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Old 28 March 2019, 08:30 PM
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Marky1968
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Smile White Spark Plugs Concerned

Hi to all,

Had the old spark plugs changed this week, and replaced them with the Iridium IX ones.

The old plugs were not in great condition, they were very white instead of brown looking,
I have been told it maybe because of the remap not being setup right, and the car is now
running lean, has anyone else had this issue before please, or know what else could be
causing this?

Car is an 06 plate 2.5 Hawkeye which has been forged.

Thankyou
Old 29 March 2019, 11:41 AM
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Ash Webster
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http://blackhawkparamotor.com/paramo...-does-it-mean/

yes it is for some random dumb motor but the idea is the same

Last edited by Ash Webster; 29 March 2019 at 11:43 AM.
Old 29 March 2019, 09:23 PM
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Marky1968
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Originally Posted by Ash Webster
http://blackhawkparamotor.com/paramo...-does-it-mean/

yes it is for some random dumb motor but the idea is the same
Thankyou for the info, my spark plugs look like the article with minor lean, but not good as it says it cuts the
engine life by half, and may make a piston fail within time, or the cylinder head may warp. Really need to make a decision before the car becomes a money pit.

I did think more people would of responded to this thread, as I am new to the Subaru and don't know much about them.
Old 29 March 2019, 09:39 PM
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Marky1968
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I think the problem could be improper engine timing, would would lead to the map of the car?
Old 29 March 2019, 11:05 PM
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Marky1968
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I guess folks haven't come across this before with there car? I have just bought a car that needs a lot of TLC and expense

Last edited by Marky1968; 29 March 2019 at 11:06 PM.
Old 29 March 2019, 11:18 PM
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Russell38
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Take it to a subaru specialist and get then to check the map for you and explain the spark plug condition
Old 30 March 2019, 09:37 AM
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Jon T
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There are many reasons it could be running lean. Bad map, air leak ect. Take it to a specialist and get the air fuel ratio checked. Then take it from there.
Old 30 March 2019, 10:27 AM
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Marky1968
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Originally Posted by Russell38
Take it to a subaru specialist and get then to check the map for you and explain the spark plug condition
The car is booked is booked in for a remap check at the end of the month, and I guess will tell me more about the car, and what is going on

Originally Posted by Jon T
There are many reasons it could be running lean. Bad map, air leak ect. Take it to a specialist and get the air fuel ratio checked. Then take it from there.
Ahh, I will speak to my mechanic who knows alot about these cars, but he is saying its down to a poor map, I will take it easy for now driving the car off boost, as I don't want any internal
damage to the engine happening, or leading to melting a piston or going pop
Old 30 March 2019, 10:28 AM
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The car does appear to warm up from cold very quickly, is this normal for these cars?
Old 30 March 2019, 12:28 PM
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Who mapped it
Old 30 March 2019, 12:37 PM
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Marky1968
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Thwaites remapped the car back in February 2017 graph above

Last edited by Marky1968; 30 March 2019 at 12:38 PM.
Old 30 March 2019, 01:02 PM
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wrx2005
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Originally Posted by Marky1968

Thwaites remapped the car back in February 2017 graph above
That's very low for an sti
Old 30 March 2019, 01:06 PM
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Marky1968
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The car is a WRX which has been rebuilt and forged, the car has the V43 STi turbo, and
top mount intercooler.

I have been told the car is low on power from the graph, and maybe someone wanted it remapped
to a safe power level as it has the 5 speed box
Old 30 March 2019, 05:59 PM
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Russell38
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Have injectors and fuel pump been changed
Old 30 March 2019, 07:39 PM
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The fuel pump was changed last week to an uprated one, the original pump was still in the car,
I am not sure about the injectors, but I would of thought they would of been changed as the rebuild
included a rebore and hone.
Thought I would post a pic of a spark plug taken out, not a great photo, but you can clearly see the
condition of the plug.

Last edited by Marky1968; 30 March 2019 at 07:43 PM.
Old 30 March 2019, 07:49 PM
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Jon T
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Just out of the interest have you had any odd idling or hunting at tick over, pulling up at traffic lights ect?

Last edited by Jon T; 30 March 2019 at 07:50 PM.
Old 30 March 2019, 08:01 PM
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Originally Posted by Jon T
Just out of the interest have you had any odd idling or hunting at tick over, pulling up at traffic lights ect?
Yes, the car is just like that, idle fluctuates especially before pulling away, moving the car at slow speed
Old 30 March 2019, 08:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Jon T
Just out of the interest have you had any odd idling or hunting at tick over, pulling up at traffic lights ect?
What are coolant levels like? Dropped at all?
Old 30 March 2019, 10:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Marky1968
Yes, the car is just like that, idle fluctuates especially before pulling away, moving the car at slow speed
It sounds like you have an air leak. I had idle issues last year. Long story short after replacing fuel pump thinking it was failing it turned out to have an air leak on the drivers side injectors. We only discovered this after plugging it in and finding that the ecu was Trying to add 20%more fuel and retarding the timing..
Do you still have the original turbo inlet pipe fitted? These are known to split underneath where the join the turbo.
Old 31 March 2019, 01:24 AM
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Originally Posted by Jon T
It sounds like you have an air leak. I had idle issues last year. Long story short after replacing fuel pump thinking it was failing it turned out to have an air leak on the drivers side injectors. We only discovered this after plugging it in and finding that the ecu was Trying to add 20%more fuel and retarding the timing..
Do you still have the original turbo inlet pipe fitted? These are known to split underneath where the join the turbo.
I am not sure if it still has the original turbo inlet pipe fitted, where is it looking from above at the engine bay, is it left or right side?

Sorry, just a novice learning about the car at the mo, I will check coolant levels tomorrow
Old 31 March 2019, 01:34 AM
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Maybe air leak on boost pipes or intercooler core or leaking dump valve
Old 31 March 2019, 01:39 AM
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I do have an OBD reader, its only a cheap one though, be worth seeing if anything
comes up on the read out
Old 31 March 2019, 07:45 AM
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Jon T
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Originally Posted by Marky1968
I am not sure if it still has the original turbo inlet pipe fitted, where is it looking from above at the engine bay, is it left or right side?

Sorry, just a novice learning about the car at the mo, I will check coolant levels tomorrow
The turbo inlet pipe is the big ( black if its the original) pipe that goes from your air box to the turbo. They are known to split where the jubilee clip holds it on to the turbo.i have had mine changed its the fat red perrin pipe that goes from the induction kit under the inlet on the left of the pic

Last edited by Jon T; 31 March 2019 at 09:30 AM.
Old 31 March 2019, 07:50 AM
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They tend to go on this end where it clamps on to the turbo.

Last edited by Jon T; 31 March 2019 at 07:56 AM.
Old 01 April 2019, 12:03 AM
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Marky1968
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Originally Posted by Jon T

They tend to go on this end where it clamps on to the turbo.
Thankyou for the pics and advice, I will have a look when I get home from work tomorrow, and get back to you
Old 14 April 2019, 12:25 AM
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The turbo inlet pipe is fine, had the car checked for air leaks, all is fine

I think someone has tinkered with the car since the map, car remap is
being checked out at the end of the month.
Old 16 April 2019, 03:10 PM
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Crikey those plugs look brand new ! Very very lean id say . This is why i left my wideband connected permantly so i can see if its leans at any points, looking at those plugs depending on what rev rang you do most your driving i bet those afr`s are in the 15`s to 16`s to be that white
Old 16 April 2019, 10:48 PM
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Originally Posted by The Rig
Crikey those plugs look brand new ! Very very lean id say . This is why i left my wideband connected permantly so i can see if its leans at any points, looking at those plugs depending on what rev rang you do most your driving i bet those afr`s are in the 15`s to 16`s to be that white
That's what I have been concerned about as to why the spark plugs look that white, I have only had the car since February this year, and haven't even driven the car hard, only spirited, I
haven't even floored it, I have had the maf sensor changed, and the car has been checked for air leaks, but nothing has been found. I am hoping its just down to a poor remap, getting the
car mapped again in a couple of weeks, and sure this will explain everything what is going on with the car, and why it is running so lean
Old 17 April 2019, 10:14 AM
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Yeah if all mechanical issues have been addressed or not found it can only be the Map.

Thats the problem with some maps, adjusted for full boost at WOT but not really setup for cruising ( although the 02 should take care of most the adjustments below 3k ) or other mundane driving conditions lol

Good luck
Old 17 April 2019, 09:30 PM
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Yeah, I think the new map should sort the car out, or it will certainly show where the problem is with the car, I will post up the outcome 😊


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