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Old 02-15-2003, 10:51 PM   #126
Bradus
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Despite Carmart Subaru tightening stuff on my car a few weeks back as part of the 30k service, the fuel smell returned this morning and again this evening (2/13) with the occurance of cold temperatures. It's 3 degrees F outside right now.

Does anyone know if this sort of thing is covered beyond the 30k-miles/3-year warranty? My car has 33k miles right now and I'm concerned that if temperatures don't drop to such cold levels again this winter, I won't see this problem reoccur until next year by which time my warranty has expired.

David
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Old 02-17-2003, 12:05 PM   #127
Roger Hubert
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Thumbs down Defective Fuel Lines-bad design

I would think that the 5 year/50K warrantee on the drivetrain applies here. I would go back to the dealer and demand they contact Subaru about your problem, it is a real problem, Subaru is well aware of it. My car has been at the dealer for just short of 4 weeks, due to "unavailability of parts". I bet they are too busy stuffing all the new builds with the redesigned solution, that they can't keep up with existing owners complaints. The car has to be out in the cold, started up from dead cold, or the dealer won't see/smell the gas. If they check inside the shop, it will probably be sealed well enough because it is warm.
Just between you and me, I have been driving around in a Saturn L200 renter throughout this whole ordeal, and I would never buy one, but now that I have driven something different, I now realize what it's like to have excellent solid brakes and headlighting, and a great heater/defroster system again, and that besides the horsepower from that clattering $24.5K engine, WRX doesn't have much else going for it. This is the worst New england winter I can remember, for a very long time, and this car just is not the "New England Solution" (I'm not sure what car is, maybe a Hummer with optional snow plow and sanding machine). The "clutch Shudder" problem is also very real and Subie is aware, and has a fix for this too, depending on the milage on the car. Ask your dealer about this too.
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Old 02-17-2003, 03:25 PM   #128
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Yellow wrx with 41k+ miles. been to maine, Minnesota and even
Quebec with this thing. Hadn't happened before.
build date: unknown, but early (early clutch issues too)


After thinking I was OK, I started getting the raw fuel smell here.
sigh. Been down in the -10c range lately. Most snow we've had in years.

Going to try the dealer, but Guess I'll be fixing this one myself.


Is there a SoA TSB or some kind of buliten on this? Seems like a potential safety issue to me.

Ed

Last edited by iceweazel; 02-17-2003 at 03:30 PM.
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Old 02-17-2003, 03:37 PM   #129
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My gas smell is back again. I notice it most during warmup after stopping at a red light. Once it's fully warmed up it goes away. Hopefully this won't be another 10 day visit to the dealer.
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Old 02-17-2003, 03:42 PM   #130
Roger Hubert
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Thumbs down Fuel Smell

If there is I don't know it, have not asked the dealer. As I said in previous thread, "I smell a cover up", and because this has been a very cold winter, many complaints are popping up. I know that Subaru has the dealer pulling off intake manifold and replacing all the fuel lines and rubber connector hoses with new stuff, meaning something is crapping out with all the temperature cycling that the engine will see from day to day. Personally, I think It must be dangerous, because on mine, it was flowing, not dripping out of a connector hose, and noticeably affecting the gas milage. There is one compaint listed at the National Highway Safety (NHTSA) website (1/22/2003) concerning this exact compaint, and it referred readers to this website. I am just trying to get the word out about my car because I'm pisssed about the whole thing at only 22K miles.
Confront a dealership and see where it takes you, even if it's out of bumper-to-bumper, maybe the emissions warrantee will cover it or something.
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Old 02-17-2003, 08:54 PM   #131
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So this will be like the Windshields and Clutch/flywheel problem then?
Design new parts and replacement parts and deny there was ever a problem? Nice. Well we'll see what the dealer has to say.


Ed
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Old 02-18-2003, 05:31 AM   #132
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Default smell of gas interrupts trip

I was driving my 2002 wrx (21,000 miles) in extreme cold -20f or colder in a very remote area, and got a bad smell of gas in the car. I was in a remote location so had to wait the weekend till dealers opened on Monday morning . I called two & they professed they never heard of such a thing.

When weather was warmer 0 degeees I tied thecar again again and the smell was had gone so I drove it the 100 milles home.

I will call my dealer today.

This was very annoying as we had to make an unplanned layover of two days and the town had no car rental.

I called Subaru roadside assistance and they did offer to tow the car.
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Old 02-18-2003, 06:21 PM   #133
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While your dealer may be unaware of the problem, SOA is very aware of it. The problem is that the metal lines shrink at a different rate than the rubber lines do. When the difference in size becomes significant, gas leaks start. Don't know exactly why it only happens with the lines on the WRX. There are replcaement lines that fixed the problem on my WRX.

Fuel leaking in the engine compartment seems to be a safety hazard, don't understand why there has been no recall.
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Old 02-18-2003, 08:21 PM   #134
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I emailed SOA w/ my concerns on this issue (and referenced this thread). I would encourage everyone else to do the same.

Big Sky
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Old 02-18-2003, 11:09 PM   #135
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Have you recieved a reply yet? Could you post it here when you do? Thanks.
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Old 02-19-2003, 12:20 PM   #136
Roger Hubert
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Thumbs down

Just got my WRX back today, dealer had it for 27 days, waiting for the hoses/parts, the time to fix it. There is definitely a problem and Subaru knows all about it. They are just waiting for someone in a cold place to pop up with the problem. Tell your dealers to call Subaru. In all this time, they couldn't get the clutch parts to do the clutch fix, and I have to go back when the parts finally show up. I wonder what's next, and at only 22K miles. In a moment of insanity I called the Subie salesperson who sold me the car, told my sad story, and asked if Subaru buys used cars. They said for sure, and said they couldn't give me a dollar more than 16K for it. When you leave your ching, that's where it ends!
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Old 02-19-2003, 02:11 PM   #137
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wow I am glad I checked the forum. I smelled the fuel too and thought I was nuts. So I called my dealer today and told them. They said that they have gotten a lot of complaints about this. They said that the fuel lines and clamps from the factory were not good and that they new how to fix it. They are going to check my clutch too!
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Old 02-19-2003, 03:08 PM   #138
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Default Re: BIGSKYWRX

Quote:
Originally posted by Scoobie Newbie
Have you recieved a reply yet? Could you post it here when you do? Thanks.
Nothing yet, I'll post when I get a response.

Big Sky
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Old 02-20-2003, 01:58 AM   #139
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I have the fuel leak:
known causes/triggers
cold weather

location of smell's origin (if known)
passenger side fuel rails i think

date of manufacture
VIN=JF1GD296X2G506764 don't have the build date on hand.

any mods to your car
exhaust

Quote:
Dear Mr. Luhr:
Thank you for visiting the Subaru Web site and for your message. We are sorry to learn of your gas odor concern.

No technical service bulletins, service campaigns, or recalls have been issued in response to the condition you have described. Therefore, we must rely on the technical expertise of your local Subaru Dealership to duplicate and service this concern. As odors can sometimes be difficult to duplicate, you may want to consider allowing the dealership hold the vehicle overnight, subject to the same weather conditions under which you smell the odor.

Please be assured that all Subaru Dealerships have access to the Subaru Technical/Dealer Hotline for additional technical assistance, when necessary. We hope that your local dealership will be able to alleviate your worries, repairing this matter expeditiously. Should you require additional assistance, do not hesitate to call our Customer/Dealer Services Department at 1-800-SUBARU-3 (1-800-782-2783). Thank you for giving us the
opportunity to be of service.

Dawn Rainear
Subaru of America, Inc.
Case Number: 474229
I filed a complaint with the NHTSA. I can't believe SOA is so willing to turn a shoulder to this huge safety problem. Remember those pickup trucks from the 80's with the exploding fuel tanks? I don't want this to go down the same way!
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Old 02-20-2003, 09:10 AM   #140
MyRuRex
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Unhappy

I didn't read the whole thread (130+ responses!!) but I get the basic idea becuz I just had my problem taken care of this week.

I had the same gas smell coming thru the vents during start-up on cold days. Went away after warm up....but this weekend the smell got worse. I saw gas leakking from the line....right under the intake hose from the air box to the turbo....there was a clamp right under the bend of the intake and gas was leaking

Took it to Subaru the next day and as usual........they couldn't find the leak or see any problem. Luckily when I got there the head mechanic did smell the gas odror so he acknowledged it but they claim they checked ALL fuel lines and found no leaks. They tightened everything up...extra turns on the clamps etc.

Fingers are crossed......so far sa good (knock on wood)

By the way...only a K&N panel & axle back (for now ) otherwise...bonestock!!
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Old 02-20-2003, 10:30 AM   #141
Roger Hubert
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To NHLUHR & MYRUREX,
That letter from SOA is a crock of you know what! My dealer had my car for 27 days waiting for new "special" hoses to come from Japan. Either SOA or Subaru JP indicated, to my service guys, that the rubber hoses on both sides (both fuel rails) needed to be changed, requiring the intake manifold, and everything around, near or attached to it to come off, big job I'm sure. I could see a stream of fuel dripping down (exactly as described by MYRUREX) from a short hose/connector under the air snorkel leading to the turbocharger, you can not get at the hose clamps with a screwdriver. The story I hear is that the connecting hoses and metal fuel lines will contract/expand at different rates, and therefore the colder it is, the bigger the leak. Unless the service people leave the car out in the cold, and it has to be pretty cold, and start car up cold, they are not going to see any leak. We had a lot of below zero nights here in New Hampshire since Christmas, and specifically my "gusher" started on January 22nd, during more than a week of extremely cold weather. I can say that I have smelled gasoline during cold starts before this, but never considered that the invincible WRX could have a real flaw! I agree with the letter, you need to leave it at the dealer, and it has to be real cold, or they won't duplicate the problem, and you’re out of luck until next winter. SOA obviously is being careful (or is it elusive) as to how they are answering people's complaints. I have a problem with the car, but my dealership/service department is top notch (Subaru Of Nashua New Hampshire).
It's too bad SOA could not be mainlined to this particular thread, and read all the complaints contained at this website alone. I think everyone should go out and make an entry in the complaints section of NHTSA.com, maybe that will stir up the bucket a little.
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Old 02-20-2003, 11:40 AM   #142
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That letter from SOA is kind of puzzling. I guess its not the same story as with Subaru of Canada, because my dealer (Quebec) told me that they had received a memo regarding this specific issue and the required fix.

Quote:
No technical service bulletins, service campaigns, or recalls have been issued in response to the condition you have described. Therefore, we must rely on the technical expertise of your local Subaru Dealership to duplicate and service this concern. As odors can sometimes be difficult to duplicate, you may want to consider allowing the dealership hold the vehicle overnight, subject to the same weather conditions under which you smell the odor.
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Old 02-21-2003, 08:26 PM   #143
NMWRX
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Default Fuel Leak

known causes/triggers Cold starts
smell's origin: engine around intake manifold.
date of mgf: May 02
mods to car: None

First post 2/15/03.

Post work by Galles Sub, no smell for several days w/ abnormally high temps (for my site 8000' elev., of +20 deg F. Then back big time 2/19 w/ ambient +3 deg F. Tried to duplicate @ 5:30PM, +22 deg F today. No smell. Will try again tomorrow AM (est temp will be -3 to +5 deg F) to see if it does it again. If so off to Garcia Sub. w/ this info.

Update tomorrow.
NMWRX
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Old 02-22-2003, 12:09 AM   #144
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Here the response I got back from SOA- not very encouraging

Thank you for visiting the Subaru Web site and for your message. We are sorry to learn of the circumstances that prompted your message. Subaru of America, Inc. takes pride in all of the vehicles we produce and take comments such as this one very seriously. We rely on authorized Subaru dealerships to handle technical matters. Your Subaru dealership may want to contact the Subaru dealer technical line for assistance, however, I will forward this information to our product engineers for review. If you wish to contact our Customer/Dealer Services Department and provide further information regarding your concerns, please call us at 1-800-SUBARU-3 (1-800-782-2783) and refer to Case #474859. Best wishes!

Juan DeCruz
Subaru of America, Inc.
-----------------------------------------------------------


Big Sky
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Old 02-22-2003, 05:09 PM   #145
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How much information do you expect to receive via email? Would you like someone to diagnose your WRX over the phone? I wouldnt.

The DEALER fixes your car. Not some customer service rep.
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Old 02-22-2003, 06:10 PM   #146
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The dealer doesn't always fix the car. I think the engineers need to fix the parts first. My car had the fix, yet I still get a gas smell during warm up when it's cold outside.

Check out this link. http://forums.vmag.com/suvsubaru0200/messages/5093.html

Last edited by SuperRuWRX; 02-23-2003 at 07:16 PM.
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Old 02-24-2003, 12:11 PM   #147
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I have a stock '02 wrx that is having the same gas smell with cold starts. It was -2 F this morn and i got the gas smell. Glad, but not glad that others have this problem as well.
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Old 02-24-2003, 01:33 PM   #148
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Unhappy Fuel Leak

Followup 2/21/03 Post:

Ran 2/22 w/ +5 deg F. No smell in car or at engine. Has me stumped. Definitely cold temp related tho. Ran this AM w/ +18 deg F and no smell. Will post if something new comes up. With the problem so intermittent, Subaru cannot be blamed, unless they know the solution and are doing coverup. (Nah)
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Old 02-24-2003, 03:20 PM   #149
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To NMWRX

My 2002 (build date 4/2001) absolutely sprung a NON-STOP leak, (a larger flow of raw gasoline than I was willing to stand around watching, until warm-up, to see if it was going to blow up!) after at least a week of days with sub-zero morning temps 2/22-2/23 January. I have smelled gas before that and ignored it. The hoses that were sent, from Japan, and took the better part of 27 days to do so, were required (according to service manager) to fix the potential problem on both sides of the engine. I don't know how Subaru could not know about a problem, they sent the parts, and because they were not "readily available", I concluded they were not the standard variety. We are going to have sub-zero temps again in NH over the next 2-3 days, and I will see if the dealer really cured the problem. Stay tuned
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Old 02-24-2003, 04:24 PM   #150
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Well I just got my car back and the word is that the dealer called Subaru about the gas smell and they were told to replace the "line for under intake (Fuel return line). " Supposedly this will fix it, but I have to wait for the part to come in. I am also getting a new clutch to fix the shuddering problem. All is covered by warrenty and hopefully it will work. I will let you know what happens. Figures its about to get really cold again tonight so it would have been a great night to confirm a fix but maybe it will get cold again next week?
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