sssssshshhshshshshsSSSSHSHHSHSHSHSHHSHSHSHS!!!!!! [Updated Again]

by "TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
Published 03/03/2017 at 09:05

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STARS: 2

[Latest news]:

If you recall, there were two big dips in the power curve under hard acceleration over 3,000 rpm after the engine replacement. It was also making unusual noises which eventually got really loud when something on the high-pressure side of the turbo finally popped off. They fixed the air leak, but didn’t fix the hesitation problems. So I left it with them to do some more work.

They finally called me to come pick it up and before I get into what was wrong, let me start by saying that it is mostly fixed. It now pulls smoothly under hard acceleration all the way to the redline. I say mostly fixed because it still sounds a bit off. I have to track down someone else with another unmodified WRX to do a side-by-side comparison. Yeah, I know, good luck finding one.

So, what was wrong? They found a vacuum leak in the intake gasket on one side and a cracked spark plug. The repair was pretty simple: they pulled the intake and replaced the gasket, replaced the fuel injector gaskets on that side, and replaced all four spark plugs.

I asked about the condition of the turbo. They said they inspected it and it was fine.

We shall see how long it lasts....

[Update 1]:

They called me in to pick up the WRX! On arrival, I went through the motions of moving my junk back into the WRX, thanked them for their time, then pulled out of the lot. The engine was already warm, so I shifted into second and romped on the gas. WRXs are known for a couple of flat spots in the torque curve and mine is no exception. I expected that. What I didn’t expect were the massive pauses where it felt like I let off the gas. At least the whooshing noises were gone! Unfortunately, the lack of whoosh made it quiet enough to hear another disconcerting noise emanating from under the hood. What was that? A bearing?

Back to the dealership I went.

As soon as I walked in, they called for the master tech. He agreed to go for a little ride so he could see and hear the same things I was. Out of the parking lot we went! One pull in second gear and the tech said, “time for a new turbo.”

So, there we stand. I’m driving an Outback for another week while they install a new turbo.

I miss the good old days.

Original article below:

What’s this? It’s the sound of the turbo leaking as the engine RPMs increase. Yep, another day, another problem with the WRX.

After the engine replacement, I thought it sounded just a bit... off. I figured it was just the new-engine sounding new, so I decided to go through the break-in period and see what happened. Once it was through being babied, I started pushing it a bit. Higher revs, harder acceleration, etc. Last night, things went bad.

I was in the middle of a second-gear pull when the odd sound I’d been hearing went away and the sound of a tornado erupted from under the hood. I backed off and limped it home. Now I have an appointment with the dealer first thing tomorrow morning.

Here we go again.

Replies (33)

"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
02/23/2017 at 21:17, STARS: 0

That GIF is not funny.

"aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe" (emaxxbl)
02/23/2017 at 21:19, STARS: 0

nothing duct tape can’t fix

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
02/23/2017 at 21:20, STARS: 11

You’re right. That GIF sucks.

Ba dum, tisss.

"TheTurbochargedSquirrel" (thatsquirrel)
02/23/2017 at 21:24, STARS: 0

Blow off a turbo pipe?

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
02/23/2017 at 21:31, STARS: 0

That’s what I figured. Since they did the work and it’s all under warranty, I’m going to make them fix it.

Like I told the service advisor, I haven’t even lifted the hood since the work was done, so there’s no way any of this could be my fault.

"TheTurbochargedSquirrel" (thatsquirrel)
02/23/2017 at 21:38, STARS: 0

I would bet one of the pipes on the pressurized side of things wasn’t tightened properly and slowly worked its way loose as you started making more boost.

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
02/23/2017 at 21:49, STARS: 0

My thoughts exactly.

"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti)
02/23/2017 at 22:21, STARS: 0

Subies are pretty notorious for blowing off the the tube between the intercooler and the throttle body. Happened on both my FXT and WRX. It’s very easy to slip back on. I ended up replacing the stock clamps with better ones. My brand new Forester did it with less than 1k miles on it, so the issue is usually more of a Subaru thing rather than a tech screwing up thing.

"Needmoargarage" (needmoargarage)
02/23/2017 at 22:47, STARS: 0

Most likely the compressor to intercooler pipe. That one’s hard to get seated properly assuming you have the oem top mount.

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
02/23/2017 at 23:00, STARS: 0

It’s all stock.

"ateamfan42" (ateamfan42)
02/24/2017 at 08:31, STARS: 0

True. It is damn hilarious!

"TahoeSTi" (tahoesti)
02/27/2017 at 10:05, STARS: 0

Flat spot in the torque band are because of Subaru’s shitty factory boost and fuel mapping. Get the car tuned at least a road tune for Stage 1, it will run better and be more reliable.....the turbo failure sounds like a waste gate, could also just be the intercooler connections.

"TahoeSTi" (tahoesti)
02/27/2017 at 10:06, STARS: 0

Thats your problem you need to at least go Stage 1.

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
02/27/2017 at 10:33, STARS: 0

When I got it back after the engine replacement, it just didn’t sound right. I went through the break-in period and have been pushing it a little harder each day. That’s when I found the flat spots. These aren’t the normal hesitations in the stock tune. It’s like the ignition was cutting out as the turbo spooled up. I was letting the software relearn how to handle it and it was improving, but then the high-pressure side started leaking air. That’s what prompted the visit to the dealer. They did the engine replacement, so I’m holding them responsible for making any additional repairs. They fixed the leak and tried to give it back. That’s when we went for a little test ride.

The tech thinks the turbo has a bad bearing. It makes sense since the bearing is lubricated by the same oil that was filled with debris from the main bearing failure a couple of months ago. He says that the screen should have prevented that, but here we are.

I’m hesitant to do any tuning until we are out of warranty. The first thing they asked after the engine failed was what modifications I had done. I was happy to tell them “none.” They were happy to hear it since it meant there would be no trouble with Subaru corporate about making repairs. I’ve made a point of NOT raising the hood. I did a brake pad replacement after a track day, but other than that, the dealer has done all of the work, including all of the oil changes. It was the last oil change that led to the engine failure. They put in too much oil and caused the engine to grenade.

"TahoeSTi" (tahoesti)
02/27/2017 at 10:39, STARS: 0

Sorry to hear you are having so many issues. Hopefully they’ll get it all worked out for you soon.

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
02/27/2017 at 10:54, STARS: 0

Thanks!

"ShrimpHappens, née WJalopy" (bakeshake)
02/27/2017 at 11:13, STARS: 0

They put in too much oil and caused the engine to grenade.

You serious, Clark? You freaking serious? Unbelievable. I understand that when you do something 1000 times, you kinda check out and it’s routine muscle memory, but c’mon man, too much oil?

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
02/27/2017 at 11:23, STARS: 0

Yep. I took this pic immediately after the pistons started slapping.

They never took responsibility for overfilling it. They did the work under warranty, calling it a “known problem.”

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/1789622857

"TheD0k_2many toys 2little time" (thed0ck)
02/27/2017 at 12:39, STARS: 0

anddd that is why i dont own a subaru. my DSM was more reliable than any subaru ive known. stock motor with headstuds and a gasket and held 28psi all day

"ShrimpHappens, née WJalopy" (bakeshake)
02/27/2017 at 12:44, STARS: 0

Well, if I were the dealer, I’d do that, too. I’d much rather let Fuji Heavy Industries pay for it than me out of my own pocketbook.

You loaner from that old post, btw, is exactly what we bought my wife last summer. First Subaru (other than riding in a buddy’s WRX), and she’s in love so far.

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
02/27/2017 at 14:03, STARS: 3

This particular Subaru had no problems until someone overfilled it with oil. Too much oil leads to oil frothing leads to an engine starved of oil despite having too much. Oil-starved engine throws a bearing which leads to metal shavings spread throughout the engine which leads to engine replacement. They should have replaced the turbo at the same time, but optimism got the better of them.

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
02/27/2017 at 14:05, STARS: 0

They are pretty good about loaners. This one is white instead of green.

"TheD0k_2many toys 2little time" (thed0ck)
02/27/2017 at 23:48, STARS: 0

Dealership do all of it?

4g63 swap has been done b4 :)

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
02/28/2017 at 00:16, STARS: 0

Yes. The only work I’ve done on it is changing the brake pads.

"TheD0k_2many toys 2little time" (thed0ck)
02/28/2017 at 00:19, STARS: 0

how do they mess up so badly on cars that they sell. Like I get if you took it to a Ford dealer.

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
02/28/2017 at 00:27, STARS: 0

All it took was a moment of inattention or a miscalibrated oil dispenser. I’m sure they didn’t bother to check the oil level after filling it. It wouldn’t surprise me if the newest guy with the least experience did the original oil change.

"TheD0k_2many toys 2little time" (thed0ck)
02/28/2017 at 00:42, STARS: 0

Yea probably grunt work.

"OPPOsaurus WRX" (opposaurus)
03/03/2017 at 09:07, STARS: 0

WHAT

THE

FUCK

you can still give it to me if you dont want it any more.

sounds like you are dealing with a bunch of half-assing dummies

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
03/03/2017 at 09:19, STARS: 0

I appreciate the offer, but as soon as the new WRX hatch comes out, I’m trading this one in. If I give it to you, I won’t have anything to trade in!

On the other hand, they keep giving me brand new Outbacks to drive while they are wrenching on the WRX. I think they may be trying to convince me to buy one. The temptation is strong.

"PS9" (PS9)
03/03/2017 at 09:21, STARS: 0

HMPF! I’m tired of my scooby’s problems. I don’t have to tolerate all this AWD turbocharged unreliability! SCREW YOU GUYS, I’M TAKING MY MONEY TO AUDI!

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
03/03/2017 at 09:31, STARS: 0

I see what you did there.

"Highlander-Datsuns are Forever" (jamesbowland)
03/03/2017 at 09:38, STARS: 1

At some point they should just store the WRX until the end of your loan and let you drive a new outback limited.

"Aaron M - MasoFiST" (amarks563)
03/03/2017 at 09:52, STARS: 1

Good to hear it wasn’t the turbo...and it really shouldn’t have been the turbo, the VFs are much more reliable than the old TD04s.