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Comments
Oh well, its looking like the beautiful silence that I so enjoy on long drives is going to have to wait till I bring it back.
Please, someone, tell me it aint so....
Your problems seems a lot worse than that. I'm not sure what causes this, perhaps Craig has some ideas? I would definitely recommend you get the suspension checked, but unless the dealer can easily replicate the problem, they will probably be unhelpful.
Good luck!
Sly
http://members.cox.net/craig.hunter/window/
I have a feeling they screwed it up on the initial repair.
It took me about 20 minutes to study and understand the design of the glass mounting, and I have to say Subaru did a pretty good job with the engineering. There are plenty of adjustments to get the glass aligned perfectly. Unfortunately, it may be too complex for the avergae dealer tech.
Best thing to do is look at the passenger side glass (assuming that's OK), and pick out the incremental differences that make the driver's side window out of whack. From there, it would be a pretty orderly process of getting the driver's side window back in alignment.
Craig
-juice
Craig, yeah, this dealer is not the best in my area. The one that continually gives me great service is 50 minutes away, and is where I take it for major stuff. I thought it would be an easy fix, so I took it to dealer 2 which is 7 minutes away. Thanks for the pics of the door innards, couldnt find anything close in my web research in terms of info and detail.
Nate
-mike
Cheers!
Paul
Have one issue still. Noise coming from one or more of wheels/tires. First noticed when rotated tires at dealer and pressure was put WAY up. Took back to 'Subaru' dealer and solution was to let off some pressure which reduced noise but did not resolve what was wrong. Noise is rhythmacal hum that sounds like a tire improperly balanced/alligned. I know it is impossible to diagnose this without seeing the car but thought I would put it down for posterity. The cars allignment was perfect and continues to be so. No vibration or pulling whatsoever. The tires after making noise for the last 3500 miles show no uneven wear YET. My diagnosis is a bent rim, or two. The tires look perfect and ran PERFECT for the first 6500 miles. All the mechanic did was rotate them and crank up the pressure. I am unfortunately guilty for running them with very little pressure for much of the first 6500 miles, and hitting at least one substantial curb that could have warped them. The low pressure could have hidden the problem till I had them rotated a couple weeks later. I dont know. The question is what to do. Do I go to the dealer and have them all balanced/checked for warpage and pony up for new rims? Any suggestions would be appreciated. I am about an hours drive from my dealer BTW....
By the way, the cupping wasn't totally obvious on the tires -- I could see the tell-tale feathering on the treads only in certain conditions (after pulling into the garage, but not out on the street). It sounds like this is the most likely culprit to your problem.
Brian
If there was a warped rim or unbalanced tire, you would feel it, especially at highway speeds, possibly in the steering wheel, or the shift through the drivetrain. My dealer didn't balance one correctly on the last rotation. I knew right away. Rob M.
Seems to me, if I remember right, the fuse for the cooling fan had blown. When I fixed that, suprisingly, the problem didn't go away. Then, one day when overheating again, after I replaced the fuse, I pulled into a gas station, not a little suprised.
What happened was that in the process of the radiator fluid, or the water portion of it, boiling, it had set up a vapor lock. Something about the height of radiator cap vs the fuel injection intake. Whatever...like I said, I can't remember exactly. But...in the end, the cooling system had vaporlocked. And simply by opening the radiator cap, with the cooling fan now working properly, I broke the vapor lock.
Never had a problem with it again.
So.....maybe for you in the 97 Outback (I have the same car with 72k on it), make sure the cooling fan fuse is good. And then open the radiator cap! Sounds simple...but that was what the problem was on my honda.
When I told a buddy about how strange it was about the coincidence of pulling off the cap, and never having a problem again, he was the one that told me about the vapor lock and the height of the radiator cap and so on. He is a hot rodder from years ago. So take it for what it is worth!
I had been having oil spots on my garage floor for about 4 years. I finally got tired of it and had them replaced. They did a bunch of work on it (flushing the autothrottle body, injectors, so on and so on....coming up to 1200 bucks in fees), and the car runs as if brand new. And getting 4mpg more than I was before taking it into the shop. The shop manager told me that would be the case....that I would see a big increase in my mpg. Things get pretty fouled up over the years (car has 72k on it)
They did a great job.
I think it is a pretty extensive job replacing those seals. You are into the guts of the engine. But don't have to take out the engine. So no crane at least!
So to date, no leaks and engine really running tops. It has been about 2 months now. Brought it in based on an alternator failure which was under recall. I posted this problem here previously.
Good luck!
After a record-long run of just over 3 months with no lighting of the dreaded and annoying CEL, it is back in action. I'm a little torn about it this time. It will light (seeminly) randomly, then turn off about 3-4 days later in the same manner. The car doesn't seem to operate any differently in any respect other than my gas mileage is worse than it has ever been before. Every winter the mileage drops off more than it did the previous year, but last time I filled up I put in 12.5 gallons after 192 miles. Ouch. Sure, it was -30F or so here most of that time, but even during cold spells I've never had to fill up more frequent than 250 miles (average about 13.5 gallons/fill up). I've been lazy about replacing the spark plugs; I should have done it a couple months ago along with timing belt, fuel filter, etc., but other than mpg, the car's performance has never been better. The usual $85 or so flat fee for hooking this puppy up to a diagnostic is more than my meager budget can muster right now.
Any general suggestions?
But to try and re-create it here:
-new spark plugs (platinum)
-new spark plug wires
-flush throttle body valve
-flush fuel injectors
-flushed the engine of accumulated goo (Dont know how they did this...whether it was a machine doing something under pressure, or whether it was a solvent of some sort)
-new air filter
The other stuff (camshaft seals, etc...), I dont think the dealer was representing as a big mpg changer. I think it was mostly the stuff listed above. With an emphasis on the flushing of the systems listed above. I think they were the big ticket items.
ANC is beautiful...but it does come with its harsh winters! Summers, however, are tremendously fun.
FWIW, I never got more than 24 highway with my 96 Outback, 26 with the 99 GT Sedan, and range 22-24 with the 03 Outback. Rob M.
I swear by the silicone. I tend to let the cars warm up before trying to operate the windows. I also have the side vents pointed sightly downward toward the door to get the warm airflow on the door assembly - especially the drivers window. Rob M.
I am glad to hear the rims are not the likely candidate. I think I will wear these tires out and then maybe try the MXV4's or something similar. I hate it that this small noise is spoiling my whole new car experience which has been otherwise sweeeeeeeeeet!
Now, with 176K+ miles on it, I probably hit 25 to 26 mpg on the FAI-ANC trip, 20 mpg average with a 50-50 split hwy/city driving.
I would start by looking under the car real well and examine the drive shafts, u-joints, cv-joints, and brakes. It would not be unheard of for something to get caught up in there and rub. I once discovered a plastic grocery bag tightly wound around a driveshaft on my first Subaru! If a rock or pebble gets caught in the brake calipers, it will make oddball sounds in particular situations. By the way, the parking brake is a seperate "drum" system that is mounted inside the rear wheel hub, distinct from the rear disc brakes.
Finally, all my cars will make rubbing noise if they have been outside for any length of time in damp/wet weather and the brake rotors get a film of rust. It usually goes away after a few stops. Could be as simple as that.
Craig
Is the softening supposed to help in making a more tight seal to eliminate the wind noise?
I'll have to finaggle a weekend's garage use out of my friend in the next couple of weeks and get this bout of maintenance out of the way, then see how it performs. I'll see what I can find out about the cleaning options available. I just hope I don't run into any "downtime" delays, because there's no way I'm untarping Old Yeller this month, nor is there any way my friend will park outside more than 1 night! :x
Thanks for the feedback.
Yes, it was post #3782, but thanks for recreating it, Terumi1.
I've owned my 2005 Outback 2.5i auto wagon for a little over a month now (coming up on 1,200 miles). Overally I've been happy, but there is one area that bothers me and is below expectation. I've been averaging 19-20 MPG at best (combined city-interstate driving). The first tank of gas averaged closer to 16-17 MPG, but then I instituted a practice suggested by my sales rep (turning the gas cap a full 3-4 turns vs. just a few clicks) and I got up to 19-20. Either way, it's much different than the 22/28 listed on the tag, and the ave. 24-26 I've seen mentioned on the boards here.
I've been keeping voluntary electric use (CD player, heated seats) to a minimum to be a fair test, and have followed the instructions in the owner's manual re: how to break in the car over the first 1K miles (using variable speeds, etc.).
But it's gotten to the point that I'm paying extra attention to the gas gauge, which is hurting my otherwise ok Subie experience.
I have two messages into my dealer sales rep for guidance, but no response back from him yet. So I'm hoping to get some help from my fellow Outback owners on Edmunds. PLEASE HELP! I want to nip this in the bud before it becomes a long-term problem, esp. if it involves something engine-related that needs to be tended to.
Thanks,
sb
Now for my question. Should the coolaing fan be running when its 5 degrees outside? Temp gauge shows normal but I notice the cooling fan running after my commute. I haven't checked coolant yet but maybe its time for a flush/replacement.
--jay
I thought that just maybe the dealer would have done a visual inspection on the lift for foreign objects stuck where they shouldn't be. But I don't know for sure, my wife took the car in after work. My wife got the speech about the noise after a layer of rust develops, but that doesn't seem likely. She will be taking the car in next Wed., and it continues to make the noise whenever she backs out of anywhere.
Billyray
jay: if the engine has reached normal operating temperature, then the cooling fan will cycle on and off regardless of the outside temperature.
Billyray: keep after them to figure this out. Wouldn't hurt to check under the car yourself if you have some spare time and a garage. Road debris would not be uncommon.
Craig
Out of curiousity how far do you normally drive? Is it stop and go in a city environment, or highway? I ask because a friend of mine had the same problem on his '03 OBW and we figured out it is because he drives only a few blocks at a time in city driving.
BTW, the crew here were the ones that pointed out evrything wrong he did:-). Also, once he did a long trip, he got up to 26mpg, from 14mpg.
Mark
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/why_differ.shtml
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/how_tested.shtml
Other factors like short trips, winter fuel, colder weather, long idle warm ups, frequent braking, load and tire pressures all detract from the EPA milage. Also, there will be vehicle to vehicle variations. The EPA probably only samples one vehicle per model so it's best not to interpret the result as a being typical for the entire fleet.
Given that your 2.5i is new, I'd wait until the warmer months to get a better read on fuel economy. Not only will your engine and transmission broken in, but the warmer weather will promote better gas milage.
With my previous Forester, I noticed the fuel economy slowly improve 1-2 mpg over the first 10,000 miles. Also, I saw a small uptick of about 1 mpg when I switched to synthetic oil.
For now, I suggest you check the easy items like tire pressure (make sure they aren't low) and just enjoy driving your brand new Outback.
Ken
As Craig noted, if the engine is at operating temp, the fan will kick in intermittently regardless of ambient temperature. I hear my fan run even at 40 or 50 below zero temperatures. I doubt that it runs when the car is at highway speeds, but at a stand still when I can hear it, it does kick in.
Side note: Unusual weather up here in Fairbanks! Over 14" of snow in the past couple of days and winds strong enough to drift it! My how I love a long, snowy winter. I just wish my job was to drive all day...... ;-D
-Wes-
I wish we had the snow. There is snow north and snow to the south but none here. Just the cold. But even that has been wimpy most of the time. I think the high temps have always been above zero so far this year.
--jay
After reading all the positive reviews on the 05' Legacy GT and a great test drive, I took the plunge and bought my very first Subaru, a 05 GT Legacy Wagon on Dec. 22, 04 from Larry H. Miller in Salt Lake City. The very next day, I couldn't get this brand new car started and I was stranded in a friend's place. The engine wouldn't crank at all. It was totally silent as I turned the ignition. No, it wasn't a dead battery either. All powered equipment like radio, doors, seats, wipers, headlights worked fine. I did try jump-starting the engine just to confirm it wasn't the battery. Suspecting that the engine imobilizer had kicked it, I researched the owner's manual thoroughly but there was no mention of the symptom nor any remedy. So, finally I had to have my brand new car towed to the dealership for service. Right after the car got off the tow truck, a mechanic jumped in and turned the ignition. The engine cranked over and started right away on his very first attempt. They took car in the shop and checked it out and couldn't find anything wrong with it. I was told there was nothing they could do. So I drove the Legacy home hoping it was just a one-time glitch although I had this haunted feeling every time I put the key into the ignition that dead silence would greet me. Well, the Legacy had started fine since then till yesterday morning (01/06/05) as I was ready to head for work and turned the ignition. My fear had become a reality, it was dead again with exactly the same symptom as the first time. Both time the car went dead, it was snowy and below freezing. 14 days after it left the dealer lot, the Legacy took its second tow truck trip back to the dealer garage. It was even the same towing company and same truck. After it got off the tow truck, the same mechanic jumped in, and you guessed it, just like last time, the Legacy fired right up. This time, I wouldn't take "there's nothing we could do" for an answer. I went and grabbed a Sales Manager and politely explained to him my misfortune with my brand new $30K purchase. They still have no clue what was acting up but they kept my car in the shop this time for more diagnostics. So, here I am, still waiting a response from my dealer and searching this forum for a similar experience reported by a fellow crew but couldn't find anything so far. Could anyone out there relate to my experience? Your help would be greatly appreciated.
I would suspect the automatic shifter is the problem. The car will only start if the shifter is securely in N or P. I suspect the switches in the shifter are problematic (jiggling the shifter would likely fix and pinpoint the problem). Either that, or you are somehow accidentally putting pressure on the shifter and/or brake pedal (which controls the shifter interlock) and causing a problem. I would start by making sure the shifter has easily and completely gone into park before you shut off the car.
My wife had a 2000 Mazda 626 that would not crank for her on 4-5 ocassions. Yet, every single time, I would hop in the car and it would start right up for me. The dealer took a look and never found a problem. Of course, I just assumed my wife was doing something wrong the whole time!
Craig
Craig
Jim
Jun
Next time the no start happens, try starting it in N. (of course, set the parking brake so you don't roll ;-)
-Brian
I'd pre-emptively change the starter motor, to see if that's it.
-juice
Could just be the way the OB is.. hoping not.. I saw some posts about services that improved others' mpg.. might try that.
If it was those, u would still have use of the battery powered equipment, but the car would not start.
The problem for your dealer is that they can't just guess at the problem and go changing/replacing things because the manufacturer would not flip the bill (nor would u want to).
Do u live close to the dealership? If the dealer cant find the problem this time, I suggest this: The next time it happens (sorry u have to wait till then), call your SalesPerson and have him come out to your home to try it himself to verify its occurance.. Maybe he can jump on the cel phone with his svc department for some trouble-shooting. He should be willing to do this to keep u happy and a repeat cust..
Hope that helps.. Pauly.
Your case has me stumped too. I think Craig talked about all the things I would normally try. I also have the Legacy GT Wagon 5EAT (nice choice, by the way!) and I haven't heard of your problem yet.
While your car is in the shop, I'd call Subaru at 1-800-SUBARU3 and have them set up a case for you. This way, Subaru of America can keep an eye on it and intervene if the dealer isn't doing everything possible to address your concerns.
Since the dealer has the car in for diagnostics, it's clear that they no longer suspect a simple operator error and are looking for a different cause. If they still can't find anything, ask to see if they can keep the car overnight and try it first thing the morning. In that case, you should be reimbursed for a rental car. Hope everything turns out okay.
Ken
Thanks for the suggestion. I did try that trick among many many other things.
Jun
The suggestion made about having a service person come out to your location when it fails to start might work if this is something similar to my problem because unless I popped the hood and started fiddling around (I usually thumped on the starter thinking something was bound), the car would indefinitely do nothing more than a single 'click' upon attempting to start.
-Wes-