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Stuttering clutch/engine anyone?


arnox

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Guest *Jedimaster*
I'm really thinking it's an air/ fuel mixture issue. Maybe something to do with having the drive by wire incorrectly calibrated?
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Took my car in for a 1.5k mile oil change. Mentioned the stuttering/hesitation problem. Took the tech for a ride. He noticed it too. Check the ECU etc. but didn't find anything. Said that they won't be able to do anything until SOA issues an ECU update (if they do). I now have 2k miles. The problem persists. It is not a gas quality issue. I am thinking about disconnecting our battery for a bit before driving it on the next long trip (say, 1 hour or more of driving) in hopes of resetting the ECU and then letting it adapt again. Does the Subaru ECU reset this way? Thanks, John
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Guest *Jedimaster*
I'll bet they issue a reflash soon. This problem is all over the message boards and a lot of people are taking them to the dealer about it.
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I have test driven both a Outback 2.5XT and Legacy 2.5GT (both manual) with the exact problem u guys are talking about. I thought the dealer put in regular gas that was causing this, but it seems like thats not the case. This is a huge issue i have with this car. I could be an owner of this car already if not for this problem. I hope Subaru will solve this ASAP.
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[quote name='jedimaster']I'll bet they issue a reflash soon. This problem is all over the message boards and a lot of people are taking them to the dealer about it.[/quote] Wasn't this a problem with the WRX also? And Subaru did not issue a reflash for the WRX, from what I have read.
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Guest *Jedimaster*
I don't think it was a WRX problem. Not stock anyway- I know people that did the infamous 3/16ths mod had a similar problem.
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I think the WRX's felt similar but not as noticeable. Once I got my chip reflashed from Cobb, that really helped smooth out the power curve. Everyone said this is the way it should have been from the factory. So really their are two things that can happen for us. One, Subaru issues a reflash, or two we wait for ecu tuners to come out with new maps for us. Since I don't see subaru doing anything for us, we will probably have to wait for aftermarket ecu reflashes. I also wonder if the grounding mod would help any with this, I did it with my wrx and it seemed to smooth it out a little bit. Or it could have all been in my head, but it might be worth a shot.
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i'm a little confused....why did a few people mention that they noticed this problem more when the motor is not warm yet? Please dont tell me you guys dont warm up your motor before you drive , cuz that would make me lose ALL respect for those partiocular peoples opinion on this or any topic. IMHO on this topic, having worked at a subaru dealer 6 years, I feel this may be a ecu problem , but most likely is due to how sensitive this new drive by wire is , and the horribly sloppy engine/tranny mounts. when the motor rocks , it may cause the driver , unknowing to him, to slightly pulse the gas pedal just enough to give that drive by wire a nudge and when the acceleration happens it makes the engine rock, and your foot pulse ....etc. could cause a potential stutter or hesitation. Ive been test driving them at my store since they came out (with the crap gas they ship em with) and have yet to see what y'all are talkin about. Just a thought. Mike......
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I drive mine before its warmed up. I am not going to sit there idle for 15 minutes for the car to warm up, and I know subaru doesn't expect people to do that either. I usually let it sit there for about 10-15 seconds if its warm out, or in the winter a minute or two. Then I drive slowly keeping it below 4k rpms until it fully warmed up. Also I have felt this problem when the car is fully warmed up and I just floor it, so it can't have anything to do with the drive by wire, since the pedal isn't moving any. I do think its an ECU issue though, or maybe after a few thousand miles and an oil change it will figure it out itself.
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I don't find it acceptable that I should have to pay hundreds of dollars to get my ECU re-flashed when I just want to fix something the manufacturer can and should. I hate to say it, but maybe the only way to get Subaru's attention on this issue is to start mentioning it in new car reviews on sites like Edmunds, Epinions, etc. Another option is to contact a publication like Consumer Reports with complaints. I won't do that until I have reported it to my dealer and not received a satisfactory resolution. If that occurs and we don't see any results from Subaru corporate, then I'll have to do some honest reviews, "Great car, but..." [/i]
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[quote name='Wa-gone']I don't find it acceptable that I should have to pay hundreds of dollars to get my ECU re-flashed when I just want to fix something the manufacturer can and should. I hate to say it, but maybe the only way to get Subaru's attention on this issue is to start mentioning it in new car reviews on sites like Edmunds, Epinions, etc. Another option is to contact a publication like Consumer Reports with complaints. I won't do that until I have reported it to my dealer and not received a satisfactory resolution. If that occurs and we don't see any results from Subaru corporate, then I'll have to do some honest reviews, "Great car, but..."[/quote] Or, you could unload the car, and acquire a vehicle that makes you happier. If a car's performance is unsatisfactory, it is generally for two reasons: a legitimate defect, or expectations not meeting up with reality. If the "hesitation" is a legitimate defect, Subaru will fix it. They have too much riding on the Legacy to be so stupid as to not take care of it. It is not affecting all cars (my wagon is fine), though I did experience it in the first 1,000 miles. The effect is akin to a momentary (fraction of a second) hitch in the get along. What I noticed, some of the times, was that I was feathering the throttle. Now, with 2300 miles, I get a smooth acceleration curve. I admit to not understanding the whole "if Subaru doesn't take car of this, they are in big trouble" business. People buy the car after a test drive, that will divulge data about all of its quirks and behavior patterns. If they test-drove a broken-in car (not likely), this issue would have been readily apparent, and they could have turned to the salesman and asked, "Whoa, is this normal?" When he said yes, they then can evaluate the car accordingly. My other question is, are some cars worse than others, or are people reacting in an excessive fashion to a very slight hesitation? Kevin
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Something from the ECUTEK threads that I was mentioning, but the new Legacy was designed for easier/cheaper flash updates to the ECU, and I've been informed that they did mention it to me in the initial press briefings. Maybe I shouldn't have been snoring so loudly at the time... Cheers, Paul Hansen
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The stuttering is not a single momentary "hitch" in acceleration. It is a series of hitches if you will (stuttering). And, as I noted it in a post waayy back, it was noticeable and annoying. The good news is that I have almost 9000 kms on the car and I believe the problem went away around the 2000 km mark. Tom
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WRXTom, thanks for the info. I noticed that mine went away as well once a couple thousand miles got on the clock. I wonder if this is a problem in other markets, or specific to our 2.5-liter cars? When someone from Japan or Australia sees this, perhaps they can weigh in on the matter. Kevin
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