Cruise Control Probs

[Dookie]

From what I've read, about the same as long as you have proper oil and coolant running to it.

[kagenmateer]

Cool. What mileage does that tend to be? And we have coolant running through the turbo too?!

[Dookie]

It could happen at anytime, and it's mostly due to low oil flowing to the turbo. Always make sure to check your oil on a regular schedule.

Yes, there is a coolant line running to the turbo housing. If you want, PM me your email address and I'll send you the PDF service maintance file for our turbo.

[kagenmateer]

Sweet! PM Sent.

[brilliant sleeper]

Update on problem--

The dealership found that the up-pipe was not stock, and that the hole were the gas temp sensor was welded shut! WTF?!? The up-pipe looks to be a 'custom' half-ass pipe welded with elementary level welds. To top that off, the gasket had only three holes, instead of five. The gasket was only about half the size of the top of the up-pipe. Terrible seal, or lack thereof. I couldn't believe someone would do this to an LGT. For the good news, it was replace with an STi up-pipe. The difference of sound and power is very noticeable.
I would post pics, but my camera has been broken for a while, and I have yet to buy a new one.

[kagenmateer]

^^^ That's how the stock gaskets are. Only partial coverage and three holes. FYI. When I installed my STi UP, I thought for sure I was given the wrong gasket until I saw the stocker come off.

As far as the CEL, the guy that sold you the car probably had the "resistor mod" done and un-did it or something. Getting rid of the stock catted UP was one of the best things he could have done for that car. Safer for the turbo and helps the car breathe better. So don't be too mad at the guy.

[brilliant sleeper]

Haha, yeah I am aware of the catless being good for the car, but the pipe seemed cheap. Though I was not aware about the gasket. Thanks for letting me know. There was no place for the gas temp sensor, since the whole on the side, where it screws in was welded shut. I am not mad anymore. It's all good

[john]

I hate it when people do hack, half-assed mods to any car. Cutting corners will only come back to haunt you and your checkbook.

If the car was tuned (e-tune, accessport, pro-tune), the EGT can be 'programmed out', thus the bung being welded shut. I'm running without an EGT probe.

[TSi+WRX]

Originally Posted by kagenmateer

^^^ That's how the stock gaskets are. Only partial coverage and three holes. FYI. When I installed my STi UP, I thought for sure I was given the wrong gasket until I saw the stocker come off.

As far as the CEL, the guy that sold you the car probably had the "resistor mod" done and un-did it or something. Getting rid of the stock catted UP was one of the best things he could have done for that car. Safer for the turbo and helps the car breathe better. So don't be too mad at the guy.

I agree.

There's no need for that bung - even if one were to run an aftermarket EGT in there, it'd be too far downstream to be reliable, even with some kind of "conversion factor" accounted for.

Similarly, replacing the factory EGT there would not do any good at all, either, as its design is to limp the car when it sees excessive temps - but by that point, you'd have toasted the engine, anyway.

Welding the bung is a common practice.

And virtually all aftermarket UPs can "look cheap," particularly with a few years' of road-use on them. Heck, look at how bad the coating work on JohnM's GrimmSpeed manifold and cross-pipe fared, after such short mileage and exposure.

It's moreso what's inside that counts.

I think that your dealership, brilliant sleeper, is just hamming it up a bit.

[brilliant sleeper]

TSi, they did not hype it up. I did from my own observation. The car looks stock from what I can see. I need to get it up on a lift again to see if I can spot anything visibly different.The welds really set of the half-a**, or cheap impression to me.
I am not sure about any tuning, though.

[kagenmateer]

Check the DP too.

[TSi+WRX]

Originally Posted by brilliant sleeper

TSi, they did not hype it up. I did from my own observation.

Ah, gotcha.

The problem with many of the aftermarket pipes is just that they can look rather nasty after even only a couple of months on-road, if, for example, the coating process didn't go according to spec - there's a lot of heat generated in that area, and it tends to accelerate whatever deterioration the part may normally be associated with.

Take JohnM's GrimmSpeed coated components, for example. They're a well-regarded outfit - yet, what do we see?

Remember, with the factory UP, the heat-shield, which is a piece of aluminum that doesn't corrode easily, well hides what ugliness is underneath.

Certainly, if the bung's plug-welds could be cleaner, there's no excuse for that, but that's a functional modification - not a cosmetic one. Some simply screw in the plug. At least this particular owner thought it through enough to get it welded.

The car looks stock from what I can see. I need to get it up on a lift again to see if I can spot anything visibly different.The welds really set of the half-a**, or cheap impression to me.
I am not sure about any tuning, though.

Look more thoroughly.

If there's already an UP, it's more than likely that the car's been modified much more extensively than you originally thought.

If you have someone who is friendly with a SSM-III, scan the checksum on the ECU. I'd almost be willing to bet that the car's dealer service history will not match its ROM reflash history.

The UP is a much more tedious operation than the DP. If someone digs enough to do an UP, it's likely that the vehicle was, at some point, Cobb "Stage II."

[brilliant sleeper]

Originally Posted by brilliant sleeper

Look more thoroughly.

If there's already an UP, it's more than likely that the car's been modified much more extensively than you originally thought.

If you have someone who is friendly with a SSM-III, scan the checksum on the ECU. I'd almost be willing to bet that the car's dealer service history will not match its ROM reflash history.

The UP is a much more tedious operation than the DP. If someone digs enough to do an UP, it's likely that the vehicle was, at some point, Cobb "Stage II."

The car is under warranty for 3yr/36K bumper to bumper. The dealership put on the STi up-pipe that I already bought(not knowing about the UP on the car. It all worked out fine. They were able to screw in the sensor, and the cruise works again. Car runs even better from when I had bought it in January.[/quote]

What's the SSM-III? Can Autozone check the ecu. Or does Autozone just pull codes of what is wrong at the moment?

Also, would it be risky to get an Accessport if still under warranty? I am planning on getting a catted ERZ DP and Magnaflow, or GMS CBE to complete the exhaust. I have read that if one buys a turbo-back exhaust system, then a tune is very necessary. Exhaust doesn't void the warranty... Though messing w/ the ECU may. On the other hand, I can reprogram the car back to stock settings, correct?

[TSi+WRX]

^ If your dealership is truly mod-friendly, then they likely won't blink about the AccessPORT at Stage I, and may even be amenable to "Stage II." This, though, is highly dealership/service-specific, and by that I mean that it's specific enough that it can even be different from one dealership to another in your local area, so be sure to ask, candidly, of not only the dealership management, but also their service management.

And even then, don't trust them outright - check out their reputation via your local Scooby enthusiasts, just to be absolutely sure that the dealership isn't just talking a good talk.

Believe me, it wouldn't be the first time that one or another amongst our ranks were told the good tale, only to be bitten in the ass later. Just check *ANY* Subaru enthusiast community, and you'll find such stories. Want a recent example? Search godwhomismike's tale of his SPT exhaust cross-fit to his '09 Forester XT. Yep, there's heartache to be had, even if you stick with the Subaru badge.

The old saying of "trust, but verify" goes a long way, here.

I apologize for having started off with the abbreviation - SSM-III is shorthand for the Subaru Select Monitor device, which is typically privy only to the dealerships' service departments. It's the price, really, that makes this device a dealer-only item...certainly, a bunch of local or regional enthusiasts could just get together and scrap up enough funds to get one; or, heck, if you've just got more liquid assets - but it's not something that's necessarily going to be cost-effective.

The SSM, although it will not necessarily immediately tell the tech on the floor of the dealership shop that you've reflashed the ROM of the ECU, it *can* do so, if one were to probe enough via its more advanced features (search whitetiger's old posts on .com, crossing it with the search term "checksum," and you'll find the necessary reference posts: http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/subaru-select-monitor-3-test-37498.html?t=37498&highlight=checksum). So, if you've read the first few posts of that thread, you're probably pretty happy, right...be sure you've made it to post #54 and post number 83. The checksum and Calibration ID are tip-offs.

Can the V2 AccessPORT "reprogram" (i.e. reflash) your car to stock?

Yes, it can.

So can you, via OpenSource resources, if you had the foresight to first rip your factory ROM off the ECU before you started messing with reflashing the vehicle.

But can SSM-III still detect those tell-tales?

Yes it can, and it doesn't matter what you do, you will leave a tell.

Remember, nothing really "voids your warranty."

In the US, you're protected under Federal Law against such an outrage.

However, if the dealership/manufacturer can prove that a specific aftermarket modification is the cause of the specific problem/malfunction/damage to your vehicle you're trying to claim warranty on, they are within the bounds of law to deny you that specific warranty claim.

Yes, the AccessPORT, no matter what the dealership says, is a tricky and risky one.

But the turbo-back exhaust?

Typically, people say that a turbo-back necessitates a tune because the much freer-flowing post-turbo piping can cause boost-control problems.

Thus, if you don't tune, and you mess up either your turbo or your engine, and the dealership can prove that - well, guess what? your powertrain warranty can potentially still be denied.

So, what does this all boil down to?

That first, a mod-friendly dealership/service-department goes a long way.

And that second, no matter what, you better be ready to pay, if you want to play.

^ Those are the facts.

Want my 2 cents? - an opinion? How do I see your situation?

If you wanted to mod, you would've been better served saving the money you spent on the extra warranty coverage, and funneling that into a fund for the mods and repairs.

But you purchased the warranty, which makes me think that you're worried about potential problems, and the monetary implications thereof. And with that in-mind, then, I'd think that you'd sleep easier, if you didn't mod.