rufman

Folks..finally gave up german car ownership and took the plunge with a 2003 wrx with PPP and 43k miles..still getting used to the lack of refinement etc but certainly enjoying the nothing then bang peformance..well actually its not all nothing but have been told that this is due to the PPP making it better low down..however i have one question..

Arent these meant to be reliable??..im already getting a sort of grinding noise on full lcok when turning but most scaringly im getting slight smoke rising from behind the engine..i can see it rising from below where the brake fluid reservoir is and coming through the big airvent in the bonnet..its not there all the time so any ideas what it can be?..i thought these cars were the epitomy of reliability??

thanks in advance fellow owners!!

DARKDESTROYER9

the smoke from behind the engine could be a releasing agent such as wd40 used to free a stuck nut or bolt on the pre delivery inspection. i prev had a e39 m5 bmw and i would definitely have my sti over the m5

rufman

Thanks..hope its something as simple as that..this is an interesting forum and already found some v good info..read the 911 vs wrx post and that was fun..for what its worth i had a 993 c2 and i would defo say theres not much in it although the c2 pulled all the way through without any hold up..off the mark and to about 70ish theres not much in it..although i love the boxer burble..you cant beat the sound of 3.6litres of german clout about 2 ft behind you!!

DARKDESTROYER9

ive never been lucky enough to own a porker nearly brought a boxster s but couldnt justify spending that much on a car with 2 seats and no where near as much fun as impreza type r

cmpequeno

hello,

when I turn full lock to the left I also ear a strange noise.

I can't remember the name but I have a bad gasket on the right cam cover (?), were the spark plugs are, the oil falls in the up pipe and causes smoke... could this be your problem also?

rufman

hello..it does appear to have cleared up now but surely 42k miles on a 2003 model should be a little early for gasket problems?..unless it was a rover..

well it was coming up from the other side anyway so hopefully it wasnt that..cheers for the replies

jasonius

iTrader: (1)

Did you buy from a dealer..? If so get it back to them to check it over. Realizability wise, they are if they're looked after properly, just like any high performance car, but especially one that has a specific capacity of over 130+bhp/ltr.

No need to be paranoid though, just common sense, mechanical sympathy and regular service.

BTW don't get sucked into the Subaru chocolate engine myths on SN..

jasonius

iTrader: (1)

Remember it's a boxer engine so there's a head on either side IYSWIM. Although I doubt this is the reason for either of the issues you mentioned. If the 'smoking' has stopped (and you have checked the engine oil level) the it was probably some overspray as mentioned. Wouldn't worry about it.

rufman

i just realised what i did yesterday morning..i changed the oil and one of the nuts holding the bottom cover in place was very rusty so sprayed lots of wd40 to loosen..thats what it must have been as per one of the replies i got from you guys...how about that for diagnosing the problem to the T!!!

All cleared up now ( I hope) so all is fine..

Am surprised that i had to use part synthetic though..could have sworn this car would have needed fully synthetic but thats what subaru said..

jasonius

iTrader: (1)

OIL, don't mention OIL, for god sake..!

seriously though, subaru use semi and it should be fine, but 'most' use fully (once the motors fully run in >6k) as it is better oil (and not that much dearer).

Do a search for 'oil'. Be prepared for a long read and lots of contradictory BS. Basically the main points are to use the correct grade (10w40 is about ideal for a newage with PPP) and change regularly. Subaru's 10k service schedule should be viewed as the minimum. Most change at 5k doing the interim oil change themselves which keeps the cost down considerably. If you do decide to use fully synthetic in the future you can always supply your own oil for the main dealer service (or reputable specialist service centre).

Hope this helps..

J