littlerob904 Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 I have an 08 legacy with approx. 13k miles on it. I've recently noticed some strange behavior when slowing down to stop, and speeding up after making a turn (around 10-15mph). As I come to a stop my car as has been studdering a bit, I noticed that when i get down around 10mph, the tach will get down to around 800rpm and then jump up to around 1200 before lowering smoothly as I stop. It's causing the car to studder a bit, almost as if the shift timing is off. It's very subtle but annoying, and I'm worried it may lead to a more serious problem. Also, after I slow down to make a turn, say around 10-15 mph. And, I then speed back up after the turn, the car shifts very roughly and kicks as I accelerate. It seems to happen no matter how gentile I am with the pedal. I made an appt for the dealer for this week, and I'm looking for advice as to what I should say / be on the lookout for as I go in. Any ideas? Could this just be a computer issue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilh Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 I vote that the throttle plate might be sticking. I had that problem in my 05 LGT MT, and the RPM response while coasting to a stop was similar, as was a bit of kicking when going from no throttle to light/medium throttle. My dealer found it with data logging, but my car was also occasionally stalling in the winter when not yet warmed up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlerob904 Posted July 16, 2008 Author Share Posted July 16, 2008 Interesting, I don't know a whole lot about cars (this is my first new car, and I'm learning as I go) but that makes sense to me. Was it a quick fix? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilh Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 No, because it took them a long time (many days) to find the problem, which involved some Subaru New England chief technician checking it out. The stalling was the main motivation for them, and I was getting close to lemon law territory with number of days in the shop in my first year. I was in a loaner (Subaru Tribecca or OB with < 1000 miles) at all times I was without the car. I also ended up with a 7/100 Gold extended warranty for free from SOA for my troubles. I don't mean to scare you. I just point out it might be worth mentioning the possibility to them. The RPM dropping too far and them coming up might be a sign, but then again I don't know how the automatic transmission could be interacting. My car was manual, and I was seeing this kind of behavior in neutral, so no transmission interaction. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlerob904 Posted July 16, 2008 Author Share Posted July 16, 2008 Thanks, I'll ask some questions when I bring it in, and mention what you have said to them. I'm hoping it just ends up being a computer issue and can be fixed without much hassle. The cars had no other problems since I bought it, other than a slight vibration / rattle i hear once in a while from the passenger door area when i hit bumps on the highway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasone Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 Mine dips, but it doesn't studder or anything. Just dips down to 900, then floats back to 1100 and resumes normal deceleration on the tachometer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlerob904 Posted July 16, 2008 Author Share Posted July 16, 2008 I just called the dealer to confirm that they had a courtesy car to bring me back to my place, and I ended up speaking with a tech on the phone. I explained the problem to him and he told me they have had a lot of cars with the same issue and it is due to the gas. He claimed the car is completely fine and that the gas isnt good enough, he then suggested I start using 89 octane. This seems like a complete load of horse shit. He did however say he would run some tests and see if anything else was causing it first. I feel like I'm going to have a fight on my hands, the car is supposed to take 87... not 89. If it can't take 87, something is wrong, or subaru lied. Has anyone heard of this happening? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opie Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Tell him there is a TCU reflash out for this...he'll need to use the SSM3...if he knows what that is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadvw Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Tell him there is a TCU reflash out for this...he'll need to use the SSM3...if he knows what that is Is this only for '08s, or all 5EATs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowImg Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Is this only for '08s, or all 5EATs? It wouldn't be 5EATs, the 2.5i is a 4EAT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadvw Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 It wouldn't be 5EATs, the 2.5i is a 4EAT. Good point.. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlerob904 Posted July 17, 2008 Author Share Posted July 17, 2008 Can someone explain the TCU reflash, or point me to a thread with info about it? I'm a newbie to this stuff. Is this in reference to the hesitation issue everyone seems to have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opie Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Is this only for '08s, or all 5EATs? There are several reflashes out, for many different concerns/models/etc. Problem is, most tech's forget to check for them when they are addressing a concern. Can someone explain the TCU reflash, or point me to a thread with info about it? I'm a newbie to this stuff. Is this in reference to the hesitation issue everyone seems to have? A TCU reflash is the loading of an updated program for the car's Transmission Control Unit. There has been one released on the 4EAT's for a hesitation/shift shock concern. I doubt there is a thread on it because Subaru doesn't release much info on the reflashes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlerob904 Posted July 17, 2008 Author Share Posted July 17, 2008 Thanks a lot for the help, I'll talk to the tech about it tomorrow and let you know what happens. I'm going to keep reading up on it, I'd rather go in there with some knowledge than look like a jackass trying to tell the guy how to do his job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlerob904 Posted July 18, 2008 Author Share Posted July 18, 2008 I brought it in this morning, car is getting worked on today. I spoke with the service manager about it and mentioned what was said about the TCU re-flash. This time, he agreed that the problem sounds transmission related. He mentioned they can put the TCU through a relearning process and said they may try that. I also decided it was a good time to have him check on that stupid rattle, seems like they've been having a lot of those. Keeping my fingers crossed... I drove a Lincoln LS V6 to work today, that I borrowed. Man, driving that car makes me wish I ponied up and bought an LGT. It makes my car feel so weak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilh Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Get them to fix rattles while you still can. I lived with a dash rattle, mostly when it was < 40F, for 2.5 years. I finally took it in for that and my car is pretty much completely rattle free (knock wood). Are you at least using Sport shift on your 2.5i? I'm rather surprised what a difference it makes on our 08 OB 2.5i, and it isn't all just about high-revving. The default mode really seems to bog the engine down at too low revs. (I'm just talking about pushing the stick over to the left, not using the +/- to shift semi-manually.) --Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlerob904 Posted July 18, 2008 Author Share Posted July 18, 2008 I didn't normally use it unless I was preparing for a tough highway merge (I ride an old ass parkway to work everyday, and sometimes I need to use an onramp that is 50 feet long after a stop sign.) After reading what everyone says about it, I'm going to start. Can anyone confirm gas mileage differences between sport and regular modes? Assuming, average driving conditions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlerob904 Posted July 18, 2008 Author Share Posted July 18, 2008 Dealer just called, said they "re-learned" the TCU and the car was all set. Although, they claimed they couldn't duplicate the rattle. Oh well, I'm going to take it now and make another appointment for it in the future. I'll try and locate it myself and show it to them next time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilh Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 I think we might be getting a bit better gas mileage in sport around town than without. As for the highway, while cruise control is engaged sport mode is temporarily disabled, so there shouldn't be any difference there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
change_agent Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 I explained the problem to him and he told me they have had a lot of cars with the same issue and it is due to the gas. He claimed the car is completely fine and that the gas isnt good enough, he then suggested I start using 89 octane. This seems like a complete load of horse shit. He did however say he would run some tests and see if anything else was causing it first. I feel like I'm going to have a fight on my hands, the car is supposed to take 87... not 89. If it can't take 87, something is wrong, or subaru lied. Has anyone heard of this happening? It does work...I have had the same problem with my N/A 2.5i allong with pre-ignition ping...adding some 89 octane to a half a tank works...however I will ask for the reflashing to have it learn again....let us know how it goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlerob904 Posted July 26, 2008 Author Share Posted July 26, 2008 Well, the car was reflashed, and so far it's been driving much better. The stutter when slowing down isn't occuring anymore. It did kick on me once after making a turn, although I can live with once in 2 weeks. I'm going to keep my eye on it and see if it starts acting up again, hopefully it won't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Wolf Posted August 11, 2008 Share Posted August 11, 2008 Hello littlerob904, Just checking in to see how your car has been shifting. I think I notice the same type of things in my 08 2.5i - I have noticed when making slow right hand turns, when I go to get back on the throttle I have gotten a hard kick/shift. It seems to happen every once in a while. Havn't had it in a month or so, but had it in the past I know. I also notice a slow speed shaky feeling when barly moving the car forward (5mph or less) that smooths out once it goes a bit faster. I might try mixing some 89 gas as was suggested above... or checking into a relearn also at next oil change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlerob904 Posted August 11, 2008 Author Share Posted August 11, 2008 My cars been fine, I only noticed the hard shift maybe 1.5 times since it went through the relearn. I put in half a tank of 89, and on a seperate occasion, I added some fuel injector cleaner to a full tank. The car has been driving much better since I went through all of this, and I'm seeing an increase in gas mileage. I took the advice of someone on this board and started to drive in sport mode all the time. It's much more responsive and eases better when trying to drive conservatively. Assuming you aren't revving it high. I've actually been getting about 2 mpg better on my work commute since I started. Although, this could also have to do with relearn / fuel injector cleaner. I went from about 23 to about 25 about 60% highway driving on a regular basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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