R.B.5

As you probably all know by now i've had three, yes thats three new engines in my RB5 since 10th December 2002. My latest one seemed fine until i passed the 1000 mile run-in. I opened her up a little (5000rpm) only to find i have what i would describe as turbo lag, bearing in mind the car was above 4000rpm so turbo should have been spooling nicely.

It kinda boosted and then the boost subdued somewhat, i eased off and reapplied, which sorted it. This very same thing happened on the last engine and it then started making tapping noises, cracked both sets of piston rings and scored the bore hence third engine.

Im worried its going to happen again. I will ring my dealer asap but it doesnt answer the question as to why its doing it. Perhaps its a turbo problem? Maybe the turbo wasn't working properly and thus not enough air/fuel in the piston chamber on the last engine. Perhaps this is going to be the same!! I really hope not as i dont want to be out of the car for another 6 weeks :O

R.B.5

R.B.5

Anyone shed any light on this? Please i'm worried as the fingers will point to me as the culprit for breaking another engine. I've done nothing wrong though.

ozzy

I must admit m8, if I was your Dealer or mechanic I'd be saying to myself 'what's that nutter doing to his car'

Do you have any gauges (e.g. Knocklink, AFR, Oil Temp, Oil Pressure) or can you get access to someone with DeltaDash?

What spec is your car (mail me offline if you prefer)?

My RB5 has been fine (engine wise) in nearly 4 years (touch wood). The only mods I have are a TSL DP, TSL centre and STI backbox. I was running an ITG, but took that off ages ago.

Have they been changing the whole engine each time? They didn't swap ECU, turbo (I guess not), HT leads, etc..?

Stefan

R.B.5

Hiya mate

The car is now completely standard and has been since they put this new engine in. It only ever had a dp fitted so cant see what difference that would make.

Basically i was told each time that it had the new short engine. Heads are same, leads, just pipes for cooling were replaced as it was leaking.

Took Scoobysport downpipe off the car before this new engine was put in as we thought that might be the problem. Honestly i've done nothing to warrant all the problems with the car. Ok i drove the first engine hard but for petes sake these are bloody rally cars or supposed to be. You dont buy a scooby and drive it about at 20-30mph everywhere do you!!

This is beginning to stress me out now as its one problem after another with this car. I was thinking about getting rid of it but then thought otherwise as its had a new engine etc etc. Seriously dont know what to do. I keep asking them if they checked and replaced anything like sensors and checked the turbo too, i was assured that they checked everything and had an ECU fault code check too. Wouldnt that have picked up anything?? I'm constantly listening for the dreaded tapping noise i've heard the past 2 times the engine has gone. Paranoid me thinks.

It doesn't do it all the time its just now and then, last night was first time on this engine. Just like the turbo aint boosting right. Sorry im not very technical but its about all i can think of. If its been doing this on all three engines surely theres something not right with it. Its their job to find out what and replace faulty parts. Theres only so much i can ask them and tell them. Not a very happy scooby owner at the moment.

ozzy

One of the lads up here in Scotland had his engine blow recently. Turned out to be a dodgy lead, which caused poor fuelling, then bang

It would costs them next too nothing to swap the ECU - jezus it only takes 5 mins and you can buy one 2nd-hand for £75, so it ain't gonna coz major problems for them. I'm sure there was one car a few years back that went through a couple of engines before they swapped the ECU - no more problems.

Do you have access to someone with DeltaDash? If I were you, I'd try to get some more information (even a simple boost gauge and knocklink) to back up any paranoid sounds.

Has it been the same fault on the past two engines?

Stefan

SiPie

I'm here

Firstly, whoever fitted your engine has hopefully checked that it's fueling correctly. Could be a problem with your fuel pump. Did they replace your MAF sensor? Could be a problem there. Was your oil pump replaced? Maybe that ain't right? HT leads could be an issue (as in my case )

Get straight back to whatever muppets [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img] fitted the last engine and insist that they look into ALL these areas and then follow running in instructions very very carefully.

Good luck
Cheers
Si

nom

Hmm, as above - the engine is unlikely (in this case) to be what's blowing the engine... I'd wave my finger at a knackered MAF or ECU.
The MAF can't be checked by the dealers - they can only check whether it's broken or not, and that's not the point that it's going to break the engine (as the engine also knows it's broken), it's when it's mis-reading that it causes all the problems. The bit of kit to check that with is Delta Dash - find someone with it (or get a copy yourself) & do some logging. Even if you're not sure what to look out for, someone here will help.
Now, if the dealers changed the MAF, I'd say it could also quite possibly be a faulty ECU - I've heard of this happening before. Swapping it for another is easy - and you know what the car shouldn't be doing, so could tell pdq if it's made the difference!
Could be the loom, too, but that'd be a bugger to track down!

R.B.5

Ta for the replies!

I followed their instructions to the T. Run-in for 1000 miles and dont go over 4000rpm. Its done like 1150 miles now so i took her up to 5000rpm last night and thats when i noticed the problem.

R.B.5

So the MAF sensor would give me those symptoms then? Onder Boosting kinda. I'll ask for it to be changed, as well as the ECU. They did check the ECU last time and asked me if it was a modified one. Its standard as far as im aware. I'm sure they'll sort the car out. If they dont then i will be taking serious action.

crusher

Sounds like an intermittent fault somewhere...You could go around a long and tortuous route of replacing this and that...a lot is left unchanged with any rebuild of this sort that could be an issue...you need the Delta Dash or a dealers undivided attention with diagnostic pod to nail this before this motor goes pop....my moneys on the ecu firstly...so you could change that and wait if other options are difficult...finding a dodgy connection,broken wire is a nightmare using traditional "seek and destroy" tactics!
There is another thread which mentions that this months copy of Car Mechanics mag has an article on Subaru diagnostics...for cars up to 2000...might be worth a look?
Good luck!

[Edited by crusher - 3/28/2003 12:09:44 PM]

sparkster

R.B.5,

I can totally relate to your problems mate. I'm on my second engine too and having had it for a week, i'm having problems AGAIN!!! I've narrowed it down to a mapping problem as its a jap import.

I really hope everything works out for you. Like yourself i'm fed up driving my car with the revs low as poss every where i go. My mates coming accross for the weekend and wants me to take him out for a spin. I have to say that i cant open the car up as i have to try not to blow the engine up. He then says - whats the point in having the car then!!I look after my car as well as i can. Drive it only in the dry and hardly use it to commute to work. Use optimax plus booster spend stupid amounts to get the best components and i still get major probs.

I think we are just unlucky

Good luck to you!!!

R.B.5

Thanks for that Spark

Yeah its a nightmare having a new engine. I'm so worried now about reving the engine i hardly do it at all. Worried the dreaded tap tap will appear and then another engine to follow.

Its like they are really fragile or somthing. Its hard to believe these cars derived from rally cars being so feble engine'd. My car is to go back in next week and i have aleady mentioned the MAF and ECU to the manager, so with a bit of luck they'll replace or at least find out what is wrong with it. I really hope for thier sake that its not something big as its had like three engines and a gearbox now. This is starting to look silly. The warranty company will want an investigation carried out.

Hope yours get sorted too m8. Remember take it easy as its not worth blowing the engine for a little grin

sparkster

R.B.5,

You wonder how all these boys manage to modify their cars so much and get away with it. I was driving home from work dreading every touch of the accelerator this evening.

Got to get this car fixed. It sounds rough, the idle isnt great and i cant let the car breath too much or the engine dets. AAAAAAAAArrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhh.

I need a remap and i need it now.

I tell you, i want to come back on this site to say how great my car is. I'll look out for you to see how you get on.

Mark

ozzy

Well, I did nothing of the sort. Found some lovely single-track, smooth, tarmac'd roads on the way home and gave it plenty of stick. I new I needed brakes ASAP, but the smoke pouring off the fronts was a bit worrying

Hope you can both start enjoying your cars again sometime soon.

Stefan

sparkster

All the way Stefan. Thats how it should be.

WE LOVE IT!!!

MorayMackenzie

Re: "You wonder how all these boys manage to modify their cars so much and get away with it. I was driving home from work dreading every touch of the accelerator this evening."

Maybe these boys can monitor more of whats going on in the engine and have a better understanding of what constitutes a potential problem? I can say that in some ways i miss the days when i wasn't so paranoid about monitoring everything. There is some truth in that old saying, ignorance is bliss!

ozzy

Yeah, got to agree Moray and there's no one more ignorrant than me

SiPie

Want a bet ?

sparkster

"Maybe these boys can monitor more of whats going on in the engine and have a better understanding of what constitutes a potential problem"

Very true Moray, i'm learning all the time. Maybe the hard way with a little bit of bad luck but i am learning. For example, was going to fit a decat pipe but thought, before i do this, would fit an uprated fuel pump and regulator just to be on the safe side.

Turbo_Steve

RB5 buy yourself a knocklink. At least then you'll have a bloody great big red light when things are not going according to plan.

R.B.5

Thx for that steve i may well invest in one.

Its going back to dealer asap to be sorted.