This is a 02 wrx with 44500mi., can anyone help verify my limited diagnosis? I know this is limited info.. When parking the car last week I noticed a small amount of smoke coming from the hood scoop. Opened the hood and noticed a light burnig smell and small amount of smoke coming from around the turbo area. I have not noticed any smoke or smell other than that one day but have noticed a light rattling occuring at idle. If I pull on the throttle cable it sounds fine as it revs., but when it drops back down near idle it starts to rattle and sometimes produces a clanking sound right before idle. I tried using a screwdriver to the ear to help identify where the rattling was occuring, I can defintly here rattling coming from the turbo. But could it be coming from the up-pipe? This is a stock up-pipe so I thought maybe the cat. is going bad and part of it is rattling or clanking. Car runs and idles fine so I don't think it's in the engine. Have not noticed any smoke coming from exhaust either. Car is only lightly modified, TBE, Intake, Blow-off valve. Used a MBC for a few months on and off but not in the last 8 months. Do you think it's the turbo or something else? Want to upgrade to a larger turbo but thought the stock unit would last longer. If it is the turbo is the short life commen among these turbos?

 

Could be a series of things.. But check your inlet hose(s) .. sometimes(From what I have heard) hoses can go bad thus depositing oil onto the turbo which in turn creates the smoke ... and eventually killing the turbo..

Someone please correct me if I am wrong .. lol

 

have you checked to make sure it isn't the heat shield rattling?

 

I'll double check the hoses but they looked okay. Do you mean deposit oil on the outside of the turbo? It all looks clean around the turbo. If it was internal wouldn't I see some exhaust smoke? As for the heat shield, I never remounted it after installing the TXS downpipe, never got around to cutting it to make it fit. I can't find any thing else loose. I was hoping to put in a EMU next but this came up unexpected. IF I put on a larger turbo would it be alright to turn down the boost with my MBC to be safe until I put in injectors and EMU? Or put in the EMU first and see if the stock unit will last a little longer? Can only afford one or the other until another month or two. Thanks for the replies.

 

i dont know if this relates to your problem, but intakes and BOVs and wrxs don't mix to well. you might want to try taking them off for better performance. who knows, you might even fix the problem.

 

I had the same problem with my 03..if you let it sit sometimes white smoke would drift out the scoop. Also if i let it idle for like 10 minutes or so white smoke would pour out the tailpipe for like a minute when i drove away. I also noticed my coolant resevoir woudl always look low and i even had to pour a bit of coolant in once and a while..My thought was my turbo was burning coolant or had a small coolant leak but coudl never find one...I also had a BOV..get rid of the bov my new wrx doesnt have one and it runs SOOOO much better

Then i traded the piece in and got a loaded 04

 

i think i had the same problem too...car rattles bad at idle and white smoke...

 

Again, thanks for the replies. I've only seen a little smoke once (about a month ago) coming from the hood scoop, I've never seen smoke coming from the exhaust while in the car or pulling on the throttle from under the hood, unless it's so little I just don't notice it (had a Eclipse where turbo was going bad definetly saw white smoke coming from exhaust, but no bad noises from turbo). I always warm the car up, never see any smoke or oder, but definetly hear that rattle at idle. The coolant issue made me recall the smell of coolant sometimes when parking the car, but have not noticed that since the one time smoke issue from the scoop, like I said I've only noticed the smoke once. I had flushed the coolant system at 36,000 mi. I't took all 2 gal., 50/50 mix and their is always coolant in the resivor. Oil and coolant lines look fine and no sighns of leakage. I've had the BOV on for almost the entire 45,000 mi. (just a punk who likes the sound) so I don't think it's the problem unless it's causing the turbo to wear prematurly, Car idles and runs fine, but I will put the OEM valve back on to see if it improves performance. Sorry about the intake confusion, It's not an intake just have stock silencer removed. Idunno 715, do you hear any rattling coming from your turbo? Can anyone help with my question about bigger turbo and turning down boost until I can get some engine managment? I have a Hallman boost controler just never used it because of the full boost/closed loop issue. If I had a bigger turbo and turn boost down to 7-8psi with the MBC would it be O.k.? Or just put up with the rattle until I can afford turbo, injectors, pump, and EMU all at once, hoping the stock unit lasts? OH yeah, I guess I'll need a larger intercooler also. THanks.