"Crickets" - is this true?
 

So I have the dreaded "crickets", with only 7500km on my car. Some days they don't come out at all. Other days, like last night, they are unbearably loud and make my nice, new car sound like a rotten old piece of shit with a slipping belt. I can just feel the judgmental stares of "oh, this guy doesn't maintain his car".

I took my car in to Subaru Mississauga last week for my first oil-change, and mentioned the crickets when I booked my appointment so that they could take a look. Based on what I read online, I was prepared for them to keep the car overnight and replace the fuel pump to eliminate the problem.

After what seemed like too short of a time, the advisor came and got me and told me my car was ready. My first thought - wow that was fast! Well I quickly found out why.

The service advisor tells me yes; the squealing sound is indeed your direct injection fuel pump, as I suspected (from my readings on here).

What shocked me was that he told me this is "normal operating procedure" for this vehicle, and that there was "no fix at this time". Basically, "tough shit, dude. You have to live with it" and "we didn't fix it/aren't willing to fix it".

Is this for real?? I have read threads where people in the US have had their pump replaced 2, 3, even 4 times under warranty! In some cases, the problem goes away. In other cases, they have to have multiple replacements as the problem keeps coming back.

Is it different for Canada? Is Subaru Canada not willing to admit they put a faulty part in this car and should be liable to fix it?

I'm actually shocked that they essentially told me it's "normal" and "there's no fix". How the hell is it "normal operating procedure" to have a brand-new performance-oriented vehicle in 2014 with a sophisticated fuel-delivery system, and have it squeal like a stuck pig? It's actually embarrassing how loud it gets sometimes. I don't understand how this can be normal in anyone's eyes, let alone acceptable, and can't fathom how they are unwilling to do anything about it.

Can anyone shed any light? Has anyone else had this same response when having their crickets diagnosed? Is it a Canada-wide thing or maybe just this dealership? Should I go elsewhere?

I had the same cricket noise as everyone else.

I read somewhere probably here) that using Shell V-power gas makes it go away or at least minimize the noise. I've been using Shell ever since and I don't hear them anymore.

There has been a couple times where I needed gas but no Shell around so I filled up with Esso. Couple blocks at a red light, crickets louder than ever.

2013 here, shell since day one, now at 35k and not once did I hear crickets.

I try to only use V-Power if possible, but as you mentioned, sometimes you can't help it.

Doesn't help that I live in the middle of an area with very few Shell stations, and work in a town that doesn't have one at all...

Put two ounces of two stroke oil in your tank before filling it up. I use [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Valvoline-VV461-6PK-Certified-Multi-Purpose-2-Cycle/dp/B00DJ4FKWW"]Valvoline multipurpose two cycle oil[/ame]. It provides lubrication for the fuel pump. Some people will say you need Lucas upper cylinder lubricant or some other expensive stuff, but the Valvoline works just fine and costs less. The only time I get crickets anymore is when I don't have any two stroke oil on hand to put in the tank.

well, they're going to replace your fuel pump with a supposed "updated" fuel pump but from what I gather it's not really all that updated :p


so from the dealer's point of view it's wasted effort

Fuel pump replacement appears to be a wasteful way for the dealer to appease the client. The sound seems to always come back. I'm surprised the factory approves these jobs, but I guess that's just public relations.

Non-ethanol fuel has worked for a lot of people. Make sure your tank is very empty before refill.
Personally, I tolerate the crickets and don't let mechanics fix something that ain't broke. Also, with an OFT 93 tune the benefits outweigh the minor drawback.

First direct injection car?

Conclusions from past year:

1. If you use a zero ethanol fuel, your chances of crickets goes down. This includes Shell V-Power and (possibly) Costco 91.

2. Petro 94 and Esso 93 are prone to crickets. This happens to me when the engine is warm. So in the morning, when I start my car, no crickets. By the time I get to work, I hear them sometimes.

In the end, crickets are an annoyance, but your car won't blow up. Here is a sticker I put on my car that made my dealer laugh:

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3857/...842d5df5_c.jpgGot crickets? by Drewbot 95, on Flickr

Where can I get that sticker? LOL

This is because when you first start the car, the engine is running on port injection and not direct injection.

If you open the hood of a 2.0T VAG product, you will hear the crickets on startup because that engine only has direct injection. The Hitachi HPFP in the 2.0T is just better insulated than the Denso HPFP in the twins. VW/Audi also have much better sound deadening with their cabins.

I also hear rocks hitting the bottom side of my BRZ readily where I don't hear anything with other makes and models, yet nobody ever complains about that. :iono:

This part of your post hit home for me because I hear this all the time and always get out and check once I'm at my destination to ensure it was the underside and not the fender or quarter panel lol.

To answer your earlier question, no this is not my first direct-injection car, nor am I "inexperienced" when it comes to direct injection. My last 2 cars before my BRZ were BMW 335i sedans, an '07 and then an '08, and both had noticeable "ticking" coming from the engine compartment at all times, which I came to learn was the high-pressure direct-injection fuel pump. It never bothered me because it was better-insulated (as you mentioned) and because it was more of an innate unobtrusive "ticking" rather than an obnoxious and noticeable "squealing" like in the BRZ.

I also say I am experienced in GDI because I sell cars for Kia, which almost exclusively uses GDI in their new vehicles, so I need to be able to understand and explain the technology to prospective clients, and the Kia vehicles also have somewhat of a prominent noise from the GDI. Nothing like the twins though, which is what surprises me; you can put a quiet, insulated GDI pump on a $14,000 Rio, but can't put one in a more-expensive, performance-oriented vehicle like the BRZ/FRS? Doesn't make sense.

I've got them - and I have a MY2015 with 2300km on it, Petro 94 since first fill up. Only noticeable when idling, other than that I am ok with it. I haven't bothered with the dealer, I figure they will just say it's normal or have one of their super experienced-caring-bonehead mechanics install a new pump and "fix" a problem that will come back anyway.