Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

once_for_all · July 2004

others have mentioned the langka kit as being the best professional DIY paint repair kit.

http://www.langka.com/newsite/index2.html

John

edunnett · July 2004

if it's white, i'd bet you just scratched the clearcoat and can rub that out with some gentle compound. sometimes i actually need COMPOUND rather than the more gentle polishing compound but either way, I would try some sort of compound first. if it doesn't do the trick for you, then bring it to a detailer or body shop for an estimate.
e

p0926 · July 2004

Sounds like your clutch pedal needs a squirt of lubricant ;-)

-Frank

devore420 · July 2004

Good stuff. Thanks for the info. I'll give something a try and report back how it works.

edunnett · July 2004

I went to have my car worked on recently and the shop told me that my old plugs weren't on tight enough and they were so kind as to re-torque them for me. Because they are due to be changed, I tried to change the plugs today and found that the shop over-torqued them (or at least #4) so that I was never able to get the plug out and the porcelain cracked right down the line. So now I have three plugs presumably still firing but maybe not removable and one plug in pieces and stuck in the engine.

I will of course be taking this matter up with the shop (especially since I just spent $2500 there and found another issue or two) but I'm wondering what the hazards are of driving the car with one plug in this type of shape - just to drive it the 30 miles to the shop? Also, what do you think about my own culpability here in that I was the one who cracked it? Should I put the boot back on to drive it there or leave it out? Is a tow more advisable? How large is the risk of bits of porcelain getting in the engine? Is there any way that I can get the plug out and the cracked porcelain out on my own safely? Any recommendations? Liquid wrench - is that ok to spray in there?

Someone please help! Juice?

Elissa

edunnett · July 2004

I sprayed a little canned frozen air to shrink the threads and clean out the bits of porcelain from in the hole and then sprayed in one small squirt of WD-40. I let it sit about an hour then came back and I was able to get the plug out... of course not after I left an all-too-angry message on at the repair shop that torqued them so tight - oops! I wish I could somehow prove they were over-tightened, but I think I'm to blame for cracking the porcelain. I'm not looking forward to the other three...
e

[Deleted User] · July 2004

Looks like you were up pretty late working on that. Glad it turned out OK. Follow the same procedure for the other plugs and I bet you'll be fine, and don't forget to add a little anti-seize compound to those new plug threads. Any shop who tightened a plug that much, and presumably used the old crush washer, deserves a word or two, so don't feel guilty.

Your broken plug experience is why I'm not a big believer in the "100,000-mile plus" used in modern cars. Even if the plug can last that long, I'd certainly hate being the one attempting to loosen it from an aluminum block after that much time. At a minimum plugs should be pulled every 50,000 miles, cleaned, re-lubed with anti-seize, and re-installed with a new crush washer.

lfdal · July 2004

Have that happen enough times and then you get to learn about heli-coils.

Arrgh.

Larry

kens · July 2004

I had the oil in my new LGT wagon changed at 1000 miles by the dealer since they offered it for free.

When I looked at the RO, I realized they had used 10W30 instead of 5W30. Technically, there should be no cold-pour difference at summertime temps (mornings around 60 degrees).

Any reason why this wouldn't apply to a new engine?

Ken

hammerhead · July 2004

I wouldn't think at summertime temps there'd be a problem. Is there a difference between 'cold-pour' & 'flow' characteristics? I'm sure no expert, though.

Good excuse to drive it a lot & change it back to 5W30 before fall!

Cheers!
Paul

locke2c · July 2004

10w30 vs. 5w30 won't make a bit of difference year-round in the bay area.

~c

justin · July 2004

still looking at Subies. looked at an Impreza wagon, a Forester, and I am now also considering a 2004 Legacy Wagon 35th Anniv edition. i like that it has more backseat room than the Impreza, but isn't "jacked up" looking like the Forester. with those sporty wheels, it looks quite nice.

anyway, same question as always:

2004 Legacy automatic a good idea? known problems? MSN says that 02 models had CEL and charcoal cannister problems - are those squared away for 2004? are the AWD units on the automatic models hearty and fairly maintenance free?

thanks!

oh, how is the brake rotor quality? do they warp easily like my current Accord? (HATE IT)

edunnett · July 2004

after some bad tranny experiences with my '01 manual forester, and finding out mine were not isolated incidents, i personally consider the manual transmission on subarus to be a bit of a fussy component. i prefer (and most recently purchased) automatic subarus, it seems to me they are more solidly made? a bunch of folks will disagree with me saying how strong their manual transmission subaru is I'm sure, but there are some documented issues with that transmission. I think you'd be making a fine choice with an automatic legacy.
elissa

eb12 · July 2004

I agree with Elissa about Subaru's AT. I also own a 5-speed (with clutch chatter) 01 Outback, I now have a 03 Legacy LSE with AT. The car shifts smoothly and no problems on the intetstate. You should get a great deal with the 05 models out now. Eric

edunnett · July 2004

Ok, I have a non-subaru related question but this board is so full of people who KNOW stuff - vs the Honda boards... Maybe someone knows the answer here...

I just changed the manual tranny fluid in my "new" '86 Civic. The owners manual calls for motor oil in the tranny, not entirely uncommon in Hondas. What I drained out of there smelled distinctly like gear oil! My guess is some bozo filled up the tranny with 75w90 gear oil instead of 10w40 motor oil. Do you know if there will be transmission damage as a result? Also, owners manual calls for SE or SF grade motor oil but... well, the standards are higher and I can't find that grade any more - it got SL or something up there. Any worries?

Thanks in advance and sorry for the non-subie posting!

Elissa

samiam_68 · July 2004

86 Civics never die. They just keep rolling no matter what fluids you use.... I wouldn't worry too much about it.

andmoon · July 2004

Look at motorcycle/diesel specific motor oils for older rated stuff. I think SG is what are on shelves now. The older rated oils supposedly has more protection in exchange for fuel economy.

crashton6 · July 2004

Gear oil is a high pressure lubricant. That's why it's used in rear ends & some trannies. The Honda trans doesn't have any hypoid gears in the differential in the tranny. I'm guessing that's why Father Honda speced motor oil instead of gear oil. Also for reasons of fuel efficiency too. Some front drivers even spec ATF for their manual trans axles. The stuff that you drained out could have been gear oil. That's a very common mistake that's made. One way to tell is to take a good smell of the stuff. It has a very nasty sulfurish smell. Could also have been quite likely that the fluid has never been changed & was just mondo dirty.

Chuck

edunnett · July 2004

chuck - andmoon - samiam
thanks for all the info - i love this board. :-) now i'm looking for an appropriate board to help me trouble shoot the engine getting hot when going up a hill of about 2 miles, regardless of mpg (carbureted). *sigh* timing checked fine, cooling system all fixed up, auxiliary radiator fan doesn't seem to kick on, engine idle about 200 rpm too fast, only symptoms.
Thanks!,
elissa

samiam_68 · July 2004

Elissa - how many miles on the car? You may want to try turning the A/C on. I know this seems counter-intuitive, but in some cars, that will force the auxillary fans(s) to turn on.

edunnett · July 2004

samiam - car has 126K miles on it but due to a bad A/C (idle up) solenoid, the car stalls at idle when the A/C is on :-) he he he ... but going up hill on a continuous stretch w/o stops that might not be a problem... I'll try that to see if it helps cool the engine - also gonna try the heat on to see if i can bleed the engine of the excess heat. Just wish I knew what was CAUSING it to get so hot...?
thanks,
elissa

maverick1017 · August 2004

Simple solution? I am fresh out of ideas. Here is the situation, 98 Forester AT, recently had leftside cylinder head replaced, since then there has been this ratteling noise on acceleration but it only rears its head after the car has been driven for a while, >30 minutes. Sometimes it doesn't happen at all, if I hop on freeways right away. noise seem to decipate with droping ambiant temperature. Dealer can't reproduce the noise, been there twice in one week. I checked all the heatshields (hot!) and they were all tight, so there goes that idea. I added a can of octane booster and the problem seem to have gone away for the most part, except after the car had been sitting idel for a while, e.g. sitting in traffic, then accelerating the noise comes back but not as loud as before. I am suspecting the knock sensor but not very sure about it. Any suggestions? diagnosis? potions and ritual dances welcomed as well, this is starting to bug me a great deal.

Thank you all!

Mike

P.S. recently moved back to NYC, any subie club events around here?

asahi · August 2004

I recently purchased a new 2004 Forester XT, manual transmission, and have just passed the 4,000 km mark.
Still in the process of becoming familiar with the quirks of my Forester, one of which is rapidly becoming an everyday annoyance.
On a fairly regular basis , the engine seems to surge at around 2200-2500 rpm especially in fourth gear at around 60km per hr and emits a kind of booming sound if left in that range.It sounds like I am shifting down to 3rd even though I am riding in 4th gear and have made no gear change Since I do a lot of city driving , this means that this is a fairly persistent situation. If I accelerate to 80km or slow down to 40km per hr. the engine seems to settle down and the surge disappears.
I have driven a wide assortment of vehicles in the past 30 years but have never encountered this situation.
My question is:
Is this a normal feature of this engine?[Mine is not a turbo engine so I presume that there is no link there.]Will I damage the engine if I continue to drive the vehicle?The check engine light does not illuminate when this happens.
Is 60 km per hour too low a speed to be in 4th gear? {If so, this is not a city car since gas mileage cost would be prohibitive if I had to stay in 3rd gear all the time. I know the Forester likes the open road but since I live in the city I have to watch the speed limits!

Is there a solution to this problem or do I have no choice but to live with it?

samiam_68 · August 2004

If you have the XT, then you have the turbo engine. I would take it to the dealer and go for a drive with the mechanic.

asahi · August 2004

Thanks samiam 68 for getting back to me so promptly.
Wish I had the Turbo but actually it's the 2.5X. My mistake, a case of wishful thinking.
Just came back from a city drive and stayed in 3rd gear at 60kph . No engine surge.The manual recommends shifting to 4th at 65kph.Pretty awkward in city driving given the speed limits where I live.
Went for a test drive with the mechanic last week. Of course, no engine surge.Other than this surge , the engine performs quite normally.

frog · August 2004

I just want to plug the legacy 2004 wagon Ann. edition. Have the manual with 4000 miles on it and it is perfect. Everyone who rides in it wants to own it. The only white 2004 I have seen in 3 months of ownership, washed twice and looks like new always. Plenty of power, great breaks( it is flat around here I will admit though they feel responsive ) nice interior for a 19-20K dollar car, and all around a good value. Granted, I would prefer an 05 with power seats, the 04 is a great car. My advice, If you drive manual and can't afford the 05 or a new Porshe, buy the 04 Legacy wagon....

once_for_all · August 2004

our '89 Isuzu Trooper called for 30 wt in the transmission. However, it always made a whinny noise. In my "infinite" wisdom I thought I would try 90 wt in it and see if the noise would go away. I found out after 5 miles that the synchros would not work and had to go back to the 30 wt.

My suspicion is that there are bearings that don't get adequate lubrication with the 90 weight (since the tranny is splash lubricated). But, ymmv.

John

edunnett · August 2004

ah - but i just found out that 90w gear oil is equivalent to 40w motor oil. don't know why there are different scales for similar viscosities but i doubt the viscosity was an issue - i'm more concerned about the properties of the gear vs motor oils. although with 127K miles on it, the transmission seems pretty solid! :-)
elissa

jfl · August 2004

John,

The problem with the syncros may have been due to the friction modifiers in gear oil. Redline has two 75W-90 gear oils. One with friction modifiers for the diffy and one without for the manual tranny. The syncros need a bit of friction to work.

Most GL-5 gear oils have friction modifiers.

Jim

edunnett · August 2004

Now, I can detect the smell of gear oil, but I can't detect wether there is a friction modifier or not! :-) I'm assuming it had no friction modifier since my synchros were working. Do you think there is anything to worry about having had gear oil in a tranny that calls for motor oil? I think someone responded that it's an '86 Civic so it will run forever regardless - true, true! :-)
elissa

once_for_all · August 2004

how does sleeping in your '86 Civic compare to your XT compare to your hubbies' CRV?

John

edunnett · August 2004

John, you have an excellent memory! I still think the Forester is the best sleep-mobile out there. The Civic Wagon or CR-V will do in a pinch, not as bad as sleeping in the old Civic hatch, but not so comfy either. -e

barbsee · August 2004

Still lovin' this car, look forward to getting into it after work every day and that means something in this wack-o world.
Last week one of the black plastic grilles on the fog lights (drivers side) suddenly disappeared. Only place in town that can replace it is the dealer--$45. I can't afford that right now, so I just took the other one off.
Does this grille have a vital function? I know it looks cool, but if it's the kind of thing that frequently falls off or is stolen I may choose to just go grille-less until time to trade in my Subaru for a new Subaru sometime in the far far away.
I know one of you has some great advice.

ateixeira · August 2004

I just took the other one off

That's hilarious!

My wife's Legacy also lost the same part, maybe I should do the same? I was going to use Subaru bucks from my Chase card to pay for it.

It's just cosmetic.

BTW, to clean the cladding just wash it. If you get wax on it and it discolors, peanut butter helps remove that wax. It works like a charm. Creamy Jiff is best. Why? Because you can eat what is left over and it tastes good.

)

-juice

edunnett · August 2004

If you get wax on it and it discolors, peanut butter helps remove that wax. It works like a charm. Creamy Jiff is best.

Juice, I'm trying to picture you taste-testing various ingredients to find the tastiest thing in your kitchen that would remove wax from the plastic cladding! :-)

ateixeira · August 2004

Just don't try crunchy - it might scratch your paint. ;-)

-juice

crashton6 · August 2004

Juice I've heard that too. I'd be afraid to come out of the house & find a dog chewing on my car. LOL

Chuck

jfl · August 2004

Nah, the dog won't chew on your car, but he'll probably lick and slobber all over it.

However, the ants...

Jim

lfdal · August 2004

Since it looks like I'm going to find my own antifreeze leak, anyone know how much a reasonably good quality pressure tester should cost?

TIA

Larry

andmoon · August 2004

Larry,
I rented one years ago from a service station when I had a very slow coolant leak I couldn't find. (acura legend) The leak turned out to be a barely seeping waterpump...pressure test didn't show, seeped only with engine hot so nothing on the floor.
Don

ebony5 · August 2004

How often, how necessary, and what are indications that the power steering fluid has to be flushed and changed? When/if this is done, does anyone have a ballpark figure as to the cost. I drive a '96 OBW and live in New York City. Thanks

joee1 · August 2004

When I drive around town with air set to max and the fan to low, my air conditioner produces sort of a "moaning" noise. I thought at first that it was the brakes squealing, but it wasn't. When I turn the air off the noise goes away. Also, when I pull in the drive way with air on, and then cut the engine off I get the "moaning" noise.

Any ideas?

once_for_all · August 2004

it is telling you to move to a cooler climate :-)

Sounds like normal cycling of the compressor to me. It goes off and on and makes a whoosing sound (moaning?) when that happens.

John

edunnett · August 2004

Larry,

I have been reading a bunch about cooling problems lately because I have a civic that gets a bit hot... Have you changed your oil recently and is there coolant in the oil (keep fingers crossed that that's a "no")? Have you drained the coolant and is there oil in the coolant? Again, please say 'no'. Do you get white smoke out the tail pipe on warm days or after car has warmed up? All those symptoms could be a failure of your head gasket or busted cylinder head - HIGHLY unlikely in a car as new as yours but maybe a manufacturing defect (???) that's causing coolant to seep into the combustion chamber? Maybe you can have a repair shop "sniff" your coolant for hydrocarbons which would indicate one of these failures.

I've also read that a home mechanic can do their own "leak down test" which is better than a cooling system pressure test since it can detect problems in the engine which COULD be related?

A cooling system pressure test OR leak down test should cost you $50-100 at a repair shop. The tools to do it yourself... probably are in the same range, maybe a bit more. There is a pressure tester at autopartsamerica for $103.

Elissa

lfdal · August 2004

Elissa - Thanks for the well thought out response. I appreciate it. Seems to be very much an external "leak" - perhaps "seep" is a better word. When I open the hood after the engine's nice and hot - say after about an hour of stop and go driving with the temperature above 80 or so, the smell seems to be coming from the engine on the drivers side, closer to the front.

Oil smells and looks too good for evidence of antifreeze but I'll be sending out a sample for analysis after the next change. Nix on the smoke.

I was looking at a dye kit this weekend for about $70 at Autozone. The dye works with coolant, a/t fluid, etc. Looks to be a uv based substance. I'm going to shop price then try something like that I think.

It ticks me off that I'm going to have to spend more time that I don't have to do the dealer's work for him.

Larry

lfdal · August 2004

Okay, folks here's today's latest noise question, and its a beauty. Anyone ever have a problem with a rattling sound that only occurs in reverse? Sounds / seems to be coming from the rear of the car.

Typical scenario - drive home, no noise. Get to driveway, position car to back-in. Put it in reverse, start to back-up, rattles. A lot. Stops after a few feet. Anyone got any ideas? I'd appreciate them.

My love affair with this car (04 XT) is fading fast.

Larry

fibber2 · August 2004

Larry,

Could you perhaps be backing uphill to get into your driveway? It sounds like 'lugging' is making the exhaust shields rattle?

Steve

fibber2 · August 2004

My friend's new '05 OBW XT does not have grills over the fogs. I am thinking of removing them from my '02 OBW to update the look!

Steve

hammerhead · August 2004

Might be something as simple as a rock in the stone shield behind one of the brake discs - sometimes those rascals will only announce themselves in one direction. Could a parking brake be hanging up?

Cheers!
Paul

fibber2 · August 2004

Interesting.... Short of a system failure requiring a fluid dump, I have never heard of anyone simply doing it pro-actively.

I once had a rack replaced ('97 Dodge GC). It took what seemed like weeks to totally purge the system of air. It had a strange feel, and made plenty of noise. The service dept just kept saying to give it time to resolve itself.

Steve

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