A few days ago , my wife's 2015 Forester with 190,000 mi (trade in value $5000) blew a solid red high coolant temp light. A blinking one would have been overheating. The car has no coolant temp gage.
She drove the 3 miles home and put it into the garage. The overflow bottle was full. I let the car cool and the engine didnt suck the coolant back into the radiator. I then carefully pulled the radiator cap off and there was this giant sucking sound. I put the overflow fluid back in the radiator and put on a new OEM cap. I then plugged in my OBDii reader and went for a drive. The car warms to 194 plus or minus 2 and stays there. I can manually turn on both cooling fans by turning on the A/C. BUT I had to exercise the fan relays to get them to do that. No matter...the car can go down the road at 194 or idle at 194...no fans. The fluid now cycles into and out of the overflow bottle.
Just before taking the car to the dealer for a flush, the check engine light came on and the OBDii reader said "Bank one too lean" . Which can be caused by a number of things...I cleared the code and tried to move all the plumbing but the code didnt come back.
So We take it to the dealer. My wife gives him the ok to do the flush and replace the clock spring so the horn works ($700) but the dealer now wants $600 for a new fuel air sensor and says the reason it went bad is weeping oil from the cam carrier seals.
OK! Here is what the dealer wants to do.
1. Replace Clock Spring so horn works ($750)
2. Pull engine. $2900. Cam carrier reseal. O rings, valve cover gasket, exhaust gasket, ( they are saying this weeping oil wrecked the P/A A/F sensor, which is $600-700 dollars. I assume this is the Air/Fuel sensor.
3. Right now, all the diagnostics are $900.
My wife told them to do the clock spring. The check engine light is off.
So the question is, do we do the A/F sensor and have the engine pulled to seal the cam carriers? On a $5000 vehicle ? Reguardless, she has to get new tires and a rear brake job. I dont think she needs the engine pulled on this vehicle. If the car fails completely, she has my trusty very nice 2004 Honda CRV with 160,000 miles on it to drive till she can get her hands on a new 2026 Outback, and if the CRV dies, she has my 2018 Subaru Forester with the 8 year/80,000 mile warrenty. This 2015 car is history once she finds a new car and I think the new Outback suits her to a T.
What would you do? The car ran fine with the check engine light on....
It will be probably 6 months before the new Outbacks arrive....then this piece of excrement is history.
She drove the 3 miles home and put it into the garage. The overflow bottle was full. I let the car cool and the engine didnt suck the coolant back into the radiator. I then carefully pulled the radiator cap off and there was this giant sucking sound. I put the overflow fluid back in the radiator and put on a new OEM cap. I then plugged in my OBDii reader and went for a drive. The car warms to 194 plus or minus 2 and stays there. I can manually turn on both cooling fans by turning on the A/C. BUT I had to exercise the fan relays to get them to do that. No matter...the car can go down the road at 194 or idle at 194...no fans. The fluid now cycles into and out of the overflow bottle.
Just before taking the car to the dealer for a flush, the check engine light came on and the OBDii reader said "Bank one too lean" . Which can be caused by a number of things...I cleared the code and tried to move all the plumbing but the code didnt come back.
So We take it to the dealer. My wife gives him the ok to do the flush and replace the clock spring so the horn works ($700) but the dealer now wants $600 for a new fuel air sensor and says the reason it went bad is weeping oil from the cam carrier seals.
OK! Here is what the dealer wants to do.
1. Replace Clock Spring so horn works ($750)
2. Pull engine. $2900. Cam carrier reseal. O rings, valve cover gasket, exhaust gasket, ( they are saying this weeping oil wrecked the P/A A/F sensor, which is $600-700 dollars. I assume this is the Air/Fuel sensor.
3. Right now, all the diagnostics are $900.
My wife told them to do the clock spring. The check engine light is off.
So the question is, do we do the A/F sensor and have the engine pulled to seal the cam carriers? On a $5000 vehicle ? Reguardless, she has to get new tires and a rear brake job. I dont think she needs the engine pulled on this vehicle. If the car fails completely, she has my trusty very nice 2004 Honda CRV with 160,000 miles on it to drive till she can get her hands on a new 2026 Outback, and if the CRV dies, she has my 2018 Subaru Forester with the 8 year/80,000 mile warrenty. This 2015 car is history once she finds a new car and I think the new Outback suits her to a T.
What would you do? The car ran fine with the check engine light on....
It will be probably 6 months before the new Outbacks arrive....then this piece of excrement is history.