Car talk? Free Repair Advice from an Expert?

Feel free to have the owner call me at 303-359-8720 if this problem is still not resolved... sometimes it helps to hear what has been done exactly. When swapping those motors I always seem to forget a ground wire or something stupid like that (and they don't run well without a good ground). If the donor motor was running good, then it has to be something that was not tightened or connected properly. If the donor motor was not seen running (sitting in a junkyard), then it could be something like a bad head gasket that's pressurizing the coolant into the combustion chamber(s). When it warms up the upper radiator hose shouldn't get rock hard right away... should be able to squeeze it a bit. (that sounded nasty I know but its true). Could also be a coil pack... bad ones often act up when they get hot.

Speaking of a Subaru Forester, I have a 2014 XT (turbo) which has had a very intermittent problem for some time. It's almost at the end of the 3 yr, 36k mile warranty (the 2014 came out real early) so I'm trying to figure out what to do.

I like the nice acceleration, but every few months when I give it gas for quick acceleration it actually loses some power and rapidly pings for a couple of seconds. Sometimes it might even backfire. But then it finally accelerates normally and works fine after that. It does seem related to gas grade too since if I put a lower grade in it (they suggest premium but say lower grade is OK) the problem seems a bit worse, but still very intermittent. One time the check engine light came on too. And the problem does happen with premium gas as well.

I had Clarkson take a look at it but the problem did not appear and they said the engine computer check was OK (I guess the check engine light issue is not recorded in the computer?). But they said a Subaru dealer might have a better computer checker.

I never found a convenient time to get it down the hill to a dealer and waste a day there, but I guess I should do that now even though I doubt they'll find anything? That's my first question.

I also have the option of paying about $1200 for an extended warranty before I reach 36k miles, but the car has had no other problems. Normally I wouldn't get the extended warranty, but do you think it might be worth considering in this case?

I know such intermittent problems are really tough to figure out, but if you have a suggestion I'd appreciate it!

That's strange that you had a check engine light come on but no codes were stored. Was the battery removed or dead for a period of time? Normally those codes are stored and have to be erased by the scanner.

As for the pinging, I'd definitely use premium as recommended. I have a 2005 GT wagon I bought as a project and had to rebuild the motor because the turbo came apart and pieces got sucked into a cylinder. Not sure about the newer models but these turbo motors seem to have more issues and need more stringent maintenance. Hopefully you're using a good synthetic oil... there's a little screen/filter in the oil feed line to the turbo that gets plugged up when oil changes are infrequent or the oil is not as recommended.

I'd have to see what that warranty covered to know if its worth buying... when I was a dealer I sold several different aftermarket warranties that made sense on some vehicles but not on others.

I would suspect that your pinging issue is fuel related for sure and it wouldn't hurt to change the fuel filter as a cheap starter. Most people ignore that filter until it takes out the fuel pump. If there's an actual mechanical or sensor problem causing your issue, you'll likely get that check engine light to stay on and reveal a code. There's a good chance the knock sensor is going out which senses pinging and adjusts timing to compensate,,, pretty common and not very hard to replace.

I do run premium gas 95% of the time, but every now and then forget.to use it. The manual says lower grades are OK if necessary.

Synthetic oil is required as well and that's what I get. I think Subaru requires it for all their cars now, not just the turbo. One nice thing is they've switched to timing chains instead of belts, not that it has anything to do with the pings.

The warranty I'm considering would be the official Subaru warranty. I've read you can get one any time so long as you are still covered with the original warranty. I've been burned by an aftermarket warranty before (company went out of business but I eventually got something back years later after legal settlements) and won't consider those.

I guess I'll first take the time to take it to a dealer and see if they can find anything including that error code before my warranty runs out.

Well, I did a Google search and found an 88 page message board thread on a problem which seems to be the same that I see. But it's from Australia.

- on hard acceleration it hesitates, then seems to stumble frees up and goes, sometimes with an associated puff of black smoke

ozfoz.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=110&t=42...=acceleration+issues

Then on page 4 of the thread I see descriptions which are better than the one I gave here.

Have also experienced these hesitation issues - car is stock. Not 100% sure but when engine temp is over 80deg C it doesn't seem to be repeatable for me.

Otherwise all symptoms are the same - application of throttle - engine seems a little unresponsive, apply a little more throttle, click click click from engine bay, revs drop then pick up again, occasional puff of smoke. Happens in any mode.

By "any mode" he is referring to the fact the car has three programmed acceleration modes which effect how the CVT behaves from slower acceleration for better gas economy to higher acceleration (higher RPMs) for climbing hills or turns. I usually run in the middle "S" mode.

And I forgot to mention that the problem seems to happen more often when starting up a hill kind of like this poster said:

I have had the hesitation and knocking issues. And it usually occurs for me when I suddenly decide to accelerate or depress the pedal by a significant amount quickly. It also usually ties in with a high load demand scenario such as accelerating on an uphill road or trying to suddenly accelerate when the car is packed.

Well, I don't think I'll read all 88 pages and I'm not asking you to either. But I did look at page 87 and 88 and it seems there was a Subaru recall for the problem. But I've never gotten a recall notice and I did another Google search and don't see any such recall in the US.

Jumping around the thread I did see suggestions to replace the gas filter as you suggested and even the gas pump. Also, they mention the clamps on the air filter box don't work well. I noticed that on my previous Subaru (a 2007 where I could hear air sounds during acceleration and the sounds changed as I fiddled with the clamps) and I hear similar sounds on the new one, but not as bad as the 2007.

Hopefully if I take the car to the dealer there will be a record I had the issue and they just might still fix it after it's out of warranty? And hopefully there is a secret recall which I hear does happen at times.

You're smart to go to the forums because there are usually others with the same problem and often an answer that will give you a little more leverage with the dealer. On newer models with newer technology I'm a lot less knowledgeable, especially with the CVT transmissions. I can understand why there would be different programming for those models which comes with different issues I haven't seen yet.

I just referred a guy to the dealer who has a 2003 Audi Allroad because he has fuel leaking from on top of the tank. I always check for past recalls and technical service bulletins before I dig into something that could be dangerous in any way. Sure enough it had a recall but he was never notified of it, So he took his 12 year old car in and they fixed it.

My service program only goes back to early 2014 because I haven't paid for an upgrade yet and it doesn't show a recall for your problem... but that doesn't surprise me because most of those issues pop up a year or more after being put in service. Even if they don't cover the problem they probably know what it is so you may have to drop $150 or so for the diagnosis and then can shop around for a cheaper repair if they are too pricey.

Just some advice on your CVT maintenance, I recommend you have the fluid changed earlier than recommended. I'm seeing a lot of these burning up (not on Subarus yet) but on Nissans and some Audis. Subaru first came out with that transmission in the late 80's or early 90's for the Justy and they rarely made it to 100k. I'm sure they've designed a much better one now but they all work the same with a steel belt between two pulleys... one changes in diameter which changes the ratio. These seem to get hotter and take out the fluid faster. Hopefully they have a beefed up transmission cooler, but to be safe you really need to stay on top of the fluid changes imo.

Just posting a follow up regarding my Subaru Forester.

I took it to the dealer about two weeks ago (before my standard warranty ran out) for them to check out the intermittent acceleration issue I had been seeing. They could not find the problem, which I expected. I was mainly hoping they would of known about some hidden recall about the issue, but they didn't know about anything.

Of course, about two days later I received a recall notice from Subaru. And the problem seemed similar to what I was seeing.

Dear Subaru Owner:

We would like to thank you for your selection of a Subaru vehicle. We take pride in our products and are committed to your continued satisfaction.

Subaru has developed a modification to the Engine Control Module (ECM) software logic due to a possible
pre-ignition issue on certain 2015 model year WRX vehicles and certain 2014 and 2015 model year 2.0XT Forester vehicles, equipped with a 2.0 liter turbocharged engine.

You received this notice because our records indicate that you currently own one of these vehicles.

DESCRIPTION

Under certain high engine load driving conditions, engine combustion may occur prior to spark ignition resulting in elevated cylinder temperatures and pressures. This could cause a rough idle and engine noise, and if left unaddressed it could lead to excessive erosion of the spark plugs and possible engine damage.

REPAIR

The repair will be performed at no cost to you. Subaru will inspect your vehicle and reprogram the ECM. If any related spark plug or engine damage is detected during the inspection, your vehicle will be repaired.

So I made an appointment to get the recall repairs. It actually took about a half a day because they first remove the spark plugs to inspect them and then test the cylinder compression to see if there is any engine damage due to the problem. If there is a failure, they are supposed to repair the engine. My car passed, but I guess I'll still worry there may of been some damage done due to the back firing and pinging I observed when the problem occured (plus the check engine light came on for a few days, and the dealer could not find a stored error code).

They reflashed my car's engine control module (ECM) and all seems good so far. Keeping my fingers crossed. This appears to be the same problem that caused a recall in Australia back in July 2014 so it's strange Subaru waited so long to do the recall here.

My 3 year/ 36K mile warranty is now over, but Subaru does have a standard 6 year / 50K mile drive train warranty which should cover my engine for another 15 months or so. I hope that's good enough.