roadsubiedog

my 99 outback 5 speed is making a whining/squealing noise at low speeds. the squealing happens at acceleration and deceleration and it only happens in gear. when I push in clutch pedal and put it in neutral there is no noise. one mechanic suggested it could be wheel bearings or the drive shaft. if that was true wouldn't it make noise even with clutch disengaged or rolling in neutral?

had mine replaced at 70k because of a knocking sound. I think it was a tensioner. the belt looked brand new and the mechanic changed a tensioner and it sounds real quiet now.

have a 99 outback with 265k miles. have a slight squeal that happens upon acceleration in each gear. ( manual ). can't hear anything at cruising speed nor when out of gear. spoke to mechanic locally. he suggested I drive it for another week or so to see if squealing gets louder or continuous so we can pinpoint it better. he said to ride brakes to see if sound goes away. it doesn't. it also said it could be a wheel bearing or a bearing on the rear u-joint of the drive shaft. if it was a wheel bearing , wouldn't it make noise when gliding out of gear? the squeal happens also when I let go of the throttle to slow. he also said that the bearing on the driveshaft is inside the ujoint. is this a tough job for a garage mechanic with very little experience? the mechanic told me it can be a little tricky. comments?

this looks exactly like my old 82. I sold it to a guy that had a vacation place down in Mexico. the person I bought it from put about 6 grand into it. I can't remember mileage. I think it was around 170k. 400 seems fair to me.

yes. new cap. thermostat and waterpump. it takes about 10 minutes to start overheating after getting to 180 degrees. and yes the fan comes on when it is supposed to. this weekend i am gonna switch out radiators with my good daily driver 84 gl. this should tell me something.

thanks. after flushing heater core the heater blows hot now. still runs hot though. i'd like to know where to find a reman radiator or how can i see if it is a blown head gasket. this is a 84 gl.

switched the heater hoses and now the heater blows real hot like it should. the temp is still running 190-195 though. may have to get a new radiator. how long should I flush the heater core?

this GL must of been made on a good day. It still purrs. 85 miles a day roundtrip to work. couple others too.

if you run heater full blast the temp will come down a bit. a/c just makes temp go higher. nice trip

Heater works fine for awhile and then blows lukewarm. also temp gauge is slightly hot. put in a new thermostat and new waterpump.

good idea. i'll get on that and report back.thanks.

excellent, excellent thread. i enjoyed reading the whole thing and learned a lot.

i took the fpcu out and unplugged the plug. when i put the plug back in with the key on i hear the fuel pump buzzing but it only buzzes for a second or 2 then it stops. i hear and feel a click from the box. i can unplug it and wiggle the plug and the the fuel pump will buzz for a couple seconds and then that click and it stops. does this suggest the fpcu may be bad or maybe a bad wire? i took the fpcu apart and plugged it in and felt a click on a black little rectangle thing ( transistor? ) could this mean it's not grounding properly or do you think the fpcu is bad?

thank you too.

appreciate responses. the motor actually purrs pretty well and uses very little oil. doesn't smoke at all.

my son went to one of those oil change garages and they forgot to put oil back in it. he drove a couple miles before realizing anything wrong. long story short. too timid to take it back and didn't tell me until months later. he just kept adding fluid as it overheated but could drive it back and forth 5 miles to work. i haven't pulled motor yet to replace headgaskets but i'm afraid that the heads may be warped. if we find the heads to be bad , should we attempt to rebuild or buy a reconditioned motor to put back in. it's a 1984 gl. e81. also we live near reno. where would be a good place to buy a motor if necessary. we have never done this before so it is a first motor pull for us.

cougar... i'll recheck the fuse and fusible link. GD... i''ll check that also. thanks. it will have to wait till sunday, but i'll update.

i checked power to fuel pump while cranking and did not get any. is the fuel sending unit under the dash on the side the next step. is it a black box about 3 by 2 inches with a plug? btw the fuse is ok.

Really working on your car means starting an engine swap at 7pm and needing to get to work the next morning at 6.30 am. Or breaking down in the middle of a road trip, or being on a business trip 1000 miles away and trying to find somewhere to replace your clutch.... ya, getting drunk with your friends on a road trip in florida and running into a parking meter across from the police station and putting a big hole in the radiator. next day taking the rad out at the park and a couple tubes of weld and putting it back together. selling your blood on a cross country trip back to california , partying all the way. now , that's living.

Great Job!!! want to sell it? i'll come up on my vacation in june.

nice score is right! it's good to know some good ol subes are still out there.

tlt this 84 wagon has power everything. digi dash, cruise, power steer , everything. title says 84. maybe should check vin. anyway, will check fuse and volt. thanks

Naru........update looking at similar threads found a suggestion to remove coil bracket and clean for ground to transistor. did that and now i have spark. motor would run as long as i poured gas into carb. fuel filter is bone dry. isn't the fuel pump on the same circuit as the coil? so how do i troubleshoot the fuel pump? thanks in advance.

what about dry gas and octane boosters? after adding some my mpg improved from 32 to 37 mpg. also on my sons 84 gl leaking coolant ( headgasket ) we put in some Blue Devil and it hasn't leaked much since in last month.