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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.
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
Thanks,
Don Luce
Jay
Caliper bolts: 19 ft-lbs
Carrier to hub bolts: 59 ft-lbs
Cheers,
Jay.
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
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
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
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
Elissa
-mike
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.
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
Cheers Pat.
Cheers,
Jay.
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
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
Dave
-mike
Tim
Looks like some pretty thick stuff.
http://www.amsoil.com/products/svg.htm
-Dennis
DaveM
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
Thanks for the post! Please let us know what you and your dealer discover! I'm dying to know.
Elissa
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.
-mike
-mike
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
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
-juice
Elissa
Jim
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
-mike
As a last resort, you can try installing a different size blade (like the ones that were on when you bought the car).
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
-mike
-juice
-Brian