Subaru Impreza Engine Problems

PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
in Subaru
Discuss Impreza engine questions here.
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  • cabsoobcabsoob Member Posts: 1
    Have a 2006 Impreza 2.5i sportswagon with about 25M km with an engine noise that sounds like a beat up lawnmower. This occurs on cold mornings when starting the car and last for quite some time. Any idea why this is occuring? Is this common for a boxer engine?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    You may have a loose heatshield or something, I'd let the dealer have a look at it to be safe.

    -juice
  • claudius753claudius753 Member Posts: 138
    Could anyone tell me what the WRX engine turns at 60 mph in top gear?

    Actually, both the 2.0 from previous years and the newer 2.5 would be helpful.

    Thanks
  • wyoforesterwyoforester Member Posts: 25
    From what I remember, my 2004 WRX turned approx. 2400 RPM at 60 in 5th. My 2006 TR is about the same. This is based on a visual of my speedo and tachometer. Obviously, not scientific.

    Specs say the 2006 2.5 has better torque, the torque comes on sooner and there is a slight bump in hp. It certainly feels that way. Drive both, then decide.
  • dop50dop50 Member Posts: 162
    Don't generally drive 60 mph. But in 5th gear my '02 WRX runs approx. 73-75 mph @ 3,000rpm. Give or take a tad for speedo error.

    I expect 60 mph would be in neighborhood of 2500 or so.

    Ken
  • claudius753claudius753 Member Posts: 138
    Ah, thanks. I was just curious, doing some general research. I read an Australian review that said 100km/h was at 2800, which seemed too high for relaxed driving.

    About 2500 for 60, or 3000 for 73-75 is about what my current car turns, and I wouldn't want anything much higher. It seems that manual transmissions turn a lot higher in top gear than autos.
  • wyoforesterwyoforester Member Posts: 25
    I dug up an old WRX brochure that had a reprint of a Car & Driver review of a 2002 WRX. Mph/1000 rpm in each gear is as follows: 1st=5.3, 2nd=9.5, 3rd=13.5, 4th=18.9, 5th=24.9
    so dop50 and I are in the ball park. This was for an American spec car. Re: the '06 Australian WRXs(100km/h =60mp), perhaps they have different gear ratios than my US model '06 TR?
  • km24km24 Member Posts: 36
    Hi

    I have test driven some 2004 automatic trans WRX With 15-30K on the clock and although they look great the engine seem to be louder and rougher than a new one. Are these cars suppose to get smoother or rougher with age.

    Khyle
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    The one you tested was a 2.0. The new ones are 2.5s. Sort of comparing apples to oranges...

    Bob
  • km24km24 Member Posts: 36
    Hi

    They were all 2005 wrx's some with a few hundred miles and the others with 15-30k mile. One had been owned by a an older man who babied his car but the engine still felt rough and this car was at a subaru dealer. The one's with 15-30 does not seem like alot miles but the cars ran like an old car.

    Khyle
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    It's hard to say. I haven't heard of any rough older WRXs per say. Having said that, keep in mind that many of these vehicles were bought by younger guys for their high performance. So my guess is that many used WRXs out there may have lived a hard life, or at least a harder life than a non-performance Subaru.

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    A turbo actually smoothes out the boxer slightly, maybe that one had a bad engine mount.

    -juice
  • frateshakerfrateshaker Member Posts: 4
    I replaced fuel lines on my 93 Impreza,due to rotten lines,now darn thing wont start. Had to chisel hole in floor to check lines on top of tank. Is there some kind of fuel shutoff switch,that i might have triggered on it? Chiltons book doesnt cover this problem,,
  • path4path4 Member Posts: 24
    Hi, Can anybody tell me what is the RPM when driving at 80mph? This is my crusing speed as I have a long commute. I just hope it is not too noisey. Thanks!
  • silversolarasilversolara Member Posts: 113
    i have an hour-long commute also. 5th gear and 80 mph - not too noisy by my standards, as long as the CD player is running - loose approximation is 3100 rpm. my wrx is bone-stock.

    hope this helps! :)
  • ed_scott0013ed_scott0013 Member Posts: 64
    I made a little RPM calculator spreadsheet in Excel a while back (I was bored and had some car mags to compare to), and after searching for the 5MT gear ratios, I came up with around 3143 RPM at 80 MPH (approx 128.7 KM/H) based on the following specs:

    Wheel/Tire -> 17" Wheel with 215/45R17 Tire
    Fifth Gear -> 0.738:1
    Final Drive -> 3.9:1

    But, obviously, real life doesn't necessarily reflect the calculations, so on the safe side I'd get more first-hand numbers. ;)

    Edit: Wow... maybe the spreadsheet is accuate after all. :D
  • subby06subby06 Member Posts: 12
    Does anyone know how to take off and reinstall a crank pulley. The new one is a lightweight crank pulley.

    thanks
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    very easy. Disconnect the ignition fuse inside the fuse panel so the car won't start. Take a breaker bar and put it on the crank nut. Crank the engine in short bursts til it pops. Remove the pulley...

    -mike
  • subby06subby06 Member Posts: 12
    Where can u get a breaker bar. How do u tighten it if so how much.
  • andypukandypuk Member Posts: 3
    that is untill it hits 3000 revs then it takes off like a bat out of hell any one got any ideas as the engine managment light is not on
    Andy
  • bscott3bscott3 Member Posts: 9
    I just got a 2006 Impreza Outback Sport Wagon. I was wondering, does anyone use synthetic motor oil in their Impreza and are there any issues doing so??
  • camp26camp26 Member Posts: 7
    I have an Outback/ Impreza SE with 36,000. Gas mileage has gone down considerably. It's gone from 28mpg to 25mpg. Any thoughts? New Spark plugs? 5w oil instead of 10w? Thanks

    Alden2
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    What year?
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    Just recently? Could be reformulated gas or winter blend, both which can affect MPG. Where are you located?

    -Brian
  • once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    the number one culprit is tire pressure. Especially in cold weather. I like to run mine at 33 psi, and generally get 28 mpg.

    The reformulated gasoline will also give you a hit this time of the year. As will running the defrost full time (AC).

    John
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Did your area recently switch to the 10% or more % ethanol? This will drop down your MPG, also cold starts will reduce the MPG because you are running in closed loop for a longer period of time.

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    We're definitely using E10 here in MD now. 10% ethanol.

    -juice
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    10% Ethanol shouldn't effect MPG by anything so noticeable. They do it seasonably in California.....
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I beg to differ. When we switched to 10% here in NY/NNJ a few years ago, everyone I know dropped at least 1-2mpg across the board on their cars. If you combine this with longer warm-up periods in the winter, and reduced air pressure in the tires, you can see a substantial drop in mpg.

    -mike
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    Mike,

    Yeah, sure...I have the same problem Winters in Reno. Its the warm-up. Unless you also believe running the AC significantly impacts mileage too. I don't consider 1 MPG "significant". ;)
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    It's all cumulative. Longer time to get the engine to operating temp, tire pressure lower due to lower temps (most folks don't check em), A/C running more due to defroster, etc. Put it all together and it can add up to 5mpg.

    1-2MPG is significant when you only get 13-14mpg in city driving.

    -mike
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    "Signifigant" is when and if my 550S gets 5 MPG more.

    But at the price paid for it, and what it is, you won't see me crying over it, or concerned, as that would indeed be ridiculous. :P
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Cars run on E85 and lose up to 40% of their range, though usually less. It would not be unrealistic to lose maybe 5% of your range with E10. On a 300 mile tank, that's 15 miles.

    -juice
  • camp26camp26 Member Posts: 7
    I'm in CA. I have an '05 outback sport. tire pressure is at 32psi....
  • kevin111kevin111 Member Posts: 991
    I have an '02 WRX with 96K miles. The car has been great!

    The problem is, I have noticed a smell of gasoline recently. The mechanic I had taken it to stated that there was a technical service bulletin that stated that 2 fuel lines in the engine compartment, I think they are underneith the intake, start to leak when the temperature drops (it gets cold).

    First off, is there a possible recall on this?

    Second, does $500 - $600 sound reasonable? The hoses themselves were over $100 combined.

    Thanks!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I think a new hose clamp fixes it. I'm not sure if it was a TSB or a recall but I think TSB. Not a major issue, a PITA to fix but not too bad.

    -mike
  • kevin111kevin111 Member Posts: 991
    Yeah, I know it is not a big deal and a PITA, but the $500-$600 sounds reasonable (replacing the two fuel lines)? Thanks!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Well figure it might be 2-3hrs labor so that's 200-300ish and depending on the parts.

    -mike
  • kevin111kevin111 Member Posts: 991
    Dealer handling it, makes it easier.
  • camp26camp26 Member Posts: 7
    I have a 05 outback sport w/ 40,000 miles on it and just started noticing a deep nasally sound when stepping on the gas....what could it be? Thanks
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Did you move the Outback Sport Question? If so, please move it back as the Outback Sport is Impreza based, not Legacy/Outback based.

    -mike
  • eab73wrxeab73wrx Member Posts: 8
    Hi everybody,

    I'm new to the forum but I've been reading many past posts to get me up to speed. Just wondering if anybody has experienced the following issue.

    I have a 2002 WRX 5MT. It has about 73,400 miles. I've owned since new. I keep the engine bay very clean. My problem is I sometimes smell a burning oil smell. I don't mean burning oil coming out the tail pipe but rather the smell of oil leaking onto the exhaust manifold and burning off. I've already been to the dealer a couple of times and they say the underside of the car is completely clean and they don't see a leak. Just from doing my own sniff test, I get the smell on the passenger side of the engine somewhere in between the turbo and the rear of the engine. I do see an occasional puff of smoke but it doesn't happen all the time. There's no oil puddles on the ground.

    Any suggestions would be appreciated!
  • caliberchiccaliberchic Member Posts: 402
    Welcome to the forums eab73wrx! I hope you are able to find the answers you're looking for.

    I had a similar issue with a Mustang, I just took it to a Exhaust specific mechanic they found the leak. Maybe you can just get a second opinion? :confuse:
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Does this happen when it's cold or only after driving a bit? If it's only after driving a little bit it could be your CV joint, very common for that smell to come from the grease hitting the exhaust pipe after the grease heats up and drips onto the exhaust.

    -mike
  • eab73wrxeab73wrx Member Posts: 8
    Does this happen when it's cold or only after driving a bit? If it's only after driving a little bit it could be your CV joint, very common for that smell to come from the grease hitting the exhaust pipe after the grease heats up and drips onto the exhaust.

    -mike

    Hmmm, I actually didn't think of checking the CV joints. Wondering if my Subie dealer overlooked that possibility as well. It is an engine hot/after driving a while condition. I'll definitely put that on the list of things to check. Thanks for the tip.

    -eab
  • eab73wrxeab73wrx Member Posts: 8
    Thanks for the warm welcome! I'm going to have to take a more hands on approach and take a better look under my hood/under the car when I get a chance. If that doesn't work, yes I'll have to get a 2nd opinion. Just seems odd the Subaru dealer can't find anything.

    -eab
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Also you said I believe you didn't see any drips of oil or anything under the car. The grease from the CV generally won't leak out when cold or not rotating so I'd definitely check for a cracked CV joint, the inner one by the diffy/trans most likely.

    -mike
  • eab73wrxeab73wrx Member Posts: 8
    Also you said I believe you didn't see any drips of oil or anything under the car. The grease from the CV generally won't leak out when cold or not rotating so I'd definitely check for a cracked CV joint, the inner one by the diffy/trans most likely.

    -mike

    I was able to do some more searching this weekend for my leak. I did check the CV joint and it was completely solid. No leaks found there. Since the engine was cold, I was able to feel around the engine without the fear of cooking my hand on the turbo up-pipe and hot engine block. I was able to get hand down the side of the engine and when I got to the bottom rear of the passenger side of the engine, I felt some oil. Not dried up grease but liquid oil. Bingo. The oil appears to be coming from the valve cover gasket bolt right at that spot of the engine. It also happens to be directly over the exaust up-pipe with about an inch of clearance between the two at that point. So, I made an appointment with the dealer (I really don't feel like trying to change the gasket myself - I also have extended warranty!) and we'll see how it goes.

    Thanks for everyone's feedback. I'll log more after the shop visit.

    -eab
  • eab73wrxeab73wrx Member Posts: 8
    Well I brought my car to the dealer to have them fix the valve cover gasket I believe to be leaking. So, they did change the gasket. When I got the car back, and drove it around a while, there was still smoke coming from under the hood. I believe the tech neglected to properly wipe off any extra oil that fell out of the engine when the valve cover was pulled. That was a week or so ago. So, now I don't see smoke anymore but between the combination of snow, snow melting/wet roads/ and my having a cold (can't really smell anything), I really can't tell if the leak is fixed or not. Hopefully this weekend it will dry out around here (Long Island, NY) and I'll be able to check it out further.

    -eab
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Get those plastic covers off and then clean the metal parts with some Simple Green and maybe a pressure washer.

    Check the gaskets at the heads and valve covers, then the O-ring at the front of the block, for oil stains.
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