chanpaul

I know electrical sounds like the most likely reason ... and that was what I did check out on my '01 H6 Outback too ... Sadly it turned out to be the tranny and the center VDC diff. The whining under load, no whining when off the gas (even when in gear, rpms about 2-3k) gave it away. It took the dealer quite a long time to find this too and I heard not too many of these trannys give out at 70-80k miles ...

Anyone else can chime in on this please? Someone got to have done it for the H6 ... Thanks, Paul

Planning to replace the plugs in my '01 3.0 Outback. Did a search in the forums for pointers and noted that most of the discussions are for the 2.5 engine. (Remove wiper washer tank, move battery, etc ...) Can anyone verify if the steps are the same for the 3.0? From a visual look around, there seems to be little clearance between the valve cover and body of the car ... am worried if this is at all doable with home garage tools. I asked the dealer and they mentioned a "special" tool they have. Thanks, Paul

Ouch! Well I experienced the same issues with my 2001 H6 VDC, with almost exactly the same problems. The whine got louder and louder, and then I started noticing it on deceleration too. I did end up replacing the entire transmission before it "exploded" though ... we had it up on a lift and you could see the whole unit vibrating really badly. That was my warning ... Hang in there!

Yeah ... sometimes I rather not add up the time and money though ... I bought the car new and know every bit of its history. The dealer printed up records for me and the stack was like an inch thick. (I had almost all services done at one place so they know the car pretty well.) Going to keep driving this and see what else major breaks ... keeping my fingers crossed. There is now a strange rattle coming from the exhaust/muffler at back ... Cheers, Paul

The noise was coming from someplace behind the dash, down near the gearshift. That is where the center diff is physically located. What you are describing sounds like what I experienced but you have a 5MT and I am not sure if the center diffs are the same. (I have a AT). Cheers, Paul

This is a pretty common problem with the 00-04 Outbacks and there is a service bulletin out on it. The seals that run besides the sunroof may be leaking and the water will come out from the front dome lights. It is not a matter of clogging or gunk. Cheers, Paul

Yeah ... but it still cost a bomb ... To be frank, I quite had it with my 3.0 Outback. Sometimes I think I would have been better off if I bought a 2.5 instead of going all out and getting the H6 VDC model back in 2001. Almost everything which set it apart as the top-of-the-line model has been one headache after another. 1) VDC system. There were bugs in the software and it took 4-5 visits to the dealership over 12 months to get this resolved. The error and warning lights keep coming on. I almost filed for a claim under CA lemon law. 2) Mcintosh sound system. Don't get me started ... they designed this with a mechanical pot for volume control (good). But it was not sealed (bad!). Dust (and static) would build up after 2-3 months, they switch the whole unit and it comes back after 2-3 months. Took 4 changes and finally, they redesigned it ... it is now a stepless sealed pot. 3) And now this VDC center differential issue ... arrghhh! But on the bright side, I must say SOA customer service is pretty responsive. Over the past 4 years, I have had many interactions with them and they have been forthcoming in stepping up and trying to make good on these issues. Customer service one way or another. But if the product was built right in the begining, there would be no need for this! Cheers, Paul

Confirmed that it is indeed the center differential that has gone bad. When car was on lift and "driven" with some load on the wheels (brakes on lightly), you can visibly see the center diff (attached to back of tranny) vibrating badly. The downside to repair is that entire transmission has to be replaced. Yes, it sucks and I just paid the bill! Apparently it does not happen all that often ... 1) Tech manager at high vol dealership was very surprised, and 2) They ordered a reman unit but Subary sent a new one as there were no reman units. Does not make me a happy camper one but then again ... Car drives much better now ... I almost forgot how quiet it used to be without the whine!

Forgot to add ... I have made multiple trips to the dealership for this to be checked out. Each time they hear it on the drive, but cannot find what is really wrong with it. Recommened change of fluids twice ... SOA also came back and mentioned that it was "normal" drivetrain noise ... All this was 10k miles and about a year ago ... the noise is really loud now ... I want to take it back again and see what they say this time. Car is past warranty but I'll keep my fingers cross that the record will show that this has been an issue for a while.

I have searched on this board and found numerous threads on whining noises from the AT transmission but did not seem to find a definitive answer. So here's another try at that. Have a 2001 H6 VDC. Have been the only owner since mile 0 so I know the full history of the car. Currently at 75k miles. All tires same size, always has been. Replaced all 4 at the same time twice so far. At about 35k miles, I started a very soft whine at freeway speeds when I get on the gas. It goes away whenever I lift off the gas. Sounds like it is coming from someplace forward of the passenger compartment, sort of behind the stereo. At that time, took it into Subaru, they could hear it at testdrive, but not locate it when they had it up on the rack and running. As part of maintenance, replaced tranny and differential fluids. Wind the clock forwards 2 years ... car is now at 75k miles. Noise is still there, only it has been getting louder and louder over this time. I hear it at city driving speeds now. Get on the gas, whine. Get off the gas and let the car coast (in "D"), whine goes away immediately. It is getting so loud now that I'm afraid something might break! From what I could gather from other posts, it has to do with the loading of the differential gears. Ease off gas, no load from engine, so no whine. Get on gas, gears are loaded one way, whine comes back. Does any other owner have the same experience? How much worse does this get? What, if any, breaks eventually? (I'm in California/San Jose so if anyone else is close by and wondering about the same, we can go for a drive and abuse our ears!) Thanks, Paul