Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

locke2c · December 2002

ah, no Juice my comment was not based only on RS experience.

a few 1.8L guys were grumbling about it and a few Subaru dealership techs posted in one of the threads that they replace front main seals all the time.

-Colin

axp696 · December 2002

A friend of mine has a 2002 WRX sedan that had the same problem, but with the front tires. He noticed it 4 months after buying it. He said taking it to the dealer to realign it appears to have fixed the issue, so maybe yell at them good so they'll take 10 extra minutes to do it right?

kens · December 2002

Well, if the dealer is indeed "replacing the engine" I would guess it's the shortblock. In that case, you would probably be getting the newer Phase II shortblock which is generally more robust than the Phase I model.

Actually, the Impreza wagon is also manufactured in Gunma as well.

Ken

nygreg · December 2002

What is involved with replacing it? Remove timing belt, remove crankcase pulley, then what?

Greg

kens · December 2002

I think it was the tail end of the Phase I engines were getting Phase II blocks, but not the other way around.

I personally use only alignment speciality shops. While any shop can do alignments, I've found that only a few can do them right.

Ken

fibber2 · December 2002

I have an older friend who owns a garage in town. Many years ago I was struggling with removing the harmonic balancer on my Datsun 810 after the rubber coupling failed at something around 100k miles. Ed saw me working on it, and came over to lend a hand. When we got it off, he picked up a screw driver and rammed it into the front oil seal. My jaw dropped as I watched my supposed friend intentionally damage my car! He smiled, and told me to pick up a new seal when I ordered the balancer. I have mixed feelings about his approach, but understood the message.

Steve

ateixeira · December 2002

You're probably right, Ken.

That wouldn't explain his problem, then.

-juice

rlabdik · December 2002

Subaru dealers often receive bulletins about special problems that we might have, but we are unaware of these bulletins because they are not made readily available.

How can one get access to bulletins that relate to specific problems and remedies?

Is there a particular subaru web?

fibber2 · December 2002

Those TSBs are like the 'holy grail' of autodome. Sometimes you can get some info from the NHTSA site, but even then only an intro to the problem, but no data on the solution. There are some subscription services available for the private repair shops, but on a fee basis. On the Honda board there are some service techs who sometimes share that data, but nobody here on the Subaru board that I have seen. Patti sometimes advises a person to call the 800# when she sees a particular problem mentioned, but again, she does that in an unofficial capacity, and carefully.

Steve

rlabdik · December 2002

Thanks Steve--maybe someone would like to compile a list as a servide rep from Subaru---wishful thinking.

frazee1 · December 2002

We are considering buying a 99 Forester L in Virginia. In a used car are there any particular problems we should look out for? Where on the web is the best site to find a reasonable selling price? Thanks. frazee1

ateixeira · December 2002

Use Edmunds own appraisal tool, for starters.

Take a thorough test drive, here are things to look for:

* rear wheel bearings - they should be quiet and ride smoothly
* front main seals and head gaskets - look for any evidence of oil leaks
* clutch - should be smooth
* engine - will have a characteristic growl, but should run smoothly when warm

The good news is that problems tend to stand out like a sore thumb, so you'll likely find them if there are any. Check the oil level and condition. Drive with the radio off, open the windows, and listen for any strange driveline noises. If it's quiet, you should be in good shape.

You'll probably find them for $12k and up or so. That's what I've seen.

-juice

kens · December 2002

Wasn't there also a recall on the MAF for the 99's? I'd check that too.

Ken

ateixeira · December 2002

Yeah, and generally the intake is not to be messed with. Do so and you'll blow the MAF and pay close to $400 for a new one.

So if you keep it stock, go for it. But if you tinker with your cars, modify the intake, avoid the '99 in particular. '98s and 2000 and later are fine for modding.

-juice

rochcom · December 2002

I found a few mentions of Forester Clock problems on this board from about a year ago, but no solutions except to replace it. I was wondering if nayone has come with anything new. My '98's clock display did not go on the other day while I was driving in a snow storm with headlights on. I turned them off momentarily, but there was no change. After I had stopped and parked for a while, it started working agin, but now it is as dim with lights OFF as it was with them ON. With the lights on, it is amlost invisible. It could be a flourescent display going bad, but has anyone cured this problem?

nygreg · December 2002

Just wondering what weight people are using for their oil, mainly 5W30 vs. 10W30 and do people move to 10W30 when they use synthetic. I am currently using 5W30 Mobil 1 and am thinking about going to 10W30 instead. Any comments?

Greg

ateixeira · December 2002

I'm using dino oil, but 10w30, yeah.

-juice

kens · December 2002

I use Mobil 1 10W30, mainly because it seems to quiet lifter noise in the mornings. It doesn't get cold enough here to require a switch to lower weight oil in the winter.

Ken

bluesubie · December 2002

I use 5W30 in the fall/winter, and 10W30 in the spring/summer.

-Dennis

nygreg · December 2002

That is exactly why I am asking the question. My boxer makes a very slight thumping noise for the first 5 mins or so when accelerating after being in a heated garage all night. Think the 10w30 would help.

Greg

kens · December 2002

Greg,

It wouldn't hurt to try. Do you use synthetic already? The better flow characteristics of synthetic will probably work better with a 10-weight oil in the winter.

I've found 10W30 does reduce the valve noise (the light chitter-chatter) at cold startup.

Ken

royallen · December 2002

Combining information from various Edmunds sources and www.bobistheoilguy.com , 1. 10W30 is more long lasting than 5w30 because the lower number is the base oil and the upper number is the result of "viscosity additives" which break down under stress of engine operation. So after some point the 5W30 is like 5W20 and so on down. If you change after 3000 mi it probably doesn't matter. After that who knows. 2. I combine 1 qt 10W30 synthetic with 3 qt 10W30 dino giving some benefit of synthetic at little added cost. In Denver my outside parking down to -5 or so results in no problems so far. If I had a problem it would likely be my 5 year old battery. 3. "Syn Blends" are over-priced having little synthetic oil as there is no required amount. Others have claimed less than 10%.

nygreg · December 2002

mobil 1 5W30 in both the OB and Sienna. Only 600 miles since the last change so it will be a while before I try the 10W30. I'll keep you informed. Thanks.

Greg

bluesubie · December 2002

I used to assume that a 5W30 would protect as well as a 10W30 at operating temp. Take a look at most oil manufacturers oil specs, and you'll see that the 10W remains thicker than the 5W.

-Dennis

ateixeira · December 2002

Good info to have, Roy, thanks.

How are ya? Haven't heard from you in a while.

-juice

lucien2 · December 2002

just putting you on notice, I'm closing in on 60K, so when we get into the Spring it may be time for a trip to your place. I just can't justify springing $500-$600 at the dealer.....

royallen · December 2002

Juice, Doing well in a dry winter in Denver so far. Above average snow to the west which I'll get to check out Dec 27-30 on a trip to Winter Park. I've got my snow tires with half set of studs on. Also ordered a class 1 hitch from www.hitch-web.com and wiring. The hitch mount was too tight for me to do so took it to U-Haul where they used pro "fish wire" to get the two hard bolts in place. The wiring was easy in comparison. Roy

ateixeira · December 2002

We can do that, it'll be fun. We'll BBQ too, you bring the wine!

You can also drool over the Blitzen catalogs Ken sent me.

Hmm, the OE hitch was plug-and-play, just 7 overtighetened bolts to deal with.

-juice

luck11 · December 2002

I have a 2000 OB that has a persistent burning rubber smell. It occurs when the car has been driven and is warm, and very noticeable when it comes to a stop. My dealer has replaced my valve cover gasket a few times, the first time seemed to work. They did so again a few weeks ago but the smell persists.

The service manager told me this morning that several OBs have come in with the same symptom and they have not been able to diagnose the problem. Subaru Canada has been aware and same deal...no solution. They questioned whether it is a problem with the catalytic converter, but they are not sure.

I did have my car undercoated, but the smell of the Krown product burning off is very distinctly different, and regardless, the burning rubber smell was evident before I had the Krown applied. The Krown "burning off" smell was gone in about a week. It can't be the original undercoat....my car is 3 years old.

I notice that ZROCK posted back on Nov 1 regarding the same problem. I did not see whether he responded with a resolution.

I have had a few too many little problems with my Subaru, and question whether I will get another when time comes next year to get a new vehicle, even though warranty has covered them all. This "smell" problem may be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks.

ateixeira · December 2002

Did oil spill on the block as a result of any earlier leak? That'll burn off slowly.

If you see any oil spots, try to WD40 them off.

Meanwhile, keep the air on recirculate, and crack the moonroof open.

-juice

hammersley · December 2002

5W30 here, year-round, because a) it gets COLD here!, and b) my oil change intervals don't always coincide with weather changes. I change every 3k miles regardless of calendar time.

Cheers!
Paul

scherberger · December 2002

I have noticed a rather annoying rattle in dash area of 99 Forester.

It appears to be coming from dash area ( not in console housing speedometer) directly in front / marginally to left of the driver. It sounds as if a bracket were loose and two or more pieces were hitting / rattling together. The rattle occurs whenever the car is jarred from a bump or rough pavement. Not excessively rough mind you. It pretty much occurs every few minutes during city type driving. The car has to be travelling 50 to 60 km ( will not occur when going over speed bump - too slow0

Unfortunately for me , lucky for the dealers .. roads around their business are not rough . Local shop was kind enough to look at undercarriage. Could not find cause.

Anyone else have a similar situation? Solutions?Any help will be appreciated.

P.s. sorry if it is duplicate. tried to research but only found dash rattles with middle console( had that too , before it was fixed)

hondafriek · December 2002

same here, at the winter temps, we get any thicker and the oil would be molasses, in any case I use Synthetic,even in summer I use 5w30.

Cheers Pat.

kens · December 2002

Is the sound coming from right around the dash or further in?

It could be that something is loose in the engine bay area. I've had two noises that I was able to track down and remedy. One was the clamp on the fuel filter. It rattled anytime I came off the gas quickly. Greasing the clamp cleared it right up. The other was the engine hood. Every time I hit a big bump, I would hear a rebound "clunk". It turned out that the rubber bumpers pushing up onto the hood needed to be extended by turning them counterclockwise. This put pressure on the hood and allowed the latch to close snugly.

Ken

kens · December 2002

Came across a sudden problem with my Forester today. I started the engine as normal and began backing out of my garage. When I turned my steering wheel, I started getting a very loud squealing noise coming from the engine bay. I also noticed that the steering wheel motion was getting choppy -- as I turned the wheel, it would get random resistance. I think the battery light flickered on briefly as well.

Just the other day, I did notice that I a very short "squeak" and some resistance, also right after starting the engine. However the problem was just for a second and never came back up.

Since I had a bunch of friends waiting on me to give them a lift, I didn't have time to figure out what was the cause. Tomorrow, I'll check it out again but I wanted to have some ideas of what to look for. I'm guessing it's the either the accessory belt or the power steering pump failing.

Any ideas?

Ken

eric102 · December 2002

Sounds like a loose belt to me. The squealing is because the belt is slipping on the power steering and alternator pulleys, which causes the steering problems and batt. light (alternator) to come on. If the power steering pump bearings fail (pump seizes up) and the belt is tight, you will hear a very loud squeal, smoke will come out from under the hood (belt melting on engine pulley) and then the belt will fall off.

Are you hearing any unusual grinding sounds coming from the vicinity of the power steering pump or alternator? If so, that would be an indication of bearing problems.

Good luck.

Eric

locke2c · December 2002

Check the tension on both accessory belts and the ps fluid level. Regarding the battery light, the ps pump has its own belt while the alternator and AC compressor share one.

-Colin

kens · December 2002

Thanks for the inputs, guys.

I checked the PS fluid and it looks okay so I think my belt is probably slipping. It's time I changed it anyway.

Colin -- it looks like the alternator and PS pump are on one belt while A/C is on it's own.

In the mean time, I'd like to get rid of that awful noise and restore PS. Is the tension in the alternator belt controlled by the position of the alternator alone? Is there any other way of measuring belt tension other than getting a spring gauge (which I don't have)?

Ken

hondafriek · December 2002

Usually adjusting the alternator adjusts the tension on the belt, rule of thumb is a half inch deflection on the longest stretch of belt.

Cheers Pat.

kens · December 2002

Okay, I think I know what happened. I removed the top covers and checked out the PS/alternator belt. It appears as the bolt that holds the alternator had snapped causing it to fall down and loosen the belt.

It's the bolt labeled #2 picture 3/4 of the way down this thread:

http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=1067

Anyone know if it can be swapped with any old bolt?

Ken

locke2c · December 2002

oops-- was going by memory.

the 12mm bolts holding the AC tensioner pulley should be about the same. take one to the hardware store with you to get the right thread pitch.

-Colin

lspiva · December 2002

Hi,

I just want to ask opinion of you guys.

I have 03 Forester XS.

First time (at 1.6K miles) I noticed that the engine oil level was somewhere in between "L" and "F" on the dipstick. I brought car to a dealer and they said that it is normal for Subaru vehicles to consume up to 1 quarter of oil per 1K miles. They will the oil up to the "F" mark and send me on my way. Is it a correct statement? I had multiple cars before but never saw a new car to consume oil. BTW, there is no leaks for the engine compartment.

After that at 1.8K miles I changed oil with Penzoil Syntetic 10W30 and I hoped that the engine will stop consuming oil. Unfortunately, it did not happen. Today (at 4.7K miles), when I checked the oil level (before engine was started, with 46F outside) my oil level was just a little bit above "L" level. I had added a quarter of oil and it brought it to a "F" level. However, after I started the engine, run the car on a freeway for 15 minutes and then let it cool for about half-an-hour, the oil level was above the upper notch on the dipstick. Does it mean that I over filled the engine oil?

I just want to know what is a correct way to check engine oil level (cold or warm)? And if the Subaru's engines known to consume oil? Does this oil consumtion indicates a potential problem and is it something that I should do to look into?

Leo

dcheng · December 2002

I have a '98 Legacy GT wagon, 2.5L engine, 69K miles. Starting a couple months ago, I've been having occasional problems when I start the car in the morning and immediately get on the highway. The check engine light comes on after a few minutes, although the engine seems to be running fine. When I pull off on to an exit ramp, the engine dies as I get very slow or come to a stop. If I wait a couple minutes, then restart, everything runs fine for the rest of the day. The check engine light stays on for most of the time, and then it goes off after a few hours or a day.

My mechanic says there's a problem with the idle air control valve. He's cleaned it once and it didn't fix the problem. He said then that he would have to replace it, and that it was around a $800 job.

Is the idle air control valve the likely culprit? I've seen other discussions that it could be the EGR - should I ask my mechanic to check for that? Unfortunately the computer code for the check engine light seems to be "undocumented condition" - this is according to a gas station where I pulled in the first time this happened.

Thanks

David

kens · December 2002

I went to my local HW store and bought a screw similar to the one that had snapped. They only had one that had a 13mm hex cap, but it had the same thread and length.

Anyway, the new screw went right into the tensioner and all seems to be okay for now. I just tried to guess the appropriate tension by comparing it to the A/C belt.

That one screw seems like an Achilles' heel -- it's the only thing preventing the alternator from swinging down and causing the belt to slip off. I searched over at i-club and it doesn't seem like an uncommon event. Just something to keep in mind in case you get an awful squeeling, loose power steering and the battery light comes on!

Ken

lucien2 · December 2002

I was going to tell you it was probably those WRX brakes..... :-D

kens · December 2002

Do I hear some WRX brake envy? ;-p

Ken

kens · December 2002

Leo,

It's not uncommon for boxers to consume oil. Subaru usually won't address oil consumption as a problem until you get to 1qt/1000 miles. I've been going through 1qt/2000miles for quite some time now. All my seals check out and I don't get blue puffs of smoke from my exhaust so I'm not worried. Then again, there are others at my milage that don't burn a drop.

However, it is kind of strange to think that such a new vehicle as yours is consuming oil. If I recall, I didn't notice my oil consumption until well past the 40K mile mark. You might want to make sure the dealer is noting your concerns just in case it does get worse. In the meantime, try and track exactly how much oil you are consuming.

As for checking the oil level, cold before any driving will probably give you the most accurate results. When you're measuring cold, the "F" is the highest the level should be. The notch above the "F" is used for when the engine is warm.

The dipstick on Subarus is a little tricky to read sometimes. Check both sides of the dipstick and take the lower reading of the two. Also make sure you're on level ground when doing so.

Ken

paisan · December 2002

My buddy snapped mine this week when putting in my Oil Pressure guages sender unit. He replaced it with a bolt from Homie Depot all is well with that.

-mike

ningtonpen · December 2002

single snowlady looks for maintenance schedules (owner's manual)to prepare for purchase of used LEASED99ForesterS: any advice eagerly awaited ;o)
//this VIN: JF1SF6552XH708203

idahodoug · December 2002

Ispiva,

It is normal for a new car to consume some oil during the breakin and even for a while afterwards. I also find it worth noting that you say you've "never had a new car use oil" (they all do), and in the same post ask the correct way to check oil. If you don't know how to check oil (without doubt the MOST basic thing to know about an engine), then I think that statement is suspect at best.

You also gave us no miles, and you also do not state if you checked the oil at any time. Given all that, I would not worry about what has transpired with your car.

IdahoDoug

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