Daskuppler

Having had a third block put in after the second one spun the number two rod bearing and the main bearings seized, the car feels sluggish and like it has increased parasitic drag. Is this normal? The car slows down quite a lot when letting off the accelerator and seems slow to accelerate even at full load with no cargo and only one occupant. Should we be concerned...again? At time of failure on the previous block, the bearing failed while passing on the interstate, the red oil pressure light came on and the engine turned off while the car was moving. The dealership put about 300 miles on the car before returning it to us. The oil has a slight gray color to it at this time, but there is no metallic shimmer. The oil is already starting to get a dark golden color after less than 400 miles.

I'll look into the linked company above. As for dealing with SOA, this car has a rather extensive history at the dealership and on SOA's plate. They have been downright refusing to help in any way whatsoever. I have called multiple times, been to two different dealerships, had TWO engine blocks fail within 300 miles of install and oil consumption. We got the finger on the oil consumption during the test and after when it was burning 1qt every 300 miles. After getting two bad blocks, Subaru refused to provide any information on batch numbers, manufacture dates, etc. They simply shipped one from a different warehouse and told us to pound sand. I've spoken with the dealership manager and service manager where the work was done and we purchased the car. I was able to get a whopping $50ish off the seat bottom through the dealership and SOA couldn't care less. Not impressed. When this whole series of events started, I thought GeneralDisorder was pessimistic and should work on vehicles other than Subarus. At this time, I think he was being kind and generous with his "compliments" to Subaru. Sorry for the rant, it's been a bad 3 months with the car.

The dealership told me it was the occupant detection sensor and that they best they could do on the part was $690. is it possible to just short the terminals so it always thinks there is a passenger? I don't care if it goes off when no one is in the seat, I just want it to go off but don't want to spend $700 if I don't have too. The junkyards are pretty void of these cars around here.

The official diagnosis for the second block is a #2 spun rod bearing and seized main bearings. The tech said he could spin the engine, but barely. Still waiting on instructions from SOA on how to proceed for the third block. I asked for a FB25D but they said no haha.

Usually it's a short in the wire somewhere. Check for pinch points inside the door (window mechanisms, hinges, etc. It could also be behind the head unit if it's tight back there. You could meter the wire to confirm. The speaker could also be bad, check resistance while the meter is out. You could also just run a new wire in about 20 minutes and probably call it good.

if the inner joint fails, they usually won't click. You usually just get a bad vibration

If it needs refrigerant, there's definitely a leak somewhere, usually it's the o rings at the compressor. I have a 2002 Impreza that had some AC problems; I would get cold air from the middle two dash vents and the side vents were warmer air. I did a lot of troubleshooting and replaced the condenser, high and low pressure lines, and expansion valve. While it was apart, I flushed the evaporator, and cleaned the fins (they were filthy (apparently the car has never had a cabin air filter installed). After all of this, my AC started short cycling. In the end, I think the main problem was the compressor which was replaced and everything has been fine since. Some notes and things I learned: If you replace the compressor pay close attention to the warranty requirements, everything has to be on the same receipt for most manufacturers. If your system is completely dead, or you have replaced the gaskets, pull a vacuum on the system for about an hour then shut the pump off and leave it connected for 45 minutes or so, this will ensure most contaminants are out of the system and that you have no leaks. You can rent the tools from most of your friendly auto parts stores. When you recharge, R134a pressure and temperature are almost equal, thus a charge of 34ish psi means that your temperatures are approximately 34 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are undercharged, that reading on the gauge will be below 32 and your evaporator will freeze up, higher and it does not cool. My AC system works amazing after the repairs, but it can be a nightmare especially if the system has had a leak or has been opened for an extended period of time. Contaminants left in the system will destroy a new compressor if you replace it. Good luck! AC work sucks, but it is actually pretty simple once you get your bearings.

No idea. I would lean more towards broken output shaft/crank shaft based on the amount of metal in the oil. Should have an answer in 6 weeks if their track record holds true. Whatever it is, it's warranty so that's at least a bonus...

That makes sense. When I did the heads on my 02.impreza a few years ago, I learned the hard way to have them checked. Ended up blowing the head gasket in about 15k. This time it's not my rodeo though haha

Okay. Thank you. It stopped putting power out to the wheels despite the engine reving so I suspect something worse has happened...then the red oil light and it turned itself off. We will see. Mother Subaru has not responded yet and the dealership is still "finding room to do the tear down". One more failed engine and it should fall under Lemon Law.

Okay. I didn't know how quickly they can slide of our flat. I know they say to always resurface when the heads come off, but that's expected after 100k miles.

Any idea on how many times heads can be resurfaced? I know they would have been resurfaced when pulled off the original block. Is it likely they would have needed it after 300 miles and 78 miles?

I have a 2002 Impreza TS NA 5mt I will never get rid of. It only has 120k on it. We learned a lot when we got this 14 Forester. We now have a 2022 Ascent 2.4T as a loaner.

We have contemplated that. We don't like the new cars though, this one is techy enough. We hate the loaner cars we have been given, but we may not end up with much of a choice.

I requested that a different team/tech handle it this time. The service manager reached out to Subaru for authorization to replace everything (heads, block, etc) with a brand new assembly. We will see. The oil was filled with metal and it just revved, but had no power output...then the red oil light came on and it died. Now we're here. I agree, once is a fluke, a second time is a bad tech. I asked for an FB25D but they refused to do that. This has all be a giant disappointment in Subaru. Hopefully it doesn't take them 5 weeks to replace it this time. The original block lasted 115k, but burned oil from the day we got it. It was at 1qt per tank of gas by the time it was replaced.

Blew the engine. 78 miles. Pretty sure the crank shaft broke. It was clanking around...again, but just revs, nothing to the wheels. Back to Subaru.

That makes sense. Thank you for clarifying.

When you buy the seat cushion, I presume it comes with the occupant detection mat already installed. Does this come with the airbags as well, or can they be moved over from the old seat to save some money?

I don't have the test harness or the SSMIII or SSM4. Can you troubleshoot this without that? I have code B1650 and the SRS light comes on intermittently. The seat has never been wet, apart from upholstery cleaning. All connectors are tight and all of the wires I can see are in good shape.

I don't think it does. It wasn't on the part's list from the dealer. I got a new block, all timing components, all new gaskets, and fluids. They did spark plugs in the first block replacement.

I have not, the dealership.looked at it while they were working on the engine and said it needed to be replaced and that it would be almost $2000. I'll go through the TSB today.

I'm going to revive this thread now that my car is back from the dealership with a new block. Has anyone replaced the seat before? Is it hard? Do you need special tools to deal with the airbag? Any idea what part number I need for this? Cheers

Thank you everyone. The block assembly will be replaced under warranty. The engine still ran when it was shut off, just not well. The connecting rod did not break so there should not be contact unless there was enough play in the bad bearing to hit the valves. We shall see.

Dealership already drained the oil. I checked the dipstick before it was towed and it was shimmery.

Only concern is metal circulating from the failed bearing, rod damage, and crank shaft damage. The heads have 115k on them, the block has 300 miles. I was hoping to get remanufactured heads out of the blown engine. They haven't pulled the heads or timing of so they have not been inspected yet. Can these be checked without removing the block? Say I wanted to have a third party look at them