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Comments
Even so, 75 is close enough. I'm sure some tire shops don't change them from car to car, and I know the M-Class needs more than 100 lb-ft!
-juice
BTW. when I say tighten in a sane manner that means no standing on the wrench to tighten it.
Don,t laugh I have seen idiots 250 lbs. and more up jumping on the damn lug wrench when tightening the the lug nuts, mind you I have often said thats a bigger lug nut jumping on the end of the wrench.
Cheers Pat.
-juice
Cheers Pat.
I own a 1999 Subaru Outback Legacy wagon. In early January I noticed a 'subtle' engine vibration - as if a cylinder was misfiring - whenever I accelerated between 30 and 35mph. The problem is slightly more pronounced in cold weather, but it exists at virtually all temperatures below 80 degrees, and remains even when the car is fully warmed up.
At first I thought it was an unbalanced tire, as it appeared as if the car vibrated slightly as well, but I had all of the tires checked and rebalanced.
I brought the car to my Subaru dealer and they claimed they could not duplicate the problem. I am near 100% positive that they did not bother to road-test the car, however.
I then brought the car to an independent mechanic who immediately noticed the problem when he roadtested it. He thought it was a broken ignition wire or a bad plug, and I gave him the OK to change all spark plugs and ignition wires. The vibration continued.
This mechanic contacted a national repair complaint reporting service to which he subscribed (they apparently maintain a database of car owner complaints for virtually every automobile make and model) to see if other Outback owners had reported this problem. The service bureau researched the complaint and stated that a relatively small number of 1999 Outbacks were plagued by 'loose engine valve seats' that manifested themselves with the same engine vibration symptom.
The bureau reported that the problem was eliminated only after the engine valve seats were overhauled.
The independent mechanic then offered to contact my local Subaru dealer and explain what he had been told by the service bureau. The Subaru service tech claimed he had never heard of this situation with 1999 Outbacks.
The engine vibration problem still persists and in fact has become slightly more pronounced - though it sometimes has disappeared on a couple of the 85 degree plus days that we've had here in New Jersey this spring.
Any insight or advice on this problem would be greatly appreciated.
Does anyone have a service manual that might indicate what the "new" and "worn out" or "wear limit" thicknesses might be?
Regarding the cleanup and waxing of the insides of the wheels, that was a tough job. Still looking for the "right" brush or tool to remove the corrosion or dirt on the backsides and holes of the spokes. It was fairly easy to clean the inside diameter of the wheels but the spokes were tough. I scrubbed the spokes with an old toothbrush and used a wax cleaner to remove most of the dirt. I guess I should of done it earlier, right after I took delivery of the car new.
Thanks in advance for the thickness information and any advice on round two of the wheel cleaning activity that I might attempt in the future. If any of the photos showing the "flat" are needed let me know.
YetAnotherDave
Emma: CELs are very common today, much more so than a few years ago because of much stricter OBDII regulations. Federal law requires that the light be triggered even for a single misfire - perhaps caused by water in the gas tank from condensation, or even a loose gas cap causing a vacuum leak in the fuel system.
I'd advise two things: don't run on empty, fill your tank once it's less than 1/4 full, especially in the winter. Also, tighten that gas cap until it clicks - a few times.
The good news? A solid lights means little or nothing. A more serious problem would have the CEL blinking. In that case I'd be more concerned.
Black: you may want to ask in the Subaru Crew - Modifications thread about the brake pad specs, I bet Colin knows and he hangs out there.
-juice
Anyway, I don't know what the service limit is on pad thickness but 1/2" sounds like quite a lot of pad to me. You could call 1-800-SUBARU3 and ask what it is.
If you feel you're being taken advantage of after learning the service limit yourself, complain aobut it to the dealer and SOA via a professionally written snail mail. And even if your pads are nearly worn out-- which it sure doesn't sound like they are-- you can change them yourself in literally minutes. Buy a can of Brake-Kleen and give the pistons a squirt while you swap the pads, that's all it takes...at least the first time-- you may eventually want to have more thorough service done on the calipers.
-Colin
1. Body makes creaking noises when driving very slowly. It probably does it at higher speeds too but the road noise drowns it out.
2. Rear tailgate release lever won’t work when weather is very warm. Can’t open the tailgate under those conditions.
3. Front suspension feels loose when going over bumps. It makes rattling noises.
4. Transmission shifts hard before warmup.
5. On very cold startup it is slow to crank and the idle speed fluctuates (between 1800-1900 RPM?). If car is not completely warmed up it seems to run quite rough. NOTE: I live in MN--it gets really cold.
6. When braking from higher speeds there is a sound like the rotors are warped but I can’t feel anything in the brake pedal.
7. When accelerating (rapid) on slippery surfaces the rear drive is noticeably slammed. You can feel the car shake hard and a loud thud can be heard. Is this the LSD?
Thanks for any feedback you might have.
Scott
5: Probably need a new battery, and 1800-1900 is normal at startup when cold.
7: That is the power being shifted from the front (80% torque) to the rear due to slippage, normal on AT subies
-mike
#6 HOw long of a commute do you have? From what your discribing it might be similar to what our van had. Since my wife drives the van the most it has short trips and some days doesn't go anywhere. The brake rotors actually get surface rust on them which makes them have a rough grinding noise and some pulse feel.
--Jay
(northern WI)
-mike
side note (off topic): I saw one of your posts over in the chevy trail blazer section. You got one? if so how do you like it? I'm looking for something to tow my camper and haul 5 people.
-mike
Have the dealer adjust the striker plate for the hatch.
You may want to flush the ATF, though this will cost you because it's maintenance.
I'd clean the brakes, and yes I bet that is the LSD or maybe the AWD you feel kicking in.
I got a new battery and my Forester starts up much better. OE battery only had 260 CCAs, I now have 535 and the difference is like night and day. Just $30 at Wal Mart.
-juice
-mike
Steve
The only downside is that modern cars have gotten so complex that you have to deal with irritations like Check Engine Lights and other glitches related to the complexity of the electronics.
Expect a wonderful relationship with your Legacy!
Steve
But at least you can feel good about your car polluting probably 1/10th of what new cars did a decade ago. ODBII ensures even gas fumes don't leak out.
-juice
Emma - I am bringing in my Sienna for the 5th time tomorrow for them to replace the auto door motor. The buzzer failed (which is integrated with the motor) and it has taken the dealer 3 tries now to get the right part. Told it was a mistake with the drawing from Toyota. We'll see. At least I got a free inspection and tire rotation out of it. My point? I think it is fair to expect 1-2 problems for a new car in the first 3 years. My 92 Camry (which I loved and was outrageously reliable) had 2 problems in the first 100K - the backup lights wiring failed and the front exhaust pipe failed. rambling off.
Greg
Power doors on minivans are problematic for all makes - GM, Honda, Mazda, and Toyota have trouble with them.
-juice
Greg
With all of that, the car has never had visible or any kind of damage to the bumpers, and although a door and quarter panel had to be replaced from the bad crash, there are only a couple of dings on the car. (I got some neck pain for a while out of the crash, but was otherwise unharmed.)
I'll drive her for the last time to pick up my Outback tomorrow , but I can tell you, I expect good things out of the Outback too. What you want to bet the new car delivers as well?
Of course, I won't hurt her feelings by telling her about the Camrycar !
Cars! They're like men. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em!
Greg
-mike
Edmunds is embarrassed about the lack of a good "search" function in their Town Hall software, so you might not easily find what you are looking for on other boards. In the past year I've seen CEL problems crop up on boards for Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Acura and VW. I wouldn't know whether other brands have CEL problems because I ignore their boards, but if the maker rated by Consumer's Reports as having the best overall quality (Subaru) has CEL problems, you can bet that Ford, Pontiac, Kia and etc have them, too.
The CEL can be tripped by quite a few different sensors, and it is linked to a sensitive little trigger that fires even when something trivial seems to go awry with the fuel system. Much of this is dictated by recently instated federal standards.
If your dealer cannot give you satisfaction with this (and it can be tricky to run down) tell him you are going to officially "open a complaint" with Subaru of America. You can do that by coming here and calling for help from Patti, a friendly representative from the company who frequents these boards and occasionally offers to help the paperwork on a complaint as it moves through the system.
Keep us posted about how this goes, and good luck!
Steve
If your dealer can't diagnos it properly I'd try a different dealer if there is one relatively close. Usually if a dealer can't diagnos it properly it means they have a bad service dept.
Something as simple as bad gas can cause the CEL light to come on.
-mike
Brian
The problem is: I HEAR an irritating wind-blowing noise, I think, coming front corner of the driver-side window - that is where the tweeter is. The noise comes when driven over aprox. 30+ mph. The noise level is different based on whether going uphill, downhill, or on level land - but the noise is constant nevertheless. It is NOT the usual wind blowing outside the car. It could be the wind coming through a small hole somewhere or wind hitting the side view mirror. But it is very irritating.
Any clue? Manufacturing defect or any way to get rid of it? TIA.
Sorry just some humor I have gotten into the habit of putting the pass and dr side windows down about 1" then back up everytime I go to drive somewhere, and I feel that it helps .
mike k
Better than the new Caravan I rented a few weeks ago!
YetAnotherDave
Jim J.
Anybody with any ideas?
Cheers!
Paul
I hate to have to remove them, as then I need to PUT them somewhere, and space is at a premium here. So any ideas on how I should reposition them?
No wind noise from them at all.
Heather
mike k
BTW, finally began my experiment on windnoise caused by a the tiny air leak in the window gasket (around the tweeter housing). I shaved down some closed-cell foam to create a tapered bolster for the gasket. It worked great for one day; then the foam lost its virility and the gap came back (though less than before). I'll keep at it 'til I find the permanent fix.
YetAnotherDave
The wind noise (or whistle, if you like to call it) was coming of the area of the front glass window where rubber meets the glass. At the same area but in the body of the car (not glass window), if you unfold the rubber sealing glued to the car, you will see a little tab inside. Now, get a rolled up paper or plastic slightly thicker than a pencil (I used one of the "Attention" sticker thrown in the car floor). Put that roll in side the rubber fold. Close the door, roll up the window. No noise. If the noise comes up again, and it does, roll down and roll up the window.
Another thing bothering me is a rattle coming from the area of the back seat of the passenger side. It must be coming from the seat belt housing. My wife is so much irritated by the rattle (feels like right in her ear) that she refuses to seat in my wagon!