Question:

On my 03 WRX sedan, stock

I have noticed significant engine vibration through the steering wheel while at idle.

The recent mod I did was grounding wires. There is no CEL displayed.

Any idea's on it's origin?>

Dirty air filter?
faulty wiring from grounding mod?
Bad tank of 92 oct. fuel?
?


I am reluctant to bring it to my dealer since they charged me an hours labor
for a dignostic on a badly running motor.

It turned out, there was a small gap on the air filter panel, and it wasn't properly seated, and a dang mosquito got stuck on the mass air wire sensor causing it to run poorly.. I had it cleaned out and it was fine... the dealer charged me though since I created the problem... I know they love doing warranty work since they get a low labor rate per hour..


Thanks,

Patrick
Santa Monica, Ca

 

I am not sure how bad the vibration is but WRX exhibit a rough idle compared to some other cars especially when the car is cold.

 

Ya, it's also when the motor is warmed up..

Maybe I'm just noticing it more.. will keep an eye on the rev's for any movement
when things are all idle... i.e. when the a/c off, no cooling fans on etc...

I think I will remove the grounding cables... maybe the contacts points are producing it..

Some Techron fuel additive or Red Line fuel system cleanser should rule out a clogged fuel system, but with less than 20K and drive it spiritly, don't think that's it..

it's not that subtle...

Will see...

 

The WRX actually idles quite roughly IMHO. It's an inherent part of the operation of horizontally-opposed engines like ours. Also, the turbo's interruption of exhaust flow at idle may contribute a blub blub blub sound that psychologically contributes to the idea of a rough idle.
Was your WRX's idle always rough? Or has it gotten worse recently? If it's gotten worse since you bought it, it could be a problem then...