WRX Smoke Screen, Oil Consumption and Codes
01-13-2011, 05:56 PM
#1
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WRX Smoke Screen, Oil Consumption and Codes
Hey guys. I'm working on pop's 2004 wrx. It's completely stock with 120k and he drives like grandma. It broke a month ago and he's been too lazy to take it to the shop and i got tired of looking at it sit in the same spot.
Symptoms are oil consumption, billowing smoke at idle and while driving, no power, smoking turbo, Codes P0301, P0302 and P0304.
I bought a turbo rebuilt kit and rebuilt the turbo. Put it back in and the same symptoms are present. No oil in the coolant and the coolant level hasn't changed. No coolant in the oil.
Any ideas? He did the timing belt at the dealership around 100k but it's been fine since then.
Any help would be appreciated.
Symptoms are oil consumption, billowing smoke at idle and while driving, no power, smoking turbo, Codes P0301, P0302 and P0304.
I bought a turbo rebuilt kit and rebuilt the turbo. Put it back in and the same symptoms are present. No oil in the coolant and the coolant level hasn't changed. No coolant in the oil.
Any ideas? He did the timing belt at the dealership around 100k but it's been fine since then.
Any help would be appreciated.
Last edited by thumperf350; 01-13-2011 at 06:21 PM.
01-13-2011, 09:47 PM
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Ouch! Any advise on the first steps in confirming this. 120k miles on a subaru is nothing. That would be a bummer but I guess it is what it is. Also it is possible that I pooched the turbo rebuild. I don't want to rule that out.
Last edited by thumperf350; 01-13-2011 at 09:50 PM.
01-14-2011, 05:56 PM
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To check the motor you'll have to do a compression and leakdown test. That will tell you if the motor has gone or not.
As for rebuilding the turbo. Have you ever done that before? Was this the original turbo? Td04? If this is the original turbo, I wouldn't try rebuilding it. Just buy a new one. Td04's are cheap and typically only last for about 100,000 miles.
I had a vf34 on my car before. The oil seals went on the turbo, both sides. Let me tell you, that puppy smoked like I have never seen something smoke before in my life. I swapped on a brand new vf48 and couldn't be happier. No smoke anymore. Had to change my plugs and run the car for a few weeks and it smoked for a little while, but nothing like when my turbo let go.
As for rebuilding the turbo. Have you ever done that before? Was this the original turbo? Td04? If this is the original turbo, I wouldn't try rebuilding it. Just buy a new one. Td04's are cheap and typically only last for about 100,000 miles.
I had a vf34 on my car before. The oil seals went on the turbo, both sides. Let me tell you, that puppy smoked like I have never seen something smoke before in my life. I swapped on a brand new vf48 and couldn't be happier. No smoke anymore. Had to change my plugs and run the car for a few weeks and it smoked for a little while, but nothing like when my turbo let go.
01-14-2011, 07:28 PM
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Awesome! There's a bit of hope at least. I've never rebuilt a turbo before. I'm pretty mechanical but this was my first time. The turbo still smoking tells me that it is still a problem and will need to be replaced even if the motor is done. Maybe I'll start with a new/newer turbo and go from there. Thanks for the response!
01-27-2011, 08:34 PM
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Update: I replaced the turbo with one off of a working wrx. The smoke coming from the turbo I'm assuming is the small amount of coolant spilled when disconnecting/reconnecting the coolant line. I also replaced the spark plugs in the car. A few of the plugs were only finger tight when I removed them. After installing the turbo and changing the plugs I fired the car up and no smoke for about 2 minutes but then the smoke screen came right back and the check engine light came on. Misfire in cylinder 4. All power is still lost and it's still idling a little rough.
02-11-2011, 02:45 PM
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If anybody has any ideas please chime in. Here is the newest update. I replaced the turbo as mentioned in the posting above. I drained the oil to look for metal and it was clean. Changed the filter and the Oil. Ran the car again for just over an hour stopping it every 15-20 minutes to check the oil and coolant levels (stayed constant). The smoke was noticeable but nothing crazy like before unless i gave it throttle. Then the smoke would start pouring out again. The idle is a little rough. Some of the power is back. I don't know what's causing the smoke other than residual in the pipes and cats that needs to burn off. How long could this take?
02-11-2011, 09:17 PM
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stock replacement turbo with 60k on it that came out of a working car. compression check next i guess. hoping for the best. any recommendations on a compression gauge?
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