subaru forester 2004 problem

I just bought a 2004 forester(manual transmission). The car seems to be stuck when I try to move it from a full stop if the wheel is turned to rightmost position. it sounds like some metal pieces are squeaking grinding against each other. if I don't hit more gas, it will cause the car to stall. it happened on the first time I test drove it, and I had happened few times since I own it.Is this normal? could it have something to do with the hill holder?

Reply to
yyeessyy
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Sounds like the right CV joint. I hope it's not the VC coupling. CV joint replacement is not a huge deal, maybe $200 at an independant shop. VC coupling problems are a big deal. Check the CV joint first.

If it is the CV joint, ask the shop to show you how to check the boots for damage. If you catch boot damage early it can save you bucks down the road.

Reply to
Jim Stewart

thanks for ur reply, can you explain what VC coupling is? the car is brand new, only 230 miles, is it normal to have such a problem?

Reply to
yyeessyy

The VC coupling distributes the power between the front wheels and the back wheels. It is usually quite trouble-free, but expensive if it needs to be fixed.

A car should have *no* problems at 230 miles. I don't know why you bought it knowing that there was a problem with the front wheels. I presume you have a new-car warrantee and the dealer will fix whatever is wrong.

Reply to
Jim Stewart

Do you notice a difference if the car is just started and cold or if it has been running and hot? The VC coupling (center differential) can become overheated from driving and may tend to bind when doing heavy turning such as in a parking lot.

Also, my user manual says not to turn the steering wheel to the extremes for extended periods of time as this could damage the power steering pump.

Also, does this same behavior exhibit itself if you turn to the leftmost position?

Reply to
Henry Paul

I showed this problem to the dealer, dealer test drove it and told me there was no problem. He said that could just be rust on the brake, cause the vehicle had been sitting so long. I thought it could be the hill holder. I was not very customed to the new design of hill holder either, it feels like the brakes are not released until you release the cluth to some extent. some times it will cause the engine to stall.it acutally made hill start more difficult for me. have you had any experience with the new hill holder?any comments?

Reply to
yyeessyy

Henry, Thanks for all your kind answers, they were very helpful. I traded in my 2001 Outback Ltd for about 8500 dollar at a different subaru dealer, about 2300 dollars higher than my dealer offered me.(SOA representative told me 6200 dollar was a fair price) The new subaru dealer also offered a much better price for 2004 forester. I can't imagine how skillful my subaru dealer is at ripping off customers, I would not give car dealers any more merciful considerations.

Thanks alot!

Shengyi

Reply to
yyeessyy

Snip...

A wise decision I think.

Reply to
Jim Stewart

The dealer may be correct about the brakes causing the noise. A new car that has been sitting around a dealership parking lot is likely to have some surface rust build up that could cause a grinding noise. This annoyance can be magnified by the fact that Subaru's, unlike most cars, have the parking brake in the front. No rust will accumulate under the pads, especially when the parking brake in engaged. The noise you may be hearing is the pads against that layer of surface rust.

Reply to
Scott McKernon

Our new '04 Forester has the hill holder whereas our old '98 did not. It is generally a good feature but it took a little getting used to. I notice that if I back-up in the driveway, brake to a stop, turn the wheel sharp left and start to go forward, the brakes grab a little and make a slight squeak. As the clutch is let out more, the brakes release but a little more gas is required overall.

If you brake with the clutch depressed and then let-up on the brake peddle, a check valve holds the brake pressure until the clutch is released to a certain point.

You could try an experiment. Shift to neutral and let out the clutch and then brake to a stop. Turn the wheel far right, release the brake peddle pressure, then depress the clutch, shift to 1st and then start out. If you don't encounter any problem, then it probably was the hill holder.

Woody; 95FXDS

Reply to
Woody

You are welcome. Our dealer here is talented at scamming as well. They tried to charge me $89 just for a timing belt. I got one online for $45. I looked into their routine maintenance packages, and they best one is ~$600 not including a timing belt. I asked since there is an interval for them to be changed if they offered a service package for the timing belt and he said no. This shop gets ~$250 just for a timing belt.

A friend of mine that has a local repair shop said he would do the 90,000 mile service plus a timing belt for ~$600. Sometimes you just have to shop around a bit.

Reply to
Henry Paul

I have heard of similar incidents with the hill holder. I do not have one on my car so I will refrain from using the term 'problems' as it might just be a little quirky and need some getting used to.

That does sound like a good experiment to try with the hill holder.

Reply to
Henry Paul

I don't much like the hill holder. Every morning when I back out from my garage, it tends to jerk as I have to check for pedestrians and back out slowly. I end up putting the car to neutral and rolling down the drive way instead. It would be better if subaru can associate the 1 gear with the hill holder or install a bypass switch or something like that.

Reply to
Day

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