Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

daysailer · May 2007

actually, there are several neighbors in wi-fi range with unprotected portals, but that's not ethical.

subearu · May 2007

while it might not be ethical to "share" their 'net, they outta be more responsible and secure their network. If you're wi-fi savvy, help 'em secure it and ask that they share it as your payment.

-Brian

paisan · May 2007

Speeding is unethical and illegal....

-mike

daysailer · May 2007

Illegal yes. Unethical? not necessarily.

just_phil · May 2007

That's funny, but true. Whenever my wife asks me about what I've been doing for the last 3 hours, I tell her: "Honey, it's these 4 lines of text".

ateixeira · May 2007

OK, then, posting on these boards during work hours is unethical.

Gotcha.

(I'm one to talk!)

caliberchic · May 2007

Ha ha! Isn't that the truth!

jfl · May 2007

My Legacy shop manual was available in "volumes" so you don't need to buy the whole thing at $276. I started out with three of the eight volumes.

Jim

sixtystacks · May 2007

Thx Susan - the OEM radio on my 2002 has been replaced but still runs hot; when the backlight would stay on after car turned off - I pulled the fuse. Subaru seems bored with the problem

bertus24 · May 2007

My WRX doesnt want to start despite changing the batteries 3 times, no lights go on inside the car, no radio, no roof lights, nothing. Last week I was still able to jump start it bu the next morning there was nothing.
What can be the problem.
Please help.
THanks

Bertus

c_hunter · May 2007

Bad alternator?

bertus24 · May 2007

But will this cause all power to be cut off? I mean, i have no power whatsoever.......

paisan · May 2007

Sure, if the alternator is dead, then it will only take about 1-2hrs of drivetime to run down your battery and not allow it to start and not allow it to have any power to the lights/dash.

Another possibility is a bad ground wire as well. Check the connections on the battery.

-mike

rondo320 · May 2007

Like Mike said check the ground wire but not just at the battery but also where it connects to the body. If that isn't it take it to a competent auto electric shop that has a reputation for finding problems and not just selling batteries.
Rondo320

cusafr · May 2007

As others have said, check the ground wire.

Also, could be the key switch.

cusafr

bertus24 · May 2007

Thanks Guys for all your help, i did do all the above accept Mr.cusafr's before posting this thread, but i found the problem, the Main Fuse is faulty, yesterday i bridge the main fuse with a paper clip and what do you know I have lights again. Need to go buy a new one.

Thanks guys, much appreciated.

daysailer · May 2007

Can anyone tell me the easiest way to disable the "key-minder" chime? Since the car has a remote entry fob I can imagine no reason to lock the car manually, rendering the chime an annoyance without benefit.

cusafr · May 2007

A Fuse! Sometimes we try to fix difficult problems, when the problem/solution is the simple fix. Lesson learned (Again).

cusafr

saedave · May 2007

You might want to check the wiring for worn insulation near a ground or other things that could have caused the fuse to open. I suspect no-reason fuse failure is rare.

c_hunter · May 2007

I agree, the blown fuse is probably another symptom or side effect of the real problem (or caused by careless jump start procedures). Some of the previous stuff you described, bertus24, is not consistent with the main fuse being *the* problem. For instance, the previous times you started/jumped and ran the car with all lights functioning -- that would not have been possible if the main fuse was blown.

bertus24 · May 2007

I think it might had to do with the fact that I jumped start the car and the on side of the jumper pop loose and made a short on the other car while the jumper was still on my car...

shermin · May 2007

Can anyone tell me where the fuel filter is on the 05 FXT and if its something someone with a moderate amount of experience should try to replace?

hypov · May 2007

But isn't the "key-minder" chime to remind you that you still have your key in the ignition?
You wouldn't want to leave your igintion key in the car, locked or unlocked, would you?

-Dave

rondo320 · May 2007

This is an update to all those who tried to help me on my problem in #16997 and for all those who might have a similar problem. My 96 OBW died on the way home from the airport. It was a complete electrical system failure, that started with lights on the instrument panel coming on one at a time, battery, abs etc. then the car lights and radio increased in intensity and decreased to correspond to engine RPMs. The wipers came on without the switch being on and self destructed. Shortly thereafter everything went dead and I coasted to a stop on the freeway.
Had it towed to the shop but I didn't want to spend a whole lot of money on the car. He did some analysis but wasn't much help so I brought it home and have been working on it since then. I have learned a lot that might help you if this happens to you.
I replaced the burned out 45 amp fusible link and 8 fuses and the wiper motor. I replaced the alternator and checked the battery but the car was still running on only two cylinders. The front two were dead. Thought it was the ignition coil but a new one didn't help. Bought a computer at the junk yard but that didn't help. Got some advice about the ignitor which is a small 2x2 inch box on the firewall. Despite being told that they never go bad that was it and I was running on all 4 cylinders. But before I could celebrate I found that the alternator was not charging the battery. We took the new alternator off and had it tested. It was good. Checked the battery. No problem.
My original repair person had told me that if the bulb on the instrument panel was burned out that the control circuit would not allow the alternator to charge. I didn't think much of that theory but through the help of a more talented friend than me, we bypassed the circuit with a functioning bulb in the line (don't just use a wire or you can cause more damage) and it started charging.
After taking the instrument panel apart I searched for replacement bulbs. I went to two auto stores and got #74 bulbs but both were different and both would not fit. I checked the dealer who wanted $10 a piece because they are sold with the base. I checked a local bulb distributor who had them at $.96 a piece. The right size is 74 N probably for NARROW because that is the difference from the regular 74. Now the alternator is charging.
I have two problems left that I know of. The engine fan runs continually. After replacing the fuse for the fan, we started pulling relays and found the one that controls it to be above the fuse box that's below the instrument panel.
The other problem is that the cassette mechanism on the radio runs all the time without a tape inserted so I had to disconnect the radio to stop it. I think that is what is blocking out the radio and CD from functioning. This is a minor issue now that the car is running.
All I got to say is thank God for junk yards because Subaru dealers and parts departments are grotesquely expensive and when you have an unusual problem it's tough not to start throwing parts at the problem. All in all I spent $170 on parts I didn't need but that would have been a drop in the bucket had I had the dealer fix this problem.
The biggest issue is what caused this problem in the first place. In trouble shooting I discovered a faulty ground. This was where the black wire from the battery connects to the body. That may have been it. I don't know. Or the alternator may have given out since the car has 130,000 miles.
Thanks to all of you who had suggestions for me. And I hope some of this info might help in the future.
Rondo320

c_hunter · May 2007

Thanks for the follow-up and all the details. That is definitely quite an experience you went through but I am really encouraged to hear that the car is running well again. Whatever the failure was, sounds like it was quite destructive!

Craig

paisan · May 2007

05 FXT fuel filter is a non-serviceable part and is located within the fuel tank. IIRC the tank needs to be dropped to get to it, although you may be able to get to it from the topside.

-mike

daysailer · June 2007

"You wouldn't want to leave your igintion key in the car, locked or unlocked, would you? "

No, but I often want to leave the key in the ignition while the driver's door is open, as when working on the car or waiting in the car.

tinannee · June 2007

New problem as of last night: The driver's door won't open from the inside. If I roll down the window, I can reach out and grab the exterior handle and it opens fine (or someone outside can open it fine).

It just happened all of the sudden. I was idling & opened both the driver's & front passenger's doors. I closed the doors & then I couldn't open the driver's door again from the inside. All other doors work fine. In my troubleshooting, I once closed the dr door, but not fully. Even then, I couldn't open it back up from the inside. Are there child locks on the driver's door?

ateixeira · June 2007

No, only the back doors.

Search Scooby Mods on how to remove the door panel. I bet a cable broke loose or something.

jeqq · June 2007

I have an '06 Forester LL Bean. I just started hearing an intermittent low rattle, sounds like a pipe is loose. Any suggestions and yes I will be taking it in.

gaucho1 · June 2007

jeqq,

Well, you announced my first suggestion: take it in, and explain to the mech what you hear. If you can make it happen on a test drive, so much the better. (Personally, I have lousy luck with that one!)

It could be anything from a loose exhaust pipe hanger to misplaced insulation around your catalytic converter. Have you ever had any catalytic converter problems? The insulation is a bear to replace properly. :mad:

Best of luck with it!

Gaucho

zman3 · June 2007

If it goes away or lessens when the vehicle warms up it may be that the heat shield on the exhaust is loose.

jeqq · June 2007

Thank you both for your input. I'll post results after I bring it in.

georgiaman · June 2007

I have a 2005 Subaru Forester 2.5X. I feel that the air-conditioner on this car is very weak. I have taken it in to 2 dealers at various times. They changed parts, fixed leaks etc., but nothing seems to help. The last dealer finally said that it cools to about 52 deg. F in city driving, and about 49 deg F on the highway, and that is within specs. I find this to be insufficient in Georgia summers. My Nissan Sentra, with a much smaller engine cools much better.

Any suggestions?

samiam_68 · June 2007

Put it into the recirc mode, it will cool better.

ateixeira · June 2007

You can also insulate the tubes under the hood. The coolant tubes run through the engine bay right next to the engine block. Try that, too.

Though my '98 cooled plenty well.

saedave · June 2007

Window tinting might be the only hope. Be glad it is not an older VW or Audi with really bad AC.

mdbonjr · June 2007

Hey all,
I'm a friend of user "fyredan" who you helped with a 93 Legacy Wagon and his overheating trouble. The wagon finally gave up the ghost and blew the head gasket. 3 days ago we bought another 93 Legacy sedan with the same EJ22 (2.2 liter) non-turbo engine. This car will start but idles rough and will not rev up unless you butterfly the gas pedal and then it will only go up to around 5k rpm. If you put it in gear, it wants to die and will not rev up at all. We've replaced the TPS, IAC, MAF, ECM, pcv valve, knock sensor, fuel pump, coil, plugs, and plug wires. We popped a couple of holes in the front catalytic convertor thinking it might be clogged. After replacing all the components it idles smoother but still will not rev up. The components came off the wagon and we weren't getting any codes before swapping them. Now we're getting codes for the TPS, IAC, MAF, and knock sensor. I'm thinking that this is electrical with either a possible loose connection or bad ground. Any help or ideas would be of great help at this point. Is there a common connection for all of these components or something that we might be overlooking? Thanks,
Dean

P.S. The ingnition switch is acting up too. There's an electrical solenoid on the switch that isn't releasing the tumbler so you can roll the switch back to the locked position and remove the key. I can unplug the solenoid and lock the switch and remove the key with no problem. Could this be related to the electrical trouble we're having with the engine or something else entirely?

georgiaman · June 2007

I did. The temparatures I listed in my post were in the Recirc mode.

georgiaman · June 2007

Thanks. I'll try that.

Can I just use the foam insulation tubes available at Home Depot for this?

georgiaman · June 2007

Thanks. I'll try that.

mdbonjr · June 2007

Does anyone happen to have a wiring schematic, diagram, or color code for the 93 Legacy? All we have at the moment is a Haynes manual that covers from 90 to 98 and the schematics in it are mostly for the later models and is very vague to say the least. If we could get our hands on one that is specific for this year model it would help out alot. Please, if you have one, email it to mdbonjr@hotmail.com . I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks again,
Dean

ingridr · June 2007

Hi all -

I thought I would get feedback here before I sucked it up and took the car to the dealership :-) I have a 1999 Subaru Forester that has around 150K miles on it. It has the remote door locking feature but this past fall the battery wore out and I just never got around to replacing it so I just used the key to enter the car.

A few months ago I noticed that when I tried to use the key to enter the passenger door or the hatch, the key would go into the lock but I could not turn it. In true ~~cheap~~ cost saving fashion, I ignored it and just used the driver's door to get in. Well today the driver's door went kaput as well. I jimmy'd the key a little and now the key will turn in the lock but the door won't unlock. I have my roadside assitance coming to unlock the door for me as I type.

Any ideas on what this could be? I am hoping that this is not a "replace all the locks" issue ;-) Thanks for any and all insight!

jeffmc · June 2007

Perhaps the key needs replaced rather than the locks? Could be getting worn after eight years & 150k. I no expert... it's just a thought.

samiam_68 · June 2007

How about replacing the battery on your remote? Costs $2 or less...

jeffmc · June 2007

Show off. :P

mdbonjr · June 2007

Well, we've managed to locate the MPFI module, swapped it out and got rid of two of the codes we were getting. Now we're down to a code for the TPS and the IAC. We've tested both of these components thouroughly and they test fine. They have a common shared wire according to schematics that routes through the ignition relay. Does anyone know where this relay is located exactly on a 93 Legacy? I think I might have located it and just want to be sure before tackling the job of replacing it because it's a bugger to get to. Has anyone else encountered this problem?
Thanks,
Dean

chris80233 · June 2007

Hi everyone, I'm writing this post to help my mother who is having problems with her 2001 Outback which she bought new back in 2000. She only has 30,000 miles on it and it's in perfect shape, and all the oil changes and any minor repairs have always been done at a Subaru dealership. Over the past few years, she's had an intermittent problem with her car stalling, usually at intersections when she's at a red light or stop sign. The "check engine" light and "A/T oil" light come on, then the engine will sputter, then race, then quit. She can start the engine again in a few minutes and drive away, but the warning lights stay on. She'll take it into Subaru, where they will replace some computer chip and they have to blow out a hose??? (I haven't seen the paperwork, I'm in Denver and she's in Mass.) This happens every 6 to 8 months, and it's costing her about $250 everytime she goes in there to get it fixed. I'm just worried about her driving the car, hoping she doesn't get into a wreck. The dealership told her the problem is because she isn't driving the car enough. Is this true? Anyone else have this problem? Thanks for any help, she loves the car and doesn't want to get rid of it, but she may have to

jeffmc · June 2007

I'm no technical expert, but I'd be taking that vehicle to a different dealership's service department for a second opinion. I'm not buying the advice that she's not driving it enough. 4500 miles a year isn't much, but there are plenty of vehicles out there that get limited use like that. I've put less than that on my '95 Honda del Sol the last three years or so (summer driving only) and have had no problems of that nature.

Maybe someone else w/more technical knowledge (Paisan? or?) can pipe in on possible causes. Faulty sensor?

paisan · June 2007

Sounds like a TCU problem. It is possible that there is a buildup of varnish in the torque converter but it seems odd.

I would more think it's a problem with the cat being clogged up due to non-use.

Definitely would get a 2nd opinion on it though and without seeing the problem live, it's hard to diagnose.

-mike

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