Hesitation--a problem with ALL 6 cylinder engines?

[Bill Bradley]

I dropped off my 2006 Outback VDC 3.0, that's been experiencing severe
hesitation problems when trying to accelerate, at the dealers, so that the
Regional Rep can look at it. They are also going to get with the Subaru TAC
(sp?) on the problem.

I'm talking about hesitation so severe that I've almost been rear-ended
several times, as, when I pull out to pass someone, the
car...just...sits...there, despite me flooring it, or trying anything else.
Also does it very obviously when slowing down to turn a corner.

They gave me a 2006 Tribeca as a loaner, and, in driving it home, although
it does seem somewhat under-powered, I noticed the same hesitation problem.

My wife had a 2001 Forester (regular 4), and just traded it in on a 2007
Forester XT Turbo, and, her cars have NEVER had the problem.

Do I need to dump the 6 cylinder? Is it a problem with all Subaru models
that use that engine?

Thanks.

 

[Clifford Heath]

I'm talking about hesitation so severe that I've almost been rear-ended

Could be fouled plugs, or even bad leads. I've had that behaviour
from both causes, as well as low-octane fuel. But first, check
that the leads (plug *and* coil leads) aren't burnt at the ends.
A bit of corrosion can cause all kinds of unpredictable behaviour
too, so check all the main electric circuits for anything that
might indicate intermittents or high resistance.

If you have to replace leads, consider spending a few $ extra for
Magnecore leads or similar inductive *wire* leads. You'll never
ever have to replace your leads again (*), and will always have a
better spark.

(*) I had a Magnecore lead fail after 8 years once, and took it
back to the dealer. He looked at me shamefacedly as he instantly
repaired it, apologising profusely that the end hadn't been fitted
correctly from the outset and it should never have happened. I was
super impressed, needless to say .

That said, there are *many* things that can cause your symptoms.
Hope you find it.

Clifford Heath.

 

[Dmitriy]

There are a bunch of things that can cause hesitation or sluggishness.

Just as another example to add to what Clifford said, a bad Knock
sensor will cause your ECU to dial back on the timing causing some
major sluggishness. I have this happening to my car now, and it almost
feels like it goes slower the harder I press the pedal.

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

I dropped off my 2006 Outback VDC 3.0, that's been experiencing severe
hesitation problems when trying to accelerate, at the dealers, so that the
Regional Rep can look at it. They are also going to get with the Subaru TAC
(sp?) on the problem.

I'm talking about hesitation so severe that I've almost been rear-ended
several times, as, when I pull out to pass someone, the
car...just...sits...there, despite me flooring it, or trying anything else.
Also does it very obviously when slowing down to turn a corner.

They gave me a 2006 Tribeca as a loaner, and, in driving it home, although
it does seem somewhat under-powered, I noticed the same hesitation problem.

My wife had a 2001 Forester (regular 4), and just traded it in on a 2007
Forester XT Turbo, and, her cars have NEVER had the problem.

Do I need to dump the 6 cylinder? Is it a problem with all Subaru models
that use that engine?

Thanks.

My wifes '03 H6 OBW is glass smooth at all times and a pleasure to
drive. heavier than my WRX for certain and a different type of drive -
but no engine related issues - so far(no VDC). Did you get a CEL? Wonder
what code it stored? When you floor it, did rpms go up but no movement?
Maybe it's a transmission problem?

let us know what they find.


Carl

 

[Phil]

I've never experienced any hesitation in my 05 OBW with that engine.

 

[Yousuf Khan]

I dropped off my 2006 Outback VDC 3.0, that's been experiencing severe
hesitation problems when trying to accelerate, at the dealers, so that the
Regional Rep can look at it. They are also going to get with the Subaru TAC
(sp?) on the problem.

I've had some hesitation problems on my 2000 OBW 2.5L H4. I've recently
switched to higher octane gas, and it's smoothed out quite a bit. My
hesitations normally occurred during stop-light starts from a standstill.

Yousuf Khan

 

[Bill Bradley]

Well, I had the Service Manager and several Tech's drive my car, they all
felt the hesitation, but, they all said it was "normal for this engine".
There is a firmware upgrade from May that is supposed to fix this, and, that
had been applied, but, obviously didn't fix it.

I have an appointment with the Regional Rep next Wed, so, we'll see what he
says.

I can't believe that they can't fix this, and, in fact several of the Tech's
told me that that's the reason they bought the 4-cylinder Turbo model,
instead.

 

[YKhan]

Well, I had the Service Manager and several Tech's drive my car, they all
felt the hesitation, but, they all said it was "normal for this engine".
There is a firmware upgrade from May that is supposed to fix this, and, that
had been applied, but, obviously didn't fix it.

I get the feeling that the AWD system probably puts an unusual amount
of strain on these engines at certain RPMs, until they get to the meaty
part of their torque curve. Subaru could really use a hybrid system,
where a smooth electric motor does the initial motivation until the IC
engine spools up.

Yousuf Khan

 

[Bee]

I have this problem with my 1997 Legacy GTB 2.0l Turbo... will take it
to Subaru soon and see what they say...

This is a 4 cylinder car...

 

[Bill Bradley]

The Regional Rep says that this is normal, too. I drove a few other 4 and 6
cylinder cars, both 2006 and 2007, and, they are all like this, although the
4 cylinder Outback, although under-powered, seemed "peppier".

I guess, if this is normal, then, I need to get another car, as, this is
dangerous.

 

[YKhan]

The Regional Rep says that this is normal, too. I drove a few other 4 and 6
cylinder cars, both 2006 and 2007, and, they are all like this, although the
4 cylinder Outback, although under-powered, seemed "peppier".

I guess, if this is normal, then, I need to get another car, as, this is
dangerous.

Yeah, well, that's upto you. I know one thing that I did notice when I
was first test driving Subarus back when I first bought this thing,
that the automatic felt quite "washed out" compared to the manual. So I
ended up with the manual transmission. With the manual, I have control
over the RPMs to get going at. I only suffer the hesitation if I'm not
paying attention and let the RPMs get too low during start-off. And I
have no problems with acceleration while already moving. Perhaps Subaru
needs to pick a higher RPM for the automatic to start going too?

Yousuf Khan