Ok so I'm new to Subaru's and I just happen to come across the "infamous" Oil Pickup Line Failure issue. Now I have an 05' STi with ~54k miles. I brought it out to BIR for their performance driving school a few weeks ago and I really want to go to the MAP event on June 25th. After reading this I'm pretty nervous about taking the car back to the track. :ugh: So do you guys think this is something I should be really worried about and skip going to the track again? Or is it actually less common than I am led to believe and I'm over reacting?
A tell tale sign of a cracked pickup is your oil light flickering on and off at idle. Best way to be sure is pull the pan and inspect/replace it. Not too tough of a job if your mechanically inclined. Another option would be an oil pressure gauge with a low pressure waring light you can set just below normal idle pressure. The problem with the stock oil light switch is it will only turn on at below 2 psi. Usually at this point it is too late. My 06 EJ257 pickup was cracked when I got the engine, but that was because the clown who shipped it strapped it on the pan to the pallet. I just replaced it with the inexpensive OEM piece though others aren't willing to take the risk and get a KillerBee/other aftermarket options.
I guess that's another thing I was wondering. If I pull the pan to inspect the pickup line, would I really be able to tell? I mean is it something that starts with a small crack that gets bigger? Or is it just a sudden, "crack and goodbye engine"?
I believe 04 and 05's are less prone to it. My 2004 STi had hundreds of stage rally miles on the stock pickup. I blew the motor this year at a race (unrelated to pickup) and replaced it with a covert performance anyway.
