Failure After J02 Recall - Discussion Threads

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by DarkSunrise

Has anyone come up with an explanation why this is such a big issue with the FA20, but doesn't seem to be an issue for other Subaru flat 4's? I used to own an STI and don't recall seeing this issue with the EJ engines. Also haven't heard of it being an issue with the FA20DIT either.

Well the older ones use gaskets and the other newer ones have a different oil channel layout that must not be as close to the sealant. That is the only difference I could see.

[Opie]

Originally Posted by Blighty

Oh, and Opie, what kind of time are we talking about?

I'm expecting the dealership to not want to fix it.

3-4 hours, have to remove the timing cover, re-adjust, then reseal timing cover.

[DarkSunrise]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Well the older ones use gaskets and the other newer ones have a different oil channel layout that must not be as close to the sealant. That is the only difference I could see.

Thanks. Yeah just thought it was weird to see it being such an issue with the fa20's but that makes sense.

[banane63]

Originally Posted by DarkSunrise

Has anyone come up with an explanation why this is such a big issue with the FA20, but doesn't seem to be an issue for other Subaru flat 4's? I used to own an STI and don't recall seeing this issue with the EJ engines. Also haven't heard of it being an issue with the FA20DIT either.

EJ motor haven't the oil pump in the distribution cache, no oil way thru it too (sorry for my English)

Envoyé de mon Armor_6E en utilisant Tapatalk

[gravitylover]

Originally Posted by DSlayerZX

so.... I schedules to have the J02 done due to CA regulation.



Just wondering, besides the spark plug, should I also request the Throw out bearing and possibly inspect/replace the clutch?

Serpentine belt and check the idler pulley bearings and tensioner.

Originally Posted by Opie

I would suspect that the timing chains tensioner was not adjusted correctly, the manual says something along the lines of "tension to the tightest notch, then go one notch further"...if not done correctly it causes the slack in the chains to tap when first started.

Never seen it cause any damage, but they'd need to pull the front timing cover to readjust them.

Well now that's interesting, don't think I've heard that before but it makes very good sense. Hmm...

[squall leonhart]

I ignored this thread most of last year after I realized I was getting a little worked up over it. I decided to ignore the recall, and mostly forgot about it.

Just about two weeks ago I finally received the actual paper notice from Toyota saying my FR-S is affected. I mean, I knew it was, but it took them a whole year to actually send me the notice.

I think I'll still ignore it.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by gravitylover

Well now that's interesting, don't think I've heard that before but it makes very good sense. Hmm...

Right? I'm quite relieved to learn that. I was alarmed to hear about how yours was running last fall. That it continues to run well supports the tensioner preload diagnosis. Opie's advice is officially in my toolkit.

[FRS Johnny]

Have a 2013 with the recall. I can't register my car in CA without doing the recall first. However the car has a turbo on it and nothing is wrong so far with the engine. Kinda don't want to fix whats not broken. Anyone with a similar situation? Can I just be nice with the dealership and have them say the recall was "completed" so I can register my car to drive.

[gravitylover]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Right? I'm quite relieved to learn that. I was alarmed to hear about how yours was running last fall. That it continues to run well supports the tensioner preload diagnosis. Opie's advice is officially in my toolkit.

I just did 3429 miles in a few days, drove to Key West and back with a few side trips along the way. We did give the car a 4 day break while we were there which I think it appreciated. It ran flawlessly (and averaged 32mpg) but the noise is still there, hasn't gotten any more significant or changed tone but it's bugging me now that I have a potential solution. The big question is can I get it in before the 12k warranty runs out. I'm going to call in the morning and see but I only have a few hundred miles left and can't park the car to keep it under the limit so unless they can book it in this week I may be fukked.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by gravitylover

The big question is can I get it in before the 12k warranty runs out. I'm going to call in the morning and see but I only have a few hundred miles left and can't park the car to keep it under the limit so unless they can book it in this week I may be fukked.

I bet that if you report the issue and have it acknowledged on paper, They'll work around the mileage.

[gravitylover]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

I bet that if you report the issue and have it acknowledged on paper, They'll work around the mileage.

Yup that's what's happening. I spoke with the warranty/recall service advisor for a while today and he has it documented with the current mileage that I told him. I'm going to stop in there Friday morning for their engine rebuild tech to listen to it (hopefully it's feeling feisty and makes lots of noise) and so they can confirm the mileage. The advisor did acknowledge that he's seen worn guides on FA motors cause louder rattling so I reminded him that I asked them to change those while they were in there the first time. He checked his notes and sure enough there was the request. At this point if there's a problem while I still own the car I'm fairly confident that they'll take care of it, I just worry that I might be on the hook for a couple hundred mile tow if something does go wrong but that's probably better than the alternative.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by gravitylover

Yup that's what's happening.

Great! Fingers crossed.

[shiumai]

Originally Posted by FRS Johnny

Can I just be nice with the dealership and have them say the recall was "completed" so I can register my car to drive.

How much were you thinking of paying them to generate fake paperwork, and records, and risk their business?

Why don't you just create your own 'proof of recall' slip on MS word, print it, fill it out with a fake signature, and submit it to the DMV for your registration, if you're going to go down that route? That way, no one else is involved.

[gravitylover]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Great! Fingers crossed.

I spent some time with the engine master tech at the dealership this morning and his take on it is it sounds normal for a high mileage engine. He figures there's been some wear on the chain guides (that I asked them to replace when they had it apart but they didn't) so there's a bit of slop until the tension and the oil pressure comes up. He also told me the tensioner is hydraulic and can't be adjusted to take up that slack. At this point it would cost a bunch of money to have those guides replaced even though they're really inexpensive so I'll just monitor it and hope it doesn't change (much) from this point on.

He gave me a whole bunch of other info about these engines and systems specific to this car and walked me through a couple of maintenance procedures I should do when it warms up. He's also a HUGE fan of the Castrol Edge high mileage formula oil, said they prefer it in the shop but have a deal with another supplier but if you ask they keep some in stock and will do your oil change with it.

The other tidbit was why the throwout bearings go bad so quickly. Apparently there's only one vent for friction material from the clutch disc to evacuate out of the tranny and under heavy use it's not very good at doing what it's supposed to. Obviously covering the bearing in abrasives isn't a good thing. He said that if you get anything over about 30k you're doing well, if you pass 50k do a little dance. While the revised bearing appears to be the same as the old one it has better seal material that should be more resistant to the dust than it used to be but the "fleet" (my word) with the new bearings hasn't been on the road long enough to know if that's actually sufficient. I guess this means we all need to add a few hundred dollars to our maintenance budget every couple of years to drop the tranny and replace a $50 bearing