A shop that specializes in the Toyobaru platform has found several cars with the same excessive RTV silicone problem.
The Toyota GR86 and the Subaru BRZ are some of the best-driving cars on sale today. Even better, they’re affordable and relatively practical. For many enthusiasts the Toyobaru twins are the perfect fit; they’re driver’s cars you can actually use every day but still take to the track on weekends. Except there’s a problem. More and more owners are discovering a potential flaw in the manufacturing process that could grenade their engines, especially if they’re used on track, as both manufacturers advertise.
It all started back in July when a 2022 Toyota GR86 owner named Blake Alvarado published a lengthy text post to the official SCCA Facebook group detailing an engine failure on his car. A breakdown of the engine revealed a rod bearing had failed due to oil starvation caused by excessive gasket sealant, otherwise known as RTV (room temperature vulcanizing) silicone, clogging the oil pickup tube at the bottom of the engine.
Alvarado’s local dealership network denied a warranty claim on the engine, refusing to rebuild or replace the motor because a representative found a photo of the car drifting online. Seeing as how the GR86 is advertised as a car that could be taken to the track and driven at and beyond the limit, the decision not to cover Alvarado’s engine claim unsurprisingly set the internet ablaze.
Toyota would eventually step in and warranty Alvarado’s car, but the highly publicized incident highlighted what turned out to be a potential issue in the manufacturing process with the GR86 and its mechanically similar sibling, the Subaru BRZ. The factory uses RTV silicone in place of traditional gaskets in places like the timing cover, cam carriers, and the oil pan. The problem is, the factory could be using an excessive amount of silicone when assembling the engine, allowing dried chunks to separate from the mating surfaces and make their way through the engine. While most of these chunks are small enough to be circulated through the motor and caught by the engine oil filter, bigger chunks can get caught in the oil pickup tube strainer, cause blockage, and starve the motor of oil.
CM Autohaus, a California shop that specializes in performance cars like the GR86, has been documenting its experiences with the excessive RTV silicone problems on 2022+ GR86s and BRZs on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. Videos from the shop show several instances where excessive silicone is discovered in the oil pickup tube that, according to the shop, could starve the engine of oil and cause a failure.
In a phone conversation with Road & Track, CM Autohaus founder Ezekiel Lee says he’s had more than 20 GR86s and BRZs come through his shop to be inspected for oil pickup tube clogging. “We’re doing at least one [inspection] a week,” he told Road & Track.
Lee tells Road & Track the inspections involve poking a borescope into the bottom of the engine to inspect the pickup tube for blockage, and cutting open the engine’s oil filter to inspect for excessive chunks of RTV silicone. Of the nearly two dozen cars he’s inspected, he’s had to pull three oil pans to remove blockage from the oil pickup strainer. And every filter, Lee says, has signs of RTV inside.
“If you are a serious track enthusiast, I recommend you drop your oil pan right away and clean up that oil pickup,” Lee says in a video above documenting an inspection of a 2022 GR86. In the short clip, Lee shows the excessive RTV silicone present on the pan, as well as the blocked oil pickup strainer, which according to him, would’ve resulted in a “guaranteed engine failure.” We don’t doubt it.
While CM Autohaus has become the go-to independent shop in the San Francisco Bay area for inspecting and addressing the excessive RTV silicone issue in new BRZs and GR86s, it’s not the only shop tackling the job. Tyspeed, a New Jersey-based shop that primarily focuses on late model BMWs, has also addressed the issue on its customer’s cars.
Silicone strips present in the oil pickup strainer.
Tyspeed
Tyspeed founder Tyler Pappas told Road & Track over Instagram his shop has dropped two oil pans in order to address and correct the RTV silicone issue. He theorizes the pickup tube’s design might also be partly to blame.
“Honestly what it appears from my perspective is that the cross sectional diameter of the oil pickup tube is extremely small; therefore even limited particles of build-up can significantly reduce the volume of intake oil to the pump,” Pappas told Road & Track.
“With a new engine it’s normal to get bits of RTV and stuff in there, but If there’s a little too much right off the bat, and it doesn’t go away over time, little things can clog that thing up,” he added.
It’s important to note this excessive RTV silicone issue isn’t exactly a new thing. There has been documentation of original BRZ, FR-S, and 86 owners experiencing the same or similar issues with their cars going back years. Judging by these latest discoveries, it’s likely Subaru and Toyota didn’t do enough to address the potential problems while developing the new car’s assembly process, and now more of the Toyobaru community is aware of the dangers.
When asked about the potential RTV issues and whether work from independent shops to remedy it would void the factory warranty, Subaru sent the following statement to Road & Track:
Subaru of America has had no reported BRZ engine failures due to oil starvation from a blocked strainer caused by RTV. We continually monitor quality, however there is no special monitoring in regards to this issue. While it is not unusual for small amounts of RTV to be found in the oil strainer, it is a closed system and even if all the possible liquid gasket material separated and hung on the strainer, it would not obstruct enough oil circulation to damage the engine. Work performed by an independent workshop following Subaru’s recommended service guidelines does not affect the vehicle’s warranty. However, any damage to the vehicle resulting from work performed at an independent shop would not be covered under warranty.
Toyota had a similar response when reached with the same questions.
Toyota continuously monitors requests for warranty claims of any kind, not limited to one issue or another. Warranty claim fulfillment decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. As always, we encourage customers who experience any issues with their vehicle to contact their authorized Toyota dealer or call the Toyota Brand Engagement Center (1-800-331-4331) when a dealer is not able to resolve a matter.
So far, neither brand has issued a technical service bulletin or a recall for issues excessive RTV silicone on the GR86 or BRZ. If you own one, our suggestion is to bring it to a shop you trust to have it inspected, at the minimum. If your engine grenades itself, you’re in for a huge headache, even if you get your car’s warranty to cover the damages.
Brian Silvestro Road & Track staff writer with a taste for high-mileage, rusted-out projects and amateur endurance racing.
Keyword: BRZ and GR86 Owners Are Turning to Independent Shops to Fix Engine-Blowing Factory Defect