Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

locke2c · March 2002

we're kicking a dead horse here, but the timing belt gets inspected at 30k and 60k miles, replacement at 90k.

he said, erroneously or not, that it was his 3rd belt in 40k miles.

that statement lead me to believe that replacement this time was frivilous. that's my last comment on it though.

-Colin

ffsteve · March 2002

Steve

ateixeira · March 2002

Good to hear, Subieman. I'm sure mine helped keep the engine relatively dry in that water crossing I did at the Pine Barrens. :-)

I'd still like to see an aluminum skid plate as a factory option.

-juice

Kirstie_H · March 2002

I know you've got your own chat, but it looks like this Wednesday we'll have some participants from the Maintenance & Repair boards who are technicians.

Our topic for Wednesday, March 13: Stump the Technicians!
Join us with your maintenance & repair questions this Wednesday from 5-7pm PT/8-10pm ET.

kirstie_h
Roving Host
Edmunds.com

outback165 · March 2002

Internet connection has been down for a week - I think I need to take the day off today just to catch up on email and boards like this! But I've got chores, and for one of them, I need your help:

Our other car is a 95 Taurus with 87K miles. Nice car in great shape. Just took it in for LOF and rotate and balance. They called back to say the car needs a complete rear brake job: calipers, rotors, pads, and bleed the system. $430 + tax. Sound about right? I went through my paper work and it doesn't look as though I've done any rear brake work on the car. Is that possible??? I called a local Ford dealership and he quoted me $600 + tax, but questioned whether the car would really need calipers.

Anybody's opinion would be VERY MUCH appreciated. Look forward to catching up on the boards this afternoon.

Thank you.

Peter.

paisan · March 2002

I believe they are rear drums on the tarus. My dad went over 100K miles with his Acclaim before replacing the rear brakes.

-mike

locke2c · March 2002

peter,

as paisan says, first I'd be curious to know if you really have rear discs or not. if not, that sounds pretty high since your drums are probably fine and just need new shoes.

if you do have rear discs, then I would advise you NOT to replace the calipers if that's what they were recommending. there should be no reason for that at 87k, cleaning and reassembling the caliper should be perfectly fine. I bet the rotors don't need replacement either, probably just turned LIGHTLY on the lathe to properly use the new pads.

in short, I wouldn't pay that $400 and the ford dealer is truly nuts asking $600.

-Colin

locke2c · March 2002

peter, stop hitting refresh in your browser window. you're reposting the same message over and over.

-Colin

locke2c · March 2002

gah!!!

armac13 · March 2002

has rear disc's.

Ross

subaru_team · March 2002

Colin and the other folks would probably be best to respond to this, but I'd find it pretty questionable that BOTH calipers need to be replaced at the same time.

Patti

ateixeira · March 2002

I'm not sure if I've ever heard of anyone needing new caliperes. Discs sure, but calipers?

My rental Taurus in Florida had rear discs. You can check - peek through the rims - are the rear breaks a shiny thin disc, or is it a painted encased drum?

-juice

PS You can delete duplicate posts by just hitting the delete button next to them

green_ob · March 2002

I have a new 02 Outback (base, auto) and have just put on about 1k miles. The manual said not to drive at one speed for too long. How long is 'too long' ? I have a one-way drive to work of about 35 highway miles-about 65 mph a little under 3000rpm. That takes about 35 min. Is that 'too long' ?

Also, do I really need to change the oil at 1000 miles ?

thanks
chris

outback165 · March 2002

Sorry guys about the duplicate messages- I've been out running errands and just got back to check the board. I did leave the Edmunds window open, I wonder whether somehow the computer refreshes itself. Anyhow, sorry and I think I got all the dupes out. Also, THANKS for the advice. Unfortunately they started on the job, but I'll get the facts and post them later.
Also, my 01 OB started knocking this weekend. Bad tank of gas maybe? Should I put in a tank of 93?

Thanks all.

Chris - I think the idea is not to set the cruise control at 65 for a cross country drive, but to let your foot fluctuate the speed. Anyhow, I don't think 35 miles is that long, but let your foot fluctuate the speed between, say, 60 and 70 for the 35 miles.

ateixeira · March 2002

Just take is easy for 1000 miles, try not to exceed 4000rpm and vary the revs (don't use cruise). I changed my oil at 1k miles, but Subaru actually says to do it at 3k. Oops.

Pete: I wouldn't change the octane until I tried at least another tank or so.

-juice

outback165 · March 2002

I think I will be a mechanic - either that, or not car crazy! Anyhow, just got back from the mechanic. The deal with the brakes is that apparantly one caliper froze up. As a result, the rotor warped from heat stress. He actually showed me the parts (not that I knew what I was looking at but he did the best he could to explain to me the way the brakes work and what happened.) What he explained is that he can't just replace one side, he has to do both. So the total "Brake Overhaul Rear Hydraulic Disc Brake Service" cost $390 which included rotars, pads, calipers, and bleeding the brake system. Comes with a 3 year 36K miles warranty on parts at all Tires Plus locations. The two Ford dealers I called wanted between $500 and $600 for supposedly the same work. Oh well, it's done. The car stops, so I guess all's good. Maybe we're done now with brakes for a couple of years! Thanks everyone for your input!

Peter.

ateixeira · March 2002

The last guy that worked on your brakes probably didn't put the anti-sieze grease on the pistons.

-juice

dmanzi · March 2002

OK, The Outback is fixed, and running fine, once again. But here's the question: Since the cause of failure for the head gaskets and heater coil *may* have been a corrosive in the coolant (I'm merely guessing), what else could be affected by it? I'm asking to I can watch those parts more closely and not get stuck with another breakdown. I can guess the radiator, engine block, hoses, water pump, and heater coil, but what else does the coolant touch?

ateixeira · March 2002

Was the cooling system already flushed? And I mean with forced water, 'til it was clear?

I would inspect the insides of the rubber hoses, to see if there is any sign of corrosion. This would be easy if you're also doing the flushing at the same time.

The hoses should be smooth inside. Any gritty texture, cracking, or too-soft surfaces would be a red flag.

-juice

francophile · March 2002

...have you figured out yet that the brake job was on a Taurus with discs on the rear yet?

:-)

Given the mileage and the fact that one caliper had siezed AND there were going to be two new rotors installed, adding the second caliper isn't really all that crazy sounding to me. (I do wonder though if anyone actually rebuilds them anymore, or if they just replace them.)

Cheers,
-wdb

fibber2 · March 2002

Rear disks were available as an option, and included with the DOHC engine upgrade. Calipers can seize up from water in the lines (piston bore damage), or externally from slider rust. As rears typically last 2x fronts, it is doubtful that they have seen much service since new. Be willing to bet that they were not even blead when the fronts were done!

WDB is right. I had a front caliper sieze turning a rotor blue from heat, and was faced with the same delemma. You naturally replace pads and rotors in pairs, so that just leaves the caliper. If one side died of neglect, is the other close behind? I changed both also. Parts and labor for a Toyota ran $500.

Steve

dmanzi · March 2002

I'm not sure how the dealer flushed the radiator, so I can't be sure. But as soon as the weather warms up, I plan to do it myself just to make sure. And I will probably just change the hoses to be sure.

Thanks for the advice.

mrdetailer · March 2002

Sorry I couldn't respond sooner, I recently got a quote promotion unquote. Where I have more responsibility, with absolutely no increase in pay. I guess that's typical in the high tech world given the current recession. But I did appreciate all of your comments. They sent me to the mechanic.

Anyway here are my responses.

1. I noticed a number of disbelieving comments about the number of timing belts that I have changed recently. Believe you me, I am among them. My belts were changed at 67K (paid by dealer before purchase) 90K, 110K, and now at 125K. It was frustrating and expensive. In all fairness the mechanic said that this last timing belt was still in good condition.

2. I feel that I do have a complaint about the Cam and crankshaft oil seals. They were changed at the same time as the 90K timing belt changed. I actually left the car at the mechanics over the weekend until I could get in and examine the leaks for themselves. It had been sitting on the rack over the weekend. It was evident that there were consistent leaks in at least 3 places. The mechanic pointed to 2 leaks and said this is the cam seal, and to the third and said this is the crankshaft seal. This was just about 6 weeks after replacing the valve cover seals. There was no significant loss of the oil level. I check at least 2 times a month. I was just about ready to go get an oil change with Maxlife since it says it can help seal pinhole leaks.

3. Then he showed me the water pump. It was clearly failing. Can't take a chance at that. Especially with a long trip scheduled to Arizona in a month.

At 120K, in August, There were no oil or radiator fluid leaks. Normally, I would have just changed out the seals and added a water pump at the same time, but I didn't want to incur the extra labor of the timing belt adjustment, since it had been done just a year before.

For $1100 I had the following repairs done.

replace timing belt, and re-time engine,
Replace all CAM and Crankshaft seals, including the O ring, whatever that is,
Replace leaking oil pump seals.
Replace water pump
Replace and repack outer CV boots
Replace Oxygen sensor
Do a complete fuel system clean (the big machine version).

It has had expected results. My Subbie doesn't leak, runs smoother and quieter and has more power. But Dang, it was an expensive set of repairs.

locke2c · March 2002

re: o-ring

there's a cam seal on one end of the camshaft and an o-ring on the other. it is labor intensive to replace the o-ring correctly as you must remove the valve covers, rocker arms, and camshaft to install it.

the cam seal can be pressed in from the front when the head is fully assembled. much less labor.

-Colin

ffsteve · March 2002

Glad to hears things are running (and sealing) correctly now. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that it continues in that way. You sure have had a time with that car!

Best Regards,
Steve

stevesr0 · March 2002

I recently purchased a WRX 5sp S/W with a turbo gauge. I haven't used one before and
I am concerned that the gauge is not working correctly.

The needle moves erratically and independently of acceleration or absolute RPM (between 0 and 4K, since I am in the breakin period),

Appreciate input as to how to check if the gauge is working ok and if abnormal, what is likely wrong that I can fix (I don't want to take the audio unit out unless it is a smaller job than it appears in the installation instructions)?

Thanks in advance.

Steve

locke2c · March 2002

Steve, I answered you over there this morning.

-Colin

errolcw · March 2002

I just purchased a new 2002 Outback limited and discovered that the speedometer is about 6% off -- when the speedometer shows 70 you are really going 64-65 mph. I varified this difference and took the car back to the dealer for service. When they checked the speedometer against the computer they agreed, however, when comparing the speedometer against the ABS speed sensor they too got the 5.5 - 6% error. I have never had a car off that much. The dealer contacted Subaru tech support and was told that the speedometer could be off as much as 7%. We are now contacting the Subaru Area Rep. Besides being a nuisance, it also will cheat me on my warranty. Has anyone else had this problem? I checked mine with another car and also with my GPS. I would like to know if this is a pervasive Subaru problem or a problem unique to my Outback.

paisan · March 2002

with speedos on any of the 7-10 subies in my family/extended family.

-mike

kazansky · March 2002

Hi,
my stereo (standard Subaru cassette with AM/FM) resets after even few minutes being turned off like I would disconnect a battery cable. Battery seems pretty decent - no problems what so ever. What could that be? Is it time to buy a new radio? Pls help.

2 I would like to thank Mr. ateixeira for reffering to subaruparts.com. They offer best prices I found after calling about 10 different suppliers around the country. My mass air sensor has been ordered there - compare 77$ with 150 Subaru dealer asked me!

seamus3 · March 2002

i am having a problem with dash and control panel lighting. randomly the light behind my temp control gauges won't work. the same with my rear defrost button. my car starts fine, no hesitation, windows all still go up and down at the same speed so i've eliminated battery and alternator. haven't checked the fuses but i didn't think that would be a problem if they were coming back on. ideas?

just last week i was stopped at a light downtown and noticed my car was smoking, from under the hood. had it checked out. turns out that i dented my oil pan at some point in time (my car is lowered 1.5 inches). i was pretty bummed about that. so i have to get a new oil pan. cost estimates?

seamus

p0926 · March 2002

errolcw- Your speedometer being off by 6 mph may lead to you getting a speeding ticket and therefore should be fixed but I'm confused on how it's going to cheat you on your warranty. You're not confusing it with your odometer are you?

-Frank P.

locke2c · March 2002

uh Frank the odometer is driven by the same vehicle speed sensor input the speedometer uses. in the old days they both ran on the speedometer cable.

-Colin

paisan · March 2002

His speedo and odo are reading 7% higher than normal. While he won't get into speeding problems (he'll think he's going faster than he is actually going) his warranty will run out in less than the allotted miles because his odo will read 7% higher than normal due to the speedo being off.

-mike

p0926 · March 2002

mike- Whoops, you're right, I read that wrong.
You sure about the odo and speedo using the same sensor?

-Frank P.

paisan · March 2002

At least on my rodeo it did. When a fuse blew it killed my whole dash, and then it killed my speedo, odo, and all my guages. Also when I put larger tires on my trooper by 5%, the odo also goes 5% slower.

-mike

p0926 · March 2002

Yeah I knew that changing tire size would effect the odo.

-Frank P.

bluesubie · March 2002

I wonder if it was the way the work was being done. When my wife's car went in for this, the Service Advisor said they would occasionally have a continuing problem with reseals.

I didn't get too much into detail, but he said that they now do the reseal differently and haven't had any more recurring problems.

-Dennis

jay_24 · March 2002

my 2001 OB is off by about 2 mph all the time. I've calculated it at highway speeds and also used a GPS. The GPS showed it was always off by 2mph even at slow speeds. The dealer checked it and said its well within 5% error. Since it errors on the safe side and the odometer will only be slightly higher I'm not worrying about it too much.

--jay

paisan · March 2002

I bought my clutch from him for the XT6 last week on tuesday. Sent him my check on wed, he shipped the unit on friday 2nd day for me and he hadn't even gotten my check yet! I got the clutch on saturday! Excellent service.

-mike

p0926 · March 2002

mike- with your driving, maybe you should have gone ahead and ordered two! :-)

-Frank P.

jimmyp1 · March 2002

Paisan's trooper is now an airplane AND a submarine. So, you should have ordered a peeto (sp?) tube and a periscope.

Jim

paisan · March 2002

If mike drives a car 50K miles, without problems, it's good for 200K+ under normal use.

-mike

sibbald · March 2002

My passengers fall asleep when I drive Mike, what do your's do? ;-)

Tom

stevek · March 2002

My 01 Legacy GT is getting a bit more noisy after 40K miles. Not sure if the engine not as quiet or the exhaust is getting louder. One of the things I like about the car that it does not drive or sounds like a 4 banger. I only had American V8 vehicles until now. Is this normal? It was tuned at 30K so everything is kind of new under the hood.

fibber2 · March 2002

Dennis,

I gave one possible solution to your radio problem over on the Legacy/OB Wagon board, but don't know if you saw it. We are currently using it as our 'past autos' history board!

It involves using a capacitor to quell a glitch in the 'keep alive' power line. It worked for me...

Steve

paisan · March 2002

Some fall asleep. Some aske to be knocked out

Usually the trip is so short they don't have time to fall asleep

-mike

ateixeira · March 2002

I rode with mike once. By the time I buckled the seat belt we had arrived. ;-)

Steve: tough to say why there would be a noticeable change. I'd inspect the exhaust for small holes. I think Dennis had one?

-juice

bluesubie · March 2002

Oops, wrong Dennis.

-Dennis

ateixeira · March 2002

Someone here did, I thought. Didn't they plug the hole some how?

Oh well, as you age two things happen, first you lose your memory, and the 2nd I forget...

-juice

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