Subaru Legacy/Outback Wagons Maintenance & Repair

kilgoretrout25 · April 2007

Thanks for your help. I now can give the mechanic a place to start looking.

dwoodrow · April 2007

Have a brand new 07 outback and i have a question about the AC before I take it in. It seems that the compressor is turning on/off in a 15-10-15-10 second cycle. this happens both when parked and when on the highway. I can hold my hand up to the vent and feel cold air turn to warm air to cold air, etc. I am assuming that this is not correct but wanted some advice before the service guys tell me it is standard. thanks guys and gals

ateixeira · April 2007

Behavior sounds off, definitely take it in. If nothing else you want it documented this early on, so later on any fix is covered.

ateixeira · April 2007

Do the timing belt now if you haven't already, given the age. Then change the water pump while the mechanic is in there. You'll save on labor overall.

paisan · April 2007

Yup probably needs a charge or has a leak, could have not been charged from the factory.

-mike

dwoodrow · April 2007

took it to the dealer this afternoon. service advisor and tech had a puzzled look on their faces when i explained the issue. 1 hour later they tell me it is operating correctly and the compressor shuts off so the coil does not get ice on it. temp in atlanta now is about 75 degrees so i do understand we are in a transition period right now, but not really buying their explanation. apparantly i am the first person who has ever complained about this issue :confuse: when even my wife notices i know something is not working correctly. when it it cold it is REALLY cold, but then warms up again. the compressor is definately cutting on/off, i can hear the relay clicking...

time for more research and a different dealer for questions.

xwesx · April 2007

Does your car have the automatic climate control? That is the only system where I have heard of people complaining about this same thing. If it is not the ACC, then I will have to engage mine (for the first time) just to note how it behaves.

steveb10 · April 2007

I experience similar AC performance from my 2006 Outback 2.5i. It has the base climate control system- nothing automatic. When I first bought the car I noticed what I thought (and still think) was a mediocre AC system. My dealer recharged the system and said it's "operating as designed". There was no difference in the operation of the AC after I got it back. I will say though that on a really hot day, the car will eventually cool down and you can be comfortable on a long trip. It is not however, capable of cooling off a hot cabin in a short period of time.

xwesx · April 2007

I will make a point to use mine this evening. It is only 60 here, but I should still be able to determine if it is chilling down the cabin quickly or not.

bohappa · April 2007

My friend bought a 2006 Outback 7 months ago but recently it has stalled on him while on the highway in rush hour traffic. Quite scary. Dealership and Subaru have not been helpful. I was wondering if anyone else has had such major problems.
(Dis)-Service History:
The first time, they said it was an ECM and replaced it. This was after they said they couldn't find the problem and my friend got in the car and stalled 30 feet from their driveway. Seriously!
The second time, after driving it hundreds of miles, they said it was a bent tong in the fuse box. Seriously! :mad:
My friend has driven the car for a few weeks so far and all is good but he doesn't have much confidence. A bent tong? How did it get bent? This sound familiar to anyone? :confuse:

ateixeira · April 2007

Not sure what the tong refers to....no idea actually.

If the dealer fixed it on the 2nd attempt, that's not too bad, actually.

Lemon Laws usually call for 3 strikes for the same problem in the first year.

Hopefully your friend will look back at this anomaly and laugh.

choekuo · April 2007

:lemon: Reading through some of the posts today about some stalling issues with 2006 models, I wanted to let others know about our new 2007 Outback XT wagon that has been stalling. This has happened at least on 4 different occasions, including 3 times to my wife while accelerating on a freeway onramp. At other times, it doesn't always stall, but the engine shudders and bucks when starting from a standstill (e.g. from a stop light, but it doesn't always do so consistently.

We have brought it into Subaru dealers on 3 occasions-- the first time, they couldn't replicate it, and it was clear that they didn't believe that it was occurring. The second time we took it to a different dealer, where they actually got the shuddering replicated, and after communicating with Subaru of America they tried swapping out a part of the emissions system called the knock sensor. This worked-- but only for about 5 days-- then went right back to the shop. The regional technician got involved, and sent diagnostics to Japan's engineers at Subaru (so I'm told). This third time they've held onto the car for longer than 19 days and have been trying to swap out various parts.

Today, we were told that they have now gotten reports that this has been occurring and reported from others recently. They also told us that this is not considered a safety issue, but rather called it a "communication glitch" between the "computer logic" and the controlling unit of the transmission. They also are asking us to take back the car while they work on a solution.

Because we live in Washington State, which has very protective lemon laws, and because the car has been in the shop for more than 30 days (with less than 6000 miles and less than 5 months), we intend to fight back on this and demand replacement or reimbursement. I certainly don't consider stalling on an onramp of a freeway to be a trivial issue that is not safety related, and have ample documentation to back us up.

However, I wanted to let others know of this issue, and that this is apparently no longer isolated to our car alone, in case others were struggling to find evidence that this problem exists.

JC

hamez · April 2007

Very interesting, sorry to hear it. I have an '06 OBOBT, with just under 30,000 miles. I haven't stalled, but just started having a shuddering or shack when the car shifts from 2nd to 3rd. Doesn't happen all of the time, but seems to happen under medium stress of the engine. Easy shifting no problem, hard through the gears still no problem. Will be taking it to the dealer soon for 30,00 miles maintenance, and will have them check it out.

Mez

ateixeira · April 2007

Keep us posted. Ask them if they'll offer trade-in assistance for a different model. That way they can keep the car to try to diagnose it.

I'm surprised because the 2.5T has been around for 3 model years now, and it's not like a lot of people here are reporting stalling.

Still, they fine-tune things all the time, and SI drive is new, so maybe that had some effect?

choekuo · April 2007

:lemon: Will keep everyone up to date. In the past couple of days I've spoken with a supervisor at Subaru of America, and they raised the possibility of trade-in for another car. Have any had experience with this? The way it was described was to essentially have a dealer buy back our car, and apply this toward a new car, with Subaru of America making up part of the difference between this amount-- however, they were very vague about how much they would make up.

My main concern is that the returned car will have depreciated value, and that it might end up expensive to pay much of the cost difference for the new one. We paid completely for our car, and as I see it, this trade would only make sense if they paid for a significant portion (most) of the cost difference between the trade in and new exchanged car.

Any advice? :confuse:

afarmer · April 2007

Here is the final result:

Had Subrau rebuild the transmission...it works fine now.

Cost $1385....used car insurance paid a little under half.

I'm not unhappy.......it is a very nice car.

masteryoda · April 2007

I'm having starting issues as well on my 98 GT wagon. It actually just started happening a few weeks ago. When the car is cold it takes about 6 or 7 cranks (although in one single try or turn-key) for it to start. When the car is warm, it takes about 2 to 3 cranks. I thought it was the battery, but I just got a new one and still no change. I checked the oil levels, everything seems to be normal. I'm coming up on T-belt change but I'm not sure if it has anything to do with that. Any thoughts? :confuse:

ateixeira · April 2007

Negotiate with them, as that's always a gray area.

Obviously they want to help. Still, they're going to take a big hit buying that car back. If they absorb half or more of the new car depreciation, I say go for it.

What I usually tell people is that a car loses 10% of its value the minute you drive off the lot. After that it's about 10% per year, or per 10k miles. So calculate how much it's depreciated, and see if Subaru will make up half of that.

Example. You have 8k miles, so by my rule-of-thumb formula the car has lost 18% of its original value. If Subaru agrees to cover at least 9% of that cost with a trade subsidy, IMHO I'd take it.

Sounds like a raw deal?

Not really. You'll have a newer car with fewer miles. It will be worth more later when you trade. Plus you can leave the headaches behind you. Odds of getting a 2nd lemon are slim to none, i.e. they say lightning never strikes twice.

Good luck.

bohappa · April 2007

Subaru wants to negotiate a settlement so my friend is not sure what to do. I was trying to find out of the problem is endemic to all 2006 Outbacks.
Regarding lemon law, if the problem is life threatening, then 2 occurrences can be acceptable, or so one judged declared. I can't find the link right now but it is not black and white. The fact that Subaru wants to make a settlement though indicates they recognize the severity of the risk. Thank you for your comments.

ateixeira · April 2007

The 07s have useful upgrades, not the least of which is an aux input for the stereos.

08s are just arriving so tell your friend to work a favorable deal on an 07 left over or demo. The key here is to take a long test drive and make sure the 07 is perfect, because you just know Subaru isn't going to make that offer twice.

lilengineerboy · April 2007

So I clicked on last for the message page, it says there are 30 new ones in this forum and they are all dated 2006?

flyos · April 2007

Hi everyone,

I've visited Edmund's off-and-on over the years, but have never posted before. I have a problem with my '02 OB Ltd (MT, 76K miles) that I'm hoping you can help me with.

I started smelling a burning smell a couple of days ago. It appears to be coming from under the car, so I assumed something like oil dripping onto the exhaust. But, I checked under the car after it had been parked there for several hours and didn't see any puddles. I took it in for an oil change yesterday (not to a Sub dealer) and they didn't see any leaks (nor anything like a plastic bag melted to the exhaust). I let the car idle in the driveway this morning w/o going anywhere and the smell was there - ruling out brakes and transmission-related problems (I assume).

I'm guessing it is a leaking gasket or hose, but wouldn't that produce a puddle on the ground?

Help?!? and Thanks!!

Flyos

paisan · April 2007

I would have said the CV grease leaking onto the exhaust but if it's just idling and you are getting it, then you might be able to rule that out. I'd check my CV boots either way.

-mike

caliberchic · April 2007

Cleaning up the stand alone topics and moving them to the appropriate home. Ignore the older topics, I didn't want to delete them all because they may be helpful to new members who are searching for a specific topic.

flyos · April 2007

Good call Mike. Spent some time looking under the hood and, sure enough, the passenger side boot is torn and there is grease all over the exhaust.

I'm taking it in on Tue night for repair; any risk (i.e. CV joint damage) in driving the car with the boot torn until then? I felt inside the boot and the CV joint felt plenty greasy, but I don't know how much grease a CV joint needs without incurring damage.

Thanks!

paisan · April 2007

nah it'll be fine. Also the re-built axles to shops run about $50-90, so don't let em rip you off on the parts, and labor should be about 2hrs MAX.

You could drive it for maybe 1000 miles like that it'll start to "click" before it gives out totally.

-mike

sloanesq · May 2007

Just came across you post while doing a search for "hesitation." I have an '06 Legacy 2.5 sedan. The proble sounds just like yours. Basically, when you floor it from a stop there is a slight hesitation, almost as if it is about to stall, and then, about a second later, the car starts to move. I asked the dealer about it and they said they didn't notice any hesitation. (No surprise there) The only way to avoid it is to disengage the brake and allow the engine a moment to throttle up before stepping on the gas. It is annoying but not so much so that I feel like going back to the dealer again and making an issue. Maybe I (we) should write to Subaru of America.

If you have any more info, please let me know.

ted55 · May 2007

Hi,
Sounds like you may have the same problem, although when I was doing my research on bad transmissions it seemed to be common between the 99 - 2001 years. The problem generally occurred when shifting back to drive from reverse, wherein it would take anywhere from a few seconds to a half a minute or so for the trans to engage. In short, after I wrote to Subaru and referenced the on-line forums filled with people with the same problem, and threatened to contact the Dept. of consumer affairs, they were very helpful! I received a new trans / installation for a grand - or half the price of a rebuilt. Since then (knock wood) it runs like a top. Remember - the squeaky wheel..........

xwesx · May 2007

I have found that Subarus, in general, tend to be far more responsive with smooth application of the throttle. Since they are computer-controlled, stomping the pedal does not illicit the response you are likely expecting from the vehicle.

ateixeira · May 2007

Yep, gotta roll in to it. :shades:

goosegog · May 2007

As a Canuck I was under the impression that you cannot bring a US car into Canada without changing certain things to meet Canadian rules. One of them would be the speedo readout and other related items from miles (only used in the US now) to km (used everywhere else in the world I think). Unless the car is more than x years old (15?).

I assume by "dash tickers" you mean the odometer and trip counter. I don't think anything is mechanical; it is probably all electronic and you'll need either a new module, or there is software that can be switched from one to the other. But likely not easily done unless you are a dealer.

subaruguru · May 2007

I MIGHT HAVE YOUR ANSWER THIS YEAR OF THE 2.5L MOTOR IS KNOW FOR HEAD GASKET LEAKS USALY THE DRIVER SIDE LEAKS FIRST AROUND CYLINDER #4 ( COOLANT LEAK ) YOU Won't AWALYS SEE THIS LEAKING ON THE GROUND BUT YOU CAN SEE A GREEN/YELLOW RESIDUE BETWEEN THE HEAD AND THE BLOCK.

ateixeira · May 2007

Can you turn off caps lock, please? In "netiquette" that usually means you're shouting. Thanks. :shades:

madhtr · May 2007

ty steven, I am a total moron. upon closer inspection, the ground strap was hangin' free. i guess we got pretty fatigued putting it back together after the clutch job. man that tranny was HEAVY! heh

ic_designer · May 2007

Question to subie expert: I am replacing the rear brake pads on my 02 Outback. To push the brake cylinder back in what do I do: use C clamp to push the cylinder back in or need special tools to rotate it back in. Any pointer will be appreciated.

I am looking at Autozone repair manual for 96 legacy.

http://www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/1e/75/81/0900823d801e7581/repai- rInfoPages.htm

Though it is not for 02 model, it said use C clamp to push the cylinder back in.

Thanks for your answer.

Alland

ateixeira · May 2007

I tried C-clamps for my dad's Outback, but they just weren't shaped properly.

I gave up and bought one of these tools, MUCH EASIER. Cheap, too, so no reason not to get one.

slickdog · May 2007

I use a tool made for compressing caliper pistons, but C-clamps usually work. I also remove the fluid reservoir cap first.

slickdog · May 2007

That's the same tool I have, definitely money well spent. Some calipers don't provide good footing for a C-clamp.

ic_designer · May 2007

Thanks for all the replies. I used C clamp and was able to push back in the caliper piston. It took me about about 20 minutes for each side. The emergency brake is a separate unit as I observed.

I replaced a rear brake pads on 88 Nissan Maxima one time. If I recalled correctly, the piston needs to be rotated back in rather than using the C clamp to push the piston back in since emergency brake is part of the rear brake system.

Replacing rear brake pad with separate emergency brake is easier in the Outback case.

Alland

ateixeira · May 2007

My Miata was like that too. A pain. Had to use a tiny little hex wrench to get to it. I'm sure it's stripped now, so next time I'll have to rebuild the whole caliper. :sick:

grvdgrz · May 2007

Hello all. I've a question concerning a 97 legacy outback 2.5 mt. I've noticed that the engine runs at 3400 rpm at highway speed, i.e. 70mph in fifth gear. To me that's a bit on the high side. I currently repair mostly euro cars and the more high end asians. The differences are almost 1k rpm at the same speed given a general sameness of engine size.
I'm wondering if any others have noticed this phenomenon?

ateixeira · May 2007

Those cars probably have V6 or even V8 engines, so they can have taller gearing to lower RPMs on the highway.

Look at a Corvette's 6 speed - the V8 lets is hum along at under 2000 rpm on the highway.

Yours is geared appropriately for a 4 cylinder, and you can probably accelerate on the highway without shifting.

xwesx · May 2007

That sounds about right for the Subaru. Mine is at about 3200 or so in 5th at 70 mph on a 2007 Outback. No shifting is necessary unless I want to pass with reasonable quickness, but it sure sucks the gas down quickly above 60 mph. At 60, I can get near 28. At 70, it is more like 26.5. :sick:

paisan · May 2007

Those cars probably have V6 or even V8 engines, so they can have taller gearing to lower RPMs on the highway.

Look at a Corvette's 6 speed - the V8 lets is hum along at under 2000 rpm on the highway.

Yours is geared appropriately for a 4 cylinder, and you can probably accelerate on the highway without shifting.

Yup, my Armada turns 1800 at 65mph on the highway in 5th on the AT. That's even pulling the 10,000lb boat trailer to boot.

-mike

slickdog · May 2007

Last weekend I pulled one of the plugs on my '01 Outback's H4 to check it's condition, and when I pulled the boot a significant amount of oil ran down the outside of the valve cover and inside the plug well, making quite a mess. Can anyone who has changed their plugs comment on whether I should expect this to happen on all 4 when I change them this weekend? It looks like the boot acts as an oil seal in the valve cover, but I didn't expect anything to drizzle out like that!

Thanks in advance for any insight.

ateixeira · May 2007

Hmm, the crush washer must've failed, and oil blew by the spark plug threads. Was it loose before you removed it?

I had a small amount of oil one time, and that's what it was for me.

New spark plugs have new crush washers. Make sure you crush them, but don't overdo it - they need to seal properly. Use a torque wrench but make sure they crush, even if you have to exert a little extra force.

slickdog · May 2007

I'm almost sure the oil came from the area between the valve cover and head though, as the plug well was clean except where some of the oil ran down from the top of it, and the plug was clean except where the oil pooled against the outside of it at the bottom of the well. There's really no indication the oil came from inside the head, but thanks for the response.

I failed to mention in my original post that I had changed the oil the same day, so I was wondering if having run the engine just 15 minutes before pulling the plug left some oil sitting up there around the boot somehow, and by pulling the boot I let it escape. That's my only theory!

ateixeira · May 2007

Nah, sounds to me like a failed valve cover gasket. Not hard to replace, though access is very tight.

paisan · May 2007

I think it's a leaky valve cover gasket, usually it's easier to keep adding oil than to replace til it gets real bad.

-mike

yaboo · May 2007

My 99 outback just had new CV joints installed. When I turn it get a binding like when a 4 by 4 is turning on pavement. It seems to be worse after traveling for a while and then having to turn on pavement at slow speeds, whats up?

Subaru Legacy/Outback Wagons Maintenance & Repair

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