The high idle is normal when cold. Engine requires more revs to keep running
when everything is cold, it means it will reach operating temp quicker.
It should slowly drop as engine warms up, if it doesn't then there is something wrong.

Hey Darrenb,

I've had the same problems as yourself. But I've noticed if you let the car sit and warm up. It won't rev like you described. Like, if I'm in a rush and don't let the car warm up and reverse out of the drive way, the car will rev all the way up to 3000+rpm.

I've found two ways of stopping this,
1. Let the car warm up for a few minutes
2. When you start the car up cold and it holds its revv's higher because its cold, give your car a good rev to 4000+rpm. Then when u reverse or start driving the revs won't surge anymore. Although this method is rather stupid and could potenitally cause your engine harm.

But that's what I've found anyways. And I agree that the 08 and 09 are hard to drive smoothly, they hold revs making it hard to make clean crisp smooth gear changes.

Actually it doens't really hold revs (not in my car anyways) when I clutch in, the revs go up. Not by a lot but you see the needle jump as you go to change gears, or maybe thats just the drive-by-wire's slow response.

Darren.

Hmm.. nice to know I am not the only one with these problems, but I fail to see why one should seek to pay a third party to correctly tune the new car, because Subaru make a car dodgy (in my opinion). Subaru have been so arrogant about my issues and totally unwilling to acknowledge or solve these oddieies, that I vow never to buy another!
I also found I could jab the throttle when cold to bring off the fast idle, and that prevented the extreme revving (much like my old Valiant with mechanical choke).
No more Subaru for me, no thanks.

As a sparky that has worked on control loops and similar signal system it can definitely be smoother than this, there can be thousands of steps between 0 and 5 volts, its not 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, 100% throttle.

Subarujunkie;182485 wrote:

you are right its not on % it should be smoother but my 05 forester does the samething and its not smooth...:Derisive:

Thats the thing, it SHOULD be smoother, its just a matter of calibration, but I'm not sure the dumb****e service manager at my local dealership could comprehend that.  To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if he puts his pants on backwards every second day before he leaves for work.

I remember back in 04 when i bought a VY SS ute when the VZ's were released (got it $7k off retail on runout sale). The VY was the last v8 to run cable throttle and everyone complained of same crap on the vz with FlybyWire. unfortunately, the best fix was after market tuning.

I dont think my new Lib is too bad to be honest, it seems progressive enough on the throttle, but yeah i notice the floating revs in gearshifts... but I dont mind that so much, except when you fang along out of 2nd, get into third and then have to pull up cos someone cut you off, turbo is boosting for like 2 secs after you take foot off.... lucky I have brembos cos they pull it up well every time. (hehe some said i should paint my rims black.... if i dont clean em every 2 days well who needs paint when u got brembo's) I only find tho that the throttle floats in sports sharp mode or flooring it in sports. In intelligent it drives like a granny car so doesnt seem to happen.

But it has developed a strange thing just yesterday... if taking off in sports sharp mode, which i find the throttle a bit to touchy while taking off, as you let the clutch out, the revs die off, then when the clutch is all out all of a sudden i got 100% throttle and really kicks you back after it seemingly was bogging down, but then bang its away.
Was dropping my old man off at the airport this morning and i was trying to show him and it wouldnt do it. go figure. I really only thought it might need a reflash back at the dealer but it seems normal again.

Driving it more today it was behavig itself as normal again. Just had a couple of odd occurences yesterday. Trying out how bad the revs hold, well it behaves like a normal car throttle in any of the modes unless you floor it, then is the ony time they float for a couple of secs before the car begins to slow. Yeah i was surprised that the manual had the SI drive too. Wasnt expecting it nyway, just like i wasnt expecting that for a $67K car their is no VDC/stability control (or satnav as standard - cheapskates). My 2006/my07 Outback had VDC as standard and Si drive (was 180kw 3.0R H6 5 speed auto) But has the no VDC thing got something to do with the manual box and LSD's or such of the STi spec libs... all 09 liberties are being advertised VDC standard every model (with no 09 model STi edition on the horizon).
PS i find the SI drive makes a massive difference in the manual between each mode. I found in the 5 speed auto when using manual mode, their wasnt a massive difference between I and sports, but sports sharp livened it up. In the 6 speed manual.. Intelligent makes the car like it has no turbo at all, very lethargic, little to no boost, sports is a nice smooth linear mode in normal traffic, and sports sharp when you want to turn the heat up in any situationvery aggressive, hard to take off smoothly, but still works well with revs low as it seems to keep the turbo on tap and u get quick response..