Subaru Forester 2.0XT Diesel

[Vizslaman]

I have been singing the praises of my Subaru Forester but may have to have a rethink.

.

I was out the other day when the check engine light & traction control lights came on and the cruise control light began flashing.
Called the AA Roadside assistance out who diagnosed a glow plug fault code.
I took the vehicle to the local Subaru agent who quoted £425 to replace the 4 glow plugs, which I was not happy about but reluctantly agreed to have the work carried out.
I had a call today to advise that the glow plugs were extremely tight in the head and there was a likelihood that the threads would strip requiring an engine out repair at a cost of some £2,000.The vehicle has 44k on the clock.

 

[Lincs Lass]

Dont know how true it is but I was told glow plugs will come out much easier if the engine is hot ,,the head expands

 

[roscoe erf]

think @Drillman was looking at a subaru i did mention glow plugs
https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/subaru-forester.149116/

 

[Drillman]

Dont know how true it is but I was told glow plugs will come out much easier if the engine is hot ,,the head expands

Spark plugs on LR 3.9 V8s can be tight at times and often need a hot engine to get them out.

 

[Drillman]

I have been singing the praises of my Subaru Forester but may have to have a rethink.

.

I was out the other day when the check engine light & traction control lights came on and the cruise control light began flashing.
Called the AA Roadside assistance out who diagnosed a glow plug fault code.
I took the vehicle to the local Subaru agent who quoted £425 to replace the 4 glow plugs, which I was not happy about but reluctantly agreed to have the work carried out.
I had a call today to advise that the glow plugs were extremely tight in the head and there was a likelihood that the threads would strip requiring an engine out repair at a cost of some £2,000.The vehicle has 44k on the clock.

think @Drillman was looking at a subaru i did mention glow plugs
https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/subaru-forester.149116/

Thats worrying. I had a sit in one the other day and was very very tempted

 

[Bloders]

friend of mine had same error.
it turned out the wiring loom had chaffed somewhere, blowing the fuse for the glowplugs.
The engine light will come on as the glow plugs are part of the emissions compliance. However, he removed all glowplugs and no fault. he put them back in and no issue. the only thing he can think of is that when he re clipped the wiring the chaffed bit was ok.

ps he priced replacements at 35 each (seemed expensive to me)

 

[Oh Deere]

have seen this done in the past.
Probably only one plug has gone out of the four and your car is starting no problems.
I seen a guy who had made a bracket that very neatly held an extra plug to the bulkhead all out of harms way which was wired in to make the warning lights go out.
He was told that there was a chance that the plugs would not want to come out and that there in a hell of a place to get at anyway.
This vehicle had done over 100,000 miles and was not worth the money to get repaired properly.
Worked for him

 

[Vizslaman]

As having done some research (Good old google) it appears this is a common problem with the diesel engine models.
I have asked the dealership to raise an out of warranty claim this being a known problem, so I will have to wait to see what Subaru UK have to say.

 

[Barleycorn]

Makes you wonder if it's worth getting them out if you have a newish vehicle and refitting them plastered with copper grease?

 

[antares100]

I had the same problem last year,was quoted an outrageous price, went to a top class private mechanic I know and he got the job done properly no problem at a fraction of the price, I do not trust main dealers at all.

 

[Mursal]

Stall all work until you know if its warranty ........
Can they check the heater plugs in place?
They can, but you'll have to ask.
Then only change the faulty plugs, or get it out of the main dealer as quick as possible.

Always best to try and extract with the engine hot. But if the service manager is standing over the apprentice "are you finished yet, are you finished yet" they'll just keep going, regardless.

They are an extremely odd ball configuration for a diesel, it being horizontally opposed, so I'm guessing the heater plugs will be buried in that setup.

But that's the strangest warning light combination I have ever heard off, for heater plug failure. I would have guessed wheel sensor ................


..........................

 

[Vizslaman]

@Mursal According to the "Main Dealer" 3 out of the 4 glow plugs are faulty.
Again the "Main Dealer" reckons Subaru UK have declined a good will gesture if the engine does have to be removed.
I have told them not to do any further work until I have spoken to Subaru UK myself

 

[roscoe erf]

Stall all work until you know if its warranty ........
Can they check the heater plugs in place?
They can, but you'll have to ask.
Then only change the faulty plugs, or get it out of the main dealer as quick as possible.

Always best to try and extract with the engine hot. But if the service manager is standing over the apprentice "are you finished yet, are you finished yet" they'll just keep going, regardless.

They are an extremely odd ball configuration for a diesel, it being horizontally opposed, so I'm guessing the heater plugs will be buried in that setup.

But that's the strangest warning light combination I have ever heard off, for heater plug failure. I would have guessed wheel sensor ................


..........................

its common
Posted December 2, 2013 · Report post

Does anyone know of a problem with the glowplugs on a 2010 Forester Diesel engine, or other diesel engines for that matter? My malfunction light came on along with the traction control light, and the cruise control also stopped working. My local garage decised the diagnostic code was for steering function sensor whilst the main dealer said it was the glowplugs.



Struggling to get my head round this one - I can relate why a fault in the traction control could switch off the cruise control, but don't see what that has got to do with glowplugs! The technician at main dealer told me that it was a known fault with the diesel engine and that the malfunction would affect other electronic systems in the car!



Quote of £425 to fix glowplugs provided they don't snap when taking them out...........then it will be more!



Anyone come accross this before?



Dave




Hi. I'm new to this forum - and pretty much forums in general - so apologies If I seem an idiot. I've just had 3rd glow plug fail on 2010 Forester at 29500 miles. I've got the car booked in with main dealer and had a worrying quote of £4000 for the repair should the plug snap when attempting to remove it. Anyone else had similar quote??? (The previous two failed under warranty at around, I think 15 & 20 thousand miles)

 

[capfits]

Mine at just shy of 90 k has done the same, just going to change fuse sometime. Bit of a pain on long runs without cruise. The wee wire to rear diff plug came away aswell, binnacle currently lit up like a Christmas tree!
Still going fine though.
On a Subaru forum it says soak plugs in diesel oil mix, and they should come away at sub 20 NM, do 1 flat at a time is slowly. Bit of stuff to removed to get into them right enough.

 

[Mursal]

Another option would be to leave the heater plugs disconnected, so it doesn't blow the stability/cruise fuse again and see how it starts. I'm not sure but would be surprised (direct injection engine) if the heater plugs are even needed in our climate.
Audi/VW claim they turn the heaters on after starting to get better burning, but certainly not worth the above hassle and cost, if it starts.
Doubt very much if Subaru will be in favour of this fix though .............

 

[capfits]

Another option would be to leave the heater plugs disconnected, so it doesn't blow the stability/cruise fuse again and see how it starts. I'm not sure but would be surprised (direct injection engine) if the heater plugs are even needed in our climate.

In normal conditions correct, but it is below -5 pretty regular here from now to March if out in evenings mornings, indeed it was a cold day when it blew this week. Sticky starter in cold conditions as it is.
Direct injection, even the tractor has a heater that comes on at anything below 4......

 

[Timbo]

4 Working plugs are a requirement of the ecu for dpf Regen, weather they're in the combustion chamber or taped to the firewall !

 

[pycoed]

It's awkward if you can't do the work yourself, but I'd be wary of any garage that couldn't get glowplugs out without breaking them!
As stated, first thing is to check exactly which (if any - cynical? Moi??) have gone & make sure a good releasing oil (not WD40) is pooled around the plug. Leave it for a day or two with engine both hot & cold. If still no movement (this has never failed for me) then I know one bloke who swears by carb cleaner pooled around the plug & repeat the exercise until free. Be aware that this can eat plastic, so keep it away from the loom & cable connector plug.
If they really won't come out, then use glowplugs outside the engine to spoof the systems, but make sure they are clear of inflammable material since they do get hot!

 

[Wellytrack]

I think it sounds like more of a problem with the Garage than the car, these blocks aren't made of monkey metal, the idea that a Trained Technician with a garage full of tools cannot extract a set of glow plugs without buggering it up is laughable, though still entirely possible at the same time I will admit.

 

[Bloders]

the garage is just covering itself, but in my opinion neither do they try very hard.
neighbour had an evoque and a landrover specialist charged her for a new drive shaft becuase they could not get the old one out of the hub when replacing the hub. - my opinion, they should be trained better and stop being so lazy. In this case a puller or a blooming good smack would have sorted it.