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Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

19285 messages,  Last post on Jun 03, 2013 at 10:22 AM

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What is this discussion about? Subaru Impreza, Subaru Outback, Subaru Forester, Subaru Legacy, Coupe, Sedan, Wagon, SUV


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Messages Page 1823 of 1929

#18219 of 19285 2002 Forester Head Gaskets - please help. by daniell

Jul 10, 2009 (6:31 am)

Hi,
 
I have a 2002 Forester S (bought August 2001), auto, 71k miles, original owner. For a while I have been noticing drops of fluid between the front wheels, so today when I had the car at the dealer for an oil change, I asked them to look into it. Apparently the motor needs new head gaskets and is leaking oil. They said since it's not leaking coolant, the repair is not covered by the Subaru 100k warranty for head gaskets. They also want to replace the timing belt, at this time, and the total cost is $1850. The car has been maintained regularly at the dealer, never towed anything, never abused it, and the head gasket problem is known. Is there any way I can get Subaru to cover this, at least partially? Which number should I call?
 
Daniel

#18220 of 19285 Re: 2002 Forester Head Gaskets - please help. [daniell] by girlcarbuilder

Jul 10, 2009 (9:04 am)

Replying to: daniell (Jul 10, 2009 6:31 am)
Get away from that dealer!!!! Last time I checked the service interval for that belt is 105K miles. Second, if the car runs well, you do not have a head gasket problem. The known problem is the valve cover gaskets! Just clean the area up and re torque the valve cover gaskets. Use a torque wrench. H-4 engines have always had this problem. Be it Volkswagen, Porsche or Subies.
 
We have been doing that for some time on all of ours and we are pushing 250K on one unit and more than that on another by the end of the year.
 
Too many dealers do not give it to you straight. Ask questions if in doubt. Get a repair manual and learn how to fix or be ready to pay lots of money for a simple repair job.
 
Exactly why I like to buy a car and factory manuals, and the dealer never sees it again!

#18221 of 19285 Re: 2002 Forester Head Gaskets - please help. [girlcarbuilder] by daniell

Jul 10, 2009 (9:54 am)

Replying to: girlcarbuilder (Jul 10, 2009 9:04 am)
girlcarbuilder - thank you for your response. The mileage replacement for timing belt is indeed 105K miles, but i think the manual specifies that or 7 years, whichever comes first (manual is in the car at the dealer so i can't check). Mine will be 8 years old at the end of this month. Dealer is Beechmont Subaru in Cincinnati.
 
Daniel
 
Edit - I checked online and it's 105 months or 105k miles, whichever comes first.

#18222 of 19285 09 Outback A/C Question by mr_jmt

Jul 10, 2009 (11:20 am)

Hi all, I am a new Subaru owner and new to the Subie forum. I just bought an 09 Outback 3 weeks ago. I find when I use the A/C on recirculate (or fresh air), that the compressor cycles on/off too much for my liking. When the compressor is engaged, the air is plenty cold. Since my car is dark gray, it never really gets cold inside. Is the 'cycling' of the compressor normal? On my Chevy truck, it stays on and gets plenty cold. I am hoping that there is a simple fix. Just wanted to ask those who own Subies before I take it in for service.

#18223 of 19285 Re: 09 Outback A/C Question [mr_jmt] by samiam_68

Jul 10, 2009 (8:53 pm)

Replying to: mr_jmt (Jul 10, 2009 11:20 am)
It's common with Subarus - the A/C systems on them are kind of crappy - some parts freeze up and the compressor has to shut off for a few seconds so that the whole system doesn't self-destruct. Poor design, but it's common.
 
The cycling is usually very noticeable in the first 5-10 minutes of driving on hot days, after that, the system should equalize and the cutting out of the compressor will be virtually unnoticeable.
 
If it keeps doing it on long drives, then have the dealer check it out - could be low charge also.

#18224 of 19285 Re: 09 Legacy SE A/C Issue [picachu] by mr_jmt

Jul 13, 2009 (9:06 am)

Replying to: picachu (Jul 09, 2009 7:38 pm)
I have the same issue (see post 18222 and response to it in post 18223). My car has the same mileage as yours and I too find it annoying. All of the GMs I have ever owned have ACs cold enough on even the hottest of days.

#18225 of 19285 lurching/bucking Forester by tim3

Jul 13, 2009 (11:10 am)

Greetings,
The car: 04 Forester X, 5-speed manual, 97K miles. I’ve owned the car since new and taken excellent care of it. Except for this, the car has been excellent. The only repairs have been the thermostat and the catalytic converter.
 
Starting somewhere around 40K, the car started to lurch and buck immediately after filling it up with gas. I found that if I stopped the car and restarted it immediately, the problem went away. This worked for a long time. Eventually, it would only go away once the car was stopped for a long time. I used to regularly overfill the tank a little (must get every drop possible!). But when I stopped doing this and stopped pumping on the first shut off. The problem mostly went away except for the occasional hiccup or two or three as I drove away from the station.
 
But now it’s bucking and lurching again. Only this time, it seems to happen after I’ve been driving for a while and has nothing to do with fill ups. A few days ago I drove maybe 80 miles – all of them in the city – and toward the end the car started bucking badly. It’s been doing this off and on for a month or so. It seems to get worse in really hot weather. I’m in Tucson, AZ.
 
Other times it just feels like I'm constantly letting my foot off the gas abruptly. But….I took it on a 150-mile drive on the highway earlier this week and it didn't do it all. Basically, I’ve tried really hard to pin down when the symptoms occur most, but they just seem really random.
 
I think I've got a good dealer, but they can never replicate the problem, which I can I believe because it's pretty random. We're leaving on a 3,000-mile round trip road trip this week, although, as I mentioned, the problem doesn’t seem to happen on the highway nearly as much, I’d like to get this addressed before we leave, if possible.
 
No CEL.
  
Possible ideas I’ve gotten from other forums, include: fuel filter, coil pack, charcoal canister, vacuum leak.
 
Any ideas?
  
Thank you.

#18226 of 19285 Water damaged transmission? by markk1

Jul 14, 2009 (12:52 pm)

A couple of weeks ago we had torrential downpours here is upstate NY. On my home from work I encountered a deep puddle, maybe just below the bottom of the car door on my 2000 Outback. Some cars turned around some went through it. I figured with the high ground clearance I would have no problem I went through it ok, but then started having what transmission problems. Basically at low speeds it felt like i were popping the clutch (but the car is an automatic), it seemed like the clutch (if there is one in an automatic) was slipping and then catching both on acceleration and decelleration, once I got above 10-15mph everything seemed ok. A couple of times I put it in reverse and it did not engage at all. The symptoms slowly went away over the next few days. Any idea what happened? is this a sign of future trouble? The car has 125k on it, but the original transmission was replaced at 75k. My mechanic checked the car out and believes i may have a real problem-(. Evidently he replicated the instance when it did not engage at all-(. Since I got the car back i have not had any problem with the transmission. If the transmission is gone it is time for a new car.

#18227 of 19285 Re: 09 Legacy SE A/C Issue [mr_jmt] by picachu

Jul 16, 2009 (9:27 am)

Replying to: mr_jmt (Jul 13, 2009 9:06 am)
mr_jmt. Thanks for the response.
 
I took the car into the dealer last night and went on a test drive with the technician who was able to confirm the issue. The tech checked the A/C temp on the coldest setting and the digital thermometer read 48 deg. and then the compressor shut-off. Once the air temp reached 52 deg. the compressor turned back on.
 
The tech said the coldest A/C setting should be below 40 deg so the next step is to hook the car up to his A/C test machine and check the system pressures. Of course his A/C machine was being serviced so I had to make another appointment.
The tech figures the cycling may be caused by low freon in the system which I don't understand since the car only has 1,000 miles on it to date.
 
What a pain....

#18228 of 19285 Re: 09 Legacy SE A/C Issue [picachu] by mr_jmt

Jul 16, 2009 (1:54 pm)

Replying to: picachu (Jul 16, 2009 9:27 am)
picachu, mine has 915 miles on it to date. The a/c seems to have gotten a little better. When I take it in for the first oil change (free for life), I will have the dealer address my list. Latest issue is that it idles rough and doesn't find a smooth idle for at least 60 seconds. Though, if I tap the accelerator pedal, it idles down nicely. Also, I've twice heard a noise from underneath after backing out of my driveway and shifting into drive. Probably nothing, but I want to only go once for the minor stuff.

Messages Page 1823 of 1929

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