Oh and big one I forgot, it has forged pistons
Grrr I am so frustrated!!
So I bought my 2007 wrx sti from the worst place on earth: Lithia.
Unfortunately for me, it is the exact one I wanted, so I didn't have a whole lot of choice in who to buy it from.
On my way home after signing the paperwork, the car starts overheating. Up to the red, then to the H, then past the H. I pulled over, let it cool down and started again. By the time i got home, it was past the H again. Lithia said to bring it by and they will fix it. They theoretically replaced the thermostat and the whole radiator because they said half of the radiator wasn't working.
I took it home, and it worked great...for a week. 7 days later, the needle starts moving again. This time it doesn't even reach the 3/4 line, but I know it should not be moving at all. So I take it back. They work on it some more and consult Southern Oregon Subaru who says they needed to jack the front of the car up when bleeding or burping or whatever the coolant system. They do this supposedly and the car all of a sudden works great.... for a week.
During that week I find out that whoever owned this car before me had an accessport installed but didn't have the courtesy to unmarry it or leave it in the car when they sold it. BUT they had debadged the trunk and put a FlexFuel e85 badge on it. This made my friend who knows a lot about these cars nervous saying that if it has a e85 tune and I am running anything else in it, my motor will blow up (The closest place that sells e85 is like 100 miles away). So I have no choice but to purchase a used accessport for the sole purpose of double marrying and unmarrying so that FTW tuning in Eugene can perform an open source tune.
On the way to eugene, the needle goes back up to 3/4. I ask them, they say that it shouldn't move at all. They diagnose it, and find that the coolant is low, and when I tell them that Lithia lifted the front end of the car to do whatever, they freak out and tell me to never let them touch this car again. They presume it is an improper coolant flush, and do one for me.
A week later the needle starts moving again. I take it to lithia demanding that they sublet it to southern oregon subaru. Subaru has it for two days and tells me that the radiator cap and the upper bin cap had at some point been switched. They tell me that they operate at different pressures and is likely the cause of the problem. On the way home from that, the needle was moving but only a needle width or less at a time.
Now a week later, the needle is again moving, and I am at a loss. I have no idea what to do, I have already done so much to this car by the way of stereo, tinting taillights, roof rack for snowboarding, ordered grillcraft grill, mud flaps.
The needle doesn't stay hot, it usually goes back down. It seems to get hot when I am boosting heavy, go over a big bump relatively fast, or when I am idling.
Sorry for the incredibly long story, but any ideas what the heck is wrong with my car??
As far as mods, I have a stock STI with a catback, Wastegate exhaust dump tube that opens at 7 lbs, Cobb downpipe, Air intake, short shifter, and I think that's it...
Sincerely
Craig Carpenter
Unfortunately for me, it is the exact one I wanted, so I didn't have a whole lot of choice in who to buy it from.
On my way home after signing the paperwork, the car starts overheating. Up to the red, then to the H, then past the H. I pulled over, let it cool down and started again. By the time i got home, it was past the H again. Lithia said to bring it by and they will fix it. They theoretically replaced the thermostat and the whole radiator because they said half of the radiator wasn't working.
I took it home, and it worked great...for a week. 7 days later, the needle starts moving again. This time it doesn't even reach the 3/4 line, but I know it should not be moving at all. So I take it back. They work on it some more and consult Southern Oregon Subaru who says they needed to jack the front of the car up when bleeding or burping or whatever the coolant system. They do this supposedly and the car all of a sudden works great.... for a week.
During that week I find out that whoever owned this car before me had an accessport installed but didn't have the courtesy to unmarry it or leave it in the car when they sold it. BUT they had debadged the trunk and put a FlexFuel e85 badge on it. This made my friend who knows a lot about these cars nervous saying that if it has a e85 tune and I am running anything else in it, my motor will blow up (The closest place that sells e85 is like 100 miles away). So I have no choice but to purchase a used accessport for the sole purpose of double marrying and unmarrying so that FTW tuning in Eugene can perform an open source tune.
On the way to eugene, the needle goes back up to 3/4. I ask them, they say that it shouldn't move at all. They diagnose it, and find that the coolant is low, and when I tell them that Lithia lifted the front end of the car to do whatever, they freak out and tell me to never let them touch this car again. They presume it is an improper coolant flush, and do one for me.
A week later the needle starts moving again. I take it to lithia demanding that they sublet it to southern oregon subaru. Subaru has it for two days and tells me that the radiator cap and the upper bin cap had at some point been switched. They tell me that they operate at different pressures and is likely the cause of the problem. On the way home from that, the needle was moving but only a needle width or less at a time.
Now a week later, the needle is again moving, and I am at a loss. I have no idea what to do, I have already done so much to this car by the way of stereo, tinting taillights, roof rack for snowboarding, ordered grillcraft grill, mud flaps.
The needle doesn't stay hot, it usually goes back down. It seems to get hot when I am boosting heavy, go over a big bump relatively fast, or when I am idling.
Sorry for the incredibly long story, but any ideas what the heck is wrong with my car??
As far as mods, I have a stock STI with a catback, Wastegate exhaust dump tube that opens at 7 lbs, Cobb downpipe, Air intake, short shifter, and I think that's it...
Sincerely
Craig Carpenter
1 - 10 of 10 Posts
I guess another thing to point out is that FTW in Eugene pointed out that the head gaskets looked brand new from a cursory glance under the car. They sounded very convinced that they were new and not just really well cleaned on the outside.
Thats interesting, so supposedly they replaced the radiator and the thermostat but the needle is going up saying that its over heating?? Is there possibly any leaks or indication that the fan isnt working? Would you happen to have any pics of your engine or a vid of the needle?
A visual might help me and others :domo:
:domo:
A visual might help me and others :domo:
:domo:Well I'll get some pics when it's light out and try to get a video, but one thing I just noticed:
The overflow bin is to the full line, the radiator is almost exactly full, but the upper bin is almost completely empty... Is that normal?
The overflow bin is to the full line, the radiator is almost exactly full, but the upper bin is almost completely empty... Is that normal?
If you drive completely out of boost does it stay in line? What I am sensing here is that the head gasket was done because it was pushing coolant, or after the head gasket was done (for w.e reason), the car started pushing coolant and the prev owner traded it in.
Dumb question, but is the gauge or temp sensor bad?
The turbo coolant reservoir should be full
I'm guessing a bad head gasket install.
A note on Accessports. To my knowledge, simply buying an Accessport won't let you unmarry them since they're individually married (the Accessport the PO had is the only one that will connect and unmarry). I believe you have to send your ECU to Cobb to have them perform the unmarry. Also, wherever that AP ended up, it will also have to be sent to Cobb since it is married to your ECU.
A note on Accessports. To my knowledge, simply buying an Accessport won't let you unmarry them since they're individually married (the Accessport the PO had is the only one that will connect and unmarry). I believe you have to send your ECU to Cobb to have them perform the unmarry. Also, wherever that AP ended up, it will also have to be sent to Cobb since it is married to your ECU.
I am at lithia now, they are sending my car back o subaru to fix it.. But not until Monday...
My understanding is that with accessports, you can double marry over the other unit and unmarry both of them that way. That must be the case because it worked when he did it.
My understanding is that with accessports, you can double marry over the other unit and unmarry both of them that way. That must be the case because it worked when he did it.
1 - 10 of 10 Posts
- This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
IW STi Forum
A forum community dedicated to Subaru Impreza and STI owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, engine builds, exhaust, modifications, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Recommended Communities
