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?
View 5 RepliesI 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.
View 19 RepliesI 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?
View 4 RepliesI have a 2002 Subaru Outback and can't get gas in the tank. The tank acts like it is already full. Any solutions?
View 1 RepliesI 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.
View 5 RepliesI have a 2002 Outback with 98000 miles. I am running conventional oil. How many miles between oil changes?
View 4 RepliesI 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.
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?
View 6 RepliesI 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....
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?
View 3 RepliesI'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?
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?
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.
View 10 RepliesI 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.
View 8 RepliesI 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.
View 8 Replies2002 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.
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?
View 5 RepliesI 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.
View 2 RepliesMy 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?
I have a 2002 Subaru Outback. The rear right brake light housing cracked, and filled up with water, shorting the bulbs. I thought I was clever in taking the light unit off, draining the water, changing the bulbs, and caulking the crack with silicon. This worked for a while, then the battery died. I couldn't really figure out why - it was a year old, and had no prior issues starting the car. I swapped out the battery for a brand new one, and that seemed to solve the issue for a week. Then the car refused to start all over again. I remembered the brake light, checked it - filled again. So I replaced the unit and the pig electric line, and charge the battery. This seemed to solve the problem, but then the car failed to start after about 3 weeks.
One additional detail is the dial light switch on the driving shaft. One is able to turn this to adjust light settings. Regardless of position, the lights turn off when I turn off the car. However, failure to start seems to be additionally related to the position of this switch; if it's switched all the way back towards the driver the car appears to start consistently for weeks on end, BUT the tail lights fail to turn on in this position (though the brake lights work). Alternatively, dialing the switch all the way away from the driver turns on the tail lights, but seems to be related to battery drain.
I've checked the health of the battery and the contacts - everything checks out. At this point I'm wondering if it's an electrical fault or the alternator.
Yesterday, I noticed a rattling sound coming from the entire car a 2002 subaru outback 2.5l 4 cylander (it seems a bit louder on the passenger side but it literally can be heard throughout the car). I was on the expressway and got off and stopped at a red light when the check engine light came on and started to flash and the rpm's dropped rapidly and the needle began to bounce up and down. I pulled into a gas station to check it out more and popped the hood to find that when the car is rattling it is also shaking and rocking the engine of the car from side to side slightly.
When I'm idling the rpm's drop and the car feels like it is going to stall out. Then, as I accelerate, the rpm's barely go above 2000 and jump up quickly between 3000 & 4000. It sounds like a metal on metal rattle with a very slight high pitched whistle and you can hear a fan kick on and the engine try to keep the rpm's up every couple of seconds when the car is stopped. I had the timing belts replaced 2 years ago and it sounds very similar to how it did when they needed to be changed, however, the engine never felt like it was going to stall until yesterday.
When idling the noise gets louder and when accelerating it can still be heard but barely. Also, the rattling has caused the entire car to vibrate all of the time. I noticed yesterday that the oil was low and topped it off, but I don't think that would cause such a hige issue so quickly. When I go uphill, i have a good amount of power but every 30 second or so the car shifts and the rpm's jump lurching the car forward because of the surge of power. Also, when I hit the brakes, my rpm's jump slightly to about halfway above the 1 but the engine does not accelerate.