Another blown engine - 2005 Legacy 2.5GT Turbo

Oh, where to begin...

 

A year ago, while our son was serving in Afghanistan, my wife was driving his 2005 Legacy 2.5GT Turbo on the highway at 65'ish MPH when it suddenly began acting up. She slowed and pulled to the shoulder just as the engine simply died. There was no warning, no idiot lights, nothing.

 

Had the car towed to dealer where it was determined that there was no oil whatsoever in the engine, the turbo was blown, metal shavings in the oil pan, etc. Car had about 86k miles on it and Subaru said, essentially, "tough luck" and, "how could you have been so stupid as to allow the engine to run out of oil like that?"

 

We towed the car to a shop we know that specializes in Subarus and ultimately decided to spend ~$5,000 to rebuild the engine and install a new Turbo. Crazy, I know, but due to the outstanding loan on the car, it was either sell the hulk for parts and still have to pay off additional $6k loan balance, or pay the same amount to rebuild it and at least have a working car when done.

 

So, here we are, 47 weeks and about 15K miles later. Son is back from Afghan and all is well. Car is acting up a bit recently (see http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/2-5gt-lags-acceleration-162408.html?t=162408 ) but otherwise okay. We have been changing oil and filter religiously since rebuild every 3200-3500 miles; last change was less than 6 weeks ago. Fluids were checked less than 2 weeks ago when car was in shop for problem noted above.

 

My son was driving on highway few days ago when he noticed engine temp rising as he was climbing a long hill... He pulls off at first exit and checks oil. Nothing on dipstick! Adds one, two, ultimately 4 quarts of oil. Drives two more exits, doesn't seem right, so pulls off to a Park & Ride lot at the next exit.

 

Have the car towed and learn that once again, turbo is blown, metal in the oil pan, etc, etc.

 

WTF??

 

The first time this happened, I thought the dealer was right, shame on me for not checking oil level more often; we must have let it run too low or something.

 

But, this time I know better. The oil has been properly maintained since the engine rebuild. There were no oil leaks (nothing on the driveway after parking the car; nothing in the engine compartment, etc). No sign that the engine was burning oil (smoke, odor, etc), even in those very last moments. So, where the heck did the oil go?? Not just once, but twice??

 

And, now what? Why should we be stuck with the cost of another rebuild or the loss of a car on which he still owes $5,200? This sucks so bad and I feel terrible for the kid. It is flat out wrong that this should happen not just once but twice to a vehicle which has been reasonably and even well maintained.

 

It is not clear to me if the new turbo (it was new, purchased from Subaru 47 weeks ago), would have come with a one year warranty. Even if it did, I suspect Subaru will refuse to make good on it. And even at that, I figure the most they will cover is the turbo itself and not all the related engine damage.

 

I don't know what I am looking for here... I am just so freakin' pissed right now...

Interesting. There are many factors involved here in terms of the missing oil. By the sounds of the overheating issue, I suspect a problem where coolant and oil is mixing.

 

 

If the oil did not leak out anywhere then it was either mixed or burned off. Communication between the two is less than optimal and can lead to issues with lubrication. I'm curious to know how good this subaru shop you speak of is...and if they used all new gaskets when rebuilding it....

 

FYI the difference between E and F on the dipstick is 1 quart of oil. Food for thought. Suabru of America considers 1 quart of oil consumption every one-thousand miles normal for the engine.

Make that 1 Qt every 1000 miles is OK.

Was the turbo banjo filter ever checked?

Tough luck but I suspect the shop missed something when rebuilding the engine. Unfortunately, it's kinda hard to speculate on what they did.

 

You should send an e-mail/call Subaru anyway and explain your situation. I mean, assuming you weren't negligent (which it doesn't sound like) there's no reason the engine should have failed in the first place.

Was the turbo banjo filter ever checked?

 

At the first rebuild, the banjo filter was left out. Shop explained that it was responsible for lots of problems and, if I recall correctly (I am not going to swear to this), that Subaru was no longer installing them due to the tendency to plug up and starve the turbo.

Make that 1 Qt every 1000 miles is OK.

 

In what world could anyone put that forth as an acceptable number? I am amazed that a car could even pass emissions testing with that kind of burn rate...

 

Nevertheless, in the four oil/filter changes performed since the rebuild, the oil level never dropped enough to be noticable on the dipstick. As noted, it (oil level) was good just two weeks before the turbo/engine failed.

 

Response to a few other comments:

 

1) I have complete faith in the shop that did the engine rebuild. They are well-known and we have used them on other Subarus, as have friends. I am confidant that all bearings, rings, gaskets, etc, were replaced with new Subaru parts, as was the turbo itsself.

 

2) There is no sign of oil mixed in the coolant.

 

3) When synthetic oil burns, does it show in the exhaust the way regular oil does? All oil changes were with synthetic oil.

First off, congrats on your son being home! I did two tours to Iraq and recently returned home from Afghanistan last July. I commend you for putting up with car problems for your son. I know his stress level over it is probably pretty high. My parents dealt with a similar issue on my Mazdaspeed3 just before I deployed. Threw a rod a week out from my ship date......all stock under the hood.

 

That being said, did the shop offer you any sort of warranty? Calling SOA as some suggest at this point is futile. Once they denied you the first time and you had a private shop do the work they are free of any blame. I would press hard on the local shop that did the rebuild. If they will not fix the car I would go one of two routes. Purchase a used engine complete and have someone put it in, or if you have the ability do it yourself. These engines are extremely easy to remove and install. Second choice, sell the car as it is, eat the cost and have your son put a good sized down payment on another car.....he better have saved some of that money!

 

On a side note where are you located? If you are close to Pittsburgh I would be up for giving a hand to a fellow military family!

Checking the oil on the Subaru is far from easy, and if the car was running the dipstick was not readily accurate.

 

One quart of consumption per 1000 miles is abnormal/high, but not dangerously so. My brand new Honda Civic SI (back in 2006-2008) drank 1 quart every 1500 miles for 26k miles - now at 106k miles, it's still running like a top.

 

Committing to these cars once the engine blows is a big step. $5000 seems steep, and you should have a 1 year warranty on that engine from the installer (my own feeling, don't know if you do).

 

Consider ridding yourself of the car with a blown engine and taking the hit - it might sell for $4-5k - but it might only be worth $10-11k even with a brand new engine, so it's not like you'd be losing a ton of money by selling it blown.

 

Sorry for your experiences - everyone has at least one lemon car in their life, right?

In what world could anyone put that forth as an acceptable number? I am amazed that a car could even pass emissions testing with that kind of burn rate...

 

In an engine with vertical or close to vertical pistons, oil drains down to the oil pan when the engine is turned off. With a flat 4, oil pools on a side of the combustion chamber. Depending on how often the car is turned off and started, I would imagine that this could cause some oil to burn off between changes.

Committing to these cars once the engine blows is a big step. $5000 seems steep, and you should have a 1 year warranty on that engine from the installer (my own feeling, don't know if you do).

 

Consider ridding yourself of the car with a blown engine and taking the hit - it might sell for $4-5k - but it might only be worth $10-11k even with a brand new engine, so it's not like you'd be losing a ton of money by selling it blown.

 

Sorry for your experiences - everyone has at least one lemon car in their life, right?

 

The rebuilder gave us a 12,000 mile / 12 month warranty. We are outside the miles window but inside the time window. The car is in his shop now; waiting to see what he says about it. Honestly, I don't see him eating the cost of another rebuild unless he can find a way to drag Subaru into it.

 

Bad turbo? This shop tells me that for every two turbos they buy from Subaru they send at least one back because they don't like the way it looks or feels.

 

PS: Here in Connecticut, everything is steep.

Where in CT do you live ?

 

 

A lot of manufactures give the 1000miles per Qt as there limits on oil consumption. I got that from the auto motive section in the Saturday Hartford Current. There is a colume there where people can ask questions. This topic comes up from time to time.

 

Good Luck

 

Hey OP, BTW there is a guy on the forum here that may be able to save you some money on your insurance. He happens to have a SpecB too. All things don't have to be expensive here in this great state.

Where in CT do you live ?

 

 

A lot of manufactures give the 1000miles per Qt as there limits on oil consumption. I got that from the auto motive section in the Saturday Hartford Current. There is a colume there where people can ask questions. This topic comes up from time to time.

 

Good Luck

VW told me the same thing when my GTI was using almost 1QT every 1000 miles. It's totally normal to them, although I found it a bit high as well.

VW told me the same thing when my GTI was using almost 1QT every 1000 miles. It's totally normal to them, although I found it a bit high as well.

 

VW was one of the companies named in the article, but I didn't want to name name's.

VW was one of the companies named in the article, but I didn't want to name name's.

Ah yes, my 2.0T was quite an oil eater, especially when it was modded.

What kind of synthetic were you using and what filter?

same thing pretty much just happened to me except no blown turbo. Subaru place said that i need to be adding oil regularly because the turbo is burnin my oil. I dont know what to do, rebuild or sell.

Apologies for not coming back to this sooner.

 

Turns out neither turbo nor engine destroyed after all. However huge problems still remain. See this related thread for details: http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/2-5gt-lags-acceleration-162408.html

MOD EDIT: Posted this for jbro, he just joined today and I think he "reported" versus "quoted" a post in here.

 

Welcome jbro!!!

 

my 2005 2.5 Gt Legacy Subaru had a blown turbo last 5/2014. I had it replaced at a reputable shop that works on tons of Subarus. Now, the turbo is blown again (8 months later) with metal shavings in the turbine and inner cooler. They are removing the intake manifold to check the engine next. Question: what would cause a NEW Subaru turbo to go out so quickly? This car is not driven hard. To work and back = 40 miles/day. After the new turbo was installed, it did not "boost" as when the car was new- other than that it seemed fine. Question: is it worth repairs if shavings are in the engine? Question: is it possible that this turbo blew so quickly because it was not installed correctly

MOD EDIT: Posted this for jbro, he just joined today and I think he "reported" versus "quoted" a post in here.

 

Welcome jbro!!!

 

my 2005 2.5 Gt Legacy Subaru had a blown turbo last 5/2014. I had it replaced at a reputable shop that works on tons of Subarus. Now, the turbo is blown again (8 months later) with metal shavings in the turbine and inner cooler. They are removing the intake manifold to check the engine next. Question: what would cause a NEW Subaru turbo to go out so quickly? This car is not driven hard. To work and back = 40 miles/day. After the new turbo was installed, it did not "boost" as when the car was new- other than that it seemed fine. Question: is it worth repairs if shavings are in the engine? Question: is it possible that this turbo blew so quickly because it was not installed correctly

 

This is what happens when we tell people to search

 

Turbo blew because the first one had already shredded metal bits into the oil and contaminated the entire motor. Naturally, they make their way into the new turbo and slowly kill it. Your motor and turbo are toast. See my Shopping List and rebuild thread for a brief glimpse of what your future will look like. . .

 

Obligatory #YouNeedANewShortblock.

 

*drops mic*

hahaahah! I knew you would be here in a flash Tris!!!

hahaahah! I knew you would be here in a flash Tris!!!

 

My #ynansb ESP was tingling. .

 

Yeah, you guys really should take the New Posts/iSpy button out of my top runner. I can't help myself, it's like a disease.

 

Shit, you should have just forwarded me the quote as a PM, made it all personalized service like. Something we strive for, here at LGT.com

This sounds like an appropriate question for myself and "another blown engine". As I have blown a second turbo on my 2005 Legacy GT ltd wagon--and this time also took out the lower cooling system and engine....how much can I expect to salvage selling my 2005 as is?...and...who would I call/find to buy my non op car? 154,000 miles on engine with 'likely metal filings'. I am exasperated:eek:

$1500 would net a buyer pretty quick. You honestly won't get much more than that.

thanks for your input--I was offered $1400 immediately--wondered if more...(hoping I should say) Now getting out the old Land Rover to drive...