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hey everybody i got a problem and my car just got towed to a local shop! I have an 04 WRX and i only had it for about a week! I have not modded anything it only has a turbosmart 50/50 bov and an aem short ram intake on it... While i was driving last night i heard a loud clicking noise coming from inside the turbo and today as i was driving to work my engine light came on and the car just turned off and i had to roll to the side of the road! The dealership i bought the car from is trying to make me pay for half of the labor and half of whatever parts i might need! Anybody have any idea what is wrong with it? i am pretty sure it is something with the turbo but i am not sure... Thanks for the help...

02SilverWRX wrote:I have not modded anything it only has a turbosmart 50/50 bov and an aem short ram intake on it...

did you buy it with the BOV and intake already installed?

BOV and intake are bad juju for stock ECU.

If it's an 04, it's possible either the UP cat decided to let go, or the EGT probe had similar ideas.

It could be as simple as a bat UP cat and turbo, it could be a whole lot worse if any of that made it through.

Well without knowing what happened/damage is, it is hard to say. If the engine is fine and they say you need to replace the turbo, then take their half of the money and we'll help you install an upgrade

But seriously, have them tell you exactly what is wrong, then you can play the blame game and see who should pay what.

If you bought the car with the BOV and the intake from the same dealer who is trying to make you pay half, then that is real crap of them, and depending on your buyer's warranty, could be unlawfull.

Mr Kleen wrote:

02SilverWRX wrote:I have not modded anything it only has a turbosmart 50/50 bov and an aem short ram intake on it...

did you buy it with the BOV and intake already installed?

I bought the car with the bov already on it and it had an injen cold air intake on it but there was no fender well so i swapped their injen into my 02 that i traded and put my AEM short ram into this one because i didnt want water getting into the turbo...

I was thinking the same about installing an upgrade but i do not know what turbo would be best for a very lightly modded wrx, i plan on buying an accessport next week or so for the 04!

If something did end up getting through the turbo would that make the car not start at all though?

if your turbo is siezed, then it would be very hard for exhaust gasses to get out, but it still should start, unless it is the ECU sensing that there are big problems and not letting things get going.

When you say it doesn't start, is it turning over but just not catching, or not even turning over?

If crap did let loose and make it into the engine, then there could be bent valves or chunked pistons. If that was the case, then you had better have a backup mode of transportation.

zaxrex wrote:if your turbo is siezed, then it would be very hard for exhaust gasses to get out, but it still should start, unless it is the ECU sensing that there are big problems and not letting things get going.

When you say it doesn't start, is it turning over but just not catching, or not even turning over?

If crap did let loose and make it into the engine, then there could be bent valves or chunked pistons. If that was the case, then you had better have a backup mode of transportation.

Well The car will not even attempt to turn on and Subaru took a peek at it yesterday and said that one of the pistons is bent and they had to use a pry bar to get it out and that the engine is trash so they are going to give me a new engine for free since it is under Powertrain warranty still I was talking to the Service Reps there and they said that if they can not find another 2.0L they might be able to drop a 2.5 from an 06 in!!! Brand new engine hurray

good stuff. something about clouds and silver linings goes here.

Wow, quite a nice dealer if they do offer to do the swap, jusst make sure they throw in the right brains as well.

Hope it keeps working out for you.

Yes i am hoping for the 2.5 but even if i get another 2.0 it is still going to have like a couple miles on it if any at all and so i am making out well no matter what so i will be happy!!!

wow, that is a very unexpected result. Congrats to you.

Now take of that BOV.

Yea, Subaru will give you a 'remanufactured' engine (they gave me a 'remanufactured' axle when I had one replaced a couple months back under warranty), but even one that has been completely rebuilt will be an improvement!

You, sir, are a lucky duck! Hope everything gets put back together right

Hey guys well updated info, subaru was trying to not cover my car because i have an hks exhaust, aem intake, and turbosmart bov on it, i told them that that has nothing to do with my pistons being bent and so they decided to still cover it but they are not sure what is 100% wrong because the car still starts just doesnt idle correctly!

So, they replaced the piston and it still doesn't idle correctly, or did they just leave it in? Pin them down the the 2.5L!

OK, so now there is another bent piston? Before it was only one that they opened up the engine and used the pry-bar to remove. Now there is another one that is bent, but the car starts?

I can't understand. Help RJ, help!

Oh man... your issues are worse than mine Good luck with that and yes take that stinking BOV and CAI off ASAP.

Phibs wrote:Oh man... your issues are worse than mine Good luck with that and yes take that stinking BOV and CAI off ASAP.

Yeah so when they first looked at it and the first piston was out they started it and it started fine but i told them i wanted it fixed or replaced and they said that another piston is bent! They emailed Subaru Of America to ask if they can replace the engine because it idles incorrectly and wants to die out and subaru is making them diagnose a few things before they give the okay to throw a new 2.0 or 2.5 in, I keep asking them for the 2.5 because i tell them i want the peace of mind of a newer engine ha ha... Just hoping it works out for me!

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

Okay, so Subaru of America and i have been discussing things and we came to the conclusion that rod bearing number 4 failed, Subaru of america does nto want to pay 100% of the cost although i am under warranty because they claim that the Cold Air intake and the Cat back exhaust could have done some damage to the internals which i think is completely bull! What do you guys think i should do and should i even think about paying for this since i had it for such a short time?

uhm....with a catback, a BOV, and a CAI it absolutely COULD cause all sorts of problems without EM.

Not to be a dick....but...where I in your situation....at this point I would be trying VERY hard to be the nicest person in the world and I would do a WHOLE lot of sucking up. It is the only way this is going to get covered. So pucker up buttercup. SOA WILL pay for stuff....but you have to be NICE! They bought me a new power unit last year for a VERY pretty penny.

It really doesn't matter to SOA that you bought the car with that stuff on there. It is on there...and that is what matters. Unless you want to get into a legal fight with the dealership over who is going to pay for selling you a car with a voided warranty. I have had to go that route and believe me when I tell you...no one wins except the lawyers.

Did you buy the car from a dealer or a private sale?

If it was a private sale, be extra special nice and very thankful that SOA is willing to replace anything.

If you bought it from a dealer already modded, make the dealer cover the costs.

Yup, since you bought it through a dealership such a short time ago, SOA and that company should be working things out.

That is what you said in your first post right, that you bought it at a dealership? Still wouldn't hurt to be very nice...

02SilverWRX wrote:UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

Okay, so Subaru of America and i have been discussing things and we came to the conclusion that rod bearing number 4 failed, Subaru of america does nto want to pay 100% of the cost although i am under warranty because they claim that the Cold Air intake and the Cat back exhaust could have done some damage to the internals

I have Subaru's SPT catback on my car; it was installed by them, is supported by them under the warranty, and it hasn't harmed my car. Furthermore, Subaru SPT sells their own short-ram/cold-air intake, which they also support under warranty, and claim the combination is worth 45hp. Now that is BS, but there's no question the motor can handle it.

avriette wrote:

02SilverWRX wrote:UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

Okay, so Subaru of America and i have been discussing things and we came to the conclusion that rod bearing number 4 failed, Subaru of america does nto want to pay 100% of the cost although i am under warranty because they claim that the Cold Air intake and the Cat back exhaust could have done some damage to the internals

I have Subaru's SPT catback on my car; it was installed by them, is supported by them under the warranty, and it hasn't harmed my car. Furthermore, Subaru SPT sells their own short-ram/cold-air intake, which they also support under warranty, and claim the combination is worth 45hp. Now that is BS, but there's no question the motor can handle it.

But he doesn't have SPT....and this is a not so minor difference. Combine that with his BOV (which is a HUGE no no) and SOA has all sorts of wiggle room here.

Gotta agree with Bryan on the SPT stuff.... The SPT units have been tested a LOT, so you can't compare them to anything in the aftermarket. An aftermarket intakes can vary widely since MAF placement is so important (and they all do it differently). Exhaust, well, it could possibly screw things up, but it would be hard with just a catback. A BOV could definitely screw things up. Honestly though, rod bearings usually fail for one of two reasons: improper oiling (boy, do I know this type well...) and over reving the engine.

In any case, as suggested above, I'd be very nice to SOA and hopefully they will cover this. If the dealership sold you the car with all those parts, they are definitely responsible.