[yragnosnhoj]

Hello all and thanks for a great forum - lots of great people.

This is my first post and am hoping for some insight as to how my new Subie, Gromit, should behave. It's a 2010 Forester, 170 HP, 5-speed manual. about 8,000 miles oh him. I hope I can explain my concern well enough.

Much of the time, when I shift and run through all the gears, there seems to be ample acceleration; the car seems to be "pushed" forward by the engine. Very peppy. Other times, probably about 75% of the time, the Foz seems to be "dragging." The best way i could describe that is that it feels like it's running super lean - no torque, push or pep. Although, the engine accelerates just fine, it just seems to be "draggy". I hope this makes sense.

I took it to my dealer, who is great by the way. They checked it out when it was in the "draggy" state and said that everything was according to spec. Couldn't find anything wrong.

I've tried looking for patterns and so far haven't really found anything concrete. So far I've noticed that when the car is "cold", driving it for the first time of the day or after it has sat for quite a while, the car usually seems peppier, the way I like it to feel. However, that's not always the case and even when the car is hot, having driven all day, the engine can still be peppy. So...I think the cold state may be a red herring.

Some days, running with the air conditioner, which I know creates a burden on the engine, there is very little power out of first and I have to give it probably about another 25% more revs (maybe 1800 to 2000 rpm, as opposed to 1500) or so as not to stall. This doesn't bother me that much but the ac really contributes to the "draggy" feel too and am just wanting to provide details that more of you experts may be able to interpret.

So far, I really haven't found a difference in gaoline brands, and even once running a tank of premium through him - didn't make a difference.

I hope I haven't been too long-winded here. If any of you all have the same experience or ideas, or if I should just live with it, if this is normal behaviour, I would enjoy hearing from you. And....Thanks in advance, from Gary and Gromit!

 

[trailangel]

How are you driving the car....what RPM do you shift at?
When you get on the freeway/highway, do you wind it up to 6k rpm in 2nd gear?....with the "Pedal to the Metal" (wire)

 

[Woody '04]

get Wallace to give him his walkies and some treats! :biggrin:

wish i could help, but mine's older. i think some here have reported having an issue with the electronic throttle body control but there's lots of things that could cause your symptoms.

no stored trouble codes or check engine light, i assume.

 

[yragnosnhoj]

Hi, Trailangel and thanks for your reply. I drive the same way under each circumstance, both when Gromit is running very well and when he's dragging a bit. I seldom rev over 4000 or more and regardless, and I know it's hard to understand, it's just the feel of the car - full power vs. "lean" feel while running, not only when accelarating. I guess an analogy might be: running on full gas vs. running on watered down gas. Thanks for your time!

 

[yragnosnhoj]

get Wallace to give him his walkies and some treats! :biggrin:

wish i could help, but mine's older. i think some here have reported having an issue with the electronic throttle body control but there's lots of things that could cause your symptoms.

no stored trouble codes or check engine light, i assume.

Hahaha - Maybe I should hang some cheese on a stick from the hood!!! Good one! Thanks for your time.

 

[2000 Forester]

Try driving the hell out of it for a day. The boxer engine likes to stretch its legs, and if it is constantly babied, it might bog down on you.

Shifting a little later and letting it make some noise might make for a happier car.

 

[yragnosnhoj]

Try driving the hell out of it for a day. The boxer engine likes to stretch its legs, and if it is constantly babied, it might bog down on you.

Shifting a little later and letting it make some noise might make for a happier car.

I'll give it a go! Thanks for the suggestion!!!

 

[pleiad7]

I agree... definitely give it some stick and see what happens. Subies respond very well to the occasional "Italian tune-up"!

 

[Immerkuhl]

I agree as well with the previous sentiment. I noticed my Impreza 2.5N/A was dragging for a while, and I started really giving it the beans. Everything started working better. Now, driving with the A/C on killed any 'feeling' of performance, so I rarely used the A/C. Side effect of that was a miserable commute home while the car bucked and stuttered when the temps went over 80°.

Granted it was a 2003 n/a, but was almost always a blast to drive. I couldn't get over the rodeo ride in hot weather...hence 2007 FXT. :smile:

 

[Woody '04]

Well, in a 2004X N/A rest assured that when you get close to WOT the engine computer assumes you really want to GO and automatically turns off the A/C compressor for you! :icon_frown: (It does start soon working again). I have been experimenting a bit and it seems to be more related to throttle position than actual RPMs.

Haven't read my manual in awhile but MT shift points are usually "minimal" recommendation rather than "average" or "normal" imho. The "power band" of the engine is somewhere between 4000 and 5000 rpm IIRC, so for maximum takeoff you shift at those points and not worry what the corresponding speed is. I really like the feel of doing this, which is another reason for me NOT to get an XT ... I would probably get lots of speeding tickets! :biggrin: And anyways the N/A already has more HP than lots of Turbo 4cyls had when I was first driving.

 

[Tuned200]

Our 10 premium feels sluggish(compared to our 12 second fxt) but being we have the auto in both they are going to.

As others have suggested, dont be afraid to open her up.

 

[paintman]

Our 2.5X 5mt felt sluggish tonight, but I also noticed a lot of spark knock. I've been driving the WRX too much lately to really compare. I'm used to 1/4 throttle bringing the car up to 55mph effortlessly, darn turbos.

I'm wondering if there's some truth to the "Italian tune-up" to blow some carbon out of the engine.

 

[downhiller]

i had a simular issue in my bmw. in colder temps accelerating was fine, hotter days engine revd but seemed to be sluggish. well turned out to be the pressure plate springs. oem clutch that had 120k miles and had to start in 2nd (i kinda destroyed 1st drag racing and donuts). new clutch, stage 1 with 80lb(?) pressure plate did the trick.

 

[yragnosnhoj]

Thanks to everyone with your input and ideas. I will be getting out this weekend and will try the Italian Tune Up! Kind regards to all.

 

[Lone Ranger]

Check all ground wires under the hood and underneath the car, make sure they are nice and tight. Most take a 10mm socket, except the two large ones connected to the front of the intake manifold, I think they are 12mm.

Also, with the car parked and the engine off, pump the brake pedal until it becomes stiff and hard to push. When the engine is re-started it will reset the vacuum balance for the brake booster. Mine occassionally gets a little draggy and this brake vacuum reset routine seems to cure it. I do not have an explanation for it, but its free and easy to try.

Turn off the VDC when the draggyness is going on and see if it helps (button on lower left of dash).

Are you using the parking brake a lot? Have dealer check and make sure its adjusted properly.

Also might try disconnecting the negative (black) terminal from the battery overnight and reconnecting in morning to clear all the ECU's learning. When you drive for the first 50 miles after this, drive it like you stole it. Keep in mind that the first 20 miles or so after a battery disconnect it will feel kind of thrashy and lurchy (shifting and clutch response) or at least mine does during about the first 20 miles.

Make sure oil fill cap is on tight.

Check that the spark plug wire boots are securely pressed onto the ignition coil.

As far as dealer figuring out the problem -- won't happen. If the Check Engine light is not lit (no DTC codes stored), they're lost.

 

[yragnosnhoj]

Check all ground wires under the hood and underneath the car, make sure they are nice and tight. Most take a 10mm socket, except the two large ones connected to the front of the intake manifold, I think they are 12mm.

Also, with the car parked and the engine off, pump the brake pedal until it becomes stiff and hard to push. When the engine is re-started it will reset the vacuum balance for the brake booster. Mine occassionally gets a little draggy and this brake vacuum reset routine seems to cure it. I do not have an explanation for it, but its free and easy to try.

Turn off the VDC when the draggyness is going on and see if it helps (button on lower left of dash).

Are you using the parking brake a lot? Have dealer check and make sure its adjusted properly.

Also might try disconnecting the negative (black) terminal from the battery overnight and reconnecting in morning to clear all the ECU's learning. When you drive for the first 50 miles after this, drive it like you stole it. Keep in mind that the first 20 miles or so after a battery disconnect it will feel kind of thrashy and lurchy (shifting and clutch response) or at least mine does during about the first 20 miles.

Make sure oil fill cap is on tight.

Check that the spark plug wire boots are securely pressed onto the ignition coil.

As far as dealer figuring out the problem -- won't happen. If the Check Engine light is not lit (no DTC codes stored), they're lost.

Lone Ranger, thanks for the suggestions. I'll be trying them all - learned a lot of new things about Gromit and I appreciate your feedback. Seems like everyone on this forum wants to help one another!

 

[Lone Ranger]

Don't muscle the ground wire connections though, just check they are firmly secure.

 

[trailangel]

Hello all and thanks for a great forum - lots of great people.

This is my first post and am hoping for some insight as to how my new Subie, Gromit, should behave. It's a 2010 Forester, 170 HP, 5-speed manual. about 8,000 miles oh him. I hope I can explain my concern well enough.

Much of the time, when I shift and run through all the gears, there seems to be ample acceleration; the car seems to be "pushed" forward by the engine. Very peppy. Other times, probably about 75% of the time, the Foz seems to be "dragging." The best way i could describe that is that it feels like it's running super lean - no torque, push or pep. Although, the engine accelerates just fine, it just seems to be "draggy". I hope this makes sense.

I took it to my dealer, who is great by the way. They checked it out when it was in the "draggy" state and said that everything was according to spec. Couldn't find anything wrong.

I've tried looking for patterns and so far haven't really found anything concrete. So far I've noticed that when the car is "cold", driving it for the first time of the day or after it has sat for quite a while, the car usually seems peppier, the way I like it to feel. However, that's not always the case and even when the car is hot, having driven all day, the engine can still be peppy. So...I think the cold state may be a red herring.

Some days, running with the air conditioner, which I know creates a burden on the engine, there is very little power out of first and I have to give it probably about another 25% more revs (maybe 1800 to 2000 rpm, as opposed to 1500) or so as not to stall. This doesn't bother me that much but the ac really contributes to the "draggy" feel too and am just wanting to provide details that more of you experts may be able to interpret.

So far, I really haven't found a difference in gaoline brands, and even once running a tank of premium through him - didn't make a difference.

I hope I haven't been too long-winded here. If any of you all have the same experience or ideas, or if I should just live with it, if this is normal behaviour, I would enjoy hearing from you. And....Thanks in advance, from Gary and Gromit!

I actually experienced this a couple of days ago. Seemed like really lean.. and not going.. requiring extra gas pedal. Only thing different I did that time on startup.. I shut the car off during it's startup sequence and went back in the house because I forgot something. Usually I start the car and let it run by itself until the blue light goes off..... this time I interrupted this sequence. Might have something to do with it.. just me guessing.

 

[trailangel]

Doesn't seem to have anything to do with the startup sequence. Usually happening to me when I'm 'hyper-milling' around town trying to save gas.
After a while just doesn't go.

 

[yragnosnhoj]

Thanks, TrailAngel. Yea. This really is an odd one. I've tried most of the suggestions offereed in this thread, including the "Italian tune-up". So far, nothing I can put my finger on either. I even have a notebook in the car monitoring brand of gasoline, humidity, temperature. Something tells me that the brain of the engine senses something that is different. I just can't figure it out. And, as mentioned in my previous note, I had asked the dealer to investigate but, as mentioned, unless there's a distinct computer code, and...at the time of testing, the dealer really can't find anything.

Seems like some days, the little puppy really flies, but others...kind of like he's depressed and just doesn't want to move as well...less torque/push feel.

If you come up with anything, love to hear it and vice versa. Still - gotta love this vehicle!!!!