5000 rpm and speed bump noise

[WRXagon]

Hi All

I am new to scoobs and have 2 small gripes with my new Bug Eye Wagon

1. it pulls well then seems to lose some power at 5000 rpm, then comes back on at 6000 rpm. Its exactly the same every time?
2. I went over a really sharp speed bump and there was a rubbing type noise coming from the front..and it wasn't the bumper, it sounded like it was suspension related.

All help welcome

In terms of the first thing, I was probably going to get it to eurospec or somewhere for them to check it out and maybe do a little re mapping

[WRXagon]

Is the news really bad? A few people have viewed and no replies...lol I am starting to think maybe everyone on the forum knows its a write off

[Steve_PPP]

lol don't panic

I'm not sure about the flat spot between 5-6k rpm, is the car completely standard? Generally if they're standard, the WRX doesn't have much puff over 6000 rpm anyway as its held back by the exhaust system i guess (3 cats as standard).

On the suspension, do you still get the rubbing noise all the time, or just when cornering? Or did it happen as you hit the bump and then go away?

[WRXagon]

thanks Steve

The boost thing is between 5-6, after 6 it comes back on sing briefly before redlining. It is....as far as I know totally standard. 2 owners, serviced and stamped every 10k and no listed or noticeable mods.

The rubbing was only on a speed bump, and if i went really slow it didnt do it. It also did it a tiny bit on a really sharp small humpback bridge. Otherwise its not there driving at all, under braking or acceleration

[NorthDownsScooby]

Wang it on a rolling road and that should show you exactly what the power delivery is. Best £50 you'll ever spend. !!

[WRXagon]

will do! I amw aiting to hear back from Ben and Eurospec, he used to look after my FTO so thought I would drop him a line.

[NorthDownsScooby]

Not sure where you are exactly, but if you use Charlie at Surrey Rolling Road, I guarantee you will get some decent feedback if there are any obvious issues !

[Steve_PPP]

I agree with NorthDowns, its worth the drive over to Surrey Rolling Road as they're Subaru specialists, most guys on here will only use Charlie and those rollers. It'll show up any issues and give you a base figure that the car is putting out which is always nice to know if you've just bought the car

http://www.surreyrollingroad.co.uk/

[NorthDownsScooby]

That Steve_PPP chap however he is seems very wise

[RobEvo5]

With regards to holding back If the car has been modified, it could literally be anything.

But if the car is 100% Standard, IMO would look towards electrical.

If its a classic ? then coil packs would be first port of call, then plugs, then leads, then MAF.

If Newage ? then plugs, leads, MAF

But by no means exhaustive, as could be Boost control solenoid, or many, many other things.

I wouldn't personally do a dyno run as you won't get a meaningful dyno reading cost you £50+ and although Charlie & Co do offer help/advice they are not offering a diagnostic service. They offer a Dyno/power run.

I would either try a few fairly relatively cheap things yourself which are probably worth doing if you have no service record of them being done and learn a little along the way. alternatively club meets are helpful/free advice or there are many Scooby garages people can recommend.

[Scott.T]

4,800rpm to 5,200rpm is peak load so if you have any fuelling or timing issues this is where detonation is most likely going to take place. Therefore the ECU may of pulled timing to protect things.

The same load effect can highlight plug issues, so I would start with a fresh set of plugs, followed by monitoring the boost(temporary plumb in a £20 boost gauge).

If that all looks OK and no improvement is seen then you really need to get the fuelling checked. The only way to do this is either on the road with a wideband probe up the exhaust or on a dyno.

[WRXagon]

Amazing, thanks everyone! I was going to take it to Eurospec for more of a diagnostic test rather than a power run as has been mentioned. It has been serviced and stamped every 10,000 miles, mainly at a subaru dealership until the last 3 at a local garage. I would hope plugs etc would have been changed. I don't have any tools...should I attempt plugs and leads myself? OR should i book it in for a service at a specilist as get oil changed while im there?

It is a newage and totally standard.

It is still pulling at 4800, in fact if im on a half throttle it will keep pulling all the way through, its only when im really pushing it and yesterday it hung in there until 5500 then dropped.
It is quite defined when it comes back on song at 6000.

I think I need to take it in and get Ben or another specialist to try and find what it is for me