Toyota warranty issues have shown at least two engine failures in the sports car GR86, which is close to the Subaru BRZ and powered by the Subaru FA24D four-cylinder engine. Owners have reported problems with the oil system in these cars, and now one owner has decided to dig deeper.
2022 Subaru BRZ owner Brian Armstrong, who tested it and talked to him The Drive, removes several elements first. He says he knows three different people who blew up the FA24 engines in their cars, which prompted him to try this. He explained that they were careful owners who had installed aftermarket oil coolers. To identify a potential problem, Armstrong carried two fuel sensors that could download data to his car and others at various points on the engine. When built into the vehicle’s CAN bus, this can be overlaid with engine RPM and more. For the record, it is unknown to him if a loose RTV is causing the failure (which has been reported as a potential problem in these vehicles), and he is not looking into it right now.
Preliminary testing of the three cars was completed the same day at Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willows, California, and extensive testing was completed on the Thunderhill West section of the track. Along with the two new cars with FA24D, the old Subaru BRZ powered by FA20 was tested and improved. Another attempt was made at Thunderhill’s five-mile range on another day.
Armstrong’s testing of new FA24D-powered vehicles finds a consistent drop in fuel consumption around hard right-hand corners, especially with quick transitions or uphill changes. Slowly, slowly in the right corners doesn’t seem to cause any dip. At one point, around Turn 5 on Thunderhill East, a pressure drop from 62 psi to 28 psi is recorded, which is a maximum pressure of 34 pounds at high RPM. The change in elevation combined with right-hand corners seems to be difficult for the car’s lubrication system to keep up with, as the downforce continues for a while in these situations.
“We got it [the] The FA24 provides increased fuel pressure on straights and left turns, but we’ve always been able to produce lower pressure on right-hand corners, “he told me. if it’s not an early failure.”
The old FA20-equipped BRZ seems to have a similar problem in right-hand turns, but not to the extent of its larger 2.4-liter cousin. There’s a brief drop here or there on the 2017-spec car, but nothing quite as high or steep as the newer cars.
Armstrong’s car didn’t drop the pan to check the RTV, the seal mentioned as a possible failure, but the other Toyota that was tested in the video did. Both cars have received minor suspension changes and new tires, though Armstrong says the new rubber isn’t as durable as what’s available on the car from the factory. The only major change to the fuel system in both cars is the oil cooler. Armstrong provides detailed information on each vehicle in this video.
The new car test only covers one BRZ and the new GR86. More research in different situations needs to be completed before anyone can make any negative conclusions. However, the fact that the results were easily replicated by the sports driver is surprising. Both cars are very similar and testing was done on the same day on the same track with the same equipment. What Armstrong is showing here may not be the smoking gun, but it is a strong indication that the FA24D’s fuel system may be faulty at high efficiency and that RTV-related blockages or restrictions may exacerbate an already fuel-starved engine condition. .
Armstrong plans to continue to test his car with aftermarket equipment to reduce these fuel costs. “We’re going back to Thunderhill on July 1st and we’ll be testing this: My car with the Killer B prototype [oil pan] baffle and the same 5W30 Motul 8100 oil,” he told me.
As for his advice to owners, Armstrong is clear. Make sure your oil is at the right level, put on an oil cooler if you notice it’s getting too hot, and also consider the mess in the pan. Likewise, using a heavier fuel may be a good move, especially on the road. “The GR Cup teams I talked to are using 5W40,” he told me.
Despite the length required to keep his engine safe, Armstrong said nothing affected how he felt about his car. “I love this platform and I want it to be reliable so people can enjoy it,” he told me. This means trying new levels, being objective about what you find, and continuing to search for answers. “I want to encourage other people to deal with these kinds of problems in a systematic way, with principles supported by real evidence.”
The Drive has reached out to Toyota and Subaru to explain Armstrong’s findings, but we haven’t heard back from the media.
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