Womp womp

"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
07/30/2018 at 16:13 • Filed to: Subaru, LGT, Sad stories.

Brother had a rough weekend with his LGT

2005, white LGT like this one. Went to start it and it wouldn’t start - battery terminal corrosion. Cleaned it up and started a 150 drive, about half way, BAD vibrations appear . Turns out he lost his wheel weights and it shook so bad his strut tower bolts had loosened. Tighten the strut tower and drove VERY slowly the next 75 miles with no wheel weights...which was good because then he was going slower for when he hit a deer which tore off his front bumper. 5 hours later he made it. To get home he zip tied the bumper, bought some wheel weights at the only gas station around and started home still vibrating but better ...until about 50 miles from home when he got a P0011/P0021 code and it started running rough.

Yup, turns out the stupid factory IHI VF40 turbo munched itself and sent turbo bits into the motor.

Its dead. He had the top end completely rebuilt 30k miles ago. Sad story.

This is officially the 2nd (!) LGT that has had turbo failure in my im mediate family (older brother also had turbo failure in his). He was using synthetic and changing it regularly...

Also sad, about 2 weeks ago I advised him highly to dump it before it became a money pit “nah, I’ m going to keep this thing forever”

Protip - if you have a 100,000 + mile turbo Subi....consider a turbo upgrade as a maintenance item.

DISCUSSION (45)

itschrome > HammerheadFistpunch
07/30/2018 at 16:16

that’s like the worst day ever... that sucks!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > HammerheadFistpunch
07/30/2018 at 16:19

Wow, that really sucks.....stories like this are what make me leery of turbo cars....

HammerheadFistpunch > itschrome
07/30/2018 at 16:19

yeah, it wasn’t a good weekend for him.

404 - User No Longer Available > HammerheadFistpunch
07/30/2018 at 16:21

Kinja'd!!!

HammerheadFistpunch > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
07/30/2018 at 16:22

Turbo cars scare me too. I’ve never owned a high mile turbo and I really don’t intend to. I know Ford torture tests their blah blah million miles blah blah. I also know that turbo’s are better than they were. I also know that turbo replacement is far from unheard of on those Ford engines.

HammerheadFistpunch > 404 - User No Longer Available
07/30/2018 at 16:26

yup.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > HammerheadFistpunch
07/30/2018 at 16:40

File a claim for the deer strike and then say it died right after the accident. Insurance could cover the body and engine damage.

Michael Woyahn > HammerheadFistpunch
07/30/2018 at 16:41

Wow, that’s honestly impressive how badly that weekend went. Funny story, when I was looking for my first car, I looked at an ‘05 LGT at a Chevy dealer in the area. It was really trashed, as in the entire driver side was scra ped and dented from most likely brushing a guardrail and the headliner was already sagging. We passed on it for those reasons, but at this time I really didn’t research the car and had no idea about the turbo issues with those engines . W e dodged a major bullet there because I’m sure turbo failure on that car was more than imminent. I do still love that generation Legacy, though, and there are times I wish I got one, but the RX330 that got handed down to me has 244k miles on it now, and I’d imagine most LGTs would have quite a tough time getting there.

functionoverfashion > HammerheadFistpunch
07/30/2018 at 16:41

Wow that’s like... bad movie bad day material.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > HammerheadFistpunch
07/30/2018 at 16:45

The TD04s on WRXs would usually go between 100k and 120k if you drove the car hard or modified it (i.e. they all did). Fortunately, first thing that would happen is that the seals would fail, so you’d get a massive smokeshow before any other components were damaged. The VF40s typically fail due to oil starvation, which in theory you can allay by taking the filter out of a banjo bolt on the oil feed line...of course then you’re sending metal particles into the turbo, so that’s more of a delaying tactic than a fix.

Amoore100 > HammerheadFistpunch
07/30/2018 at 16:46

That really says wonders about Subaru reliability—unfortunate because I always want one, then I hear a story like this. Meanwhile my dad’s ‘01 V70 T5 still fires immediately and runs smoothly (knock on wood) at 220K; granted the top end’s been rebuilt, but AFAIK the turbo’s original and it honestly still consumes far less oil than our Odyssey.

nj959 > HammerheadFistpunch
07/30/2018 at 16:46

Turbodiesels seem to run for a long time though. Obviously they aren’ t totally immune from turbo issues, but I wonder why they last so much longer.

RickSanchez:Fury Road Edition aka Junkrat > HammerheadFistpunch
07/30/2018 at 16:52

To me they have always been a maintenance item. My Subaru turbo got replaced with the timing belt. I did have one turbo failure, but luckily it just seized at 230k miles.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > HammerheadFistpunch
07/30/2018 at 16:52

Haha man this worries me about my Subaru. My STi is pretty much the same thing as an LGT. I had actually been looking for an LGT primarily since they are more unique and far more comfortable as a daily. But I couldnt find one before I found my car.

Any time I hear/feel something odd in the Subaru, I am worried something will explode or break dramatically. I ran over like a spool of wire or some shit and thought it was the engine making these awful sounds but it was just paranoia. Whoever leaves shit all over the road though is an asshole lol.

At 145k miles, I guess I am piloting a ticking time bomb. Hence why I much prefer to track my 200k Miata. That thing wont break but even if it does, it is not difficult to fix. Funny how much these turbo subarus are worth though. I can easily turn around and make a profit on this car if I wanted to. Maybe I too should “get out while I can”.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > nj959
07/30/2018 at 16:55

Probably has to do with the build specs for diesel powered anything. They have to be built for different pressures/temperatures so usually diesel stuff is more sturdy/reliable.

HammerheadFistpunch > nj959
07/30/2018 at 17:01

lower EGT’s

HammerheadFistpunch > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/30/2018 at 17:02

at 145k you are looking at turbo replacement REAL soon.

HammerheadFistpunch > Aaron M - MasoFiST
07/30/2018 at 17:03

yeah, he was really good on keeping oil levels up and well stocked with the good stuff, but if the filter is clogged...

HammerheadFistpunch > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
07/30/2018 at 17:03

thats a thought...

HammerheadFistpunch > Amoore100
07/30/2018 at 17:04

his top end was recently rebuilt too.

HammerheadFistpunch > functionoverfashion
07/30/2018 at 17:04

right?

Alfalfa > HammerheadFistpunch
07/30/2018 at 17:06

But, Subaru reliability, tho!

Derpwagon > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
07/30/2018 at 17:08

It may have ingested some deer or plastic through the intake, which leads straight into the turbo. Boom, dead.

HammerheadFistpunch > Alfalfa
07/30/2018 at 17:09

Subaru’s are extremely reliable when they are working.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Derpwagon
07/30/2018 at 17:11

This is actually a very reasonable explanation for a munched turbo.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > HammerheadFistpunch
07/30/2018 at 17:13

Seems like the engine trouble started not long after the deer strike, stranger things have happened. This is a very reasonable explanation of the turbo failure. He should have parked it and called for a tow.

For Sweden > HammerheadFistpunch
07/30/2018 at 17:20

Why is every kind of car I want a Subaru (AWD sedans and wagons) yet I still think I don’t want a Subaru

Long-Voyager > HammerheadFistpunch
07/30/2018 at 17:22

Reminds me of my friend’s WRX and his wife’s LGT.

His has had 2 turbos, complete top end twice, injectors twice, and numerous other issues in the year he’s owned it. It was a dealer maintained, un-abused car when he bought it. I’ll give his a slight pass as it had 160k when he bought it.

Her’s has had 2 turbos, complete top end, numerous bearing failures, and currently has a transmission issue. Again, dealer maintained, un-abused car with under 100k.

Their 2 cars make my old Mopars look like pillars of reliability .

PowderHound > HammerheadFistpunch
07/30/2018 at 17:22

What about 210k on a factory TD04. Last time I had access to it, all the bits were still tight with no play. I think it’s factory, it’s definitely a TD04 but I got the car at 140k with roughly no maintenance history.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/30/2018 at 17:40

Yes, sell while you can!

HammerheadFistpunch > For Sweden
07/30/2018 at 17:46

Which is why I drive a Lexus.

HammerheadFistpunch > PowderHound
07/30/2018 at 17:50

Kinja'd!!!

DipodomysDeserti > HammerheadFistpunch
07/30/2018 at 18:08

“ Protip - if you have a 100,000 + mile turbo Subi....consider a turbo upgrade as a maintenance item.”

What about a 100k+ mile turbo BMW ? *crosses fingers

Those IHI turbos are known for being kind of crappy . The Mitsibishi turbos seem to hold up a lot better. Now that I’ve said that I’m sure the Mitsubishi turbo in my BMW will blow up.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > HammerheadFistpunch
07/30/2018 at 18:24

I wonder if there are any carb legal options that wouldnt cost me a million dollars.

HammerheadFistpunch > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/30/2018 at 18:27

you can get replacement vf40's pretty cheap. Or look for stock VF48 from STI owners looking to dumb theirs and upgrade.

404 - User No Longer Available > Derpwagon
07/30/2018 at 18:41

Note to self: if my F30's turbo gives, find a deer to hit.

Nauraushaun > HammerheadFistpunch
07/30/2018 at 18:56

Hey. At least he didn't sink money into bumper repairs and whatnot before it died. Maybe everything happening in one day is a blessing. If it had to happen at all

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > HammerheadFistpunch
07/30/2018 at 18:59

My car is an STi, I wouldnt want to downgrade to the vf40 lol. I am guessing it is the vf39 that would be an OEM replacement from a quick search . Idk a whole lot of anything about turbos, I know I have no interest in upgrading for performance reasons. Funny I can buy a vf39 on amazon new for like $1200 so yeah used market would be great if I get signs of turbo issues.

Captain of the Enterprise > HammerheadFistpunch
07/30/2018 at 19:22

Wow, that’s a shit day. I’m sorry.

random001 > HammerheadFistpunch
07/30/2018 at 20:26

That’s a day....

wafflesnfalafel > HammerheadFistpunch
07/30/2018 at 22:08

yeah - I think part of the problem is that they are so much fun to beat on so people do. That uphill pull, even in wet weather, is just darn addictive . Doing 65 in top gear and want to do 110 to pass ? ok, and..done.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > HammerheadFistpunch
07/31/2018 at 12:41

It’s a big reason buying a used turbo Subie is such a gamble...many issue s cannot be reversed with better maintenance.

thejustache > HammerheadFistpunch
08/01/2018 at 16:09

As the owner of a 150k mile Subaru with this same engine/turbo stories like this are nightmare material. That said I have hope... no banjo bolt filter and regular Rotella T6 changes. When I did my exhaust last fall my Subaru guy checked the freeplay in the shaft and said it was still in good shape. If I can get it to 200k miles I’ll consider it lived a good life and see about maybe going big turbo

HammerheadFistpunch > thejustache
08/01/2018 at 16:19

I talked to my brother yesterday and he was telling me his buddy had a forester with the TD04 that did the same thing. Its terrifying that 3 people with more more than 2 degrees separation from me have all experienced this type of failure

thejustache > HammerheadFistpunch
08/01/2018 at 16:28

Yeah I definitely hear about it a lot. I bought the car at 100k miles and it looks like at least the intercooler had been off at one point. For all I know the turbo could have already been replaced once in the life of the car