Subaru - Outback :: 2002 - Bumping At Start And Get Going
Aug 9, 2011
I have a 2002 Subaru Outback with 5 speed tranny, when I go to get moving the car bounces kinda like the clutch is getting disengaged too fast but it usually gets going just fine, this doesn't happen as bad when I accelerate slowly, when I disengage the clutch and get going it kinda lurches a few times. No matter the combo of clutch and gas I can't seem to get it to stop. This happens when I start in 1st and second gear, and a lot of the time if I accelerate quickly it will smell like burning rubber.
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I have a 2002 Subaru Outback Wagon. In May this year the OEM battery finally wore out, I was feeling poor so I bought a used battery from the local auto parts store. 2 months later, one day my car started chugging like it was having trouble starting and sounded like the battery was dying but then did start. Later that day it wouldn't start at all. Wouldn't turn over at all, but dash lights came on with key turn. Tried to jump it, wouldn't jump start. I bought a refurbed starter, had it put it, car starts.
A week later the same thing happened. Won't jump, no turn over, dash lights on when key turn. Had the battery tested, it was "good". Had the starter pulled, it was bad, put another refurbed starter in. Also replaced cables to the battery, and the clamp things that go on the cables to the battery. A week later, same thing, won't turn over, dash lights on with key turn. I was in the Costco parking lot when it happened this time, and got the tire mechanic to try to jump it. It jumped but was chugging like crazy and smoke came out of somewhere. The mechanic said he really thought it was a bad battery, that it sounded like the motor was trying to run off the alternator. I bought a new battery from Costco, and returned the used one to the parts store. When the used one was taken out, the mechanic said he could smell battery acid and it might have had a bad cell.
Now, the car will start when the engine is cold, but when I drive somewhere and it gets nice and hot (I live in Florida), it will not start again unless it is completely cold, or I get a jump. At least it will jump start now without a problem. I have had a mechanic use his little tool to check for computer codes, and of course there are none. I need to solve it not starting at all unless it is stone cold. My question is, what do you think is wrong?
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I own a 2002 Outback. It is overheating. We have replaced hoses, thermostat, water pump, the temp sensor, had the radiator tested. Nothing has changed our problem. My husband is at a loss and the mechanic who has is now has no clue as to what else it could be. The mechanic is referring to it as a ghost problem.
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I have a 2002 Legacy Outback 6Cyl with VDC. Over the weekend my dash lights for both the ABS and the VDC will not go out after the normal starting of the car. Does this mean I have a brake problem?
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I have a 2002 Subaru Outback and can't get gas in the tank. The tank acts like it is already full. Any solutions?
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I have a 2002 Outback with 98000 miles. I am running conventional oil. How many miles between oil changes?
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I have a 2002 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport with 110,000 miles on it and recently noticed a patch of clearcoat which has flaked off the left rear quarter panel and am wondering if there is a way to patch it with something or is the only remedy to have the entire car clearcoated?
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I have a 2002 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport with ~140,000 miles on it. Recently, it's started having a problem, where when I make a right hand turn, it fails to accelerate until the wheel is straight...as if it's revving but not catching/accelerating until I've straightened the wheel and am headed straight onto whatever road I've just turned onto...does that make sense?
It tends to happen more at 1st start up in the morning...and then, once its warmed up it's not as bad, but still present. Left hand turns I don't notice it...maybe because they aren't as sharp? Also, fyi, the check engine light has been on for a while, but I know this is due to the catalytic converter..and am saving up to get that replaced.
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A family member has a 2002 Subaru Outback. Possible blown head gasket per dealership. Should we just get rid of it or fix it? I feel the car had problems when we bought it a couple years ago due to dishonest salesperson. I hate to keep putting money into it. It seems to use a lot of oil also. Fix it then sell? Or just get rid of it?
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I just took my 2002 Subaru into the dealer to have them fix a fuel line leak that I was hoping was on recall (it wasn't). I don't take my car to them regularly but they had to be the ones to diagnose it in case it was a recalled part. They called today and said that the fuel line was leaking onto my engine, that there was no recall, and that because they heard a ticking sound coming from my engine they were predicting my cam bearing was giving out and it would be $3000 to fix it. I asked how they diagnosed it and they said they have a guy there who knows the sound well and can hear it and predict it accurately, but they didn't actually take the engine apart or anything to check.
I'm feeling a bit confused. I will have my mechanic look at it and ask him what he thinks but he did my brakes not too long ago and did not mention any concern about the clicking. I change my oil like a responsible car owner and take care of it, but it does have 200,000 miles on it. I need to drive a long distance in a couple of weeks and am wondering if my engine is about to give out....
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I have a 2002 Subaru Outback with inside mirror with compass. Problem - the compass is unreadable because the light is too dim to read the direction showing. Does the mirror have to be replaced or is there a way of fixing the problem?
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I'm looking for a car that is cheap to maintain. I have to have something that allows for interior cargo space.So far, I can find either of these two models for under $8k in clean condition.
I like the Subaru Outback (H6 engine), but I know that more parts can likely equal higher priced maintenance. AWD involves a front and rear differential and a transfer case that can go bad anytime and it has a more complex set up than a basic truck. Then, there's the computery crap that can go wrong.
The Xterra, if I can get a basic 2 wheel drive should, I'd guess, be fairly cheap to maintain, no? Sure, I loose out on the driving advantages offered by the Subaru Outback and gas will cost more.
I love driving the Subaru, but I'm guessing that once a bunch of rattles, leaks, and other issues start cropping up that I might not be so happy with it. The vehicles in my price range are all sitting at 100k - 120k miles. The Nissan Xterra is a truck. It drives like a truck. I might be happier with it, knowing I won't have to pay for high priced repairs. I drive rather conservatively with the intention of keeping my vehicle in good condition. It would be a daily driver for the next 18 months.
Even with higher fuel costs (Xterra will likely get 16-19 mpg), I'm thinking I'd be better off buying the Xterra than the Subaru, yes or no?
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2002 Outback, runs great EXCEPT for very annoying roaring, revving noise when gas pedal is pressed and going over 35mph. Sounds like car is running 60 mph in second gear. It is an automatic transmission. Don't think it's a transmission problem, gears change smooth (does about 2300 rpms at 65 mph). Sound will stop and runs normal if you let off gas. Noise is loud. Bearings, exhaust, etc.
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I have a 2002 Subaru Outback that has started overheating only when I try to go up into the mountains. It starts within a few miles of starting up a steep grade and cools down the instant you start down the mountain. I have had no problems with regular driving conditions. The only pertinent info might be that it did have a coolant leak last summer and overheated then.
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I have a 2002 Subaru Outback that recently started making an odd noise. This noise is somewhat hard to describe, but sort of sounds like "urrh ah urrh ah" almost like a rubbing noise or a deep squeak (not high pitched). This noise only occurs when I'm braking, starts when I'm slowing down (going below 20 mph) and becomes more pronounced as I reach a full stop. The noise starts out fast (urr ah urr ah urr ah) and slows down as the car slows down (and gets louder as I come to a complete stop. It is more pronounced when I'm braking going down a hill (louder than when I'm stopping on a flat surface). It does NOT do it when I'm braking in reverse, or when I'm braking going up a hill. You also cannot hear the noise outside the car- only inside the cabin.
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2002 Subaru Outback 4cyl auto trans 166.8K miles
Hearing a "clunk" lately when switching into reverse in the AM after starting the car. The transmission seems to drive completely normal otherwise. So I checked the trans fluid and it's fine. Then I started looking at mounts. Upper engine mount has about 1mm of play, lower mounts don't budge. Then I went to the transaxle mount and found that there seemed to be almost 2cm of space (can easily fit my fingers in there) between the stopper and the transaxle crossmember (picture attached). When I have someone put the car in reverse while I am underneath (obviously we have the brake / parking brake engaged so I don't get run over) I see this stopper move upward and can see the entire drive shaft move upwards also. Not just a few mm, but on the order of centimeters. I could not get the clunk to occur to see if I can hear where it comes from.
Is this space and movement in the stopper and drivetrain normal?
If it's not normal, could this cause the clunk to happen?
It it's not normal, should I have it repaired on this vehicle? Is it hurting anything / worth it long term?
If it's normal, any other advice on sorting out the clunk? It does it about 75% of the time I shift into reverse, but seems less likely when the car is warm.
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I am having an engine temp issue when climbing steep hills. The gauge goes from normal to the red line but not into the red. The VDC OFF light is on but the CEL is not one. Once I reach the top of the hill the engine begins to cool off and returns to normal. Yesterday I had the radiator flushed and the thermostat changed. Am I looking at a water pump or head gaskets?
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I have an 02 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport with 130k miles. It makes a whining noise from the center to rear of the car that gets louder with Acceleration. The second you take your foot off the gas it gets quieter. The noise never completely disappears though. It also doesn't change if I am turning or driving straight.
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2000 Subaru Legacy Outback (or is it Outback Legacy.....I've never known)165000 milesWhite
I have this chronic and intermittent problem with my Subaru. It's been going on for years. I had it to the dealership a few time as well as other mechanics, but of course, it never misbehaves then.
Here's the problem. The car always will start when cold. Occasionally when you go somewhere, primarily short errands etc. the first stop is no problem but when you stop at the next place and come back a short while later (5-15 minutes) it will not start. It does not make a sound. Lights work. The battery is just fine. Stopping on long trips is especially problematic.
At first, it would cure itself after opening the hood, scratching your head, etc. and closing the hood. Or maybe it was slamming the door but you could depend on it starting after some hocus pocus like that. Now it seems to be getting worse. However, there is one thing that so far never fails.... you can jump it and it will fire right up. Remember, the battery is not low, but jumping works.
Actually, the battery is just about a year old. One time it died and when I couldn't get it to start after a long time I thought it was finally my chance to get a mechanic to trouble shoot it. So after towing and about $300 between troubleshooting fees and the diagnosis that the battery was shot, they were confident they had solved the problem. No such luck
I can say confidently that the battery terminal connections are clean and tight. I've checked the wire and mount on the starter too.
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My 2002 outback tape deck, which I use primarily to listen to my phone via a cassette adaptor, has recently started making a very loud buzzing/humming noise. It does this with both my old and a new adaptor, as well as a standard audio tape.
I could try using a head cleaner on the tape deck, but my impression is that this isn't what typically would happen if the head needs cleaning, and I don't particular want to waste the time and money on a solution that I'm pretty sure isn't going to work, but I'm asking you all in case you know better than me (a real possibility). I just don't know if I should try that first, or if I should just go out and purchase a new car stereo that has either blue tooth, or an audio input plug so I can directly plug the phone in that way.
Also if I do go the way of replacing the stereo, is that generally a straightforward process? And would most replacement stereos be compatible with my vehicle, or do I need to be selective?
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Last week, I needed to move my Subaru from the driveway, it sluggishly turned over and started. Later that day, I went to move it back into the driveway and it wouldn't turn over at all. However, my dash lights on buttons were glowing. It then randomly started up for my husband a couple hours later and he pulled it into the driveway. The next day, he had to jump the car to start it up and he took it to the shop where they replace the corroded heads of the battery cables. Said the cables were okay and that the battery was charged (would a no-good battery show decent charge simply because it was jumped?). The following day, the Subaru started up fine for my husband who went to run an errand, but upon returning to the car in the parking lot, found it unable to start, again! I met him with our 2nd car and jumped the Subaru, then followed him to the Subaru dealer shop. Their master mechanic has yet to determine what's going on.
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