bluebird

I'm not sure how much longer people will read my post about this and understand I have just about given up myself. Today I had to replace the low beam headlamp on the car, could they make it any harder? While I had the wheel off I could see that the shop did everything they said they did as evidenced by fresh cotter pins etc. I grabbed the drive shaft and moved in in and out and it made a noise that sounded like what i'm getting. Any Chance it could be the cv joint? If it was would applying the brakes make the noise go away. Just one other thing. When I drove the car as it has done before there was no noise for the first half mile or so then it came back.

The shop called me yesterday and said they can't find the problem. They also refunded the entire amount that I had paid them which I thought was very generous. They also provided me with a list of things they did to try to fix the problem. As you can see it is very extensive. Not sure what is left to try at this point. I have attached the list here as a PDF. Any thoughts would be appreciated. subaru001.pdf

New came with the reman caliper. I took the car back to the shop yesterday and they are looking at it.

Well I got frustrated with all the time this was taking; having to wait for warm non rainy days to work etc I got a quote from the mechanic I talked to for 150 for relacing the one link. that was 1hr labor and the part plus me paying for their hand soap and rags. The shop is only about a mile from my house so the mech rode me home and heard the noise for himself on my road. got a call from them said they had to use the "electronic ears" to pinpoint the problem which was the driver's side link.but recommend doing both sides. At this point I just wanted it done total was 339 and change. which included another hour for the ears. Here's the kicker it isn't fixed!!! sounds just the same as before I spent my money. I called as soon as I got home. They said to bring it back and they would make it good. I know this fellow a bit he has a number of classic cars and I have a 55 chevy, kind of a hot rod. So we talk at car shows etc. I will mention the TSB to them and let you know how this gets resolved.

I tried to remove the driver's side link could not get it off. The problem was my 6mm hex wrench would not fit into the end of the threaded shaft. It did fit right into the replacement link I had on had to use if needed. The next size down that I had was too small. I tried to hold the shaft with channel locks and got the bottom link nut about 1/3 of the way off before it tightened up and the shaft turned in the ball joint. Hope this makes sense. is 6mm the correct hex wretch? If I can get the old link off is it OK to drive the car with just the driver's side link removed? The noise is definitely on the driver's side. I' m about ready to take it a shop.

Thanks for all the replies, I think I will try Rampage's suggestion first and see what that reveals. I'm thinking that what might account for the temporary quiet right after putting everything back together would be that the wheels were hanging free and that might have stretched out the links for a short time. Can the links be removed with the wheels not hanging free? I like to work under the car with it up on my ramps.

Ok here is an update. My bad knee behaving better and some good weather allowed me to continue to try to solve this problem. Today I installed a reman caliper and bracket. Noise is still there. But as in the past when I have had the caliper off when everything is put back together the noise is gone for about the first 1/2 mile down my dirt road Then it comes back. I talked to a mechanic about it today and he said it is likely the sway bar links. Remember when I touch the brakes the noise goes away. He said that happens with bad sway bar links as well. Does anyone have an opinion about this? How bad a job is replacing the links?

I finally got a nice day here and installed new guide pins, aftermarket pins. I did not replace the bushing. No change still have the noise. When I had the caliper off I noticed that the pads could move up and down quite a bit inside the hardware. The noise I hear sounds heavier than that sound to me but would it make sense to replace the hardware or maybe just buy a new caliper with bracket? I don't think this is dangerous but it is annoying, I drive the road every day so I hear it all the time.

thanks for the diagram, a big help, and all the other advice. I have to work outdoors so when I get a nice day I will try what has been suggested.

I'm not sure what these bushings are. Are they inside the holes the guide pins go through? Is there an exploded diagram of the caliper that I can see them on?

Thanks for the replies. I will try Rampage suggestion when I get another decent day. Still wonder if it was worn guide pins why it got quiet for a couple of days but certainly worth a try. Will post how it goes.

I finally got a nice day and was able to look into the brakes. All the bolts were tight so that was not the problem. On the driver's side, there was some play as I pushed on the caliper with my hand. The passenger side was tight, no play. I removed the caliper and saw that all shims and hardware were in place. I put the caliper back in place and did a test drive on my bumpy road. The noise was gone. But over the next few days, the noise started to come back, not as loud as it was before but there. I would assume that since it stopped for a while that the cause would not be worn holes for the guide pins. Is it possible that the piston is going back into the caliper too far and causing the play? If so what would cause that? Would it be worth bleeding the brakes but the pedal feels firm.

I have a 2011 outback with about 130,000 miles on it. I had new front pads, rotors and hardware installed a while ago. I live on a dirt road and lately I have been hearing a rattling sound coming form the driver’s side front wheel when I hit bumps, there are a lot of bumps. If I apply the brakes the rattling stops so I suspect something in the brakes. The parts were from Rock Auto, a Power Stop kit with pads (shims preinstalled) rotors and hardware. I purchased the parts and had them installed at a local shop as I recovering from a twisted knee. Any ideas would be much appreciated.

I need to raise the front of the car with both wheels up at the same time. I see there is a cross member right behind the oil pan. Is that a safe place to put my floor jack to raise the front end?

Thanks for the diagram but it does not match what is going on under my car. I had seen this one which is why I was looking toward the middle of the exhaust for the downstream sensor. And that is why I could not find it , it is not there. Turns out both the up stream and down stream are toward the front of the exhaust system and very close together. You can see where they both plug in right next to each other in the engine compartment. Now that I have located it and it looks like it won't be too bad to get out, I'm thinking about trying the cheat fix using a plug anti fouling extension with the sensor to prevent the P0420 code from occurring. Anyone have any luck with that and tips for doing it.

I have a 2001 outback and need to change the downstream o2 sensor, but I can't find it. I think I found the upstream one. Is there a thread with pictures or can someone describe where it is. I not a novice mechanic but I just can't find the darn thing.

I cleared the code yesterday and drove the car maybe 120 miles since then. No lights have come on yet. I'll just see how it goes for now but will try some FI cleaner and Costco gas. If I get the code again I guess I'll try the rear O2 sensor. Many thanks for the help

Thanks for the reply. Sorry I should have mentioned the car has 143,000 bought it used about a year ago and have the records. all maintenance was done at a dealer and all the interval checkups were done. If this were my car I would take your approach, I like the way you think, but it is my wife's. She is convinced that the brakes will fail due to the flashing brake light and that the wheels will fall off due to the traction light. So if I can fix it by replacing an O2 sensor I would do that. How hard are they to get off on this car. I did one on my 2003 outback and it was a challenge to get to. If it need a new converter not sure what I will do but I have read that this code is rarely triggered by a faulty converter.

I have a 2011 outback 2.5. Today a bunch of lights came on; check engine, traction control, brake light flashing and cruise control. I pulled the codes and got the P0420 catalyst system below threshold Bank 1. I've seen some stuff online about it but wanted to get the experts here to weigh in. If the idea is to replace an O2 sensor would it be the rear one or the front one? Are both of the parts the same? And there was mention of a spacer. What is that about? Could also be the cat convertor and lots of other things as well. Where should I start? any help much appreciated

I bought a 2011 outback with 75,000 miles, has 78,000 now, about two months ago. It is time to change the oil, I usually do every 3000. the dealer we bought the car from had changed the oil right before purchase and used synthetic. I have never used synthetic in any of my Subarus in the past. Do I have to stick with the synthetic now that it is in there or can I go back to regular oil? And is there a good reason to stick with the synthetic? Next question, the steering seems stiff to me, by that I mean the wheel is harder to turn than I'm used to on past Subarus or my other car which is a Corolla. It isn't so stiff that it is work but just feels a bit stiff. At first I thought there might be a setting to change this but I don't see that there is. Is the consistent with this year and model or am I looking a trouble down the road?

Thought about a new thread on this but... So I bought a 2011 outback wagon with CVT and shifter paddles yesterday. Really nice car with 75,000 and like new condition. Paid 14,000 a fair price from a dealer also got 12 month 12,000 power train warranty included in the price. Driving the CVT wasn't as strange as I thought it would be but it is really my wife's car and she won't know the difference. A few questions. Does the CVT require any maintenance? Are the newer models like the 2011 as susceptible to head gasket failure as the older ones. I was lucky with my 2003, over 200,000 an no head gasket problems. This car appears to have a hill holder. Why would they put that on an auto trans car? My old 1989 manual trans had one and it was useful at times. Any other tips or comments would be appreciated. This is my 7th outback wagon. Lastly it appears that Haynes is not making a manual for this year car, is this true? I always rely on them for repair help along with this forum. Thanks to all for you input on this so far.

Thanks for all the info, I think I've got it sorted out now. Next question, which was kind of touched on, how reliable is the CVT and what is it like to drive one. I never have. Seems like if I want an outback 2010 or later I'm going to find out

Thanks for the info about cars 101. According to them the timing chain came in 2013 on the 2.5 and the CVT came in 2010. trying to avoid buying a used one with say 100,00 on it and having to do the belt right away. Adds another 800 to the cost of the car.

I'm looking at some newer years of outback wagons, time to ditch my 2003. I'm looking the the 2009 2011 range. When did Subaru start using timing chains instead of belts on the 2.5? And when did they start using the CVT as the auto trans? A mechanic told me today that both started in 2010. It is also my understanding that all 3.6 motors have timing chains and still use a regular auto trans. Why say you?

Thanks EJ, my father in law has a cabin just north of Grand Marais. And yes I can see from pics the the engine compartment is pretty crowded. If the car is still available I'm going to go have a look see. Seems like it is priced about 4000 under kelley blue book it is a limited. More input welcomed