2012 Impreza thread

[IHaveAHorse]

Originally Posted by nubsub

so, i am here to revisit the intermittent starting issue i reported a few years back. the symptoms are this: the starter will crank and the car will not start until a second or third crank would be performed. this happened about once every 10-20 starts and there was not an exact pattern.

at the time, there were some suggested reasons:
- battery going bad
- not waiting long enough for the fuel system to get primed.

when i last reported it, waiting for the "gauges to wake" didn't solve the issue. a new battery seemed to fix the issue (it was 4+ years old at the time) with almost instantaneous starts after replacing the battery 2.5 years ago. since then, i have experienced the problem from time to time (maybe once every 50 starts) and just lived with it. in recent months, it has become more frequent (maybe once every 20 starts).

in trying to troubleshoot, i have been very diligent about giving the car time to "settle in" (prime the fuel system) before trying to crank the car over. i also was concerned about a battery being the issue, but i ran a load test on it and it passed with flying colors. i wouldn't think it is the starter given that its reliable 95+% of the time and the car does a distinct and healthy starting sound even if the car doesn't turn over.

my friend suggested that rather than "stop" when it is struggling to kick over, that i keep cranking for up to 5 seconds to see if the car kicks over since usually on the 2nd crank, the car would turn over. this strategy has worked fine. i've been quite reluctant up until his suggestion to crank more than 1-2 seconds, but now that i've stretched that out (worse case, 3 seconds?), the car has always started even in these bad situations. again, in normal cases (95% of the time), it cranks over in under a second.

so...what this suggests to me (a scientist but not a great home mechanic) is something is still related to the fuel system. it's as if in these cases, the fuel system hasn't "started up" but eventually kicks into place so the car has fuel to fire up.

what do you guys think? is this the fuel pump itself? some electrical or controller issue (for lack of better understanding of how the whole system works)?

thankfully, given my friend's advice, my fear of the car stranding me has diminished, but i do, in the back of my head, wonder if this problem will get worse in time.

to be honest, i'm torn -- i'm actually eying the new 2024 Crosstrek. the main lure is the better clearance for the 1-2 times a year when i'm hitting dirt roads on the way to a backpacking trip, but more importantly, i'd really like to get EyeSight. on the flip side, i love my 2012 and because it's now old, i don't care as much about door dings and it being a bit dirty a lot of the time. other than the starting issue, the car drives well and the power is sufficient for our family of 3 (10 year old daughter and wife + me)...only time i have found the 2.0i insufficient was with 4 adults and cargo in the mountains. if i were to buy a Crosstrek, i would definitely go with the 2.5 liter model.

but if i can keep the 2012 going another 2-3 years, that would be a good thing all around as the car seems like it still has a lot of life in it at 109k on the dial. (of course, i'm also holding my breath for the infamous valve body CVT to fail and seeing if SOA/dealer would acknowledge the issue and fix it for free/discount)

Did you get that TSB for extended cranking issues? I got that a while back, and I always turn the ignition on for 5 seconds or so while the fuel system primes, haven't had the issue in years even though I used to get it all the time.

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[dcon9999]

With 200,000 mi on my car, I couldn't justify paying Subaru $430 or a local mechanic $390 to change my spark plugs. Had always heard horror stories about the tight space that you have to work in on this boxer engine. Did a little bit of research, but two tools that I'll link below made all the difference and really got a lot of courage from a Mr. Subaru YouTube video. 90 minutes later, all four plugs changed and kicking butt.

Small and skinny 3/8" ratchet wrench: https://amzn.to/33hHnSm

Kick ass 14mm rachet: https://kokenusa.com/products/z-series-3-8-sq-dr-spark-plug-socket-with-spring-clips-14mm

Spark plugs: NGK 93482

Step by step video: https://youtu.be/nLet3J2KAT0

[nubsub]

Originally Posted by IHaveAHorse

Did you get that TSB for extended cranking issues? I got that a while back, and I always turn the ignition on for 5 seconds or so while the fuel system primes, haven't had the issue in years even though I used to get it all the time.

i don't think i ever received the TSB. i don't think letting the gauges "wave" takes 5 seconds so maybe 5 seconds would give the fuel system more time. again it's strange how i find the issue intermittent, but the car continues to function so i guess right now for me it's a "live with" item for a 11+ year old car.

[other live withs include: my PVC tape covered hatch release -- still keep meaning to spend $34 and replace the switch with a new one but the tape covering works just find over the decayed rubber of the button underneath; rattles that have developed over time]

[metaleckz]

does anyone know if i can fit an sti front sway bar on my 2012 subaru impreza 2.0 hatch? i see that the rear fits but i havent seen if the front fits. also, what other STI/WRX parts fit on our cars? thanks in advance.

[tspunk]

Hi, I have a 2012 Impreza 2.0i Sport Premium Hatchback with the OEM gray alluminum wheels. I want to get spacers so they can sit flush. Does anybody know how many mm I need for that?

The OEM wheels are:
Size: 17x7"
Offset: +48

[CLL_OBP]

Originally Posted by metaleckz

does anyone know if i can fit an sti front sway bar on my 2012 subaru impreza 2.0 hatch? i see that the rear fits but i havent seen if the front fits. also, what other STI/WRX parts fit on our cars? thanks in advance.

While the rear has the same part# 20451SC010
The front is 20414FJ010 Impreza / 20401SC100 STI and they are different shapes.

What other parts fit? Go to a Subaru Online Parts page.
Search for the STI part and look at the diagrams, press the number, select the link.
Look for the tab that says WHAT THIS FITS and look for 2.0 Impreza's.

[CLL_OBP]

Originally Posted by tspunk

Hi, I have a 2012 Impreza 2.0i Sport Premium Hatchback with the OEM gray alluminum wheels. I want to get spacers so they can sit flush. Does anybody know how many mm I need for that? Has anybody done this?

An aftermarket wheel, yes. However,, I've never heard of doing such a thing to an OEM wheel. I know we have different wheels but sit flush with what?

Your Sport Premium 5Dr - 16 x 6.5
My Sport Limited 5Dr - 17 x 7.0

[tspunk]

Originally Posted by CLL_OBP

An aftermarket wheel, yes. However,, I've never heard of doing such a thing to an OEM wheel. I know we have different wheels but sit flush with what?

Your Sport Premium 5Dr - 16 x 6.5
My Sport Limited 5Dr - 17 x 7.0

Flush with the outside of the car.

[IHaveAHorse]

De-winterized my car yesterday. Summer tires on, brake fluid flushed (should have been done 2 years ago, oh well), and washed. The sun was down by the time I finished washing the car so I didn't clean the interior, but that's next up, probably later today.

[hi5.0]

Apparently my car's tail lights are cracking from UV exposure. Noticed from the sides first (red portion of lens) and now the clear portion is going. Never had that happen before.

[IHaveAHorse]

Does anyone know if there's any correlation, either direct or inverse, between people who changed their CVT fluid out at least a few times and people who have the valve body issue that seems to be popping up frequently now?

[nubsub]

Originally Posted by IHaveAHorse

Does anyone know if there's any correlation, either direct or inverse, between people who changed their CVT fluid out at least a few times and people who have the valve body issue that seems to be popping up frequently now?

this would be good to know! we probably only have anecdotal evidence, but i'll chime in:

i'm at almost 110k*, so far so good. i've changed with AMSoil at 60k and 90k. i noticed a measurable improvement in MPG at the 60k change. i did not, however note a similar increase at 90k. i plan to do it again at 120k (assuming i haven't bought a new Crosstrek or Forester before then)

*i still continue to see my odometer under predict distance by a 2-3% amount so i think the reality is i have driven about 113k. but that should also be the case for others with 2012-2014 (?) vehicles.

[IHaveAHorse]

I can't recall when I changed mine, I think it was maybe 10-20k ago and I'm at 95k mi right now. I changed it twice in a short time, the first time I dropped the pan, then after seeing that a relatively small extra amount comes out with the pan I just used the drain plug. I've been meaning to do it again, because I got a few cases of the Valvoline CVT fluid on a steep discount from amazon a year or two ago, but I don't have a good transfer pump and even when I did it was so slow and exhausting I've been trying to find a better way to refill it.

[CLL_OBP]

Originally Posted by IHaveAHorse

Does anyone know if there's any correlation, either direct or inverse, between people who changed their CVT fluid out at least a few times and people who have the valve body issue that seems to be popping up frequently now?

I've changed my CVTF 5 times: 10k, 60k, 90k, 120k & 180k. Clean CVTF didn’t stop my valve body from going bad in April 2019 somewhere around 190k. I passed 250k on Friday and with the fluid looking good each time, I might do it again if I reach 280k.

If anyone does get this done, make sure they don't charge you for 13 quarts of CVTF. It doesn't require draining the fluid. I switched to Valvoline CVTF, which is amber. They charged me for Subaru CVTF, which is blue. When I went behind them and checked, my fluid was still amber. I called them, they confirmed they didn't change the fluid and refunded me $200+. Stealerships!(rolleyes)

[IHaveAHorse]

Valvoline CVTF is amber for you? I think the stuff I had/have is red, definitely Valvoline CVTF though. I could be remembering wrong though.

[CLL_OBP]

Originally Posted by IHaveAHorse

Valvoline CVTF is amber for you? I think the stuff I had/have is red, definitely Valvoline CVTF though. I could be remembering wrong though.

It was amber but it could have changed formula and color. I bought 70+ quarts for $1 each back in December 2014 from Autozone. That was the time when Autozone would put oil on clearance for $1 from mid December to after New Years. Think I got maybe 4 left.

[IHaveAHorse]

Does anyone have any thoughts as to what exactly is the issue with the CVTs? I know it's a "valve body" issue, but what does that mean? Is there a solenoid that breaks in half because of a bad design, does something get clogged, something else? I'm very curious

[CLL_OBP]

Supposedly, the valve body was suppose to be improved for 2012 to 2017 Impreza's and other models. So much for that.
Otherwise, its just a not so reliable switch (the solenoid). If the valves don't open or close properly, it triggers the light. As much as I have changed my CVTF, I know it's not because of dirty fluid or low level.

[CLL_OBP]

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[cueball89]

I'm nearing 137,500 miles on my 15 Impreza. Should anything else coolant related be done when changing it out, hoses, thermostat or waterpump? Are there any common failure points? The hoses and clamps look like they are in good shape, from appearances it looks like a waste to change them out.

[IHaveAHorse]

I think in general it's not a bad idea to change the thermostat out since they're cheap and it's easy to do while changing the coolant. But not necessary by any means. I haven't heard of any widespread issues with the cooling system.

[dcon9999]

All these years later, what is this plastic piece in the back of my hatch?
https://photos.app.goo.gl/GiAphx5S6mMEaoS86

[Leonardo]

Originally Posted by dcon9999

All these years later, what is this plastic piece in the back of my hatch?
https://photos.app.goo.gl/GiAphx5S6mMEaoS86

I use it to pinch buckles there.

[dcon9999]

Originally Posted by Leonardo

I use it to pinch buckles there.

Pinch buckles? Like seat buckles? Strapping cable? Etc?

[nubsub]

Originally Posted by dcon9999

All these years later, what is this plastic piece in the back of my hatch?
https://photos.app.goo.gl/GiAphx5S6mMEaoS86

the metal end of the third row seatbelt strap can tuck in there to prevent it from rattling freely. (which could happen the way yours is just hanging there)