700. A very trick machine.

 

So, it sounds like you don't think the drift was cross caster induced.

 

Ken

locke2c

well, I didn't drive your car but that seems like a very minor difference to notice at highway speeds. at >120mph yeah maybe.

 

forgot to specify something else besides the steering rack to be loosened too-- also the upper strut mounts. anything that can allow one wheel to move fore/aft radially.

 

~Colin