Test drove an 05. Questions.

[john97obw]

Hello everybody. I've been a lurker for about 4 yrs so I figured I'd get around to finally posting.

 

Today I drove an 05 OBW Automatic with 45k on it. I loved the interior of the Limited model, but I walked away from the car because of a few troubling things I noticed in the test drive:

 

It had a pronounced shudder while idling at red lights.

 

On two occasions, the engine sputtered while making hard turns. It only lasted a second, but for that second, it felt like the car was stalling.

 

It also had something that felt a little like torque bind, but this also lasted only a few seconds. Is it possible that there could be this much delay before the LSD sends torque to the right places? It's worth noting the disturbing difference in tread wear on the tires (this at a Subaru dealer, no less).

 

My question is whether these are very common problems in Subarus of this generation? I walked, but are these issues small enough that I should have beaten them up on their pricing, brought it home, and fixed it?

 

For what it's worth, I currently own a 97 obw Limited with 173K which has been a great car for me. I've had to take care of the usual suspects such as head gaskets, one wheel bearing, torn CV boots, and knock sensor, but I still have the original exhaust from manifold to tip, very little rust, leather is still in fantastic condition, no rattles in the dash, and the heated seats, mirrors, and AC still work. I just can't seem to track down the cause of a shudder at 2500 rpm that keeps me company for many of the 300-500 miles it gets per week.

 

I can tolerate shudders and sputters on a car that has earned the right to shudder, but I'm not about to make payments on one. Was this 05 an anomoly?

[brus brother]

Sounds like the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know.

Instead of taking on someone else's headaches, why not start a post on the site about your stuttering problem in your current car?

If you can fix that for a few bucks, then keep on driving!

[nipper]

Walk away from the 05.

 

Lets work on the 1997 like the other poster said.

 

Give us a history on the car, when what was done etc.

 

 

nipper

[bulwnkl]

I agree on the walk-away. I'll bet you the original owner(s) never even so much as changed the oil if it's shuddering that badly at only 45k. Who knows what other malfeasances they committed against it. My '05 Baja will shudder at a stop IF I put the A/T in neutral. It did it significantly when we first got it at ~75k, but it's much, much less now at 105k. Amazing what good maintenance (or lack thereof) will do to a car.

[john97obw]

Well guys, I'm pretty sure I've read every thread on hesitation and shuddering on this board. If I had to guess, I'd say the shuddering began about 40K ago which was about the time I had the HG done. However, it wasn't long after that that I had the passenger side wheel bearing go. For a long time, I figured the shuiddering was related to the tire. I had an alignment and balanced the tires. No change. When I eventually replaced those tires, the shuddering remained.

 

After that, I started investigating more closely. Still shudders with the FWD fuse in--for that matter, it happens with the car in park. I took it to a reputable shop to watch the real time sensor data. All sensors were within spec. The only thing the mechanic said was that the TPS dropped to 0v once. I've since checked it with a voltmeter and found everything to be in spec.

 

So I think I've ruled out faulty sensors and U-joint on the drive shaft. I still think it could be a vacuum leak, but I haven't been able to find it. It does whistle when I really get on the pedal, but it does not seem to correlate with the shudder. I'll probably try replacing all the vacuum hoses. My next guess is a bad injector or desperate need of a valve adjustment.

 

It's strange. When it's in park, I can hear something that sounds almost like a knock (but not really a knock). When I'm cruising it feels like a tank of bad gas, but what are the odds I've gotten 200 tanks of bad gas in a row?

 

Many of these things are made more difficult by the fact that I'm a relative noob with a wrench, and I don't have a garage or a nice shade tree.

 

 

BTW, Nipper, it is the same color as yours.

[nipper]

Your right, your car is junk and you should give it to me

 

 

Ok lets forget all the other posts, and dont go into this with any preconcieved notions.

 

Give us the work history of this car starting with right before the HG was replaced.

 

 

nipper

[john97obw]

I'll type up something of a history tonight when I have more time.

 

In the meantime, the plot thickens somewhat. Yesterday, I had a little time to noodle so I took off the airbox, cleaned some crud out of the throttle body, pulled the PVC to check for operation, and pulled a few vacuum hoses. Needless to say, I triggered a CEL. I disconnected the battery for a half hour to reset, but the code remains. I'll have it read this afternoon after work and see if it teaches me anything new.

 

I do believe that I am proof that a little learning is a dangerous thing.

[john97obw]

CEL was nothing. Just a result of pulling a couple vacuum hoses.

 

OK, Vehicle History.

 

Bought @ 50k. Front crank seal @110k. New timing belt, but no pulleys or pumps HG and rear main seal @ 145K. The rear seal was leaking pretty badly. The HG hadn't caused any overheating, but there was oil residue in the coolant overflow and a hydrocarbon test indicated the leak. Since the engine was being pulled, I decided to go ahead with the head gaskets and new timing belt--this time with new pulleys and water pump.

 

Knock sensor at about 155k. Passenger front wheel bearing not long after that.

 

Blew cam seals at 165k (Guy who did the HG and crank seals didn't bother with cam seals. He no longer works on my car.) Again, new belt and front main seal. New plugs and oem wires right after this.

 

I've had to do a couple brake jobs on it. Last year, the caliper slide was siezed on each caliper front and back. They were all replaced then and regreased this summer.

 

Early this summer, I took it to a reputable shop who ran the diagnostic tests. All sensors were within spec.

 

CV joints about a month ago.

 

I sometimes worry about the engine internals because I had oil leaks for so long. I was vigilant about oil levels, but there has been more than one time that I've had to add more than a quart.

 

The thing is, I can live with the shudder--or at least I have been doing so for about 2 years now. It just bothers me that it does it when it seems like it should be an easy fix. I waver between constantly shopping for a replacement and vowing to get it to at least 200k.