subyroo

G'day fella's, I haven't been here for a long, long, long while, I feel like a Newbie. Just checked my log in = 03-20-2006 :eek: I wonder if this vibration (shudder?) problem is what is also plaguing the Diesel Forester here in Australia, although some of their problems appear to be slight incline related but some are starting to get the problem on the flat as well. I have read of one guy already bailing out of his Diesel and got himself into an XT Forester instead. http://www.ausubaru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18766 The Diesel Forester out here is also having DPF problems.

Problem/s fixed: http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/forums/showthread.php?p=33153#post33153

75,000kms or 46600 miles, weather makes no difference hot/cold or wet/dry it still rattles, it's going into a Dealer next Monday 03/20/06 for an assessment and same day replacement if found to be faulty. I'll report back here on the outcome. Do you guys have any TSB's over there in relation to this problem by any chance?

Has anybody heard of or experienced this problem with the Forester's composite flywheel? Mine rattles it's head off when letting the clutch out in 1st gear, it is going in for assessment by the dealer next Monday for a Warranty Claim. I get my Suby serviced by an Authorised Subaru Service Centre but they cannot do Warranty work it has to be through a dealer.

Hey Fatz, what car is your Snorkel off matey? Lots of Aussies looking for a snorkel to suit their Foresters these days.

I have switched over to BP Premium since my last post as I found it to be better in the long compared to Shell Optimax.

My apologies, I must have posted the wrong link, here they are anyway:

Well it has finally been done and in a stylish sort of a way I might add. http://www.subaruforester.com/viewtopic.php?p=88739

A lot of Aussie guys I know use the NGK Iridium's on all model Subaru's right back to the old models and love 'em. One of my friends has 90,000kms (55,900 miles) on his and says they are as good as new when he had them tested.

The wind noise on my MY03 XS Forester comes from the area marked by the arrows in the pic below.

This is the Aussie version from SubaXtreme, they will export to the USA too. P.S. This version is Airbag approved too, so be sure to check out your suppliers Safety Approval Rating too.

I'm running Michelin Energy XM1's on my MY03 Forester and they are very good in both wet & dry conditions and are also extremely quiet.

I poured the oil - water mix into the vent area indicated by the arrows in the image below. I never experienced any water coming into the cabin as I only trickled the mix into the vents as I was aware that water may enter the cabin via here if it was poured in fast enough.

Problem solved............ I was having a problem with a foul odour coming from my vents NON A/C air coming through the vents, the smell was something like stale sweaty body odour. I read about a similar problem on another Forum and somebody said to pour Lysol down the air vent inlet below the bottom edge of the windscreen. I had never heard of Lysol before but it gave me a better idea, I used good ol' Aussie Eucalyptus Oil mixed in hot water to help release the odour and make it stronger. Whooppeeeeee! it worked a treat (so far ) and it also flushed out a heap of black sooty gunk which I can only put down to being road grime that had got into the vents from rainy days or being flicked up by the tyres and getting in behind the plastic protectors inside the R/H guard ( that's where the gunk came from). NOTE: Eucalyptus Oil also has the benefit of being able to remove sticky substances like label glue & chewing gum so it works well in removing road grime, however, undiluted Eucalyptus Oil also has the ability to soften or melt some plastics so be careful and remember: if a little bit works wonders a whole will not get you any better result. I will keep my nose on this one over the remainder of this week and report back for other Forum members who may run across this same problem later on. I am not sure if our International friends have access to Aussie Eucalyptus Oil but I am sure they would have an equivalent ie Pine Oil - Lysol etc.

Over this past week I have noticed a foul odour (dirty sweaty body smell) coming through all the air vents on start up and whilst running. (My fan is set on #2 and the vents are set to face level all the time) I pulled the glove box out today and checked the Cabin Filter as per http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2109 after getting everything out, I opened up the hatch to check the filter and found the slot empty - NO FILTER. I then tried spraying some NILODOR into the fan/blower area and then running it on high, this had no effect either. I have a theory but don't want to go there really but I feel I will have to get to the root of the problem. I think that the fins on the evaporator of the A/C have collected lint and dust and it gets damp from the A/C and then as it dries out, it begins to rot and this causes the foul odour. Has anybody come across this odour or read about other Forester - Subaru owners experiencing the same odour problem?

Women who sit too close to the steering wheel are in for one big rude shock too when that airbag deploys, friend of mine had her sternum (Breast Bone) broken early this year from the Driver's airbag in a 40kph (25mph) accident. Brad21, I have the ding-a-ling in my MY03 Forester too and it pisses me off too but that is because I forget to buckle up before moving off when in a hurry, so if it reminds you just once too often and saves your life then it has it's job for both you and Subaru's reputation as a safe vehicle. If you are moving the car around a yard or depot then put the pasengers seat belt in the drivers slot and stop the ding-a-ling, however, I strongly urge and recommend you not to do this on the road.

Personally I would be doing what SOA said to do, it is a Warranty issue that requires fixing. Don't muck around with it, it may also be a wiring problem and you don't want it going up in smoke if it is. Sorry for the possible doom & gloom bit but it does happen sometimes.

One way around this problem with the MT box is to put it in LOW range 1st and get rolling and then go to either LOW 2nd or NORMAL 1st, (it is not only for pulling up steep hills) after that just drive it normally with all due consideration of towing a trailer. TIP: LOW 1st and 2nd are also handy gears for snails pace traffic where you are doing stop go type driving you just crawl along a fraction above idle speed so it is not "kangaroo hopping" (jerking) :cool:

Did you have your radiator AND the engine flushed out when you had the overhaul done?? If not then more than likely there was oil residue left lying inside the water jacket of the engine and the radiator and it is coming away when the engine get's hot. Another way to check if your head gasket is possibly blown is to check the under side of your oil filler cap first thing in the morning or after the engine has gone totally cold, when the water that evaporates from hot oil it will rise and form on the bottom of the oil filler cap :cool:

http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?port_code=autoweek&cat_code=carnews&loc_code=index&content_code=02910534

I have never done a boxer cam belt or even seen one to be able to quote anything about them. However, if the "boxer" is anything like the Nissan RB30E then TDC will play a very important part indeed. There was a mark on the belt for aligning it to the crank pulley and then there was a directional arrow as well then there were 55 teeth between that and the next mark on the camshaft pulley, one tooth either way and it ran like a dog. It would idle great but it had no guts when you drove it. So I can see the point Haynes are making if these engines work on the same principle of alignment.

I am curious as to why "My wife and I brought our very well cared for 1998 Subaru Outback to the local MR. LUBE for the required oil change (per COAST TO COAST warranty)." Because if you really cared for your Subaru then wouldn't you want it cared for by a Subaru Trained Techie instead of a "quickie". I doubt very much that COAST TO COAST could argue against a Subaru Trained Techie servicing the car either.

Check both parts of the tail shaft for a missing counter weight, if one is missing you will be able to se where it used to sit. I agree with "oddcomp" get it re-balanced and ensure it is married up properly, they normally have an alignment mark if not you should have center punch each part to make sure it went back together the same way.

Howsci Drive the car around town as you normally would and record the MPG, then do a long trip and record the MPG, you now have a database to work from and see what the diffrences are each time you make an alteration to the car. Tyre pressures can make a difference, running 98 RON fuel can make a difference too, Synthetic Oils etc and all without making any mods to the system at all. Do that first and then go with any other mods if your not happy with the performance or MPG achieved.

Why not go for one of these instead http://www.users.bigpond.com/subaxtreme/page10.htm They do exports too and $$ exchange rate is Ok for you now.