Brady Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 I'm at just over 23K miles, and I can replicate the problem pretty easily by turning on the AC. The fan stays on regardless of whether the AC is on or turned off, but when the ACC is blowing, the air movement in the car masks some of the sound of the fan. I notice it more on my long commute because by the time I get home, the ACC has the fan blowing on speed 1. I'm nervous about this coming back again after the warranty is up. I may look into getting an extended warranty still afterall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dplacen Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 I just worked on a 05 legacy Gt wagon with the fan stock on today. I called subaru tech line and they said to replace the ECM. No relay replacement neccessary anymore. We will see when the ECM get here what happens! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scatman Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 I got the problem and the car is going into the dealer next week. I live 40 miles from the nearest dealer, so I called and asked the service manager if he could expidite the situation by calling SAO's techline and get an ECU on the way......hu, ya right. The wont even call until they can "replicate" the problem first. Means more time off work and more trips to the dealer. Just bugs me they wont take my word for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dplacen Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 That's how it works sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crash Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 See if you can figure out *what* they changed.. I wonder if it is just software or if they actually made a hardware change... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe05GTMT Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Is AP still compatible with new ECU? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFar Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 You know the messed up part about my car is that it even with every climate control device off it will still run the entire time even in 30 degree weather. Then again, its an intermitant problem. AHHHHHHHH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brady Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Oh great. The battle with the dealer has already begun before I've even brought the car in. Called at lunch today to set up an appointment for Monday after work. I don't know what I was thinking because I know they won't be able to diagnose it in the evening without the Subaru Tech line, but whatever. The guy asked me if I wanted to drop the car off or if I would wait for it. I told him "well, as I understand it, the resolution SOA has come up with is to replace the ECU, so I don't think we'll get it fixed on Monday anyway." He immediately asks "did you read that on the internet?" I just said yes. I'm thinking about making a bet with them when I get in there on Monday. It endlessly pisses me off that they always think I'm crazy and refuse to follow the steps that will save both them and me time and trouble only to come out that I was right in the end. If this happens again with this dealership, I'm going to raise holy hell, because they deserve to be treated the way the treat their customers. The other dealership I've gone to is good, but I'm friends with the Service Manager. I don't think one should need to be friends with the service manager to get good service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scatman Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 I'V already had a very similar issue with my dealer. As soon as you mention the internet they roll there eyes and instantly take the defensive. They hate not having the initiative, they want you stupid and compliant. Dealers wont believe you.......perhaps they have good reason, still pisses me off as well. I'll let you all know how things turned out next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brady Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Yeah, it's kind of crazy sometimes. I mentioned the dealer where I'm friends with the service manager. Well, I've even had difficulties there too. Some of the guys just can't stand that you're more knowlegeable than them. Well, I know a lot about my car, I'm not going to apologize for that. I wasn't hoping for this problem to come about. I happened to be aware of it, and when the symptoms hit, I knew immediately what the problem was. At no time did I jump for joy because I get to take my car to the dealer to have it fixed ... no, it was more of an "Oh Crap" moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbart Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Went by the dealer (Heuberger Motors in Co Springs) and told them about my fan problem. Service manager was aware of the issue. They had recently had their first Legacy in w/ this issue. Lucky for me their learning curve was exhausted on this vehicle. They ordered a new ECM and 2 relays, which should be in next week and installed in a day. Good stuff! Follow Up: Finally got the parts in and a service appointment. Dropped the car off and had the ECM and 2 relays swapped out and all is well. Funny thing is they never checked the car just took my word for it, both when ordering and swapping the parts. The car even seems to run smoother w/ the new ECM. Heuberger Motors in Co Springs gets two thumps up from me for service! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scatman Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Good for you. Guess I'll be the first to smooth the way around here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUBARU AWD Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 My wifes 05 Outback XT has the fan prob, calling dealer tomorrow. Hope my 06 LGT don't catch it parked in the garage so close to the wagon! Fan prob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFar Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 I stopped by the dealer and made my appointment for monday, and wouldn't you know it, after two days running every second the car is on, it finally turned off after I made the appointment. I took video of the problem this morning at start up, exterior temp was 54, engine sitting for 12 hours+, and the fan still ran. I have video of the temp needle, starting, high idle, the fan, and everything. The service manager said, quote! "that doesn't matter, my mechanics need to see it". Of course it matters. Just because a problem isn't manifesting itself at one particular time, doesn't mean the problem doesn't exist as it does. Ignoring a problem and pure evidence is neglegence, something you can sue for in civil court which I may end up doing if this manager doesn't do his job. Not only court, but reports to the Better Business Bureau, and SOA themselves may light a fire under this guys feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUBARU AWD Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 called dealer yesterday, told him the prob. They have done a few already, said no prob I'll order the ECU and set up a time to bring it in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highwaydrifter Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 this is why i dont bother with stealerships.. they are all shiat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. CentralOhioSubarus Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 Add me to the list of happy fixed car owners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobydude Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 me too, i was in and out in an hour...the parts were ordered over the phone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonardo Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 bastage! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFar Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Scoobydude, where did you take your car to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugblatterbeast Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 It looks like the cooling fan problem may be killing batteries. I found that my battery never charged properly in city driving/sub-zero weather with the cooling fan stuck on. The OCV of the battery was around 12.3 before I got the ecu replaced. Now its back up to a healthy 12.7 to 13.0 The problem was caught pretty early on my car so the battery wasn't sulphated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akscooby Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Waaaaay back at the beginning of this thread, I was in there whining about the fan issue. My dealer "fixed" the problem at about 5,000 miles with a new computer from another car on the lot. I hit 15,000 miles and it happened again. And for people trying to find links to outside temperatures, just let it be...first time it happened to me it was summer and 70's, this time middle of winter (I live in Alaska) and -20 F. Defrost turns on the fan, too, not just the AC. The dealer tried to first) tell me they couldn't reproduce the problem. They explained that they were turning the car off and the fan would go off. No kidding. Everything turned off. I had a few words with the service manager, who then went to my car on the lot and was able to duplicate the problem. Now I am waiting for ECU #2 (#3 if you count the original). I told them about the original ECU problem/fix, that it was a known SOA issue, to call the tech line, etc....but they were stubborn service people who didn't want to have to deal with warranty issues. I also have an over-heating butt warmer in the driver's seat, but they said "oh, that's normal, as long as it cools off after the initial heating up." Tell that to my right cheek as it tries to hover off the seat while driving down the road to avoid being seared. Basically, they treated me like I was an idiot until I pressed the issue a little bit. I don't appreciate that as a customer who shelled out $25k for a car. It is not our fault if the ECU is messed up, and they should be more willing to fix the damn problem for us. As it is, I've wasted a total of 7 days on this fan issue between the two computers and have at least one more coming for installation once the ECU gets in. I think SOA should at the least tell their Service departments across the nation about the issue and to not give customers such a hard time. Anyone know of an address I can write to with them (maybe get a bunch of signatures from you all who have experienced similar problems) to encourage a little cooperation? I'm hoping the new ECU will address the acceleration stutter issue as others have said, and increase my mileage. That would at least make me feel a little bit better about the hassle involved in getting this fixed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobydude Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 cfar, I took my car to Stohlman. If you decide to go there do these things: 1. Make an appointment with Debbie Stack and only Debbie. She is on the green team (She's pretty cool to deal with and very efficient)2. Take the car in and have her look at it and she will then in turn have their Master Subaru tech (Daniel) look at it.3. That's all they do. They turn the ignition key to the on position and if your fan is running they will order you a new ECU and fan relay switch. It takes two days at most for it to get to the dealer. Once it is in they will call you to come back in and then replace it. Usually the day after it comes in. The whole procedure from start to finish took about 1hr and fifteen minutes. 4. Don't forget to bring all your keys with you. Including the valet key as they all need to do be reprogrammed to the new ecu. If you forget any of your keys they will tell you to come back another day. Hope this helps. P.S. I was told by the tech that apparently they have ecu's in stock at the distribution wharehouse for this exact reason, that's why it does not take very long for the ecu to get to the dealer. ~S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugblatterbeast Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 Waaaaay back at the beginning of this thread, I was in there whining about the fan issue. My dealer "fixed" the problem at about 5,000 miles with a new computer from another car on the lot. I hit 15,000 miles and it happened again. And for people trying to find links to outside temperatures, just let it be...first time it happened to me it was summer and 70's, this time middle of winter (I live in Alaska) and -20 F. Defrost turns on the fan, too, not just the AC. The dealer tried to first) tell me they couldn't reproduce the problem. They explained that they were turning the car off and the fan would go off. No kidding. Everything turned off. I had a few words with the service manager, who then went to my car on the lot and was able to duplicate the problem. Now I am waiting for ECU #2 (#3 if you count the original). I told them about the original ECU problem/fix, that it was a known SOA issue, to call the tech line, etc....but they were stubborn service people who didn't want to have to deal with warranty issues. I also have an over-heating butt warmer in the driver's seat, but they said "oh, that's normal, as long as it cools off after the initial heating up." Tell that to my right cheek as it tries to hover off the seat while driving down the road to avoid being seared. Basically, they treated me like I was an idiot until I pressed the issue a little bit. I don't appreciate that as a customer who shelled out $25k for a car. It is not our fault if the ECU is messed up, and they should be more willing to fix the damn problem for us. As it is, I've wasted a total of 7 days on this fan issue between the two computers and have at least one more coming for installation once the ECU gets in. I think SOA should at the least tell their Service departments across the nation about the issue and to not give customers such a hard time. Anyone know of an address I can write to with them (maybe get a bunch of signatures from you all who have experienced similar problems) to encourage a little cooperation? I'm hoping the new ECU will address the acceleration stutter issue as others have said, and increase my mileage. That would at least make me feel a little bit better about the hassle involved in getting this fixed. Your second ECU failure could be due to the fact that they used a first rev ecu to replace the failed unit. I would assume they either didn't have a HW fix at the time or just pulled another car's ECU because there were no spares available locally. I'm pretty sure I have a second rev ECU. The stutter is better but still there. Idle is pretty lumpy though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akscooby Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 Bug, Yeah, I thought it was a little annoying the first time they just swapped the ECU out...if the original ECU was the problem, they needed to just give me the next generation one. In my original posts on this subject I expressed that concern, and that I'd probably be doing exactly what I am doing because they didn't really fix the problem in the first place...I'm doing it all over again. They just postponed doing the fix right. I really hope I won't have to ever deal with this fan issue again. I've wasted too much time on a seemingly simple solution that the dealers have hedged on performing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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