My 05 plate Subaru Outback with 40K on the clock seems to have developed a problem. I’ll be getting it looked at ASAP but I wondered if anyone here has experienced what I am about to describe.

Essentially it feels like something is generating resistance, i.e it doesn’t feel like it is freewheeling properly (not that I freewheel about the place) and the (already quite poor ) fuel economy figure is way down. No I am not driving with the brakes on, an nor are they binding as there aren’t huge amounts of heat being emitted from the brakes.

Up at around 60 there’s noticeably more noise coming from the front end.

Could it be the front diff? I foresee a big bill in the future if it is.

Ta in advance for shedding any light / taking the mick.

Had 2 outbacks both 2.5 manuals – the first one which was an 03 model had an issue with the solenoid that activated the cruise control where it would just switch off randomly every so often also had a plate come loose underneath by the transfer case. I believe the first ones had issues with the ‘fly by wire’ throttle – the one we have now which is an 08 model is much harder to stall ….. that doesen’t help though does it ? 😳

Great cars though….

Bump, for the later crowd.

Poor fuel economy really, Hora gets 40mpg at a steady 80mph out of his, but I think that’s the much more economical 2.0L. 😉
They are great cars till they go wrong then you have to sell a kidney to fix em.

Central Subaru 01902 636 286

Give this fella a call. He’s an Independent Subaru specialist in a back street garage in the Midlands.

I take my 56 plate Forester there for everything and he’s very knowledgeable and reasonable prices to boot.

I will say that he’s normally working on a million horsepower impreza from the hoody brigade so not sure if his knowledge will transfer to a legacy.

Give him a go.

Hope this helps.

Steve.

If you do take it back to a Subaru Dealer, in my experience get a couple of prices and haggle you’d be surprised how much you can knock of the initial quote.

Tyre Pressures?

Cheers Looney, I might just give him a bell.

Tyre pressures are spot on, checked them last week and they were a little low.

I was out and about in the car today and whilst driving down our road (steep enough to freewheel down at 20mph+ on my bike) I came to a halt, put the car in neutral, took my foot off of the brake and it stayed perfectly still.

Something is definitely amiss.

Has Hora got a diesel? 34mpg is the max I’ll get on a long steady (75mph on the motorway) run.

Weird. Does yours have the hill holder clutch thing?

Definitely worth getting checked over at somewhere that knows subarus well- a long standing dealer or independent.

Binding brakes would be my initial cheap check. Go for a run and feel for one hub/wheel being hotter than the others.

We had a viscous coupling go in the gearbox which was similar, but it also produced a vibration which sounded like a CV joint failure. I repaired it myself. Got parts from Subaru indy specialist in Hebden Bridge. Cant remember their name, but they really knew their Subarus.

Could be brakes binding though.

First thought for me was the hill holder which is on a random selection of models. Sounds very odd though !

+1 for the problem mcmoonter describes. The viscous coupling which is part of the centre diff exploded on my ’99 Outback, sending shrapnel through the transfer gear.
Symptoms leading up to this included front end “CV broken” type noise, lurching/binding at all speeds, and always appeared after a good spell at motorway speeds, but was fine when cold.
I ended up pulling the box and splitting the case, but the job can be done with the box in the car.
Still, work through options and diagnosis first, the diff parts aren’t giveaways.

It doesn’t have a hill holder.

Having read you post Chopper I am now very concerned. What mileage was yours?

Around 75k, as I recall. Coming up 100k now and still happy.

My boss says
Diff
Oil level in gear box
Mis-alligned tracking
Wheel balance

Cheers all. Its booked in for an inspection tomorrow. I’ll report back with the findings.

As previously mentioned sounds like a stuck caliper or piston causing brakes to bind.

Could it be related to wind resistance caused by the brick like shape?

Try an estate car in that case.

JOKING!

Try an estate car in that case.

What, you mean like a Subaru Outback?

I think I paid £120 for the centre diff viscous coupling on mine. It bolts to the rear of the gearbox so it doesnt have to come out. You have to remove the propshaft, exhaust and some heat shields.

A good mechanic thats done them before should be able to get one out and back in four or five hours.

Check oil level first. There’s a seperate dipstick for the transmission.

Ours had done 160,000 miles

Beamers, dry your eyes, the Outback isn’t an estate in the established meaning of the word. Plus it was a joke. Are you a dobber in real life also?

My first port of call would be the handbrake sticking.

Take each wheel off and check the condition of the disc/pads.

OP’s Outback doesn’t have hill assist (never really liked mine in the Forester).

I actually achieved 55mpg average on the motorway sitting at 50mph. It was probably the dullest test I’ve ever done in my life.

I’d rule out CV joint(s) and driveshaft. I’d also stop driving it as you are putting resistance against something.

Beamers where are you based? I know of an indie based in Calderdale who is very good with Subaru mechanics.

mcmoonter any niggles with yours? You don’t fancy selling do you? 🙂

Drive about then sniff the back wheels, if the handbrake is sticking they will stink and you can feel the extra heat.

Waderider – please come back to me with an established definition of the Outback. Roadster? Coupe? Hot Hatch? Saloon with an extra large boot and tailgate?

Anyhow, back to the matter at hand.

The verdict is a seized offside front brake calliper.

Main dealer has taken a look and the cost of rectifying it (new caliper, pads, disc and brake fluid replacement)

{inhale of breath}

£798 for parts and labour including VAT.

{exhale of breath}

Hora, I’m in Dorset so Calderdale is a bit of a trek, especially with a sized brake calliper.

Surelyyou can find one cheaper or recon it yourself?

Bugger. At least my forester had parts at scrappy’s yours would be too much of a longshot gggrrrrrr

The first words I’d be avoiding like the plague would be ‘main dealer’.

There’s nothing inherently difficult about fitting a caliper – getting hold of a good reconditioned one might be a challenge, admittedly – but I reckon you could get this sorted for £3-400.

Good luck with it.

£800, what a rip off. If your not to bad with the spanners, take the caliper off the suspension (with fluid hose still connected) and carefully extend the pistons. Then clean them up with wire wool and wd40 or such like, push back in and repeat a few times. If that doesn’t stop it then one of the seals has gone (might have cooked it) and you should be able to get a seal kit here. Clamp hose, take caliper off, rebuild in a clean environment (with clean brake fluid), put back on and bleed. Worse case £50 for seal kit and fluid. If things go totally t**s up then a new caliper can’t be more than 25% of that.

My vans calipers keep on seizing up because it’s stood for months on end, done it at least half a dozen times, once there freed off there fine.

I sure will be getting some quotes from independents in the morning.

Dead easy to change, no more difficult than a bike caliper.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BRAKE-CALIPER-RIGHT-FRONT-SUBARU-IMPREZA-LEGACY-CA1771R-/140470608505?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item20b4b36279

Oh I know about Subaru main dealers well.

Hilarious. New window motor bought/installed? 350 (35 from scrappy)

New driveshaft? 900 fitted (I paid 170 scrappy/indie)

New cambelt? 700 (I paid 325)

New air/fuel sensor? 475 (sadly I needed it asap)

The verdict is a seized offside front brake calliper

Do I get a second? 😀 ❓

As you have already said I would go to a good independant garage, you will get it fixed for much cheaper than that.

I would also add: You might want to get the nearside one serviced at the same time with some new seals etc.

Also you might want to get the discs examined and think about getting some new pattern ones if they are looking past their best?? Plus new pads and replacement brake fluid.

Update.

Independent local garage is quoting £434 for the same job.

wow, £700 and even £325 for a cambelt???!! The last cambelt mine had was at a scooby main dealer, and was just over £200!

the ebay caliper above isn’t listed for the OP’s vehicle…

it’s worth a shot though – there are some recent leggie parts on ebay… I got a wheel for mine – a breaker had a 2004 leggy estate.

have a nosy round subaru forums too – and see if there are any localish independent subaru specialists. they may seem more impreza-oreiented, but the parts are often cross-transferable & they’ll be familiar with working on them.

cp I went to a ‘main dealer’ which is literally no more than a lockup on an industrial estate and they had their prices up on a board.

£1,000 for a clutch change
£1,000 for a cambelt change.

When I had a seize caliper on my XC90 I got another from Parts Gateway, can’t remember what I paid but £50 springs to mind.

Hora

That sounds pretty steep for the cambelt. I had mine done at the last service, and with the cost of the service thrown in it wasn’t much more than £300 and that was with the main dealer. I had a figure of around £700 in mind and was pleasantly surprised.

Just phoned Subaru Garage, told them about my £430 quote and she is going to “see what she can do” to try and match the price.

If the noise gets worse the faster you go then – wheel bearing.

Funny old thing, the Main Dealer has just been on the phone and can match the price quoted by the Independent garage.

They might not be able to finish the job today which means I’ll have to hang onto the brand spankers Forrester which they have loaned me for free. 🙂

Funny old thing, the Main Dealer has just been on the phone and can match the price quoted by the Independent garage.

Goodness, what a surprise