Banjo Bolt Removal (Turbo Oil Feed Union Screw) 2005-2009 Legacy GT / Outback XT

Today I tackle one of the 2 major sources of turbo failure in these cars and in most of the turbo Subaru line. The removal of the mesh screen from the banjo bolt (union bolt) in this video prevents oil starvation to the turbo that can lead to turbo and thus engine failure. The other major source of failure is the catalytic converter in the uppipe breaking down and being ingested by the turbo. See here for that video: • Subaru Uppipe Install ...
This video applies to 2005-2009 Legacy GTs, Outback XTs and various years Forester XTs, WRX, etc. Other cars will have different banjo bolt locations. Refer to this chart for that (and ignore the circled one): uploads.tapata...

[@ryguy32789]

You have no idea how much I appreciate you shooting this video with excellent lighting in the engine bay. It makes a world of difference in understanding what is going on.

[@PunkRokkMonkey]

Thanks for sharing this. Definitely some valuable info. A couple of things worth mentioning: • A sure fire way to wreck your calibration on your torque wrench is to use it to remove engine hardware. Never use a torque wrench to loosen bolts, unless you are looking to dramatically shorten the life/validity of the wrench! • A "crowfoot" socket wrench will make getting that 17mm banjo bolt out a breeze. You can get a decent metric set online for $15. This will also allow you to torque the banjo bolt when it goes back on. • Whenever I want to hold washers in place, a little trick is to grab a small amount of assembly grease (I personally prefer Maxima brand) and dab a little on your copper crush washer, stick it to the back of the bolt/hose/whatever and it sticks until you're done locking everything down. Makes future removal a breeze as well. • For those that want to re-use the filter, a little WD-40 usually clears mine out and then chase it with some de-greaser part cleaner spray. Good as new! Cheers & Happy Wrenching!

[@RPGarage]

Thanks for the comment. So as I said in the video, that torque wrench is a throw-away I use exclusively as a breaker bar and don't torque anything down with it. I've heard a ratcheting stubby 17 works well for the banjo bolt but unfortunately I don't have one. Good tips on the washer grease. That didn't quite work for me but I'd heard of that trick from others as well. Might be helpful for others.

[@Jligoo]

Suffered Turbo failure (2008 BPH Outback) last week and was due to this damn mesh screen- very useful video.

[@raz0rthr0at]

Holy shit every other demonstration says pulling the turbo is required! Daaaaaaaaaaaamn! This is gonna save me tons of time!

[@ecpoirier]

I just back from my mechanic and with EJ255 (2010 Subaru WRX, not STI), there are 2 AVCS (VVT) solenoids for intake. As for banjo bolts, there are 4. The two easy ones at the front bumper edge of the driver and passenger side of the engine do NOT have screens. #3 is on the passenger side, near the turbo HAS A SCREEN and is difficult to access and is the most important one for the P0011 code. #4 is on the driver's side, towards the firewall portion of the engine, is buried and also hard to get to - and has a SCREEN.

[@vannevels6758]

Where on the drivers side?

[@23hublock1]

If anyone gets a slow but sure coolant leak....my 2007 STi was weeping coolant near that banjo. It was where you can see the rubber coolant line with the flexible heat shield...the rubber hose had moved back a bit on the top hard coolant line. Released the clip....pushed the hose further onto the hard line and put the clip back. Worth a look if you have a small leak. We pressure tested the coolant system to 18 psi, then it was dripping from underneath and lost 2-3 psi in about 5 minutes, we traced it to that join. Hard to detect as any drips or vapour would burn off onto the hot side of the turbo and dry out....so a cold pressure test revealed it. If it carries on, I will jubilee / worm clip it. Good video RP, thank you....make sure the oil drain line is nice and clear...should be.

[@HeartTribe]

Dude, Nice! one of the best, simple, well executed video on the subject to date! I will use this video when doing it to my car. Thanks!

[@RPGarage]

Thanks I appreciate it

[@twistedsymphony]

Thank you SO much for this video, I've been Plagued by P0011 issues and all of the other videos about filters only talked about the ones directly on top of the solinoids, this not only confirmed that there is one in the banjo by the turbo it showed an easy way of getting to it without removing the turbo... I pulled that little bastard out and here's hoping it killed my P0011 issues with it. for others doing this: I will also note that I removed my airbox an used something to prop up my hood from the other side to give myself a lot more room to move. it helped quite a bit.

[@LanceHarbor_]

Any update? I got the p0011 code today

[@lynn-kaichao1348]

very nice vid. way better than any forum thread ive read. thank you!

[@homeimprovementsubaruguy2556]

Getting ready to do a full timing service on my 07 OBXT. This video really helps since I will also be removing the turbo screen at the same time. It’s getting a new water pump, NGKs, coolant, and various hoses as well. Hopefully this gets it well passed its current 96k miles before I face any major issues.🤞

[@theSEGAtwistisover9k]

man I love these kinds of mods

[@davidbooie62]

The one behind the timing cover definitely has a filter and it does clog up

[@notsponsored103]

The filters are in the ones with a 'top hat' shaped bolt head.

[@yugotbotted7774]

FYI i found a banjo in the coolant line going in the turbo ...was completely clogged, ran with no coolant to the turbo for about a year lol!

[@wncsnake]

Can you replace that banjo bolt without taking off the back cover of the timing belt?

[@stephenhunt6253]

What's going on with your strut top/mount area there?

[@joshuathomas4934]

Nice video

[@tietie1424]

Hey man so I tried doing everything you said, and the crush washer on the block side fell out...how do I access that? I can barely even see the hole on the turbo side of the banjo, so I only have 1 crush washer.

[@burhanuddin7782]

Brother is it safe to use that bolt without the filter? Thank you for the excellent video!!

[@johnzamudio4230]

Um that first banjo bolt the one with no filter before the dip stick there's the same bolt on the the opposite side of that as well..so where u took the one off by the turbo theres a banjo bolt in front on motor on passenger side 4 bolts for the avcs system

[@Mike_44]

I recently bought ‘05 Outback XT and this is the very first thing I want to check on it. The car has quite a lot of miles, so probably this mod was already done. Do I need to buy new crush washers before attempting the job of removing the filter from the banjo bolt, or can I leave the old ones?

[@homeimprovementsubaruguy2556]

Are you from Canada?

[@brad___5270]

Sooooo what I have is the sedan 2005 legacy gt and I don’t if it’s because the previous owner did something to it but the layout is kinda different

[@FootEnjoyer]

When I did this, we did not find the same bolt in thay area

[@tommygomez5343]

I'm dealing with this on an EJ255. Is P0021 on the passenger side or driver's side of the engine?

[@matthewcanavan8275]

17MM thanks Why was your tower strut so dirty/oily?

[@ThePotOwl]

4:01 4:01 on my 07 LGT there is no oil line there!! just a 12 mil short bolt , please help

[@daniels1905]

The layout changed in 2007. There is a tee under the turbo inlet tube with a banjo bolt with the bump like the one behind the timing cover. Idk if it has a filter in it but guessing that it does. Haven’t figured out the best way to get to it yet.

[@bryanwillis7726]

Are those actually crush washers or copper? I need to do this and have an assortment of copper gasket washers and was just wondering?

[@RPGarage]

This is not an easy part to access and will cause oil to spray all over your engine bay if you screw it up. Go to Subaru and pay $2 for the actual part or you will will regret it.

[@bryanwillis7726]

@@RPGarage going to be upgrading to ss lines anyway but found exact size copper washers at local hardware store, all back together and no leaks yet. Worst part for me was turbo heat shield bolts, rust buildup on those little screws. My screen was completely clear👍

[@Traaaaavis]

Hey man I’m about to do this but how do you line the hole in the actual bolt up so oil still runs thru it? Does it just line up when it’s tight or what?

[@RPGarage]

The oil doesn't pass from one side to the other, it passes between the inside and outside of the bolt. The bolt is hollow. You don't have to worry about what direction the holes are facing.

[@Traaaaavis]

@@RPGarage oh right on thanks man. I’ve been trippin trying to figure it out. Thanks for the reply

[@146gods]

I also cant find the seal ring for the banjo bolt

[@RPGarage]

If there's no o-ring it will definitely be leaking which might be your problem

[@kennethcatlin3244]

I dont understand why you didn't just clean the filter and put it back in the car, or perhaps order another one? letting free debris get into the turbo seems like a bigger potential problem instead of just cleaning the filter every 100k miles or so. Also someone below me already said this but i figured i might as well back it up: using a torque wrench as a breaker bar is a patently bad idea.

[@RPGarage]

First of all if you want to clean it and put it back in go for it. There are tons of threads on the subject, do the research. Secondly, I'm pretty sure I said in the video that's not a torque wrench anymore.

[@MichaelPSmith-mp1fk]

After the second blown turbo in under 20k miles (thank god for warranties!) the dealer actually removed my banjo bolt screen in mine. That was in 2010 or 2011 on my 2009 Forester. 130k miles later it is running like a champ.

[@Mike_44]

@@MichaelPSmith-mp1fk Should one remove all filters on the other banjo bolts by the acvs or just the one from the Turbo banjo bolt?

[@MichaelPSmith-mp1fk]

@@Mike_44 from what they told me it was just the one... 150k and still going strong (knock on wood)

[@Mike_44]

@@MichaelPSmith-mp1fk Ok. Don’t worry, your engine should last a lot longer, provided you maintain it good. These cars are great. My ‘05 Outback XT I just bought has 210K miles. I know it’s a lot, but honestly it was very tough finding an XT, not many of them around. Anyways, I’m planning on eventually overhauling, and might even build the motor. Thanks for your reply.

[@146gods]

I have a bloutch turbo on my legacy with an iag stage 2 short block and its leaking oil somewhere near the turbo i think it might be from this banjo bolt in the video, if i remove the filter will it be the same result with a stock turbo or do some turbos need the filter?

[@RPGarage]

With a setup like that you should check if you still have stock oil lines because they may also be upgraded.

[@146gods]

@@RPGarage they are upgraded would it cause trouble if i remove the filter?

[@RPGarage]

If it's upgraded chances are you don't have to worry about this filter

[@146gods]

@@RPGarage ok thanks alot

[@tunenvroom9527]

How does it run with out the filter I blew 5 turbos because of that filter an I wanted to take out the filter but I was scared I’ll ruin the turbo again

[@RPGarage]

Runs perfectly. Change your oil at regular intervals and it should never get dirty enough to cause a problem

[@tunenvroom9527]

RP Garage ok thanks I really appreciate it.

[@kineticg]

Can you delete the Banjo bolt since it creates so many engine failures? and replace it with an oil catch can? Would love to see a video on this if possible.

[@RPGarage]

Eliminating the screen eliminates the failures. Eliminating the bolt wouldn't do anything since the bolt itself doesn't fail. The filter screen this video eliminates is the failure point.

[@kineticg]

@@RPGarage Would it be wise to add/replace it with an oil catch can? and would that suffice in keeping the oil particulate free?

[@atlspeed]

kineticg - An oil catch can won’t do anything for filtering debris out of your oil, just water vapor and catch oil blow by

[@mattyee9369]

I would clean the filter at the very least. Or replace it. It serves a purpose. No filter of any kind, in any car, lasts forever.