Hi Guys, new member here.

Vaporwave5

New member
Hi Guys, new Subie owner from Potchefstroom, South Africa. Been into the STi since I got a little yellow toy one as a kid, its even still on my display case! The life sized one isn't yellow though but still a banger. A black 2006 WRX Sti 6MT with a Zero Sport body kit. Bought it second hand in February of this year as soon as I saved up enough. My first self bought car. Could have imagined my excitement when I got it. I'm really exited to join the forums here, especially as we don't have all that many Subie enthusiasts where I'm from.

Really love the car, but faith has forsaken me. The motor blew up three days after I took ownership. This was about end of Feb, start of March 2020. First though was that was the reason it was being sold and there was some underlying problem. We had contacted mechanics not involved with the sale that have previously looked at the car in detail and gave it the clear before the purchase. I have a local Subaru mechanic that I got through a recommendation from another WRX owner from the town next to me, who is going to start work on it.

Unfortunately SA is currently under lock-down due to the pandemic, so we have to wait it out until work can start on the car. I have spoken to a couple of the trusted mechanics and tuners from my area and explained the symptoms and events leading on to the blow up. Here are the events if anybody wants to know:

- Holding 5th gear at +- 6000 rpm WOT
- Oil pressure drops to zero
- Air/Fuel mixture reading at 22 (Yeah a catastrophic number)
- Reduce revs
- Oil pressure returns
- Revs do not increase even with depression of accelerator
- Oil pressure drops
- Check engine and oil lights come on
- Engine loses speed and dies
- Engine cranks but won't start

It's a horror story and left me pretty bummed. I have been told the Subies don't like being held at a high rpm and boost for too long. After speaking to some of the local mechanics it sounds like the car was not properly tuned for the modifications it had, causing it to run lean, causing over heating on the pistons, rods etc. and having the oil pressure build up too much and then blowing up?

Currently the car is under a cover and waiting for the lock-down to end so I could't have anybody have a look at it yet. But I'm pretty much ready for a entire engine rebuild. Would be interesting if anybody has some input on if they had similar experiences? Just can't wait to get it on the road again.

Modifications include:
Forged Wiseco pistons
TD07 turbo
Upgraded Mishimoto radiator
Screamer pipe
Zero sport body kit
The car was running at about 1.2 bar boost
Producing 220kw at the wheels
 

Alin

Diehard Car Enthusiast!
First and foremost, welcome to IGOTASTI!!! You're going to absolutely love it here!! Post some pictures of the ride!!

Majority of the members on this forum are from the United States, but I recall there being a few others from South Africa, just like you. If you have any, could you post some pictures of the landscape of the area where you live in? We don't usually get to see pictures of other places, so it'd be a nice treat for us!

What other cars have you had in the past? How did the STi compare to them?

If you don't mind me asking, how old are you and what is your occupation? How has the current worldwide events altered your life?

While I can't offer any in depth information regarding your build, there are a few people who sure can! [MENTION=1]IGOTASTi[/MENTION] [MENTION=662]Batmobile_Engage[/MENTION] [MENTION=652]Grinder34[/MENTION] [MENTION=692]Eagleye[/MENTION] [MENTION=1868]Boogieman98[/MENTION] [MENTION=2822]Doppelganger[/MENTION]
 

Grinder34

Track Monkey
[MENTION=171]Td_d[/MENTION] hasn't been active in a while but he's a guru from SA.

I'm not smart when it comes to motor internals, but I thought oil was mechanically driven and the only things that could cause low pressure were leaks or pickup problems... Is that true?

If so, a pickup is an easy check especially since more inspections will be done.
 

Vaporwave5

New member
Thanks for the warm welcome! I've added a couple of pics of my ride and the landscape around here. As well as a couple pics I have from the town I live in and something extra...

My STi:
https://hosting.photobucket.com/ima...jpg?width=319&height=193&fit=bounds&crop=fill
https://hosting.photobucket.com/ima...jpg?width=319&height=193&fit=bounds&crop=fill
https://hosting.photobucket.com/ima...jpg?width=319&height=193&fit=bounds&crop=fill
https://hosting.photobucket.com/ima...jpg?width=319&height=193&fit=bounds&crop=fill

Potch Landscape:
https://hosting.photobucket.com/ima...jpg?width=319&height=193&fit=bounds&crop=fill
https://hosting.photobucket.com/ima...jpg?width=319&height=193&fit=bounds&crop=fill
https://hosting.photobucket.com/ima...jpg?width=319&height=193&fit=bounds&crop=fill
https://hosting.photobucket.com/ima...jpg?width=319&height=193&fit=bounds&crop=fill
https://hosting.photobucket.com/ima...jpg?width=319&height=193&fit=bounds&crop=fill
https://hosting.photobucket.com/ima...jpg?width=319&height=193&fit=bounds&crop=fill
https://hosting.photobucket.com/ima...jpg?width=319&height=193&fit=bounds&crop=fill

The Mall:
https://hosting.photobucket.com/ima...jpg?width=319&height=193&fit=bounds&crop=fill
https://hosting.photobucket.com/ima...jpg?width=319&height=193&fit=bounds&crop=fill

Town Council:
https://hosting.photobucket.com/ima...jpg?width=319&height=193&fit=bounds&crop=fill

Car Meet: There once was a car meet at the local mall with a few beauties, this is pretty rare so these aren't the average cars from here :D... These guys are from Johannesburg that came through town.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/ima...jpg?width=319&height=193&fit=bounds&crop=fill
https://hosting.photobucket.com/ima...jpg?width=319&height=193&fit=bounds&crop=fill
https://hosting.photobucket.com/ima...jpg?width=319&height=193&fit=bounds&crop=fill
https://hosting.photobucket.com/ima...jpg?width=319&height=193&fit=bounds&crop=fill
https://hosting.photobucket.com/ima...jpg?width=319&height=193&fit=bounds&crop=fill

My real first car, current daily, only other car I have owned is a 2011 Hyundai Getz 1.4l:
https://hosting.photobucket.com/ima...jpg?width=319&height=193&fit=bounds&crop=fill

Its a great little car, bit heavy on fuel consumption but I really like it. But yeah, the STi is in a completely different class compared to the Getz. My father has a 2004 Audi TT Quattro Sport, which I was lucky enough for to drive a bit before getting my own sports car.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/ima...jpg?width=319&height=193&fit=bounds&crop=fill

I'm turning 20 in October, I work for a security risk management company based here in Potch. The main product we offer are live-feed security reports of incidents that occur over Africa. I do anything from managing the office, creating the work schedules, training new staff, marketing etc. Before the pandemic I was going through all the necessary courses to become a security analyst/ instructor to be able to provide it as a training aspect for the company. Currently the pandemic has caused us to halt my progression through the courses I need to do as the National Lockdown has caused all businesses except essential services to shut down. We are still operational as security classifies as essential services.

How has the current events affected you as well if you don't mind me asking?

I'll keep it posted here when I eventually get my build back up and running!
 

Vaporwave5

New member
@Td_d hasn't been active in a while but he's a guru from SA.

I'm not smart when it comes to motor internals, but I thought oil was mechanically driven and the only things that could cause low pressure were leaks or pickup problems... Is that true?

If so, a pickup is an easy check especially since more inspections will be done.

Thanks very much for the suggestion! At least I have somewhere to start looking at now.
 

Grinder34

Track Monkey
Cyclist too? We've got an off-topic thread on that, with a few avid bikers in here.

The car looks great! Makes me miss my OBP Hawkeye....

As for pandemic, I was already mostly work-from-home but the biggest difference had been no daycare. UGH!
 

Alin

Diehard Car Enthusiast!
Wow, you came through with the pictures! :bow: :ty:

Your STi looks fantastic! I've never heard of a Getz until now. You're pretty young, so you should consider yourself fortunate for having an STi already. I was also fortunate to get my STi when I was still very young. I've made countless mistakes over the first couple of years, so I highly suggest you research and absorb as much information that you can regarding this platform! Learning from other peoples' mistakes is free and extremely beneficial to you!

I may be an anomaly, but the only thing that has changed for me is waiting in line at stores, which is an annoyance.
 

Grinder34

Track Monkey
I almost forgot my universal recommendation!!

You absolutely need to do an autocross or track day in the STI when it's back up and running!
 

Eagleye

Tinkerer
Sorry late to the party here. I skimmed through the replies after the initial post but that does not sound good. There are several things that could have failed to cause your current situation. The fact that oil pressure was fluctuating before the failure and 6k wot leads me to believe this was a piston/rod failure due to excessive heat from an improper tune, inadequate fueling system, or a combination of the 2. In the future, when you see oil pressure drop, shut the car off if at all possible, could save you a lot of money. I saved my built 06 twice when I had oil lines blow by getting the car shut down immediately and running a quality synthetic oil.

You are likely looking at:
- boring out your shortblock, assuming it isn?t already at 100mm
- new pistons and rods
- new oil pump and oil cooler
- new timing belt kit w/tensioner
- if the heads survived, I would consider having them gone over before rebuilding.
- full flush on your intercooler and oil lines
- check clutch life while motor is pulled
- check with tuner to get recommendations on fuel pump and injectors in case they are not adequate for your setup

The above list sucks and will be expensive but you know what you?ve got and it will be basically brand new. Keep in mind that once these cars are fitted with forged pistons it is critical IMO to warn the car up briefly every time before driving to allow for expansion.

if I can help with anything along the way let me know, I?m no expert, but I have done a full rebuild on an 06. Pulled the motor myself, had help with assembly, reinstalled myself, and had a local shop tune it. Good luck!
 
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