Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

seamus3

kevin: i put a kenwood cd player into my car, my friend and i did it. all i needed was the wiring harness and mounting brackets, which the store had all of. i can't remember how we actually got the radio out but i do remember it took a little while. circuit city and some of those other places will do the installation for you. they do still charge for the wiring harness and any other extra stuff needed to put the new unit in.

pattim3

I'm sorry you are having a problem. Can you call us back at 1-800-SUBARU3? Ask the Rep. you speak with to come and see me. I'll try to get your situation on a front burner right away.

I know you are probably frustrated more by your previous experience with your truck and that made you make the Lemon Law comment. Just so you know, if we have a car we can't fix, we will take it back, so save on the lawyers fees. We just don't operate that way.

The Lemon Laws are a great way to protect the consumer from problems that impair the use, value or safety of the vehicle. While a static problem with the radio can be annoying and the grids not completely clearing can be a pain, they should be pretty easy to resolve. I don't think it will be a major struggle for you from this point on. Just let me know so we can help.

Thanks!

Patti

subaru_team

In thinking about your post while driving in today, I'm a bit perplexed and I really want to review your case. In my OB Sedan, the antenna along the top of the rear glass on the drivers side. It does not defrost up there.

The defrost grids are really a very simplistic set-up. I doubt a wiring harness would be the issue, because all of the grid lines would be effected. The grids do not go to the very top or bottom. The top grids are the antenna/not a defrost grid. Where exactly are they not defrosting? Since the whole glass was already replaced, it would be unusual for the second set to have the same problem?

I look forward to reading your case.

Patti

henne

yes i am a little over the edge because of the problems with my truck and thats why i said in my first comment that i just needed to vent. and boy did it feel good!! ))

i will call and thanks again.

robert

henne

yes the top grids are the antenna and no they do not defrost and are not suppoosed to, but some of the lines in the body of the window are not defrosting but now with the new window nothing works but the radio and it may be a case of something not hooked up right but everything i have looked at looks correct to the best of my knowledge

but i will call you later today since you guys open late on friday.

thanks again patti. )

robert

bluesubie

I recently had a bulb replaced on my OBS HVAC controls at the dealer. They had never done an Impreza and told me 45 min. based on a Legacy. It turned out to take an hour and a half but I was only charged $45 since that was their original estimate.
Dennis

kate5000

No, chat was on until past 10 pm EST. I had the same problems connecting to chat via Java applet. Try to use HTML version of chat (reset your Preferences for chat loading in Townhall), it worked for me.

ateixeira

Actually, by 9:45 the chat was busy as ever. All the regulars showed up and then some. We started late, though.

-juice

hondafriek

Sorry for not replying to your post sooner, I will wait until next week to see if they get the part before I start jumping on them, the car is still usable so no problem, if it was immobile I would not be so patient.

Unfortunately with only two dealers in Ottawa you do not have a lot of choice, I intend in the future to try the second dealer for service and see how they are, the selling dealer is about 100 miles from me so I do not fancy running up there, anyway thanks for the prompt reply will keep you posted.

Cheers Pat.

hondafriek

Anybody lost posts lately, I posted on several of the topics yesterday and they have disappeared, I know they were there I reread them at one point but now they are definitely gone.
cheers Pat.

originalbitman

Can't remember where this was last discussed but I just checked and the stock wheel and tire on my 01 GT wagon fits where the mini spare is no problem if you remove the foam divider that cover the spare.

But now the question is what is the value in using a full size spare since it wouldn't make sense throwing it into the tire rotation scheme? If your on car tires have 20k on them how much difference in size would there be if you needed to swap in the fs spare and would you still be risking AWD damage?

bit

originalbitman

Lug nut torque with alloy wheels? I did 75.

bit

hammersley

I think the range is 65-72... I do 75 too. Seemed a bit light compared to other cars in the fleet, but the wheels are staying on so far, so I trust the RTFM gods...

Cheers!
Paul

originalbitman

Don't tell me its in the manual.

bit

locke2c

It's not, at least not in my 99 RS manual, but 65-72 is correct.

-Colin

ateixeira

Bit: I think 20k of tire wear difference won't hurt the AWD, but also I don't think it's worth rotating the spare with the others. Just use it as a temporary, when needed.

-juice

originalbitman

While I was rotating my wheels I took the time to wash and wax the back side of the wheels (which OCDB recommended this?) and found 2 wheels to be splattered with pretty large gobs of undercoating. Seemed almost enough to cause a wheel balance problem though I hadn't noticed one.

bit

locke2c

Sure it wasn't tar, from road sealer perhaps?

I'm about ready to wash all eight of my 16" wheels (have four 15"... whee!) because I got waaaaay too dirty at the autocross this weekend just swapping tires. I will probably wax them at the same time to help keep them clean.

Heading to modifications post about the autocross...

-Colin

originalbitman

It was undercoating overspray for sure... same stuff under my car and in the wheel wells.

bit

originalbitman

So I think I am going to swap my mini spare for a stock GT rim and RE92. What year did the current GT alloy first appear and where (other than dealer or SubaruParts.com) might I find one? Pat - what did you do with yours?

bit

hciaffa

Does anyone have a trick in removing the spark plug boots. They seem to be really tight and can't seem to remove them. On a cold engine, I can break them free and rotate them within the plug opening but I can't get them to release and come off the plug. Maybe I'm afraid of damaging the wire. Any suggestions.

locke2c

grab the "ears" on the end of the boot and pull like mad. they come off with a satisfying POP.

when reinstalling them, make sure you hear a pop and pull lightly to make sure they're on properly.

-Colin

ateixeira

Bit: I believe the wheels from 2000 and later are the same on GTs. I would try subaruparts.com, as you mentioned, since they were the cheapest besides Darlene (miss her!).

You could check junk yards, but they are still very new, and GTs are rare, so I doubt it.

Finally, check the i Club classifieds, www.i-club.com.

-juice

originalbitman

I swear I've seen the same alloys on 99s too...

Thanks for i-club tip.

bit

ateixeira

Weren't they 15" in size? I could be wrong. At least the Outback's were 15" for '99 and earlier.

-juice

locke2c

I think 98 and 99 Legacy GTs had those 16x6.5 mesh spoked wheels. (what a horrible description, eh?)

-Colin

hondafriek

They started using that rim in 1998, I am going to keep my rims for winter its a crime I know but I have them and I do not want to use my new rims in winter.
I saw a set of Gt rims on the i club but I think you will have a hard time buying only one rim.

The Gt rims are not too expensive new, the dealer here quoted me just over $200 Canadian each, in contrast the 16 inch RS. rims are over $600 Canadian each, good luck in your search.

Cheers Pat.

hammersley

Modern/American Racing makes a wheel similar to the GT - Crossfire #335 IIRC. Got 'em locally for about $89 per corner (retail is $118) vs. $160 for the Subaru GT rim. 15x7, and if I can beg, borrow or steal a digicam, I'll show you what they look like on my OB.

Cheers!
Paul

gof4

I have a '01 LL Bean & it is the first all-wheel vehicle that I have owned. I was wondering if alignments need to be done more frequently than with front wheel or rear wheel drive.
How much should I expect to pay?
Would the tires wear any better if I increased the inflation by 2 or 3 lbs from what Subaru suggests?

Thanks!

francophile

Subarus are very sensitive to alignment and tire pressure, so you may want to do them more often than you would on other cars. I run my tires anywhere from 4 to 6 lbs above the manufacturer's recommendation with no problems - in fact I like the car much better that way, which is why I do it.

Cheers,
-wdb

tlima

I always run my tires above mfg recommended pressure and get good wear and better handling. For example, I got 70k+ on a set of Goodyear Gatorbacks on my old Probe GT, then replaced them with soft Z-rated Dunlops and put 30k on those with plenty of tread left. They would have gone another 30k easy. Too much pressure (and never above max) can cause center tread wear as well, so finding the right balance, say 10 to 20% above mfg recommendations is about right.

The key also is tire rotation. Even though the mfg recommends every 7500mi, I usually do this every 10-15k religiously.

Driving style, of course, plays a big role as well.

-TonyL

ateixeira

I stand corrected. I checked a 1999 brochure yesterday and indeed the wheels are the same, and 16". They have 18 spokes, or 9 twin-spokes, depending on how you look at it. The Limiteds were silver with gold trim, the rest were all silver.

Robert: yes, alignment is tricky, so make sure to go to a reputable shop when you do that. I find Subaru's recommend pressures a bit low, and tend to prefer 32 psi or so all around.

-juice

locke2c

Juice, check a 1998 brochure. Same arrangement you decribed existed then as well. The 1997 GT had the 5 spoke 15" alloy.

-Colin

ateixeira

The oldest brochure I have is 1999 (except the 1998 Forester), but I'll take your word for it! :-)

-juice

originalbitman

Thanks for the wheel info.

bit

kens

Recently, I've noticed that I've been getting what sounds like a transmission "whine" from the rear diffy of my Forester. The sound only occurs at speeds just around 80mph and at part throttle. If I lift my foot completely off the gas or go more than 1/2 throttle, the noise goes away. The sound is coming from the rear of the vehicle.

I'm going to check the rear diffy oil level later. Anyone have a guess what it might be?

Ken

paisan

Could be fuel pump since I believe they are located near or at the fuel tank.

-mike

kens

Hmmm. I thought the fuel pump on the Forester is in the engine bay. In any event, the sound seems to be speed and throttle dependent. If it were the fuel pump, I'd imagine it would be more throttle dependent.

Ken

paisan

water pump? My buddy had a '92 maxima and it had a weird vibration from 55-57mph, not below, not above. Had no idea what it was, finally nailed it down to an imbalanced shaft that would only rear it's head @ a particular speed+RPM range.

-mike

ateixeira

Part of the fuel system is below the rear seat (a filter?), but I'm not sure if the pump is there.

My guess would be rear diffy, though. From eyeballing it, looks like you need a 1/2" ratchet drive.

There are two holes, the upper is the fill hole, and the lower is the drain hole, so remove only the one on top to check the gear oil level. If it's like my Miata, it's a piece of cake to do. I replaced it with Mobil 1 75w90, but I'm not sure what Subies take.

-juice

locke2c

Your fuel pump is in the gas tank, below the rear floor. Same place as any other recent Subaru.

Unfortunately I suspect what you are hearing is probably the rear differential. Check the fluid and see if the noise gets worse over the next few thousand miles.

How much powertrain warranty have you got left?

-Colin

ateixeira

He's past 50k out of 60k, so now is the time.

Do you know if our rear diffy takes the same 75w90 gear oil as Mazdas do? Mobil 1 costs about $8 a quart, and the Miata only needed one. It may be worth just changing it.

-juice

locke2c

Yep, it takes 75w90. The tranny takes 75w90NS (no slip additives).

-Colin

ateixeira

I was wondering about that, because Mobil 1 only carries one basic viscosity that I saw, plain old 75w90. Can that be used in the tranny?

Have you changed your tranny oil yet? Is it similar to the Miata's (which was relatively simple)?

-juice

p0926

I don't think Subaru's are inherently prone to alignment problems. Although I know of a couple of incidents where a vehicle came misaligned from the factory, I don't recall anyone complaining about their alignment needing frequent corrections. I also don't think that the fact that Subarus are AWD should matter. Unless of course the fact that you have AWD encourages more "spirited" driving and off-road adventures. In any case, my Forester has always tracked perfectly straight with even wear.

I inflate my tires about halfway between the recommended pressure and the max rating. I find that this improves gas mileage and provides for more even tread wear.

-Frank P.

locke2c

No juice, the tranny oil must have friction enhancers or the brass synchronizers will be unable to do their job properly. Search around on the iClub some time, you might be surprised to see how many people have run various alternative tranny fluids and were wondering why they were grinding a bit into each gear.

I have no problems with my stock fluid other than it's sluggish in very cold weather. Every other MT I've driven is the same way, so I deal with it.

-Colin

ateixeira

The Mobil 1 in my Miata helped things a little, but it may have been that the turret was completely empty (as is common).

-juice

kens

juice, Colin:

Thanks for your input. The last time I had the diffy fluid replaced should have been with the 30K service I had.

I'll check the level and maybe even replace the oil myself.

Has anyone changed the rear diffy fluid themselves?
-What tool did I need to remove the two plugs?
-What's the best way to put the oil back into the differential? Looks like there isn't much room to fit a funnel in there.

Ken

ateixeira

I've looked at the plug, and it looks like a 1/2" square hole, so a 1/2" ratchet driver ought to be able to do the job (by itself, I mean, no XXmm piece attached).

I bought a pump for the oil. It has a tube that you put into the new oil, and then another you put in the fill hole, and pump away. The stuff is thick so it takes some effort (of course it was cold the day I did it).

Alternately, you can use a long plastic tube and feed it down from above, letting gravity do your job. The catch is how to route it up high so it pours down.

The Miata took one quart. Pour until it spills out the fill hole.

-juice

ateixeira

PS Use these as a rough guide (they are for a Miata but I believe it's similar):

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=117212&a=1484919&p=15038845