Carmania24

Ah okay. So no matter what angle, it is hard to tell unless I take it to a mechanic.

Thanks for the comment. Ah I see. I am running the USDM ECU. Turbo seems to be fine. I never had an issue with it since I had the turbo. I could get a rebuilt one off hill country for $450 worst case scenario. Not sure what I want to do. The shop still wants me to bring it in to ensure it is a rod knock (to me and others it most definitely sounds like one). Makes sense now, random loss of power, hesitation, jittery turbo gauge (that started happening the same day I got the tune).

Thanks for the response..ah I see. But either way sounds like my motor is done?

Thanks for the comment. When it first happened I did pay someone to do the work. Sadly I do not have anywhere to do the work myself. I could try to do it at my buddies place but not sure if I could do it there. I would have to talk to him first...I was ready to get some power out of it. I should buy a new ECU too? Since it was a pro-tune. Also, yes $900 is way better than $5K but not sure when I would have the time to do it with my upcoming very hectic summer schedule. I guess an extra $200 for a motor is not bad. I just hope I can cancel my turbo order. Also, would a knock/spun bearing cause a CEL to come on?

But howwww? I spent so much money just under 22 months ago. May seem like a long time ago but for me it is not. I seriously can't stand this sh*t anymore.

I will message him the links, thanks. Thanks for the response, honestly I can't really tell if it sounds as bad. When I am in the car door open, doing small revs it does not sound that bad. Not sure if y'all heard the pop in one of the videos? But save to assume it does not sound like a good motor anymore.

This was short lived. Engine threw a rod...time to go jump off a cliff.

Update y'all...sounds like rod knock. I will be jumping off a cliff now. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1cOd-4qKYd4TdQOZFWh3lWCsCAiWqLxa8 https://drive.google.com/open?id=1kLBkcjWGMiSV9U8lwn4IJKopAgPL5hqk

Still trying to get that figured out. The shop that did my tune has very limited staff and hours and now their mechanic is not working at all either. But according to others on that thread, seems like it’s the turbo, catalytic converter, injectors, or fuel pump. The shop also mentioned that when I talked to them. But once they are fully operational I will be taking it back to them. In the mean time I’m trying to find a shop around me that specializes in Subaru’s. Coolant and oil levels are good, and they don’t appear to be mixed together which is a good sign. I think if it’s none of those, it’s most likely the tune.

Thanks for the detailed response! I will look into *maybe* getting top feed injectors as well. Thank you for the response! I will look into this. Thanks for the response. And thanks, I hope I can get it back too. I’m not sure it’s bad, but I wanted to always upgrade it anyways, and I finally have enough time and money saved up to do it. I might be able to salvage the old turbo and sell it cheap to get some money back. LOL, Yes sorry that is what I meant. I will fix my signature.

Thank you! Will post updates on my progress.

Thank you. So I should go for 740CC by Deatschwerks? And should I upgrade my fuel pump while I am at it? Thank you! I do have a catless up pipe already. Everything else does not seem very hard to get. The only thing is since I have the EJ20X bottom end I am not sure if Cobb would work very well with my car. I reached out to AntSpec to see what they think--if dyno or cobb AP would be better. Y'all are awesome. Much thanks for the constant help and support!

Thanks for the reply. I pulled the trigger just now!! So excited. Thanks for the response. I will most certainly give it a review, it should be in my hands in 4-5 weeks. Also, just confirm for the power goals I want, I do not need to upgrade anything else (I will probably get a downpipe)? Such as fuel, etc. Edit: If I DO need to upgrade, would 650CC injectors plus a walbro 255 fuel pump be enough to safely handle 18-19PSI? Car is currently at 15PSI..when working that is.

http://hillcountryforcedinductions.com/rhf55-ihi-vf52/ I am going to be getting this in red on Friday and I am also doing the billet upgrade...thoughts/opinion anyone? Thanks.

Nice! Congrats and welcome to the club!

Fingers crossed. I am beyond pissed I did contact them already as well as my bank. I am so angry and sad.

Me too..too bad it won't happen anytime soon. Just saw someone in the group where I made an ISO post and they posted the profile of the same person who sold me the turbo...called the seller a scammer and said they stopped responding to messages and never sent the item. I never heard from the person either after I sent payment. They're ignoring my messages now too. What great luck I am having.

Thanks for the response I will update it. I found someone who is selling a VF52 and has less than 8k miles on the turbo no shaft play, looks brand new. I bought it.

Thanks for the comment. Good thing I asked! Would something like this be a good option too? http://hillcountryforcedinductions.com/rhf55-ihi-vf52/ Thanks for the comment. IMO I would like a heat shield too for the new turbo, but will decide when the time comes.

Thank you for your comments. I will reach out to him.

Thanks for the response. I have heard great things about him no doubt about that. I will message him and see if he has any laying around. This one I found off eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/SUBARU-IHI-RHF55-VF52-WRX-LEGACY-14411AA800-NIB-Genuine-IHI-Turbo-charger/282818409266 Seller ratings are good. Uses Genuine housing. Thought I would ask before I jump the gun. Thanks for the response. I will reach out to him and see if he has any laying around and if so how much he would want. I just want to confirm that the VF52 will work with my current manifold, up-pipe, and downpipe? Thanks everyone!

Thanks for the response. To be honest, not really sure if it’s worth rebuilding. Actually, not even sure if it can be rebuilt. I found a rebuilt VF52 with 1 year warranty for $400. I did want to get a little more power out of it eventually so if I do have to replace the turbo I’d rather do it now than later on.

Thank you for the response. The car is pushing about 15PSI right now which I am happy with, except the fact my turbo may be dead now, but anywho if the VF52 is a plug and play with a re-flash I will probably go that route. Any suggestions on where I should get one--the VF52? Thanks for the response. Awesome! I am the person that prefers to go with more reliability by compromising HP. I was very satisfied where my car was and the pickup before this whole thing happened.

Thank you for the comment. I will most likely get the car retuned after replacing the turbo no matter which one I go with just to play it safe. I do not mind spending a little extra to make it run better. Thanks for your comment. So in your opinion, should I go with a VF52 instead? I forget if those are a direct replacement? If I do this should I upgrade my injectors and fuel pump as well? Gotcha, I will add that in. Mine is a 2005. Thanks for the comment, only reason I ask is because I have seen a few posts where people have had more issues with the VF38 than the Vf44. But then again, every turbo is different. Thanks for the comment, I will look more into which one to get. And yes I just want to get my car checked first and if it does end up being the turbo I want to upgrade it. I do need the money just incase it ends up costing a good amount to get the car fixed. Thank you all!

Thanks for the comment. Is it true that the Vf38's are unreliable compared to a VF44? Also, I found this: https://www.mvpmotorsports.com/avo-turboworld/avo-turboworld-downpipe/s1303g3la001t/i-2448208.aspx The only thing is I am not sure if the mounts/bends are the same as a 5EAT downpipe.