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Subaru Impreza Engine Problems

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Comments

  • merogulmerogul Member Posts: 13
    Hi Claudettec,

    I asked a subaru mechanic in Turkey about using different ignition key. He said that if the problem is random, the ignition key should be checked. However, in my situation, the ignition key is not a problem since I am having this cold start problem all the time. He asked permission to come to my city and get some more readings to send to Japan. I feel like I were a guinea pig in a freezer experiment. On the one hand, Subaru mechanic and the company claims that there is nothing wrong with my car. On the other hand, they are getting computer readings from my car and sending them to Japan. I regret for trusting them. I wish I had sued them last winter. I will not let them use me like this. There will be a hearing at the court next month. I will post here the result.
    I also think that your car is not as bad as mine. I thought that I was doing something wrong when my car did not start last winter. However, some of my friends tried and they could not get it started either. I would like to remind you to get papers for everything the Subaru mechanics do. The Subaru mechanic in Turkey tried to fix it many times but they did not give me any papers and this might cause some troubles for me at the court.
  • claudettecclaudettec Member Posts: 7
    Dear Tortured Merogul,

    I am so sorry the key thing did not work for you. I haven't had the problem since last week. I did start the car with a different key though. I just can't tell if that is the problem or not yet. The old key started it also. It is driving me nuts. I never know when the car is going to act up or not. I hope your mechanic is correct about the because I really like the car otherwises. It has a lot of power.

    If you need to use my e-mail messages for your case, please do. I can help out if you need me to. I am documenting all of these problems though, The Subaru dealer said they have it documented in case my warranty runs out next year, and I still have the same problem. I think I may purchase an extended warranty though, next year. You should try to contact Subaru directly, they may help you along your tortured path.

    Good luck,

    c :):(:D:cry: :confuse:
  • wrc555stiwrc555sti Member Posts: 12
    I had a CEL issue with my 02 WRX a few years ago. Incessant CEL that comes on and off. Dealership wasn't able to find any problem. So they sent the ECU to Subaru HQ at New Jersey. I am not sure if they reflashed the ECU or just replaced it. But the ECU map was supposedly retuned/updated by Subaru back in 05 or 06. I would guess CEL caused by lousy California gasoline quality had come to Subaru's attention.
  • imprezaohno09imprezaohno09 Member Posts: 12
    G'day guys from Australia.
    Guys I got a Impreza RS 2009 with 2010 Compliance. Similar issue.

    Did you guys resolve your issues with this?

    Did it happen again?

    I have like 1000 questions and tried the resolution given to me today on another car with the similar issue, it never resolved it, I wait to test my car again shortly because I know it's not going to resolve the issue beause the Dealer's car faulted also.

    I am intending on taking this story to a few media places down the track if it keeps occuring so it's just a waiting game right now, I just got the my car back tonight has not faulted like before yet. But tomorrow is a new day.

    Talk to you guys soon.
  • claudettecclaudettec Member Posts: 7
    Dear Australia,

    I had the car checked in March 2009. It was still not starting correctly. The dealer told me to try another key. The dealer took the whole steering column apart. I wanted it checked before the dealer warranty was run out. I have it documented with Subaru in case this happened again. The technician thinks the key was not connecting correctly in the ignition, so he took the whole steering column apart. It is now November 2009 and this problem has not returned. I don't know if it is luck or not.

    I hope you can use this information. I hope you know about the recall on the fuel tank.

    Thanks! Good luck! :lemon: :mad: :D
  • merogulmerogul Member Posts: 13
    Hello,
    I have 2007 Subaru Impreza. The engine does not start properly in the town where I live. In summer, the car starts very weakly. IN winter, I have to get up and drive the car about 15-20 minutes at 12:00 or -1:00 am so that the engine starts in the winter mornings. It is like a torture for me. However, the engine starts perfectly at the sea level in summer. I think that it cannot adjust the air pressure since air pressure is low in my town. That is what I think and they cannot solve this problem. For two years, the only thing the dealer has been doing was to replace spark plugs and install a so called winter program. It does not help at all. I have had to sue them. The case is still continuing. I cannot give the particulars of my case right now since it can be against law to talk about a continuing case in Turkey. After the case is over, I intend to write my story in Subaru forms and send to newspapers in Turkey.
    I have sent a fax, which explained the difficulties I had been having, to the manufacturer of this car in Japan. They said that they are sorry but they cannot help because of geographical distance. However, they can ask from the dealer in Turkey to make some measurements on my car and send them to Japan. They got some nerve. I will not let them use me to develop their faulty car. Also it is against consumer law to get some measurements from the car and send them to another country since it proves that Turkish dealer cannot solve the problem. If they cannot fix a car in Turkey, they have to replace or return the money according to Turkish law.
    The dealers in your country might be good but my humble opinion is that we should sue them if we have a right to do so. We do not pay so much money to be tortured. I sadly realized that my good intentions had been exploited.
    :sick:
  • imprezaohno09imprezaohno09 Member Posts: 12
    Guys thanks for the reply, today I have been in contact with Subaru Australia, after logging a complaint last night.
    It seems the work around they offerred has worked so far.

    I have another question for both of you, still unsure of are we both related to a similar issue.

    What fuel does your car run on? Last night I switched back to Premium Unleaded for a half a tank to see if that was causing this issue also.

    Though the remedy Subaru Australia offered was that it was a new known problem to resolve it, you pull the keys out of your ignition, lock the car, unlock the car and the re-crank the engine and it should automatically reset, ok this solutions seems to have so far fixed my problem after using the car today, one day after getting it back from the dealership and the dealership using the fix offerred by Subaru Australia.

    The car the dealership gave me, it never fixed the problem in it. That car was just a normal Impreza..... Still leaves you think what the hell happened.

    Anyhow guys there's my update, and I really do appreciate both of you taking the time to come back on here and give a update on your situations. I will keep in contact on here,I still am not sure about how to send messages on this forum...... But will learn slowly how to do it.

    Thanks for your time.
  • merogulmerogul Member Posts: 13
    Hi imprezaohno09,
    I do not think that I have understood this key trick. (On what position do I need to turn the ignition key before pulling it out?)But I will give it a try since I am desperate here. I can try everything although I have already tried some ignition key tricks. I have some questions. Is this company having fun with us? Are they joking? Why do they not really solve the problems. Do I have to play with ignition keys all the time. My friends are having fun with my car.(It does not hurt my feelings although Subaru does.) I wish Subaru were a more responsible company.
    I am glad you have solved your problem. It is very painful having car problems in a cold climate especially, when a dealer cannot help you.
    :confuse:
  • imprezaohno09imprezaohno09 Member Posts: 12
    Hi Merogul,

    I can understand your disappointment.

    Basically put the key in as you were starting the car, the car does not start, pull the key out of the ignition stay in the drivers seat and lock the car, then unlock the car and try and start it again. Apparently it resets the problem and should work after that.

    They also told me to continuously crank the engine so that it can register a error code, does your car crank? Like u turn the key and it makes a noise like it's trying to fire the engine?

    I stress again, I am still not sure if both of our problems are the same, but hey this is worth a shot.

    My model it worked on was the Impreza RS 2009, this might be different between models, but I put it here so if it helps you guys out atleast I've done something good.

    Once you do my suggestion it is supposed to fix the problem altogether, yes I agree my friend joked about it, and said what next, DO 3 Hail Merry's around the car before entering it.

    The model that it failed to work on was a Impreza R I think 2009. But still can't test that theory due to that car's gone back to the dealership as it was managements.

    Yes Australian climate at the momment is the opposite, HOT around mid 30 degrees celcius. SO like the opposite of your clime.

    They are not joking about the resolution, though when I complained to the two service managers, I showed them my disgust 2 weeks of having a new car and WHAM. Then I pulled the shock of a life time on them, telling them that there LOAN car had the same problem and I with-held it from them.

    I test there car and the same problem did not go away, so I stress again, it may or may not resolve your issue as i never did this resolution on my own car personally someone else did it.

    You should not have to worry about it once it's done, it should resolve it. I would personally complain to Subaru like I am going to, I am not sure of what and how long you have had yours but mine was 2 weeks going into 3 that it started.

    Final question if you could answer.

    What Petrol do you run???? I am just curious as this problem started getting worse when I changed fuel from prem-unleaded to Unleaded, now back to Prem-unleaded.

    I am just curious and need this, for in case something else happens.

    I talk to Subaru Australia tomorrow to register my disgust. :cry:
  • merogulmerogul Member Posts: 13
    I am sorry I have missed your question about the fuel. I use regular unleaded petrol. It writes on the cover of gas filling place that I should use 95 unleaded which is the cheapest gas in Turkey. I asked about using prem-unleaded gas to a dealer in the USA and Turkey. I was told that it does not help anything if a car wants 95 unleaded. My car is 2007 Subaru Impreza, 1.5 engine, and autotransmission. I have been having this problem for two years. Since there has been no real Subaru dealer in my town and I had to take my car 2 or 3 times to a real subaru dealer in a distant city for repair and they never gave me a complete explanation, I had to wait a long time to sue them. I regret for waiting for this long. I will be the happiest person alive if I can prove that my car is a lemon since the dealer does never accept that.
    :(
  • imprezaohno09imprezaohno09 Member Posts: 12
    Well that's a interesting view from those two dealers, considering what we see it here in Australia as a engine cleaner and amongst everything the total GOLD of engine fuels as why it is so costly here like $1.30 litre.

    Did you try the fix that I suggested? My car started yet again today.....

    I am about to call Subaru Australia and get stuck into them.
  • claudettecclaudettec Member Posts: 7
    Dear Australia and merogul,

    I usually use regular unleaded gas. But lately I have been using BP regular unleaded gas,and the car engine wants to stall when it is idling. I wonder if I should use better gasoline? But so far my ignition problem has not happened since March, I have my fingers crossed! When I used Exxon regular unleaded gas, the car ran much better.

    My car is a 2007 Subaru Impreza, 1.5 engine automatic. Maybe the key is not making a connection in the ignition. Have a tech take the steering column apart.

    I hope this helps!

    :);)
  • merogulmerogul Member Posts: 13
    Dear imprezaohno09 and claudettec,

    I have tried the key trick but I do not think that it helped me. I tried that last night and this morning I could not see any differences. One of my friend told me to do the same trick without pulling out the key. Turn the ignition key half way and lack and open the door by using ignition key and start the engine.

    My car sometimes behaves like Claudettec's car. It happened a couple of times when I used the car first and the second day. May I ask the altitude of your cities. The altitute of Kars, the city I live, 1775 meter. So there is usually low air pressure here in summer and it is very cold in winter. I think the engine cannot adjust itself to this high altitude. My car starts fine at the sea level. I do not think that a key trick can solve my problem.
    :confuse:
  • imprezaohno09imprezaohno09 Member Posts: 12
    Hey guys sorry that it never work, more sad news, basically after calling Subaru Australia today I was spoke to rudely and basically told that it was USER error.

    I then basically shoved it down here throat over the phone, and hung up.

    She was ignorant and degrading, told me that it was user error when it was not at all.

    Going to send letters of disgust to Subaru Austrlaia and Subaru Japan.

    Disgusted with the way I was treated by her especially after driving for 14 years basically told I was a idiot over the phone.
  • imprezaohno09imprezaohno09 Member Posts: 12
    Guys have you thought about putting this on other forums also to see the response?
    Seems to be across the board issue ranging in years for my problem, maybe some might be able to help you. www.wrx.com.au, I am pit_bull on there. This is the response I got from a user on there. Still similar to my problem, maybe there is no definate cure to ignition problems because Subaru will not answer the question. But now it reach's far back to 1998. Post below is what a user posted on there forum, the technical talk, if you do consider and have problems getting account email the admin. I am only trying to get you guys some serious help or ideas, anyhow onto the response from that site.

    Unfortunately I can't give you a definite cause, but I've also experienced this issue on my Australian delivered MY98 which I purchased new in 1998. It only ever happened three times in the ten years I had the car, but on each occasion the car would turn over as normal but it would refuse to start. The first time it happened I simply left the car overnight and it started again the next morning. The next two occasions the car was taken to a mechanic familiar with WRXs who could find no error code on the ECU nor reason for the failure to start.

    The second time I took the car to the mechanic (Cromwood Auto) they swapped the coolant sensor (on a hunch) and although the problem never appeared again (had the car for a further 3 years) the sensor was never confirmed as the cause.

    Hopefully this might be helpful in some slight way. Good luck with the diagnosis.
  • claudettecclaudettec Member Posts: 7
    Dear merogul and people from Australia,

    Like I said my car has not misbehaved since March of 2009. I have read your problems, which seem worse than mine. Do you think it could be a computer glitch? I know a person who has a 2007 Toyota and it happened to him also. The car did the same thing mine did, and then it started! He called the dealer and they said it was a computer glitch. Of course, they could not get it to do it again at the dealership. Merogul, I don't know the altitude of the city of Pittsburgh. It is a very rocky and mountains here though. As far as error codes, I don't know what or where to find that on a Subaru.

    I think the dealerships or techs are just guessing on what to do. As far as Subaru being rude to Australia, I would complain to a supervisor or manager.

    Good luck everyone!
    :shades: :cry::)
  • imprezaohno09imprezaohno09 Member Posts: 12
    http://www.scoobymods.com/tsb_15_135_09-t11708.html?s=27982b71c1e08a94ab10e0f212- adec63&

    This is what the problem of mine could be.

    I dare say have a look at the TSB listed on this site and sort threw them you maybe able to find yours Merogul and see if you have been lied to at all. Atleast this is a start in the right direction to more information.

    Subaru Technical Service Bulletins
    http://www.scoobymods.com/tsbs-f82.html

    Many Congrats to a friend in America who showed me this site.
  • merogulmerogul Member Posts: 13
    Hi imprezaohno09,
    I have written some other forums related to Subaru. I have explained the problems of my car in detail. I have done some of the suggestions. However, nothing helped. Most people said that my car is a lemon and I should have sued them.
    I told the dealer in Turkey about coolant sensor. They said that the computer would have shown an error about it.
    Since I have already sued them I do not want to make any changes on the ignition system of my car.
  • merogulmerogul Member Posts: 13
    Hi mprezaohno09,
    I have sent a fax to Japan about the difficulties I had been having with my car and the subaru dealer in Turkey. They are just sorry that I am having those problems and they said that the Subaru distributor in Turkey has all the means and responsibilities to help me. If that was the case, why had I bothered to send them a fax? I just think that they are ignorant and do not care.
    :mad:
  • imprezaohno09imprezaohno09 Member Posts: 12
    Same kinda similar issue my friend, last night I constructed a letter to the dealership I purchased it from now the car is running I am asking why I was treated to such a delightful array of accusations that the USER was at fault now there is a Subaru Technial Service Bulletin stating problem with the immobilizer.

    I dare say if you have done all the reading yeah, your 100% on the money, I just thought I would try my hardest to get on here and see what I could do to help you both, obviously claudette is fixed, I am just so sorry I could not do anything for you.

    Would like to know that fax number if there was someway to get it to me, I was hunting japan and fuji industries last night but still could not get any contact details other than those of ones in Australia.

    If you are to send the fax number to ardist@hotmaill.com that would be greatly appreciated, so it gives me at aleast 1 lead into Japan.

    BUT it's the same attitude you faced I am facing, the computer never error'd so, "YOU HAVE NO IDEA what your talking about".

    This is totally wrong approach to customers, as I have stated I have driven various cars, some have had unique problems that never showed up on the computer and also that the mechanic never detected.

    I will be sending and creating various letters today, so wish me luck my friend.
  • calvin197calvin197 Member Posts: 2
    Question about a subaru ea81 engine out of a rabbit somewhere between 82-89 model. i built a rock crawler and used this engine i can't get fuel to carb. put new fuel pump on it not it. you can put your hand over the intake and crank it that way. fuel want spray into carb. there is some wires on the carb but don't know were they go.i'm sure it's something simple but i'm not seeing it. help please
  • calvin197calvin197 Member Posts: 2
    I have a few problems, can't get gas to carb. I put a new fuel pump on and still won't get to carb checked lines filters there someyhing im not seeing. Thier is some wires coming from the carb don't know were they go. Also i'm looking 4 a subaru brat auto trans, they only came on early model 1980s or so brat turbo. If anyone has one please let me know I think thenewer model suberu baja trans might bolt up if some one knows that please let me know. I have a EA81 motor and manual trans but im paralized and need an auto trans i'm building a rock crawler. thanks who ever can help
  • grafzeppelingrafzeppelin Member Posts: 14
    Specifically I'm wondering, if the Impreza and the Forester use the same boxer engine (in the non-turbo), why is it that there doesn't seem to be anywhere near the same number of head gasket complaints in the Impreza, as there are in the Forester?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Probably just the sheer numbers of Foresters out there. For many years the Forester outsold the Impreza by a margin of 3 to 1.

    The Impreza also has less weight, so a smaller load on the engine.

    Plus Forester are more often used for towing, again heavier loads = more stress on the powertrain.
  • cpatersoncpaterson Member Posts: 1
    hi, i own a 1998 impreza turbo, its been to prodrive for mods.

    i have just recieved my car back from a local garage, it now has a knocking (ticking) sound coming from the engine. it goes up with the engine revs, i havent driven the car since i heard this noise.

    has 1 of my valves gone in the engine ?

    that is my assumption, just want to know more before phoning the garage
  • 142neal142neal Member Posts: 2
    Hi all,

    Bought a new Impreza in June and currently only have 2400 miles on it. Within a month the car began pinging when starting in 1 and going into second. Now it is also doing it when going into third or going up hill. It only seems to happen when the car is warm. The dealer has confirmed the noise exists and the first time we brought it down, they said to try a higher octane fuel. We did that and it didn't help. Not to mention if I knew I had to spend more money for a high octane fuel to make it run correctly, I never would have purchased the car.

    I have made a recording of the sounds and sent it to the dealership's service department and owner. Even though the sales manager and service manager have heard the noise, they now say they can't replicate it when they have it in the shop. The area service rep looked at it today and said that he can find nothing wrong with the car.

    This is our fifth Subaru. We have bought 3 new ones in the last 8 years. Never have we experienced this before in any of the others. We are frustrated that the company is blowing us off. They told us that this is not a problem that anyone else is experiencing, but just a cursory search on the internet, I find that not to be true.

    Has anyone else run into this problem. Would love to hear your stories and possible solutions to this. I really don't want to listen to this for as long as I own this car.

    Thanks all,
    Eric
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 16,762
    Yours is not the first I have heard of it, though I have not seen that there is any given fix developed yet. I suspect it could be resolved with an ECU reflash, but they must have the problem pinpointed and adjusted in the reflash or it is not going to make the car run any different afterward.
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100, 1976 Ford F250
  • max_slickmax_slick Member Posts: 1
    Merogul and Impreaono09. I know this is an old topic but I thought our Impreza was the only one having issues until recently.

    From Australia here. Have an MY08 Impreza and having the starting issues also. The frustrating thing is it is completely random. Put in the key, leave it at ON until the needles finish sweeping across. Then turn the key and the car continues cranking. Tried the accelerator pedal too at the same time but no go.

    Service techs (been to three different locations) have tested the fuel pump, sparks, throttle body (did the upper engine clean twice), crank sensor (and replace something there too), reset ecu. All this has been happening for the past 4 months. We've been back and forth to Subaru a good half dozen times.

    It has failed to start in cold/hot/mild weather. Rain or shine. Day or night. It doesn't matter. The issues started occuring once a fortnight, then once a week and now it is very regular but still very random. The only thing we can connect it to is that it fails after a short trip. When we try to start up the car after about 15-30 mins of shopping it fails.

    This is very frustrating as I have driven Subaru's for over 10 years and this is the first problem.

    I feel the dealerships are only doing guesswork.I am now in talks with Subaru Australia hq to get some results. There is alot of ums and ahs in terms of solutions.

    Just wondering (especially with imprezaohno09) if Subaru provided you with a proper solution.

    I think it is a big slap in the face that they told you to start the car, you need to lock and unlock and then re-crank. That is absolutely ludicrous. If that is the case, they are admitting there is a fault and the car needs to be reset in order for it to start.

    Interesting to note though recently when I was in the waiting room at the dealership there were two other people waiting for their car to be looked at. One had an MY10 Impreza that also had starting issues. One had an MY10 Forester diesel that also had starting issues. I will sure be making Subaru Australia aware of this.

    max_slick
  • merogulmerogul Member Posts: 13
    Hi Max_slick,
    I am sorry that you have this annoying problem. My Subaru Impreza 2007, does not like cold and hot weather in my town. In summer, it starts great by the sea level. My town is very high in respect to altitude. In summer and noon time, the engine starts and sometimes stops by itself instantly. It takes 5 or 7 seconds to start to engine again. In winter, it does not start at all if the it is too cold. (Other cars in my neighborhood do not have this problem. They use the same gas.)
    I have sued the Subaru dealer and the distributer in Turkey. My car was sent to a government university. Two associate professors checked it and they say that my car is faulty and has a hardware problem. They could not say what the problem is and they say that only Subaru engineers can know it since they have all the codes of the engine. According to Turkish consumer law, I should win the case since it says that if the experts are saying that a merchandise is faulty, the dealer should accept the consumers' request stated in the law. I simply want my money back. I cannot write here the defense of the subaru dealer and the specifics of the case.

    The subaru manual says that “You should turn the ignition key at on position for 10 seconds before starting the engine for the first time if you have changed the battery. Otherwise, there might be engine starting problems.” I wonder if our problems are related with this issue. Maybe, something wrong the electronic brain of this car. It does not know if it is cold or warm. It cannot adjust the air and gas blend. Sometimes, the mixture is too rich with gas and the engine chokes.
    I hope Subaru takes some responsibility like Toyota and does something about it.
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 16,762
    edited November 2010
    That is very interesting. My 1996 Subaru Outback would do that same thing if you tried to start it after it only being off for ~30 minutes or less. I could crank it until the battery died and it wouldn't start if it was doing this. I would try it for about 3 seconds (just beyond the normal starting pattern) and if it did not start, just sit and wait five minutes and try again. Usually within 5 to 45 minutes, it would start normally and work just fine until the same conditions were met again. Most of the time it would start even when the conditions were met, but randomly it would not. I am guessing that it happened probably 5-6 times per month, maybe as many as a dozen if we happened to do a lot of "errand" driving. During a Fairbanks winter at -40, though, sitting in a car for 30 minutes waiting for it to start was downright bone-chilling!

    At one point after owning the car about four years, my knock sensor failed so I replaced it and the crank + camshaft sensors at the same time. After that (another two+ years of owning it), I never again had the failure-to-start problem, but I still have no idea why this is the case.
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100, 1976 Ford F250
  • diverticulitisdiverticulitis Member Posts: 1
    Hi eric. My 2011 impreza 2.5i premium is doing the same thing,and i only have about 5000 miles on it!! Are you still having this problem? I'm taking it to the dealership tomorrow!!
  • sk8banditsk8bandit Member Posts: 1
    I don't mean to suggest that this is what is causing your problem, but I used to notice a noise that I described at "pinging" with my stick-shift 07 na impreza. I would tend to notice the sound, which was metallic and very quick sounding, kind of like jingling keys, right around the time I would shift from 1st to 2nd...

    I began to notice that it operated independent of shifting, it was just when my rpms would get to something like 3k+ rpm and the "tinging" would increase with rpms...

    I hope your problems are the same as mine wound up being. Long story short. It drove me crazy and I pulled up the shift boot and reached down along the metal arm that connects the stick to the transmission...

    there was a dime, a quarter, two pennies, and a bobby-pin that would vibrate on that metal rod...
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    I didn't want to take the time to search all of the way back in this forum but I have a question.

    Our son has a 2011 Impreza Outback that uses a LOT of oil. Less than 30,000 miles.

    Anyone else had this problem?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    2011, really?

    Are we talking over the industry-standard one quart per 1000 miles?
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    edited October 2011
    Our son's Subaru at 31,000 miles blew it's engine last night on the freeway. He was barely able to get it off the busy highway.

    Subaru did an "oil consumption" test on it and said it's not using oil...it is and he tops it off pretty often.

    Hopefully they won't try to blame this on him.

    I mispoke earlier, it's a 2009.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,217
    The GM customer service reps say the GM standard is now one quart for every 2000 miles!!

    Seriously, that surprised me...

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  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    I remember back in the 80's I heard a GM Service Manager tell a customer that one quart evefry 1000 miles was acceptable.

    Heck, I once had an old Chevy that would go around 200 miles on a quart of oil yet it didn't smoke or foul plugs!
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,217
    Up until this last one.... that's the only thing I've ever heard... sort of a mantra for any make's service department.... one quart per 1000 miles...

    Nice to see a little progress after 40 years..... :surprise:

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  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Should be under warranty, then. Let us know how it plays out...my money's on the head gaskets.

    They finally changed the block design to more permanently address the head gasket issues. The newer FB25 block in the 2011 Forester and FB20 in the upcoming 2012 Impreza have separate coolant lines for the heads and block, so no coolant even flows through the new gaskets.

    It was common up until 2002 or so, less common but still happens on the later EJ25 motors.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    They are susposted to look at it today so our son may call me later.

    It's possible it has a blown head gasket but head gaskets don't knock.

    I heard it run and it definatly has rod bearing trouble. I just hope they don't plan on doing a patch job.

    Even when it was new, it (to me) sounded a bit loose but I figured it was because of the boxer design.

    All in all, it's been a disappointment. We were surprised to see how bad it was when it snowed for the first time! It was downright scary until he put on a set of Blizzack tires which made a huge difference. It is also so cramped inside.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Does he have the Blo-tenzas? Some of the OEM tire choices were awful. Same for my 98 Forester.

    Could be piston slap, too.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    I'm not sure which he has as far as tires.

    Believe me, this is NOT piston slap! If I were to start the car you would be able to hear it knocking a block away. This is loud DEEP knocking that came without warning.

    He was driving it about 65-70 MPH when a bunch of wrning lights came on all at once. Then the loud knocking started. He was barely able to get it off the freeway.

    So far, no call from Subaru.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Ok, The Subaru Dealer called and the engine is toast.

    They confirmed what I already knew. The knocking is from the lower end of the engine and the engine will be replaced under warranty.

    They were quite good about everything and even provided a loaner car for our son to drive. The engine has been ordered and it should be running early next week.

    A fluke?

    It's been using oil but he never let it run low.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I think so, very unusual. 9 times out of 10 an engine issue is the gaskets.

    The other 1 time it's the front or rear mail seal! LOL
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 16,762
    Yeah, probably a fluke. With that few miles, it is very possible that something was not assembled/torqued correctly at the factory.
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100, 1976 Ford F250
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    It's never leaked oil unlike a Loyale we once owned!
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    That's what I'm thinking although you would think it would have blown up before now.

    As I said, it never sounded quite "right" to me but I wrote that off as being part of the boxer design.

    I suppose this why cars come with warranties!
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    paisan used to joke about his 80s Subies, "add oil, check the gas".

    :D
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 16,762
    That's exactly right! Honestly, it all depends on the nature of the issue. Oil in the engine dramatically reduces friction (of course), so even a small problem that is ultimately fatal can go a long time before it comes to that due to the extremely low levels of friction. This is especially so if the car is "gently" driven.

    My wife keeps saying, "please be gentle with it - it's a new car." I reply, "Why? I'm not abusing it, so if something's going to break, I want it to happen now - not when it is out of warranty!" :P
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100, 1976 Ford F250
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    edited October 2011
    Honestly, this Subaru Dealer could not have been any better!

    They were fast, friendly and quick to provide a loaner they didn't have to provide.

    I taked to the Service Manager and as I expected, it lost a rod bearing which did a lot of damage.

    I asked him how common this was on Subarus and, although he did his best to reassure us it was an odd occurance, he did say that "we do replace a few engines". He alluded to the boxer design and said that "for the most part" the head gasket problems were pretty much solved.

    It's going to take a long time for our son to have his confidence restored. Getting off a dark rainy freeway full of traffic wasn't a fun thing to do.

    Again, top marks to the Subaru Dealer in Bellevue WA!
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