Hello All, I just bought my first Subaru - a 2004 Outback, 2.5L, 5 speed Manual. It has 140k and was a single owner car with pretty thorough maintenance records. After about 200 miles it started to get a noticeable clunk out of the front end along with some jerking motion when the steering wheel is turned a lot (like when parking). Very disappointing. I have brought it to 2 separate shops and they both think the issue is related to the differential in the transmission. Both mechanics are recommending a transmission replacement that comes at a pretty hefty cost - more than 50% of what I paid for the car. I would love input from you folks out there in MNSubaru land: Is this car worth saving? This motor has good PM records and seems pretty strong. Assuming I continue the PM will it keep going? The body is in good shape little rust, all the typical wear parts are pretty new - tires, brakes, and battery. I will definitely not be performing the work myself. I do not have the ability to perform a fix of this magnitude. Thanks.
I have not done anything at this point beyond getting the opinion of 2 separate shops. The transmission shifts and operates smooth other than when the wheel is turned significantly. At this point you kind of have to try to make this issue come up.
Right, on the 5mt the tranny and front differential share fluid. My thought was metal flakes of some kind in there.
You turn the wheel and there is clunking in the front end...the tranny shifts smooth...and they want you to replace the tranny? I would try suspension components first. Have the tie rods, axles, struts, etc. checked first. Did the PO have any receipts for head gasket replacement?(nothing to do with the clunk) Just curious.
I would recommend checking the fluid levels and check for metal. Personally I would start with a fluid change to start and go from there. I assume the clunk is more than your typical AWD slow sharp turning clunk?
I do not have any receipts for head gasket repair. It has not had any head gasket work done. I should have described the issue a bit better. It is not a single clunk. When the wheel is turned sharp (like when turning into a parking spot) there is like a ratchety-clanky repeating sound (clank,clank,clank) coming from the front end. Once the wheel is turned back to straight the noise goes away. I am not sure what a typical AWD noises are because this is the first AWD car I have owned. To me this does not see like typical noise. Two separate mechanics came up with the same diagnosis - that the issue lies is in the front differential. They want to replace the transmission because the differential is inside the transmission. I have also had slightly more reasonable estimates on removing the transmission and rebuilding what is needed. At this point I am under the assumption that 2 independent mechanics are likely right with the diagnosis. I am trying to get a feeling on reliability of other factors. So assuming this is a very costly fix like a transmission replacement/rebuild is it worth my money to do so? Am I going to need to replace the heads or head gaskets? Are any other major systems likely to fail on this car? Should I fix it and keep my fingers crossed no other major things fail soon? Should I eat it and walk away from this car?
Head gasket is definitely something I would consider doing, although doing it while the trans is out won't save you much (if any) labor time as most shops will likely pull the driveshaft and drop the trans rather than pull the trans and motor out as 1 unit. It is a potentially negotiable point if you do the headgaskets at the same time though. I don't know what your quotes for the trans repair and swap look like, but assuming they're in that $2-3000 range, you could probably get the trans and headgaskets done for close to that if you go the used trans route. If you haven't already and you think it's worth your time, I'd recommend giving Jesse a call to talk through some options that the other mechanics may not have explored with you. http://www.jmautomn.com/ @jmyhre05
I'll try to give you some of the cold hard facts, and you can make your own decision.....that really sucks that your first Subaru has to have an issue like this, but it is not common. Unfortunately, you are very close to the situation where it may not be worth it for you to have it fixed. It's virtually impossible to diagnose from a description, so I won't even try. I'll just assume, like you have, that 2 different mechanics would be smart enough to check the obvious suspension culprits, and are on the right track. In fixed, running condition, it's probably worth $5k or so, more like $6k with documentation on head gasket replacement. In it's current condition, probably not worth more than $1k. I don't see very many transmission listed on car-part for that car, best option is one in Des Moines for $750. Plus labor, and fluids, and shipping, and any warranty.....smart money would be to put a new clutch in it at the same time. etc. etc. etc. This engine is also probably the worst for having head gasket issues. If they haven't been done, I'd bet decent money that they are leaking. They can leak a little bit for a long time (my wife's 03 Outback had a minor head gasket leak when we bought it, and just by watching the oil and coolant levels, we've gotten about 50k miles on it). They estimate $2k here at Miller Hill Subaru for head gasket jobs. Now, if things go well, it certainly could cost considerably less, but better safe than sorry. So yea, you could easily be looking at $4k parts and labor to make your $1k car into a $5-6k car....that's a crappy decision to have to make.
Transmissions can be affordable for these and labor isn't much to replace compared to I'm sure what those shops quoted you. If you would like us at www.jmautomn.com www.facebook.com/jmautomn to check it out, give you some quotes, and give you some friendly free advice let us know. It is unfortunate that it sounds your center diff is failing... but before fixing that get the car completely looked through to know if that's all it needs. Usually labor for transmission replacing is only $500- $600 plus parts and fluids so not terrible, but it could be half the cost of head gaskets if those are needed.
