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You want your car to not blow up, I want my car to not blow up, but we drive Subarus, so it’s something we worry about. But why? What is it that creates the memes, and gives the brand such a bad name in terms of reliability? Most of the time, it’s bad maintenance. I tell literally everyone who is thinking about buying a Subaru this: they are particular, and require more attentive care than other brands, ESPECIALLY when modified. So before you read this, make sure you have a good baseline of maintenance (We wrote an article on that too, go check it out then come back).
Now that you have a good maintenance schedule, there’s other things that can go wrong, especially when you drive the car hard. Subarus have weak points from the factory, and I’m going to go over the main ones here, and the mods that can be done to remove those weak points.
For WRXs, after bad maintenance, the main engine killers are ringland failure and oil starvation. If someone tells you that it’s head gaskets, ask them if they can tell you the difference between an MLS and SLG head gasket.
Oil Starvation:
This is a simple one: oil doesn’t go where it needs to. WRXs, especially the models with EJ engines, are prone to two pickup tube related faults. First, lateral g-forces experienced when taking sharp curves at a high speed can pull the oil to one side of the pan, starving the pickup tube. Second, the braising on the pickup tube can crack, causing the pickup tube to pull air instead of oil. The simple fix is to install an aftermarket pickup tube and oil pan baffle. KillerB is the go to brand for most people. I would also recommend an oil pressure gauge if you’re paranoid like me.
Ringland Failure:
This is a multifaceted issue normally caused by excessive predetonation. Predetonation is fuel igniting when it’s not supposed to. Weak spark, running lean from the factory, and fuel contamination often work together to cause this problem. A grounding mod and good quality iridium spark plugs fixes the weak factory grounds and helps ensure strong spark and complete combustion. I myself, and many others that I know, had a random misfire until we installed grounding mods, and the best part is, you’re only a couple clicks from one right now ;). Ensure that you’re using the octane recommended by Subaru, and install an air oil separator (AOS). The factory AOS system sucks, and still lets oil get into the intake. Vapor from this oil hinders complete and reliable ignition in the combustion chamber, and can cause predonation. While none of these mods require a tune, it’s important to get one from a reputable tuner who knows Subarus well. This will fix the car running lean under boost from the factory, and potentially get you a little more power if that’s what you want. If you aren’t sure what your tuning options are for your specific model, check out our guide coming soon.
As always, if you have any questions about your specific vehicle feel free to reach out via the website or any social media platform we are on!