Phugoid

Resurrecting this really old thread I started to provide some closure. I've been driving this car for a couple of years now and I've always dealt with the touchy throttle. I learned to deal with it, especially in traffic where I'm constantly driving at low speed in 1st gear. Took my car to the dealer for a 120k service and they recommended a "Top Engine Clean". Talking to some of the techs, they told me this is basically nothing more than a bottle of Seafom in the intake for $129.95. I decided I'd do it myself. Based on the information in these threads... http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=65012&highlight=seafoam+intake http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=42623&highlight=seafoam ...I put a half a can of Seafoam in my PCV valve today with the engine at idle. After it had all gotten sucked in, I turned off the engine and waited about 10 minutes. Got back in, started it up, smoke screened the neighborhood and went for a drive. All the throttle touchyness is gone! It idles and accelerates more consistently with no stumbles, and definitely no sensitivity in the throttle. If you're having this problem, I'd at least give this a shot. A bottle of Seafoam is only like 6 bucks and it takes no more than 20 minutes to do. Plus it's fun to have a smoke system on your car for those first 5 minutes of driving. BTW, my cark has now 125k on it and runs better than it ever has (in the 30k I've owned it....knock wood.) Reid

You should have seen the salt caked on the rim and the tire! I could have saved it and bottled it. They used a grinder with a wire brush wheel and blasted it all away. Definitely a MN thing from the roads.

Got all 4 removed, cleaned and re-sealed today. Hopefully this will stop the leak. $42 out the door. Thanks! Reid

Running the 97 stock alloy rims. They seem to be in good shape. No rust, a little corrosion and wear on the edges. This car was 100% dealer serviced before I got it, maybe I'll give them a call. Thanks, Reid

On my 97OBW, I have 3 leaky tires. 1 leaks about 2 psi/week, 1 does about 5psi/week and one does about 10psi/week. It's a huge pain keeping on top of these, but I've done it now for a couple months. Short of new tires (coming soon, >10k), what can I do to stop them from leaking? I've seen the "fix-a-flat" stuff, but that seems like overkill. Thanks! Reid

Does this mean a clutch is on its way out? Mine does this from time to time at 118k. My old Saturn did this a lot at 150k. Thanks, Reid

Problem solved. Two shot front wheel bearings. I got them replaced and the car is whisper quiet now. What I used to perceive as "road noise" is now completely gone. This car is now a quiet smooth ride. I think because they failed so slowly I acclimated to the increased noise. Now I know what it sounds like and I won't miss it again. Reid

Just had my fronts done...3 hours of labor per wheel was the best I could find. Lots of other shops wanted 4 hours per wheel. The maximum I found was 4.2 hours per wheel. The bearings are anywhere from $50-75 per.

I'm sorry, this is for a 97 Legacy Outback. The bearings are $60 a piece from subarugenuineparts.com. How many hours of labor does this take? Reid

How much would you expect to pay for 2 front wheel bearings installed? Assume this is from a dealer whom you trust and know to do good work. I have a quote from my local dealer and I want to compare. Thanks, Reid

So...... I got my tires rotated and the sound got worse for about 25 minutes, then it went back to normal. Still coming from the left front, still only in turns. Dealer did their "25 pt inspection" and came back with nothing other than my PS seal which had put PS fluid all over the block. Is there a new axle in my future? Someone said earlier the OEM remanufactured ones are a good deal and are available online or from the dealer...anyone have a price or a link? Thanks, Reid

Those RPMs are fine. They put a short 5th in the 97s so you can tow trailers and the like. All 97 OBWs are the same way. Reid

I took my power steering reservoir off and found a damaged o-ring! I replaced the o-ring and am waiting to find out if the leak has stopped. There's so much PS fluid hiding under my hood, I can't tell what's new and what's old. I mopped much of it out, but I can't get it all. If the level doesn't decrease like it has been, I'm golden! Tires will be rotated soon, couple weeks. That should eliminate one of our guesses. I'll also do a wheel bearing check at that time too. Reid

Okay...I checked both the front inner and outer CV boots and they look brand new! They weren't even dirty let alone torn or otherwise damaged. Does this rule out the CV or axle possibility? I may try to check wheel bearings tomorrow by giving it the test prescribed in the Haynes manual - wiggle the wheel, if there's any play, then the bearing is bad. On another note, I found out where my PS fluid is going. Olnick may have hit it on the head with the pump/reservoir seal. Below the reservoir is a greasy trail leading to 4 or 5 puddles of PS fluid. It's collecting next to the EJ25 stamping. Here's a question...what are the outputs on the PS reservoir? I see two lines going out. Is that it? Or does the reservoir feed the pump directly without a hose? I'm trying to isolate where the leak is. The two lines exiting the reservoir are in good condition and not greasy. Yet, everything below the reservoir is soaked. Thanks for the help. Reid

Yup. It only happens when moving and it can definitely be related to an axel or wheel, or something rotating at that speed. The more I hear it, the more it sounds like tires, although this PS issues still needs to be taken care of. The noise does not occur when idling sitting still; it only happens when rolling at slow speeds. Thanks! Reid