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Occasioally the car will now stall from time to time say at a light. I figure this is a bad throttle position sensor.
JJC
What turned out to be the problem?
My report for the repair states cleaning and a resoldering of something. Mentions that some pathway was dirty and had to be cleaned. I was charged the minimum charge, which indicates no new parts were needed.
My reinstall went better than I thought. Yes, it was a bit tedious, but everything really was pretty much plug and play. My biggest problem was losing the silly screws in the deep crevices.
Very glad to have everything back to normal. :shades:
So, I figure the alternator is fine (agreed, right?), but I suspect I have the electrical equivalent of a "slow leak" in a tire. Call it a "slow short". The question is whether the slow short is inside the battery (bridging) or somewhere else in the electrical system. Is there a way to tell? Or are situations like this the battery 95% of the time anyway? I figure it would be silly to pay for a full diagnostic if the correct course of action would just be to go buy a battery and put it in myself.
One possibly irrelevent factoid is that my neighbor thinks someone was trying car doors Sunday night because his alarm went off. I saw no sign of entry into my car though (which was locked).
TIA!
Item 2 - there was a recall on Subaru alternators. They charged OK at low speeds - but not on the highway. Sound familiar? Check on mysubaru.com to see if it's been done.
I'd check the battery to confirm that it will hold a charge. If it does, then get the charging system checked.
How old is the battery?
Jim
If it was the alternator, the engine would eventually stall because you need enough electrical power to keep the electric fuel pump and injectors going. The battery has limited reserve capacity that would allow you to drive a short distance (<100 miles) with a non-funtioning alternator -assuming you started with a fully charged battery.
- gearhead4
I bought a multimeter (it's silly that I didn't already own such a useful device). The car's non-running load on the battery is 3.4 mA, which sounds about right. The voltage on the battery is 10.5V, which to me indicates that one cell has shorted out. (Correct me if I'm wrong but a 12V battery is effectively 8 1.5V batteries in series.)
So, it's the battery, not the car. I'll probably buy the replacement tomorrow. The nearest "Batteries Plus" is a long way away, whereas there's a Schucks about half a mile from here, so unless there's some reason to go elswhere, I'll buy it at Schucks.
So - can anyone tell me - is it worth fixing? Or am I just 'throwing good money after bad'?
Thank you! - Sandra
Definitely take it in and complain to the dealer, this way word will work up that people are noticing the poor quality on this part of the car. Other than this issue I am happy with the car, but it is a most annoying problem for such low miles.
If that's not the problem then I 2nd the notion to take it to the dealer.
The only reservation I would have with fixing it is not knowing the cause of the "slip" in the first place. I would think a loose nut was the problem, but if it was tight and still the pulley slipped, then there might be something else amiss in there. $900 is a drop in the bucket if you will get a known, reliable car out of the deal. But, that is just my opinion. You can ask the folks here... I am somewhat of a loose nut myself.
Thank you,
Dave
Does your purchasing documentation include any sort of disclosure or does anything come up on Carfax?
Cause:
The black plastic covers, next to the rear lights, under the rear gate.
Proof:
Lift the Gate and then tap those black covers, or stick a cloth in there and take a test ride.
Solution:
Self-adhesive rubber-sponge tape; the kind used for insulating doors/windows.
Instructions:
With the gate lifted, apply a strip of this shock-absorbent tape on the bottom edge of the trunk.
That is, just outside the trunk, above the rear bumper, between the bumper and the already installed rubber strip (that makes contact with the gate, when closed, of course). It will keep the gate steady and prevent it from smashing into those flimsy plastic covers.
If needed, apply extra tape on the rear gate itself, on each side, preferably lined up so that direct overlap and contact with the existing rubber strip is avoided.
Use a 1/2"x1/2" size, the type that sticks very well but is still removable without leaving marks (RCR Dennis, available at Menards ? I think).
I was pretty generous with this insulator and now it is too quiet.
I can hear now a (subdued) transmission whine
does anybody have a solution for that?
As for the heat, it could be a stuck thermostat, or an air bubble in the heating system.
Here are estimated costs:
Speedometer sensor: ~ $90 MSRP
Speedometer "head" unit: ~$200 MSRP
Instrument Cluster: ~$300 MSRP
If you have to replace the cluster, including the odometer, it must be done by a certified shop with the "sticker" placed on the door panel indicating the "X+" mileage, but that should not mean you have to purchase the replacment unit from them!
Subaru says no more tha 1/4" difference in rolling circumference between the new tire and the old tires. So if I understand that correctly, that means as long as the tread depth of all the tires is within 8/32" (since 1/4 = 8/32), then you don't have to replace all 4 tires.
Is this right? :confuse:
In general, tires are cheaper than differentials.
Do you think it will last 2 months longer? That's very likely. I'm sure you'll come out ahead.
When you notice a pattern of break-downs, more than one in a month, then you retire the vehicle.
-juice
You are correct, but the difference is more like 1.25/32" (8/6.28) with 6.28 = 2 * pi.
Karl
1) Re-seated the rear center seat belt into it's retractor housing after taping together the 2 metal buckles at the end;
2) Secured the rear license plate holder with 4 screws instead of the 2 that the dealer provided.
This got rid of 90% of the rattling.
3) Lastly, I did as un4so suggested, and installed adhesive weather stripping along the inside of the hatch opening, and the car has NO rattles at all now.
Thanks, again. I'm grateful to know there's a place to come for solutions. Cheers!
-juice
Subaru has not only severely damaged their reputation in the way they handled this problem, but also cost owners thousands of dollars due to the additional depreciation as word has gotten out about the Phase I HG problems. BTW your car probably has the Phase II engine.