They don’t fix it. Accusump helped a little. In testing the second prototype baffle, the baffle broke and killed his engine by blocking the oil pickup.
Are Subaru engines made of glass?
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They don’t fix it. Accusump helped a little. In testing the second prototype baffle, the baffle broke and killed his engine by blocking the oil pickup.
Accusump should resolve the issue. But if it did not maintain pressure properly, then this is engine design. Not sure a secondary line would help in that case.
It looked a bit better after overfilling too, so I think a scavenging pump like BMW uses on S55 and S58 would probably do it.
Doesn’t every Subaru have a FA derivative in it now? The ring lands may finally be sorted I guess, but there’s still an uncomfortable number of WRX with spun bearings on the forums.I don’t really follow, nor personally care about the FA engine issues. I know it exists with at least some validity, but I’d never personally buy a 2wd Subaru so I’m safe on that front. I’m going to blame it on the Toyota ownership cutting corners to save a few bucks on a properly-designed oil pan.
New WRX STI Engine Failure Lawsuit Says Subaru Knew About Defect Since 2008
A new lawsuit against Subaru claims the automaker knew about a WRX and WRX STI engine defect since 2008, causing the turbocharged engine to fail. See what it means for owners.
www.torquenews.com
I’m not saying Subaru makes bad engines. They do seem a bit fragile for their modest output though.
Seems odd they can't figure it out? The TGRA 86 series gets 3 years of racing out of a new engine with a off the shelf sump baffle, and an oil cooler, and an ECU?
Now the TGRA does run "street" tires, to make the cars more of a challenge to race, and maybe that fraction less of grip helps?
The FA24 on wrx has a different oiling where that issue is solved.Doesn’t every Subaru have a FA derivative in it now? The ring lands may finally be sorted I guess, but there’s still an uncomfortable number of WRX with spun bearings on the forums.
New WRX STI Engine Failure Lawsuit Says Subaru Knew About Defect Since 2008
A new lawsuit against Subaru claims the automaker knew about a WRX and WRX STI engine defect since 2008, causing the turbocharged engine to fail. See what it means for owners.
I’m not saying Subaru makes bad engines. They do seem a bit fragile for their modest output though.
Also can we talk about brz/86? Because Toyota also sells it they have a hybrid DI and throttle body system. Runs great no need to take the intake off and walnut blast it every 30k miles. WRX and other subarus? Not so much.
Guess the TLDR if you want to track your BRZ/86 get a dry sump system.
How much is dry sump? I mean, it is not the fastest car on the track. There are other options where you get formidable cars and no issues.
Roughly 4-5 grand to do it right.
And you are correct, you would be served much better by other cars stock compared to making the new BRZ/86 track ready.
The FA engine certainly not "fragile" It has been boosted to over 500 HP with no internal mods. Its a beast.Doesn’t every Subaru have a FA derivative in it now? The ring lands may finally be sorted I guess, but there’s still an uncomfortable number of WRX with spun bearings on the forums.
FA engine is totally different from FB.
New WRX STI Engine Failure Lawsuit Says Subaru Knew About Defect Since 2008
A new lawsuit against Subaru claims the automaker knew about a WRX and WRX STI engine defect since 2008, causing the turbocharged engine to fail. See what it means for owners.
I’m not saying Subaru makes bad engines. They do seem a bit fragile for their modest output though.
I had a 2015 Forester Premium 2.5 with CVT. At 74000 miles the tranny blew up at 65 mph going thru Hartford, Ct, I became Leary about getting CVT again
Nope, the gasket started weeping externally under under 76k in 2010-11 ish. Just outside warranty coverage. I Did use the correct coolant and even used the Subaru band aid fix for the radiator, the stop leak in a bottle aka coolant conditioner. It was an external leak of oil that fell on the headers and the loss of coolant that drove me nuts. But the car did in fact soldier on for years afterwards, so yes I don’t think the engine is made of glass, but the gaskets are made of tissues.I have no agenda I’m sharing my experiences with the brand and stating the facts . I currently own a Subaru so I am not brand bashing.
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This thread is really about newer cars, so my apologies if this is not relevant.
My Subaru experience. note that the newest car is a 2005, so this won't really be much use to someone looking at new cars:
1996 Legacy Brighton trim (cheap!). EJ22E/5 speed, bought in '98 at 60k miles, drove to 250K, then handed it off to one of the kids. Finally scrapped it at ~285K because I deemed it too rusty. The engine/trans/rear were pulled and are sitting in my garage (why? I duuno. Because they were still good?) both front wheel bearings were replaced within 5k miles of each other somewhere north of 250K. Timing belts, struts, brakes, tires, a couple sets of valve cover gaskets, and one clutch. The synchronizers are pretty worn, and the shifter bushings were worn out at about 200K or so, at which point an STi short shifter was installed and made a huge difference
2004 WRX EJ205/5 speed. Bought from a friend at 190K who bought it new. Now has about 268K. it has had the usual valve cover leaks but that's it. Timing belts, struts, brakes, tires, a couple sets of valve cover gaskets, both front wheel bearings at around 250k (beginning to see a pattern here) and one set of shifter bushings. It needs suspension bushings at the moment. Original turbo, clutch, etc.
1996 Legacy LSI. bought as a project with an EJ25D with ….bad head gaskets. I found a wrecked (squashed, actuially - a pole fell on it) 1997 with and EJ22 and that's what's now in the car. It's and easy swap. The mileage went from 20 to 27, and who knows if it's slower with the EJ22. They ain't exatly balls-o-fire on a good day. This car will eventually get the leftover 5-speed and rear (to match ratio's) from Legacy #1.
2005 Legacy GT EJ25something. Friend bought almost new, added a bunch of performance mods, and eventually sold it to a family member of mine. It now has about 250K, including a bunch of hard driving. The turbo failed at about 230K+/-. and the transmission disintegrated under prior ownership (driver said it was his fault, but I never got the details). Seems to eat lower control arm bushings on a regular basis. The prior owner just bought an extra set and swapped when necessary, then the pressed new bushings into the spare set.
There are other Subaru's in the family, but one is a rallycross car, and another is a stage rally car. Those get beat on, so I've left them out.
Some observations about all this:
EJ Turbo cars don't have head gasket problems if you only beat on them some of the time
AWD hardware has never caused us any problems.
Subaru manuals seem durable and can be improved with better shifters and fresh shifter bushings, but they are not up to Honda standards for shift quality.
Front wheel bearings are good for about 250K, I've never replaced a rear wheel bearing
Phase 1 EJ22's seem to last forever and do not have head gasket problems.
Pre-'97 EJ22's are non-interference engines. If reliability is your primary concern, find one.
They all leak from the valve cover gaskets. Or will. Soon
My Subaru experience. note that the newest car is a 2005, so this won't really be much use to someone looking at new cars:
1996 Legacy Brighton trim (cheap!). EJ22E/5 speed, bought in '98 at 60k miles, drove to 250K, then handed it off to one of the kids. Finally scrapped it at ~285K because I deemed it too rusty. The engine/trans/rear were pulled and are sitting in my garage (why? I duuno. Because they were still good?) both front wheel bearings were replaced within 5k miles of each other somewhere north of 250K. Timing belts, struts, brakes, tires, a couple sets of valve cover gaskets, and one clutch. The synchronizers are pretty worn, and the shifter bushings were worn out at about 200K or so, at which point an STi short shifter was installed and made a huge difference
2004 WRX EJ205/5 speed. Bought from a friend at 190K who bought it new. Now has about 268K. it has had the usual valve cover leaks but that's it. Timing belts, struts, brakes, tires, a couple sets of valve cover gaskets, both front wheel bearings at around 250k (beginning to see a pattern here) and one set of shifter bushings. It needs suspension bushings at the moment. Original turbo, clutch, etc.
1996 Legacy LSI. bought as a project with an EJ25D with ….bad head gaskets. I found a wrecked (squashed, actuially - a pole fell on it) 1997 with and EJ22 and that's what's now in the car. It's and easy swap. The mileage went from 20 to 27, and who knows if it's slower with the EJ22. They ain't exatly balls-o-fire on a good day. This car will eventually get the leftover 5-speed and rear (to match ratio's) from Legacy #1.
2005 Legacy GT EJ25something. Friend bought almost new, added a bunch of performance mods, and eventually sold it to a family member of mine. It now has about 250K, including a bunch of hard driving. The turbo failed at about 230K+/-. and the transmission disintegrated under prior ownership (driver said it was his fault, but I never got the details). Seems to eat lower control arm bushings on a regular basis. The prior owner just bought an extra set and swapped when necessary, then the pressed new bushings into the spare set.
There are other Subaru's in the family, but one is a rallycross car, and another is a stage rally car. Those get beat on, so I've left them out.
Some observations about all this:
EJ Turbo cars don't have head gasket problems if you only beat on them some of the time
AWD hardware has never caused us any problems.
Subaru manuals seem durable and can be improved with better shifters and fresh shifter bushings, but they are not up to Honda standards for shift quality.
Front wheel bearings are good for about 250K, I've never replaced a rear wheel bearing
Phase 1 EJ22's seem to last forever and do not have head gasket problems.
Pre-'97 EJ22's are non-interference engines. If reliability is your primary concern, find one.
They all leak from the valve cover gaskets. Or will. Soon
Yeah I dont understand why honda cable actuated shifters feel obviously better and superior to Subaru shifters which have more direct connection to the tranny.
The two cars im looking at next is Honda Acura and Subaru WRX. I live in the rust belt so AWD is very useful but honda shifter feels so nice.
The two cars im looking at next is Honda Acura and Subaru WRX. I live in the rust belt so AWD is very useful but honda shifter feels so nice.
In my experience, cable actuated shifters almost always are less notchy and nicer to use. The Porsche 911 and Cayman/Boxster use cable shifters and they are great. My Mazda 3 also does and is a very pleasant gearbox. BMW shifters are not that great and direct "rod" linkages too.
I think at least a part of it is that Honda, Mazda, etc. have manuals in somewhat lower power/torque engines and in general the shift quality of a manual seems inversely proportional to the size of the gears. My Mazda 3 can be shifted faster 1->2 without grinding than my BMW M2.
The best manuals I've driven have been Hondas. Of course I am probably forgetting some. The Jeep I had was super nice too.
I had an S-10 pickup with a 5-speed that was tedious to drive.... It near drove me to road rage every time.
My WRX is somewhere in the middle. It's clunky. That's the best way I can describe it.
I had an S-10 pickup with a 5-speed that was tedious to drive.... It near drove me to road rage every time.
My WRX is somewhere in the middle. It's clunky. That's the best way I can describe it.
I think it was in the late 80s when Honda went after shift feel. i remember reading about it back then, when the first CRX and the first Miata hit the showrooms. both competed to launch the hot subcompact segment in the just-under-$10k pricing. There was a lot of excitement leading up to it. Honda put a lot of effort into shift feel and the magazines were all over it. all the work Honda put into that seemed to carry over into their other models as well. their previous sticks were nice, fun enough, but the new tech was worth the hype IMO.
our Subarus had odd shift feel. The newer models got better. My loyale had a short 1st gear and you had to rev to 3k for it not to fall on its face in second. But then the synchro‘s didn’t want to let you in to 2nd quickly. It was, in that manner, rather truck-like. My 97 was a little better, but preferred not to be hurried. It was quicker in some instances to double clutch it or simply rev match, which it did that supremely well - I’ve never since owned a vehicle which could be rev-matched as easily.
but to compare - at some point I borrowed a 5spd f150 with the straight 6, a 1986. I drove it for about a thousand miles and at the end of it enjoyed its transmission more. Our volkswagon vanagon likewise had a better feeling unit as well.
newest manuals with double syncros on 2nd and hydraulic clutches seem almost like cheating compared to some of what we drove back then.
our Subarus had odd shift feel. The newer models got better. My loyale had a short 1st gear and you had to rev to 3k for it not to fall on its face in second. But then the synchro‘s didn’t want to let you in to 2nd quickly. It was, in that manner, rather truck-like. My 97 was a little better, but preferred not to be hurried. It was quicker in some instances to double clutch it or simply rev match, which it did that supremely well - I’ve never since owned a vehicle which could be rev-matched as easily.
but to compare - at some point I borrowed a 5spd f150 with the straight 6, a 1986. I drove it for about a thousand miles and at the end of it enjoyed its transmission more. Our volkswagon vanagon likewise had a better feeling unit as well.
newest manuals with double syncros on 2nd and hydraulic clutches seem almost like cheating compared to some of what we drove back then.
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Saw this meme and it seems apropos for this thread, lol
Well hopefully I'm not yanking the engine out of the Outback anytime soon! Doesn't look too bad, but sticking the two halves of the block back together with bearings and pistons and gaskets and sealant will take some youtubing time to figure out!
It's installing the wrist pins & pistons last that is the oddity. Other than that its pretty straight forward. You have to assemble and torque the rods to the crank with no pistons attached, then assemble and seal the halves together.
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