Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

asa

Our '04 Forester 2.5X 5-Speed (USA) loses coolant too and has since we bought it in late '03. In December '04 I noticed green deposits where the lower radiator hose enters the engine and Subaru replacd the water pump, thermostat and gaskets. But, I'm still steadily losing coolant at a rate of about 1" in the bottle every three months. VERY worrisome; Subaru doesn't seem to care. In fact, TWO dealers failed to notice the coolant deposits that I did; I took it to a THIRD dealer for the water pump/thermonstat replacement, but now they don't care about the continuing loss either.

If I had an air bubble in the system, I wouldn't be steadily losing coolant, right?

I took an engine oil sample several months ago and I guess I'll bite the bullet and get it tested for coolant.

Also, has anyone experienced very light, intermittent engine pinging (this isn't a turbo) only at around 2200 RPM at 40 MPH with a light throttle with 87 and 89 octane gas? Different gas brands make no difference. Subaru has been of no help with this problem either; reflashing the ECU doesn't help, knock sensors are okay.

Thanks.

Asa

once_for_all

1" every 3 months wouldn't even register with me. If the oil is ok, and temperature isn't climbing, and there aren't pools of antifreeze accumulating the situation sounds tolerable.

Note, your bottle can go up and down an inch or two just between hot and cold.

John

xwesx

Well, I never claimed my car wasn't a POS. Part of the problem may have been my shocks; they were still the originals (or OEM replacements, but I know they were on it at 83K) at, damn, must have been about 165-170K? I replaced them in September due to a noticably diminishing ride comfort over the course of the summer. With the road on which I live (about 1 mile long but beats the piss - or some other fluid! :surprise: - out of cars) combined with bad shocks surely put a lot of vibrational stress on the bulbs. Also, the cheap [non-permissible content removed] plastic mounts for the headlight unit on the driver side are all broken, so that probably adds to the vibration a bit. However, in order to fix them, I have to replace the whole unit and frankly, it just isn't worth it. Considering that the driver side bulb goes out more frequently, that's probably the main culprit now. Since the last driver side bulb died in October - about three weeks after I changed the shocks, if the bulbs last longer this time around then I will contribute the short life to the shocks. But, like with your '96, I would expect always-on low beams to last 80-100K miles (4-6 years?) without any problem under "normal" conditions.

xwesx

Sounds normal to me. Standard operating temperature puts the temp guage just below halfway. I wouldn't worry too much about the oil leaks. The boxer engine is terribly sensitive to overfilling (oil) so if previous owner(s) overfilled the oil at all, then something is going to start leaking. But, it is most likely a valve cover gasket. The oil "puddle" on top of the engine may be due to leakage around the oil pressure sensor. That one's probably worth fixing but, again, not necessarily a performance issue at this point. The sensor is located right at the top front of the engine and the oil tends to puddle to the left and behind it along the left side of the engine (as you are looking at it).

ateixeira

Are the 2004 lights even the same as my 1998. I have pics but I think they're different. Are they still H4s?

Basically you pinch a retaining clip, then it pulls out. Don't touch the bulb with your fingers, the oils from your skin can actually affect the bulb life.

-juice

rwoods

Any chance that a stability control system will filtered down to more Outbacks than the VDC model in 2006?

Bob

ateixeira

We hope...but the 06 Forester did not get it.

-juice

francophile

Who needs it?

I know, it helps many drivers. I just don't want a bunch of nanny-ware telling me how to drive my car. To me that stuff is not a feature, it's a bug.

Maybe I'm old-fashioned but if stability control doesn't have an "off" switch, I don't want it. And I'm talking about a switch that actaully turns it ALL THE WAY off, not like Mercedes and others that only turns it partway off.

Speaking of nanny-ware, I recently read in Autoweek that the new Bimmer 3 Series cars have computer-controlled variable-ratio power steering, and that it operates at on-road driving speeds, not just in parking lots. What?!? I have to say, if I was ever considering buying a BMW (and I have, several times) their increasing foray into the realm of computer-assisted driving is pushing me further and further away. I would really hate to see Subaru spoil the clean, straightforward and fundamentally wonderful driving experience their entire lineup currently provides by going too far down that path.

Anyway, that's my rant. Thanks for reading.

Cheers,
-wdb

locke2c

regarding headlight bulbs only lasting 3-6 months: -- are you installing them while wearing gloves? unlike household incandescent bulbs, a halogen bulb will most definitely develop a hot-spot and quickly burn out if oils from your skin are on them. you should install new headlight bulbs while wearing thin cotton gloves as it usually is impossible to clean the bulb after installation or avoid touching the bulb while plugging it in.

regarding non-defeatable stability control-- that gets a huge AMEN, wdb. fortunately most of the systems now are defeatable, at least on any premium car or a car with sporty pretentions.

~Colin

occking

On outback 2.5i ltd just got back from two day trip from Providence, RI area as far out as Harrisburg, PA & back. 910 miles. Average fuel consumption per computer for three fill ups 27.6, 27.6 and 30.0 for each leg of the trip. Combined (I only reset one of the trip computers was 28.2. Actual fuel consumption was 27.4. Gettin better as the weather warms up. Just hit 9000 miles in 13 weeks. No problems at all with the car. I have noticed the several posts on satellite radio. I too, could not live without it. Have the XM Commander. I know when it was reinstalled in my car, there was something "different" about the installation. The installer has to "jury rig" something with the antenna to make it work. I guess that means I have the
"FM modulator" as I have the put the radio on 87.7 first. I have absolutely no problems at all, ever, with interference. Only problem is antenna is inside dash on driver's side & about 10% of the time not signal. I am willing tolive with that so I don't have to have antenna on roof. How are others doing???

arisv

Any suggestions on a set of rims for my wrx wagon. i want to go for about 17 inch for summer performance. im using the factory set as my winter wheels.

locke2c

OK real quick first-- there's a Subaru Crew: Modifications forum. This question definitely belongs there.

Anyway, The Tirerack has a good selection. Rota brand wheels are fairly popular due to their low weight (good performance) and low cost, but serious racers have had issues with them cracking. I really mean racers-- vehicles that spend time on racetracks or many, many weekends autocrossing. I think they'd be fine for the street.

I'd use a 215/45-17 tire to be sure there was no rubbing on a WRX wagon, but you might be able to squeeze a 225/45-17 on there depending on the tire.

~Colin

mark04

Ok, I know this is probably the world's dumbest question, but thanks for humoring me. I have the 04 Forester w/ premium package. When I bought it, I remember noticing that I could add an "air filtration system" as an accessory (I chose not to). Forgot all about this until now. Did not buying this accessory mean that my car doesn't have an air filter in it?
TIA

paisan

Traction control systems....

For on-road, they are great, I mean unless you don't want power assisted brakes, synchronized gear boxes, manual windows, no air conditioning etc...

If you track your car, you'll likely pull those systems out anyway. Most are overridable these days anyway.

-mike

paisan

Great inexpensive wheels. I know tons of real racers (I hold a few road race liscences) and no one has cracked a rota on track yet. I used to have a set of 17" for my race car but went with 16" cause the tires are less expensive....

-mike

xwesx

Colin, a good point to include (RE: not touching the bulbs).

I do not wear gloves while installing unless it is very cold (sub-10 degrees F or so) while doing so because it is much more difficult to work in the tight space. But, I also do not handle them except by the base. Yes, I could be getting oil on them I suppose; I will wear something over my hands next time just to test the possibility. Honestly, I think the exceptionally short life on the bulbs I experienced was mostly due to the bad struts and increased vibration. I had not considered it until neither of the bulbs burned out in Jan/Feb like I expected.....

xwesx

The accessory is an air filter for the cabin, not the engine. Without the filter, allergens, dust, and other impurities in the outside air will be pulled into the cabin; not a big deal unless you have sensitivities to them or want to keep the interior of your car clean easier! Hehe. If there is no air filter on the intake for the engine, that's not good.....

mark04

Makes sense... thanks for putting my mind at ease!

rob_m

I just replaced the drivers headlight on my 99 GT sedan this afternoon. Second time in about a month. I know enough to not touch them. I usually get about 18 months on the Sylvania Silverstars. My car seems to go through fog light bulbs about every 6 months. I think the undercarriage wash on the touchless car wash is causing moisture in the fog lamp assembly. Rob M.

jrbayer

We have a 99 Forester that just started what seems like a short in the headlight switch. How hard is it to get into? Do I just remove the lower half of the split steering column cover and replace it?

Thanks,
John

jmtreetop

UPDATE: After months of fighting with Subaru and Bridgestone, 5 trips to have the tires balanced, and one rotation, I finally got my RE92's replaced today. I had to pay proration ($390), which ended up being 45% of original cost after 11,000 miles. I switched them for a set of Turanza LS-V's and the vibration at highway speeds finally went away. Wasn't too happy about having this expense after only 11,000 miles but after months and months of this I was happy to get it behind me.

ateixeira

Bummer, I ordered a new one from 1stSubaruparts.com and I thought the '98 used the same one as the later models, but no. So now I have a useless filter probably not worth returning.

-juice

hammerhead

I've changed out all 4 tires on my 97 now, and have eliminated about 90% of my 'wobblies'. I still seem to have some vibration amidships or towards the rear - enough to cause a visible vibration on the rear-view mirror and a palpable seat-of-the-pants vibration, both of which kick in about 65. The good news is that the fornt end is solid as a rock. I'm giving these tires a few days to settle in, then we'll try one more rear rebalance, maybe an alignment check or an on-car spin balance.

Q: Could wheel bearings be part of the culprit here?

Cheers!
Paul

hondafriek

Hardly likely Paul, wheel bearings generally get noisy, it is possible to have an out balance axle or drive shaft.

Cheers Pat.

scott_clarke

Has anyone had either of these problems? I have a manual 2001 Forester S, fully loaded. The other day, I drove through a large, deep, slushy puddle. Then my CD player (stock 6-changer) started skipping. I popped out the CD playing and it was covered with dirty, salty road water. Didn't like that much. I would have thought that it would be much harder to get water way up in the dash like that...

Yesterday I opened the moonroof for the first time since fall. It emitted a really loud CRACK noise (sort of from the rear of the moonroof), and jammed. I poked the switch again, and it opened. After shutting it later, it jammed on the next attempt, once more making the CRACK.

I have heard from a Subaru mechanic that there are problems with the hinges on the moonroof that Subaru is aware of. Regrettably, I'm out of warranty. Does anyone have any advice on these items, or similar stories?

Thanks

paisan

Not sure what to say on the water in the CD player, seems odd...

As for the moonroof, my guess is that you should really open it more often than every 6 months. The clutch in the motor on that is internally lubricated so opening it about 1x a month would probably be a good idea.

-mike

ateixeira

Very odd indeed. I think the moonroof drains to the rear, down the pillar, no?

You think your kids might have popped in wet/dirty CDs? Or could someone have left the moonroof open while it was raining at some point?

-juice

c_hunter

Who, that's wierd...

I would guess you should lube the moonroof mechanism, and put some sort of conditioner on the gasket/seal. In fact, that would be my first approach -- could be that the rubber seals are dry and sticking. On my Honda Prelude many years ago, I needed to keep the moonroof gasket soft/slippery otherwise it would not seat well. I used an Armorall type of product for that.

Water in the CD ????? Seems to crazy to be true. My guess -- if water splashed over the cowl into the fresh air intake (near the wipers) perhaps it came in through the vent ducting and dripped down into the radio.

Craig

xwesx

"Water in the CD ????? Seems to crazy to be true. My guess -- if water splashed over the cowl into the fresh air intake (near the wipers) perhaps it came in through the vent ducting and dripped down into the radio."

Yeah, that or perhaps there is a bad gasket / hole somewhere in the firewall that allowed some water (if it made it that high into the engine compartment) to splash/drip onto the stereo unit.

catmandu

New 05 Outback--4 Cyl. non-turbo. What is the torque for the oil drain plug? Also, are there any shop manuals for this car available for the do-it -yourselfer at an affordable price? Thanks, Mel

jcabin

It is interesting that Subaru's are especially prone to out of balance wheels and tires. I have driven two different Subarus, a 2000 Outback Limited for four years and now a 2004 3.0 Outback for one year and both have had Tire balance issues. Both of the tire balance issues were not solved easily. I have never had the same issues with any other car I have driven nor has my wife. No matter what tires I put on the car, I have had a shimmy until I have used a alignment shop that had a Hunter road force wheel balancing device.

I have even road tested new Subaru's and found that tires were out of balance. Of course, the sales person in the car with me, said, "oh you have noticed a wheel balance problem?" as the steering wheel was rattling away.

I have leaned that if I get new tires, I will have to spend a good deal of time dealing with the issue. I used to buy and have tires mounted at Costco. No more. I need skilled help with good gear. Too sensitive.

kevin111

"I have driven two different Subarus, a 2000 Outback Limited for four years and now a 2004 3.0 Outback for one year and both have had Tire balance issues. Both of the tire balance issues were not solved easily."

- That is funny. The Subaru that I have ('02 WRX) is the one car that has not had tire balance issues! My Camry had balance issues (had taken the balance shop 4 times to get the balance right). My old Acura Legend has had the same issues, with two different mechanics balancing the tires!!

Usually it is the place where you get the tires balanced vs. the car. BTW, Costco is where I had the problems with the Camry. Though my experience there has generally been positive (though you wait an hour and a half!).

The other cause has been from a rim or rims being slighly bent (the Legend).

ateixeira

Just enough to crush the new crush washer that comes with the oil filter. I forget the exact specs, though.

-juice

locke2c

it's not that much-- somewhere around 25lb/ft I'd guess.

pretty much all cars are the same so I never bother using my torque wrench.

~c

xwesx

I have never had issues with alignment either. I often have front tires out of balance in the winter when snow gets packed into the front rims, but if it is bad enough or lasts more than a week or two, I will find a friend to let me park it in their garage for a couple hours to thaw enough to break it out. Considering how thoroughly I abuse this poor beast, I've been rather impressed with the durability of the alignment. Right now it looks like I have taken it on some serious bogging expeditions; not far from the truth, but I was only going home! 182K miles and counting....

Maybe the newer Outbacks are more prone to it.

yankee617

Some basic advice is humbly requested here...

I have some scratches on the hood of my 2004 Subaru Outback Wagon H6 and want to know how to repair them. I think they were caused by my snow scraper this past winter. They are not terribly deep, but the SeaMist Green Pearl (19Y) color is very noticably lighter in the scratches and this makes the scratches quite visible. I do not see bare metal. Is there a clear coat on top of the color paint? If so, how can I tell if its just the clear coat that's scratched?

I have located touch-up paint at www.brandsport.com for $12 (2 bottles) and noticed they also sell a Plasti-Kote paint repair kit for $13 as well. Is this what I need to do a nice job fixing the scratches? Do I need something else instead (or in addition)?

I also have a more minor, less visible, scratch on the driver's door (probably caused by a key) that I will try to fix at the same time.

I've never done automotive scratch repair before and want to gather the right materials (and instructions) before I leap into this task. Advice on how to learn/proceed would be appreciated.

Yan

dcm61

My suggestion would be to ask the dealer to give you a call when the "scratch repair guy" is onsite to repair the dealer's car.

Not sure what it would cost but I doubt it would be that expensive assuming touch or airbrush is all that's needed.

This is what these guys do for a living and in the rare case that they screw it up, they should be able to fix it. You may do more harm than good attempting to fix it yourself.

I like to fix things myself but I think for the little extra cost, I'd leave it to a pro.

DaveM

leo2633

You might to try some polish first. If the scratches are really light, that may take care of them. If not, you can move on to more drastic measures.

Len

yankee617

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Additional comments would be welcome.

I contacted a Subaru rep (via mysubaru.com) and learned that the original/factory
finish is clearcoated. However, the rep could not comment on whether I should
use a clearcoat product (such as is supplied in the Plasti-Kote kit) after applying
the touch-up paint. Does anyone here have an opinion on using clearcoat?

Yan

subearu

There's a product called Langka that seems to be popular with DIYers. One of the packages includes clearcoat.

-Brian

crashton6

Len is spot on. Those scratches are most likely just in the clear coat. I have used a product called Meguires body scrub. It's clear coat safe & works very well at removing scratches. Make sure any product you use is clear coat safe.

Chuck

hondafriek

If the scratch is not to deeply in the clearcoat you maybe able to polish it out. Don't go nuts here as it is very easy to go right through the clearcoat. If It does not polish out easy my advice would be to let a professional scratch repair outfit do it.

It has been my experience that unless you are extremely talented or lucky any attempts at repair usually finish up looking more noticable not less.

Cheers Pat.

francophile

It is interesting that Subaru's are especially prone to out of balance wheels and tires.

My experience is just the opposite. The Subarus I have had have been very smooth and the wheels/tires have been very easy to balance. However I drive a Legacy GT and a WRX STi, both of which have tires of a much lower profile than an OB. It makes me wonder how much of our respective experience is due to the size of the tires on our respective cars.

rgds,
-wdb

gherman131313

I've got a strange reception problem with AM radio in my 2003 Forester 2.5X. It started about six months ago and only on AM stations, not FM. Bad interference, until I push back on the seat with my body. Then the reception clears up!

I checked under the seat.. no obvious wire prlblems, contacting metal or springs, etc.

I don't feel like pushing back with my legs and body while driving just so I can get AM stations!

Whazzup with this?

asa

That's WEIRD ..... Do you hear a buzz on every AM station all of the time? That could be the alternator, coil, wires or plugs, especially if it varies with engine RPM. 2.5X has no power seats, so you can't be forcing back on a motor that's not shutting off. But, why your body position would make a difference in reception in a car who's reference to the broadcast antenna is forever changing as you drive is a real mystery!

Asa

crashton6

My experience has been if you can catch your fingernail in the scratch it's too deep to polish out. Do not use an aggressive compound! :surprise:

Chuck

bertie

Hi all.
Can anyone advise me?
For the second time in three years my cruise control switch(actuator not main isolation switch) has given up just wont engage. Does anybody have a solution as the service here at my location is pathetic and I would like to try and sort the problem myself.

Cheers to all.

Robert.

fibber2

lubed all of the suspension bushings, and checked the brakes. The front inner pads on both left and right side are getting thin (piston side), while the outer pads are thick (just rolled 30k miles). Is this consistent with what others have found? At first I thought a caliper slider was sticking, but the wear pattern on both sides is virtually identical.

Steve

dcm61

I rotated my tires this past weekend and checked the brakes. The rears are getting thin and should be replaced soon. The fronts are also pretty thin and I will replace when I do the rears. Both pads (inner and outer) appear to be wearing equally on the left front. I think the other 3 corners were also wearing evenly but I only flipped up the caliper on the left front to get a direct view of the inner pad.

At 46k, the brakes are wearing MUCH quicker than my previous '96 OBW (the fronts were half worn at 65k, the rears were shot at 70k).

DaveM ('03 OBW - AT)

ateixeira

The new one is heavier, that might be one reason why.

-juice