Help ID my car problem

narlus · Jul 21, 2005

number 1 might require turning yr rotors. the other might be yr car telling you that yo are speeding.

the steering bit sounds like you've reached a critical frequency and you get some vibration. have the guys check the tie-rods and steering assembly, as well as wheel bearings. maybe something's a bit loose.

for the reving up and down, i have no idea. i don't drive a woman's car (i mean automatic) :evil:

i really don't know all that much about cars, the above are just guesses. so take that w/ a grain of salt.

DRB · Jul 21, 2005

My super informed guess for 2 is tire balance or alignment or wear.

motomike · Jul 21, 2005

turn your rotors and get an alignment shop to look at it. Also might want to try something simple-loosen your lugnuts a little and then re-torque them. Sometimes when they aren't torque equally or one loosens, it'll pull the rotor one way or another, and feel warped.

Get some Techron by Chevron and run it through with a tank of gas. This will clean your fuel injectors pretty good. It might work, it might not. But if it does work before the appointment, you'll save some G's.

Reactor · Jul 21, 2005

It could be wheels out of balance, or a flatspot on the tire, or even a tread seperation. I'd have them look carefully at the tires when they do the brakes.

The first issue is probably excessive runout on the brake rotors, you have a high spot and when the brakes aren't fully engaged you can feel the pulse from the high dpot pushing the pads back. When the brakes are fully engaged the pressuer you generate is much higher so you don't notice it as much. The rotors will have to be turned, of if they are too then they'll have to be replaced.

MTB_Rob_NC · Jul 21, 2005

sounds like 1 & 2 could be related. How is the wear on the tires? ~50k in mileage is when you need to start looking at maintenance related items such as tires, wheel bearings etc. None of it sounds too serious though.

DRB · Jul 21, 2005

I Are Baboon said:
My wheels got rotated and aligned during that service, so I will be pissed if that is the problem. I should also mention that I had two of the tires replaced about a month ago, so now I am running two different sets of tires with my ABS. I was told when I got the two new tires that it would not pose a problem.

Sounds like maybe something didn't get done right. It could be that you lost a balance weight. It happened to my wife's car when she got new tires. It would vibrate at a very narrow range. Took it back and they immediately saw where the weight fell off.

SK6 · Jul 21, 2005

narlus said:
number 1 might require turning yr rotors. the other might be yr car telling you that yo are speeding.

the steering bit sounds like you've reached a critical frequency and you get some vibration. have the guys check the tie-rods and steering assembly, as well as wheel bearings. maybe something's a bit loose.

for the reving up and down, i have no idea. i don't drive a woman's car (i mean automatic) :evil:

i really don't know all that much about cars, the above are just guesses. so take that w/ a grain of salt.

A re-balance would not be a bad idea....... out of balance at that speed could cause that to happen. As far as the brakes, have your rotors turned. 90% of the time it usually can fix the problem.

:think:

Both problems could be related.....

edit: a broken belt in the tire(s) could very well be the problem as well.

Crazy Sweeper · Jul 21, 2005

I agree turn or replace your rotors.

As far as the vibration, use a coin to check your tread on all four wheels, both the outside and the inside, I'm betting that one is drastically different maybe more.

narlus · Jul 21, 2005

I Are Baboon said:
The two old tires still have plenty of life left in them. Maybe I should just replace them anyway and be done with it. I got raped by Firestone when I replaced two of them, to the tune of about $450 installed.

i had to replace all 4 tires on my subie when one died due to a blowout. the shop said it wasn't good for teh AWD if there were mis-matched tires. not sure if he was selling me 3 tires i didn't need along w/ a load of crap, but maybe he was right? call subie.

MTB_Rob_NC · Jul 21, 2005

I Are Baboon said:
Well I took my car in last weekend for a 45,000 mile routine maintenance. They told me my front brake pads needed to be replaced soon and that they would sand down the rotors.

My wheels got rotated and aligned during that service, so I will be pissed if that is the problem. I should also mention that I had two of the tires replaced about a month ago, so now I am running two different sets of tires with my ABS. I was told when I got the two new tires that it would not pose a problem.

The tire rotation is probably causing the problem...(keep reading). The wear on your tires can vary slightly from front to rear for obvious (and not so obvious reasons). If it is not a HUGE concern of yours, you might want to just address your brakes and there is a chance the vibration will go away after some mileage on your tires, in the new positions wears them in a little.

MTB_Rob_NC · Jul 21, 2005

narlus said:
i had to replace all 4 tires on my subie when one died due to a blowout. the shop said it wasn't good for teh AWD if there were mis-matched tires. not sure if he was selling me 3 tires i didn't need along w/ a load of crap, but maybe he was right? call subie.

So long as all 4 tires are the SAME size you should be fine.

DRB · Jul 21, 2005

Mtb_Rob_FL said:
So long as all 4 tires are the SAME size you should be fine.

Come on a Subie all jacked up in the back would be cool.....

IAB its on you to get that done.

Polandspring88 · Jul 21, 2005

I have had, and still have some of the exact same issues as you do.

The brake thing was solved by replacing the rotors. They were warped slightly, and whereas the pads are only seperated from the rotor by some absurdly small measure, the rotor warped by a few thousandths of an inch makes a difference. Get them either turned or replaced, its up to you.

As far as the vibrating, I am not quite sure. Balancing your tires could do it, or you could just stick to the posted speed limit of 65 and not have to worry. :thumb:

DRB · Jul 21, 2005

I Are Baboon said:
Can I get spinners too?

I'll spring for the spinners on the front.

Crazy Sweeper · Jul 21, 2005

I Are Baboon said:
Can I get spinners too?

Only spinner hubcaps.

Jozz · Jul 21, 2005

I'ev seen car vibrate due to warped rotors.

So 1 and 2 might be the same problems after all.

Do the big brake job and then test drive.

MMcG · Jul 21, 2005

Cars suck.

Westy · Jul 21, 2005

If your car is an auto the center diff is an electronic clutch pack. If you pull the fuse for the center diff control you will have a front wheel drive car. Pull the fuse, if the problem goes away it could be the different size tires. I don't think there will be a problem going for a short test drive with the fuse pulled.

MTB_Rob_NC · Jul 21, 2005

Westy said:
If your car is an auto the center diff is an electronic clutch pack. If you pull the fuse for the center diff control you will have a front wheel drive car. Pull the fuse, if the problem goes away it could be the different size tires. I don't think there will be a problem going for a short test drive with the fuse pulled.

DONT do that. You could very quickly tear up those diffs.

Your car has warranty, let the pros figure it out, if it is that serious

Brian HCM#1 · Jul 21, 2005

When replacing tires on AWD's they should ALL be replaced at the same time for evenness. AWD's are way sensitive to front end issues if the tires are off due to wear. I'm assuming you're dealing with the dealer. Plus I may recommend go on a test drive with them, that way they will be able to see the problem first hand.

TN · Jul 21, 2005

I Are Baboon said:
You think? :dancing:

Actually, if I don't drive 70-75 during rush hour, I become a danger to other drivers.

nope. we have driven La's '04 outback 100 mph+ with no such problem.

do you have the 4 cyl. or the 6?

SK6 · Jul 21, 2005

Brian HCM#1 said:
When replacing tires on AWD's they should ALL be replaced at the same time for evenness. AWD's are way sensitive to front end issues if the tires are off due to wear. I'm assuming you're dealing with the dealer. Plus I may recommend go on a test drive with them, that way they will be able to see the problem first hand.

What Brian really ment to say was "Buy hopes and replace your brakes with them!"

McGRP01 · Jul 21, 2005

narlus said:
i had to replace all 4 tires on my subie when one died due to a blowout. the shop said it wasn't good for teh AWD if there were mis-matched tires. not sure if he was selling me 3 tires i didn't need along w/ a load of crap, but maybe he was right? call subie.

Only the front 2 and the rear 2 have to be the same. You can (technically) have different tires on the front and back

Wumpus · Jul 21, 2005

For safe vehicle operation, SUBARU recommends replacing all four tires at the same time.
WARNING: All four tires must be the same in terms of manufacturer, brand (tread pattern), construction, degree of wear, speed symbol, load index and size. Mixing tires of different types, sizes or degrees of wear can result in damage to the vehicle's power train. Use of different types or sizes of tires can also dangerously reduce controllability and braking performance and can lead to an accident. Use only radial tires. Do not use radial tires together with belted bias tires and/or bias-ply tires. Doing so can dangerously reduce controllability which can result in an accident.

http://www.subaru.com/owners/carcaretips/index.jsp?pageid=tire&navid=TIRED_TIRES

McGRP01 · Jul 21, 2005

Yikes, guess I should be looking to get 2 new tires as well.

SK6 · Jul 21, 2005

I Are Baboon said:
Well there you go!

The question is, does that address the problems I mentioned at the start of this thread?

Only if you buy Hopes.

hey, I'm just interpriting what Brian really meant....

Brian HCM#1 · Jul 21, 2005

sirknight6 said:
What Brian really ment to say was "Buy hopes and replace your brakes with them!"

Yeppers

justbill · Jul 21, 2005

Do you have a roof rack on the subbie? Sometimes the disruption caused by a roof rack or some other attached accessorie will disrupt the designed flow of air around your car. To test this theroy, check how the car feels with the windows open and closed.

narlus · Jul 21, 2005

Wumpus said:
For safe vehicle operation, SUBARU recommends replacing all four tires at the same time.
WARNING: All four tires must be the same in terms of manufacturer, brand (tread pattern), construction, degree of wear, speed symbol, load index and size. Mixing tires of different types, sizes or degrees of wear can result in damage to the vehicle's power train. Use of different types or sizes of tires can also dangerously reduce controllability and braking performance and can lead to an accident. Use only radial tires. Do not use radial tires together with belted bias tires and/or bias-ply tires. Doing so can dangerously reduce controllability which can result in an accident.

http://www.subaru.com/owners/carcaretips/index.jsp?pageid=tire&navid=TIRED_TIRES

i guess the dude was on the level.

that said, it sucked to have to buy a set of new tires for a leased car. :nuts:

Help ID my car problem

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