Another GR86 blown and warranty denied

In my opinion they’re theoretically perfect cars (other than the whole rapid unscheduled engine disassembly thing) for someone who wants to dip their toes into HPDE/AutoX or doesn’t have a ton of time to devote to building one from the ground up and just wants to have safe legal fun with their vehicle.

In this I can agree on. Having driven a few, they are just fun cars to throw around. :cool:
 
If it (or any engine) blew-up at "half throttle" it could have been caused by a number of things. Most likely a lack of lubrication, so only way to know would be a thorough teardown. Maybe it was just thinking that 0W-20 was "good enough" for track use, but extended field testing said otherwise. 😄 ;)
 
If it (or any engine) blew-up at "half throttle" it could have been caused by a number of things. Most likely a lack of lubrication, so only way to know would be a thorough teardown. Maybe it was just thinking that 0W-20 was "good enough" for track use, but extended field testing said otherwise. 😄 ;)
Too bad he was running 5W30 :rolleyes:. I suspect this is the oil pickup being blocked by excessive sealant used during assembly like the other last year and not related in any way to the oil being used.
 
In before "figures with the 20W"...opps too late!

Per the description on his YouTube video...he notes that he had just changed the oil prior to the event with good-ole'/can't blow your engine up 5W30.

 
Too bad he was running 5W30 :rolleyes:. I suspect this is the oil pickup being blocked by excessive sealant used during assembly like the other last year and not related in any way to the oil being used.
This car have a real oil pressure gauge? I would sespec so if its a "GR". Was he watching the oil pressure, especially when the noises started? The article said there was a hole in the engine, so sounds like it threw a rod. If it threw a rod and still had normal oil pressure, it wasn't a blocked oil pickup. Rods can let go from other causes. Only a expert tear down will devulge the actual cause of failure.
 
Per the description on his YouTube video...he notes that he had just changed the oil prior to the event with good-ole'/can't blow your engine up 5W30.
Maybe a good xW-40 would have been better. :LOL:

Who knows if he ever ran previous track days with 0W-20 because so many people on the 'net believe 0W-20 is better because it "runs cooler", lol.
 
This car have a real oil pressure gauge? I would sespec so if its a "GR". Was he watching the oil pressure, especially when the noises started? The article said there was a hole in the engine, so sounds like it threw a rod. If it threw a rod and still had normal oil pressure, it wasn't a blocked oil pickup. Rods can let go from other causes. Only a expert tear down will devulge the actual cause of failure.
I take it you know about the one last year that let go like this b/c Subaru was having issues with too much RTV sealant which would get loose and block the oil pickup? Obviously nobody here knows (yet) what happened but that would be a reasonable speculation here. Hopefully Toyota will step up to the plate/get hammered enough on this to dive in and figure it out.
 
Maybe a good xW-40 would have been better. :LOL:

Who knows if he ever ran previous track days with 0W-20 because so many people on the 'net believe 0W-20 is better because it "runs cooler", lol.
I don't think the engine was really being stressed that much at all, I doubt its WO even 20% or the lap, so probably 0W20 would be fine if everything else was fine as well...
This guy is trying a bit harder...
 
Maybe a good xW-40 would have been better. :LOL:

Who knows if he ever ran previous track days with 0W-20 because so many people on the 'net believe 0W-20 is better because it "runs cooler", lol.
I'm quite sure on any given weekend at tracks around the U.S., cars calling for 20 grade oil like Supras, GTIs, Subarus, etc. run those oils without failure or drama. Me? No issues b/c my car takes 40 grade but if I had a GTI calling for 508, I don't think I would be scared to do it....or maybe I would hahahahahaha
 
I don't think the engine was really being stressed that much at all, I doubt its WO even 20% or the lap, so probably 0W20 would be fine if everything else was fine as well...
This guy is trying a bit harder...

Not even close to pushing it....many drive harder than this on a public road.
 
I don't think the engine was really being stressed that much at all, I doubt its WO even 20% or the lap, so probably 0W20 would be fine if everything else was fine as well...
This guy is trying a bit harder...
I'm quite sure on any given weekend at tracks around the U.S., cars calling for 20 grade oil like Supras, GTIs, Subarus, etc. run those oils without failure or drama. Me? No issues b/c my car takes 40 grade but if I had a GTI calling for 508, I don't think I would be scared to do it....or maybe I would hahahahahaha
Just because it blew-up when it did under the conditions it did, doesn't mean it could have been being slowly damaged from prior use and got to the point of failure.

As far as the possible "RTV" failure cause ... yes, it's possible and only a tear down will show if that was the root cause. Thing is, if RTV came loose and blocked the oil pickup then the engine will be starved of oil, and the oil pressure would go down. Just Googled and looks like this car only has a low oil pressure dummy light, and not a true oil pressure gauge. Kind of stupid move by Toyota for a car that is somewhat geared for track use.

And if a piece if small RTV came loose and made it through the pump, then the oil filter should have caught the debris. Super slight chance that something could get by the filter through the filter bypass valve. Also, it's possible the oil filter failed and sent some media and/or debris down into the engine and partially blocked an oil flow path.

Again ... only a complete expert tear down and autopsy will show the real root cause. If nothing like a blocked oil path can be found, then it certainly could be from adequate lubrication from the oil used that finally caught up given enough time.
 
Last edited:

Guy should have pulled over ASAP after that engine started making noise. Maybe next time. Frequency of the knock sounds like a rod(s) letting go. Nice touch on the smoke when the rod broke through the block. :D

Noticed the failure happened right after a long straight at constant high RPM, then he a down shifted on the uprise at the end of the straight is where the engine knocking starts. Wondering if the oil level in the sump was low at that point due to those Subaru engines putting out high volume oil pump flow and essentially sucking the sump down to a low level in certain situations. Maybe the oil level wasn't correct either ... lots of things adding up in the wrong direction can lead to failures.
 
Last edited:
Interesting poll with the track crew I just threw up based on this thread in the HPDRE FB group....will see where it lands in a few days when participants hit around 100 but no surprise, many use a thicker oil like the guy in the GR86 in this thread on-track...but still some with the 20W.

Capture.webp
 
Interesting poll with the track crew I just threw up based on this thread in the HPDRE FB group....will see where it lands in a few days when participants hit around 100 but no surprise, many use a thicker oil like the guy in the GR86 in this thread on-track...but still some with the 20W.

1685396567754.webp
33% don't understand Tribology and the relationship between viscosity and engine protection. 😄
 
Guy should have pulled over ASAP after that engine started making noise. Maybe next time. Frequency of the knock sounds like a rod(s) letting go. Nice touch on the smoke when the rod broke through the block. :D

Noticed the failure happened right after a long straight at constant high RPM, then he a down shifted on the uprise at the end of the straight is where the engine knocking starts. Wondering if the oil level in the sump was low at that point due to those Subaru engines putting out high volume oil pump flow and essentially sucking the sump down to a low level in certain situations. Maybe the oil level wasn't correct either ... lots of things adding up in the wrong direction can lead to failures.
Can be tough to just "pull over" on a track and I don't think it would have mattered one bit here, engine was toast the moment it started.
 
Back
Top Bottom