Keep Your Subaru Running Like New! Subaru Engine Maintenance Kit

[@solargoomba]

Dealership wanted $300 for this treatment. Thanks for saving me some money

[@chrisb9478]

My dealer charged $129 or so recently.

[@Whyrant]

They just quoted me 2k 🤮

[@chrisb9478]

@@Whyrant Are they taking your engine out to clean it or something?

[@The9meister]

I do a Italian tune up on my vehicles, basically I add fresh fuel with fuel injector cleaner, and go for a long drive at 70mph, burns the carbon up, then as soon as you get home, drop the oil and filter, then replace fresh oils / filters , will run so much better 👍

[@DJJ81]

If you’re only going 70, that’s not an Italian tune up, unless you’re in 2nd gear

[@mresab1997]

@@DJJ81yeeeee 😏🔥

[@extraglutenplz3758]

for direct injected engines this will do nothing....

[@steves7072]

70mph 😏😉

[@emp5352]

People talk about Italian tune-ups confidently, as if Italian cars last a long time or something.

[@21jimmyo]

Good to know Subaru has a process to address the one major downside of direct injection. This is remarkably similar to using the old-school Seaform cleaner.

[@moparsrt1905]

They always had a process to deal with it. It's called port injection lol

[@21jimmyo]

@@moparsrt1905 the best is to have both, like my Toyota has.

[@roofcamper3473]

Yes, I have an IS250 and an IS-F. The IS-F is a masterpiece, the 250 not so much but its still a good car. Just need a walnut blast every 200k miles. I do redline the 250 once a drive when its at operating temp.@@21jimmyo

[@MadDogClyde741]

Hey Mr. Subaru 1387 ! I just have to tell you this because even though you already get a lot of thanks and appreciation from people as I can see in the comment section ! Thank You So Much Man ! You my man are “The Wizard” to me and I’m sure to a lot of other people ! Your videos are an excellent library of unending information and knowledge for many, many people ! I can tell by watching many of you’re videos already that you are a man of very high character and morals ! Your Family is very fortunate to have a Husband, Father, Brother like you and I’m sure you do an awful lot more to help people in your life than make videos to help many others to save money and make their lives easier ! Im just so appreciative of your videos because the help me an awful lot ! And I’m a pretty mechanically inclined person and it makes it so much easier to do myself then figuring it out on my own ! Thank You Again and I’ll always be a subscriber ! I’m gonna leave you a few bucks just to say thanks and hard work and to show you how much I appreciate you ! Have a great day and God Bless Man ! P.S. Just so you know I have never left a penny to anyone ever on you tube ! I have never felt anything I’ve seen that warranted leaving A Monetary Thanks Tip ! If some people just gave a Buck atleast I’m sure it could help out ! I don’t have much money but I’m going to leave you $10 bucks and maybe that will make some more people to think about it and just leave a $1 dollar ! Just like they should leave the guy who helps them when they pump the gas into their Subaru’s !

[@dylans3553]

i love how careful you are with removing everything

[@depace311]

A word of caution - I had the WQW-58 recall (which included the top engine clean) performed on my 2014 Forester 2.0XT and the carbon/solvent sludge that went through the combustion process actually clogged the cats which the dealer then had to replace under warranty.

[@depace311]

@@Chippy569 my subaru had the CEL illuminated for (going by memory) misfire and when they were doing the recall for that campaign, they did a leakdown test and the results were out of spec. that's when they scoped the top end and found carbon build up and followed subaru's internal memos regarding the top engine clean.

[@rock962000]

Top engine clean is notorious for fucking up cats.

[@depace311]

@@rock962000 Well someone needs to tell Subaru because they have an entire service process with an OEM tool to use their own Subaru-branded Top Engine Clean on motors that are exhibiting certain issues.

[@rock962000]

@@depace311 if you think about it, all the carbon you're cleaning goes straight through the cat/cats. It's a pretty harsh chemical and I don't really recommend doing it unless the vehicle is a high mileage car (90k+ miles)

[@depace311]

@@rock962000 i absolutely agree with you - if your motor has carbon buildup issues due to DIT it should be disassembled and cleaned with a walnut blast (like Audi and BMW do). Unfortunately if you car is under warranty by Subaru, the top engine treatment is what they're going to do - unless they have revised their processes in the past ~4-5 years

[@seant6624]

My moms 14 forester was having random misfire code. I did the the Subaru TI recommended fix with the top end cleaner, had to make the tool myself because no one had it in stock. Ran 2 bottles and changed oil, it didn’t fix it. Had to walnut blast the valves because they were that bad. That finally fixed it.

[@timbrown9731]

The clear flood mode works great, if your Subaru has been sitting for a while and you can Crank to build oil pressure before had.... and on oil change too

[@user-gb2vx2mf3s]

This method is whats recommended for a oil change don’t wanna run it on dry

[@Didgeridoo42]

I just bought my 2019 Crosstrek that I've been leasing, learning to do all my own work because Subarus are just that easy, I've owned a Corolla and Altima before this Crosstrek and I've never felt this comfortable doing my own work. Thanks to Mr Subaru I'm confident I'll drive this Crosstrek till 250,000+ miles

[@jamesm.8392]

MrSubaru ( ? Jim ? ) Would you do some Eval's / Full Maint. on some late Model RU's. Some of us are not RU owners but thinking about it? Such as me . . . a 15K / 30K / 45K / 60k mi. Full Tech Eval. along with your Prof. Opinion about what you see / what you expect might happen on late model 2.0 & 2.5's would very beneficial. When all we see is repair, repair , repair . . . it's easy to forget most of your video's are for much older model's. It Just leaves a lot of us with question's like . . . Well ? . . . How much of this has been corrected with the newer Models? If anything at all? *Especially Blow-By* . . . this would be an absolute deal breaker for me. This kind of stuff is no accident . . . *after this many years* . . . this is Car Maker Sabotage IMO and as you proved in an earlier video this involves all Makes/Brands. *Cars from a century ago did not leave the factory suffering from Blow-By* This is a Mgmt and/or/both QC Willing Decision to Fail the consumer. So should we even consider buying a RU if they are going to be that much trouble? I see a lot of new Crosstrek's on the road in my area and I don't know what to think ? Slow 2.5 Eng. / CVT - Uncertain / Have they fixed that Oil Pickup Tube ? . . . and a bunch of other things you have not yet covered/seen yet. Good ? Reliable ? Long Term $35K Investment or not ? Thanks . . . We Depend on You.

[@TDX3000]

Nonsense. Corollas and Altimas are not complex cars at all - in many ways more straightforward than Subaru.

[@LordFetustheGreat]

I have used Liqui Moly Pro line engine flush before every oil change, engine has 160k miles (2005 legacy 2.5 N/A), the engine has never given me any issues for the past 10 years of ownership. Car itself is totally stock and has lost 2 HP since 2004, had id dyno'd last month. Costs 15 dollars a bottle;)

[@williamsanter125]

The FA engine has port injections so the carbon buildup isn't an issue if you use high detergent gasoline. I don't think engine flush does anything for carbon build up on the valves. Should help keep the rings from getting stuck though.

[@leonardkellum6984]

Replaced my PCV valve today while doing the throttle body, laid it on its side, so the cleaning fluid could maybe linger a little longer. Sprayed 2 little squirts upward from each side a few times, to let the chemicals do their work, then brushed, etc. 19mm and torque 17 ft lbs on PCV. Old one did'nt rattle as good as new.

[@axeya366]

Great video. Everyone with a Subaru needs to get this done more often, especially those with DIT. My 2014XT was running like choof head smoking 2 at a time. I was getting black smoke on 60%+ throttle. Normal driving you could not tell anything was wrong till you gave it some then it chugged and choked blowing smoke. I got it serviced and now it feels like a new car. Engine oil, filter, upper cylinder (SA459)cleaner. Cleaned throttle body and intake system and the Map sensor. Its like a new car now. (95k KM or 60k Miles)

[@jackd1582]

And air filter? Fuel filter?

[@axeya366]

@@jackd1582 Changed both new and was still blowing smoke.

[@jackd1582]

@@axeya366 Aha. Hesitation here did nt stop till after fuel filter done

[@wanglee21]

Do you know where to connect the top engine cleaner on the newer Ascent/Outback/WRX motors? They don't have that small hose on the top

[@stevemcrichards8768]

So important to think tiny little sips and not big gulps when using that top end engine cleaner with the special tool. I think you did a good job of showing how you need the special tool to regulate the flow of the top end cleaner into a three part process.

[@petset77]

Sips versus gulps are what general intake cleaners recommend by spraying short bursts with the aerosol types, and having another person on the throttle so the engine doesn't stall. I'm here on this video to ask if those are safe with this engine.

[@TimJoseph08031990]

I did take my mom's 2014 Forester for this kind of engine service to the Subaru dealer. The only things I do myself is change the oil and oil filter, CVT Fluid, and Front and Rear Differential Fluid. The Front Differential Fluid needs a 1/2 in. I.D. and a 5/8in. O.D. tubing with clamp for the quart pump to put fluid in the overflow plug, because my fill plug for the front differential was unable to turn counterclockwise with the 8mm Allen socket before removing the overflow and drain plugs. I also use Gumout fuel system cleaner once a year, since it also has the PEA additives.

[@bmwrules28]

Thank you sir!!! Great video as always. Quick story to share, I went to the only dealership locally here in Las Vegas and the parts guy…gave a heck of a hard time with a bunch of BS stories. Supposedly they don’t sell the maintenance kit to the public blah blah so he tried to sell the wrong Carbon cleaner with the tin bottle (not the plastic one). What a headache but thankfully all the parts with part number checked out when I searched online to confirm they weren’t the wrong ones. I even told that clown if we use the wrong bottle/parts we can damage the engine/fuel tank or worse. Anywho, for others make sure you have the part numbers (as a back up just in case they claim they don’t sell the maintenance kit as shown in the video.) For everyone, follow Mr. Subaru’s advice EXACTLY as he says and this service should be excellent for 30, 60, 90k. I bought the OEM throttle body mounting gasket as well just for piece of mind. The Subie just hit 60k so I’m going to change the spark plugs right after performing this service and the car should run like a champ. Mr. Subaru happy new year! Thank you always for golden advice and for helping everyone maintain the Subaru. Cheers! Update: Whew this job for the DIT 2.0 Turbo (I have a 17 WRX) took me 8 hours or so to complete yesterday. To reinforce what Mr. Subaru said he did make it look easy haha. But I did this from my garage and that was from start to finish. The items slowing me down was the intake duct connected to the throttle body. It was stuck (literally) and wouldn’t budge so I had to use some WD40 and carefully/lightly sprayed on the top to loosen it/remove. Also I drained about 3 quarts of engine coolant since I completely forgot to get the clamps to stop the preheater hoses when disconnecting from throttle body. You’ll definitely want to have the long needle/hose grip pliers to do remove them. I was thanking Mr. Subaru (in my mind and right now) when taking each hose off because you don’t have a lot of room to work with and that really saved me a lot of time. As well the special tool to slowly connect the top engine cleaner is strongly recommended. Why? I was lucky not to get any DTC (Check engine light etc) but notice how he carefully opened the valve to slowly pour 1/3 the bottle each time. You don’t want to risk damaging the engine, spark plugs, etc by putting too much in at once. I cannot stress enough: Follow his advice and watch the video/take note of the tools and how he removes/installs the each part. You must have patience and tolerance to do this job. You can’t risk damaging the car and then creating more headaches. Finally, Mr. Subaru thanks again! Do you a Venmo account? Or Google Wallet/Apple Pay cash? I’ve watched your radiator/coolant change video, spark plug change for DIT 2.0, this video, dude you’ve helped me become a trainee mechanic haha. But I’d like to support your channel even more if I could send some moola directly to you let me know. This was a long job for me but every 30k for this, goodness I know this Subie should last 200k-300k thanks again for your videos! Keep up the good always!

[@briancoverstone4042]

May I ask where you purchased the throttle body gasket from? I can't seem to find what the part number is, and searching on google seems to reveal very little. Kind of odd.

[@jackd1582]

Great comment

[@jordanjensen4860]

Careful, the solvents in WD can damage rubber. Happy wrenching!

[@asmodeusasmodeus7591]

Great video, thank you. Something that would be nice from a viewer's perspective, would be a borescope view of the intake valves before and after. You are the Number #1 Subaru guy on the internet!

[@jamesm.8392]

Not criticizing MrSubaru"s procedure just adding another with Scotty's . . . Humor kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZnFk4Vje6qLY5o

[@davetravels9273]

I just use the CRC direct injection and turbo cleaner. Same procedures but it comes out atomized and you spray it before the trottle body so it does two jobs without any major screwing and virtually no risk of hydro locking. I follow that up with a bottle of gum out (pea) fuel system cleaner. Does great and costs less than this.

[@petset77]

I'm checking out this video to see if the spray intake cleaners are safe for Subaru engines. My wife's 2013 Crosstrek runs great with 150k miles on it, but recently has the P0420 code. Gas tank cleaners haven't worked, and I'm just learning the downside of direct injected engines.

[@davetravels9273]

@@petset77 yes, it’s hard to clean them once they gunk up. It’s important to only use top tier, name brand gas that has more detergent, which helps prevent a lot of build up while off brand/grocery store gas has around 90% less detergent. You also want to use fuel system cleaner with PEA every 5,000 miles. Otherwise you will eventually need to have the carbon mechanically removed using walnut shells for example, which also requires removing the head, an expensive procedure. But the spray that goes into the intake might reduce it by some so that the code goes away. 🤞🏻

[@20VA]

used the CRC 5 in 1 GDI performance rejuvenation kit on my 2018 Elantra Sport turbo every 5,000 miles for 2 years and neen using it on my 2020 wrx Limited every 5,000 since I traded my Elantra Sport for it back in june of 2020 and both vehicles have ran like a charm ... no issues whatsoever ... I actually pour the fuel treatment in on an EMPTY tank so it mixes well as I fill up and I pour the oil friction gaurd in after pouring HALF the engine oil in so that mixes very good as well and I spray the valve cleaner through the intake duct so it cycles through the entire intake system ... I also have a Crawford's Performance v3 air/oil separator that I literally installed the day I purchased the vehicle brand new and brought it home ... let me tell you that thing works like a charm because my oil level is at the exact same mark from when I filled it up when I change the oil ...

[@stanp3646]

did this procedure on my 2021 crosstrek premium 6mt this past weekend. Used the kit with the metal can of top clean and the tool for the metal can. There was no way to tell how much top clean was being consumed by the engine. Could not see through the metal can. What I did was wait for the idle to get a little rough, then turned off the valve and burned it out and repeated till the can was empty. At one point the engine threw a blinking check engine light, but it went away after a few seconds after burning out the top clean using the throttle. CEL never came back. Everything went well and this video helped. Saved me some money too. Thanks Mr. Subaru.

[@JacobLambeCarGuy]

One very important question is do you know JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR PERSONAL LORD AND SAVIOR?

[@eriku571]

It's so awesome that you're doing this and other repair videos on a 2013 Crosstrek. I just got my first Subaru and it is a 2013 Crosstrek, so I'm learning a lot from your videos. I have to keep this car running strong for a long time. Your videos are invaluable!!!

[@robertshaw9437]

I reached out to my Subaru dealership in Nova Scotia Canada to buy the engine maintenance kit. I was told that they do not sell these kits to the public, they are stocked for their service techs only. As a workaround I went to Car Quest and the rep helped me identify similar or better products (i.e. higher PEA content) and used these items with great results.

[@wanglee21]

The plastic bottles are discontinued. They we replaced by the tin cans. I'm assuming they still have stock of the plastic ones tho

[@aechdea]

Great video in all aspects. The only small correction is the link for the Upper Engine Cleaner Tool goes to the one for a metal can (SOA868V9431), not plastic bottle (SOA868V9430). Interestingly, the metal can product is named Top Engine Cleaner, while the plastic bottle is called Carbon Clean/Engine Maintenance Kit.

[@dogburrito]

I did a carbon valve clean treatment using a CRC product containing PEA. The car began throwing lean codes and increased HWY mpg from 23 to 26. The improvement occurred over about 1500 miles. The only problem is the car throws a code every 600 mile or so. So far it's been left bank lean, right bank lean, and a CAT code

[@sugarbooty]

Let me know what comes of it, how many miles are on the car? Might need a valve job

[@dogburrito]

@@sugarbooty 250,000 miles. The engine runs smoothly with the exception of some hesitation and the occasional stutter (once every 2 weeks). Stuttering occurs at any speed and can be a split second to a few seconds long. The stuttering is like a 50-80% power loss during which the engine runs very roughly.

[@sugarbooty]

@@dogburritointermittent issues like that are the worst, it can be any number of things. A leakdown test will tell you if it is the valves or not, had a kind of similar issue after seafoam with a JDM EJ20 but a lot worse. Slowly it got worse and worse, from occasionally bogging down to only being able to use it between 3k and 4k rpm without it just misfiring like crazy and throwing lean codes. The LTFT and STFT were both maxed out. Unfortunately I don't know what the issue was or is this is the same issue you're having, I just swapped the engine back to an EJ25 I had sitting around in an old car but i suspect the lean condition overheated some stuff and the valves are toast. That's what I get for buying someone's beater car as a daily

[@stealthg35infiniti94]

I do a similar operation but instead use CRC Throttle body cleaner to the butterfly and barrel using a toothbrush without removing the the throttle body. Then use Seafoam Spray into a vacuum line near the manifold. Running about 2.5 K RPM, spray the entire can. It will take about 10 minutes to empty the entire can.Let soak for 15minutes, then go for highway driving. Put one can of Seafoam in your gas tank.

[@binnsh]

Wow, cleaning the throttle body got my forester running much smoother, especially at low throttle!

[@johnf.6942]

What year is yours ? I need to do it soon ..

[@SRM20240]

All Subaru are reliable with the proper maintenance except early models (head gasket, fixed). We used to own three. Last year we bought new Impreza RS 2024 model (wife drives it, she likes Subies). At 14k miles have got multiple messages on display (check engine, eye system...), went to dealer, checked, said engine carbon buildup. They cleaned all that gunk under warranty. Wife drives 70% highways/ 30% city, never had this problem with previous cars. I did research and found that Subaru switched from port injection to direct injection engines during 2019-2020, now all models have Di, except BRZ( Toyota GR86 joint project, D-4S dual injection). Be prepared for this, if you will get this problem under warranty-no charge, no warranty or preventative maintenance it's around $350. But it is too soon at 14k miles!

[@alangodin2090]

Wonder if it might have defective pcv valves or something like that. I’ve got 85k miles on a 2019 wrx and it’s never had any issue with carbon build up.

[@scottmcd5885]

Another great video thank you! I wanted to add one thing. While air plenum is off look around. On my 2009 Forester I noticed that the rubber bell housing cover had become hard an was literally ready to fall in the bell housing. (I bumped mine and had to spend an hour fishing it out). Service was as straight forward as shown. And surprisingly enough. My local stealership had both parts in stock and even price matched the prices found online.

[@dx3200]

Another great video. One question. Whenever you do such maintenance service videos, can you please trust at what mileage the given service should be done. That would be very helpful. Thank you.

[@Abucody]

Thanks Mr. for the best information on Subaru’s outside the dealers.

[@ricepony33]

Get the tool! Just did this on my 05, the valve really helps meter it when you’re working solo.

[@slowawdyoutube8372]

I would love to see a chemical comparison of the Subaru brand chemicals and the market competitors. I would say seafoam and something like HEET or Gumout which come in at a fraction of the price

[@alanshaw6161]

Your knowledge on these subjects is invaluable! Thank You for taking the time to share this information.

[@patricklosiniecki8503]

We do these at work a lot for higher milage cars and I can say from experience that it really helps with MPG, smooth operation, and overall longevity. In some cases, you'll even see oil consumption drop to almost 0. I would recommend changing PCV valves if you didn't already when doing this service as well.

[@notasgoodasapple]

Curious if you need to change the valve first, or after doing the top engine cleaning, or does it not matter.

[@patricklosiniecki8503]

@@notasgoodasapple I usually do it after, but I don't know which is the "most correct" way to do it. I just figured doing it after will discard and garbage that may have made it in during the service and start you off fresh

[@williamsanter125]

Yup, my PCV valve started getting sticky at 65k miles and I started burning oil. Pretty easy to change. They probably should be a time change at 50-60k.

[@gbhrps]

YOU ARE THE MAN! This is just what I've been looking for to fix my Bride's 2019 Forester (my own 2017 OutBack Premier doesn't have DI)! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@jeffreygoss8109]

Playing armchair mechanic. I would have loved to have seen a bore scope of the valves before and after

[@MrSubaru1387]

Yeah, I wanted to, but the grid pattern behind the throttle body prevented this. Would have remove the intake, but twice for a video... Maybe in the future. 👍🏻

[@heyaisdabomb]

@@MrSubaru1387 Please do because I'm debating between this and getting the upper body walnut blasted. Are you also concerned about where this carbon is going, i.e. the catalytic convertor?

[@MrSubaru1387]

That's part of the smoke. Increasing RPM pushes it out/burns it, but there's likely some residue left in the cat/cats.

[@Thee-_-Outlier]

There is another video on a non-suburu where the guy scoped before and after the process of carb cleaning. The effect of the cleaning was minimal at best. Most of the cleaning it did was prior to the actual combustion chamber. It only showed a noticeable difference in one combustion chamber and the others showed no reduction in carbon and actually showed even more fresh carbon buildup than prior. You could tell it was fresh because it was wet and glossy still. Maybe if you ran it thru the system routinely it would clean more but one pass didn't seem to do anything on a direct injected engine

[@TheOmegaFleet]

​@@Thee-_-Outlier the biggest problem on DI Subarus is the intake tract before the valves I thought. That's where all the EGR gasses and buildup gets stuck as there is no fuel spray to wash the back of the valves and intake diverters.

[@nigozeroichi2501]

Figures, bought a 2011 Forester and thought this might be worthwhile to give it a clean, BZZZZZZZT cleaner kit no longer available from the links, haven't checked the dealerships yet.

[@coupedayville4038]

This is a lot like the procedure we use to do with sea foam on cars and 2 stroke boat engines.

[@El-Fartomatic]

Exactly what I was thinking. One can, 1/3 each section of cleaning and done.

[@jojopojo9516]

As always, very insightful and helpful. I don't know why I thought all the FA / FB / CB engines were port injected. It would have been nice if a borescope could have given us a before and after of the valves.

[@marksandstrom4248]

XT WRX and Ascent FA20 and FA24 engines are definitely direct injected, thus "DIT" on my XT's engine cover

[@dingleberries360]

Fb20 is port injected

[@AbleMable]

@@dingleberries360 FB20B = port, FB20D = direct inject

[@williamsanter125]

@@marksandstrom4248 I'm pretty sure those are FB engines.

[@denniss1211]

As normal ... outstanding advice....I have 9K on my 2021 Forester. If using something like AMSOIL gasoline additive, when should I perform this routine. Please do not retire...we need you.

[@MrSubaru1387]

30k miles would be the recommendation for the upper engine/carbon cleaner.

[@denniss1211]

@@MrSubaru1387 thanks

[@mtmike5335]

Perfect timing, my dude! I'm getting ready to buy the tool and kit to do this on my 2017 Forester with just over 60k miles.

[@m_k5268]

Did you get to do it on your Forester XT? How did it go.

[@jacobserugo9434]

I have tried on my impreza N14 with only the injector cleaner, but now , I feel a big difference . Thanks Mr Subaru

[@jimluense1494]

Thanks for the great video. My Outback is do for this service job on my need oil change. I will let my Subaru dealer do this because my Subaru dealer will keep track of all the service work I had done.

[@cihanugur8973]

Thank you Mr.Subaru. I used this maintenance kit , but mpg dropped by about %25-30 after.Not sure if it was a coincidence.Been having low power issue for last 2 years , still have it. 09 Outback , 215K mile on it. New Cat , new O2 sensors , New spark plugs , new ignition coil pack , new knock sensor , timing belt was replaced 3 years ago.. Please comment.

[@kathykaura7219]

This makes me want to work on my Subaru and I don't even have one yet.

[@siecieh]

Same issue on '12 forester FB25 with 40k miles, 10 min fix by cleaning the throttle, smooth ride and a great night sleep... actually I didn't take off any hoses, just the air duct and the throttle body.

[@Airjimbo90]

Thank you for making this video. When I first noticed the oil leaking, I thought it was because I didn't install the spark plugs Correctly. Just replaced the seals at 175,000 and it sounds way better now. Hoping they also helps with the P0420 code too.

[@FlowJunkie65]

Heck of a good instructional video. Sorry, I was listening to part of this video while helping the wife around the house -- when or how often should this service be performed? Thank you! Liked and subscribed!

[@dlg5485]

I have a 2017 Impreza Sport with about 85000 miles. I plan on doing this procedure soon, but I'm also wondering how often should this be done as ongoing maint. UPDATE: I completed this procedure yesterday, but instead of the Subaru kit I used Seafoam, CRC throttle body cleaner, and Techron complete fuel system cleaner. I also changed my spark plugs and changed the oil right after and man does my engine run much better now! The one thing I did differently was to shut the engine off for 10-12 minutes after sucking up the last 3rd of the Seafoam bottle. I saw a few videos where people did this to allow the cleaner more time to work on the carbon deposits. Then I took a spirited 15 min drive. I too had a check engine light after the Seafoam treatment, but after a spirited drive and removing the battery (required to get to the spark plugs), the check engine light went out and has not returned.

[@jamesm.8392]

I was thinking the same thing

[@Tsnor150]

really clear. great editing to remove time wasting stuff. indexed so we can jump past intro. excellent video. Subbed.

[@GeorgeJFW]

Word of warning for anyone wanting to perform this on a turbocharged engine. Be very careful with how you meter the cleaner in, if you go too quickly liquid cleaner can accumulate in the intercooler. Hard acceleration can draw the cleaner in and cause a burst of high engine rpm.

[@GeorgeJFW]

@@Chippy569 I will keep that in mind at the dealership we have a air pressure driven nebulizer and it does a pretty good job of fogging thing but it can definitely take it’s sweet ass time

[@jeromegaces6184]

does it require another bottle of it since it must pass through the turbo and intercooler right?

[@MrSubaru1387]

You inject the cleaner directly into intake manifold vacuum. The cleaner shouldn't be getting into, or flowing through the intercooler.

[@jeromegaces6184]

@@MrSubaru1387 so the procedure is still the same on both turbo and non-turbo versions? i'll keep that in mind thanks

[@MrSubaru1387]

@@jeromegaces6184 there's a TSB on the procedure, looks like I need to make another video detailing the other FA/FB engines connection points.

[@pauljohnson1404]

All DI cars have the same problem, it can get really bad to a point where the carbon build up is so much it can bend or break a valve

[@Mikki-Media]

Lol, the intro being the ez30 timing cover reminded me of the "fun" time I had rebuilding mine

[@andytennant4094]

This was a good video, I just spent several hours today removing the egr valve and cleaning it with wd40 and an old toothbrush hoping it would clear the check engine lights since it’s pulling an egr related code (P0400 EGR AFlow.) I put everything back together and nothing changed. Went back to the auto parts store thinking hooking the car up to a computer would clear the lights and they’d stay off but they came back on after 15 miles or so of driving like they did when nothing was fixed. It’s pretty depressing to deal with this on a car that’s close to but still not paid off.

[@Papa_Send]

We have a complete service kit (oil, oil filter, sump plug washer, upper engine cleaner, fuel treatment, window washer fluid) in Perth :) makes it easy to buy it all

[@todtalk3912]

the only thing id do differently, well not differently just additionally, is do an idle re learn after its all said and done just to ensure the entire system is re programmed at each rmp milestone it logs. Id recommend any one do this (at least 2 of the 3 steps which still be a huge improvement, just gotta be slow if you do the 3rd step. also buy it online, so theres no record for ur insurance company to see you just bought this at the dealer and then hydro locked your car. Wait for a rainy day, and then say you have no clue what happened, you were driving down the road and the engine locked up after a huge gust of wind and crazy down pour of rain hit your car you felt the engine shut off. My opinion, your insurance will look for any way out of paying you, so as long as they cannot prove indefinitely in a court room you did something than you can never be criminally charged at least.

[@Jestr86]

i'm a subaru guy myself, i never have done this kit to any of my subarus.. should work with my old subies.. 89 XT6 and 90 Legacy

[@longphan7568]

Just an update since im trying to clean mine. The top engine mount tool part# is SOA868V9432 which will work with the new style top engine bottles.the part# ending with 30 is longer available

[@stephengalgay784]

Great video. Learning how to take care of my 2011 Outback and your instructional videos have been easy to follow and extremely helpful.

[@4skully]

i love both my 2011 subs my girls!!!

[@oregonfelder1]

I know you mentioned preventive maintenance long-term and thought you’d discuss catch-cans and AOS systems. I know you’ve touched on them in previous videos, but have you done a full break-down of them? Of course each manufacturer is going to tell you why their’s is best, but it would be nice to see a comparison by a proper technician on these motors. I personally have the Cobb AOS on my 2020 WRX installed before 3k miles.

[@brianmanguso4126]

I wanted to ask the same thing. I’m getting a new wrx soon and I’m debating if I should get a Aos right away or maybe just stick with this method. I plan on keeping it stock until the warranty ends.

[@golding69]

I wish MrSubaru was my car's mechanic! (BTW, i think the cleaner's bottle black cap may have fallen off around minute 18:00" ) Thanks for all the Subaru technical info you share!!

[@rcdyer]

I only have 63,000 miles on my JB25 so shouldn't need to do this just yet. I'll save this video though for future reference! Thanks

[@KentuckyOutback]

I find it much easier, to use an inspection mirror, and sponge paint brush, to clean my throttle body. It's much quicker, easier, and does the job well. Once I scrub it down, I simply wipe it down with a lint free cloth, and it's done.

[@fractal815]

Great Video! I've got a '21 Outback touring XT with the 2.4 turbo engine. Obviously this engine has a lot more plumbing than the '13 crosstrek shown. Would you do a video for this cleaning operation with the newer engine or is it not a DIY project?

[@mergerysichembe3961]

Very helpful am expecting my Subaru this month end can't wait

[@HondaWagovan]

The FA20/24DIT cars need the Toyota D4S system from factory, but that seems like that won't happen any time soon.

[@jeffreygoss8109]

I bet there are not ten other technicians that would torque the throttle body. If I ever need work I’d take my vehicle to him.

[@griot-hf5ok]

Great video, as always 🎉🎉 In the future, I hope that you can do an EGR valve cleaning tutorial on the 2015+ Subaru legacy. That would be great 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@billyquinn9378]

You have to be careful when doing this type of service, you can very easily fry some valves if you rush it. I have used similar products with some success.

[@michaelweatherhead9470]

I just did spark plugs on my 2011 outback noticed oil in both holes drivers side I'll be taking care of that.

[@MrSubaru1387]

That's cam cover gasket and spark plug tube seal gaskets.

[@michaelweatherhead9470]

Thanks

[@tbas8741]

Throttle Body Coolant Line Bypass is one of the great Must-Do Mods for Turbo subarus Majorly drops intake temps and keep manifold much cooler. Talking 50-60*C cooler preventing knock and allows denser air charge. WARNING - This mod should not be done in countries or regions where it snows and temps often drop below 5*C as its there to prevent the throttle plate from ICING Open and getting stuck. But in warm countries its safe and makes a HUGE difference. After 1 hour boosting around at 15psi can touch the intake manifold n TB and its cool to the touch (30-40*C) Without it you would burn yourself.

[@busterscrugs]

I had this service done on my '15 Forester XT at the dealership. Less than 1,000 miles later, the catalytic converter failed and they had to warranty it lol

[@m_k5268]

Damn. I was just thinking of getting this done on my '14 Forester XT as well. I'm skeptical.

[@busterscrugs]

@@m_k5268 A walnut blast is a much better option. These chemical cleanings barely remove any carbon and you risk burning out your cat. Walnut blasting will get the valves perfectly clean with no risk of catalyst damage. My engine also blew up at 58k miles despite doing 5k mile full synthetic oil changes, wouldn't be surprised if the carbon cleaning had something to do with it.

[@paultice610]

Great video I should probably do A throttlebody cleaning on my 09 Subaru Forrester I don’t know if it’s ever been done I’ve bought it on the cheap and been working on it for the past year and a half but it’s always been drivable the whole time and I’m averaging 22 miles to the gallon mainly just normal higher mileage maintenance stuff have 158,000 on it

[@AquariusRising]

Thank you for this! I just called my Subaru service center and asked them if they could do this for me.

[@pcmountaindog]

How do I know this really cleaned up the intake? I would love to see a before and after image of the intake valves to see what the result was. I would never buy any engine with direct injection only. What bad engineering.

[@marksandstrom4248]

Beware the top engine cleaner coming in a cylindrical tin can, as mine did from my large local Subaru dealer. The take-up tube on the siphon tool is too long to screw into the can, but not only that, my first can of cleaner purchased was already about half-empty via leakage. And the dealer needed all 3 components of the kit returned to them, I couldn't just get a new can of cleaner, nor was it in stock. A regular clear plastic bottle of fuel injector cleaner, emptied, worked to fit the siphon tool, and provided better visibility of the cleaner level without a flashlight, but the clear plastic didn't look like it was happy in contact with the toluene cleaner, the plastic quickly became cloudy. So don't store cleaner fluid for long in a non-original bottle before using it up.

[@wanglee21]

From what I heard they stopped making the plastic bottles and replaced to the tin cans. Even for the tool it went from the plastic to now only meant for metal cans. Not sure why they would do that tho

[@spelunkerd]

Can you tell us about whether you agree with the theme of replacing the in-tank fuel filter regularly? It seems like a huge amount of work if you don't replace the whole fuel pump module at the same time.

[@bradq2769]

Dude, you are awesome! Can you move to Utah? We need honest Subie lovers like you.

[@shamalanon-time4209]

Thanks for the great video. At what mileage should this be done please??

[@lp2565]

Great video. Thanks for sharing. Will be purchasing the kit in the future.

[@jakekwhitey]

You should recommend carrying out an oil change post clean

[@jerryyoung6494]

Why? Is there a reason

[@MrSubaru1387]

Sometimes the excess cleaner/additives make their way into the oil and dirty/contaminate it.

[@jerryyoung6494]

@@MrSubaru1387 thanks

[@kevbeek1]

Very clear and concise video. I am wondering about the torque wrench you were using when reinstalling the intake damper. I don't think it's in your amazon collection.

[@Tom-ej8bb]

I would assume an oil change would be a good idea afterwards? T Y. I don’t have a Subaru but son does. A non turbo! I have a 1.6T in my crv. I am concerned about doing a service like that on it due to the turbo! Wish you were in Michigan. I would trade my Crv in for a non turbo in a minute!! Your a great mechanic. I was a long time ago only for a short time so I never considered myself a true mechanic. I appreciate your perfection!!!👍🙏

[@paulwatts9910]

Planning on replacing the cat system and O2 sensors on my manual 2010 Forester with 250K. Going to perform this service 1st so as not to clog the new cat system.

[@haroldhprittjr7007]

The neighbor has one I’ll be sure to tell them he will probly get the kit and we will probly do it I think there car is a year or two old but thanks !

[@charlesolinger6250]

My friend says it's frequently changing oil but he uses Amsoil Ss oil. I have switched to it but my car is Pontiac firebird.

[@user-ce3rh8jh4i]

You are the man, great explanation, great camera work, thanks again for sharing.

[@user-de1lg4sz4l]

Looks like a good system that pretty much duplicates CRC's GDI IVD Intake Valve & Turbo Cleaner kit. I bet the CRC kit (which I've used a few times on various cars) is a lot less money for the same active ingredients.

[@optimalorlando]

My buddy hydro locked it and bent a valve on the start up doing this on wrx. So he just bought a used engine and we installed it and on start up the rockers fell off ... boxer engines a nightmare imo

[@georgeferlazzo7936]

Hello again Mr. Subaru 1387 Thank you for another Great Video. I enjoyed watching you progress through this subject. Again thank you

[@060racing8]

That's interesting in Australia I've only ever seen aerosol style upper engine cleaner

[@phoozle]

Was about to comment the same thing. This method seems far easier too

[@michaeldickerson873]

Thanks Mr Subaru! The best teaching video I have seen to date. Shares knowledge, tips and insider info-inspires confidence! I have a 2011 Legacy Limited 2.5 (not a turbo). With 168,000 miles and recent head replacement/Drive belt/water pump kit. Ouch, $2100…. While my air intake setup is a little different, can I use this same kit and procedure for my Legacy limited? Thank you for answering questions.

[@Gunnberg85]

This. This is why I got rid of my 2015 WRX. I thought I was taking care of it. I thought I was going easy on the car. I bought the extended warranty bringing it to 8 years because I wanted to keep the car until it died. Little did I know a combination of the EGR system and lack of valve self-cleaning, it was experiencing a random misfire. Subaru ran this cleaning kit through the car twice and I still had problems. If I simply installed the EGR delete kit, I wouldn't have a problem...but I'd void that expensive warranty. To make matters worse, every application of this cleaning kit slowly damages other components. The stress was simply too much, and I sadly had to trade it in. Now I have a car that does everything the WRX and much more for less money since it was a couple years old. I won't be looking back to Subaru for a very long time...if at all.

[@AwesomesMan]

How do you like the new car compared to the wrx?

[@Gunnberg85]

@@AwesomesMan There will always be pros and cons between them, but I'm still thoroughly enjoying my current car. 2017 Mercedes C43 AMG. I honestly think it's a more appropriate next choice for the "grown-up WRX owner" than a Toyota Tacoma as people like Regular Car Reviews puts it. You get more power to weight than the sti, more luxury features and refined interior, and maintain 4wd but with a bias towards the rear for a more sporty playful feel. I also get about the same gas mileage so that was a nice surprise. Where it lacks is in visibility. The WRX had that in spades, but it was also a taller, boxier car. The C43 has some sensors to offset that so I've never had a problem. The trunk is a touch smaller and has an odd hump in it. (Presumably to get over the axle) And ultimately, despite having a lot of electronics, the German's are not the best at them... maintenance is key on any car, and German cars are a must when I comes to maintenance...which doesn't come cheap.

[@ronaldebrownjr5622]

Thank you for all the of the great information!! My 2016 Forester run great!!!!

[@101PSU1]

No before and after pics. Gee I wonder why

[@jamesdarcy3902]

I have a 2015 Outback with the FB25 engine, always running smoothly and never a check engine light at 140,000 miles. I am not sure about ever needing this service? It uses a quart of Quaker State 0-20 every 3,000 miles and oil changes 4,000-4,500 mile intervals with the Mazda RX-8 filter.

[@johnhoog]

Mr. Subaru, you are a lifesaver for all us Subaru car owners.. I own a 2017 Subi Impreza that I am very happy with.. It is very reliable and runs likes it still new after 120K miles. I am about to replace the spark plugs, just wondering right now if that is really neccesary..??

[@williamsanter125]

Subaru recommends changing plugs at 60k and 120k. Normally iridium plugs are good for 100k but I'm thinking maybe it's because Subarus use a waste cycle spark system so it's firing twice as often.

[@daviddyson7359]

In Australia Subaru sell a foaming upper engine cleaner . Much easier and no special tools needed.

[@TechsHelpingHand]

Firestone uses the exact same system. Even the bottles look the same except for the throttle cleaner

[@dannyx117]

Gonna try this on a 2001 Legacy Outback

[@joekowalski182]

Gum out isn't complicated easier been using for years my Forester runs great no issues. No tools no removal works just as good proven product.. with Subarus you start removing stuff check engine light will come on then you won't have cruise control