[cheek]

I have what I believe is an earlier 2004 XT. Today since it was warm and my broken collarbone has healed, I decided to remove the oil line filters in the TSB.

I removed the bolts, going by the pictures and instructions on scoobymods.com and the filters were not in the bolts at all. Upon looking down into the housing on the drivers side I thought I was seeing the filter, but upon poking around in there I cannot feel anything I could possibly grab.

I then removed the passenger side bolt and the filter was not in it either. I looked down in the housing. Thinking I was seeing the black top of the filter I poked tweezers down inside and determined it was nothing but oil.

Where have my filters gone? Could I have pushed them out of sight in my investigation (I was being as steady and cautious as I could)?

This wouldn't bother me too much except that I have a very rough idle that seems to be congruent with dropped filter stories.

Thank you for your help.

 

[SkiPhast]

If I remember correctly not all 2004's have the filter. Only certain ones up to a certain VIN number. Sounds like yours was not in the VIN range. Double check with Peaty's instructions, I think I remember him listing the VINs.

 

[Retserof]

According to the TSB, if your 04 FXT has a VIN below 5*767423 (where * is a letter, such as G) and was sold in the US, it should have had banjo bolts that came with these filters.

They must have been previously removed or they both got completely pushed into the hydraulic cam timing control devices and disintegrated, which seems unlikely but is possible. Other possiblities are that you removed the wrong banjo bolts, that you overlooked the filters because they were further down in the openings, or that the Subaru TSB is wrong.

Is your car still under warranty? If so, maybe the dealer can help.

 

[GatorXTi]

I have a 2005 XT within the VIN parameters and do not have the filters either. I havent suffered from rough idle but opted to check as a precaution. I have a Vautrain grounding kit (member here) that smoothed me out to my liking.

Hope this helps

 

[JM1]

I also have an 05 XT that falls within the VIN # range but have yet to confirm/deny if I have the filters or not.

 

[sirwilliam]

I also have an 05 XT that falls within the VIN # range but have yet to confirm/deny if I have the filters or not.

You should check and remove if found...real easy fix that is worth doing.

 

[sirwilliam]

I have what I believe is an earlier 2004 XT. Today since it was warm and my broken collarbone has healed, I decided to remove the oil line filters in the TSB.

I removed the bolts, going by the pictures and instructions on scoobymods.com and the filters were not in the bolts at all. Upon looking down into the housing on the drivers side I thought I was seeing the filter, but upon poking around in there I cannot feel anything I could possibly grab.

I then removed the passenger side bolt and the filter was not in it either. I looked down in the housing. Thinking I was seeing the black top of the filter I poked tweezers down inside and determined it was nothing but oil.

Where have my filters gone? Could I have pushed them out of sight in my investigation (I was being as steady and cautious as I could)?

This wouldn't bother me too much except that I have a very rough idle that seems to be congruent with dropped filter stories.

Thank you for your help.

When you were poking around did you have a flash light to shine down in the hole...I also tried w/ tweezers and pliers at first but it wouldn't grab so I had to use a special three armed extraction/grabber tool that came in my computer tool kit to get it out.

 

[cheek]

yeah

yeah, i was using a light, but it looked like only black down there.

well, i let my car sit for about an hour with the union bolts removed and that allowed the oil that was in the banjo housing to flow down and out. so when i went back to look at it, i could see all the way down into the valvetrain with no obstructions on either side.

so either i had the filters at one point (i have a 4G***** VIN), or perhaps the VINs starting with '4', or someone or something had them removed before i purchased the car brand new in Apr '04, or (less likely) they have already been chewed up by the valvetrain without me noticing {which seems unlikely, because i don't see how the filter could slip down throught the housing), or hopefully, the filters were never there.

on another note, i pulled the negative terminal on my battery while doing this, long enough for the capacitors to drain, and my idle is much smoother and throttle response is crisper and i've noticed slightly less wastegate flutter. is it possible that this is just a placebo effect, or might we all benefit from the occasional ECU reset?

Has anyone else with a VIN starting with '4G' tried to retrieve these filters?

 

[sirwilliam]

yeah, i was using a light, but it looked like only black down there.

well, i let my car sit for about an hour with the union bolts removed and that allowed the oil that was in the banjo housing to flow down and out. so when i went back to look at it, i could see all the way down into the valvetrain with no obstructions on either side.

so either i had the filters at one point (i have a 4G***** VIN), or perhaps the VINs starting with '4', or someone or something had them removed before i purchased the car brand new in Apr '04, or (less likely) they have already been chewed up by the valvetrain without me noticing {which seems unlikely, because i don't see how the filter could slip down throught the housing), or hopefully, the filters were never there.

on another note, i pulled the negative terminal on my battery while doing this, long enough for the capacitors to drain, and my idle is much smoother and throttle response is crisper and i've noticed slightly less wastegate flutter. is it possible that this is just a placebo effect, or might we all benefit from the occasional ECU reset?

Has anyone else with a VIN starting with '4G' tried to retrieve these filters?

I have the 4GXXXXX....I removed mine. As for the ECU reset making it better for you, it might come back after the ECU relearns or maybe not. I am rooting for the second. It also could be just from not driving it for a short period of time that you body isn't sensitive to the vibration...but that will come back if the roughness is still there.

 

[JM1]

Anybody have part numbers for the bolts and gaskets? I think I'll go by the dealer on Monday and see if just the filters are in stock (maybe the bolts too, if not too expensive).

 

[pleiad7]

http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?p=20694

 

[JM1]

Wow. I'm BLIND! Thanks. I looked at that thread numerous times AND I used search (seriously).

Thank you.

 

[Peaty]

Replied to your PM before I saw this thread.

 

[JM1]

Not sure if it's better to respond in this thread or This one in the Engine (Turbo) sub-forum. I guess this one is more applicable.

I removed the bolts today (a VERY EASY and quick job) and I have neither the filters nor the black filter holder in the bolts. I took a flash light and shined it down in the hole and I do not believe they were in there. Unfortunately, I started the motor up this morning, and even though I left it for a few hours, there was some oil in the bolt hole leading to the valve control mechanism.

At this point, I don't think they are in there and I just can't see them, but I'm not 100%. I did have the car in early on when I bought it for the rough idle and they did look at this TSB but I cannot confirm if they loosened the bolts and removed the screens or not.

I also took a long thin screw driver and "dragged" it against the hole and it seemed like it was ridged all the way down, indicating to me that I was contacting the threads and not a screen.

I guess I am confident they're not in there because I would have poked the top of the filter housing when inserting the screw driver if they were down there.

 

[Peaty]

If the filters were there and had dropped, you would not have been able to go very far at all down in the banjo bolt. I think you are right thinking there were none there from the get go.

 

[funkymonkey1002]

Hrm, I think im going to have to check mine now. Could this cause my idle to be rough and jumping slightly?

 

[iloveboost]

i had em in mine real easy to do..not sure if it helped but anythingwith my ruff idle but to help my oil flow better is a plus in my book...

 

[JM1]

Hrm, I think im going to have to check mine now. Could this cause my idle to be rough and jumping slightly?

I still seem to have a bit of lump to my idle but consensus seems to be that it's just the nature of the motor.

Still not sure if I buy that or not.