[mecheng77]

If you own the latest BRZ / GR86, be warned if you track it, you will destroy your bearings. I’d be pretty disappointed if I owned one, it’s meant to be tracked.

I was disappointed when I learned that the N55 has oiling issues on track, so I won’t be tracking mine, but I didn’t pay for a new car.
I’d love to see the same test on a N55 versus B58, S55.

https://youtu.be/4Jk5WTWoqt4

[slilley]

Wow, that's big - hopefully Toyota and Subaru will address it quickly for the many people who track those cars! I'm sure their R&D people are scrambling to re-create the tests, if they haven't already done so.

[Alfisti]

Ouch.

[Ricochet48]

I would be quite upset as this was advertised as a cheap track tool. Whoa.

[forcefed]

My neighbour has a wrx... has a spare engine "just in case".
Its almost as if subaru still doesn't know how to build an engine.

[RM7]

Originally Posted by Ricochet48

I would be quite upset as this was advertised as a cheap track tool. Whoa.

Doesn't matter if it's cheap or not, if it's marketed as a track tool, it should be able to do what it was designed for.

[heavyD^2]

Engines have always been the weakest part of a Subaru. They just can't build a good one that lasts as long as the rest of the car. If any company benefits from going EV over ICE it's Subaru.

[DrFerry]

It's a shame a car with such a reasonable price, great handling dynamics, tuning potential and the promise of being a budget track car has a rod bearing problem. Perhaps B.E. Bearings can come to the rescue just as they did for the E9X M3 S65 motor (assuming it's a clearance or oiling issue). In the meantime, there are some other creative GT86/BRZ engine swap solutions.
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[Alfisti]

I feel like a V8 is against the spirit of the car, is there a sporty V6 that would make more sense? Straight 6 wont work obviously as it's too long.

[pikkagtr]

28k for a low mileage S2000 is a much better deal
The Honda S2000 was what the GR86 was but 25 yrs ago
And it had a wonderfully reliable 4 cyl

[tdott]

Originally Posted by DrFerry

It's a shame a car with such a reasonable price, great handling dynamics, tuning potential and the promise of being a budget track car has a rod bearing problem. Perhaps B.E. Bearings can come to the rescue just as they did for the E9X M3 S65 motor (assuming it's a clearance or oiling issue).

It seems like more of a oil starvation issue at high Gs.
S65s don't seem to have that problem, the oil pan has a decent amount of baffling.

[x622]

A subaru engine that grenades? I've never heard of this before, ever.

The entire concept of a subaru engine destroying it's bearings/ringlands or lifting it's head is an alien concept to me that I can't quite grasp. They have never had this in the entire history of the marque and surely this is just a one off occasion. I'm certain if you look up the storied history of the EJ257 you will find pages upon pages of documentation of all the stock and high power builds that have been successful on that legendary block for great periods of time.

As far as I'm concerned Subaru engines have always been held in the same regard as the 2jz or the old iron duke. Unkillable. Surely the manufacturer will step in and make the engines right without putting the owners under great deals of stress. I'm 100% certain that the dealers will just take care of these problems with no questions asked with zero money changing hands. After all, they have garnered that much of a solid reputation over decades of excellence. That is clearly why the owners have chosen this platform to race, as it is vastly superior to say, an ancient C5 Corvette with it's archaic unreliable pushrods, or the laughably overpriced S2000 with it's anemic 4 cylinder. Nevermind the elephant in the room the fanboy-hyped up Miata which has never even had a race series. No these are clearly the pick of the litter for cheap cars that you can race.

[shawnhayes]

Originally Posted by x622

A subaru engine that grenades? I've never heard of this before, ever.

The entire concept of a subaru engine destroying it's bearings/ringlands or lifting it's head is an alien concept to me that I can't quite grasp. They have never had this in the entire history of the marque and surely this is just a one off occasion. I'm certain if you look up the storied history of the EJ257 you will find pages upon pages of documentation of all the stock and high power builds that have been successful on that legendary block for great periods of time.

As far as I'm concerned Subaru engines have always been held in the same regard as the 2jz or the old iron duke. Unkillable. Surely the manufacturer will step in and make the engines right without putting the owners under great deals of stress. I'm 100% certain that the dealers will just take care of these problems with no questions asked with zero money changing hands. After all, they have garnered that much of a solid reputation over decades of excellence. That is clearly why the owners have chosen this platform to race, as it is vastly superior to say, an ancient C5 Corvette with it's archaic unreliable pushrods, or the laughably overpriced S2000 with it's anemic 4 cylinder. Nevermind the elephant in the room the fanboy-hyped up Miata which has never even had a race series. No these are clearly the pick of the litter for cheap cars that you can race.

OMG.....

I think I pissed myself. Obviously ex-subaru owner.

Shawn

[Mingwan]

Originally Posted by x622

A subaru engine that grenades? I've never heard of this before, ever.

The entire concept of a subaru engine destroying it's bearings/ringlands or lifting it's head is an alien concept to me that I can't quite grasp. They have never had this in the entire history of the marque and surely this is just a one off occasion. I'm certain if you look up the storied history of the EJ257 you will find pages upon pages of documentation of all the stock and high power builds that have been successful on that legendary block for great periods of time.

As far as I'm concerned Subaru engines have always been held in the same regard as the 2jz or the old iron duke. Unkillable. Surely the manufacturer will step in and make the engines right without putting the owners under great deals of stress. I'm 100% certain that the dealers will just take care of these problems with no questions asked with zero money changing hands. After all, they have garnered that much of a solid reputation over decades of excellence. That is clearly why the owners have chosen this platform to race, as it is vastly superior to say, an ancient C5 Corvette with it's archaic unreliable pushrods, or the laughably overpriced S2000 with it's anemic 4 cylinder. Nevermind the elephant in the room the fanboy-hyped up Miata which has never even had a race series. No these are clearly the pick of the litter for cheap cars that you can race.

Satire?

Anecdotal, but off the top of my head I can think of 4 people I know that had to replace the engines in their wrx one or more times, stock and modified. One individual had to replace their engine 3 times before he gave up on the car. It was stock from what I remember.

[G30M]

Originally Posted by forcefed

My neighbour has a wrx... has a spare engine "just in case".

[G30M]

Originally Posted by x622

A subaru engine that grenades? I've never heard of this before, ever.

it's due to oil starvation when turning

[DrFerry]

Originally Posted by tdott

It seems like more of a oil starvation issue at high Gs.
S65s don't seem to have that problem, the oil pan has a decent amount of baffling.

Looks like your are right. Here's a video from an owner who collected oil pressure data during track time. In right hand corners the oil pressure drops considerably and repeatedly.
BRZ/GR86 FA24 Oil Pressure Loss Demonstration
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[tdott]

Originally Posted by DrFerry

Looks like your are right. Here's a video from an owner who collected oil pressure data during track time. In right hand corners the oil pressure drops considerably and repeatedly.
BRZ/GR86 FA24 Oil Pressure Loss Demonstration
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That's the same video in the first post. Which yea, I assumed you saw.

[DrFerry]

Originally Posted by tdott

That's the same video in the first post. Which yea, I assumed you saw.

Ooops. Didn't see (review) it. Though I did notice the O.P.'s link with no thumb nail image. What a mess for GR86/BRZ owners.. A baffled sump or dry sump conversion (accu sump) should perhaps fix the issue, but it's embarrassing for Toyota and Subaru to have not found the issue during R&D - and that's on top of the already well known oil pan gasket debris getting stuck in the oil pick-up issue.

[FrankMstein]

The CEL (change engine light) manufacture.

[chocolate.s65]

Classic Subaru. Clearly nothing wrong with the boxer concept, but the Impreza was plagued with engine issues where people went above stock. Cylinder 3 pistons seemed to like melting for some reason. 4Js in the Evo had issues with Thrust bearings at one point, probably did until they stopped making them and the RB26 is in the same basket.

[x622]

Originally Posted by chocolate.s65

Classic Subaru. Clearly nothing wrong with the boxer concept, but the Impreza was plagued with engine issues where people went above stock. Cylinder 3 pistons seemed to like melting for some reason. 4Js in the Evo had issues with Thrust bearings at one point, probably did until they stopped making them and the RB26 is in the same basket.

No. Doesn't even matter if you keep it stock. That wonderful piece of shit will still grenade. It's truly amazing that people and fanboys still continue to buy these cars and platforms after how well publicized these issues are. I hear kids bitch piss and moan about the S55 crank hub issue, but it seems far more rare of a problem than the vast plethora of blown EJ's I've seen across numerous subie shops over the past decade and a half.