BRZ Oil Control Valve Assembly Issue
 

I see here:

https://www.ft86club.com/forums/atta...1&d=1528082990

that Subaru recognizes that there is an issue with the cam timing oil control solenoid valves leaking through the internal seal, and has offered upgraded assemblies with new part numbers to replace the old ones, but I can’t find anywhere that Toyota had addressed this problem at all. I can’t seem to find a Toyota TSB on this. Am I missing something here?

I’ve checked the part numbers of the solenoid valves on my engine, and mine are definitely the old part number. I would like to be pro-active on this and just replace them myself all at once BEFORE they start leaking, but if Toyota doesn’t recognize there is a problem, would they even have the new valves available? Should I just go to the local Subaru dealer and specify ones for a 2015 BRZ instead?

I know for a fact that parts purchased from Subaru are a little more than half of what they would be if I purchase them from Toyota (at least SOME parts are anyways), so I would probably be doing myself a favor in this regard. Any thoughts on this?

The OCV is a very easy R&R. If it is not an issue I wouldn't worry about it and just use the updated parts IF the time ever comes.

Yeah, I just got off the phone with the local Toyota service center and they confirmed no TSB exists on this at all. The upgraded part is about $95 from Toyota and about $81 from Subaru. There’s four total in these engines, so for a little under $340, I can pick up all four and upgrade for the peace of mind that it will bring. Plus it lets me get away from the old lady for about 8 hours.

Edit:

After checking all four solenoids for oil leaking just now, I found one of them with oil on the inside of the plug which is a tell-tale sign of the fault with these parts. As the oil has already began to leak into the electrical section, and I have yet to have any fault codes appear, I've caught it in time before it has had a chance to cause complete failure. They're all going to get replaced ASAP.

It sounds like you are reading and looking for problems that MIGHT happen. Drive the car and enjoy it. If something really goes wrong fix it, a little oil will not hurt a thing.
You could read about every problem that has happened to members of this group and never drive the car again.

Sure, it might sound that way to some, but I also enjoy working on and taking care of my vehicles and learning about them in addition to driving them. I can’t really drive it at the moment anyways with all of the work I’m doing to it inside the trunk and the doors concerning the sound system, so I may as well fix what I can find to fix and upgrade the parts in the process.

Of course I won’t be replacing any valve springs just for the sake of upgrading them, but I will definitely take care of minor, easy-to-fix issues before they become major ones.

Update:

Replaced all four VVT oil control solenoids last week.

Remove the air cleaner assembly.
Unplug the connector from the solenoid body.
Remove two bolts from each side.
Pull the old solenoid straight out.
Transfer the plastic spacer from the old part to the new one.
Install a new O-ring on top of the spacer.
Insert the new solenoid.
Reinstall the two bolts. (Added some anti-seize compound to the threads of each bolt first.)
Torque to specification of 57 inch-pounds.
Reconnect plug to new solenoid body.
Repeat procedure for the three remaining solenoids.
Reinstall air cleaner assembly.


I had one of the solenoids leaking oil out of its electrical connector, so that one connector got some electrical parts cleaner sprayed into it before I reconnected it. No more leaks and peace of mind of a job well done.

Did you take a pic of the solenoid with the oil I it ? Curious to see how it looks


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I will in the next few days. Gotta dig it out. There’s really not much to see though. You’ll see a black oily residue on the electrical terminals of both the male and female connectors and most likely some dust and dirt buildup as you would around any oil leak. That’s the sign you’ll be looking for.

Here's a picture of all four. See if you can guess which one was leaking.

Hey guys, I have had the same issue on my 2015 FR-S that I recently bought used. After one spirited driving last week, it threw a CEL+Slip light on, and I scanned and found the P000C code, which says slow response on the driver side intake. I did the battery trick to delete code couple times to see if it's just a rare hiccup, but it always came back. The symptoms included a fluctuating idle and slightly different throttle response since it's related to the intake cam I guess. The problem gave me a nightmare as it had been purchased within a week and gave me a problem.

I took out the solenoid unit, cleaned it with a brake cleaner and on the connector which had some oils sipped in it. After this remedy and battery reset (unplugging and plugging back in), it hasn't had thrown the code at all and the idle sits at 650 without fluctuating like before. Even after another spirited driving, it's been fine for the last couple days.

While I ordered a solenoid, o ring and the backup ring, I checked the other solenoids, and a couple others had a similar leak but not as severe as the one I cleaned up.

Hopefully the one I ordered was manufactured after the date mentioned in the document. Since I used the Toyota part number, it was SU00307806.


Sorry for no pictures. I didn't take them when I cleaned them.

I went to the Subaru dealer to pick up the solenoids for my ‘15 FR-S. As long as you know the part number for the old solenoid that you have, and get the replacement part that supersedes it, you should be good.

Just make sure to clean the electrical plugs with electrical parts cleaner before you connect them back up. The TSB actually tells you to replace the plug as well if it has oil in it, but I don’t think that’s absolutely necessary as long as you can get all the oil out with the cleaner.

I agree. Actually on the solenoid unit, the manufacturing date is etched, so that's what I'll be looking for. When I was searching for the solenoid, I found an older substitute with a different part number from a toyota parts center website and said the older one was replaced by the new one that I've purchased and am waiting for.

I cleaned the connector with a brake cleaner, only to realize I should have used an electrical cleaner.:bow: Well I cleaned all the oil anyways, so hope that's good for now. It hasn't given me CEL back, so I'm relieved a big time.

Thank you for your comment.

You’re welcome. I’m here to learn as much as I’m here to help.

Ha! Interestingly my 2015 did the same. Got the same exact code and Bank 2, A OSV failed. There is a bit of oil in the connector. It was my understanding that 2015+ cars already had the updated OSV in there?

If so, perhaps this may be a consumable item..... I ordered all 4 to be safe.

Cheers,

Lutfy