Daskuppler

So, with a recent development of a metallic chatter (i thought it was something else), could my oil consumption be related to bad valves/seats? I didn't see a TSB regarding any known problems. The blue smoke is definitely in puffs, not consistant and most prevalent at high RPMS and taking off from idle (there is also a big stumble from the motor taking off from idle).

All I am seeing regarding the engine is the oil consumption issue. I'm going to call the dealership that performed the test and request a copy of their test since they told me the car did not burn a drop of oil while they performed the test. After reading the service bulletin, they didn't follow the instructions so I'm hoping I can find a loophole to get a new engine since it is beyond my skill level to do that much work on this engine.

I'm not disagreeing with you. This car has been troublesome to say the least. I certainly miss the older cars and engineering.

I replaced about 4 broken clips and it did not resolve the issue. I also noticed a rattling when the engine was started from cold (sounds like it's passenger side engine) followed by what sounds like valve chatter which went away after a couple seconds. While driving around, I have noticed the noise seems to be most present when the engine hesitates which I have recently correlated to the oil consumption and puff of smoke. Could this be valve chatter, poor oiling, etc?

Thanks for the input. I've done heads on the older blocks (early 2000's) are these much different? Or should this be done by a shop due to required tools and such? I can't imagine much has changed. I just looked up the part on Subaru parts, the short blocks are now $2255 plus $100 shipping and handling.

Update to this fiasco. Mother Subaru obviously said no, no surprise there. I was following my wife driving the car today and could visibly see the stumble in the engine as it lagged, then there was a puff of black smoke from the tailpipe. Since this is not the time to buy a new vehicle, where is a good place to buy a used engine? Are these worth rebuilding? Are there any non turbo performance options for an easy engine swap?

Haven't had a chance to look. Best I can tell as of now is the the heat shields are good. One of the front plastic pieces on the undercarriage has had a few of the plastic clips pulled out. Pushing on the bullet results in a very similar noise. I ordered some clips/fasteners and will see if that fixes it.

Definitely not a thumping sound. It's a very fast and brief metallic tap/rattle. Is there a way I could check the bushings beyond a visual inspection?

Turning does not make it worse or better. If anything it is less prevalent when wheels are turned. Slight increases in pedal actuation do not trigger the noise (maintaining speed up a hill). It does do it periodically when passing. The noise is not always the same intensity. To my knowledge, the engine and transmission have never been removed. The car was purchased with 30k miles on it and was supposed to be clean, but I noticed when installing the lightbar a while back that the passenger side of the front bumper had been dented behind the plastic so I'm not entirely certain of the accuracy of the history/Carfax. That being said, bringing up the light bar makes me wonder if something there is loose. I'll have to check it this evening.

It does not happen in park, only under load for a brief second and not every time (though it occurs more often than not).

Hello Everyone, I seek your advice, yet again. I have a 2014 Forester with 115k on it and it has recently developed a metallic sounding rattle in the front end. The best I can tell is it's coming from driver front, but it is a little hard to pinpoint. The noise is only present right as the gas peddle is pressed and last for about a second. It sounds very similar to the traction control system, but it is not activating. I scanned for codes, and there are no codes (apart from the SRS code I have discussed in a previous thread, my scan tool can read all Subaru modules). If it makes sense, the noise does not sound like it is internal to anything (there is no apparent dampening to the noise). It's a little hard to explain, but the noise is very clear, it does not sound like it it is a CV join or anything else covered by a boot, or inside of another component. Recent work which as been done: New brakes and rotors all around (Powerstop Z26) Noise was present prior to this or right about the time of replacement. Brake system flush (I did passenger front, driver rear, driver front, passenger rear). I used Motul 5.1 fluid. Noise was present prior to this or right about the time. Front wheel hub assemblies (Subaru OEM) Noise was present prior to this or right about the time. Transmission drain and fill (5 qts of Subaru CVT II fluid was drained and filled with CVT temperature between 90 and 115 degrees.) The noise appeared about 5k after this. One previous drain and fill was apparently done with Castrol CVT fluid. PCV valve (noise was present before replacement). The brakes and hubs were done all at the same time. The engine also seems to hesitate/stumble periodically when taking off from idle. This issues seems to have started or been greatly worsened after the CVT drain and fill. Would it be beneficial to have the system flushed by Subaru since Castrol fluid was used for one change interval? I did an oil change today using Motul 8100 0w-20 and a new oil filter. This did not help the issue.

Have you met a Toyota driver? I'll pass. They are overpriced, overrated, and most people who drive them are a$$holes. My statement is in regards to the fact that Subaru has a history of making quality vehicles. All manufacturers make lemons. I get your point, this was not Subaru's best run of vehicles and quality has suffered. However, this did absolutely nothing to address the issue at hand.

I didn't even think about the oil analysis. I'll get one run. I'll check the PCV valve as well, they are cheap replacement. I don't expect much from Subaru, but it's worth a shot. I just ordered the Blackstone analysis kit, I'll post the results here when I get them back. It's at the end of the oil change interval so it's good timing.

This issue had been resolved. I be had the system evacuated, I replaced the compressor, expansion valve, all associates o-rings, cleaned off the evaporator (the previous owner apparently did not have a cabin air filter in so it was covered in crap), put the system under vacuum for 90 minutes, recharged, and it's good to go.

Hello Everyone, I have a 14 Forester which is affected by the oil consumption TSB/Recall (if you can call it that). I had the local dealership test it for about 30,000 miles ago and they said it didn't burn a drop of oil; yet on every oil change I need a quart of oil to make it to a 5k interval and have since 25k on the vehicle. I argued with the dealership for a while and that went nowhere. I am now burning 1qt every 750 miles. My last road trip took 5qts of oil just to get home. Is there anything that can be done to slow the consumption? I have tried pretty much every brand of oil in regular and high mileage, ow-20, 0w-40, 5w-30, and topping off with 10w-30. Nothing helps, not even Subaru's oil which "didn't burn anything" when they performed their test. Castrol is worse, but nothing really improved the situation. The car is now over 100k and I am rather dissapointed in the car. M family loves Subaru and this won't really change anything, but this car has had every issue but the CVT issues. Does anyone by chance have a contact with SOA that may be willing to help cover the cost of a replacement engine? Or labor, or something? The car is still new by Subaru standards but burns oil like it has 300k on it. Any suggestions? Now is definitely not the market to buy another car. Cheers, Andrew

I did not. It was placed under vacuum and charged through the gauges so a shop isn't really going to do it any different. I'm trying not to spend the money sinces it's over $200 to have it done here

Since I am getting some cold air and then it cycles warm, I am assuming nothing is clogged. Could this be a bad expansion valve, or is it more likely compressor? The onl y things not replaced are the exanpsion valve, compressor, and evaporator...

Thank you for the TSB, I'll look into it tomorrow. No major water on the seat. Maybe a little bit of moisture from small spills, but no drenching and no water under the seat. I hate all of the fancy bits in the cars anymore. The electric seats are nice, but I miss the days of using the key to turn the passenger airbag off haha

The stored Code is: B1650 Occupant Detection System Malfunction. There were also several ABS codes, but I think they may be left over from the alignment that was done not too long ago. I cleared them and will check and see if they come back after driving for a little while.

Thanks for your input. I actually decided earlier today to go wit the OEM bearings so I will be picking up two of them tomorrow. Unfortunately, the shop that replaced the rears told me they were using OEM but installed Timkens. I usually do everything but internal engine and transmission work myself, but all I had was a small tool box, a bummed back and raining weather at an Airbnb so the shop did the rears. Thank you for your input! I used to be a big fan of aftermarket stuff, but I find as time goes on the quality keeps going down.

I've not checked the horn, next time the light is on I'll check. As for my assumption that it is related to the passenger seat, when the light is on, the passenger airbag turns off, whether or not a passenger is present. It only seems to occur when a passenger is in the seat as well. I'll work on getting the code and post it here when I have it.

Hello Everyone, I have a 14 Forester 2.5i Premium and recently the SRS light has started coming on. Along with it, the passenger airbag turns on and off. It seems to be related to the passenger seat but I'm not entirely certain. I know nothing about the SRS system so I don't really know where to begin or what sensors are involved. I have a code reader, which will read SRS codes (if I upgrade the firmware for $100). Any suggestions on where to begin? Cheers, Andrew

What are your thoughts on SKF bearings for the front?

You're welcome. The stuttering has gone away as well so that should be a clue as to how bad the bearings were. They put Timkens in so they should be better.

Just got it back from a shop. The passenger bearing was about ready to come apart and the driver was almost seized.