honeybadger

ok, i thinthat the sedans(saloons) that failed here in SA, must have had the old ECU still maybe and/or the low octane fuel devil (95 RON) played it's part.
glad to hear no sedans have failed in the UK.

what's COBB access ports, Ted?

Littleted

i think its a pre configured ECU thingy, like the UK Blue Fins superchips etc. You buy it and flash your ECU with a COBB map, which is supposed to help with the so called engine issue, but i see alot in the USA going pop for that reason.

As you SA you may have had that same issue, with 95ron syndrome. I have a friend from Joburg who actually sold his scooby due the lack of 98ron and got an RS focus, which he said is ok in SA.

Was your standard or had you had a map done, maybe ask your dealer about the new MAP, see if they know about it. Some on here work at garages may know, but im unsure if the UK needed it, and it was mainly for the US market

honeybadger

Mine had a ecu flash to prevent the detonation. The flash also increased my power quite a bit.
But it had a adverse effect as well, being that....when the car was warm and running at boost and i lifted off the gas pedal , it had this double-shunt.
Then one night whilst racing a RS4 on the highway, the engine just cut power, and it never really recovered. It felt like it wasn't boosting at all. But there was no smoke, no weird sounds, no engine light warning. It just went limp, wouldnt rev entusiatically anymore...
I loaded the standard map back on and sold the car. I now drive a BMW 330d. And I miss the character of the STI.

honeybadger

the dealers had no maps to offer. I did my map at a reputable tuning garage. Each run was logged, when the new software was installed.
I suspect my downpipe cat was the culprit though. It was blocked from all the octane boosters I added before the flash. Ironic that, in trying to prevent one issue, I gave birth to another....

Littleted

maybe some of the guys maybe able to tell you what the double shunt was, werid though

were you having the RS4 ?

How did you know it was a blown engine ? did you have it looked at first, or just what you thought ? Maybe it was something else.

Maybe you sucked up a Lizard hehe

honeybadger

LOL!! ye, maybe it was a lizard

no, it was not a blown engine, I think the cat was the issue, it was blocked to due to the octane boosters I used. So I reckon when it got hot, something went t!ts up with that cat.

as far as the RS4 story, on the first run I sat with it. It couldnt get away from me. But as we carried on, and my wasted cat got hotter and hotter, my erformance dropped off and eventually I couldnt keep up with the Audi
...and then shortly after the Scooby gave me the finger! no more boosting!

expat dan

can anyone please confirm what I think I read here, that the STI racing doesn't seem to have these (or any other) 2.5 engine problems?

Dave T-S

As expected, piston ring lands breaking up on no. 4 piston. Slightly scored bore too, so the recommendation is for a new short motor rather than just a piston (the good news ).

honeybadger

yes dan, littleted was speaking of you refer to as sti racing. post 2010. sedan in shape. no reports of ringland failures that they know of.

honeybadger

LOL

goram

Err, guys remind me what this thread is all about?!?!

SRSport

Ive been reading a few pages and get the gist that this is only a concern with STI engines. Is this correct as the title just stated 2.5 engine failure. As you can guess I am contemplating coming back to Subaru with the WRX hatch.

honeybadger

yes, it's mainly the sti motors that gave up the ghost. the wrxs lasted much better.

SRSport

Lasted better as in they failed a year or two after the STIs or not as many but still reports that they fail or no they dont fail any more than the previous Hawkeyes did?

honeybadger

lol...the workshop owners told me they don't really break, because the pistons are stronger in the WRX.
and that's about the extent of the detail I can deliver man.

rob84

iTrader: (5)

Nothing goes wrong with the wrx hatch, seems a robust unit & trouble free

SRSport

Thanks, that's good to know. After my Mercedes I've lost the will to live with troublesome cars. I can't be dealing with pap that keeps breaking anymore.

Littleted

Funny you should say that srs, my mates got an eclass new one and so fars its blown injectors twice, right bag of ****e

I had the wrx-s before my 2011 saloon, and to be honest its was great and the power dofferance isnt that much to be honest, on paper yes, but driving it not much diff, what i will say though the seats in the new ones are great and suspension.

Also the 5 gears in the wrx-s were ok, but i missed a 6th for the motorway, something the sti has

rob84

iTrader: (5)

always felt the ratio's in the 5 speed were pretty good and couldn't help but think if it had that 6th gear it would just finish it off nicely.

Littleted

Bob are the pistons diff in the wrx-s ? As far as i was aware they were the same just the turbo was smaller and intercooler ?

Also is the ecu diff or the same new fangled thing the 08s got and what seemed to be the cause of most of the issues

Srs just take note that modding the wrx new shape isnt that easy compared to modding a sti, im no expert but i emailed both lich fields and others and all sang the same song, that doing anything to the wrx would cost more due to weaker gearbox etc. sti will be eaiser

Littleted

Yeah me 2 weird cos my wifes new turbo meriva is 5 also only the top of the line 140 bhp has 6,

I always think 5 is old hat and old stock lol

rob84

iTrader: (5)

Just the same short motor assy.. turbo is different and the intake system, slight difference to the exhaust downpipe. ecu is different also.

to mod the wrx up to sti level can be done but it's no easy feat I must say.
sti out of warranty is a better base to start from in all honesty

SRSport

To cut along story short I bought one 5 years old, 28,000 miles and if I had taken it to Mercedes every time it broke it would have cost £5700 in 8 months ownership.

It feels as though its made from very cheap flimsy materials and gives me no confidence that anything other than the engine is going to fail at any given time, which just so happens to be sublime and the main reason Im keeping it at the moment.

The Hawkeye I had before was very solid and dependable and I do miss it but need more space, hence the interest in the hatch and what has led me to this thread.

I have contemplated going back to getting a Hawkeye estate/hatch but its getting too old for a car that sits in the premium tax bracket...in a few years you wont be able to give them away as the tax rates will end up being large chunks of its value.

Littleted

dont think youd go wrong with a year old hatch based on the 2011 model. I had a full size roland Piano in mine when i had it, and i actually miss it over my saloon, just for practicality reasons

honeybadger

just as a point of interest...guys here that cannot afford forged pistons, fit the WRX pistons to the STI, 'cause they are stronger.

rob84

iTrader: (5)

They are just the same

SPEN555

I presume the same issue exists with the 2012 STi's? I suppose it will take two or three years to be able to comment on this.

Despite the 2012 STi's being offered at £27k I think I will give it a miss even though it seems a bargain! With my luck the engine would go just outside warranty.

SRSport

So what makes the WRX problem free? Is it tha the engine is under less stress? If you were to remap the WRX could you expect the same issues as the STIs then?


Are the 2011s different to the 2008/2009 model? I was looking at 2009s earlier as 2010> is out of my price range.

honeybadger

i really don't want to start a argument here but , i don't think the pistons are the same. go have a look at the compression ratios. wrx vs STI. STI is at 8.2 and the wrx is at 8.4. Indicating different pistons.

rob84

iTrader: (5)

The piston material is the same hypereutectic the piston size is the same the only indicated difference is the compression height. Hardly an upgrade wouldn't ever fit wrx parts in an sti engine, if you cant afford a set of forged pistons this day in age then it's a bad job really as a std piston is £47 each plus vat