Somethings wrong

[RSilverSuby]

So I purchased an 07 2.5i acouple weeks ago. Ive only ever owned wrx's before purchasing this one. Since I got it, it seems like there is a major resistance with it. What I mean is when I get to about 2500 rpm is sounds like its putting a lot of stress on the engine and feels like something is pulling it back. By the time you get to about 3000 rpm it literally sounds like its going to blow up. I have a warrenty on the car so I took it back and had them check everything I could think of..... brakes sticking, bad plugs, bad OS, ETC... They pretty much told me that everything was perfectly fine but I know it isnt. Ive owned nothing but subarus my ENTIRE life and can tell something is wrong. If anyone has any ideas or had the same problem please let me know as I honestly hate even driving it. Thanks in advance.

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[Dirty25RS]

The #1 thing that comes to mind is brake drag. You say they said the brakes are OK, but I dont trust techs 9 times out of 10.

Could one or more cylinders not be firing?

Is it MT or AT?

[RSilverSuby]

It is a 5spd. The first thing I thought originally was that it was the breaks. It doesnt appear to be missing, or enough to be alarming or send of a CEL.

[Dirty25RS]

If it was me. I'd disassemble the brakes. I'd unbolt the calipers from the spindles and take the rotors off, inspect everything, put it back together and take it for a drive and see if it fixes it.

I know its cold as **** but I actually had the brakes apart on my Volvo a few hours ago because of a weird noise.

[RSilverSuby]

Yeah, Ive actually been looking to do it but I keep getting snowed on, I hate PA.

[chazly413]

If it is your brakes, they're gonna be hot as balls if you drive for more than a few miles.

[Dirty25RS]

yeah they might even cherry up.

Normally if you were, to say, splash some water on your rotors, not much should happen.

But if you have brake drag, the water will instantly boil to steam and disappear, maybe even sizzle.

[yarrgh]

Have you considered a plugged cat? Does the engine freely rev in neutral?

Next time you're at speed, clutch-in and see if it coasts or if the alleged brake slows you down quickly.

[Dirty25RS]

Originally Posted by yarrgh

Have you considered a plugged cat? Does the engine freely rev in neutral?

Next time you're at speed, clutch-in and see if it coasts or if the alleged brake slows you down quickly.

Yeah that could be it too if its not the brakes.

But then you have to ask yourself, why'd the cat get plugged in the 1st place?

[Wrencher86]

Originally Posted by Dirty25RS

The #1 thing that comes to mind is brake drag. You say they said the brakes are OK, but I dont trust techs 9 times out of 10.

Could one or more cylinders not be firing?

Is it MT or AT?

To the OP:
We need more information. What does it sound like? Does it pull to one side or the other? What's your fuel economy like? Somebody mentioned earlier about the cat. If it's the brakes your going to slow down a lot faster in neutral.

If you've got a warranty then I would take it back to the dealer. Go for a ride with the TECH (NOT the service writer) and point out exactly what the problem is.

[Dirty25RS]

Originally Posted by Wrencher86

To the OP:
We need more information. What does it sound like? Does it pull to one side or the other? What's your fuel economy like? Somebody mentioned earlier about the cat. If it's the brakes your going to slow down a lot faster in neutral.

If you've got a warranty then I would take it back to the dealer. Go for a ride with the TECH (NOT the service writer) and point out exactly what the problem is.

Hey, hey......9 times out of 10.

[Sir-Knight]

if your brakes are dragging you should be able to smell them after a decent length drive.

[Rudgers73]

I hate to say it, but it might just be the 2.5i engine. I had a 99 LGT before I got my 06 2.5i and when I first got my 2.5 it I felt exactly the same way. Take it up to 3000 rpm in 2nd gear and take your foot off the gas and it about heaves you into the steering wheel. Along with a loud winding sound and engine/exhaust howl. I think it may be the AVLS on the new 2.5i engine that makes all the racket with the exhaust valves opening wider at higher RPMs.

If nothing else is wrong, my advice would be to just get used to it...

I have an exhaust and hybrid intake on mine and my butt-dyno says it feels better/different, but you know how that goes. I don't really notice it anymore, though.

Good luck man

[chazly413]

I'm actually gonna agree with Rudgers. When you say it's falling on it's face (pretty much) is exactly when you would start making big boost in the WRX. The RS has a very linear (in comparison to a turbo engine) power band.

[Patrick Olsen]

Originally Posted by Rudgers73

I think it may be the AVLS on the new 2.5i engine that makes all the racket with the exhaust valves opening wider at higher RPMs.

If the AVLS is doing anything to the exhaust valves you should probably get that fixed.

[kero]

I think it has to do with the fact you are used to turbos and not used to the 2.5i's engines running out of steam up high.

They are torquey down low but got nothing on the tail end.

They just feel sluggish sometimes and can be a tad tempermental, especially if not used to them or coming from a boosted suby.

Also, do you know the history of the maintenance on the car, diffy's, MT fluid, etc etc.

Have you checked the air filter and possibly a clogged fuel filter?

[RSilverSuby]

Originally Posted by yarrgh

Have you considered a plugged cat? Does the engine freely rev in neutral?

Next time you're at speed, clutch-in and see if it coasts or if the alleged brake slows you down quickly.

I slow down way faster than normal.

Also, Ive owned other non turbos but none of which did this. Could possibly be a clogged cat but I dont know how it would be clogged. I did review the maintaince before purchase and everything was as should be. The car does pull both right and left ALL the time. I got it aligned by the dealer with my warrenty and it felt good for a day or two and now ( in my opinion) needs aligned again. Even the sterring wheel if ****-eyed again. And I did go with the tech and pointed out everything and he just told me everything was normal.... I still dont believe him. But I also mentioned the rough idle and he said it was because it was the pzev or pvez or whatever. I did research but I could only find that on the outbacks.... does that even come on the 07 2.5i? Either way, normal or not, I absolutely hate it. If I cant figure it out very soon, the dealer has a new STI in the showroom I just might trade it on. As it turns out, turbos just might be the only way for me.

[Rudgers73]

Originally Posted by Patrick Olsen

If the AVLS is doing anything to the exhaust valves you should probably get that fixed.

DERP. intake valves.... sorry ha

[Wrencher86]

Originally Posted by RSilverSuby

I slow down way faster than normal.

Also, Ive owned other non turbos but none of which did this. Could possibly be a clogged cat but I dont know how it would be clogged. I did review the maintaince before purchase and everything was as should be. The car does pull both right and left ALL the time. I got it aligned by the dealer with my warrenty and it felt good for a day or two and now ( in my opinion) needs aligned again. Even the sterring wheel if ****-eyed again. And I did go with the tech and pointed out everything and he just told me everything was normal.... I still dont believe him. But I also mentioned the rough idle and he said it was because it was the pzev or pvez or whatever. I did research but I could only find that on the outbacks.... does that even come on the 07 2.5i? Either way, normal or not, I absolutely hate it. If I cant figure it out very soon, the dealer has a new STI in the showroom I just might trade it on. As it turns out, turbos just might be the only way for me.

If you can, try a different dealer. Or at least a different tech. If that doesn't work out, or your warranty is through the dealer you purchased from, you could take it to an independent shop. They will charge you for the diagnostics but you could always take the list they give you back to the dealer.

[Patrick Olsen]

Originally Posted by RSilverSuby

So I purchased an 07 2.5i acouple weeks ago. ... If anyone has any ideas or had the same problem please let me know as I honestly hate even driving it. Thanks in advance.

Did you drive the car before you bought it? If it's so horrible I would think this would've been obvious during a test drive.

You've still given us little to no useful data with which to try to diagnose the problem. Does the car show the same behavior in all gears? Will it pull to redline or is it so choked off that it won't even do that? Have you checked the spark plugs yourself? You said it stops faster than normal - have you checked to see if the rotors are hotter than they should be, as others have already suggested? Is this a stick or an automatic? Have you asked to drive another 2.5i at the dealer? Have you found any other Subaru owners local to you that you can compare your car to? Are there gnomes living nearby who could've sabotaged the alignment a couple of days after it was done?

Originally Posted by Rudgers73

DERP. intake valves.... sorry ha

Either way, AVLS isn't doing anything to make the engine more noisy.

Originally Posted by Wrencher86

If you can, try a different dealer. Or at least a different tech. If that doesn't work out, or your warranty is through the dealer you purchased from, you could take it to an independent shop. They will charge you for the diagnostics but you could always take the list they give you back to the dealer.

Exactly.

[msingell]

im with rudgers, its possible to just drive the car in a way that it feels kinda crappy. on the other hand, theres a "sweet spot" where it behaves a lot better.

[Sir-Knight]

avls is on all the time, it doesn't kick in yo. it's pretty much just a smaller profile for idling, it's on as soon as throttle is on.

[Rudgers73]

Originally Posted by Sir-Knight

avls is on all the time, it doesn't kick in yo. it's pretty much just a smaller profile for idling, it's on as soon as throttle is on.

oh really? cool, thanks, I didn't know this. I knew it had to do with changing the travel of the intake valves to match the exhaust by somehow fixing the intake valves to the profile of the exhaust lobe on the cam, just nothing specific. Do you know how it works more specifically? I know people have said that it's a bastardized form of V-tec, but if the cam doesn't shift I can't see how they would be even remotely similar.

[RaceFaceXC]

Originally Posted by Rudgers73

oh really? cool, thanks, I didn't know this. I knew it had to do with changing the travel of the intake valves to match the exhaust by somehow fixing the intake valves to the profile of the exhaust lobe on the cam, just nothing specific. Do you know how it works more specifically? I know people have said that it's a bastardized form of V-tec, but if the cam doesn't shift I can't see how they would be even remotely similar.

Two intake cam lobes, one with higher lift (and duration?). Two rocker roller assemblies, one for each lobe and valve. An electrically actuated solenoid blocks or allows oil under pressure to lock the rockers together via a steel pin that slides into a hole in the rocker on the small lobe so that it follows the same lobe profile as the rocker next to it which always follows the larger lobe.

[Wrencher86]

Originally Posted by Rudgers73

oh really? cool, thanks, I didn't know this. I knew it had to do with changing the travel of the intake valves to match the exhaust by somehow fixing the intake valves to the profile of the exhaust lobe on the cam, just nothing specific. Do you know how it works more specifically? I know people have said that it's a bastardized form of V-tec, but if the cam doesn't shift I can't see how they would be even remotely similar.

Originally Posted by RaceFaceXC

Two intake cam lobes, one with higher lift (and duration?). Two rocker roller assemblies, one for each lobe and valve. An electrically actuated solenoid blocks or allows oil under pressure to lock the rockers together via a steel pin that slides into a hole in the rocker on the small lobe so that it follows the same lobe profile as the rocker next to it which always follows the larger lobe.

Also, the cam doesn't shift in either the V-tec system or the AVLS system. You're thinking of cam phasing AKA VVT.