2.5GT Turbo Oil Supply Banjo Bolt Filter Removal

[bosco]

700 hundred posts about an oil filter that no one even knew about until they read this thread.

 

 

 

change your oil regularly and get a life.

 

 

 

 

[rporter]

700 hundred posts about an oil filter that no one even knew about until they read this thread.

 

 

 

change your oil regularly and get a life.

 

 

 

 

 

+1

 

On my list of "maintenance items" it's at the bottom.......meaning it will never get done!!

 

Just another item for the paranoid car enthusiast to fret over.

 

Of course, my car will be sold in a few weeks, and among the threads that I will recommend to the new owner, this ain't one of 'em!!

[mccorry]

When I pull my motor this spring (to swap the FW/Clutch/PP), I'm planning on pulling the filter to inspect, clean (if necessary), and re-install.

[MikeAldea]

I'm curious as to why there would be more issues with these turbos vs all of the Subaru turbo cars of say the 1990's. I've had two Legacy Sport sedans back then, both with super high miles on the original turbo and subscribed to [then] Performance Car Magazine from the UK (before there was mainstream internet) that covered Subarus on a regular basis and turbo failures were never an issue with Subaru.

 

So why the screen in the first place if previous Subaru turbo cars had no widespread turbo problems, either due to maintenance neglect or otherwise?

 

Are the turbochargers today THAT much different? Were the older turbos more durable when it came to oil cleanliness then the new ones? Why the screen NOW?

 

One thing that is NOT debatable is that if you are buying a USED Subaru Turbo car, at least checking the screen should be done in the first 10 seconds after purchasing the car and you have it at your house!

 

For all we know the screen may have been standard practice on Subaru Turbos in the past. But because there was no notable problem with those turbos nobody was ever aware of the screen.

[mikeslgt]

OK, read this entire thread...why? My turbo is moaning AND a CEL with flashing cruise light...you know what the code was? well, i'll tell you, AVCS timing issue...recommend checking oil to solenoid (the BB screen). Now, i've put 25k on this car, a DD, all highway bought it with 80k miles, changed oil every 3-3.5k using whatever's on sale. no synthetics as i won't waste synthetic every 3k miles. Oil always looked clean, i think IIRC. Oh, and as far as usage, normal, highway driving and cooldowns. i love this car, it's babied mostly and get on it when needed. If gas was cheaper i'd be on it more, for sure.

 

Now, here's the interesting part. the last two changes were with NAPA oil. supposedly made by valvoline. I find it ironic both problems may involve these screens at the same time after i started using NAPA oil. The root cause is as yet to be determined...updates to follow

[jackfortune]

Consistently running Mobil 1 synthetic every 3750 and using the high psi bypass filter (Subaru oem or Mazda #N3R1-14-302) are less expensive than replacing a turbo or, if not, at least amortize the expense over a long period....thereby reducing the apparent economic pain....the Mazda filter may be the best available for our cars....Subaru has been having problems with its filter supplier....my mechanic received a bad batch of Subaru oem's last month....go a couple of weeks and then start leaking oil around the gasket....threads not machined properly....

[BAC5.2]

For all we know the screen may have been standard practice on Subaru Turbos in the past. But because there was no notable problem with those turbos nobody was ever aware of the screen.

 

The older ones didn't have screens.

[FrozenNorthLGT]

NAPA and Mobil 1 oil........RAO your thoughts please...

[ktm200]

Hey everyone, just picked up an 09' legacy GT. Wondering if these cars have the same problems as the older turbo models with the oil feed line filters? Anyone know where I can find them in the "vacation pix"? Thanks

[Fossil2k2]

Hey everyone, just picked up an 09' legacy GT. Wondering if these cars have the same problems as the older turbo models with the oil feed line filters? Anyone know where I can find them in the "vacation pix"? Thanks

 

well since you know what to look for, a search would probably work well.

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/wants-see-my-vacation-pixi-6216.html

[ktm200]

No, I have the vacation pix already just can't seem to find the banjo bolts within them. Are they called something different?

[Fossil2k2]

they are pretty clearly shown on page 1115 of my "photo album". They aren't called out very clearly tho. For some reason I thought the filter was eliminated by 2009.

[vr4Legacy]

Post #678 in this thread has a member with an '08 that confirmed they are in the lines with the new(er) turbo. I doubt they were removed with the rest of the 4th Gen (07-09)

[mikeslgt]

OK, read this entire thread...why? My turbo is moaning AND a CEL with flashing cruise light...you know what the code was? well, i'll tell you, AVCS timing issue...recommend checking oil to solenoid (the BB screen). Now, i've put 25k on this car, a DD, all highway bought it with 80k miles, changed oil every 3-3.5k using whatever's on sale. no synthetics as i won't waste synthetic every 3k miles. Oil always looked clean, i think IIRC. Oh, and as far as usage, normal, highway driving and cooldowns. i love this car, it's babied mostly and get on it when needed. If gas was cheaper i'd be on it more, for sure.

 

Now, here's the interesting part. the last two changes were with NAPA oil. supposedly made by valvoline. I find it ironic both problems may involve these screens at the same time after i started using NAPA oil. The root cause is as yet to be determined...updates to follow

 

UPDATE: Guardian Warranty co is running and hiding from me....literally. they won't pay the claim. live and learn. the only reason i would consider getting an aftermarket extended 'warranty' is for the turbo, the rest of the car is a subaru, man! not my greatest moment. so, looks like an out of pocket job! Won't be recommending them to anyone. and the dealer that sold it to me won't take responsibility for their end either. money worshippers...sell your soul for a buck! whatever happened to good business, taking responsibility for yourself, being good to the customer and the repeat business will come back in spades.

 

nahhh, just throw this one away since there's another sucker in line.... i don't understand it. of course, it's my fault for doing business with them in the first place, i guess:soap_box:

[Subadozer]

UPDATE: Guardian Warranty co is running and hiding from me....literally. they won't pay the claim.

On what basis are they denying the claim?

 

whatever happened to good business, taking responsibility for yourself, being good to the customer and the repeat business will come back in spades.

It's ignorance and short-sightedness. The dealer I bought my XT from wouldn't make good on rotors that were shot and ruining the pads or reimbursing me for the CV boots I had replaced at the Subaru dealer after their service adviser told me to take it there and the warranty would cover the cost.

[lowwill]

Wow what dealer in CT did you buy the warrenty from. Dont say A Better Way in Naugy. The only reason I bought the warrenty is for the turbo also.

[mikeslgt]

Longmeadow auto in Pomfret.

 

Did you buy a Guardian powertrain warranty? If you did they won't cover the turbo. Under the powertrain warranty you pay a surcharge for the turbo to cover the rest of the powertrain. you need to buy a standard warranty which is more comprehensive (and $400 more) to get the warranty covered. if i had known i wouldn't have bothered!

[mikeslgt]

On what basis are they denying the claim?

 

I explained it in the post about which dealer i bought it from above^.

 

 

GTTuner (what a guy) is looking into the true diagnosis ... it appears that sometimes a spun bearing will cause turbo failures and codes P0011 and P0021 such as my symptoms.

 

The dealer i bought it from who i had to use for warranty coverage doesn't know these cars will enough to properly diagnose. Charged me an hours labor to read the codes and see if the turbo would spin:spin::spin::spin:

[hadvw]

Longmeadow auto in Pomfret.

 

Did you buy a Guardian powertrain warranty? If you did they won't cover the turbo. Under the powertrain warranty you pay a surcharge for the turbo to cover the rest of the powertrain. you need to buy a standard warranty which is more comprehensive (and $400 more) to get the warranty covered. if i had known i wouldn't have bothered!

 

Having bought a couple of these aftermarket warranties (Lubrico, other), this is standard practice - you pay extra for a turbo.. Sometimes the warranties are ok, sometimes not. I got a pretty good deal when they covered A/C compressor + condenser for my Corrado. For my GTI, I don't think I ever used it (always other stuff breaking!).

[planelazy]

Noob question...

 

But what's the harm in removing the filter from the banjo bolt and installing one or two inline oil filters?

[05LegacyGt09]

Has anybody removed the filter in the banjo bolt and there turbo has not died yet? Got a new vf40 then a week later and it died. Subaru dealer said a lack of oil caused it to fail. Hopefully they will warranty me another one, and will probably remove it this time. Has there been any updates on people removing the filter with good results and the turbo is still running? Can't seem to find the answer with people who said they removed it. Thank you

[vr4Legacy]

I read a couple threads on this damn Banjo bolt filter. I havent' found enough difinitive answers to prove to me that it's worth removing. It seems to me that everyone who has good turbo longevity has it because the maintain strict oil/filter change intervals.

 

I am at 80k and haven't touched the damn thing, but I have used OEM filters and changed my oil at least every 4k, usually closer to 3k. Most that have removed it claim the removal has kept their turbo running, but they have also been diligent about their OCIs. It seems the common factor in turbo longevity is maintenence, not the filter.

 

Poor maintenece will lead to poor oil quality which will cause the filter to clog, take out the filter, the particles could harm the turbo.

 

This is simply my conclusion I have drawn, take it with a grain of salt. Others will argue the banjo bolt is the single problem.

[fahr_side]

It could be that the people who care enough to yank the filter also change their oil on time.

[05LegacyGt09]

Thanks for the advice. I bought my 05 gt used and it died on me 1 hour to driving it home. So I take it to a Subi dealer and they said the turbo just broke on the inside. (shouldn't they had diagnose lack oil in the first turbo, I feel like I'm being screwed or it could had been anything) I get a new oem one and it breaks 1 week into driving it, this time they said lack of oil was the caused and now they need to dismantle 90% of the engine ($1600 job) to see whats causing the lack of oil into the turbo. So, that made me think it could be the banjo bolt filter or something else?

 

I also ask them about the banjo bolt filter to see if I could take out the filter and they said not to touch it or my warranty will be voided.

 

I'm not sure if the previous owners did there OCI on time, should of done my research before I bought this car.

[vr4Legacy]

I think they are screwing you a little.

 

Removing the filter will void the warranty, you are removing an "integral" part of the engine, integral in Subaru's eyes at least.

 

I don't think they diagnosed the problem the first time, but just fixed the symptoms. If you are dealing with a Subaru dealer (as it seems you are) I would push a little harder and contact your local SOA rep. Either they should refund the cost of the first repair, as it obviously wasn't done correctly, or they should repair it this time for free.