Finding The Vacuum Leak! | Air Fuel Issues | 2018 Subaru WRX

[@MoJoNinjaGarage]

Don’t feel bad brother, your doing your job by putting out the info and keeping these vendors on top of their game.

[@ronfromportland]

Much appreciated man. Thank you 🙏

[@xil3ntkha0s]

Noticed both of you guys have those expensive/op engine dress up from that one company. I emailed them about a month ago but no reply. Did you buy direct from the site or elsewhere?

[@MoJoNinjaGarage]

@@xil3ntkha0s the compressive tuning one?

[@xil3ntkha0s]

@@MoJoNinjaGarage yes

[@MoJoNinjaGarage]

@@xil3ntkha0s I got mine from Their site

[@Brownie_media]

thanks so much for making this, I've been chasing a boost leak for 2 weeks found this vid and took my intake tube off to discover mine had collapsed same as yours

[@pnwbluebaru]

Brooooo, you truly be sounding like a mechanic. Love the fact you get both sides of the story about what is going on and how to resolved it. Smart thinking

[@khaozdreamz]

I sure we all felt that frustration at one point in time on our wrxs! Good for you in being honest too. Glad everything worked out. Definitely enjoy the vids!!!!

[@ronfromportland]

Always a work in progress but it’s what makes it fun (sometimes). Thanks man!

[@dayoftherope1690]

Yeah had some weird vibrations on my big sf turns out there is a metal bracket from the farm that juts out just below the maf location and it was slamming into that scuffed up the metal but thankful no major dent :/

[@jeremyjackson8643]

I agree with you. With the COBB SF intake being the standard for aftermarket intakes for WRX/STi's, it 100% should be built better. Pipe deforming/bending like that shouldn't be the case ever. They should have had that in mind when designing it. The section of the hose where the clamp goes on should be reinforced for that price point so I think COBB holds some responsibility in this.

[@durtd9654]

Dude I cleaned my sensor finally getting some positive numbers and never going over -11 so much better than it was your a legend.

[@ronfromportland]

Let’s goooo!! 🔥 🙌

[@MoJoNinjaGarage]

You are “Top Flight King Of The World”!

[@Brisky86]

Thanks for making this video! Yeah intake will be one of my last mods as it is not necessary for much power but does sound cool. Good work!

[@Owensti]

Super late comment but I hope it’s insightful to some people. These Cobb intakes are great it’s the air filter and worm gear clamps they give you that are absolutely garbage. The dent you see in many of these pipes are from those worm gear clamps they hold a crap ton of pressure in one spot and it crushes anything under it. That’s why you need to invest in t-bolt clamps they are a lot better at spreading out the pressure evenly. That’s why they work prefectly the first time you install it but then start having issues when you remove them multiple times. If you have one of these intakes or plan on buying one get a Aem filter and 3 inch T-bolt clamp.

[@ronfromportland]

This! Thanks for the suggestion 🙏

[@joestasi8329]

Cobb delivered me 2 bent tunes. 3rd one was good. I eventually got the code again with the replacement. My tuner is now advising to drop in a grimmspeed or stock.

[@ronfromportland]

Yup, been hearing this over and over!

[@sergiotorres5781]

Bro I have the same issue with the same Cobb intake and exactly thoes crazy numbers on accesport.. super frustrated can’t find the issue your video are helpful for sure

[@HeidiFegles]

Also you have to do an idle relearn otherwise that’s the typical throttle problem

[@alesana4546]

Just bought a 2020 wrx that's modified.The car won't hit peak boost just found two holes in the intake after the sensor because it's resting against the frame or some bracket attached to it

[@ronfromportland]

I would definitely get it replaced asap. Glad you found the issue though.

[@alesana4546]

I got the same situation with lean codes running rich

[@brendonvillanueva8952]

Yo man! Your channel is super insightful. I'm running into the same "issue" where my AF learning1 fluctuates from -25 to -33. Had a few times where the engine stalled during idle (rough idle). Cleaned the MAF sensor and the MAP sensor with CRC cleaner. I THINK that might of fixed the rough idle and my car idles OK now but still getting weird AF learning1 numbers. Going to try out what you did. I Got a Red FA20 too! Yours is a nice build! Keep up the informative content 🙏

[@ronfromportland]

Thanks so much man! You can also buy a new MAF cable, that might help! Currently having issues with the car after cleaning the intake and sensors. It’s running rich which it has never done before. Bought a new intake filter and coupler to see if that helps!

[@brendonvillanueva8952]

@@ronfromportland Right on. Considered buying a new MAF cable, which would you recommend? Just trying to work down a checklist before I buy anything "new" but appreciative of the suggestion. Spoke with my tuner and he mentioned a leak maybe occurring somewhere. Going to loosen up the worm claps on the couplers and try to wiggle the tmic in a bit more. Also going to try and position my AEM intake a bit to see if it adjusts anything Hopefully the new intake filter and coupler you bought helps. Lmk how it goes!

[@ronfromportland]

@@brendonvillanueva8952 I went to Cobb’s site and bought a new cable from there. I noticed it was labeled iWire though so it may be a slight “upgrade”. Yeah, that area is sensitive and could potentially have leaks. Keep me posted!

[@brendonvillanueva8952]

@@ronfromportland Ah I see ok I'll check it out, thanks. Just an update, I repositioned my AEM intake a bit (about .25-.5in from the intake pipe) and loosened some of the worm clamps a bit. Also reflashed my AP and the car started / idled fine! The af learning1 numbers have been in between -7 to -14ish so will continue to monitor that field. Was at a -33 before which is crazy From this video at 18:15 you mentioned subtracting the AF learning 1 field from the Af Correction 1 field = Actual Fuel Trim?

[@ronfromportland]

@@brendonvillanueva8952 oh wow, I didn’t even think that over tightening the clamps could also cause leaks…good to know!

[@vanquishstorm3806]

I have the same COBB Big SF intake on my 2017 WRX with code P0171. I cleaned the MAF sensor with MAF sensor cleaner as well checked for vacuum leaks. I'm also on my second COBB MAF extension harness.

[@HeidiFegles]

I don’t think it was the dent in the pipe. I’d say it was a maf leak somewhere. But without a intake boost test. Would not know

[@ronfromportland]

It was for sure the dent in the pipe. Once I addressed this issue, the AF numbers became normal. Since the maf is on the tube, I guess it can be considered a maf leak like you said. It doesn’t matter anymore because I ended up blowing a turbo a few months later 😂

[@HeidiFegles]

@@ronfromportland I was thinking the flat spot on the pipe was the culprit causing the leak

[@dth225]

man, thank you so much for making this video. not only have a been experiencing the same issue but i found it was the same solution today. i changed the turbo inlet first bc i thought maybe that was broken, then i removed my boomba bpv and put my stock back on thinking it was that, cleaned my maf several times never inspecting my intake pipe until watching this video. today i went outside to clean the maf again but also inspect the pipe and the pipe was unrounded. thanks again man.

[@ronfromportland]

So glad it helped! This is exactly why I wanted to document this entire issue. Hopefully you got figured out! Thanks for taking the time to check out the video! 🙏

[@nandreatta24]

Love the video brother! I’m unfortunately have the exact opposite issue of running too lean but only at idle. Have had a few times over the past couple months it’s getting as high as +30-40 correction… definitely would appreciate some help if anyone has more insight on this fuel pump? Spark plugs potentially?

[@dboy1993]

Man I’m having the exact same problem. Af correction 1 hit 34.83 yesterday. Got a small bend in the opening of my pipe. Thinking about just switching out for the GrimmSpeed

[@ronfromportland]

If you’re able to bend it back, it should fix the issues. I would’ve switched out long ago but I won’t be able to get a retune.

[@devinmartin3673]

Sucks man. I hope the retune goes well!

[@Jay_P86]

One small dent can impact the way it runs? Damn. I have a Subaru too. piece of crap been giving me problems for 3 years now.

[@ronfromportland]

The end of the tube was bent which was causing the issues since it wasn’t sealed properly. The dent probably has very minimal impact on the way it runs.

[@rjlanhoward26]

Yeah, this is why I immediately switched to a Grimmspeed intake.

[@davo5400]

Whats the benefit to the GS intake?

[@rjlanhoward26]

@@davo5400 besides the fit and finish primary benefit is that it the filter can only be put in one place.

[@lonelypassenger7541]

My p0171 my learning 1 sits at 44.5 at idle and if I blip the throttle it goes to 11.5 then goes back to 44.5. It’s really cool

[@Bigjawnnn117]

Sorry if this is late but did you find a problem?

[@lonelypassenger7541]

@@Bigjawnnn117 I ended up putting the stock intake back on, but I had a much larger issue that the big sf intake made 1000x worse But the issue with the intake was that something hit the tubing and it bent it just right to throw a code, I bent it back and sold it to a friend who has had 0 issues in the 4 months he has had it on

[@TrevCollects7108]

im having the same issue.. thing is i already swapped my stock intake back in cleaned my MAF and MAP sensors and it still giving me the same issues. I think i will have to take it to a Subaru specialty shop and have them look at it and see if they see something im not seeing or if they can find the problem. 2019 WRX

[@ronfromportland]

Have you checked the turbo inlet? Those are prone to cracking. kzbin.info/www/bejne/a4mqZqd9Z7l-ZpY

[@driftspecs13]

Exactly. The solution is ditching the shitty Cobb intake.

[@qrtrscale]

Ron, did you check your pcv? Perhaps it is stuck open and fouling the map sensor. Looks like you have a lot on the sensor, do you have to clean it that often, seems abnormal.

[@ronfromportland]

I was going to dig deeper and check the PCV but bending back the intake fixed the issue. Thanks for the suggestion! Regarding the sensor, yes, completely normal for my car. It has been like this for as long as I can remember. I clean it often.

[@qrtrscale]

@@ronfromportland ok, I’d keep track of it. Get that GS Stealthbox installed asap! I have one as well ready to go in my Stage 2 car, but need to schedule a pro tune session.

[@devinwhitaker9255]

My af corrections stays around -50% - 10%. Af learning is 0 though. Imma try this though

[@ZhuWrong]

How is possible that an intake is so sensitive? it's just a tube with an air filter on 1 end. I'm experiencing some issues myself ever since I installed my Cobb SF intake. Still got a lot of research to do.

[@ronfromportland]

Highly possible. Keep adjusting the filter until it finds its “happy spot”, assuming there are no leaks of course.

[@BrandonPetrilla]

I never use any of these aftermarket intakes, Everyone I know that had one had so many problems after they installed them between erratic running, stalling, Weird AFR readings, Put the stock unit back on the car and let it alone, You will gain 0 HP from an intake on these cars, These cars are to expensive to repair when engine issues arise from aftermarket junk, 99% of engine failures on these cars are from low oil or poor tuning with aftermarket bolt ons.

[@earlyriser5220]

You sir have alotta sense

[@trapanidominick]

I had the same exact issue in the same exact spot on mine. I noticed when I got it out of the box from Cobb ran it anyways was good for 2 months and all good then it started shutting off at stop signs check engine light p0172 extreme fuel trim rich. Wish I had kept it know that I’ve seen this

[@ronfromportland]

Yup, sounds about right. All good though, we all learn at some point one way or another!

[@xil3ntkha0s]

I’ll have to check mine to confirm if it’s AF learning or correction since I noticed some spikes up to -30. Emailed logs after some pulls to tuner and they said everything is normal but I still have some lingering doubts lol. During cold starts it does gradually drop and pick up until about 900-1k then stabilizes which is normal for this tune.

[@ronfromportland]

Seems fine if it is just spikes. Mine was consistently at a high (negative) number and it ran like crap so I knew something was wrong.

[@xil3ntkha0s]

@@ronfromportland yeah mine runs pretty smooth better than stock (lol) but that's kinda the point but yeah AF correction will sometimes hit up to -30 but hover around .78 to like -11 or something

[@joshuacole659]

@@xil3ntkha0s mome does literally the same exact thing

[@xil3ntkha0s]

@@joshuacole659 as the video or my comment?

[@joshuacole659]

@@xil3ntkha0s your comment

[@E85_STI]

It’s crazy that the intake would cause an issue. Mine is big turbo and my intake goes into my precision turbo so I’m not sure of the airflow matters if the turbo is compressing the air but it’s interesting to know. Also was your Cobb Ap image the shark from Corpus Christi?

[@ronfromportland]

Definitely! I was surprised how sensitive it was. Nope, it was from the aquarium from San Diego! 🤙

[@zenn4881]

i’m going through the exact same thing, how did u bend the tubing back ?? I emailed COBB but no response. Pls help !

[@ronfromportland]

I basically took some pliers and carefully rounded off the bent tube on the end. I couldn’t much with the dent on the tube so I left it.

[@EVOellisz]

glad you got it fixed! Modding anything has its headaches. I heard on your first cold start a quick belt squeal(I think). My 2015 does this as well. You ever look at it?

[@ronfromportland]

Hmmm I think you might be hearing my radar detector beep.

[@EVOellisz]

@@ronfromportland Listen at 8:42. Only lasts for a second.

[@ronfromportland]

@@EVOellisz I will look into it more.

[@shiloh5199]

Good videos bro.

[@ronfromportland]

Thanks bro!

[@yefimbla9373]

Bro. Might as well swap out your engine. It’s a Subaru. It will always be broken. Jk of course :) awesome video as always! Keep it up!

[@WRXSNOWBOARDER]

Glad you found the issue. It stinks it bent like that.

[@ronfromportland]

Hoping this helps folks who are going through the same thing. Glad it wasn’t anything more serious.

[@WRXSNOWBOARDER]

@@ronfromportland yeah you'll see this video slowly grow for sure. It's a big help to document issues for other people. It at least helps them brainstorm

[@pinkrl_]

On my 03 bugeye it's giving p0172 it stalls at idle and I've cleaned maf and map, changed injectors, coils, pump, fuel filter, and nothing is working can anyone help?

[@vannevels6758]

What video shows you cleaning the maf sensor inside the intakes plenum/manifold?

[@ronfromportland]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pp62ZoqijZuAl7c

[@MrShadowWolf00]

hey there, do you have any tips, i getting the same code, smoke test it, replace all the sensors, everything is install right, still getting the P0172

[@ronfromportland]

Seems like you’ve done everything to fix it! Have you tried resetting the ECU?

[@MrShadowWolf00]

@@ronfromportland tomorrow I’m changing the AFR sensor but every time I get the code I reset it. I also noticed when I used different fuel it’s acts up. But I will remove and reinstall the intake

[@ronfromportland]

@@MrShadowWolf00 that’s crazy, man! You can try cleaning or replacing the MAF sensor cable but it sounds like you’ve done literally everything there is to do. Let me know how it goes after you replace the intake. Curious if that fixes it. Good luck man.

[@MrShadowWolf00]

@@ronfromportland maf cable that came in the box? Replace that?

[@ronfromportland]

@@MrShadowWolf00 if you have the big sf intake then it came with the MAF extension cable. Sometimes those get dirty which causes the issues related to AF.

[@MrGsxrme]

I don't see the tiny bump that far away from your MAF causing this issue. I know you said retune but I don't see any actual Dyno tune videos. If your using an OTS maps, well they are junk. Get a protune and be done with it. Personally I have a MoTec ECU now and it's well worth the change if you deleted the TGV, EGR and or CAT.

[@MrGsxrme]

This isn't a troll post. KZbin is littered with people using OTS maps or stock with any aftermarket parts. Just don't do it. You paid good money for the car and parts and get a real.... Dyno tune. No E-tuned maps! AFR correction should be +/- 5% to be safe.

[@ronfromportland]

Yes, I only ran an OTS tune for a short while, and that wasn’t even with the intake. I’ve been protuned for as long as I can remember.

[@Dwho-io1ve]

Not everyone can afford to run all the expensive goodies all at once...some of us out here thugging it out one upgrade at a time 😬🫣😏

[@JaydonWong]

that was the same exact thing that happened to me, had a large dent which caused my AFR's to go crazy. Fixed it and the car runs amazing again

[@ronfromportland]

Glad you fixed it, man! It was hard to accept that the bend in the intake was (mostly) my fault haha.

[@giovannielizalde135]

How did you guys push out/fix the dent in the charge pipe?

[@ronfromportland]

@@giovannielizalde135 for the dent, I had no other option but to carefully push it back out with a screw driver. For the bend at the end of the tube, I used pliers to pry it back to a circle as best as I could.

[@giovannielizalde135]

@@ronfromportland okay for sure i really appreciate you responding back to my comment about it lol, because I just got my Cobb stage 1 bundle two days ago and since i installed it it says that my car is running lean and I'm trying to figure out why my MAF is off lol

[@DanielHernandez-vt9fc]

@@giovannielizalde135 mine had a 2 dents from the hose clamps. I used a rubber chizzel and a mallet and carefully tapped it. At the end it was slightly bent so I sand papered it down and left it really smooth. Before this. My AF learning was at -45!! Now it’s at -20ish. Still pretty bad. So ima just buy a Grimmspeed since I can’t really do much more to bend it back. And also. The p0172 code only comes up if it’s at -35 for more then 10 seconds. That’s y the check engine usually comes up after a few pulls. I learned this from phatbotti tuning faq. Sucks cus my Cobb intake was less then 1k miles

[@paydroku]

Duuuuuude im goin threw the same thing right now I got my PO172 badge

[@DanielHernandez-vt9fc]

I have the same issue kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6SZkn1_iMt0aaM I have the same bend and I didn’t think that was the issue.

[@paydroku]

@@DanielHernandez-vt9fc I fixed the bend and the hose clamp imprint and it fixed everything AFR WENT BACK TO NORMAL Goodluck

[@kingkillproductions5739]

@@paydroku hey there! I have the SAME issue. My dent is worse and having extreme AF rich numbers. I’m back to stock as I troubleshoot but stock is still giving rich AF (-26ish) but assuming it’s because my tune is for the Cobb intake. Curious to know if your fuel trims are still all good after all this time?

[@paydroku]

@@kingkillproductions5739 the fuel trims got better butt still wer all over the place I recently cleaned the air filter and kept adjusting it that 1inch for over 30 mins I was about to give up wen I got it right in the sweet spot fixed fuel trims and DAM problems I guess it its super super sensitive.......I think I wasn't letting the intake pipe relax wen I was adjusting the filter I would pull on it to make 1inch mark visible then wen I though it was good I would put it back together and the pipe would relax and move my intake position .....make sense or no...I was ready to go to stoke too.....

[@paydroku]

@@kingkillproductions5739 my car hadn't ever ran good with my intake till now

[@itsjohnnypanda2448]

I may invest a smoke machine to find small leak

[@ronfromportland]

Probably for the best tbh.

[@DanielHernandez-vt9fc]

BROOO. I have that issue rn and I have the same lump!!! I knew I always had it but I didn’t think that was the problem!?!? I feel so relieved now that I’m not the only one. I think it’s from tightning the hose clamp too much and bent it. Ima try and unbend it tmrw cus it’s my daily and same as u, I’m so tired of the car stalling and not driving right. I got the code p0172. And I’m pretty sure that lump is the problem cus I’ve had 2 subies and used the exact same intake and had the exact same problems on both. The link is my 2019 subie with that problem. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6SZkn1_iMt0aaM

[@ronfromportland]

Definitely can understand how annoying that is. Hopefully you get it figured out, let me know how it goes. Just watched your vid, that was rough haha

[@jamesmclarren443]

Wrx codes free 🚙👌 thx you

[@x.cs.00x16]

I have code 0172 no leaks

[@ronfromportland]

Check MAF extension cable to see if it’s dirty/corroded.

[@HeidiFegles]

Maf leak dude