GR86 RTV in oil pickup causes engine failure.

I need to swing by and get the build date off the car.  I need it for the online survey on the Facebook group as well.

dps214 said:

Are you saying 20% coverage is good or bad? Are you trying to get subaru to cover pulling the whole pan to clean the pickup, or just the inspection?

Just making an observation.  Hopefully they cover the cost of everything.  If not it's worth it for piece of mind.

In reply to pimpm3 (Forum Supporter) :

Oh man, that's not good! What is going to keep more RTV from circulating again? Or is pulling the pan every 2500 miles going to be a thing?

Once you clean it out this time , will that be the only time you need to do it ?
or is there more junk up in the motor ?
 

I hope they do it under warranty , good luck

There is a lot of speculation that it's RTV from the timing cover and not the oil pan as well. 

The amount of RTV breaking free and circulating should decrease sharply over time, so what was in the first oil change is probably a majority of what will ever circulate in the engine, until more RTV is added.

In reply to GameboyRMH :

That's perfectly logical, it's not like there's an RTV injection system. It's basically assembly debris.

Pretty sure people have reported three distinct colors of RTV appearing. It's from *everywhere*.

The problem is that the proper cleaning method is to pull the pickup tube, which requires pulling the full pan and also the timing cover I believe (or at least resealing it to the upper oil pan). So then you risk introduction of new RTV into the system.

pimpm3 (Forum Supporter) said:

I need to swing by and get the build date off the car.  I need it for the online survey on the Facebook group as well.

Do you have a link to that BookFace survey?

I wonder.... Would the new RTV benefit from additional cure time before the crankcase is refilled and run? My supposition is they glob too much on and then the loose globs fall off due to a hot oil bath before the RTV had a chance to cure in place  

Full disclosure: I don't really know what RTV is. Is there a "two component" RTV - a chemical cure formulation that does not rely on atmosphere (air) to cure?

edit. Google says RTV is silicone and there are single and two component formulations. Which type is Subaru using?

So I heard from the dealership today.  Subaru corporate agreed to cover the repair under warranty.  

They will be re-sealing the timing cover, the upper oil pan and the lower pan.  Only problem is oil pickup is on back order and they will not be reassembling until it arrives.

I am happy with how they are handling the situation, but just hope I get it back in time for the challenge.

z31maniac said:

pimpm3 (Forum Supporter) said:

I need to swing by and get the build date off the car.  I need it for the online survey on the Facebook group as well.

Do you have a link to that BookFace survey?

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfKcVs-tXZj2qUQVdkumPMM2BjGFuCFUKNQ265pBh1Cine1xQ/viewform

pimpm3 (Forum Supporter) said:

So I heard from the dealership today.  Subaru corporate agreed to cover the repair under warranty.  

They will be re-sealing the timing cover, the upper oil pan and the lower pan.  Only problem is oil pickup is on back order and they will not be reassembling until it arrives.

I am happy with how they are handling the situation, but just hope I get it back in time for the challenge.

That's good to know. Although then it's on the techs to not over apply RTV like the robots in the factory did. 

pimpm3 (Forum Supporter) said:

z31maniac said:

pimpm3 (Forum Supporter) said:

I need to swing by and get the build date off the car.  I need it for the online survey on the Facebook group as well.

Do you have a link to that BookFace survey?

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfKcVs-tXZj2qUQVdkumPMM2BjGFuCFUKNQ265pBh1Cine1xQ/viewform

Thanks, oh and what was your build date?

The car was not where I could get to it yesterday when I went by to check.

RTV is the spawn of the Devil, has no place sealing an oilpan.

clshore said:

RTV is the spawn of the Devil, has no place sealing an oilpan.

I have bad news for you about a whole lot of cars built for decades.

Nissan SR20's seal the oil pan and the timing chain cover with RTV, and have done so for 30+ years.  The FSM even tells you where you can't get it on the timing cover (hint, it's not your hootus.)

Ugh- I'm not sure if I would feel good or bad about this situation pimpm3. 
To me this is sort of like the ims issue- only, you can't just replace the part and feel like it's solved. 
I guess this is a story we will all follow for a few years to come. 

Keith Tanner said:

clshore said:

RTV is the spawn of the Devil, has no place sealing an oilpan.

I have bad news for you about a whole lot of cars built for decades.

I think the only "gasket" engines have anymore is the head gasket, and usually an O ring on the valve cover.  Everything else is form-in-place.

I like it, as engines have more or less immortal sealing anymore, except for places where a gasket or O ring is used, like Chevy V8s (everywhere) or Honda V6 oil pumps, to name the common ones.

Has anyone designed an extra screen, maybe a bubble that would catch the RTV before it gets to the stock pick-up ?

something with at least 2x  the square inch area.....

And has anyone cut the oil filter in half and see how much RTV  was caught by the filter ?
 

I was always worried about Aircooled VW motors with just a screen for the oil filter.

californiamilleghia said:

And has anyone cut the oil filter in half and see how much RTV  was caught by the filter ?

Yes. Not a tremendous amount, but definitely some tiny RTV confetti, in 2-3 distinct colors.

Build date is 03/22. 

Picked the car up today.  Oil pan and timing cover resealed under warranty, plus a new oil pick up.  Thank you Subaru of Jacksonville.

Would sending out an oil sample for testing find evidence of RTV intrusion?

californiamilleghia said:

Has anyone designed an extra screen, maybe a bubble that would catch the RTV before it gets to the stock pick-up ?

something with at least 2x  the square inch area.....

And has anyone cut the oil filter in half and see how much RTV  was caught by the filter ?
 

I was always worried about Aircooled VW motors with just a screen for the oil filter.

Killer B Motorsports is currently developing a pre-screen for the pickup for these engines. 

Although, I'm not sure I would use one with an engine under warranty. Because I guarantee anything that happens that's oil related if you have that installed, they will use to deny your claim.