WRX Hawkeye Loss Of Power
 

After some suggestions please as to possible cause of loss of power on my Hawkeye 2006 WRX Prodrive wagon. I have a lack of power in 1st and second gear with a slight hesitation at 2500 - 3000 rpm, 3rd and 4th do not seem too bad but the car definitely has lost its mojo. There are no warning lights, no smoke, no noises, the tick over is even, I have removed oil filler cap and have pressure on tick over but when I rev the car to over 2500 rpm the pressure stops and no sign of smoke at all (so hopefully that dismisses piston ring fail ) Car has covered 55k with good service history and had spark plugs and a replacement MAF at 49k and I always use V Power fuel. A mechanic friend of mine had quick drive of the car and thinks possible boost issue?. I know it is a long shot without proper diagnostics but any suggestion please? If performs more like a 2.0ltr sport than a WRX at the moment. Car is a standard Prodrive WRX.

When my blob 05 wagon lost power,it was the TD04 turbo that was shot.
Mine blew a seal and was leaking oil but didn't smell of oil.
Had to physically look.

Had a quick look by the turbo and looks quite dry and no oil smell but will take the heat shield off tomorrow and have a proper look

You need to look from underneath.
Jack car up and look under turbo.
Mine was one day ok next day complete loss of power.
Only by looking underneath did I see the oil coming from the joint of turbo.
No cel or other warning. Mechanical failure.
Justin

Turbo checked no leaks, wastegate moving freely, have reset ECU and car now running as it should, will monitor and see if problem returns.

Just a thought but have you checked the boost solenoid?

I have cleaned the boost solenoid and pipes with carb cleaner, the solenoid was clean but the pipes were a little dirty but not too bad. Is a boost solenoid expensive to buy?

Matt at MB developments normally has them for about £20.
I don't know if it's the same for the hawk but on my blob the only way I could clean the solenoid was to put the car in test mode using the green connectors under the steering wheel. One I'd done that I could feel it clicking open and closed and got a lot more gunk out of it.

Does your car have an aftermarket airfiter I.e cone / mushroom etc?

Was the MAF a genuine one when you replaced it?

There is an invoice for the MAF being changed Feb 2015 from the previous owner. The MAF is a Denso. The air filter is an OEM standard Subaru panel filter

ECU reset and see if it improves,
could it have been due to the warmer air we have had recently ?

Update, car has been running fine all week but CEL alarm came up P0172 with the car still running fine, have had the alarm cleared . I had fitted prior to this alarm a front strut brace so have had to bend the bracket to move the aircon pipe so the strut brace will fit. Are there any other pipes in this area I could have touched that could of caused this CEL ?

Update, have had the front O2 sensor changed as well as the spark plugs, the management light has gone out but the mechanic can see still a live P0172 alarm on his diagnostic tool. The car is running well but the CEL still exists. The new O2 sensor and plugs have been purchased from Subaru dealer. There are no vacum leaks so unsure where to look now and getting frustrated. The mechanic commented that the spark plugs removed were in good clean condition and showing no sign that the car is running rich!!!

FIXED IT !!!!!!!!!
Neutral Position Switch changed and all now good :thumb:

Well, CEL has come back on but this time showing a P0171 Lean bank 1 historic alarm, previous problems were a P0172 Rich bank 1. There are no vacum/exhaust leaks, injectors removed and tested okay by a specialist, new spark plugs, genuine AFR, lambada sensor and neutral position switch fitted. The car seems to run fine and smooth but when idling it shudders slightly and sometimes revs increase from 700 rpm to 950 rpm. From the cars history the MAF was replaced 5k ago but it is not an OEM but a Denso listed as fitting Jags and Toyota's. Car has been data logged and no issues recorded. Do you think fitting an OEM MAF would be a good next step? Also every alarm shown is always historic shouldn't a current alarm show with the CEL? the CEL comes on usually when idling in traffic.

Downpipe cat broken up and partially blocking the exhaust flow ?

Mick