OEM+

Are intermediate shafts as big of a deal on the turbo engines as they are on the non turbo motors? I'm still learning all the ins and outs of these cars since I just got it, so I'm curious. Plus I'm SUPER paranoid to the point I'm diagnosed OCD so I literally just spent 5 minutes listening to the engine run in my garage and think that almost every sound is a bad sound.

Thanks.

rmc1148

Its a differently designed motor and does not have the ims problem.

OEM+

That's good to know.

What are some of the issues these motors have?

Kevin

A few turbo owners have had the GEAR that is bolted to the IMS shaft come loose. The bolts back out and the gear comes off. Usually the oil filter will pack up with aluminum before a timing chain breaks..

rmc1148

I'm no expert but I do know the cooling pipes can come unglued and cause loss of coolant other then that its usually just wear and tare repairs with a few electrical gremlins thrown in now and then but it seems more so with modded cars.

Macster

The Turbo engine is quite robust. Take care of and with a bit of luck you should get as many miles of trouble free service out of the engine as you want.

There's a Turbo running around with IIRC over 350K miles on its original engine. My 03 has over 110K miles.

The cars have some trouble spots. Keep the radiator ducts clear of trash and the water drains clear of trash.

My direct experience with my 03 is the clutch accumulator can go bad. A symptom is the clutch is hard to depress before you start the engine when you get in the car after it has been parked for some time (overnight for instance). Along with the accumulator the clutch slave cylinder can go bad. One sign of this is fluid stains on the panel over the clutch fluid reservoir.

A high pitched squeal when your foot is off the clutch and the car stopped and the engine idling (and fully warmed up) is a high pressure valve in the power steering tank.

The spoiler warning light can come on and this can mean the limit switches are bad or the hydraulic system is leaking.

What else?... Oh, yeah. The RMS (rear main seal) can leak. This is a bit rare but the other things are less rare but some have been already addressed in most cars.

Relax.

There's nothing you can do to stave off any of the above. However, do heed my advice to keep the radiator and drains clear.

Then service the car at reasonable intervals -- I like to have the oil/filter services at 5K miles -- and other fluids/consumables/services at their usual miles or time.

In between services enjoy the car.