After smelling a bit of a "hot oil smell" on and off for several weeks and culminating in a getting smoke from the engine at the end of a mountain road, we took our 2004 Subaru Forrester (147,500) to the trusted mechanic. We were told that it needs head gaskets in both banks.
View 7 RepliesI have a 2004 Turbo Forester. It's been maintained since purchased new at the same dealer with oil changes every 3500 miles or so and all the "big" required/recommended maintenance every 15000 miles. After the 75000 mile check, I kept smelling a burning oil smell, especially when car was idling. I had it back to the dealer several times but they couldn't find anything wrong. The car did not seem to be using excess oil, there were no "puddles" under the car where it was parked. Today I brought the car in for routine oil change (78400 miles). On the way in, started smelling the burning smell again and saw smoke around the turbo charger.
The mechanic saw "Moisture" (oil?) around a lower bolt on the heat shield around the turbo charger. He said it was likely a failing turbo charger causing oil to leak on making that bolt wet? The engine is not making any noise, nor is the turbocharger, and there was no "check engine light" illuminated. I'm scared now to take the care elsewhere for a second opinion...don't really want to drive it and trash the engine. It's out of warranty now, and this is a painfully expensive fix that couldn't have come at a worse time on a car that's been maintained "by the book". I'm reading a lot about this "banjo bolt screen" problem. Would that be something to find out about on a 2004 Forester? Is there anything else that could be causing the problem (mechanic couldn't think of anything).
Okay, I've been trying to diagnose this problem for ages. Whenever I top off my tank with fuel, the garage smells of fuel until I use up about a quarter of the tank. The smell stays mostly outside of the car. So far I have replaced the drain filter (a few years ago), fuel filler neck, hose leading from the filler neck to the tank, and had the system pressure tested. I'm fairly certain it's not the tank because the car has been undercoated since new and my mechanic saw no signs of a leak when he replaced the rear crossmember recently. My next guess is either the gas cap, the charcoal filter, or some hose leading to/from the charcoal filter.
View 7 RepliesHad 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 RepliesHaving 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 RepliesWhen 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...
Our beloved 2004 Subaru Forester has the check engine light on. We've been told that the 4th cylinder has either low or no compression. Is this fixable/worth fixing? Would you replace the engine? The car has 183K miles on it, and runs great! It is stuttering now, due to this issue, but otherwise - runs great and is in good condition!
View 11 RepliesHad the head gasket replaced and metal machined due to HG failure. 2001 Forester, 120K miles. After I got it back, a bad oil smell. Cleaned and sprayed it, still there, though less; seems to be on drivers side. Comes into cabin from the air vents below windshield when stopped.
Could it be the line from manifold vacuum to brake master cylinder ie servo amplifier? Or something else?Should I worry? The car seems to get about 15 mpg, used to get 18 mpg, and the check engine MIL is on.
While waiting at a stop light my car totally died, there were no warning lights, the car is a 2011 Subaru forester with 52,000 km. I had it pushed off the road, tried to restart it with jump cables but it would not turn over. I noticed an odd burning smell when I opened the hood. There were rat tracks on top of the engine area. I had the battery pulled out and replaced with another fully charged but it did not make a difference.
After sitting for two days, I restarted the car and the engine managed to turn over but very very rough, a mechanic thought there was something loose in the engine. I currently live in Mexico and closest subaru dealership is 5 hours away. I will need to get it towed there but I would like to have some idea of what it may be, my thought is somehow a wire got chewed off but I had driven it about 20 miles that morning and then it just stopped dead.
First & main issue: I throttle on, the RPMs jump, speed drops. I think I dealt w/ this before in my old Toyota pickup by replacing the clutch master cylinder. Is that right?
Secondly, I don't know if the engine of this lil car has been rebuilt, but the smoke from under the hood has been alarming. It smells of oil, and I've seen some spots that appear to have leaking oil dropping onto the exhaust, but the smoke keeps coming from various spots.
I really enjoy driving this lil car, it's my first Subaru and my first wagon, but if the trouble is just now starting for me, at over 210,000 miles... I've replaced a few things, but I've never owned a newer(ish) vehicle (except a Harley), and come to expect to do work every once in awhile. I'm fairly regular w/ preventative maintenance, but not strict about when to change fluids or flush things (i.e. transmission or radiator). Maybe I should just sell this one and move on.
I also hit a deer the other day going pretty fast and fortunately only busted out the passenger side head light, fog light, and blinker. The other day being over a month ago. I just don't drive at night and try to avoid right turns. Any thoughts on where to get cheap replacement parts? I can't seem to find anywhere that'll sell me those plastic bits for under a few hundred dollars.. strange considering a necessary part like a master cylinder is only $40..
I recently moved to Pittsburgh where I constantly use my parking brake from Rochester, NY where I rarely ever used it. After I've moved to Pittsburgh (7 months after I've owned this 2004 Subaru Forester). After I drive for a significant amount of time (30+ minutes) and come off the freeway and stop or even slow down, the cabin of the car has a distinct, but faint burning smell. I am wondering if this could be the parking brake rubbing just slightly and when I slow down the smell stays in the cabin or if it is possible that the brakes are smelling (or something entirely different). Keep in mind that the smell doesn't happen when I only take a short drive, which is often. And of course, no I haven't taken this into an auto mechanic yet.
View 9 RepliesI've got an 08 Gen II with 173k miles on it. The last few days of coming up the huge hill in front of our house I've noticed a burning smell, link burnt coolant.
So today I actually popped the hood to investigate and found a small tuff of smoke coming from the back of the engine.
After climbing underneath I found a leak of some sort of brown/cream fluid.. Kinda scary color. Anyways it seems when put a significant load on the car going up a hill it sprays this fluid on the exhaust, thus the burning smell..
Oil is clean on the stick and under the cap.
I purchased a 2006 Impreza 2.5 back in July, and since then, have replaced the cam seal twice but I am still having problems. I smell burned oil and see faint smoke coming from the motor (lookers right- battery side). My local mechanic thinks the camshaft might be at fault, but is unsure. I have only owned Subarus, and have never had this issue with any other models. Head gaskets are brand new, same with timing belt, water-pump, radiator, and cam seal. Vehicle has 160k on it, and is my daily driver.
View 9 RepliesI have a 2004 Subaru Forester xs and the a/c goes out intermittently. I was told I need a new compressor clutch and that the whole compressor assembly will have to be replaced. I contacted another mechanic and he said that he would fix just the clutch but I should replace the whole thing. So, what do I HAVE to do? Are these prices in line? Can I get used parts or discounted parts?
View 2 RepliesAfter having changed the oil in my 04 Forester multiple times, I must have lost my mind and drained the transmission fluid. I realized this when I started it back up and it wouldn't move. Clearly I put an oil filter on with engine oil around the seal. Should I do a tranny flush or can I just replace filter (with correct one) and fill with tranny fluid?
View 16 RepliesI have a 2006 Subaru Forester with a little over 119,000 miles.
For the past several weeks, maybe a month, it has been making a weird noise... it comes from the 'engine' area... my husband thinks it might be a belt or something. Sometimes there is a burning smell, especially if we're on a long trip, going uphill... but the smell isn't always.
The sound sounds like... a remote control car that you push with your hands, instead of using the remote control. So it's kind of like a winding/whining sound... the sound happens when it is in park, and drive, whether I'm driving or at a stop.
A significant amount of engine oil was added to my automatic transmission line. I drove the car (2010 subaru forester) for about 10,000 miles. I noticed the transmission slipping. I brought it to the dealer. They found the engine oil in the transmission, flushed and replaced the fluid. The question is How badly is my transmission damage. The warrenty is now voided and I am afraid that I will need a new transmission fairly soon.
View 4 RepliesEngine light came on two weeks ago. Had the code read at Advance Auto Parts. Code = P0420. The only performance issue was that it stalled when I started it the other day for the first time since I bought it last fall. Are there any other clues to tell what it could mean (catalytic converter vs. 02 sensor vs. anything else)? Is it really worth trying some kind of catalytic converter cleaner product?
View 1 RepliesI have a 2007 Subaru Forester, bought from a dealer with 7,000 miles on it in 2007. I religiously had the oil changed every 5,000 miles and had other recommended work done. At 90,000 miles I did not have the work done immediately, but waited until 92,000 miles. My car then ran out of oil, with no smoking, no oil in the driveway, no warning light, so I believe the dealers didn't fill the oil at 85,000 miles. But that's not why I'm writing. I had a remanufactured short block assembly installed and the other work done at the dealer to the tune of over $6000.
Now that I have my car back it hesitates at least once a day, sometimes several times, sometimes several times in a row. It hesitates at about 20 miles per hour, when the gears are changing. Of course, it didn't hesitate when they checked it and their computer says "nothing's wrong". In addition, there was a tapping sound in the engine. Again "nothing's wrong". When I had my car smogged, the smog tech said "OMG, you have a problem with your valves." I took it to the dealer and they then admitted I had a problem with my valves (or lifters) and they fixed it. The hesitation continues. What could be causing the hesitation? They're not smart enough nor do they care enough to figure out what it is.
With a cold engine in my 2010 Forester (29,000 miles), the coolant level has dropped from "full" to "low" in the overflow reservoir over the last 8 months or so. The level was down at that time (8 mos. back) and I topped it off. There is no obvious coolant puddle on the driveway. There is a gurgling sound at tailpipes and the exhaust is very wet. I'm worried there is a cooling system leak into the engine. Overall I have not been happy with the service dept. at my dealer (bought the car used from him) and wondering if this is the type of diagnosis and repair that an independent shop could handle.
View 17 RepliesI've 2005 Subaru Forester automatic with 2.5L engine. It ran fine since I purchased it in 2005. However for the last 3 months it is behaving strangely. When it sits in the garage for 2 days or longer, it starts up very rough. It feels like the engine is misfiring. If I let it run for 10 to 15 minutes, it is back to normal!! The car has 80,000 miles. It was tuned up at 61,000 miles. I recently had a diagnostic check done. It showed no problems.
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