2014 Tribeca

[2000outback]

Just bought a 2014 Tribeca .

Added a hitch so now I'm thinking I should add a trans cooler.Is there any chance it already has one before I order one.My last vehicle which was a hyundai was built with one even though it didnt come with a hitch.

Thx in advance

[idosubaru]

Not a dedicated one, just the AT “cooler”/heater through the radiator like all Subaru’s have.  They have an external trans filter inside the drivers side tire well.

Replace the serpentine pulley bearings with quality Japanese or others. They fail all the time  I replace them every 60k or at a minimum remove and check them  

$10 each can both be replaced in less than an hour. 

Don’t loose the capture but behind the pulleys when you loosen the bolt. Stuff tape or something behind it so it doesn’t fall out. 

[GeneralDisorder]

The 5EAT isn't the greatest trans Subaru ever made. I wouldn't recommend towing with it. They have a lot of valve body and wiring harness problems and the usual CANBUS issues. Very expensive to replace if you tear it up. 

If you are set on doing this you absolutely need to run something like Amsoil signature ATF and a cooler on it. Keep it as cold as you can get it. I would install a fluid temp guage also. 

GD

[2000outback]

Well that's pretty discouraging news.

When I say towing I will tow a box trailer to the dump once in a while and a couple times a year I tow a 2000 lb boat about 15 miles to and from winter storage. 

So if this is going to be a problem this will have to go !

Edited October 31, 2020 by 2000outback

[el_freddo]

When looking at a larger vehicle for our growing family we initially liked the Tribeca, not the original series as they were fugly in our eyes! 

When it came down to it, we couldn’t afford a second hand one because they were too expensive (buying outright), plus it didn’t really fit our needs with going bush. 

One vehicle that caught our attention was the Gen3 onwards Mitsubishi Pajero/Shogun/Montera (I think that last one is correct). Things we liked - all independent suspension like our Subaru, comes in Diesel, 2wd/AWD/4wd/lo4wd, has 7 seats and can tow a decent load no worries. Many grey nomads drag their stupidly big and heavy caravans around Oz with these without issue. So we know they’re good for this. 

Plus there are LOADS of them out there, so parts are not an issue and there are plenty of aftermarket support for mods - like auxiliary fuel tanks (we now have 170L total fuel capacity).

We got a second hand 2005 NP diesel auto and love it. We got it with about 30,000km less than the commodore it replaced. Now it’s caught up at 350,000km. Plenty of life left in it. I also like that our model isn’t stuffed stupid with electronic doo-dads all over the place. No buttons on our steering wheel other than the horn pad. 

The later you go the more electrical stuff you get, and at some point they upped the tow rating. 

There are plenty of other models out there that will do what you need. This is just one example and we love it. I’m sure GD will have other suggestions that might be more relevant to your needs and the US taste towards larger vehicles.

Cheers 

Bennie

[GeneralDisorder]

9 hours ago, 2000outback said:

Well that's pretty discouraging news.

When I say towing I will tow a box trailer to the dump once in a while and a couple times a year I tow a 2000 lb boat about 15 miles to and from winter storage. 

So if this is going to be a problem this will have to go !

No late model towing options are all that cheap - if you are of the DIY type (many here are), why not consider an older GM truck? Much more convenient than a trailer. The '97 to '00 Vortec trucks are virtually indestructible, as are the 5.3 LS trucks that followed them. Really tough to beat an LS 5.3 and a 4L60E. I just parted out a Suburban that finally lost the trans at 250k and pulled the flawless 5.3 out of it for a swap.  For the purposes of hauling, the truck does much more than a trailer, and for occasional use, fuel economy isn't a factor at all. 

With a truck you have a self-powered trailer. And who cares about cosmetics on a 20 year old truck. Plus much more convenient for towing a boat. 

And besides all that - it gives you a backup vehicle that takes up about the same space as that trailer.

At any rate that's how I handle it. I have a '69 GMC long bed, and of course other toys and daily drivers. 

The Tribeca is an orphaned product. By that I mean Subaru built very few of them (only 77,000 over the entire production of all versions/years), discontinued them, and now they are already suffering from parts availability issues. On the last Tribeca I worked on I had to replace a cracked flex plate (after the morons at the dealer told the customer they needed a new transmission), and there were only 3 flex-plates left in the entire Subaru of America parts system.  

GD

[idosubaru]

That’s good loads, cooler would be wise  

I wouldn’t, and don’t, worry about a few short trips a year in my Tribeca.  I’m at 210k zero issues.  I have a boat over 2k and load down a 7x12 trailer and have towed cars with it. The first issue that manifests is engine temp when towing heavy loads up steep grades in high temp/humidity

Like GD said the 5eat is a step down from the 4EAT. But they don’t seem that bad either.

Also like he said, a truck is a tow vehicle, a car is not. It can handle some light duty at a higher risk than a truck.

[2000outback]

13 hours ago, idosubaru said:

That’s good loads, cooler would be wise  

I wouldn’t, and don’t, worry about a few short trips a year in my Tribeca.  I’m at 210k zero issues.  I have a boat over 2k and load down a 7x12 trailer and have towed cars with it. The first issue that manifests is engine temp when towing heavy loads up steep grades in high temp/humidity

Like GD said the 5eat is a step down from the 4EAT. But they don’t seem that bad either.

Also like he said, a truck is a tow vehicle, a car is not. It can handle some light duty at a higher risk than a truck.

Thx

Thats good to hear 

I just bought this car and it drives great

really like it and I know everyone is trying to be helpful and I do appreciate it but I'm ready to trade this after some of the things I'm reading

i understand it's not a truck and it wouldn't be treated like one 

I don't trailer a lot and other than the boat a couple times a year I don't haul heavy loads

 

[2000outback]

The one other thing I noticed is it revs about 2100 rpm at 100km/hr(60mph )

Seems a little high to me

Is that normal ?

Do they have a locking torque converter ?

[GeneralDisorder]

1 hour ago, 2000outback said:

The one other thing I noticed is it revs about 2100 rpm at 100km/hr(60mph )

Seems a little high to me

Is that normal ?

Do they have a locking torque converter ?

Not high for a Subaru. Subaru engines like higher RPM in general - keeps their oil pressure up at the insanely high PSI required for their narrow main and rod bearings. Lugging them will destroy them. 

Yes they have locking torque converters. 

GD

[2000outback]

The reason I ask about the RPM is that on other cars I've owned you could see a drop in the tach when the converter locked up. I don't see that with this one. I was hoping someone with a similar vehicle would be able to tell me the rpm was the same as they experience

Edited November 2, 2020 by 2000outback

[2000outback]

Should there be a difference in rpm when in 5th gear at 80 kmh in Sport mode or in automatic?

[2000outback]

Anyone ?

Just like to know if the rpm I'm seeing is what other Tribeca owners are getting

 

[GeneralDisorder]

1 hour ago, 2000outback said:

Anyone ?

Just like to know if the rpm I'm seeing is what other Tribeca owners are getting

 

The trans computer would throw a code if there were speed discrepancies or the torque converter lock were not functioning. Trust me they get very unhappy when $hit goes sideways on the CANBUS cars. They usually become undriveable in a hurry at any malfunction. The last malfunctioning CANBUS transmission car I had in here was SCARY to attempt to drive.

Only 742 Tribeca's were sold in the US in 2014. In other words - no one here is likely to own one. And DONT break it because finding a used transmission is going to be nigh impossible. 

GD

Edited November 4, 2020 by GeneralDisorder

[2000outback]

38 minutes ago, GeneralDisorder said:

The trans computer would throw a code if there were speed discrepancies or the torque converter lock were not functioning. Trust me they get very unhappy when $hit goes sideways on the CANBUS cars. They usually become undriveable in a hurry at any malfunction. The last malfunctioning CANBUS transmission car I had in here was SCARY to attempt to drive.

Only 742 Tribeca's were sold in the US in 2014. In other words - no one here is likely to own one. And DONT break it because finding a used transmission is going to be nigh impossible. 

GD

Jeezus

I feel sick about buying this thing .

Nothing but bad news !

[idosubaru]

28 minutes ago, 2000outback said:

Jeezus

I feel sick about buying this thing .

Nothing but bad news !

GD can make any subaru sound like that.  What he's saying is true - they have some downsides compared to prior generations of Subarus.  Keep in mind there's also gobs of them running around without issues. There's also over 200+ used transmissions available across the US.   

The prices for used trans are also like $400 and up...that's decent.  Vehicles with egregious transmission issues usually are much harder to find and higher cost. The data isn't bearing that out or scary if it did happen.  I've had friends acquaintenances come to me asking what to do with a Ford or Isuzu like that - where the cost of a used transmission is $1,500 and it's probably just as trashy as the originals....they're kind of stuck.  That's not happening here. 

I'd just run it, get your use out of it, and make your plans to move away from it in the next couple of years if you don't like it.  They are discontinued and a poor excuse for a 7 seater in terms of space, likely going to have fast diminishing resale, and I'm not sure the looks started out, or aged, well.  But I wouldn't worry about it from a useable car perspective.  

[2000outback]

6 minutes ago, idosubaru said:

GD can make any subaru sound like that.  What he's saying is true - they have some downsides compared to prior generations of Subarus.  Keep in mind there's also gobs of them running around without issues. There's also over 200+ used transmissions available across the US.   

The prices for used trans are also like $400 and up...that's decent.  Vehicles with egregious transmission issues usually are much harder to find and higher cost. The data isn't bearing that out or scary if it did happen.  I've had friends acquaintenances come to me asking what to do with a Ford or Isuzu like that - where the cost of a used transmission is $1,500 and it's probably just as trashy as the originals....they're kind of stuck.  That's not happening here. 

I'd just run it, get your use out of it, and make your plans to move away from it in the next couple of years if you don't like it.  They are discontinued and a poor excuse for a 7 seater in terms of space, likely going to have fast diminishing resale, and I'm not sure the looks started out, or aged, well.  But I wouldn't worry about it from a useable car perspective.  

I actually really like it.

Drives beautifully. I don't care about the 7 seater part tbh,I'll never use it

I bought it because I do like the looks of it.It has very low kms.I owned a 2000 Outback that I loved and was an excellent car and was hoping that this would be relatively reliable car for a couple of years .

Was it a mistake ?

I guess time will tell

[GeneralDisorder]

2 minutes ago, 2000outback said:

I actually really like it.

Drives beautifully. I don't care about the 7 seater part tbh,I'll never use it

I bought it because I do like the looks of it.It has very low kms.I owned a 2000 Outback that I loved and was an excellent car and was hoping that this would be relatively reliable car for a couple of years .

Was it a mistake ?

I guess time will tell

Oh $hit you're in Canada! Subaru only sold 120 in 2014 in Canada. Wow that's super rare. 

Yeah I am pretty pessimistic because I do see the "bad" side of things being I fix broken Subaru's for a living. I have seen early model Tribeca's with 250k miles on them. They weren't terrible cars - I just don't believe in ANY of the newer CANBUS cars being viable significantly past 10 years old. Too much wiring, too many modules, and too much complexity - once they hit that age and start having problems - the cost to diagnose and repair them is usually far beyond their value or anyone's willingness to dive into 40 modules and 100 miles of wiring. 

GD

[idosubaru]

9 minutes ago, 2000outback said:

I actually really like it.

Drives beautifully. I don't care about the 7 seater part tbh,I'll never use it

I bought it because I do like the looks of it.It has very low kms.I owned a 2000 Outback that I loved and was an excellent car and was hoping that this would be relatively reliable car for a couple of years .

Was it a mistake ?

I guess time will tell

Agreed, I was laying out a larger picture - I own one and like it. And have for a long time (210,000 miles of almost zero work and no break downs).  It's now basically a work vehicle - I tow with it, haul with it, pull the tractor out of the mud, I work it pretty good for what it is. And I have little kids so the extra seats, if needed, are a huge bonus.  I like the space, sitting a little higher off the ground for visibility, and practicality of it for my uses, and the H6. 

In some ways every Subaru since 1995 has been a downgrade in reliability and issues.  Late 90's - Interference/DOHC headgasket debacle, less reliable timing tensioner, wheel bearings, transfer clutches, 00-04 was a good generation, 05+ ghost walking and trashy struts and power steering pumps, later model CVT's, oil consumption/valve spring failures...I could keep going.  I'd guess a lot of it is just "keeping up with the jones", "features", EPA driven, safety improvements, etc.  There's a lot of moving parts to manage and they've got to make it marketable to a finnicky public consumer who isn't very representative of you and I.  

Your 2000 Outback was one of the better platforms in the last 25 years of Subaru offerings, back to 1995.  So you at least got lucky back then.  1 year earlier and you would have owned the 1999 OBW which was the least desirable of Subaru's engines. 

[idosubaru]

1 minute ago, GeneralDisorder said:

 dive into 40 modules and 100 miles of wiring.

Uh oh, like worse than doing the wiring for an engine swap?

With CANBUS is it true that you can't retain the functionality of the ABS and other systems if you swap in another engine/trans and associated wiring?  Like swap a 2003 4EAT and H6 into a 2015 Outback?

[2000outback]

So I realize with any used cars there are no guarantees as far as reliability but are Tribecas any worse than any other Subaru  ? 

[2000outback]

27 minutes ago, GeneralDisorder said:

Oh $hit you're in Canada! Subaru only sold 120 in 2014 in Canada. Wow that's super rare. 

Yeah I am pretty pessimistic because I do see the "bad" side of things being I fix broken Subaru's for a living. I have seen early model Tribeca's with 250k miles on them. They weren't terrible cars - I just don't believe in ANY of the newer CANBUS cars being viable significantly past 10 years old. Too much wiring, too many modules, and too much complexity - once they hit that age and start having problems - the cost to diagnose and repair them is usually far beyond their value or anyone's willingness to dive into 40 modules and 100 miles of wiring. 

GD

Well I was a parts and Service manager at a Chrysler dealership for a few years so I understand  the pessimism when it comes to vehicles .When you're in that business you only see them when they're broken.To this day I have trouble relaxing with used vehicles because I've seen so many fail . Unfortunately I don't have resources to buy a new one each time so I try to buy cars from manufacturers with good reputations .  

By the way. I probably won't own this when its 10 years old.

Edited November 4, 2020 by 2000outback

[GeneralDisorder]

27 minutes ago, idosubaru said:

Uh oh, like worse than doing the wiring for an engine swap?

With CANBUS is it true that you can't retain the functionality of the ABS and other systems if you swap in another engine/trans and associated wiring?  Like swap a 2003 4EAT and H6 into a 2015 Outback?

Yes it's impossible. You can't make any of that stuff work as it's on a CANBUS network and removing any of the modules wrecks the network and shuts down modules when they can't communicate. Try unplugging the ABS module on a CANBUS car.... you can't even drive it. The engine will run but you won't even be able to even shift out of park. 

GD

[GeneralDisorder]

34 minutes ago, 2000outback said:

So I realize with any used cars there are no guarantees as far as reliability but are Tribecas any worse than any other Subaru  ? 

Not particularly - just the usual stuff and the 5EAT wasn't the best trans in any of the models it was put into. Coupled with the low production numbers and Subaru's tendency toward orphaning discontinued low production model parts it gives them a poor resale value and high maintenance cost.

GD

[idosubaru]

Just now, GeneralDisorder said:

Yes it's impossible. You can't make any of that stuff work as it's on a CANBUS network and removing any of the modules wrecks the network and shuts down modules when they can't communicate. Try unplugging the ABS module on a CANBUS car.... you can't even drive it. The engine will run but you won't even be able to even shift out of park. 

GD

Wow, I see why years ago you said cars were headed towards disposable appliance status.  You think their use is design, cost, or production driven?  I kind of hoped to one day swap older stuff into newer...but that sounds like a total sewer swim. 

 

38 minutes ago, 2000outback said:

So I realize with any used cars there are no guarantees as far as reliability but are Tribecas any worse than any other Subaru  ? 

Not for 2005+.  An H6 2005+ outback is the same vehicle for practical mechanical purposes - same engine/trans/brakes/steering - minor suspension tweaks but overall suspension form factor and geometry is the same. They took just adapted existing outback mechanicals into the new designing, only changing a few things where they had too.  So in terms of mechanical reliability - it can be viewed exactly like an outback. 

As I said earlier your 2000 OBW nearly hands down subaru's best generation (00-04) in the last 25 years for reliability.  The couple of issues they had are easily remedied and predictable.