Footie Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 Hi guys... Turbo noob here. I literally just bought my 2005 legacy gt wagon. It ran and drove PERFECT for the test drive and the majority of the hour drive home. I get within a few miles, and long story short, turbo died (not catastrophic failure, but the turbine was definitely contacting the housing). I drove it maybe 20 miles before I knew what had happened, but I was driving very gently. My question is this: what exactly do I need to do to ensure my engine doesn't go next? I've read up a lot on the banjo bolts and oil system. But what is the absolute best way to clean out the engine? Do like 5 oil changes in a 500 mile time span? I've heard bad things about engine flush products. Many thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesA Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 Start by reading the turbo failure FAQ in the sticky post section. Most important, do not drive it or even run the engine until you have done your best to take care of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footie Posted November 15, 2017 Author Share Posted November 15, 2017 Yep, I have read through the turbo failure wiki, but it doesn't explain in detail how to do a successful engine flush. Just that you need to do one. I guess that's my main question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesA Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 You may get lucky, since you did not get a lot of metal particles in the oil yet. Unfortunately, though a flush is a good idea, it is no guarantee you won't have problems later on. Make sure you do the steps in that FAQ. Metal particles in the oil have killed many of these engines. Drain the oil into a clean container. If possible, run the oil through a fine mesh strainer. See what debris you find in the oil. Suggest you remove the oil pan. It is very hard to clean all the metal debris out. You might want to just put on a new oil pan. Replace the oil cooler. It's got too many nooks and crannies to clean out. Remove, clean & replace the banjo bolt filters. Put in fresh, inexpensive 10W-30 oil & filter. Start the engine and let it idle until it comes up to temperature and the fans kick on. Change the oil. You may want to cut your oil filter open to see what it filtered out. Change oil and filter again at 500 miles/1500 miles/3000 miles. Then go back to your standard oil change interval (3750 miles is Subaru recommendation). Keep an eye on your oil pressure if possible. Low oil pressure is a warning sign you may have bearing damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footie Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 Thanks for the info. Definitely planning on getting a new pan and oil cooler. Doing the banjo bolt screens is on my to do list tonight. As well as checking out the OCVs. Any other problem areas that I should check for clogs and filings? I hope to hell I get lucky enough To escape spinning a bearing.... I'm on an extremely tight budget because of this failure and I'd prefer not to do an engine build any time soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesA Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 In this case, the banjo screens may have actually done what they were supposed to and helped you by keeping metal debris out of the OCVs and AVCS cam actuators. The damage can be to main bearings, rod bearings or camshaft journals. You did catch it early, so hopefully you will avoid the worst. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 Blackstone Labs can do a oil sample for you and tell you how bad the oil is. google them. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footie Posted November 17, 2017 Author Share Posted November 17, 2017 So after draining the oil, I have found that it's quite contaminated with filings... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gkinslow Posted November 17, 2017 Share Posted November 17, 2017 I hope you have $4K-$8k sitting around somewhere. You may be able to do a few flushes and get a few thousand more miles out of it, but in all reality every component that oil touches needs to be replaced and/or reworked. Sounds like she's a ticking time bomb in her current condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footie Posted November 18, 2017 Author Share Posted November 18, 2017 Even though the outlook looks grim, I'm going to try like hell to get every last bit of filings out of this thing to attempt to save this motor... I'm fresh out of college and can't really afford a new motor at the moment. Has anyone gotten away with saving theirs from certain death? Or does everyone think I'm doomed here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesA Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 There is always hope. Your turbo did not get to the ball bearings in a blender stage of self-destruction. You caught the problem when you heard the turbo making noise, but who knows how long it has been shedding metal before that. If you had significant metal debris in the oil, some engine damage has already happened. Getting all of the metal debris out is difficult. Several people here did manage to save their engine because they caught it very early and stopped driving immediately. You may be OK for awhile, but be prepared for the worst. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footie Posted November 20, 2017 Author Share Posted November 20, 2017 There is always hope. Your turbo did not get to the ball bearings in a blender stage of self-destruction. You caught the problem when you heard the turbo making noise, but who knows how long it has been shedding metal before that. If you had significant metal debris in the oil, some engine damage has already happened. Getting all of the metal debris out is difficult. Several people here did manage to save their engine because they caught it very early and stopped driving immediately. You may be OK for awhile, but be prepared for the worst. Man, I've been mulling it over in my head since I found the problem. I think u might be ok because the debris was so fine.... But who knows. Thanks for giving me a little more hope. I'll report back once shes running again. Now I'm just trying to decide on a vf40, vf46, or a vf52.... But I'm not sure if I can afford to get a protune or not. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footie Posted December 20, 2018 Author Share Posted December 20, 2018 So, one year and about 10,000 miles later, she's still running strong. Keeping up on regular maintenance and running rotella t6. I ended up buying another 05 legacy gt that had the same exact issue, so hopefully I can save that engine too. Sounds like the previous owner stopped driving it the second they heard what I belive was the turbine contacting the housing, so I'm hopeful this one will survive as well. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted December 22, 2018 Share Posted December 22, 2018 Thanks for the update. Keep us posted on the new one ? 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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