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Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

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Comments

  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    Many people on NASIOC have reported problems with M1. Out of ignorance, I changed my WRX gearbox over to M1 around 3000 miles, but it has been fine for me. I don't think it is any better or worse than the original dino oil. Seems like a case by case basis.

    Craig
  • stevekstevek Member Posts: 362
    I decided to pull the M1 out of the Subie and just put the regular gear oil back. I guess if it was good for the first 70K miles then it will be ok now. Will leave the Synthetic in the posi rear end.
    Just bought a case of redline Synthetic AT fluid for my Firebird, hope that will work fine, just had the tranny rebuilt and the tranny guy said to use synthetic fluid along with a heavy duty radiator to keep the temps down. Rebuilt the engine and went from 170 HP to about 400. I will have some real fun soon.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    No offense but you should have a tranny cooler external from the radiator pushing that much power.

    -mike
  • sweingastsweingast Member Posts: 28
    I have a 1997 Outback with 150k miles.

    Brought the car in for a strut/spring recall and an oil change.

    Took two long cranks to start car - very unusual. Drove 100 yards from the shop and the engine light came on. Car revving high, transmission not shifting until 4000 rpm. Dealer says the computer codes for a "idle valve" replacement.

    How much should this cost and why did this come up while the car was at the dealer? The car was running great before hand.

    The car was detailed (including the engine comparment) a week ago and driven about 300 miles since.
  • subaru_teamsubaru_team Member Posts: 1,676
    I saw your great news on here. I'm so happy for you. I'm not able to access my e-mail yet, so I'll try to get caught up next week. Congratulations!

    Patti
  • pbeck1pbeck1 Member Posts: 2
    I have been noticing an odor of antifreeze on my 2003 Forester. The smell does not enter the cabin when the windows are up but only when the windows are down. So it is being emitted from the engine area. The vehicle has 3600 miles on it. There are no visible coolant leaks and the coolant levels remain fine. Since I will be taking it back to the dealer in order for them to investigate this, I was hoping to get some feedback from this forum before I visit my dealer.
  • stevekstevek Member Posts: 362
    but since my engine is only a 350, I installed a large 4 core radiator (designed for the 455 super duty) and running a high capacity water pump I think I will be ok.
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Could it be as simple as some coolant was spilled on the engine? Was your 2003 Forester serviced recently?

    Ken
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    I hate to suggest this, but take a good hard look at the backside of the head/block interface on the drivers side (back of cyl 4), and at the frame crossmember directly beneath it. You could have early signs of a leaking head gasket (ask me how I know....).

    Steve
  • jlemolejlemole Member Posts: 345
    I know this was the subject of some earlier posts somewhere, but can anyone recommend a good cleaner/conditioner to use on the window seals? My driver's side front window has developed a little squeak, and I'm wondering if it's from dry and dirty seal. Thanks!

    Jon
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    it simply could just be some coolant that came out the overflow tube...

    -Brian
  • hammersleyhammersley Member Posts: 684
    Jon: Take a can of silicone spray, squirt a bit on a cloth, then wipe the seals. Maybe clean first with a little dilute Simple Green first, if there really dirty. Works here.

    Cheers!
    Paul
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    ...and burned off, I agree that's likely.

    Keep an eye on the coolant and oil levels until you get to the dealer, it's probably nothing.

    -juice
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Dealer for 90k service? Slacker! Nah, this dad understands. ;-)

    I use Mobil 1 synthetic gear oil in my Miata's gear box, it's still silky smooth 13k miles later. So maybe it affects some, not all, gear boxes.

    -juice
  • jfljfl Member Posts: 1,396
    With the belt, it could also be glazing or alignment. I heard of others using "belt dressing" but have never used it myself.

    Jim
  • Today's window seals are made out of ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), which is incompatible with oil-based or petroleum-distillate-based products. EPDM has excellent UV-resistant qualities, unlike natural rubber, but it's prone to sticking and tearing. There's a variety of products you can treat it with, like 303 Aerospace Protectant or Lexol Vinylex, just be sure whatever you use does not contain oil or petroleum distillates. I prefer 303 since it doesn't leave behind much residue. Good luck!
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    And we'd like to thank our sponsor, apparently NASA. LOL

    -juice
  • pbeck1pbeck1 Member Posts: 2
    Thanks for the replies. There is only 3600 miles on the car so I am hoping it is not the head gasket (unless it was misaligned at the factory). The only serice I have had was the oil changed. The odor was there prior to that. Hopefully it is something as simple as the overflow.

    Not sure if this helps clarify any potential problem. The odor is apparent both while sitting in traffic and when the car is shut off.
  • forestergumpforestergump Member Posts: 119
    A couple of years ago a mechanic at the local Subaru dealer warned be about the cheap OEM clamp that was on my '99 Forester. The clamp was on the upper hose coming from the radiator, and was (I think) directly above the housing for the timing belt. He said that is was common for coolant to leak out of the connection there and drip onto the housing. Because that area gets hot, you usually wouldn't find any coolant there, but instead would see some residue where it had dried. His concern was that it could cause some problems with the timing belt if any coolant got in there. His service manager kindly offered to replace the clamp to avoid such a problem for a mere $300 DOLLARS! For a clamp! I think he just didn't want to upset the scheduled service appointments for the day. I passed, and have been keeping an eye on it myself. I haven't had any problems, but you might want to check that out.
  • jlemolejlemole Member Posts: 345
    Thanks fellas. Since I have silicone spray, I'll give it a try (provided it meets EPDM compatibility protocols of course)?!? Oh man, you scientists are getting to me....I need a vacation.

    Jon
    (former blissfully ignorant Philosophy major)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I wonder if the smell is actually the undercoating overspray burning off the exhaust? I had that for the first month or two.

    -juice
  • jlemolejlemole Member Posts: 345
    There have been quite a few posts concerning a "burning" smell on new Subies. It's been attributed to undercoating, differential break-in and, in my case, the dealer told me it was leaky front axle seals causing axle lube to drip and burn off. Whatever it is, it seems alot of us have experienced some unusual odor early on in our Subies' lives.

    Jon
  • fargfamfargfam Member Posts: 30
    Hi all. I'm wondering just how well the side mirror heaters are supposed to work. I have '03 XS and thought the heated mirrors would at least dry the rain collected on the mirrors, but noticed no difference when on. My '95 Trooper practically "boils" the water off. Anyone else notice their heated mirrors working on their Forester?

    Matt
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I've ridden in Bob's Forester several times, including a couple of road trips to PA and NY, and in the rain the mirrors clear right up when you turn on the heat. I was very impressed!

    Yours may not be working properly.

    -juice
  • fargfamfargfam Member Posts: 30
    Thanks Juice. I'll take it in next week and see if they can find anything.
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    And I'm the idiot. Pulled into my driveway today and decided it was time to wash my GT. I backed down the long sloping driveway a bit, got out, opened the tailgate to remove some stuff and then went to get my car cleaning gear. As I exit the garage I see my Legacy just impacting the side of my neighbor's new extended cab Chevy PU that was parked across the street. Doh!

    I mean... engaging the parking brake and leaving it in gear is so second nature I can't believe I didn't do it. My GT suffered relatively minor damage to the tune of $1k. That's for a bumper and it's internals, bumper cover and interior trim panel for tailgate. I guess I was lucky the tailgate was open as it suffered no sheetmetal damage at all. Just the inside trim (tailight access) got cracked when it slammed down on the PU.

    The Chevy is much worse off. No estimate yet as the neighbor is still not home. But the rear small door on the drivers side is toast. As is the rocker panel and lower rear edge of the cab body.

    bit
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The Subie won that fight. ;-)

    Bummer, but we all make mistakes, and yours won't turn out to be that bad, all things considered. Noone was hurt.

    -juice
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    From one idiot to another, sorry to hear about your accident. I've had a couple of close calls -- guess I've just been lucky. Sometimes it's too easy to get your mind focused on the dumbest things and forget to park the car!

    Craig
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    Yeah well... I was a bit distracted. In fact I was trying to distract myself by washing the car. My wife, a friend and I all got sucker punched by a rogue wave on Sunday. We were out on the jetty facing the Pacific and well away from the surf. We got blindsided and my wife got pulled about 20 yards into the surf. In the process she blew out her knee. So I have been taking care of her round the clock and needed a little escape. This was unfortunately more than I was looking for.

    Just checked the Chevy truck again. Seems like I bent the lower side edge of the box too. Tough truck.

    Still no neighbor.

    bit
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    At the chat you mentioned he was pretty understanding.

    I now recall, one time I parked my '91 Escort GT, walked outside later and it had rolled to the other side of the street! Luckily a curb stopped it, and there was zero damage.

    Dumb luck, I tell ya.

    -juice
  • amsbearamsbear Member Posts: 147
    I had one too. Great little car! Just the right blend of Mazda engineering and aFordability.

    Alan - Missing my 5speed :(
    98 OBW Ltd
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Good powertrain, at least. It had the revvy 1.8l from the Protoge of that era, 127hp and decent torque for its size.

    My interior had things falling off once in a while, and my A/C died twice, but the powertrain ran 107k miles without even burning any oil.

    -juice
  • goosegoggoosegog Member Posts: 206
    Fargfam; The heated mirrors on my 00 OB have no effect on raindrops. But they do melt frost and ice, and they get rid of the dew/condensation that collects when parked.
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    Yeah the neighbor is great. He really took it well. Still no estimate on the trucks damage but I am still amazed. The truck really looks bad but my Legacy looks barely scratched. I crawled in, around and under it and all I can see is the bumper damage. All panels are straight and fit looks like new. No noticeable damage to unibody. No obvious misalignment of anything underneath. Even the tailgate fits straight despite being open and putting a dent in the top of the trucks cab.

    Funny. I feel lucky.

    bit
  • chilmarkchilmark Member Posts: 5
    my 99 ob has had a whining noise and now i see spots of oil under the vehicle. traced the oil to the transmission pan. tranny oil level is ok, front differential oil is very low. looks like a diff. problem & i have an appointment with the dealer next week-wondering how much this might cost. anyone have any ideas? thanks!
  • ebony5ebony5 Member Posts: 142
    I never thought to use heated mirrors for only rain, but in last nights rain I used the system in my '96 Outback it definately made a differance. That is why I like checking out these forums;even if there is nothing radically wrong I have learned many valuable bits of information.
  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    If the rain is coming down from the back, the heated mirror won't do much or nothing. Otherwise, it works great and I miss it. :(

    -Dave
  • idahodougidahodoug Member Posts: 537
    glad things are working out on this fluke - hope your wife recovers fully too. Knees are nothing to be ignored.

    On the damage and the truck's "weakness", note that your vehicle's strongest exterior surface went against its weakest. Sheetmetal vs a bumper produces a predictable result even if it's a Geo Metro vs a Suburban.

    I would have the Sube very carefully checked over by a really good shop. An impact that heavy with the hatch open can produce some stress risers that would not have happened with the structural assistance of the hatch being in place. Glad nobody was hurt.

    IdahoDoug
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Maybe size doesn't matter? LOL

    I mean, your structure must be stiffer, at least at the point of impact. I thought heavier objects were supposed to "win" those fights, but not in this case.

    -juice
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    chilmark: first I'd heard of a gear oil leak. Hmm, that stuff is very thick, so that may be why it's so rare. You sure it's not engine oil from the back of the engine block, perhaps spilling on the tranny?

    -juice
  • lakepoplakepop Member Posts: 221
    Well since the Sube was moving and the truck stationary......we get to the :
               
           force= weight x speed squared

    The poor truck took a pretty good shot depending on how fast the Suby got moving down the slope prior to impact. Amplified by the size of the impacting point.

    OK....just a comment.....GO SUBY!
  • maverick1017maverick1017 Member Posts: 212
    I don't know about that idahodaug, I backed into an F150 at <5mph and cracked the front bumper. It wasn't an offset impact either, it was my sube's rear bumper straight into his front. $400+ just for the bumper on the ford. no damage except a two new scratch marks in the plastic bumper cover for the sube. HAHA! I still get a kick at the look of amazment on the Ford driver's face when he compare the damage to his truck vs my sube. (not that I am happy I got into the fender bender in the first place)

    Mike
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    Just stopping in to say hello! Been reading the board, but, haven't had much to contribute. Very busy getting ready for winter too. Sorry to hear about your mishap Bit.

    Greg
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    I do worry about there being unseen damage. The visual inspections the body shops have done looked for stress marks, cracked paint and misaligned panels but found none. Infact it seems the bumper deflection made no noticeble contact with the sheetmetal. Once the bumper cover is removed more damage might be evident. We even went over the tailgate with a fine tooth comb since it was open and did put a dent in the top of the PU cab. The only damage to the tailgate is a slight scuff on the interior trim. But overall the gate fits perfectly and there is no sign of stress either on the exterior or at the attachment points.

    It still is amazing that the point of contact worked out so well in my favor. Seeing how the truck is a Silverado 4X4 and sits high(ish) and I have a Legacy and not the higher OB. Contact was mainly between right side of my rear bumper and just above the lower door edge of the truck. Additional contact was from the rest of my bumper and the cab body and bed.

    I suppose I could have it checked on a frame machine... or maybe get a 4 wheel alignment just to check.

    Thanks for all the replies.

    bit
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    just my 2 cents, but after what you went through with the sunroof on your first GT you do not need all the second guessing that you are getting now.

     If on close inspection everything looks okay it probably is, even though the tailgate was open it is hardly likely that the car was rolling fast enough to do massive hidden damage.

      I would venture to say that I am at least as fussy as you with my car, and this impact would hardly cause me to lose any sleep, fix it and forget it.

      Cheers Pat.
  • scherbergerscherberger Member Posts: 7
    Have looked through postings for other issues and found success. Hope that someone will be kind enough to help me out.

    Am owner of Forester ( 2000) . Have a terrible rattle in dash ( right side ) . Was there since 2600 clicks. Dealer cannot seem to fix it. Now it is evident on left side ( but not as pronounced) and on occasion in the centre of the dash.

    Noise seems to be near the front part of the dash( near the windshield) .

    Noise is very loud when going over rough pavement.( sounds like two pieces hitting together really fast almost not secured ). Does not have to even be that rough ( could be as slight as a manhole cover or joint on the highway). Is noticeable when driving normal city speed( 50 km and above ) but is slowly starting to become evident at slower speed if the road is extremely rough.

    Typically, the dealer cannot duplicate the sound. One dealer told me that he heard it but did not know what it was. Nice!!!

    Have removed everything from glove box -- noise still persists.

    Any help / thoughts / solutions would be greatly appreciated.
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    Thanks. Means a lot coming from you. I did my best "OCD" routine already on this one and am happy with what I see.

    But now I gotta pick the body shop to do the work. The big fancy shop, the shop the Soob dealer uses or the small 2 person shop that also did some of the nice street rods in town. The latter getting the largest number of positive referrals. But then again ts only the bumper...

    bit
  • rob999rob999 Member Posts: 233
    My OB had a rattle up in the same area. It was the connection between the vent grille and the HVAC duct pipe.

    Find a rough road and have your front passenger (unless you have long arms and can reach) press on the vent grille to see if the timbre of the vibration changes at all. That may be the problem.

    I popped the plastic vent grille out. It's shaped like a funnel, where the small end connects to the supply pipe and the large end opens up into the grille. I folded some electricians tape into the inside of the small end to ensure a tighter fit and that took care of the problem.

    If you take the vent grill out, also check any wiring harness(es) behind there to make sure that they're not rattling against the ductwork or back side of the glove box. Tape or tie-wrap as required. That may have been a contributor to my dash rattle as well - I taped down part of a loose harness that was just behind the vent grille.
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    If it makes you feel any better, you could try to reproduce part of the crash -- just to see how fast the car was rolling when it gets to where the truck was (just STAY IN THE CAR this time around!). My bet is that it was not rolling too fast.

    The parts on the truck were sheet metal, and the wagon's back bumper is pretty solid (beam+foam+cover). It makes sense to me that the truck had a lot of damage and, in direct correspondance, that the wagon had very little. I think the truck's sheet metal dissipated most of the crash energy. The foam under the wagon's bumper may have been compressed, but I bet that's the extent of the "hidden" damage. If the car drives straight and all the doors and hatch operate correctly, that's a very good sign.

    Craig
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    The reason the ford took on more damage was that trucks don't have 5mph bumpers. My trooper has a paper thin steel or aluminum beam behind the plastic bumper. When I took it off to put on my ARB it was about 5-10lbs max. Now if you hit that F150 at say 25mph, I'd not want to be in the subie personally.

    -mike
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