Subaru - Forester :: A/C Blows Freezing Cold Air Idling / At A Stop Light
My Forester blows freezing cold air sitting in the driveway idling or at a stop light. As soon as you get out on the highway, it blows about 10-15 seconds of cold air and then 10-15 second of warm air. On a really hot day it is borderline uncomfortable. Already had the freon checked and it is fine. What this could be? I've searched all over the internet for people having a similar problem, but everyone else who has intermittent A/C has like ten minutes of cold and then it blows warm until they stop.
View 11 RepliesSubaru - Forester :: 2001 - Smoking From Catalytic Converter Area
I'm getting smoke from the catalytic converter area on my 2001 Subaru Forester. The smoke smells of rubber or oil. I've only noticed it after the car has been driven up a long, steep incline of at least a couple of miles. I've never seen it happen after normal highway driving. The car runs fine, gas mileage is good, CE light is not on, 85K miles, regularly serviced.
View 2 RepliesSubaru - Forester :: 2010 - Smoking At A Busy Red Light / Oil Light Came On?
Just picked my 2010 Subaru Forester up from getting an oil change. Drove about 3 miles. Car began smoking at a busy red light. Smoke in driver compartment and coming from engine compartment; oil light came on. Luckily, I was less than a block from my mechanic's garage and drove straight there. He said the oil filter "didn't seat" (did they put a little oil on the gasket??). At least 1/2 quart of oil leaked out after I stopped vehicle. What should I expect in terms of damage?
View 17 RepliesSubaru - Forester :: 1998 - Running Hot But Won't Blowing Hot Air?
Recently, my car had started having cooling issues. It was running hot, into the danger zone, and it would not blow hot air. I took action and replaced the thermostat myself, drained the coolant, and bled out any air bubbles, filled it up with coolant and the problems still persisted.
View 14 RepliesSubaru - Forester :: 2006 - Blowing White Smoke - Oil Overfill?
Had the oil changed in 2006 forester. They put 6 qts of oil in. The car was driven for 1 day, less than 50 miles and was blowing white smoke. Had the oil changed again with the right amount. The dealer is saying the car needs a head gasket. Did the oil overfill cause this?
View 10 RepliesSubaru - Forester :: 2006 - Dragging Noise While Coming To Stop?
I have a 2006 Subaru Forester with 115K miles. It's been well-maintained and well-loved.
For the past few months, the brakes have been inconsistently making a dragging/grinding noise when coming to a stop at low speeds (<5mph). It sounds to be coming from the front half of the car - I can feel it vibrating a little near the driver side. We've taken the car in to be looked at three times - each time, the mechanics think they've heard the noise and report there is absolutely nothing wrong with the brake pads or rotors. Twice they reported a shim was out of alignment. After the last shim adjustment, the noise got a little better - instead of grinding, it's more of a dragging sound now. Because the noise is inconsistent, I haven't been able to crack the formula of the conditions that produce it, other than that it only happens as I'm coming to a stop at very low speeds.
Is there something besides the brakes we should be having inspected? Does this sound safe to drive?
Subaru - Forester :: A/C Doesn't Blow Cold Air Out Of Vents
So, I purchased a 2004 Subaru forester at the in of 2013, from a private seller. When I turn on the a/c the air is warm, I thought maybe the refrigerant so low, so I check the level and it is good, the a/c compressor clutch engages, but warm air still comes out of the vents. I am asking what else could cause the a/c to blow warm air?
View 1 RepliesSubaru - Forester :: 2003 Won't Start (second Time) In The Cold
With the very cold weather I'm having problems getting my car to start again after it's been running a while--starts okay initially no matter the temp, run it for ~15 minutes then go to my first work stop. One hour later sitting outside in 0F and I can't get it to start, won't turn over. Just got a new battery, had the spark plugs/starter/fuel line checked "looks okay". Starts after it gets really cold again, needs to sit out for a few hours in the single or negative digits. Dealer is 100 miles away and I have not been happy with the service there.
View 1 RepliesSubaru - Forester :: Exhaust / Fuel Smell In Cab In Cold Weather
Having problem with an exhaust or fuel smell in the cab? i have had the exhaust checked & the seal on the back door, all have been fine. it has only happened in the really, really cold weather.
View 30 RepliesSubaru - Forester :: 2010 - Brake Light Stays On When Car Is Cold
OK, so I have a 2010 Subee, 36K miles. Three events here, added in car monitoring from State Farm for Ins Discount, had a nail in back tire which I had repaired, it's been pretty cold at night here in GA. When I start the car, both the cold engine and the brake light are lit. Cold engine normal, takes it a few minutes then it goes out. Brake light is staying on until the car drives a bit (maybe 10 minutes?). No odd brake noises, brakes feel fine, emergency brake fully released. Recently had fluids checked and oil changed at Jiffy Lube. Have had the car for 3 years, this is new. It didn't do it last winter. So - do I need to go to the dealership? A brake place? Check the brake fluid.
View 3 RepliesSubaru - Forester :: 2003 - Gas / Exhaust Smell In Cold Weather
When the weather gets really cold (below 30) I intermittently smell a gas/exhaust smell in the cabin but also on the exterior. I have on two occasions had my mechanic check this and each time he has replaced an "old and cracked" hose.
He has to use the smoke tracer to find where it is leaking and replacing hose. On both occasions he urged me to make the repair immediately as it could be extremely dangerous. (Makes sense if I am smelling gas.)
I am wondering if this could be an exhaust/heating system problem. The car is 11 years old with 120K miles and I want to keep it running a few more years. I am due for front brakes and new tires soon...
Subaru - Forester :: 2004 - Loud Grinding From Right Rear In Cold Weather
I have a 2004 Subaru Forest with 181K. I have a grinding that is loud and worsening in the cold weather coming from the right rear of my car. Is this a CV Joint or a bearing issue? It is far more noticeable at low speed that high with the radio on.
View 7 RepliesSubaru - Forester :: 2006 - AC Doesn't Blow Super Cold Air When Running
I have an 06 subaru forester with a little over 130k miles on it. The AC has now become intermittent and when running doesn't blow super cold air. I had it recharged but that didn't fix the problem. What happens is that it will run fine for like 15-20 minutes or if not hot. The clutch will start by attaching very firmly but then suddenly for no reason will disengage. It is not slipping the belt at all. I dont think that it is a matter of too much air gap because when it grabs it does so very firmly. Also when they were charging it i noticed that the for a moment it was kicking on and off rapidly and then he did something that looked as though he might have released some and it stayed more constant?
View 1 RepliesSubaru - Forester :: Rough Engine - Power Is Low / Surges And Misfires When Cold
We're talking about a 2002 Subaru Forester with only 80,000 miles on it.
This winter, the cold seems to have taken its toll. The fuel economy is bouncing around between 16 and 24 MPG and the car runs a bit roughly. Especially when it's colder (<30 F) there is often a lack of power/RPM when depressing the gas pedal. The problem is worst in city driving, but exists on the highway also. It doesn't go away during my 15-20 minute commute. For a period of a couple weeks, it was even easy to induce misfires (I think that's what they were; quiet pffft pffft pffft sounds during severe lack of power) by fully depressing the gas. But even if you half-depress and hold the pedal steady, the car will accelerate weakly and then sometimes surge forward. Other times it seems to be idling strong and running rich. Now that it's warmer (>40 F) the problem has lessened, but I've also started feeding it 93 octane gas and the car feels rougher than normal.
A year or two ago, I replaced the front oxygen sensor and spark plugs (prior to problem). This winter, I took it to a mechanic who couldn't explain the problem and replaced the spark plug wires.
Based on my reading, it seems like the only other most likely culprit is the manifold air pressure (MAP) sensor that's mounted on the intake manifold. I haven't worked up the effort (and can't find my multimeter) to do an electrical test of the MAP sensor's output itself. I'm also not keen on just buying a $270 part without sound evidence, nor paying for ill-informed guessing by lesser mechanics (than yourselves, of course!). I also have a sneaking suspicion that the automatic transmission could be slipping -- when I drive with 2 adults and two kids in the car up a hill, it seems more underpowered than days of old.
Subaru - Forester :: 2011 - Grinding Noise When Try To Engage 2nd Gear In Cold
I have a brand new (2 months old) 2011 Subaru Forester 2.5x that has a 4 cyl engine and a 5 speed manual transmission. This past week it's been cold here in New Hampshire and in the morning when I first drive the car, I have trouble shifting from 1st to second gear. When I shift from 1st to 2nd, I hear/feel some grinding noise as I try to engage 2nd gear. This only seems to happen when the car has been sitting around in the cold for a long period of time. Our garage has been cold (34 deg this AM) for the past week and when I drive out of our driveway and on our street I encounter this problem.
Normally, this problem only happens the first time you shift out of first and into 2nd. However, the other day, when it was very cold (5 degrees out) it happened several times as I drove down the street. After it happened the first time that morning, I stopped the car and drove from a dead stop, shifting from 1st to 2nd. I had problems 3 or 4 times trying to shift to 2nd. I ended up double clutching the car to avoid making the grinding sound. I took the car to the dealer. The couldn't repeat it but I didn't expect it to, because the car was warmed up and it was warmer during the day (low 30's by the time I got to the dealer that afternoon). The mechanic changed the transmission oil and checked the magnet in the pan to see if there were any metal pieces. He did not find any metal pieces. That was two days ago.
Unfortunately, every morning since then the car has had the same problem. Once the transmission has been warmed up it runs flawlessly and I have no problems shifting. I've made sure I am fully depressing the clutch for each shift. The past few days I've been taking the car out on an early morning test run and like clockwork, it has problems on the first shift into second, and it usually works fine after that. I have an appointment next week to leave the car with the dealer overnight. They will test drive it to see if they can reproduce the problem. What might be wrong? I have a workaround solution to avoid grinding the gears. I simply double clutch shift into 2nd for the first few times that I shift after the car has been sitting in the cold for a while. However, this is less than ideal for a brand new car.
Subaru - Forester :: 2006 - Shifting Extremely Hard When Engine Is Cold
For longer than I'd like to reveal, my Forester has shifted extremely hard. This happens only when the engine is cold and disappears entirely once it heats up. Also, the RPMs go high just before the shift. When it does shift, it feels as if the engine is going to self-destruct from the sound and rough feeling --as if the entire engine or at least some part of it were going to fall to the ground. After it shifts, it feels as if the car shoots forward like a rocket. The Subaru dealer changed the transmission fluid and reset the computer. The problem persists.
View 1 RepliesSubaru - Forester :: Jerks / Lurches And Makes A Loud Noise When Shifting On Cold Start
I have a 2006 Subaru Forester automatic with about 40,000 miles on it. When it gets cold out, I notice that when I first start driving the car, it jerks/lurches and makes a loud noise when shifting from first to second and second to third. When the car warms up after driving for awhile, it doesn't do it anymore. It's much colder here (high today of zero), the car is doing this much more often. I brought it to the dealer and they completely flushed the transmission fluid (which they said looked yellow instead of red/orange??), but it is still making the noise and having trouble shifting in the cold. They said need to take the transmission apart, so I've been leary about taking it back. My husband thinks I should just drive it until it dies and then get a new transmission if needed.
View 1 RepliesSubaru - Forester :: 2002 - Loud Knocking Sort Of Sound At Startup - Engine Shuts Off At Stop Sign
I have about 200k on my forester. Friday when I was leaving work I cranked it up and it made a loud knocking sort of sound. I drove it home (about 15 miles) and on the way the sound lessened. It was louder when the car was idling but she made it home ok. Next day, started the car and it happened again. Not more than 50 feet up the road we stopped at a stop sign and it sounded like a semi was starting up around the corner. Much to my dismay it was not a semi but my own car. Engine shut off. We pushed it back to the house and tried to check it out the next day. This time, we started it, didn't go anywhere, and within 30 seconds it turned off. Same loud knocking sort of sound. The confusing part is that all of this happened within two days. There was no gentle sound leading up to it for a few weeks or even a few days. Knocked on Friday, shut off on Saturday. What could be going on?
View 19 RepliesSubaru - Forester :: 2006 - Brakes Inconsistently Making Dragging / Grinding Noise When Coming To A Stop At Low Speeds
I have a 2006 Subaru Forester with 115K miles. It's been well-maintained and well-loved.
For the past few months, the brakes have been inconsistently making a dragging/grinding noise when coming to a stop at low speeds (<5mph). It sounds to be coming from the front half of the car - I can feel it vibrating a little near the driver side. We've taken the car in to be looked at three times - each time, the mechanics think they've heard the noise and report there is absolutely nothing wrong with the brake pads or rotors. Twice they reported a shim was out of alignment. After the last shim adjustment, the noise got a little better - instead of grinding, it's more of a dragging sound now. Because the noise is inconsistent, I haven't been able to crack the formula of the conditions that produce it, other than that it only happens as I'm coming to a stop at very low speeds.
Is there something besides the brakes we should be having inspected? Does this sound safe to drive?