WRX Owners, Need some help

Hey guys i have a 2006 sti. Anyways i just got it from the dealership on friday. I drove it home, then check engine light came on, and had huge power loss andno boost. Then off and on the boost would work. Took it into the dealership the next day, and it started overheating and the turbo was smoking.

My question is. With 34000 miles, why would the turbo be bad? Or what would cause that. What do i need the dealership to look for so i dont need to replace the turbo in the next couple thousand miles. Thanks all

 

Try and check the coolant level in the coolant reservoir on the passenger side, I think that's for the turbo side. I had an 04 WRX and I'm trying to recall all my knowledge lol. Also do you have a turbo timer? I know oil "cooks" in the turbo without one or if you dont idle the engine before shutdown.

 

could be a lot of things..what does the smoke smell like....u could have a leak in the oil line for the turbo...u might need to check the shaft play on the bearings(causing smoke)...did you change your injectors, if so you need to reprogram your ECU...check the water line too...better yet, buy a new turbo now that i think about it.

 

the car is getting a brand new turbo courtesy of the dealership. I was just wondering what would cause the turbo to burn up when the car only has 34000 miles

 

The way the kid who owned it before you drove it! Probably abused the hell out of it trying to squeeze real power out of that tiny little engine. Then when it started giving him problems, it was time for mom and dad to buy him a new one.

 

My buddy had to replace the turbo on his STI twice. Time to put a bigger turbo on

If you don't have a turbo timer, invest in one (anywhere from $80-300) I used to have a turbo Honda Accord. I had the Apexi pen style turbo timer on it set to 1.5 minutes. Helps the turbo cool down (especially smaller turbos) It's also funny to watch the people look at you funny in parking lots and yell "hey you left your car on!" Then it turns off and you smile back at them

 

The lack of boost and power loss is due to the ECU being thrown into limp mode to protect the engine as best it can until the code is cleared and the problem fixed. IIRC the STi has a water cooled turbo. Sounds like there wasn't enough coolant getting to the turbo. The smoke may have been steam from a leaking gasket or connection.

...and this is reason 23049823094 I never buy a "tuner" car used.

 

The oil will still sufficiently cool the turbo even without coolant.

I didn't run coolant lines to the Mitsu T25 I had on my accord. The oil cooled it just fine.

 

Doesnt matter if it was driven hard. Its an sti, it was made for people to drive it hard.

 

hereis a pic. real clean, engine bay looked pretty good as well

 

i just sold my rex...

if you just bought it, return it. sounds like it's been beat on hard. find another

 

thats only when it is well taken care of

 

Is this your first one? Between my old roomate and my girlfriend, their STi's had gone through 3 completely new transmissions, one center differenential, and two complete engines before they sold them. They were driven hard, but only on the street with minor bolt ons. They will run fine so long as all modifications are performed correctly. If you skimp out, you just pay for it later. Nothing against the STi, every car is like that.

Since mods rarely add any resale value, most people take them all off the car before they trade it in or sell it. Leaving the next buyer none the wiser.

 

Subaru transmissions were made out of glass me thinks My buddy went through 3 in his WRX. With any AWD car, the driver needs to learn to slip the clutch especially when launching. Also, redline shock proof transmission and gear fluid/oil is a MUST.

 

Good luck with that idea. Been around enough Subarus to x2 on the transmissions and turbo/engine problems. People love them, but they're not exactly the most reliable out there.

 

I had a problem when my oil inlet to the turbo was loose and leaked a lot of oil. On a side note, Im about to pick up a Vibrant TPV 3" Cat-back to compliment my straight 3" up and down pipes. Anyone heard anything bad about Vibrant products? all i've heard is that they are LOUD

 

dealership said they are putting a brand new turbo on and doing there best inspection. I told them i want oil checked and coolant checked for head gasket problems. Also want compression test and leakdown test.

And then when they are done with it im going to take it to a reputable subaru guy that knows stis in and out and have him look it over as well.