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Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

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Comments

  • luck11luck11 Member Posts: 425
    Thanks again.

    Another question for you. Any thoughts on where I should place the jack stands on my new OB XT? Do I place them next to the specified jack points while I have the car up with the jack?, or do I place the stands elsewhere on the chassis?

    Thanks,
    Jay.
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    frame rails fore and aft. well-- that's not TECHNICALLY correct as it's unit-body construction but there are most definitely some strengthened ribs. find them. put jackstands under them, as close to the lower control arm (front) and forwardmost lateral link (rear).

    as to where to jack, there is a jacking plate/brace near the crossmember in the front. in the rear, jack the differential directly-- it'll be fine.

    if you're just doing an oil change you might be able to do it without even jacking if you're limber and slim. or you can buy some ramps and drive up on those.

    ~Colin
  • DonluceDonluce Member Posts: 41
    What are the best tires to use on a XT Forester. I will be doing NO off roading, and will not be operating in snow or ice conditions, but will be driving part of the time on wet roads, and plan to pull a heavy boat trailer in the future.

    Thanks,

    Don Luce
  • luck11luck11 Member Posts: 425
    Thanks Colin. Actually, need to get the car up on stands to paint the calipers. Plan to do so this weekend.

    Jay
  • luck11luck11 Member Posts: 425
    Directly from local dealer shop manual:

    Caliper bolts: 19 ft-lbs
    Carrier to hub bolts: 59 ft-lbs

    Cheers,
    Jay.
  • edunnettedunnett Member Posts: 553
    You should try tirerack.com or search the Forester discussions for previous threads on tire choice - there are LOTs of other posts on this topic that should help you out. -Elissa
  • yuyaxyuyax Member Posts: 11
    I am a regular lurker on this website and I wanted to pass along a heads up to other recent Outback owners.

    I have an 02 Limited Outback SW, manual transmission and these are recurrent problems that the dealer is fixing right now before the warranty expires:

    1- The leather cover of the rear seat, the 60 of the 60/40, was ripping on the back. The ripping occurs where the leather curls in the back and meets the vertical carpet material that is on the rear of the seat. It is on the side where it meets the other folding seat. The interior side. I noticed this right after I got my new car. I took it back to the dealer and they replaced it. The new one has the same problem. To me it seems like the cover was made to tight for this application.

    2- Worn spot on the carpet behind the clutch pedal. Service rep mentioned that other customers are having the same complaints. The space behind and next to the clutch pedal is very tight. Even with a new carpet, the spot will come back over time. This is a design flaw, there is not enough room and it cannot be avoided. Service rep also mentioned that it will continue to happen again

    3- Excessive wind noise coming from the driver side mirror. Gusset was replaced previously but the noise came back. This is a known problem.

    4- Noise while starting the car. Sort of like it is not catching. Like an electrical buzzing noise. Very strange. This is a problem that is very hard to replicate by the dealer as it happens every now and then. There is no specific condition when this happens. It could be cold, hot, humid, dry, etc. It was mentioned before to the dealer and I wanted to mention it again before the warranty expires.

    5- Tranny problem was fixed previously and it is not happening anymore.

    If you know of other known problems on the Outback, could you please let me/us know?

    Thanks
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Don,

    Given what you've described, any all-season passenger car tire should work well for your needs. The other question that needs to be answered is where are you in terms of wanting sporty handling vs. a comfortable ride?

    Without knowing much more, I would recommend the Dunlop SP5000s off the bat. Very good handling tire, fairly quiet and provides good all-weather traction at a reasonable cost.

    Ken
  • edunnettedunnett Member Posts: 553
    3- Excessive wind noise coming from the driver side mirror. Gusset was replaced previously but the noise came back. This is a known problem.

    Are you sure you got the new design of the gusset - it should have a different part number then the original? They should replace your noisy window gusset with the newer design - maybe even adjust the angle of your window perhaps that could help too. I have a document describing the problem effected VINs and solution if you'd like a copy please email me, I should be able to find it still.
    Elissa
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 16,759
    Regarding #4, does the starter engage while this 'noise' is happening? I had a problem that sounded similar to this, like the solenoid was intermittently engaging (very rapidly on/off) for just a second or two before it would catch and start. With my problem it turned out that it was just an ever so slightly loose screw that holds a bracket tight on the top of the starter. It just so happens that this bracket is also where the negative battery terminal mounts, so it was causing intermittent breaks in electrical flow....
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100, 1976 Ford F250
  • russel720russel720 Member Posts: 2
    I had the same problem with my 1990 Acura Legend after the third attempt at finding the leak, they finally figured out that to find the leak, they had to do the pressure test after the engine had been brought up to operating temperature. No leak was ever found under pressure on a cold engine/antifreeze. This may not be the answer but could possibly help in finding the problem. Good luck
  • ponyrider2ponyrider2 Member Posts: 29
    Hi
    I just bought an 03 Outback Sedan and I also have alot of windnoise. Could I get a copy of that document too? What is your email?
    Thanks, Susie
  • edunnettedunnett Member Posts: 553
    My email is in my profile. Just take a peak, I don't want to post it.
    Elissa
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    RacingBrake.com has their hats and edges EDP coated in black, very nice stuff and withstands the heat of track days nicely. I believe we'll have these in Legacy/Outback/RS size in a month or 2.

    -mike
  • pbrainardpbrainard Member Posts: 1
    My '99 Legacy Outback is leaking brake fluid from the front passenger side wheel (or somewhere close to it). I woke up one morning and the started my car and the brake pedal went to the floor. I pumped it a few times thinking it might build pressure to no avail. I bought some DOT 3 and it sucked up a whole bottle. I looked under the car and it seems to be leaking from near the passenger side tire in the front. Any ideas what might be wrong with it? Thanks.
  • luck11luck11 Member Posts: 425
    Well, took this weekend to paint the calipers and rotors on my O5 OB XTL. Calipers painted in black using Duplicolor Caliper Paint kit (includes brush on paint, brush, stir stick and can of brake cleaner), and painted the rotors a silver using Tremclad high heat (rated at 1200 deg F) aluminum spray paint. The red caliper paint was too bright and clashed with the red of the vehicle. Its subtle, but looks sharp. The silver blends well with the wheels. Time will tell how it holds up.

    I covered the contact surface on the rotor using painters tape, and it worked like a charm. There may have been a max of 1/32" in some cases where paint got on the contact surface, but that came off quickly with a few brakings.
      
    It wasn't a difficult job, but it took me the better part of a day to do the work.

    I'll post pics when I get a chance.

    BTW, thanks to everyone for the advice provided.

    Cheers,
    Jay.
  • edunnettedunnett Member Posts: 553
    Well, first of all, DO NOT drive the car anywhere while it's leaking brake fluid! Secondly, thank your lucky stars you made it home safely!

    Even if you find and resolve the leak yourself, you likely have air in the system now due to it running so low, so unless you know how to bleed the brake lines, you should have it towed someplace to have that done too. If you're fairly mechanically inclined and have an assistant, you could bleed them yourself.

    That being said, first check from where the leak is coming. Is it coming from any visible break or tear in your break line? Or is it coming from the bleed bolt? If it's coming from the bleed bolt, you can simply hand tighten the bolt with a small wrench (don't know the size off hand). After tightening, and filling with more DOT3 or DOT4, try pumping the lines again. If they feel more firm then you stopped the leak. They will probably feel spongy though - indicating there's air in there. If you got that far, just grab a Haynes or Chilton manual for almost any car and then you can figure out how to bleed them yourself. It's time consuming and uncomfortable, you have to do all four brake lines to be safe.

    If it's not as easy as I've described, your better off just having it towed someplace. Please don't drive it until you know there's no more leak and there's no air in the lines.

    Elissa
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    You could have painted the whole rotor and the first application of the brakes would have cleaned the swept area.

     Cheers Pat.
  • ebony5ebony5 Member Posts: 142
    In very rare occasions the ABS Hydraulic pump system goes and leaks- It happened to my '96 OBW(the service manager had only seen it twice) It got progressively worse until I was adding brake fluid daily. Again I say it is extremely rare for this to happen but if you cannot locate the problem this should be on the list of things to check out. Hope it is something else because it is not cheap to repair. If I remember correctly it is located on the passenger side near the front
  • luck11luck11 Member Posts: 425
    I decided against just painting the whole rotor because of strong advice against doing so in other forums. No big deal anyway...I think it took me less than 10 min per rotor and less than 1/2 roll of blue painters tape to cover the contact surface. I worked on the rotors while waiting for coats on the calipers to dry tack free.

    Cheers,
    Jay.
  • jopopsyjopopsy Member Posts: 65
    Hey Gang:

    I'm reading on some other Subie boards about break rotor warpage and early pad failure. Is this a real problem? Considering an 05 Outback Wagon. 2.5i.

    Jopopsy
  • jfljfl Member Posts: 1,396
    Right now there's a thread or two about early brake pad and rotor wear.

    But I will mention that my original pads were replaced at 60,000 miles with no rotor issues. The front pads still had quite a bit of lining left, although the rears were very worn. I believe juice also went over 60k miles on his original pads.

    So as they say, YMMV.

    Jim
  • dave226dave226 Member Posts: 22
    I want to start using synthetic gear oil for the front and rear differentials but can only find 75W90 in full synthetic. The manual calls for 80W90. Would this difference adversely affect the differentials?

    Dave
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Amsoil has 80-90 there is a link on my pages to amsoil...

    -mike
  • tim3tim3 Member Posts: 28
    I've put 3,500 miles on my X in the last three weeks on two different road trips. The morning after I returned from the second trip I discovered that the overflow was empty and the radiator was down as well. I had to add about a quart of coolant in all. I'll be taking the car to the dealer in the next few days. Maybe my dealer can shed some light on the coolant usage issue a few of us are having. I'll let you all know.

    Tim
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    mike - There's a new Amsoil called Severe Gear. It will eventually be replacing the Series 2000. Let me know if you know of anyone trying it and if it's too slick for our synchros.

    Looks like some pretty thick stuff.
    http://www.amsoil.com/products/svg.htm

    -Dennis
  • oneduckstwooneduckstwo Member Posts: 34
    My friday took a turn for the worse with the discovery of a flat rear tire after work. Apparently a screw has found a home right in the middle of the left rear tire. I'm not sure how long these tires have been on (Firestone Firehawk SZ50) but they were slightly worn when I bought the 02 WRX wagon 10000 miles ago. Anyway, now my question is...do I try to get 2 tires or 4? It seems as though people think 2 is a bad idea. And also, any recommendations? I'm in Los Angeles and it rarely even rains! I'll probably have to do it at a Just Tires or something as I don't think I can wait to order from Tire Rack. Thanks for any ideas in advance.
  • dcm61dcm61 Member Posts: 1,567
    If it's in the middle of the tread, why don't you just get the tire patched?

    DaveM
  • geno_xtgeno_xt Member Posts: 1
    I really like my Forester XT - my first Subaru.

    With the exception of the bizzare activity of the automatic climate control, this car is nearly perfect. Quick, fast, agile for a truck, and useful for hauling most things.

    However, Subaru dealer service and factory support seem to be terrible.

    Fixing a screaming windshield seal took 2 trips to two dealers, first one didn't do anything but drive the car and say "we don't hear it".

    My current problem (cruise control shutting off by itself constantly) has also been to two dealers who "couldn't find" the problem.

    Their only suggestion was that I let one of their mechanics take my care home to High Ridge(about a 40 mile drive one way). After insisting that their mechanic ride with me I was able to produce the problem repeatedly by simply driving 5mph over the limit for 15 minutes on the highway.

    Now they can "find" the problem but their solution baffles me and everyone I talk to about it. Here goes: "the car is normal". Apparently, the factory reps are insisting to my dealer that it is perfectly OK for my cruise control to shut off repeatedly on the highway making it useless.

    I have explained that this problem only started happening after 10k miles and that it has gotten worse since then. I don't hear any owners on the Edmonds boards complaining about this problem. Still nothing has been done except that they are "investigating the problem".

    No parts have been either checked or replaced. No hours of time have been spent with a multimeter or a scope. It is ridiculous to call this "investigating" when nothing is done.

    ...I have also contacted the Subaru3 call center about this and have received no satisfaction from them either.

    I am writing to you for suggestions as to how to proceed and hoping that someone at Subaru has a clue and wants a new customer who likes the product to be satisfied with their factory and dealer support after the sale.

    Geno
    St. Louis, Missouri
  • edunnettedunnett Member Posts: 553
    Tim,
    Thanks for the post! Please let us know what you and your dealer discover! I'm dying to know.
    Elissa
  • gherman131313gherman131313 Member Posts: 17
    Ever since I had my brake pads replaced and rotors resurfaced (6,000 miles ago, at 36,000!), my 2003 Forester 2.5X has been squealing like crazy.

    A few weeks ago, during an oil change, I told dealer and asked to get rid of the squealing. Afterwards, he claimed it was from the rear drum brakes and 'moisture'.

    I'm almost positive its from the front disc brakes. This squealing is starting to aggravate me. I don't think its heat-related.. it happens at any time, from first start in morning to later in the day.
  • jcabinjcabin Member Posts: 23
    Question: Can Impreza RS 2000-02 16 inch wheels be used successfully on a 2004 3.0 Outback Wagon?
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Yup they can work, nice rims by the way.

    -mike
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Tell them to apply anti-squeel to the pads, chances are that is your problem, or the shims are not seated properly.

    -mike
  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    jcabin Oct 16, 2004 3:59pm

    paisan Oct 17, 2004 10:39pm

    maybe no... the RS is using +53mm offset whereas the OBs are on +48mm offsets. Might want to test fit on 225 tires first.

    -Dave
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Patch that tire. I bought a kit and patched my wife's tire after a similar incident. It's been fine for over a year.

    Geno: at what speed are you setting cruise? I'm not sure if there is a limitation but I thought I'd ask. Doesn't sound normal to me, though.

    -juice
  • samiam_68samiam_68 Member Posts: 775
    Some older turbo cars had vacuum powered cruise control. When going up a modrate incline on cruise, the turbo would kick in and the vacuum would be gone, thus disengaging the cruise control. My old Supra Turbo used to do that. I don't know if Forester XT cruise control is designed that way.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    It should be fully electronic nowadays. Anyone know for sure?

    -juice
  • edunnettedunnett Member Posts: 553
    My 2001 normally aspirated Forester with manual transmission would cut the cruise out when going up a very steep incline when it couldn't keep up with the set speed in the gear it was in. I haven't noticed the same cut out with the 2004 XT yet but it's manual transmission. Although I think the person with the cruise problems said it worked as expected for a time, and this is a recent occurance. I'm assuming that they are familiar with these normal quirks of the system and that what they are getting is a whole different annoyance.
    Elissa
  • jfljfl Member Posts: 1,396
    Doesn't it automatically cut out if the speed drops ~15 mph below the setpoint?

    Jim
  • jaharrisjaharris Member Posts: 4
    I am having the same noise problem with Bridgestone RE-92 Potenza tires on an 03 Legacy wagon. The tires have about 25000 miles on them, the car has 40000. When I changed from Dunlop winter tires to the (original)Bridgestones last spring the noise was so noticeable that I had the car checked twice by my dealer thinking that I had a bad wheel bearing or CV joint. The dealer told me that the noise was coming from the tires. I have driven with the noise since last spring with no problem, but I am planning to replace my tires next spring with a different Brand, maybe Continental. The tires had been rotated once (kept on the same side), and have plenty of tread left but are worn on the inside edge of the tread. The Dunlop winter tires I use are quiet and ride better than the Bridgestones.
  • ski46ski46 Member Posts: 24
    Just wondering if anyone might have an idea on what is causing my wipers to badly chatter? I have a 95 Subaru Impreza Wagon with 77K on the odometer and when I purchased it from a friend 2 years ago, I noticed that he had the wrong size wiper blades on it and they were much smaller than the ones called for on this car. I installed the correct size and have been experiencing chatter ever since. I have replaced the blades several times, replaced the wiper arms with new Subaru units, same thing continues to happen. I have tightened the arms to spec, same problem continues. I have scrubbed the windshield with Bon-Ami (not abrasive), used Rain X, problem continues. Is it possible that the windshield has lost some of it's glaze??? Any ideas would be appreciated.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Rain X actually makes that worse.

    At the end of the "swipe" you actually want enough friction for the wiper blade to fold over when it turns around and goes in the other direction.

    Rain X is too slippery, and the blade doesn't fold back over, so you get chatter.

    I've heard some suggest that you not use Rain X right where the wipers rest. Try that.

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Yup I'd second that it's the rain-x, especially if you drive in harsh locations where you get a lot of dust. I hate rain-x.

    -mike
  • samiam_68samiam_68 Member Posts: 775
    It's definitely not rain-x since the problem apparently started BEFORE the rain-x treatment. Try turning off the engine when wiper is at midstroke. Twist / bend arm or blade slightly until it stays parallel to the curvature of the glass. Make sure there's spring pressure at the ends of the blade. If that doesn't help, check to make sure the blade is installed correctly and that there is no play side to side of the wiper blade in the arm pivot.
    As a last resort, you can try installing a different size blade (like the ones that were on when you bought the car).
  • jfljfl Member Posts: 1,396
    Have you tried cleaning the windshield with Stoner's Invisible Glass?

    I think it leaves the glass clean enough for raindrops to slide off w/o Rain-X. I agree that Rain-X exacerbates the problem.

    Jim
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I've had this problem on my cars, all times the problem was stuff on the windshield either stuff I could or could not see causing the problems.

    -mike
  • rob_mrob_m Member Posts: 820
    Definitely the Rain-X. My wipers chattered the first time I used it. Cleaned the windshild and wipers with straight alcohol.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Rain-X works well on all the other windows, though.

    -juice
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    I just use Klasse AIO on the windows now instead of rain-x. Works fine and hasn't seemed to bring up any wiper chatter.

    -Brian
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