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Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

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  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    If a cracked block is the cause, I couldn't imagine that SOA would think that's normal. Have you tried working something out with the dealer? If not, you should call SOA and set up a case.

    Ken
  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    maybe dbnv jumped the gun in assuming
    Dealer = SoA.
    Like kens mentioned, call SoA and set up a case.

    -Dave
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Ken,

    I've been trying to figure the oil leak for some time, as you know I'm dead stubborn against bringing my car in. --Although this was a good experience that could change that way of thinking.

    Anyway, I'd noticed the bottom of the timing cover looked like the seal was oil-soaked. I personally couldn't make out what was the problem but am glad it all made sense to them. I had an idea it was the front oil seal but didn't know the cam seals were leaking too.

    Oil wasn't being consumed really, I could see it on the ground in the garage; maybe like 2 small drips per day.

    Patti, thanks for the assistance. If the dealer needed any guidance from SOA whether to cover things they didn't say anything about it and just did the warranty work with no questions. I approved the billable work with the provision that it would fix the problem. It did-- put about 70 miles on tonight and no hint of the idle problem or hesitation.

    -Colin
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Things like that do happen. They did replace it for you. What pray-tell would you like them to do for you beyond having repaired it? Replacing a block over 7 days doesn't seem like an abnormal amount of time.

    -mike
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Well, I think he was wondering why he couldn't have a whole new car seeing as how it had 300 miles on it.

    On one hand, I see the point. A car is a major purchase and that type of failure should be spotted long before the consumer gets their hands on it.

    On the other, cars are made by man and when you make a few thousand engines a month every once in a while you'll have a bad one. Sounds like Subaru is doing their best to take care of the problem... You have a free rental don't you?

    But never fear, Patti can help. She's amazing. :D

    -Colin
  • subaru_teamsubaru_team Member Posts: 1,676
    If you haven't already called us, please do so. It isn't something that we would call "normal". That being said, it is a mechanical thing that can break. That's why we have a warranty. I know that our Reps. will help. I'm sorry it happened, but I think you will be satisfied with the resolution in the end.

    Once again, sorry for the let down. What area of the country are you in so I can try to find your case?

    Patti
  • oclvframeoclvframe Member Posts: 121
    Patti,

    Has anyone come to talk to you about the case I openned after you suggested it? I had a problem with my dealer not servicing my car properly (alignment). I am curious what the outcome of all this will be?

    The service writer pretty much suggested that I never come back there (trust me...I won't) but that kind of behavior really harms Subaru especially in an area like Atlanta where there are so few dealers.
  • subaru_teamsubaru_team Member Posts: 1,676
    Sorry about that! It appears that the Rep. sent me the case without following-up on it. Since I do not usually handle cases directly, it ended up on the list with my QC checks (a lot of reading). Kate will get more info. for me today and I'll check it out.

    Thanks!

    Patti
  • subaru_teamsubaru_team Member Posts: 1,676
    I checked our data base for all 2002 Forester customers with a first name of Donald and I do not see a case. I'm guessing that we haven't heard from you? Please call us ASAP.

    Thanks!

    Patti
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Colin - That's great news! The timing cover on my wife's OB had a lot of oil on it too and they replaced it.

    mrfixit - Thanks for the oil info.

    -Dennis
  • bkaiser1bkaiser1 Member Posts: 464
    I have had a set of those in my car for about 5 years or so...they are identical but say Eddie Bauer on them...anyway, they feel WAAAY cheap and I was afraid I was going to electrocute myself using them, but the few times I have used them to help other motorists, they performed flawlessly. They take up virtually no space (they live with the spare tire) and work in an emergency...that's all I could ask of jumper cables I guess :) If I actually used jumper cables more often than once every few years, I would buy somehting better/more durable, but for what they are, they're great!
  • winwashwinwash Member Posts: 5
    To oclvframe,if you don't mind ,what dealer in Atl.I would like to avoid them also.Have had good service at Voyles.
  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    rwood1682 Feb 6, 2002 11:11am

    Hi Richard,

    Large diameter (small guage) wires are more effective conductors than small diameter (large guage) wires. (one of those stubborn physics laws you can't break ;-) ) Though small diameter compact jumper cables work (as Brian said), if I was stranded, I'd want the largest diameter wire that is practical to carry. Also, look for durable clamps.

    ..Mike

    ..Mike

  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    Keep in mind that several small diameter stranded wires are a better conductor than one big wire of the same overall cross section. For the same performance, you can get away with thinner wire if it is stranded.

    Craig
  • jpyrajpyra Member Posts: 2
    I have a '97 outback, running Mich arctic alpins on universal steel wheels. A few weeks ago, a "pocking" noise (best description ?)
    emanated from seemingly the front driver's side. Noise stops when my foot is removed from the accelerator. I had a sub specialist check out the suspension, and all came back tight. Car has 50k on it, and it isn't driven hard. Already replaced rear wheel bearing at 30k. Anyone have ideas?
  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246

    ..Mike

  • joseph50joseph50 Member Posts: 235
    I would rotate the tires. If the sound moved with the tire and wheel, it is the tire/wheel.
    May I ask, how many miles on that set of MAA's?
    Do they do you well in the snow, ice and wet?
    I got a set for my 2001 Forester, but snow has been almost nonexistent in the Philly area this winter. (I have the stock Yokos on now.)
    Joe
  • cptpltcptplt Member Posts: 1,075
    Not sure about the noise you have but mine (with OB alloys) on my GT wagon make a real whining sound. The first season or two I kept bringing the car to the dealer as I thought I had a vacuum leak! Finally figured it was the tire/wheel/road surface combo.Not sure if its the tread or the wheels themselves.
    Snow performance - they are ok, not as good as Blizzaks which I had on my 92 LS and still have on my 92 L. Sometimes they feel scary on ice, like you are about to lose it but you never do. They are definitely better on regular dry roads than the Blizzaks. On my 4th season with them, they seem to waer quickly initialy and then the wear seems to have plateaued.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Hey all I did my front pads on the XT6 this weekend. What a PITA. For some reason the front pistons are the screw-type and I had to turn them about 200+ times in order to get them in! I guess I shouldn't complain considering that I put 35K miles on them + ton of auto-x + the previous owners probably put anywhere from 10-50K miles on em before me.

    -mike
  • oclvframeoclvframe Member Posts: 121
    Michael,

    My problems have been with Troncalli in Roswell. How do you like Voyles? That is where I bought my car but for a couple of reasons, I haven't gone there for service, just to buy parts.

    I didn't make them my first choice mostly because of how run down the shop and the service area were.

    -r
  • kprcoinkprcoin Member Posts: 3
    Can anyone tell me why my 1995 SVX with only 42,000
    miles needed 5 wheel bearings since I bought it?
    Is this normal for this vehicle?
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    repeated failures probably means the hub needs replacement, and the dealership may be installing the bearing incorrectly.

    -Colin
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    My aunt's 92 with 68K hasn't needed any yet.

    -mike
  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    I came across this today:

    http://www.raindrop.com/subaru/wheelbearings.html

    HTH.

    ..Mike

    ..Mike

  • kprcoinkprcoin Member Posts: 3
    Thanks, Colin & Mike. I had to have 5 wheel bearings replaced in my 1995 SVX over the past 6 years. 2 on the left rear and 1 each on the right
    front and rear. Told the dealership that I thought that this wasn't normal - got some story from the service manager that it's because of the wide tires. Tried to get them to do something about the bill - no go. Called the Subaru 800 number and no luck there either. Love the car, but think I'm going to get rid of it before the 2 right wheel bearings go. Really left a bad taste in my mouth for Sabaru. This is my second Sabaru - had a XT6 - but after this I think I'll look for
    something else.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    If you do decide to sell, contact me mike@iace.com I'm interested. I have 2 XT6s. Perhaps a trade ;)

    -mike
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    wow, that's a pretty impressive link Mike.

    -Colin
  • kprcoinkprcoin Member Posts: 3
    Yeah Mike, that's a great link. Too bad we cant get Subaru to do something. I just paid a bill over $600 for the last 2 bearings. The last bearing went 18 months ago and I'm sure it will go again.
  • subaru_teamsubaru_team Member Posts: 1,676
    Interesting - I saw your case file the other day when we received your letter. Then, I came across your post. We want to check into a few things and you will be hearing from a Representative soon. Your case file is not closed at this point.

    Thanks!

    Patti
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    I'm picturing Patti in a cape with a "P" on it, flying through the air looking for Subaru problems. :-)

    -Dennis
  • 1subydown1togo1subydown1togo Member Posts: 348
    Blue and Yellow cape of course
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Not a biggie, but after nearly 4 years on the OE battery, I decided it was time to put in a new one. Since my Forester (MT) only needs 360 CCAs and I live in a mild climate, I decided to go with the standard Sears DieHard Weatherhandler ($60).

    The installation was a piece of cake.
    1. Remove negative, then positive terminals
    2. Remove retaining bracket
    3. Remove old battery and clean out battery tray
    4. Clean terminals
    5. Plop in new battery and reverse steps 2-1. If you have the Security System upgrade, be ready to hit UNLOCK as soon as you touch the negative terminal to the battery.
    6. Recycle that old core

    My starter motor sounds a lot happier now.

    Ken
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    tekcarb gniniater evomeR .2
    ... .1

    yes, Ken?

    sorry, it's a been a long day in the office :-)
    --etaK
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    !LOL, etaK

    (-:

    neK
  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    gives you the right to be really sick. I love it. Must be a west coast thing. Keep up the insanity folks.

    Ross
  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    Thanks and you're welcome. The weird thing is that I found that independently searching on something else, came to Edmunds, saw the wheel bearing problem.. what a coincidence!

    Kate, too funny! You've been too quiet lately.

    ..Mike

    ..Mike

  • winwashwinwash Member Posts: 5
    Robert-- The shop at Voyles does look crappy but I have heard from friends that have Legacys that they do good work.All I have had them do was flush the brakes for $50,I do all the maintenance myself.So far at 45,000 miles I haven't had any problems.Am about due for some tires though.I bought mine at Classic.They have a great looking shop and seem to have some good mechanics.They are way out of my way for any minor maintenance work.Will probably use Voyles when I need brakes.Haven't heard any thing good about Troncalli,have heard good things about Conley.
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    I just called my wife and related to her the chain of events posted here. The internet and the people that that make it work are amazing. We are both in awe of how quickly Mike found info for Penny, and again how fast Patti offered to look into the situation. Even if she cannot get anything changed, the thought of having an inside advocate is a singular experience in autodome.

    Steve
  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    Patti ROCKS!

    But I repeat myself (from thousands (?) of posts ago).

    Thanks, Steve. Though I was a little sluggish, taking 59 minutes to respond. Please don't tell juice how I dropped the ball in his absence. :D Yep, the Internet r00lz!

    ..Mike

    ..Mike

  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    You bet... We will keep this our little secret!

    Steve
  • jpyrajpyra Member Posts: 2
    This is my 2nd winter in Massachusetts with maa
    tires. Last winter I drove more on snow than on blacktop...tried my hardest to spin out, but no
    luck on snow-packed roads. They're ok on ice & wet surfaces, but super on snow. This winter, we've had hardly any snow, but it ain't over yet.
  • fudd2befudd2be Member Posts: 50
    On my recent (last weekend 2/8-2/10) trip to Long Island from Rochester, NY my check engine light came on while on Long Island (Lon Gisland?) and the engine started idling REAL rough and hesitated badly upon acceleration. Once up to highway speed it was ok, though not great.

    I put in some dry gas and premium fuel thinking it could be something like that. I was able to (I had no choice) drive back to Rochester while the CE light was still on. I brought it in yesterday to my dealer, Van Bortel.

    The CE light was a misfire in cylinder 1 and changing the plug wire had no effect. So they told me they had to replace the fuel injector, but recommended I do all four at the same time. I told them to do the work (what choice do I have?) The cost came to a little over $500.

    At 38000 this seems like a strange failure. I am one to admit if I did something wrong, but I am concerned because I don't think I did anything wrong! I only use brand name gas (usually 87 octane). The only thing I have never done before is put additives in the fuel tank (like dry gas). Should I be?

    I was told this is not covered under the powertrain warranty. Is there anything that can be done from Subaru's standpoint, or is this 'my fault'? How can I prevent this from happening again? My wife's '98 civic has been operated from the same gas and impeccable maintenance for 4 years with no problems.

    I have to pick up and pay for the car today.

    Any help or advice would be appreciated!

    -Howard
  • lakepoplakepop Member Posts: 221
    Not good...what will be your plan if the new injectors don't fix the problem?

    It sounded like a fuel problem to me and I think I would have tried draining the tank first (in case of sediment/bad gas) folowed by pulling the injectors and having them cleaned (i doubt they were total toast) .

    Sorry for your problem..lets hope your repair fixes it.
  • fudd2befudd2be Member Posts: 50
    To some extent I have to place faith in the dealer's expertise. If this does not fix it, then I plan to make a real big noise. But they have already done the work, road tested and claim that the car is fixed.

    You're right I can't believe that they were gone - it seemd like it would have to be a consistant fuel problem in order to do that damage. Maybe cleaning would have done it - but they even admitted to me that they don't do that at the dealer, they would have to send it out. So of course they would recommend replacing. That is why I wanted to get an opinion from Subaru ala Patti.

    I will ask them to do a fuel quality test and check the fuel filter (if they have not already) before I pick it up.

    Thanks!
    Howard
  • lakepoplakepop Member Posts: 221
    Howard,
    We have to assume that they are competent and checked the fuel pressure which would eliminate the fuel filter and fuel pump. Unfortunately the pintle type injector are prone to clogging and and small particles in the gas can cause this type of problem.
    Electrical (wires/plugs) are also a common cause ..but you said they checked that out.

    The biggest problem I have with dealers is that I want to find/isolate the cause. Dealers tend to start removing/replacing parts until the problem goes away. You have to hope they stumble on it quickly cause you are paying for all the part swaps.
    In this case pulling the injectors and having them cleaned sounds like it would have been a lot cheaper that R/R .
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    hmmm, maybe Van Bortel is trying to make up for some of their extremely low prices on new vehicles? It does seem fishy that A) it wouldn't be covered by the powertrain warranty B) they would need replacing so soon and if so ALL of them?

    -mike
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Yeah, that's very odd to me too that it wouldn't be taken care of under the Powertrain Warranty. Was the light flashing or steady? Steady usually indicates an emmissions problem rather than a serious engine problem, IIRC.

    The first thing I do when I get a CEL (or MIL for your mechanics :-)) is disconnect the battery for 30 minutes. That's always worked for me but could also erase any problem codes stored in the ECM's memory.

    -Dennis
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    injectors better be part of the powertrain warranty...

    -Colin
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Mike: slacker! 59 whole minutes? ;-)

    Remember when we helped Lucien figure out his intake, live?

    Ken - your battery lasted longer than mine. Doesn't it start up better with more CCAs?

    It's funny that we hear a lot about Subaru's bearings, while I just had to replace the bearing and the hub on our 626. It was more than $800, ouch, for a single wheel, too.

    -juice
  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    hehe, yeah I remember that, RalliSpec came through with the solution.

    ..Mike

    ..Mike

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