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Comments
Sam
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=781242
Actually, "trans diff clutch & seal kit" could be translated on this basis: the front and center differentials share a housing with the transmission (front is located fore of the transmission and center differential is aft), the center differential uses a series of clutch plates to regulate power to the front and rear axles, and you'd want to replace the seals that isolate the differentials from the transmission as long as you're in there doing work.
I'm guessing the shop feels there is a problem with the center differential, though I'm surprised it was not discussed with you. I would go back to them and ask for an explanation of the diagnosis (in plain English).
The mechanic said something about power not going to the rear wheels (which would point to a center differential problem, indeed). Also said that if it doesn't get fixed, it will ruin the transmission.
Here is the list of parts for the repairs:
- wheel bearing $127.03
- hub $129.55
- trans diff clutch & seal kit $260 (NIS)
- 6 ATF $52.00
- long rear control arm bolt and nut $36.00
The 6 ATF quarts also would point to something related to transmission or a part that connects to the transmission.
Once warm, one of two things happen. Either the leak is temperature dependent, like a worn seal, and it now mates better and no longer leaks. Or, once engine management is running closed loop, the feedback compensates for the pressure drop and corrects the mixture.
Just another guess, as we cannot see it in action....
Let us know what it was, ok?
Sam
and the immobilizer isnt flashing same deal?
is there anything i can try to fix it? :confuse:
What is your car not doing (other than the light not flashing)? I am assuming that the light used to flash?
2. If one attempts running 87 octane, what will happen? I've heard everything from detonation to engine overheating/CHK Engine light on.
FYI so far I only use Premium gas (92 octane), and the stock Subie diff oil.
I don't know about the 87 octane.
Fuel requirements
-Non-turbo models
The non-turbo engine is designed to operate using unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 87 AKI or higher.
Detonation isn't an on/off switch. Mild detonation you may not even hear, especially if you have the stereo up loud, windows down or a modified exhaust. The knock sensor hears it, though, and it pulls back ignition timing which generally solves the issue.
Severe detonation is very serious. You should be able to hear and feel the sluggish response from the engine. The knock sensor will NOT stop severe detonation; by the time you notice it, the knock sensor has already tried to dial back timing and the detonation is still there. You MUST lift your foot to avoid damage to the engine. (Valves, cylinder head, piston, piston rings, connecting rod, rod bearings.)
I would never, ever drive any car that requires premium fuel with anything less. The 15-25 cents per gallon savings will never be worth the risk.
And I view cars that merely 'recommend' premium fuel but say they can run on 87 with 'some impact on performance and economy' with high suspicion.. I would run premium all the time.
The manual says:
"The 2.5-liter turbo engine is designed to
operate using premium unleaded gasoline
with an octane rating of 91 AKI or higher. If
premium unleaded gasoline is not available,
regular unleaded gasoline with an
octane rating of 87 AKI or higher may be
temporarily used. For optimum engine
performance and driveability, it is required
that you use premium grade unleaded
gasoline.
NOTE
Be sure to use premium unleaded
gasoline of 91 AKI or higher for turbo
models. If other gasoline (lower than 91 AKI)
is used, knocking, reduced output
and poor accelerator response will
result."
But several people on the Forester Forum have used regular gas in their XT, not noticed any problem, and asked why they should not do it. Evidently they drive so gently that they don't encounter knocking. One wonders why they have an XT.
The management systems of some engines allow the unrestricted use of both regular and premium gas. The Subaru turbo does not, but the Toyota truck V-6 does:
From the 2006 Toyota Tacoma truck Owners Manual:
(2TR-FE is the 2.7L I-4 and 1GR-FE is the 4.0L V-6)
OCTANE RATING
2TR- FE engine - Select Octane Rating 87 (Research Octane Number 91) or higher.
1GR- FE engine - Select Octane Rating 87 (Research Octane Number 91) or higher. For improved vehicle performance, use premium unleaded gasoline with an Octane Rating of 91 (Research Octane Number 96) or higher.
I can't tell you how this has changed my opinion of Subaru mechanics. I don't know what they were checking all the times I left it overnight so they "could hear it in the morning". I have no idea how much time and money this irritating noise has cost me. Totally unnecessary.
So please if you have this 'clacking' sound in the front of the engine - have them check the Tensioner if all else fails. Especially if you are under warranty.
Scrappy was right on when he replied:
My dealer now has a stack of service bulletins copied about the cold start "diesel engine" sound that they just hand out to customers who complain--though they will check over the cars to make sure it isn't something else--like a bad timing belt tensioner.
Unfortunately, after the mechanic changed the Belt and Tensioner - he informed me that my 'left subframe' is so rusted, it may not be safe!!!!! Beautiful....
Anybody have any ideas about subframes.....it only has 91K on it.....bought it 8/2001 - it is a 2002 OBS Impreza?????
However it is a boatload of labor to replace.
I would shrug and move on unless we're talking serious perforation. Even in that case, I'd be looking to sell rather than repair unless you're dead-set on driving this car another 100k.
Knock knock, have a few stories to pass there as well. When it comes to timing systems, if you are off the slightest bit in the wrong direction you will get that diesel noise. I had my 86 Toy Tercel do it to me about two years ago until the belt broke. Drove me nuts trying to figure it out. On went the new belt, set it all up correctly and noise was gone! Summation of the repair, belt had jumped time enough to cause a piston to tap a valve. Not good. Car still in service 10K miles later.
Another tapping noise will result if you use an oil filter that does not have an anti-drain back valve. AKA check valve. I had a 94 Subie in MO the first time that had tapped for years on a rear driver side cylinder. A valve tap noise. Even tapped after putting the correct filter on. In went 8-16 ounces of Marvel Mystery oil. Few miles later, quiet as a mouse.
As for Subie dealer mechanics in general, I give them a "c" at best for the ones I have followed. That same car had one bank off one tooth on the timing belt. But recently when I saw how that driver drives it, He may have caused it to jump. Heavy foot. I spent time explaining how you can make a belt jump time by putting your foot into it big time. Needless to say, I have gone back to looking for timing chains in cars now when buying new.
So, in short. Knock knock who is there....if you have a heavy foot take a very good look at all timing components when that noise happens! Pray you just jumped time a little and have done no real damage! Keep the engine below 3-4K rpms and only that when absolutely needed. Much higher than that and you run the risk of jumping time.
Today I took my car to a local guy to fix my exhaust. My temporary weld to the resonator gave up the ghost after three years so I'll probably need a new 'b' pipe. However, I asked him to tell me if he felt the left subframe rot was a safety hazard. I will let you know.
Any other thoughts/questions I should ask, would be greatly appreciated. I really would like to drive this car another 10 yrs - that would only be 180k - supposedly doable by Subaru standards. But I certainly want to be safe.
I thought I was home free after the Tensioner riddle was solved.
Thanks
Peter
(As noted previously, I recently resolved my knocking by replacing the timing belt and the faulty tensioner - which began this whole thread.)
I have had to replace the rear wheel bearings over time but nothing major comes to mind......
Anyone and all advice would be greatly appreciated!
Peter
I haven't used Marvel (basically ATF) in 30 years. I remember it did have some benefit to loosening up stuck hydraulic valve lifters on an old Ford. But you found it useful on a modern engine? Cool!
Jack it up yourself and look!
Sure beats turning a wrench when it fixes a problem.
I had the same thinking about the filter as well back then when the local dealer had told me about the filter causing a valve tap. The after market filter in use at the time did not have that valve. I have not seen the lack of this valve lately.
Rust never sleeps
Still, those come from Japan so they are coated at the factory. Strange.
Wow. That is serious rust.
However they also said the subframe was easy to replace. If they're right (and my previous comment is wrong), that's good.
Now for the headache if you thought that was too easy, you are correct. This is a northern vehicle! On the 94, I had a nut inside the main frame unit break its welds when dropping the rear axle. That car stayed up about 2 months while we debated how to best remedy that problem. So as you gather I raise concerns as well for yours. Not to mention the overall condition of the mainframe system. On the '94 we had to violate the main frame interigity by cutting into it to hold the nut in place with a wrench when we replaced the axle. That has left a watch item on the maintenance records. Car has been over 30K since then, no problems.
Have at least a 1/2 drive socket set and a 2 foot breaker bar handy, you will need it. A lot of rust busting penetrant and patience. If it was mine, she would be in the air right now taking my time with her. One reason we keep and extra vehicle on hand, so we can deal slowly with headaches like this.
Yup, the Japanese seem to do a better job rustproofing, but even they seem to be gettin lax in the past few years. The 2003 Impeza has a lot of surface rust on its undercarriage I noted last time.
I couldn't pass the smog check. It is a weird thing. When the technician try to keep the RPM at 2750 for 30 seconds he couldn't - even using the special stick to push the pedal. He slowly pushed the accelerator pedal up to reach 2750 RPM. The RPM was increased nicely however when he try to hold it at 2750 it quickly jumped over 3000 RPM. When he pulled back the accelerator a tiny bit the RPM fall back to 1800 RPM. He tried several times and he couldn't keep the RPM in the required range. Anybody has any clue what is going on?
Thanks,
Peter
By 'unstable' what do you mean.. Does the rpm fluctuate, or rise evenly but at a much faster rate than below 2700 rpm?
I was under the car last month when swapping out the snow tires, and thinking that the rear third looks pretty awful for a sub 10 year old vehicle. I need to 'spray paint' the rear section with a full can of penetrating lube. By contrast, the front section looks great.
Just avoid the models with the ultra-low profile tires.
Subaru could have very well got a bad batch of expoxy paint: maybe changed makers on that those years and we are seeing the end results. I imagine everyone recalls bad paint jobs of the late 80 and early 90's. That sold me right out of "American made?"
To further highlight this point, I will tell you of the following. MY 86 Toyota Tercel has a recall on it right now! Federal Mogul replacement fuel pumps sold around 2005 have failures around the seal causing a nasty leak onto the manifolds system. Not good. Point of this example is not all OEM parts are made by whoever built the car and the same applies to aftermarket. Sadly, I am the one who has to change it. Never fails, the mechanics car is the last to hit the rack! When ever I do pull one off the road for major work, I fix everything I see in the tear down process. No sense in putting something back that is going to fail later when it is already removed!
Case in point, a bolt in the clutch fork system broke causing the clutch not to work. Had to remove trans to fix. Cracks in bell housing where fixed by an aluminin welding specialist. Two steering rack boots were spotted failing or near failure at 45K service! Boots on one half shaft starting to crack. None of this is worth my time or effort to go and fix later especially since the car is in its off summer season. Our older cars get the summer off here. Newer ones catch the heat! I can only wonder about the quality/age of those steering rack boots on a reman rack with only 45K on them. O'Reilly's wanted $25 for one and $35 for the other. Found them at rockauto.com for $10 each. Gimme 2 of each atittude hit me right then and there! 2 install 2 for stock. Car is almost back together, but she has been in the air for a while with me taking my time. Should I say, a few months. Guys, take heart. Here the wife can not complain, because I am she! At least I have a car going no matter what! Keep those eyes open and know what you have on a watch list for each vehicle you have. It is well worth writing it down.
Amen!
When one has old vehicles like mine, the "list" gets far too long to commit to memory.... :sick:
I had already had a local mechanic order the subframe parts and caught him before he was going to begin work on it. I will also have him do the exhaust and rear drum brakes - rotors rusted (big surprise).
The local guy is very trustworthy and I don't want to give him the run around - and I would certainly pay for whatever expenses he has incurred - if Subaru miraculously is willing to underwrite it.
It is not an inconvenience for me to wait till Friday. But I want to treat this local guy with respect. (GirlCarBuilder?).
Here is the question for the board: what are the odds that Subaru will do anything for me. It is a 2002 OBS Impreza; used to live in Minnesota....... Has anyone ever heard of SOA paying part of a fix, like if I ultimately had my local guy do the work? He was expecting the part today......or do these dealers always want to perform the job?
Thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks again Fibber and all the guys and gals on the board. Very helpful.
I also have a Toyota, and was driving thru the dealership's back lot the other day. They have a stack of (I think?) Tundra truck frames rusting in a heap. Looks like they are stripping the bodies off of frames and restoring them. Must be a lot of labor to do an entire vehicle, but apparently something is going on.
I have an understanding with my jobbers that if I order something and decide later I do not need it, I will eat it before they do. Many times they can return the part, but sometimes they can not. Helps on the much older cars still in service like the 86 Toy and the 89 Mazda when it comes to ordering parts.