05legacygtwagon Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Hello all I am a new member and a new owner of a 2005 legacy gt wagon limited. Purchased the car as I have always wanted a Subaru due to its awd, practicality and what I thought was good reliability. Coming home from Easter brunch today on the highway doing about 65mph I heard what sounded like a rattle from the passenger side of the engine bay and then soon after realized I had almost no power. No cel, engine temp was fine and no other negative indications given. Acceleration was difficult and rattle could be heard whenever I pressed on the gas peddle but was close to home so just limped it home. Got home and checked fluids and they were all fine. Did some research online and got worried after reading so many horror story's of the turbos blowing. Scared to drive it again or even start it up again to listen to it run under the hood. Thinking about having it towed to mechanic tomorrow as I am worried about the turbos yet I am somewhat mechanically inclined and on a budget so hoping it could simply be the catalytic converter in which case I would simply perform replacement myself. Any advice or troubleshooting tips would be greatly appreciated. -New optimistic Subaru owner:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05legacygtwagon Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 Here some additional important information of the car I forgot. Purchased it not even 2 months ago from a dealership in MD, 78k miles, bone stock, car is in great cosmetic condition and what I thought was great mechanical condition. While being inspected before my purchase the oil was changed along with front brake pads and ac belt which Im sure isnt relative but just wanted to provide all possible information I could think of. Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xt2005bonbon Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 While I've never heard it myself, a turbo failure usually sounds like marbles rolling in a tin can. In any case, I would NOT drive the car until you are sure that the turbo is OK. Drop the downpipe and check for any shaft play in the turbine. Do you have any warranty on the car? [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxDLHODQ0Nw]2005 Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT blown turbo - YouTube[/ame] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
car_cursed Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 You could pull the downpipe and check the turbo for shaft play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05legacygtwagon Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 Thanks guys. Weather permitting I will drop the down pipe tomorrow. Could you guys identify a probability of it being turbos vs anything else less significant? Would you recommend taking the car to a dealer or a performance shop. There is a well known subaru performance tuning shop about 10 miles away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xt2005bonbon Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Well, personally if you felt a loss of power + rattling on the passenger side of the engine bay, I have to say that I'd lean towards turbo failure. So I would NOT turn on the engine until you have checked the turbo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05legacygtwagon Posted April 1, 2013 Author Share Posted April 1, 2013 Couldnt a faulty catalytic converter make a similar rattling sound and also result in loss of power? Can you really blow a turbo without showing any cel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oregon OBXT Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Can you really blow a turbo without showing any cel? The ECU would have to have an abnormal condition for a CEL. Lack of boost isn't abnormal from the perspective of the ECU as long as all other parameters are within range. The only code correlating to an imminent turbo fail that I'm aware of is the P0021 which is the PS cam timing, sometimes caused by a clogged banjo bolt filter and also starving the turbo bearing of oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xt2005bonbon Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Couldnt a faulty catalytic converter make a similar rattling sound and also result in loss of power? I guess it could. But the problem is that the only cat in the engine bay is in the up pipe which is connected to the turbo. So if it were to fail, any broken pieces would get sucked in by the turbo. So, no good . Can you really blow a turbo without showing any cel? Yes. there have been some cases on the forum unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05legacygtwagon Posted April 7, 2013 Author Share Posted April 7, 2013 So I am getting car towed to a subaru performance shop tomorrow but am beginning to worry about the motor due to the fact that I continued to drive car home for about 10 miles after losing power. However I have heard that it would be difficult for pieces of turbo to make it into the motor? Any opinions would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt166 Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 You bought it from the dealer 2 months ago? Don't touch the car, call dealer, have it towed there. That's a no brainer. They changed the oil last, if its your turbo unless you went over the oci in 2 months you should be good. Check your state laws. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05legacygtwagon Posted April 7, 2013 Author Share Posted April 7, 2013 Also looking for opinion on turbo replacement. I know this topic has been covered many times before but which is best bet simply for reliability? Would any vf52 or vf 46 improve mpg or reliability? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05legacygtwagon Posted April 7, 2013 Author Share Posted April 7, 2013 I had considered going back to dealership but was oy given a 30 day warranty and didn't feel I had a leg to stand on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt166 Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 I had considered going back to dealership but was oy given a 30 day warranty and didn't feel I had a leg to stand on? Which state are you in? In MA a car under 79999 miles gets a 60 day. Worth checking. Out of interest, did you check your oil levels in those 2 months? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05legacygtwagon Posted April 8, 2013 Author Share Posted April 8, 2013 I'm in md. I don't think we have a similar law? And yes I have checked the oil several times and there was never a problem. Even now after what I think is the turbo blowing and still no problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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