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Comments
Sid
05 - gotta be a bad starter. I'd have the dealer look at it before you get stranded somewhere.
-juice
The smell is terrible. I had to drive with all the windows and the top open and the AC unit completely off. I couldn't even hardly SEE, the sensation was so bad.
Does it happen all the time, or only under certain conditions? If under certain conditions, what are they? I ask that only because the dealer didn't notice the smell. Maybe it didn't occur while they had it, and that it's an intermittent smell that occurs only sometimes?
Bob
Inspect the engine bay from the top and from the bottom, see if you can spot any oil stains or signs of a leak somewhere. Some car washes can wash the undercarriage for you. I use a pressure washer on mine.
-juice
are you pushing the new car to high RPMs ? if you are, then the car is not to blame.
I haven't heard of that happening with other OBs and Legacys. Definetly have the dealer look at it.
FWIW, I've really had no fit and finish issues with my Legacy GT wagon. And I'm super picky about things like that.
Ken
Replacing earlier gaskets fixed the issue so long as the heads were not warped.
We haven't observed any pattern of failures for 2002+, even hi-milers, so they seem to have put the issue to bed.
160k? Wow, do you ever park?
-juice
1999 Outback Limited with Manual 5sp tranny.
Drivetrain noise again, dealer overhauled the center diffy to solve the problem,
done under the dealer warrantee of 12mo 12k miles since they worked on the
same area last year.
Last year they overhauled the tranny mainshaft, replaced the viscous coupling,
and replaced the rear diffy, all under warrantee.
Cause of that problem was viscous coupling failure, which caused the tranny mainshaft and rear diffy to wear out prematurely.
Now this problem.
I had no problems until a year after I retired. Since retirement, I only drive about
200 miles a month. The car sits for days, sometimes weeks.
Is the problem due to lack of use?
Should I replace the tranny fluid with synthetic gear oil?
I know that some Subaru Reps. monitor this forum, please answer my questions
if you can.
Thanks,
Sam.
Obrigado.
ron
This is my first automatic but it still seems that 50K miles is not very good. The dealer was able to get Subaru-America to pay for 70%, but it still comes to ~$1200 out of my pocket.
halrandy
Bainbridge Island, WA
Was the ATF still original? Or did you have it flushed at 30k miles?
-juice
Any ideas on how to adjust the alignment of the driving lights?
Any good web sites for other helpful hints (again, Toyota lets us reset the check engine light after an oil change but we have to go to the Edmunds forum to find out how.)
Thanks,
Dave
dcalkins75080@yahoo.com
With a scanner you can clear it all out on demand, but as Brian said, you will not reset all of the readiness indicators. You should also be able to clear the codes by disconnecting the battery. Perhaps you did not wait long enough. Next time step on the brake or something like that to draw down any reserves used in the 'keep alive' ckt (probably a large capacitor) of the ECU. Before I bought my own laptop based system (AutoEnginuity), I asked the folks at Autozone for help. They were willing to clear codes on request.
A recent Subaru dealer bulletin listed this procedure for resetting readiness:
1997 and later: Drive on flat road (highway) at approximately 50 to 55 mph for 30 minutes for warm-up.Then perform 10 minutes at steady speed (without any throttle angle change) at 50-60 mph.
Steve
My 6 yr / 85k mile / $0 ded plan cost me $799 two years ago from a Subaru internet site, so I guess that I am now half way to the break even point.
Steve
This weekend, I check resistance on the O2 sensor heater wires at the engine end, for both sensors. I got 5 ohms on both, so I know I have good heaters, and continuity to both sensors,for the heaters. Plus, the sensor wires must be good, otherwise, the car would run like crap.
The knock sensor was the third repair. That must be good, because the car had a new lease on life after I replaced that. Doug
Steve
Has anyone had any problems with towing creating engine or transmission issues?
Is the transmission cooler really needed?
Thanks
An extra transmission cooler is never a bad idea if you are frequently towing or carrying heavy loads.
They do fine with short hops, even under heavy loads, but I wouldn't push it too hard. I towed a friend's '85 Chevy van (4500#?) about 20 miles a few years back - up and down some pretty significant hills - and it handled it just fine at 25 mph......
Bob
I am more concerned with engine and/or transmission damage prematurely.
Either way you go, you're probably looking at 2-3K for a fix and possibly more on the repair depending on what else is found while in there. :surprise: Depending on the # of miles on the engine, I'd probably go with the replacement.
I'm wondering what the Subaru dealer willl give me for the Windstar when I trade it for a Tribeca - probably a good laugh!
I have a '01 Subaru Outback 4cyl. 2.5L A/T with 93,400 and I've loved this car as you can see by how man miles are on it!
Beginning of July- my check engine light went on and I brought it in -PO136 came up so the dealer replaced the rear o2 and I thought I was good to go. When I left the dealer, car all of a sudden was sluggish on acceleration, bucking intermittently and seemed like it was going to stall out at stops (once you put the gas pedal to the floor the RPM's would rise and it would seem to cough it's way out of it) and then at times it would drive so well! I was baffled.
Got the tranny checked, all new wires, plugs, air filter, fuel filter, oil change but car was still acting funky. Then the CEL came back on. I brought it to a friend's shop this time and once again the Rear o2 sensor code came back on. He checked it out and said to could be the air idle control (b/c at standing idle car also seems like it will stall) but something def. seemed to be tripping that o2 sensor. Suggested I take it back to dealer since same code was coming up and I just paid them to diagnose and fix it. Subie said they wouldn't charge me to re diagnose since it was repeating the code. I was psyched. Some other friends thought it might be a clogged catalytic converter.
Well, my car has now sat at Subaru for 2 full days and they don't know what it is. I was told could be wiring harness or ignition something or other ( I had no issues with ignition and couldn't understand how they came up with this UNTIL yesterday when I picked my car up again- now it seems to be having a little more trouble catching). I also remembered about a month ago my radio buttons were all screwed up- volume was now CD disc switch and moving between songs was no longer possible, it turned the radio back on. I thought this was weird, but it has pretty much corrected itself most of the time. I also have been leaving the same station on though.
Needless to say, I haven't got a clue here. I'm thinking maybe all of these electrical/mechanical things are related somehow, but not sure and neither is Subaru which is scary. They keep looking into the National database and seeing which other Subaru dealers have faced similar issues and are going with what "fix" worked for them. When I asked what would happen if they replaced the wiring harness and it didn't do the trick, he said "good question". When I asked how much the harness and labor would cost, he refused to give me an answer only saying they would work with me b/c the CEL keeps coming up with the same code. I can only imagine. Anyone know a ballpark figure? ANY IDEAS??? I would really love to hear any feedback since the wiring harness comes in tomorrow and I have to bring them back my car.
-Stella
Responded to your post in "Problems".....
Steve
fibber2, "Subaru Crew: Problems & Solutions" #5520, 16 Aug 2005 10:03 am
If I knew that others would be looking at it, I would have 'wordsmithed' it a bit better! Wrote it in a hurry this morning.
Steve
I have the same problem w/ my '99 Legacy wagon. Began after driving at highway speeds for 45 minutes or so. Thumped on tight left or right turns (into a parking spot for example). It is now happing more frequently. My mechanic is sending me to the Subaru dealer. He thinks it may be transaxle viscous fluid, or (hopefully not) transaxle parts.
Did you get to the bottom of your problem?
Thanks,
temadden
The problem may be much simpler to resolve. I had a 99OB and had dreadful thumping noise on turns for parking. Turned out to be the sway bar sticking in its joints. A short job to lube the rubber mounting points and thumps disappeared.
Cheers
Graham
Thanks
Subaru probably doesn't sell a supplemental cooler because they do not market (nor probably encourage) Subarus to be used as tow vehicles for anything more than perhaps a personal watercraft or an ATV.
If you were set on putting one in, you could probably get a generic one, fashion some brackets for it, and mount it in front of the A/C radiator.
Well you're always "on stage" here Steve
At least we don't make you sing at the chats! LOL
PF Flyer
Host
News & Views, Wagons, & Hybrid Vehicles
The Member to Member Chat is on tonight. The chat room opens at 8:45PM ET Hope to see YOU there! Check out the schedule
i also forgot to mention that when it does warm up the idle keeps searching between about 600-1500 rpm
thanks
PF Flyer
Host
News & Views, Wagons, & Hybrid Vehicles
The Subaru Crew Chat is on tonight. The chat room opens at 8:45PM ET Hope to see YOU there! Check out the schedule
Tonight, live from studio A...
It is OK to start without me, folks.
Steve
... because you give us a lot of material to work with??? Just kidding! Rob M.
Anyhow, I decided to hit the sack last night rather than try my ragged mindset on a camper removal. I arose at 4 am to attack it and then decided to attempt a temporary repair of the severed spark plug wire that was the original reason I was not going to drive the Subaru today. I ended up patching it up reasonably well so I went ahead and reinstalled all the spark plugs and put everything back together. The car started up and ran fine (as fine as before the test, anyway!).
Now I just have to find those benchmark compression numbers to see what I have......
:lemon:
I was always under the impression that the difference between the cylinders was a bigger deal than the compression values themselves. I don't know what the odds are of all 4 cylinders going bad are. I thought as a general rule about 165 psi and a range of +/-10% between cylinders was considered "good".
As it was, I came in at: (1-4) 158, 182, 175, 170. Differential between high and low cylinders (2 and 1, respectively) was about 13%. Now, I didn't do it exactly like the book prescribed (this was the first time I had performed such a test myself; only watched it done before) on this run. The engine had been off for about 70 minutes: I pulled the plugs early on (~20 min after shutdown, 70-degree ambient temp), but burned the heck out of my hands trying to work in those close quarters, so I waited another 30 minutes before trying to install the compression hose because it was just too darned hot to hold my hand down there and snake that darned thing into the threads. I cranked it 7 times, but did NOT shut the fuel supply off - so I hear that the fuel in the cylinder can cause the #s to be thrown off a bit.
This morning, I ran the test again before putting the system back together. It was stone cold at this point with no way of heating it back up - ambient temp was 45 degrees. I also shut off fuel supply by depressing accelerator to the floor while cranking. I ended up with this: (1-4) 185, 197, 195, 188. Those were all real close, but again, the environmental variables were different.
The fact is, I am having black combustion gunk in my overflow tank that would lead me to believe I have a blown head gasket. There's no oil in it (good sign!) and no coolant in the oil. I have also been smelling coolant since, well, since a couple years ago, but I have repaired any sources of external leakage in the interim and I still smell it any time the car is running even though I do not see any visable leakage. Also, the level of the coolant has started dropping again. :mad:
I am trying to decide whether or not it is worth it to tear the engine out and replace the head gaskets before winter hits or wait until next summer (or longer!). I thought the compression test would help give me conclusive info, but it doesn't look like it to me. If I am having coolant find its way through the exhaust system, it would help explain the P0420 code that keeps my CEL on a good majority of the time, but that started long before I suspected any gasket issues (a good year or so before!).
All feedback, except anti-'96 sentiments, is welcome! :P
I think my next project is to tear into that heater fan.... at least I can continue to use the car even if I break something in there!
-Wes-
Still pondering,
-Wes-
Based on what little I've read, some people say ignore the pressure values and concentrate on the differences between the cylinders. Apparently pressure gauges and test methods can lead to varying absolute values, as you have seen in your two tests. I would guess that your compression is fine since the values in any one test are fairly comparable cylinder to cylinder.
However, just guessing here, I could see where everything would look good during a compression test and then go bad at full operating temps. My 98 had a head gasket leak and of course it showed up as engine overheating. When they pulled the gasket the tech commented on how little the streaks/marks were on the gasket. It looked like a small leak. It's plausible I would have seen no pressure issues if I had done a compression test, yet I did have a leak. It seems to make sense, to me at least.
Karl
Since I really would like to get another 36 months out this bugger, it is in my best interest to go ahead and replace the gaskets. After all, it is only one weekend and a few hundred $ out the window vs. possibly being without a car or having to buy some very expensive parts or having to out-n-out buy another rig..... basically a no-brainer, even for a dummy like me!
I truly appreciate the feedback. It does me well to knock heads with folks a little; tends to jar a decision out of me easier and I thank you for that! :P
The rears must have been worn abnormally from carrying a lot of weight, or something, because the new rears and the original fronts seem perfectly matched; the fronts show no sign of wear.
Really love that car!
Stanton