hillivie

The problem shows up every summer around the beginning of July. I use the a/c from late February or early March until late October (warm climate here in east TN). The first repair was under original warranty, second out of pocket (emergency, no dealer nearby), third under extended warranty. I thought three repairs of the same problem should constitute grounds for a recall from the company.

I'm bringing my 2004 Outback in for repair of the air conditioning system for the third time in three years. Every summer, it loses all the freon. The first repair was for a defective O-ring, and this current repair is also for the O-ring. Not sure what the problem was for the second repair. At what point can I have something more effective done so that I don't have to deal with this every summer?

I just read one of the related messages posted back in November about a possible problem with a differential. The response given to that message was to make sure that all four tires are the same, before starting any repair efforts. I have three tires the same, all inflated to the same amount, but the minute I had my tires rotated, it felt like the car was steering funny. I will replace that fourth tire that is different, and see what happens to the noise.

You are correct in guessing my circumstances, and in also guessing how I would feel about having my car moving while suspended in air. However, I am supposed to pick up my new 2004 Subaru today, and will drop this one off to have it repaired at the dealer. They have a good service department, and that way I won't have to worry about getting a ride up to that city to pick up my new one. If they can figure it out, I'll let you know what the problem was. Many thanks for your help.

I tried the hand brake idea, no change. It is a metallic noise, appears to come from near the back wheels, but I can't localize it to either the left or right back wheel, from the driver's seat with the windows down. Is there anything else I can do to try to identify the problem?

The noise comes from the back half of the car, possibly rear wheels. I'll be driving it in a few minutes, will try the hand-brake lever idea and let you know.

My 1996 Legacy L wagon makes a noise when I start moving while it is in reverse. The noise is like a squealing noise, maybe like what brakes sound like as they start to go bad. But stepping on the brake pedal doesn't make this noise, just driving in reverse. What's wrong?

That did the trick. Locking and unlocking it with the power lock reset the system, and it ran like a honey today. Thanks again for all your help. It just strengthens my faith in Subarus.

I turned off the flashers before I jumped the car. I also turned off the radio, the headlights, and the heater fan. The car is currently plugged into a battery charger, but the flashers are still going on, at about half their normal speed, on for about a minute, and off for about 10 seconds. This has been happening ever since I jumped the car and got power back into it. Even though the flashers are on, there is no light in the dashboard showing that they are flashing. The only way I know they are on is because I can hear the clicking of the lights coming on and off. Could this be a relay problem? If so, how do I fix it?

You folks were great in helping me with my last problem, the grating noise when I made left turns. By adjusting the torque bolt in the right front wheel, the noise went away. New problem now. I left my emergency flashers on for 6+ hours this morning. I have now learned that this will run down the battery. Using jumper cables, I was able to re-start the car, but now there seems to be some kind of electrical problem. There is a slow clicking noise that accompanies my flashers flashing, about a minute at a time, and then suddenly stopping for about 10 seconds, then suddenly starting up again. Pulling the fuse for the emergency flashers had no effect on this. Any suggestions on where to look next? Many thanks.

My 1996 Legacy, now with 104,000 miles, makes a grinding noise when I make sudden left turns. The noise varies with the speed of the car. My front right axle and boot were replaced in November 2002, and the front left axle and boot were replaced in June 2003. I believe the noise started after the second axle replacement. Any ideas of what is wrong? Two different mechanics have been unable to find anything wrong. Many thanks