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We haven't added the conditioner yet, but I think when I flush and fill I'll go ahead and use it.
-juice
Unless it's a Subaru shop or a Subaru enthusiast site, people won't know. So-called mechanics and experts tow AWD vehicles incorrectly all the time (ie, with just two wheels on the ground) and it would not surprise me if they were similarly clueless about the tires. Independent of AWD, any good speed shop should know about shaving tires. It's very common amongst the weekend-racer crowd.
The diffs in the AWD system are sensitive to 0.25" of a difference according to Subaru. Now, how much leeway exists is unknown to me at this point, but one of our members here (paisan) ran into this problem on an Isuzu with AWD. He had a whining noise at speed that turned out to be the differential reacting to a slightly different tire (similar situation to you).
Not sure what to recommend at this point; I would be tempted to run with the new tire, but then again, it would suck if it lead to diff problems later on. The best solution still appears to be getting the tire shaved to match.
Craig
-juice
I'd personally use the 6 heat range NGK copper v-power, but you can try the 5 if you want. for best results, change them every 15- 20,000 miles. by now at 30k, there should be a notable difference.
~Colin
~c
Actually I miss the squirrely tail, just a little. It used to be pretty easy to break the rear loose under throttle, now that only happens at higher rpm.
Of course the Miata makes approximately zero foot-pounds under 4000 rpm.
-juice
Bob
I would figure about 1 hour per wheel, and I believe the bearing assemblies are pushing $100 (Liberty Subaru has them on-line at about $76 + $18 for seals).
So if he is doing 2 wheels it is tad high, but expect that they are going to cover overhead, profit, cleanup, etc. You might be able to get it done for a couple hundred less if you get away from the dealer.
John
-juice
The full size spare, and the donuts, are very temporary on AWD systems.
Next to our farm, there was a guy doing 4wd offroad manuevers with a Jeep CJ. He neglected to disengage 4wd before driving onto the asphalt. The whole thing locked up to the point of not being able to move forward or backwards and there he was, embarassingly stuck in the middle of the road after conquering all off road perils.
The issue for Subarus is the length of time the AWD system is stressed by out of circumference tires. Poor mileage due to binding is the best one can hope for by running that way.
John
The bigger issue is handling. Having the pressure on one tire being off, will greatly impact how the car tracks, especially on a straight line. Rob M.
Bob
Bob, Haldex claims otherwise, that not having that problem is a large advantage of the Haldex system.
Haldex is currently in Ford 500, 2006 VW Passat, Volvo. and certain Audi models that do not have TORSEN. In those cars it provides front wheel drive only most of the time like several other such systems. I chose my VDC in spite of its tire diameter problem, because of countervailing VDC advantages. I'm not sure the general public who are casual about maintaining their cars are not better off with Haldex.
dave
Craig
Craig
Yes plenty of people have done it and no, there's no problem with interference.
-Frank
by the way, I also have 2006 L.L. Bean (which is almost identical to 2.5x with premium package) and trailer hitch mounted from the dealer.
13293AA051 – ROCKER COVER GASKET – NEED 4
13270AA110 – ROCKER COVER GASKET – NEED 1
13272AA110 – ROCKER COVER GASKET (LEFT) NEED 1
13271AA051 – ROCKER COVER WASHERS – NEED 12
I can save $30 on these parts on-line. Do I really need them all? It looks like they're giving me numbers for the right and left side (only right side is leaking).
-Dennis
and sorry I'm too lazy to scroll back, but how many miles are on this car? at 47k, my EJ25's rubberized washers were perfectly fine and they had been off a few times. never had a valve cover leak though-- just head gaskets.
~c
-juice
~Colin
Dennis -- have you tried just re-snugging the valve cover down? That may be enough to stave off the leak for a long time. Since the valve cover gasket is not really pressurized, the need for a new one is minimal unless the old one actually cracked or something. I would try re-torquing it evenly all around.
Back when valve adjustments were more common, I would remove and reinstall rubber valve cover gaskets several times before replacing them. The older cork-rubber gaskets were less resilient and were usually replaced every time.
Craig
* torque to 30 lb-ft
* loossen to 15 lb-ft
* torque to 25 lb-ft
* loossen to 18 lb-ft
* do the Hokey Pokey
* turn yourself around
* give up and pay a mechanic to do it
-juice
~Colin
-juice
-Dennis
Steve
Work with the dealer and call 800-SUBARU2 for help if you need it.
We had one go bad on our 626, the noise it made was speed-dependent.
It could also be the rear diff, but the WB is more likely.
-juice
I would not expect the bearings on an 03 WRX to be bad at 55K miles unless they were subjected to an extreme impact load at some point (which probably would also have caused tire damage).
Craig
Craig
-juice
I followed the advice given to check the tire pressure. The tires were around 30.5-32 psi, except the rear left which was at 19 psi. I filled each tire at 35 psi and took a test drive. The groaning sound still showed up at 40mph. Next I tried the tight figure 8. I don't really know what I looking/listening for, so some guidance please. This is the first AWD car I've owned. I did, however, hear some scratching of the front left tire's inner edge to the wall of the car.
Do you have a wagon or sedan? Stock wheels or aftermarket? What size tires?
The front tires should not be rubbing unless they are the wrong size or the wheels had the wrong offset (or both). If the rears were also the wrong size, they may be rubbing too. Wagons have less tire room than sedans, BTW, which is why I asked.
If it was a bad bearing, you'd be able to detect some slop in the wheel if you jacked the car up and grabbed the tire, giving it a good shake. It would wobble a little if bad.
Craig
Craig
As for the noise, I don't hear it when I'm driving through neighborhoods. When I get to around 40mph, I hear a whirring sound from the rear of the car. The pitch gets louder from 40mph onward until around 80 mph when road noise drowns out the whirring noise. When slowing down, the whirring sound remains until I bring the car to a complete stop. Only the pitch keeps reducing, but the noise is noticeable below 40mph.
For yucks I'd get thr rear diff fluid checked.
HTH
Larry
I also have a '05 Forester. I am using a quart of oil between oil changes as well. I don't think I have noticed smells of burning oil but I wondered if you found out anything from your dealer in terms of what was wrong.
Mine is supposed to go to get looked at next week.
I brought it to the dealer and they told me it's coming from the fuel pump and it's normal to have that noise. However, the loaner I got from them is also 2006 forester and it does not have that symptom.
is anyone having the same problem?