Project RS

[ScottyB]

Still under factory warranty in case it's worse?

yes! thankfully. it's not terrible right now...i mean i can drive "around" it, but it definitely isn't right. the engine still has great power as far as i can tell.

i'm changing the plugs when i get home from work (drove the X today so the scooby engine will be nice and cold for me ) so i'll know in a day or two.

[BLINGMW]

i'm changing the plugs when i get home from work (drove the X today so the scooby engine will be nice and cold for me ) so i'll know in a day or two.

Just don't completely fill up the engine with diesel fuel this time, ok?

[Evan]

if its still under warranty, personaly Id go to the dealer just so it gets documented now incase it comes back later

[WRXtranceformed]

if its still under warranty, personaly Id go to the dealer just so it gets documented now incase it comes back later

^^^ +1

[ScottyB]

Just don't completely fill up the engine with diesel fuel this time, ok?

oh you went there! you bastard! :lol:

if its still under warranty, personaly Id go to the dealer just so it gets documented now incase it comes back later

yessir, i'm actually going up to the dealer this weekend to grab a few earl filters. i'll make sure they're aware...i'm bringing my old plugs with me too just in case.


well i got the new NGK coppers in and the car runs awesome. feels like "new" i guess you could say. i even lugged the engine around to provoke pinging and it wouldn't do it. lets hope it doesn't tommorow when it's hotter outside.

the old plugs were freaking toasted. they probably should have been replaced 10k miles ago. i'll post a pic up for kicks later.

[Feersty]

Nice to see you are having fun with it. How long did plug replacement take?

[ScottyB]

How long did plug replacement take?

maybe 20 minutes after work, half of which i spent fooling around with some stuff that i had to move out of the way to access the plugs. i was apprehensive but it was very easy.


as for my pinging problem...i am going to the dealer this weekend to ask about it, but i'm pretty positive that it's ECU related. i was running 89 and i filled up with 87 yesterday and it was pinging and popping if i provoked it. so i unplugged the battery last night, resetting the ECU, and then took a drive and romped on it pretty good. my theory was that it would help the ECU "learn" on a much faster curve. i had some initial pinging and breaking up in the upper revs (which i approached pretty carefully) but now it has really smoothed out. i can run to redline without any noticable pinging.

i think the stock subaru mapping takes a while to learn/adapt once reset. something like 300 operational hours before it has fully learned its parameters. i'm hoping that it will continue to smooth out and that it's not just the cold air from last night and this morning.

i've read this is not unheard of in WRX's and STi's either.

[WRXtranceformed]

How long did plug replacement take?

maybe 20 minutes after work, half of which i spent fooling around with some stuff that i had to move out of the way to access the plugs. i was apprehensive but it was very easy.


as for my pinging problem...i am going to the dealer this weekend to ask about it, but i'm pretty positive that it's ECU related. i was running 89 and i filled up with 87 yesterday and it was pinging and popping if i provoked it. so i unplugged the battery last night, resetting the ECU, and then took a drive and romped on it pretty good. my theory was that it would help the ECU "learn" on a much faster curve. i had some initial pinging and breaking up in the upper revs (which i approached pretty carefully) but now it has really smoothed out. i can run to redline without any noticable pinging.

i think the stock subaru mapping takes a while to learn/adapt once reset. something like 300 operational hours before it has fully learned its parameters. i'm hoping that it will continue to smooth out and that it's not just the cold air from last night and this morning.

i've read this is not unheard of in WRX's and STi's either.

Scotty, do a search on NASIOC for "Vishnu Trick." Shiv @ Vishnu developed it as a way to speed up ECU relearning in between reflashes during dyno tuning sessions. This was designed for turbocharged Subarus, but MAY also work on NA cars. It forces your ECU to relearn fully literally within like 30 seconds.

[Andy]

Scotty-How about leaving the car alone? Subaru's are really reliable. If there's an issue, take to the dealer. It's under warranty. I've owned 3 N/A subies and not a single one has had any sort of problems. How much of this is your own paranoia? Also, I think OBD2 cars will retard timing if it senses pinging/knock. If the car drives fine and there's no check engine light, there's probably nothing wrong with the thing.

[ScottyB]

Scotty-How about leaving the car alone?

i'm trying i have a personal issue with an engine that makes bad noises, i want it to be perfect.

I've owned 3 N/A subies and not a single one has had any sort of problems.

cool. i thought you only ever had that outback.

How much of this is your own paranoia?

all of it. i'm paranoid that detonation is going to mess up my engine. i don't know how much detonation a regular engine can take before stuff gets messy but i don't want to push it...which sucks because i like to drive hard.

Also, I think OBD2 cars will retard timing if it senses pinging/knock. If the car drives fine and there's no check engine light, there's probably nothing wrong with the thing.

its OBD2.....i don't know how its NOT retarding timing if i can hear the thing pinging like a tamborine from inside the car. i have no idea what the threshold is for "bad" pinging. this is why i'm going to the dealer -- i want to know if this is acceptable and hopefully i won't get a pat answer like "they all do that, it's fine" so they can brush me off (although if that really is the answer, then so be it).

[Andy]

Is this only in the mornings? Cause all of my subies pistonslap in the mornings. Apparently that's normal. Honestly, we're worried about your longterm mental health.

[ScottyB]

Is this only in the mornings? Cause all of my subies pistonslap in the mornings.

no, after the car fully warmed up. i know what the piston slap sounds like and i have a little of that until the car is warm. i also enjoy the traditional subie ticking and tapping on a cold morning. subies must have the most whack tolerances in the world :lol:

this is definitely pinging.

Honestly, we're worried about your longterm mental health.

THE SNOZZBERRIES TASTE LIKE SNOZZBERRIES!!


i still like my car, i promise. i'm just a pain in the ass.

[Evan]

fwiw, detonation isnt instant death for an engine. I tracked a miata for almost a year with timing accidentally at 24 degrees (and no knock sensor) and what sounded like a can of beans shaking every time the accelerator was touched.

[ScottyB]

fwiw, detonation isnt instant death for an engine. I tracked a miata for almost a year with timing accidentally at 24 degrees (and no knock sensor) and what sounded like a can of beans shaking every time the accelerator was touched.

haha that's awesome! so what killed it eventually?

[Evan]

...well detonation for 45 min straight at WOT does get things toasty so after a while it did score a bearing or two... still ran fine, just with a little less power and more noise

im with Andy though, i beat the everloving piss out of my wrx and it never skipped a beat. but at the same time your car under warranty should run flawless, so if it is in fact pinging then you certainly deserve to have it fixed.

[ScottyB]

i've talked with the dealership and they've heard of NA subies (especially the newer ones) being pretty loose with how much det they run, stock. supposedly STi's run right on the edge too. subaru just likes to run alot of timing from the factory, maybe its for milage these days? either way they told me its not something i should concern myself with. i can run higher octane if i want, which may also give me another mpg or two.

i greased up my STi struts like Shea mentioned (thanks Shea) and hopefully i can chuck them on this saturday without any problems. then an alignment probably next weekend. i may think about a bigger front bar down the road but this is pretty much it for suspension mods.

meeting up a guy on sunday, he's trading the STi catback on his RS for my stock catback. once this is on, and eventually a cheapie borla header (good for a few ponies and sounds awesome) that will be it for the engine stuff...well it should be anyway.

so, aside from one or two more things, the car is almost where i want it.


oh....i wave to WRX owners and they don't wave back my RS isn't good enough

[.RJ]

oh....i wave to WRX owners and they don't wave back my RS isn't good enough

No wing or gold wheels = fail :lol:

[ScottyB]

No wing

wingless is the new hotness.

No gold wheels = fail :lol:

i don't have the baller status to pull off gold anything :lol:

[Beej]

CGM can't pull off gold wheels anyway.

meeting up a guy on sunday, he's trading the STi catback on his RS for my stock catback. once this is on, and eventually a cheapie borla header (good for a few ponies and sounds awesome) that will be it for the engine stuff...well it should be anyway.

Congrats on your first STi logo! You only have like 12 more in various shades of pink before you're a real man.

[ScottyB]

You only have like 12 more in various shades of pink before you're a real man.

it's clear that i'll never become a real man :lol: