Subaru B9 Tribeca SUV Forum banner

Tribeca moderate overheating --resulting= engine replacement -

65K views 47 replies 23 participants last post by  tdelker 
#1 ·
So my wife drives our Tribeca 06 and she noticed that the temperature gauge was rising (but never red lined) while driving down the highway (in winter time). So we took it in thinking it would just need a thermostat replacement. Well they replaced the 'stat' but that didnt' help. They said it looked like the coolant had particulate matter in it (like large pepper flakes). They asked if we had had the coolant flushed. We had...by our subaru dealer. So they thought the problem might be in the head gastket. They had the head sent away to be looked at under high pressure conditions and it was not a problem. Oddly enough they were saying that one side of the motor was running 30 degrees warmer than the other side but had no explaination. They replaced the coolant and ran the car for 15 minutes and had the coolant sent off for testing. Apparently, it had a lot of exhaust gasses in it suggesting there was something wrong deep down in the engine....result....alot of hassle and we are now having to replace the engine. Has anyone else run into this problem. We have taken very very good care of this car and we are at a loss to figure out what is going on...and apparently so are our local subaru dealer and the subaru corporation as the dealer has been in contact with the "main" engineers. So I would love to hear if anyone else has this issue.
 
#3 ·
yeah...it is really not a good thing. Our 06 was running fine with no problems and then...bam. They "the dealer" has told us they are completely stumped by the problem. They even asked us if it was possible our car was vandalized. That would be one incredible act of vandalism I would think. The service person said...well we haven't had any other complaints about this issue. To which my reply was..."this is an 06....this is the first year, the prototype if you will. So if this is a problem then you may not be seeing these problems occuring till now."

One part of me hopes it is a global problem (maybe a recall) The other part of me hopes not as it will cause a lot of hassle for a lot of people.

We had the gold warranty too. We were just over in miles...:(
 
#4 ·
ligander said:
yeah...it is really not a good thing. Our 06 was running fine with no problems and then...bam. They "the dealer" has told us they are completely stumped by the problem. They even asked us if it was possible our car was vandalized. That would be one incredible act of vandalism I would think. The service person said...well we haven't had any other complaints about this issue. To which my reply was..."this is an 06....this is the first year, the prototype if you will. So if this is a problem then you may not be seeing these problems occuring till now."

One part of me hopes it is a global problem (maybe a recall) The other part of me hopes not as it will cause a lot of hassle for a lot of people.

We had the gold warranty too. We were just over in miles...:(
Hmmm, sounds like it's time to trade it into a different dealer. That is what a co-worker of mine did. Her Nissan Xterra was about to have a transmission problem. She knew it wasn't worth fixing so she traded it in before it really took a dump.
 
#5 ·
I fear there is a deep-routed problem in the older Tribecas with the 3.0 engine. I've had overheat issues going on for the last year and a half now in my '06 Tribeca but it only happens on long idles and never at speed. The fan motor seems to kick into high mode and the temperature starts slowly rising and will get all the way to the top. Oddly, revving the engine high for a few seconds will bring the temperature back down and often the overheat will not immediately occur again. A/C is always on and never seems to be effected except for only one time (before head gasket change) where the cold air turned warm.

So far the dealer has had it on 4 separate occasions for:

1) Flushing of the system and replacing thermostat. (had loaner car for 3 days because I brought it on a Saturday)
2) Replacing head gasket (two weeks in a loaner car... yay)
3) Replacing of radiator and radiator cap. (Had loaner car for 3 days)
4) It is currently in for a "Throttle Body Gasket" replacement and should be done Wednesday when the part comes in. Been in since Thursday).
 
#6 ·
HB,

Was the throttle body gasket successful in repairing your B9 ? I have had the exact same symptoms, replaced the thermostat and still have the problem. Until last week, I could always throttle it up and get the temp down, that is until last friday and then it red-lined. I have noticed that I hear a sound that sure seems like a leak in the throttle body upon a blip of the pedal.
At this point with, 136k miles, I dont care to dump 2-3 grand in it and have the same issues going on. :eek:
 
#7 ·
06-07 wiper suc

I've had the same issues as well... :mad: Sux but what can you do.. I have def tried the break inserts, bosch.. they just wear out to quick.. I spoke to the stealership about changing the wiper arms.. they stated that a lot of these request has been made and only a few has changed them.. They wanted to charge me 135 and Arm. :tdown:.. But I am strongly considering it because My wife drives it the most.. while i cruise i my 328XI.:rolleyes:
 
#8 ·
I'm having the same problem!

HB_Dad said:
I fear there is a deep-routed problem in the older Tribecas with the 3.0 engine. I've had overheat issues going on for the last year and a half now in my '06 Tribeca but it only happens on long idles and never at speed. The fan motor seems to kick into high mode and the temperature starts slowly rising and will get all the way to the top. Oddly, revving the engine high for a few seconds will bring the temperature back down and often the overheat will not immediately occur again. A/C is always on and never seems to be effected except for only one time (before head gasket change) where the cold air turned warm.

So far the dealer has had it on 4 separate occasions for:

1) Flushing of the system and replacing thermostat. (had loaner car for 3 days because I brought it on a Saturday)
2) Replacing head gasket (two weeks in a loaner car... yay)
3) Replacing of radiator and radiator cap. (Had loaner car for 3 days)
4) It is currently in for a "Throttle Body Gasket" replacement and should be done Wednesday when the part comes in. Been in since Thursday).

My 2006 Tribeca has started showin the same symptoms and the dealer has "guessed" at a warped head and wants to do resurface the head, which of course will involve new head gaskets. Did your #2 above include resurfacing the head?
 
#9 ·
DrJimWalker said:
My 2006 Tribeca has started showin the same symptoms and the dealer has "guessed" at a warped head and wants to do resurface the head, which of course will involve new head gaskets. Did your #2 above include resurfacing the head?
In the end, the heads were so warped and this had been such an ongoing problem the dealership and corporate agreed to replace the entire engine. No problems with this since.

Now I just need to get my AC recharged but I can't because I just tried to open the hood and the hood latch broke and won't release the hood. :mad:
 
#10 ·
06 TriBeCa idle overheating fixed!

Hi, HD_ Dad,
My 06 Tribeca was overheating at idle, showing the same symptoms as you described; overheat at idle, cool off if the engine is raced (3000 rpm). The dealer said it needed the heads reworked ($4500). Based on your postings, I asked them to replace the throttle body gasket. Although they were sure this would help, they did the work. Result: idle overheating solved!! :)

Thanks, HD_Dad!! Your postings saved me a bunch of $.

P.S. My car also had a hood latch problem; the latch connections fell out, leaving the latch hanging loose under the hood. :(
 
#11 ·
Sounds like a systematic manufacturing defect. I have it too.

I bought a used 2007 Tribeca a year ago, and after a few months noticed the engine temp. rising at long idles. The radiator checked out fine, the fans seem to be working at the appropriate times, and the thermostat was replaced. It seemed to help a bit, but still in stop and go traffic after a period of time, especially in warm weather, the engine still heats up. My mechanic couldn't diagnose it, but it sounds like it may also be the engine head issue you're describing. Sounds like it's not a one-off problem, but systematic, maybe latent.

I unfortunately did not purchase a warranty, so I'll may try to go through Subaru to rectify, otherwise, I may end up trading or selling my car before the engine goes.
 
#12 ·
I bought a used 2007 Tribeca a year ago, and after a few months noticed the engine temp. rising at long idles. The radiator checked out fine, the fans seem to be working at the appropriate times, and the thermostat was replaced. It seemed to help a bit, but still in stop and go traffic after a period of time, especially in warm weather, the engine still heats up. My mechanic couldn't diagnose it, but it sounds like it may also be the engine head issue you're describing. Sounds like it's not a one-off problem, but systematic, maybe latent.

I unfortunately did not purchase a warranty, so I'll may try to go through Subaru to rectify, otherwise, I may end up trading or selling my car before the engine goes.
My 2006 Tribeca showed two overheat problems; neither required a head repair. The first problem was overheating after running for awhile--fixed by replacing the radiator cap. The second was overheating at idle, but fine while moving. While idling, the engine temp would recover by racing the engine. Dealer wanted to replace the head gaskets (arrived at this recommendation through a process of elimination, recommended against any further tests to confirm head gasket problem.) Based on threads in this forum, I asked for the replacement of the throttle body gasket. Dealer said it would not fix the problem, but did the work at my risk; then told me the replacement did not fix the overheat problem, still wanted to replace the head gaskets. I picked up the car and found that car no longer overheated at idle. Dealer had no comment.
 
#13 ·
Sad to hear about such issues. One does not buy a Subaru anticipating such things. In order to understand whether this is a systemic engine issue or not, or if it is a Tribeca-specific issue, you may want to post on/search through subaruoutback.org. The 3.0 H6 came to the 'Beca from the III gen OB.

My 06 B9 used to begin overheating only when going up steep hills at good speed, fully loaded, and with A/C on with 100+ degrees outside. Temp was normal with A/C off. That qualifies as normal behavior even though my 2013 OB performs much better under the same conditions--keeps lower rpm and does not require A/C off.

I am no engineer or mechanic--and hence I may be saying something quite stupid here--but the 3.0 was certainly not a great fit for the Tribeca. It bothered me that the engine was working on high rpms (like keeping at 4,000) on pretty much any actual uphill. Hence I wonder if the need to operate at higher rpms on regular basis (unless driven apathetically in normal auto and/or on exclusively flat terrain) may be causing long-term problems. By contrast, in normal driving the 3.6 on the OB virtually never hits 4,000 on any uphill, regardless of load, and in fact usually stays under 3,000 rpm. But, again, this is just a question based on uninformed speculation.
 
#15 · (Edited)
My '06 just started having these issues as well. A/C runs hot at stop lights but is fine when moving. So I assumed it was a fan issue - nope - both fans work just fine. While checking the A/C vent temp with a digital thermometer and idling in my driveway, I noticed the engine temp gauge was suddenly RIGHT AT the threshold line for being in the "red" zone. Put it in "Drive" and moved some air over the radiator and it began cooling. Kept driving it and after 10 minutes it was fine.

I got home and popped the hood (and, like two others in this thread - yes, my hood latch is broken too - one of ***MANY*** things on this car). I felt the upper radiator hose and realized it wasn't hot or under any pressure at all. The radiator cap was cold. The reservoir was empty and cold. I opened the radiator cap. The car was low on coolant. So I added about a 1.5 quarts and made sure there was no trapped air.

I'm not entirely sure why the car was low on coolant. No drips or puddles. No smell of coolant burning on the block. The running hot at stop lights thing just started happening recently.

For the millionth time, I have never been so disappointed in a car as I have been with this Tribeca. Nice ride, but SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many problems. >:-[
 
#17 ·
It could be anything from a $20 thermostat (use only Subaru brand! Replaced engine might have a non-subaru t-stat) to $3500 headgaskets (especially if you let it get really overheated).

Dealership will be most knowledgeable, but most expensive. Independent that specializes in Subaru is usually most people's preferred repair shop.

Where are you located? Maybe someone has a suggestion...
 
#18 ·
if it overheats only at idle try the Throttle body gasket a known issue with our motors
 
#20 ·
one of our members DRJimWalker had that Job Done he may be able to give you an idea ,please read the prior pos try sending him a message :tup:
 
#21 ·
ENGINE OVERHEATING, dash lights flash, belts squeel, power steering lapses.

Not only is my engine overheating at idle and highway speeds, it seems I hear a squeaking belt and then brake, battery and rear diff lights pop on and I loose power steering momentarily, lights go off and the engine overheats.

Remedies?
 
#25 ·
Wow that is some very good news .my radiator just started leaking .waiting for replacement one to come in and it should be fine Anyways i am glad you solved the problem thanks for letting us know ..
 
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