Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

outback_97 · July 2002

Old news, right? I just had this recall installed, and I have a simple question. Is it possible for the dealership to perform the installation WITHOUT removing the wheels?

I had wheel studs damaged recently, and I think it was from this procedure, as they were fine (lug nuts and studs that is) a few months back and this has been the only service performed since then that should involve wheel removal.

I got my hands on a copy of the Repair Procedures WWE-88: Step #1 Raise vehicle on a lift. Step #2 Remove the left and right front wheels. Seems pretty clear to me, but the dealership says they don't have to remove the wheel to perform the install. Who's right? Any opinions are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

dry_fly · July 2002

Hi:

I have Yokohama H/T tires on my Forester S. They only have 27000 miles on them, but seem pretty worn down (eyeball).

I am thinking of replacing them. I live in Oregon so there are both national and local tire dealers here: Firestone, Sears, Les Schwab, Beggs, Big O. I have looked on the web, and it seems that the Michelin Pilot XGT V4 or H4 are good tires, but expensive. should I get these or are the local/regional companies as good?

I am coming up to the 30K mile checkup. It looks like they will change fuel filters, plugs, check brakes, and several other things I don't recollect. Are there items I should get or not get? It looks like they will change the air filter, but a friend recommended getting a K&N air filter which he says will last a lifetime. I don't know this brand, any comments?

Thanks for any help.

BTW, my previous problem with the Check Engine Light was because the gas cap was not on tight enough. The dealer also tighten the charcoal filter clamps and the fuel filter clamps.

vincer2 · July 2002

Subaru implemented a fix for 2000 and newer 4 cyls that have a pinging problem which surfaces in the warm weather. Take your car to the dealer and have the service department send the ECU back to SOA so revised software can be downloaded onto the ECU. You'll be without your car for at least 2 days.

Don't expect the pinging to completely disappear but it will be reduced to a much more tolerable level. When the weather cools off (<70) the pinging will again disappear.

Save your money - use regular gas. Higher octane won't correct your pinging problem.

Vince

mrdetailer · July 2002

Even if it costs a little more. Drain and refill the transmission oil, power steering fluid, brake fluid, and consider also replacing the radiator coolant.

In the Mid 80's I had a pickup that I took in yearly for servicing. They followed the schedule and nothing more. So with Tranny fluid they only inspected it. at 90K had to replace a transmission. On subsequent vehicles I have maintained a rigid 15K transmission drain and refill ever since without problems. and my Dodge has 175K on it.

In light of recent experience, I also change the PCV valve every 2 years regardless. I didn't change the valve regularly. At one oil change it was fine, then next time, when I checked the air filter it was filled with oil. PCV valve replacement completely fixed that issue, and not surprisingly, the rough running stopped immediately.

ejhara · July 2002

Two replies in 24 hrs. Thanks! I'll have some intelligent suggestions when I take the car in for service.

blane · July 2002

dry_fly:

If you want to have to bother with regularly removing, washing and drying a dirty, oily air filter element, reoiling it and reassembling the whole thing, the K&N air filter is for you. I gave up that routine in the 1970's when ALL of the automobile manufacturers switched to pleated paper filters that filter out much finer particles of dirt much more reliably, with much greater convenience when they need scheduled replacement. K&N does do a great job of advertising though.

paisan · July 2002

I use K&N and for one thing they are re-usable so I don't have to fill up the landfills with my air filters. 2nd advanatage is that they are much more water resistant than the paper ones. For me who does a lot of offroading this makes it more favorable because after a romp through a stream, I can take it home and clean it out w/o purchasing a whole new one.

-mike

grugru · July 2002

Wentworth did our 30k service which included the stuff you mentioned and the "aggressive" stuff from mrdetailer. Not cheap but easily amortized. The did a good job (even cleaned the motor up a little) but WATCH OUT b/c they forgot to reconnect my washer fluid pump.

I'm in the same tire boat as you - my geolandars have gotten a pretty good workout esp on logging roads; also my wife parks a lil close to the curb at times.

francophile · July 2002

That's how many miles are on my 2000 Legacy GT, and much I just spent to get it to run right again. It was missing, backfiring, markedly down on power. It happened all of a sudden. 1 coil, 4 ignition wires, 1 fuel injector, and some labor later, it's fixed.

Misaligned from the factory, warped rotors (twice), clutch chatter -- the last two of which, despite being widely reported by owners, Subaru won't own up to -- and now misfires, backfires, and hundreds of dollars out of pocket to make it right. This is the legendary Subaru reliability and bulletproof build quality? Hmmm. I sure hope all those people I recommended look at Subies fare better.

The good news, such as it is, is that the car has found its old punch once again. From approximately 3300 RPMs up to 5000, it really rocks.

I wonder how long it will last this time.

Miffed,
-wdb

paisan · July 2002

isn't that stuff covered under the powertrain warranty? you are under the 60K warranty period.

-mike

bat1161 · July 2002

Just made an appt for the 30K service at Fleminton Subaru(the one I was supposed to do last month). It will run approx $400- but that includes changing PCV valve, tranny & differential fluids, spark plugs, etc. They are also providing a loaner for the day. I plan on going with the synthetic gear oil this time around(tks Dennis).

They suggested since the car has a 36K warranty, that I amy want to make a list of things to check. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what else to have looked at?
Mark

bat1161 · July 2002

Quick questions: I know you folks recommended putting synthetics into the rear diffy and the tranny. After checking out the i-club threads I just want to verify something here. It looks like I should be putting in 4 quarts of the 75W90NS fluid into the tranny; and 0.8 quarts of the 75W90 fluid into the rear diffy. I just want to make sure I read this correctly.
I have a 2000 OB MT. My question is do I have to use different fluids for the tranny and Rear diff, or can I use just one? In that case, which one?

Thanks for the all the help.

Mark

blane · July 2002

paisan:

Up here in Rockland County, our Environmental Protection / Health Department recently sent a mailing to every household, asking all of us to think more carefully about how much oil, fat and grease we put down our drains (including kitchen disposals). They are raising conciousness about how it accumulates, clogs sewer lines and wastewater treatment plants and of the costs to the taxpayer. That doesn't even address the potentially poisonous (to the environment) additives that may be in the oil that has to be cleaned from K&N filters. Another reason for me to question the K&N route for those of us who don't regularly ford streams in our cars. (Troopers with exhaust and intake snorkels may be an exception)

paisan · July 2002

Well anyone in a dirty or dusty environment can benefit from it. How about all those paper filters that fill landfills, how does that work in to the EPA's little plan???? The amount of oil that is used on the K&Ns is not a lot, I think they are talking about pouring grease down the drain. I'd say it would take about 10-15 cleanings of a K&N to put the amount of oil you would normally dump from a family's bacon breakfast.

-mike

blane · July 2002

paisan:

Well, at least the paper will be eaten by all those cellulose-loving bacteria in the landfill in time. That little ring of rubber or plastic gasketing is another question though. Hey, isn't that what Fresh Kills was all about?

paisan · July 2002

Fresh Kills is now closed except for the WTC debris.

-mike

windblownhair · July 2002

i've read most of th post's and love the forum!!
being able to find common problems,and potential fixes works great for me..as i'm always driving someone elses trouble..(see broke)..
.not too far away is listed a subie wagon,(forgot witch style).with an automatic trans..says it "slips while taking off"..not shure if that's a filter or rebuild..any thoughts??whith the clock setting on 170,000..is it worth $1000??

have yet to own a subaru,but have recomended them to my broke friends who needed simple,reliable transport-their history of many miles with fewer troubles..seen many "road weary" sub's that seemed to run better with age..not unlike the old bug's with the boxer 4..with a cooling sys..(guess some designes work ,some not)..

what would it cost to put a aut trans in a -91 -maybe impresa??..could it be a easy fix??
many thanks

francophile · July 2002

No, the dealer checked, the parts weren't covered under powertrain or emissions or any other warranties. As for extended warranties, I've never had any luck with those for cars -- or anything else, come to think of it. In all the years I've purchased extended warranties I never even used them, let alone broke even on them. The warranties for, say, electronic devices never even make it out of the envelope, and the ones for cars invariably avoided covering the stuff that might actually break. A friend of mine bought one, for $2000, that he says goes bumper to bumper for 7/70. In that case I'm still up by $1545.

None of which makes me feel any better about Subaru reliability at the moment. I'm leaving today on vacation, with fingers crossed that the car gets me there and back without drama. I shouldn't have to think that way about a thoroughly maintained car with 45K on the odometer.

-wdb

bluesubie · July 2002

Mark - I believe you're right on the Redline types. NS in the front and "regular" in the rear. Although, I don't think it makes a different for the rear anyway. IIRC, the front capacity was slightly more than 4 quarts in my OBS (4.2 or 4.5).

I couldn't think of anything for them to check on my 60k. I didn't have any visible problems at the time. They found an oil leak on their own. Some o-ring thingy.
My wife's OB had a slight shake at 60K and they replaced the front axle under warranty because it was out of spec.

Have you met the owner? He's the white haired dude with glasses that's sits in the front corner of the showroom. Name is Ridge. Definitely a great guy to talk to.

K&N - Even though I have a K&N and Amsoil, the oil concerned me as well. Not so much with the K&N because it's cleaned every 50k miles. Slightly more with the Amsoil because it's cleaned annually. A very small amount of oil is used on both though. While I'm not trying to justify this, millions of gallons of oil is leaked by cars. :-(
Hmmm, maybe I can add enzymes to the bucket of water.

-Dennis

paisan · July 2002

Something doesn't jive on the warranty stuff. I'd call 800-subaru3 and get it verified, maybe even get patti involved seems like it *should* have been covered under the powertrain warranty.

-mike

mrk610 · July 2002

I'll be going into have my o/f change soon . I have 11k on my 02 outback base wagon . Purchased in 9/01.Yes i bought it 1 day b/4 the 9/11 tragedy. Ok here is my question. Anybody have any thoughts on semi synthetic oils that are out there .

Thank you in advanced
Mike k

8u6hfd · July 2002

Waste of money. Semi-sythnetic is only about 20% synthetic.

bluesubie · July 2002

On some counts, they are only about 10% synthetic (although you definitely pay more than 10% higher). But are they slightly better than 100% conventional, IMHO. The best way to compare is by reading the manufacturers spec data sheets. These are available on the mfg's. web sites, or by emailing them.

If you were to compare things like pour points, flash points, etc. you will see that a part synthetic is usually slightly better than a straight conventional (according to the numbers anyway).

-Dennis

bat1161 · July 2002

Dennis,

Thanks for the help. How often does the differential and tranny fluids get changed? I'm just wondering if it pays to buy these fluids in bulk, or just as I need them.

I think I have spoken with Ridge a couple of times, I just never knew who he was. I've found all the folks there very helpful. I also found out yesterday, that if you mention you are a AAA member, there is a 10% discount for service.

Mark

bluesubie · July 2002

I can't remember the frequency for diff fluid changes. 30K maybe??
Yeah, I know about the AAA discount. You have to show your card every visit since their new computer doesn't hold the info.

When I first met Ridge, I didn't know who he was either. He's such an easy guy to talk to. We just talked about Subes for about 20 minutes and I asked if he was the sales manager. He said, "Well, something like that." He gave me his business card (which I didn't even look at then) and it said President on it. I think he co-owns it with a guy that owns all of the Flemington dealerships.
He's a fan of old cars. He has an MG, Porsche, and two BRATS.

-Dennis

8u6hfd · July 2002

I'd just go out and buy some regular oil and synthetic, same brand and same weight. Mix them myself, to approximately 50% synthetic.

ateixeira · July 2002

Ignition wires are wear and tear, but the coil and fuel injector should be under the powertrain warranty IMO. Miata owners replace their ignition wires every 30k.

-juice

ateixeira · July 2002

The tranny rebuild would be another $2 grand, so I'd pass.

-juice

windblownhair · July 2002

i'm still lookin..livin near cincinnati,it'd be useful to have all wheel drive,but don't need a money pit..
--been reading where some of the newer ones were getting bad mileage..sounds like a restriction in the exhaust..if it's TOO quiet,it may not be breathing right, also,maybe the air filter might be trouble,but most likely the muffler or converter..especially with the sulpher,"rotten egg" smell..maybe the long trip idea could help,burn off some of the gunk they pack them with?(platinum coated ceramic pellets)..a new car will smell like that,but after,say 10.000 mi,they don't as bad??maybe a long trip with good premium(i've had the best luck with marathon)might clean it out..some octane boost??the idea is to get it hot,the short trips to the market are harder than trips lasting over 30/45 minutes..might work.. good luck!!W

bat1161 · July 2002

Thks for the info folks.

Mark

mrk610 · July 2002

Thats what i thought .

mike k

locke2c · July 2002

plug wires are consumables, but when they fail prematurely AND the source of the failure is a COVERED ignition coil-- well, seems obvious to me folks.

that's a little like making you pay for a new clutch if the whole tranny goes, since the clutch disc itself isn't under the 5/60 powertrain.

-Colin

outlawstar · July 2002

I have a 1988 Justy DL that I just bought on the cheap but there is a wicked knock in the engine, hoping to find some help on what it might be, I already changed the oil and put in some sludge out and valve seal repair fluid in.

Thank you for any help

8u6hfd · July 2002

Check your timing....put in a good fuel system cleaner as it may have a lot of deposits in the combustion chamber.

locke2c · July 2002

"wicked knock" is often a symptom of a serious lower end bearing issue. rod journal, wrist pin, crank journal. (usually not crank because when you hear it it seizes shortly afterwards.)

no additives will help a mechanical problem of that nature.

-Colin

ateixeira · July 2002

"It's all ball bearings these days."

I mean, what Colin said. ;-)

Try the timing for the heck of it, since it's easy.

-juice

rangerron7 · July 2002

Hi all,
I have a 2000 OB Ltd that is approaching 15K. I average about 7K per year (relatively low miles). I have a question regarding what service you would recommend for the 15K service in addition to Sube's recommended service. The dealer pushes stuff like BGK(?) oil additive and fuel additive.
What do you think about trans flush and change? Any service to the front/rear differentials?
Radiator flush & fill?
Any other service that you would recommend for a low-mileage vehicle?
I'm particularly interested in what Juice, Mike & Colin would suggest.
Thank You,
Ron

ateixeira · July 2002

I'd wait for 30k for most of that stuff.

At 15k, I'd do oil and filter, tire rotation, and top off all the fluids. Maybe the radiator coolant.

The rest I'd do at 30k.

-juice

kens · July 2002

Well, I took the week off from work since my folks are flying in from NY. I had some time this morning so I took in my Forester for some tranny noise that was bugging me for some time -- I was getting a fairly loud grinding/buzzing noise coming from the tranny whenever in gear at around 2500rpm whether accelerating, decelerating or coasting. I thought it might be a noisy clutch spring, but decided to have the dealer take a look at it anyway.

Since I was home, I thought I'd give the local dealer, Carlsen Subaru in Redwood City, a try. I had been going to Santa Cruz Subaru for major maintenance and have been very impressed with their service. However, I heard the Carlsen had recently made efforts to improve and I decided to check it out. I did notice that the service area seemed a lot better run with service writers and techs all did seem a lot more courteous and professional. Overall I've been impressed with their service.

Ken

rangerron7 · July 2002

lark6 · July 2002

Ken: what was the verdict?

Ed

kens · July 2002

Ed -- still waiting. It's only 3:30PM here. I'll keep you updated.

Ken

kens · July 2002

Oh boy. Dealer called back and thinks the rattle is from a loose heatshield or a cracked Y-pipe. Neither would be covered by warranty. It's about $400 to repair.

I also asked about oil consumption (I go through about 1qt every 3000 miles) and had them check the engine seals. Turns out they found a leak on one of the cam seals.

Ken

woodsedge · July 2002

They're all talk. I listed the problems I'm having with my Subaru in a previous post. The dealer has documented that they are indeed problems, but he won't fix; he calls them "traits of the car". Patti, who posts here, hasn't said a word - yet another one who talks but doesn't put her words into action.

Yes, I'm pursuing the lemon law. In the meantime, it's really good information for folks who may be interested in buying a Subaru to know that this company doesn't honor their warranty. Why bother with the hassle when they can go to Honda or Volkswagen or Toyota - who actually does honor their warranty.

Patti, you disappoint me completely.

-woodsedge

soobiedoo · July 2002

I have a '01 Forester S with 22,000 miles on it. 1 month ago, the car was stalling on acceleration. After bringing my car to the Rob Paddor dealership three times, the ecm was reprogrammed and the air/fuel sensor was replaced. Initially, it seemed the problem disappeared. Over the past week, the problem has been getting worse. Has anyone else experienced this? BTW, I still have the rotten egg smell in my car.

I'm seriously beginning to doubt the wisdom of my Subaru purchase and Subaru service.

lark6 · July 2002

Cracked Y-pipe = time for performance exhaust?

Crummy deal on the cam seals. Don't know what else to say. :-(

Ed

kens · July 2002

Hmmm. Any Y-pipe suggestions? If they re-do the seals, they'll need to get in around the Y-pipe area so I could get away with just the parts cost.

Yeah, kind of bummed. I'm now convinced my Forester was built on a Monday.

Ken

blane · July 2002

kens:

A quart of oil every 3,000 miles is nothing at all to concern yourself with. In fact, it's better than probably 80% of the cars on the road today.

locke2c · July 2002

ken,

get a borla header instead of any new factory exhaust manifold bits. they're ~$300 direct from borla now, link in the iClub's NA Powertrain forum.

-Colin

kens · July 2002

I know. It's been a constant qt/3000 miles for the last 40K miles or so (the first 30K I never burned a drop). It didn't really bug me. Just this last change, I noticed I went through a quart in 2000 miles so I thought I'd just ask at the service department since I was already there.

Ken

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