Dan Hurwitz
Mach V Motorsports
machv.com
(571) 434-8333
The 2015-‘18 Subaru WRX has really a great balance of power, handling and comfort. The ride is firm, but not brutal. The handling is crisp and neutral. The car is comfortable enough to use as a daily family car, but it delivers when called upon for performance use. The FA20 turbo engine …
Pull the head and media blast the valves every 30.000 miles? This is considered normal now?
No. Pull the intake manifold, rotate the crank till the intake valves are closed and media blast those. Vac out the debris, and move on to the next cylinder. Any tiny shell remains have enough give to where then can be ingested and spit out the exhaust without damage. And yes, it's been a common "maintenance" item on many makes for a bit now. If you don't care to keep your engine in top top performance shape, you can likely run a lot longer service interval.
Less effective, but without the work of intake removal, is a intake cleaner like seafoam.
Does the FA20 not share the D4S setup with the BRZ? One would think that the port injection / direct injection combo would help to keep the intake valves clean?
Also, perhaps a better idea in the first place, keep oil out of your intake, it's not particularly combustible...
Uhhhh, this is a DI and PI motor. I've never seen anywhere in the Subaru literature that carbon build up on the intake valves is an issue with these cars or for it to be recommended maintenance.
This isn't a DI only motor like the BMWs and MINIs that have serious issues with carbon build up.
Mudflaps and horns, eh?
"The FA20 turbo engine doesn’t seem to have quite as much headroom as the older EJ25 motor in terms of power upgrades,..."
"The STI engine, although it’s been around forever, is powerful and modifications for it are plentiful and widely available."
Seems like contradictory or confusing statements and the old EJ and new FA are quite different. The FA20 turbo engine is relatively new, but from the tuning/modding experts I know, it is far better than the old EJ's.
Scargod said:Seems like contradictory or confusing statements and the old EJ and new FA are quite different. The FA20 turbo engine is relatively new, but from the tuning/modding experts I know, it is far better than the old EJ's.
From what I've seen of the insides of EJ's, *because* of their oiling systems, I would certainly hope so.
Subarus, to me, are a lot like rotary powered cars. I love the idea, and the performance, and driving them is a hoot, but man... I can't bring myself to own one.
I REALLY wish GRM would respond to this thread. I get you need outside contributors, but when they let blatantly false information into the mag, that makes me want to cancel my subscription.
some of the info in this article is very misleading. This guy doesnt know enough about subies to write an accurate on point article...just my two cents worth.
In reply to z31maniac :
What you said before - that this is a DI / PI engine - is just not accurate. The FA20F is a direct injection only motor.
So maybe go ahead and hold onto that subscription.
classicalgas said:Pull the head and media blast the valves every 30.000 miles? This is considered normal now?
Every 30,000 miles is bonkers. I have a DI engine from another manufacturer and had mine first cleaned at 90,000 miles because the intake manifold needed to be replaced. I noticed no difference in power or fuel economy after it was cleaned, if anything the engine was just a touch smoother at idle.
If Subarus really need to have their valves cleaned that often I don't think I'd care to own one.
MrFancypants said:If Subarus really need to have their valves cleaned that often I don't think I'd care to own one.
I don't think there's anything particularly bad about WRX direct injection compared to anything else. It's something to keep an eye on. The 30,000 thing is a cross-brand recommendation that probably gets repeated by people who own walnut groves.
I did think the 2-3 comments calling BS on the whole article were misguided, especially since they seem to tie to one very specific misconception. That's why I resurrected this comment chain.
Adding to this, there is a recall out there for 2015 Model Years for an ECU ReFlash that directs some preignition problems they had:
https://cobbtuning.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/PRS/pages/34177238/Subaru+DIT+ECU+Recall+Info
And there a couple TSBs for clutch creaking and throw out bearing issues for 2015-2018 MY. Some owners have had the clutch replaced also for this work.
https://www.subispeed.com/tsb-subaru
I got to drive a 2018 WRX at the last autox, never had a chance to drive an AWD Subby before. I was pleasantly surprised, it was very easy to drive, even turned some decent times with it. If I didn't have my Cruze already, I would look into getting one.
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