By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
Point #2. When a mechanic spins your wheel and tire on a balancer to put on the weights for balance, it typically spins at 40mph. This unfortunately wont diagnose your 55+mph issue.
Solution. Get some new rubber so you wont have to fool around again next year. Go to a designated wheel and tire expert. Buy good rubber ie michelin sport A/S, read Bobs post on those, and make sure you let the mechanic know your cars history. Test drive them and have the mechanic garantee the balance job for the following week or three per your satisfaction.
Frog.-
I just had Cooper touring tires put on my 04 Leg wagon - had a similar issue - am very happy now.
My tire shop is great to work with - I'm confident that working together with them we will solve the mystery. For now I'm going to rotate them back to front & hope for some improvement. If it's better, I'll be pretty sure I've isolated the problem down to the two newest tires (which are on the front now)
On a brighter note, at least I'm less likely to get a speeding ticket until this is fixed
Cheers!
Paul
any ideas on why this is happening?
i have a '99 forester with 113K miles and i am the original owner. i have had no problems with the exhaust system so far. recently the exhaust started sounding like there was a hole in the system somewhere (low-toned sound to the exhaust).
upon inspection the pipes, muffler, etc. look solid. it sounds like it is coming from the connection between the tailpipe and the catalytic converter which is directly under the front seat area. someone who looked at it indicated there may be a gasket where the exhaust pipe bolts into the system underneath the front seat area which may be bad thus causing the noise. any thoughts on this?
one response i got was to check to see if the air box was on tight which i did
another response was to check for a small hole in the bottom of the mufflers which i could not detect.
any other ideas.
-juice
1) did you replace the entire tailpipe from where it bolts in to the converter?
2) did you diagnose it yourself?
3) was it an expensive fix?
the most common cause for sound in that location on a subaru is a hole in one of the following places: left exhaust manifold, right exhaust manifold, Y-pipe that leads into the first catalyst.
the cause of the holes is the same in all cases: heat shields holding in water, which causes the exhaust to prematurely rust. personally I'd rectify the issue in one of two ways, since the OEM parts are not going to be cost effective.
1) get donor exhaust bits from a low-mileage salvage yard
2) install Borla or some other aftermarket headers (exhaust manifolds) as they will give you a bit of performance and won't rust due to superior construction and a lack of heat shields. --don't park over dry tall grass.
~Colin
And also, what is the consensus for how long the air and fuel filters should last? At the six month service after 6,400 miles, the mechanic said my air filter looked ok but should probably be changes at the next service.
Air filters: Depends entirely on where you live and drive. I typically get 10,000 miles out of my filters.
Fuel filters: Depends on the make. I believe Subaru recommends 60,000 miles on the 05 models, so I would stick with that. The only factors that could change the factory schedule would be a batch of dirty gas or rust in the tank. You'll know when either happens when you lose peak power (climbing grades, excellerating hard).
Might be worth it to just get a whole new SS exhaust. Maybe check E-bay, I saw a Stromung that would fit a 2000-2004 Legacy for $425 (Buy Now Price) the other day. SS will last as long as the car.
Wipers - once a year, unless you have a particularly brutal winter. I change them every Spring. Thanks for reminding me!
Air filter - 15k miles at least. It's way too soon right now.
-juice
DO NOT get stromung-- mufflers, cat-back exhaust, headers (if they make them now), anything.
I don't care if they advertise as "stainless", they use very poor quality material and workmanship, and they will rust out in no time at all. I have seen this firsthand on friends' Subarus. usually, you get what you pay for.
~Colin
Wiper blades are covered under the 3/36 warranty.
And also, what is the consensus for how long the air and fuel filters should last? At the six month service after 6,400 miles, the mechanic said my air filter looked ok but should probably be changes at the next service.
I replace the air and fuel filters every 30k miles. That is the "normal" maintenance interval (at least for pre '05 Legacy / Outback).
DaveM
Just to clarify, the Subaru owner website states fuel filters on O5 Subarus should be replaced every 60 months or 60,000 miles; sooner if it becomes "contaminated." But then there's a little note about it applying to all Subies but Legacy/Outback, and then doesn't provide an interval for the Legacy/Outback. Weird. Air filters are slated for replacement every 30,000 miles (although I've NEVER had an air filter go longer than 15,000 miles; I guess I take too many dusty desert roads on my vactions).
I replaced my fuel filter once at 83K when I bought the car, then again at 144K when I tore apart the engine in '03. I will replace it again this summer - I'll probably have about 190K on it by then. I have never noticed performance problems due to the fuel filter, though I probably let the 83-144K stretch go a little long....
Don't Subarus come with stainless exhausts? I still have the original on my '96 and it is in excellent condition (well, except for possibly the cat converter....?). I do not expect to have it fail before some other rather significant component of the car does (like engine or tranny)....
Craig
Hi All
I have a mystery for you. I have a 1998 outback 2.5L. I have a major overheating problem. It is very strange. The car runs great no power loss. I can drive around town for hours fine. If I get on the freeway and drive for hours fine. If I drive for more then about half hour on the freeway and then get off the freeway. About 5 minutes after I get off it starts to over heat. If I rev the engine to 4000 rpms it starts to cool.
First thing that came to mind is a bad thermostat, replaced it four times still continued to happen. Next I checked if the pump was working by removing the house going to the radiator from the engine and I could see water being pushed out. At that point I was frustrated and took it to the dealer for diagnoses. The told me it was the radiator. Replaced that, still happening. I replaced the radiator houses as some one suggested maybe the house from radiator to engine was worn and collapsing on itself. Still happening. There is no water in the oil or oil in the radiator fluid. I also noticed that when it started to over heat I checked the radiator and it was cold as though the water is not getting into the engine till I rev it up. I also took out the thermostat and ran it with out it and the problem persisted.
Its at another mechanic now but he is also baffled. He is running some pressure test to see if the head is cracked or gasket leaking. But I feel that still would not explain why the radiator is cold, engine hot and starts to cool when reved.
Please Please help
dave
The first question is to rule out a faulty fan or temp sensor, and the second to inquire about coolant flow through the radiator core.
-Ty
Bob
I am no pro but it seems to me if it was a cracked head or leaky gasket it would over heat steadely and not cool when reved. Or the radiator be cold and engine hot. It really seems like there is a blockage some where that gets cleared when reved and only occures after higher rpm driving when they drop back down.
dave
1. ensure you have enough coolant. if you're low, it's going somewhere. didn't see a comment about the overflow tank btw... is it full? overfull?
2. you could have an air bubble, it happens all the time with the boxer layout. elevate the front of the vehicle (ramps are high enough, or a relatively steep driveway) and open the radiator cap, then run the engine until it is warm. do not overheat the engine. reinstall cap, add coolant if necessary, and repeat again in a few days.
3. just because you have some water pump activity does not mean you have the enough. if revving brings the temp down reliably and you aren't losing coolant (burning, leaking, or blowing it into overflow tank) then I would replace the water pump.
~Colin
-Frank
Edit- Colin beat me to it and with a better explanation too
I'm doubting it's low coolant or an air bubble since the same problem has happened after numerous thermostat replacements and a radiator exchange. It's possible, though. I can't remember: do the 98s have an air bleed valve?
How many miles are on this? Are you do for a timing belt replacement soon, by chance?
-Ty
~c
Good luck. :sick:
-Wes-
Wiper blades. I change them ever spring & every fall.
Chuck
-juice
I am getting mine replaced tomorrow along with my second headlight (I had to change the first on my own b/c I was on a business trip and couldn't squeeze in a dealer visit). Thank goodness b/c we are set to have a monsoon this weekend.
The stock halogens are 8 years old, and were used 7 out of those 8 years.
-juice
Step 1: Get dealership to confirm "jutter" (Subaru speak for clutch chatter). You may have to leave the vehicle overnight and personally show them in the morning.
Step 2: Mention TSB 03-51-02R.
Step 3: Dealership will replace Flywheel, cover, disc, and bolts.
Good luck, and don't back down from this. Clutch jutter is a known issue and the dealership shouldn't hassle you about it.
-Ty
Bruce
Have you had the coolant "sniffed" for hydrocarbons yet?
:mad: OK, once again, read my lips: they are covered under the 3/36 warranty. Or if you prefer, read the warranty info at subaru.com
Direct from subaru.com:
Wear Item Limited Warranty
Wear item coverage for all models is 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. Items covered include brake pad/shoe linings, clutch disk linings, and wiper blades.
http://www.subaru.com/owners/warranty/index.jsp?year=2005
BTW, this coverage started with MY01.
Your welcome. :P
DaveM
Step 2: Mention TSB 03-51-02R.
Step 3: Dealership will replace Flywheel, cover, disc, and bolts.
Step 4: Have them replace the throwout bearing while they're at it. This will cost you a negligible sum but you will be replacing a normal wear part that should always be replaced when the clutch is done, and may well save you having to pay a lot more later.
Cheers,
-wdb
..is typical of this helpful forum.
On a related note, (bac66 indicates chatter 'only when cold' ...), I have noticed this (only when cold) on my otherwise flawless Toyota(s)............best, ez
I replaced each headlight bulb once during the 6.5 years / 128k miles I owned my '96 OBW. At 40k, the left headlight was hit hard by a metal crank that fell off a dump truck (hit hard enough to tear/crack the bumper and break some of the headlight mounts and loosen the bulb mount) but the original bulb lasted until around 90k miles. The right bulb was replaced somewhere north of 100k miles.
Of course, YMMV.
BTW, the low beams were always on for probably 120k of those 128k miles.
DaveM