keith3267

Since you both have bought new Subaru's, you can sign up at www.MySubaru.com. This is Subaru's official website. There are some benefits for doing that. Then you can ask them for yourself. Maybe if enough people do that, Subaru will tell the dealers to stop doing that.

It looks like the evap filter is external to the canister. What appears to be the filter to me looks like a cylindrical pleated element about 1" in dia by 1" long. I see a hose to one side but I can't see the other side but it appears to be attached to something.

Found it. There is a shroud forward of the Passenger rear wheel. The canister is located above the shroud, but there is a gap at the front of the shroud between it and the body. The filter is there and it is exposed to any dust, dirt, snow and ice that may be kicked up. The blinking brake light, blinking cruise icon and steady stability control icon and check engine light are normal for this code. I did a Google search on this code and it seems to be a bigger problem on the Outback and Forester forums, mainly since 2012. They are more likely to go off road than a Legacy, but I do live in farm country and it gets dusty out here, especially this time of the year when they are plowing the fields. I'm going to let the dealer fix this, its under warranty. Edit: I added a tag for P1449 to help anyone else who gets this code. I don't like this design and I suspect that this code may become much more common as 2012 and newer Subaru's get a little older. It affects all models.

The actual code description is Evap emissions air filter clog. Does anyone know if there is a separate air filter for the evap canister and where is it, and the canister located? I can't find the canister.

2014 Legacy 2.5, 33.5k miles. Started heading to town, within a half mile, the brake light started blinking, then I noticed that the cruise icon was also blinking, the traction control icon was on steady and the check engine was on steady. I returned home. I pulled the code this morning and it was a P1449, air filter clog. Air filter changed at 30k, I checked it, it was clean. I pulled the snorkel and it was clear. I read the owners manual and it said a blinking brake light was something wrong with the electronic parking brake, but it appears to be working, setting and releasing as it should. I called the dealer to schedule it for repair, next Friday is the earliest. I asked about driving it and they told me that the blinking brake light is just to get your attention for when the check engine light comes on. It got my attention all right, but I have never heard of this before and it is not in the owners manual. Do you think this is true? Sounds bogus to me, but Subaru does seem to march to a different drummer.

kamesama980, I don't have answers for you. My response was a general answer to the question of whether the trans fluid could cause the problem. Yes it can, but it may not be the cause in this case.

Yes the gear oil change could be the cause of your problems, IF you didn't use the specified gear oil. It is not as simple as it used to be. Friction modifiers are often added to match the syncronizers. If its not a match, then the syncronizers can make it harder to get into gear instead of easier. It really is not necessary to change MT oil any longer and I would recommend against it, BUT it should be checked occasionally, if not at every oil change, at least every 30k service.

Got an answer: Dear Keith, Thank you for your email to Subaru of America, Inc. I did have the opportunity to review your question regarding the Subaru Eyesight System with our Technical Services Department and they advised me that Rain X will not interfere with the operation of this system. Thanks again and please let me know should you have any additional questions. Sincerely, Jody Cullen Subaru of America, Inc. Customer/Retailer Services Department 1-800-SUBARU3 (1-800-782-2783) Service Request Number: 1-14631961941

I sent an e-mail to MySubaru.com and asked them if this was true. I'll let you know if they answer.

Just don't use the Rain-X on the area in front of the camera(s). You should be safe to use it in the areas that the wipers cover. But I don't see how it would mess with the camera's optics.

Does your 2006 Impreza have an owners manual? It will explain it in there. If you don't have the owners manual, the cabin filter will be behind the glove box. Your glove box should have a tool less way to remove it, but if it doesn't, it usually only requires a phillips head screwdriver.

Apparently at some point in time, Subaru decided that Legacy's should not tow. I bought our Legacy specifically because the salesman pointed out how the Legacy was designed to accommodate the handicapped. Unfortunately after I bought it, I found out that it was not designed to accommodate a powered chair lift that uses a trailer hitch on the rear. It can be done, but it is not recommended by Subaru. Fortunately I don't need that yet.

Do you have ABS? If the person at Monroe drained out all the brake fluid, then refilled and bled, they may have not followed the proper procedures for the ABS. You may need to go to the dealer and get them bled there. Some systems need the dealers scan tool.

You could try a drain and refill of the coolant with the latest Subaru coolant and add the conditioner. It wont fix anything but it might delay the failure.

I'm going to stand corrected, partly, on one point. The one inch free play came from memory from back in the day of worm and roller steering, still used in pickup trucks of today. There is an adjustment on those types of gear boxes and you adjusted them for one inch of play. I checked my 2014 Legacy with 30k on it and there is only about a 1/4" of play. There HAS to be some play in any gearset or it will bind. I guess rack and pinion just doesn't need as much as a worm and roller does. When ever some one grabs a wheel at 9 and 3 and wiggles it, I think crook or ignorance. There will always be some movement, but unless there is a really worn out component, when someone does this, you can see the wheel on the other side and the steering wheel moving in sync. kamesama980, I have a little more faith in your method, but I still would not do it that way. If you detect a loose tie rod with that method, it is really loose. Doing it my way puts a lot more torque on the joints and if one of them is even slightly worn, you will see it immediately. If it passes my test, it is good to go.

The wiggle is not important. What is important is if the tire on the other side is wiggling in sync. Or not in sync, that is a problem. The tires are connected like a solid rod from one steering knuckle, the tie rod, rack in the steering box, the other tie rod and the other knuckle. If both tires move in sync with no delay as you switch directions, then the tie rods are good. The play is between the rack and the pinion in the steering box. Some play is needed to keep the box from binding. With the tires sitting solid on the ground, you should have about an inch of free play when you move the steering wheel back and forth. If you watch the front wheels while someone moves the steering wheel back and forth only one inch or less, the wheels should not move. If the steering wheel can be moved more than one inch back and forth with the front wheels not moving, then there is too much play in the rack and pinion box. While you are down there, if you trust the person you have behind the wheel, have them start the engine and move the steering wheel back and forth several inches and watch the tie rod ends and ball joints. Both halves of each joint should move together. If the halves are slipping, then you have a bad joint. This is the best way I know of to check the steering links.

There is a big difference between sealing the case halves and sealing a valve cover. You did right for the case halves as they are much stiffer on both sides and the mating surfaces will not defect when they are torqued down. It is important that they remain rigid so you want the sealant to be as thin as possible. Valve covers are a different story. they are not as stiff on the valve cover side and the surface will deflect a little when being torqued down. For that, let the sealant cure before the final torque so that it is thicker.

I would strongly urge you NOT to flush with a garden hose or anything else. If you don't have a clogged up system, you don't need to flush. Call the dealer and ask how much the Subaru Coolant is. Then compare it to the universal long life coolants from the major brands and decide if the cost/comfort level is there. If the Subaru coolant was only a dollar more, would it be worth it to you to use it. But I believe that any of the major brand universal long life coolants will work just fine, but if you are the least but uncomfortable with that, then the factory fill may be the best way to go. A good nights sleep has value too. I'm told that of all the major brands, Peak is the closest to the Japanese specs and closest to Subaru's specs.

Your battery is 5 years old or older if it is the original. It could go at any time. Batteries are expensive so you would be looking at maybe $150 for a new one, but the installer should clean the terminals when they install a new one. $39.95 is way too expensive for that service, except for certain Fords that have to be reprogrammed when the battery is disconnected.

A lot of ex Subaru mechanics (this is true of all the major brands) get sick of the dealer politics and will open a shop of their own or partner with another independent mechanic. This would be a good alternative to the dealer. I would recommend that you go to cartalk.com and find the link to mechanic files, it can help you find a good mechanic in your area. I would avoid any of the quicky lube places, the mechanics are not certified, many aren't even mechanics at all. They always try the upsell on you, that is sell you services that you don't need like new fuel filter, transmission flushes, fuel system flushes etc. You not only don't need them, but often they don't actually perform the service they sold you, and that can be a blessing because if they do the service, they can and often do damage to your car, especially the transmission flush. Even the national chain places are not the best places to go to. But, car service is a business and you need to take a business approach to this. Get recommendations from friends, coworkers and relatives. If you go to church, check with other church goers. Check that cartalk web site. Check out each recommendation with the BBB web site in your area. Do not automatically rule out the dealer either, some dealers have pretty good deals, some don't. Visit each potential candidate and get some quotes for routine services and when you find someone you are comfortable with, then use them exclusively as long as you are satisfied. If you are ever not satisfied, then go through the process again.

Short commute and winter temps, I think you are lucky to get what you are getting. I have a 2014 Legacy 2.5 and I live much further south than you do. In winter, especially during the cold spells I am lucky to see 27 mpg, and I typically drive at least 10 miles when I start it up, sometimes much more and usually half of it is on the highway. In summer with the air on, I usually get around 31. I almost never get the rated highway mileage on a road trip. Sometimes I will on a segment, but on most road trips, I am traveling at a much higher speed than the EPA testing was done at. Edit: On road trips to southern California, my city driving will drop to around 18 because the traffic lights are programmed for maximum impeding of traffic flow, and when visiting there, I typically only drive for two or three miles at a time.

There should be a max and min line, or full and min line. The coolant must be between these lines at 68 degrees F. It can be all the way to the full line at 68F but if you fill to the full line at 32F, when the engine comes up to operating temp, the excess fluid will spill out the top of the overflow reservoir. It wont hurt anything other than spilling a toxic chemical into the environment where someones pet (or child) might lap it up and die, but it wont hurt the vehicle any.

If the Valvoline coolant is a long life universal coolant, then it wont do any damage. It will not gel up and plug your heater core. However it wont protect your head gaskets. It may with the Subaru additive in it, but if they completely drained your radiator to remove it, then what is in there now is too diluted to do its job. Since you just had the coolant changed at the dealer, you have the right to be fully restored and that means another drain and fill at the dealership with the additive or they go to the dealership and buy the correct coolant and additive and they put it in themselves, with you watching. There is not a lot of difference between various coolants for automotive use. There are two basic types of antifreeze, ethylene glycol which is the most common and propylene glycol which is much less toxic and sometimes preferred by people with pets or who live in environmentally sensitive areas. They can mix together but that is not recommended. The biggest difference is in the corrosion inhibitor package. The older type that was used for many years is inorganic acid technology (IAT). It uses phosphates and silicates. These are short lived requiring frequent changes and where know to cause wear on water pump bearings. These are rare today and are not recommended by any manufacturer. GM first came out with a phosphate and silicate free antifreeze known as Dexcool. Dexcool uses organic acid technology (OAT) and lasts a lot longer than IAT. But OAT and IAT do not play well together, this is the combination that is porported to gel up when mixed. There are other manufacturers that use this type antifreeze. The newest type is a hybrid organic acid technology that is universal. It will mix with either of the other types and is not the most common over the counter antifreeze sold. It has a little phosphates because that protects aluminum a little better, but not enough to wear out the cooling system, and it lasts just as long as the OAT antifreezes. Now when some minimum wage guy at an oil change place tells you that the supplier they use also makes the stuff the factory uses, he is partly right, but he is enough wrong to cause you problems. Car manufacturers do not make their own coolant, they buy it from various oil companies that do make it. But what they make for the vehicle manufacturer is made and formulated to that vehicle manufacturers specifications. Its a custom blend. It is not necessarily the same as the over the counter stuff, but there usually not a lot of difference. The same chemicals are there, but maybe in slightly different proportions. The vehicle manufacturers buy from several different suppliers, so just about any over the counter antifreeze company also sells to all the manufacturers, so they can all lay claim to supplying to the factory. Bottom line, the stuff Valvoline put in will do no harm, but it may not be what you want and originally paid for.

I don't know the Subaru specs, but most vehicles turn on the fans at 205, some higher. Many vehicles have two temp settings to kick the fans on, 205 with the engine running, 210-212 engine off if the temp spikes within 10 minutes of engine shut down. This is to remove residual heat from under the hood to prevent or reduce the damage to the oil trapped in the engine. That trapped oil gets much hotter that the oil when it is running and is actually the biggest contributor to oil breakdown.

As we approach the new CAFE standards, it looks like the larger engines are going to be phased out. For that reason, almost all manufacturers have stopped developing the larger engines. The 6 cylinder engines still have timing belts where the 4 cylinders have timing chains and variable valve timing. The 6 cylinder engines will probably be replaced by 4 cylinder engines with turbo chargers. If you are not happy with the power to weight ratio of that CRV, there are not many cars that will make you happy as that is pretty much standard across the board. If you absolutely have to be the first in line at the next red light, I would suggest a Nissan Sentra Spec V, a Civic si or a WRX sti. They will help you transfer more of your money into the gas station faster than most other options available.