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Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

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

You are in the Subaru Crew Forum.

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


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Messages Page 1922 of 1929

#19207 of 19285 Re: Subaru 1993 impreza wont start [subaru93chick] by girlcarbuilder

Apr 30, 2012 (7:44 am)

Replying to: subaru93chick (Apr 28, 2012 8:51 am)
Being a 93, I could rattle off a bunch of things. Like some one said before, check the drive shaft boots. That is a good start. Damaged boots will cause vibrations at high speeds. Subaru's not cared for will develope a lot of leaks in many areas, so you better know how to deal with them. One of them, the parts are cheap, but the labor to correct is not.
 
Now, based on what you said I assume a manual transmission? Is the leak over the first cat or second cat. If you can not determine where it is coming from, then you need to clean house. Get a can of engine cleaner, follow directions and clean up everything under there. Then you start watching what and where the leak is as you use the car. Tip, put cardboard underneath when it is parked at home and mark how it fits under the car. Where the drips are is where the leaks starts. Oil will also blow back from air flowing underneath as the car runs.
 
Common leak points to watch on Subies are: valve cover gaskets, power steering systems and the dreaded oil galley seal. The first can be tighten a little bit, the first second and third I live with until it threatens serviceability of the vehicle. There are other sources, but these are the most common and have engine oil of power steering fluid.
 
So again, I need more info, mileage, engine, model and transmission type. By the way....won't start? Oil leak? That old of a Subaru does not use "clutch oil." Are the tires in good shape also? Any bulges in any of them? Look at them carefully especially in the tread surface. Spin them and watch the tire tread for eveness. Tha year is OBD I, so check the oil level.

#19208 of 19285 noise proportional to road speed, not engine speed by curiouseng

Apr 30, 2012 (7:41 pm)

I have Outback 2004, basic model with manual transmission/ At ~101k, started getting road noise that is proportional in pitch to road speed. It is not changing with engine rpm's (absent when engine is rev-ed up at idle), it is not changing with turning or breaking or acceleration, just the road speed.
 
I brought it to Subaru dealer for diagnostics thinking that they will find a bearing problem. Instead, I am hearing over the phone that they are still looking into this, dropped the oil pan, and are finding possible issue with "turbo". My engine is not turbo-charged. It seems like complete nonsense, like they are confusing my car with someone elsse's. But then I got confused by a Yahoo/answers comment "all Subarus have turbo". Is there some other part of the Outback engine/transmission that can be called "turbo" ? Is it feasible that such part would move with the road speed and not with engine speed ?

#19209 of 19285 Re: noise proportional to road speed, not engine speed [curiouseng] by xwesx

May 01, 2012 (9:24 am)

Replying to: curiouseng (Apr 30, 2012 7:41 pm)
No to the turbo.
 
What sort of noise is it? A whine? Is there any vibration?
 
I had an old outback that produced a bit of a whine from the rear differential the last 50,000 miles or so that I owned it (started at about 170,000). It grew progressively louder as the mileage advanced, but was constantly there, varying with speed and, to some degree, temperature (it didn't produce the noise during the winter months until the differential warmed up).

#19210 of 19285 Can't catch a break by pathtomax

May 05, 2012 (12:04 pm)

I am trying to sell back my 2008 Outback to a Subaru dealer. Ready to give up on it. I have a summer car to get me through a few months while i decide what else to buy. Still making odd noises, and the radio and HVAC controls occasionally don't work.
 
They tested it today and gave me a low ball offer. Apparently my rear trailing bushings are going and they need replacement. I have an extended warranty from a different dealership with no deductible so should this be covered? They said it is a $500 fix. ...with 44,500 miles on the car?
 
Would this bushing thing make it shake on the highway?
 
I just can't sell this on my own with a clear conscience knowing how annoying these issues are.

#19211 of 19285 Re: Can't catch a break [pathtomax] by aatherton

May 06, 2012 (5:54 am)

Replying to: pathtomax (May 05, 2012 12:04 pm)
Here's a photo of the bushing - the cylindrical rubber cushion around the bolt that holds the trailing arm to the bracket that mounts to the car.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a383/Kostamojen/Impreza%20Suspension%20Lift/tr- ailingarmbrackets.jpg
A worn and loose bushing would allow play in the rear suspension and drive that affects alignment and could cause shaking on the highway.
Seems unusual for the bushing(s) to wear out at 44K. Maybe the car has been cornered hard or used off-road.
Here is a comment on another forum about these bushings:
http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f88/rear-trailing-arms-bushings-104446/

#19212 of 19285 headgaskets by jd_24

May 16, 2012 (8:36 am)

Well, they lasted langer than most 2001 Subaru headgaskets do. Oil had been leaking a bit coolant seems just a touch low. Shop says $1500 to fix both gaskets and machine heads. He said something about doing some value work too, just because the engine is out of it, but I can't remember much beyond the $1500. They thought its an external leak at this point but haven't confirmed it fully.
10 hours of labor cost. Is the price out of line? Is it worth it?
2001 outback with 200K miles.
 
--Jay

#19213 of 19285 Re: headgaskets [jd_24] by xwesx

May 16, 2012 (11:30 am)

Replying to: jd_24 (May 16, 2012 8:36 am)
$1500 for both? That's the best I have heard in a long while.... if they do quality work!

#19214 of 19285 Re: headgaskets [xwesx] by jd_24

May 16, 2012 (11:44 am)

Replying to: xwesx (May 16, 2012 11:30 am)
They seem to do OK work. They had the car 3 weeks ago for other work. Just wish they would have noticed then. The coolant wouldn't need to be replaced again along with another oil change. Maybe they can throw them in. They've always been honest on other stuff and just about always get it right the first time.
 
I think its both, but I need to double check that and get a complete list of what they are doing.
 
Last summer the car never over heated but ran slightly warmer than normal. I started wondering then....sort of hoped if I ignore it long enough it would go away. Guess not. Its a 3rd car now and other than this is in good shape and ran good.

#19215 of 19285 Re: headgaskets [jd_24] by xwesx

May 16, 2012 (12:08 pm)

Replying to: jd_24 (May 16, 2012 11:44 am)
Yeah, I did mine at 192K on my '96 Outback. That was good life, I think, before that sort of work needed to be done. If you haven't replaced the water pump, now is a great time for that, too.
 
I put another 28K on my car with no further problems, until the fateful night it was destroyed at 220K.

#19216 of 19285 Re: noise proportional to road speed, not engine speed [xwesx] by curiouseng

May 17, 2012 (10:43 pm)

Replying to: xwesx (May 01, 2012 9:24 am)
Thank you for response, it is good to know that the differential noise can progress quite a bit and the car still drives OK.
 
It was a whine initially, with pitch proportional to speed. Dealership finally opened up transmission and replaced some bearings in there, and it surely removed 90% of the noise. Kudo's to them, they did it free of charge, because they already worked on that transmission half a year ago. There is some residual component of the noise remaining, this time it is more like a very weak radio-static hiss, almost like noise from air conditioner fluids moving, except that it is absent when car is stopped, and it is still present when car is moving and radio and AC are turned off. I presume this is about some other bearing that did not get replaced, right now it is almost imperceptible, I will have to see if it develops into something more serious over time.

Messages Page 1922 of 1929

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