subaru forester 2004 problem

[yyeessyy]

I just bought a 2004 forester(manual transmission). The car seems to be
stuck when I try to move it from a full stop if the wheel is turned to
rightmost position. it sounds like some metal pieces are squeaking
grinding against each other. if I don't hit more gas, it will cause the
car to stall.
it happened on the first time I test drove it, and I had happened few
times since I own it.Is this normal? could it have something to do with
the hill holder?

 

[Jim Stewart]

I just bought a 2004 forester(manual transmission). The car seems to be
stuck when I try to move it from a full stop if the wheel is turned to
rightmost position. it sounds like some metal pieces are squeaking
grinding against each other. if I don't hit more gas, it will cause the
car to stall.
it happened on the first time I test drove it, and I had happened few
times since I own it.Is this normal? could it have something to do with
the hill holder?

Sounds like the right CV joint. I hope it's
not the VC coupling. CV joint replacement is
not a huge deal, maybe $200 at an independant
shop. VC coupling problems are a big deal.
Check the CV joint first.

If it is the CV joint, ask the shop to show
you how to check the boots for damage. If
you catch boot damage early it can save you
bucks down the road.

 

[yyeessyy]

thanks for ur reply, can you explain what VC coupling is? the car is brand
new, only 230 miles, is it normal to have such a problem?

 

[Jim Stewart]

thanks for ur reply, can you explain what VC coupling is? the car is brand
new, only 230 miles, is it normal to have such a problem?

The VC coupling distributes the power between
the front wheels and the back wheels. It is
usually quite trouble-free, but expensive if
it needs to be fixed.

A car should have *no* problems at 230 miles.
I don't know why you bought it knowing that
there was a problem with the front wheels.
I presume you have a new-car warrantee and
the dealer will fix whatever is wrong.

 

[Henry Paul]

Do you notice a difference if the car is just started and cold or if it has
been running and hot? The VC coupling (center differential) can become
overheated from driving and may tend to bind when doing heavy turning such
as in a parking lot.

Also, my user manual says not to turn the steering wheel to the extremes for
extended periods of time as this could damage the power steering pump.

Also, does this same behavior exhibit itself if you turn to the leftmost
position?

 

[yyeessyy]

I showed this problem to the dealer, dealer test drove it and told me there
was no problem. He said that could just be rust on the brake, cause the
vehicle had been sitting so long.
I thought it could be the hill holder. I was not very customed to the new
design of hill holder either, it feels like the brakes are not released
until you release the cluth to some extent. some times it will cause the
engine to stall.it acutally made hill start more difficult for me.
have you had any experience with the new hill holder?any comments?

 

[yyeessyy]

Henry,
Thanks for all your kind answers, they were very helpful.
I traded in my 2001 Outback Ltd for about 8500 dollar at a different
subaru dealer, about 2300 dollars higher than my dealer offered me.(SOA
representative told me 6200 dollar was a fair price) The new subaru dealer
also offered a much better price for 2004 forester. I can't imagine how
skillful my subaru dealer is at ripping off customers, I would not give
car dealers any more merciful considerations.

Thanks alot!

Shengyi

 

[Jim Stewart]

yyeessyy wrote:

Snip...

I would not give
car dealers any more merciful considerations.

A wise decision I think.

 

[Scott McKernon]

The dealer may be correct about the brakes causing the noise.
A new car that has been sitting around a dealership parking lot is
likely to have some surface rust build up that could cause a grinding
noise. This annoyance can be magnified by the fact that Subaru's, unlike
most cars,
have the parking brake in the front. No rust will accumulate under the pads,
especially
when the parking brake in engaged. The noise you may be hearing is the pads
against that layer of surface rust.

--
R. Scott McKernon
Store Manager
Olympic Auto Parts
9136 Gaither Rd
Gaithersburg, MD 20874
1-800-472-9360
(e-mail address removed)
www.olyparts.com

 

[Woody]

I just bought a 2004 forester(manual transmission). The car seems to be
stuck when I try to move it from a full stop if the wheel is turned to
rightmost position. it sounds like some metal pieces are squeaking
grinding against each other. if I don't hit more gas, it will cause the
car to stall.
it happened on the first time I test drove it, and I had happened few
times since I own it.Is this normal? could it have something to do with
the hill holder?

Our new '04 Forester has the hill holder whereas our old '98 did not.
It is generally a good feature but it took a little getting used to. I
notice that if I back-up in the driveway, brake to a stop, turn the
wheel sharp left and start to go forward, the brakes grab a little and
make a slight squeak. As the clutch is let out more, the brakes
release but a little more gas is required overall.

If you brake with the clutch depressed and then let-up on the brake
peddle, a check valve holds the brake pressure until the clutch is
released to a certain point.

You could try an experiment. Shift to neutral and let out the clutch
and then brake to a stop. Turn the wheel far right, release the brake
peddle pressure, then depress the clutch, shift to 1st and then start
out. If you don't encounter any problem, then it probably was the hill
holder.


Woody; 95FXDS

 

[Henry Paul]

You are welcome. Our dealer here is talented at scamming as well. They tried
to charge me $89 just for a timing belt. I got one online for $45. I looked
into their routine maintenance packages, and they best one is ~$600 not
including a timing belt. I asked since there is an interval for them to be
changed if they offered a service package for the timing belt and he said
no. This shop gets ~$250 just for a timing belt.

A friend of mine that has a local repair shop said he would do the 90,000
mile service plus a timing belt for ~$600. Sometimes you just have to shop
around a bit.

 

[Henry Paul]

I have heard of similar incidents with the hill holder. I do not have one on
my car so I will refrain from using the term 'problems' as it might just be
a little quirky and need some getting used to.

That does sound like a good experiment to try with the hill holder.

 

[Day]

I don't much like the hill holder. Every morning when I back out from my
garage, it tends to jerk as I have to check for pedestrians and back out
slowly. I end up putting the car to neutral and rolling down the drive way
instead. It would be better if subaru can associate the 1 gear with the hill
holder or install a bypass switch or something like that.