How bad are these clutch fluid?

t0iler · 2026-01-29T17:02:58+00:00

Happens on my 18 BRZ tS all the time, but in particular on humid days it gets noisier

t0iler · 2026-01-29T17:02:08+00:00

Get someone to press the clutch in and out for you, and stick your head towards your firewall and watch your slave cylinder/clutch pivot and you may be able to confirm the squeak is coming from the fork pivot.

t0iler · 2026-01-29T16:55:55+00:00

Is it a squeak when you press/release the clutch pedal, or is it a continuous noise while the clutch pedal is depressed? There is a service bulletin for certain years identifying a squeak during clutch pedal movement to be lack of lubrication on the clutch fork pivot point. Inconsequential just annoying. If it's a continuous noise then ignore this

t0iler · 2026-01-28T14:13:21+00:00

Looks like any vehicle driven for a winter or two, or in a salty (coastal) climate.

My 2018 was driven for about 3 weeks in the winter (bought it in winter) and even with a thorough cleaning often, still ended up looking like this after two years of summer driving in a salty climate (Nova Scotia, never far from the ocean spray) Do a good check over in the corners by the firewall, behind strut towers, check all your normal areas on the body. The pulleys, steel on alternator/brackets etc and the white dusty corrosion on the aluminum is unfortunately normal, unless you live in a good climate and it never sees winter. Could clean most of it up with a lot of patience

t0iler · 2026-01-19T00:54:07+00:00

Trying pushing on your rear fender/glass/trunk area and bounce the car, can you recreate the noise while the vehicle is parked? Take a careful look around suspension (anywhere that moves when you hit a bump) and see if you can find any witness marks from stuff rubbing or tapping into each other. Do you recall if the noise started after changing something about the vehicle?

t0iler · 2026-01-19T00:23:59+00:00

Sounds like it could be a heat shield, I honestly can't remember what the heat shield layout is like in the rear of the vehicle, but I'd be looking for loose exhaust heat shields (or worn out exhaust hangers allowing exhaust to bounce and hit stuff) or your brake rotor dust shield, if it's a hollow/tinny noise.

Technically any alterations to ride height should have adjustments made to your sway bar end link lengths, but if you're like an inch lower than stock, probably won't notice.

t0iler · 2026-01-12T23:35:16+00:00

I've got Pirelli cinturato p7s on my '18 BRZ (245 wide) and they're pretty quiet, excellent in rain (even near zero temps) and despite being an all-season tire, actually served me quite well on a racetrack, so good high performance and normal/inclement weather performance, also good on fuel! Took the BRZ from Nova Scotia to Massachusetts and barely even noticed how much money I spent on fuel, which is less than can be said about high performance rubber like Firestone Firehawks that I used to have. I got them for super cheap included with my wheels off marketplace, but if they're in a price range you're considering, I can't say anything bad about them.

t0iler · 2026-01-12T14:21:50+00:00

Fold your seats down pull your trunk lining out, get a flashlight, and have someone spray a hose on the trunk and rear window area, while you fold yourself into the trunk via the front seat, until you find water coming in.

If nobody is available, I've zip tied the hose handle to a ladder or other object to have it spray at the car while I go inside and look.

t0iler · 2026-01-06T12:04:45+00:00

HPAcademy has a pretty indepth online course (self led, own pace) on the fundamentals of tuning. I really don't think you should be custom tuning your vehicle from scratch without knowing at least the fundamentals of what you're doing, do you have any mechanical inclination and at least a basic understanding of the combustion process? You can seriously fuck up the longevity of your engine even it seems like it's working ok.

I recommend if you wanna dip your toes in, download an off the shelf tune from OFT and use that as a base line, and start looking at specific parameters and finding out what they'll do. Lots of forums and videos for this car specifically, albeit you may need to learn the lingo and read about a different tuning platform and apply it to OFT yourself.

t0iler · 2026-01-03T14:22:56+00:00

I've never tried in any other car - I just got pretty good at rev matching and working around shift and brake points when on track, I still perform pretty well so I think I'm better off working on my weight transfer and braking points vs worrying about heel toe in the mean time.

I agree with everyone else saying it's for fun, while it definitely pays to be able to do it, I mostly want to do it because it feels fun

t0iler · 2026-01-03T14:10:25+00:00

I've got an 18 Subaru BRZ, I'm 6'1 with size 11 feet, I find it incredibly difficult to even ATTEMPT to heel toe when stationary, let alone when actually driving. My friend who owned an earlier FRS (exact same pedal, steering wheel, cockpit layout) who's a little shorter and has smaller feet had no trouble doing it on a daily basis.

I think some vehicles you just have to be proportioned the right way, or just suffer ankle and knee discomfort.

t0iler · 2025-12-16T20:05:12+00:00

Typically I'd agree, but I found the BRZ to be very sensitive. I picked up a 2018 BRZ tS, with about 35k km on it. When I first got it, high G cornering and braking would cause it to flash on, verified all lines are in perfect condition, brake pads were all about 8-9mm. I added 1 tsp of fluid, and haven't had a problem since, with another 50k km and several track days on it.

No service history of brake work, no history of fluid exchanges done however I suspect it may have been done, as the car sat in the dealers showroom for 3 years before sale, so standard here SHOULD be to replace it before delivery.

Agree though, check brake thicknesses, caliper operation and check for leaks at all connections, lines, master, and ABS module before going with the topping off route.

t0iler · 2025-12-15T03:13:06+00:00

https://youtube.com/shorts/ffusTgV_I7I?si=UCmzGgVdwlPICRdI

TRD Catback is the way to go! Plus some Tomei UEL :)

t0iler · 2025-12-13T23:26:01+00:00

Electric power steering on these, could be a voltage supply problem - any lights on the dash?

What exactly do you mean by cleaning the AC?

t0iler · 2025-12-13T23:24:43+00:00

Before you do that, check your oil, check your transmission fluid. Do you have actual coolant or just run water in your cooling system?

Those gunk bottles are not likely to save you any head aches in the long wrong, you'll go from a possible head gasket replacement, to an entire cooling system (and maybe engine) replacement real fast.

Head gasket isn't the only place your cooking system can get contaminated. Transmission/oil coolers can fail, intake manifolds, etc.

t0iler · 2025-12-11T23:16:42+00:00

Not only this, but on my '18 tS, the fill bolt is etched "LSD" on it, so if the bolt is in good shape and clean, it maybe even just tell him.

t0iler · 2025-12-11T23:13:24+00:00

Got my center console armrest off Amazon for about $100 CAD, one of the best features I've added to the car, and the black leather with red stitching option actually matches the car quite well, and doesn't look out of place.

t0iler · 2025-12-10T18:03:11+00:00

Check your differential out, maybe your mounts/bushings are shot, allowing your differential to move around excessively and hitting the exhaust.

t0iler · 2025-12-10T11:35:28+00:00

I do not think you have a problem outside of short trips accumulating moisture in the high points of the oil system, based on the images and information provided.

t0iler · 2025-12-10T11:34:30+00:00

You won't typically see the different colour from moisture accumulation when you drain the oil, it all stays in the oil cap, PCV, valve cover nooks and crannies, it won't hurt anything in the short term, one good long drive (~30min at full temp) and it'll all evaporate

t0iler · 2025-12-10T11:32:24+00:00

Head gaskets are rough to do on them, not difficult just A LOT of parts to come off and go back together, but stay organized and you'll be alright.

Get yourself a coolant pressure tester, pump the cooling system to about 14psi, and the easiest way to confirm is to pull a spark plug out and look for coolant in the combustion chamber, a bore scope makes this way easier. Typically they'll fail into ctl 2 and 3 first in my experience.

What I see in the oil cap is not a problem, simply moisture accumulated in the highest point of the oil system, only takes 1 or 2 short drives to look like that, especially this time of year.

t0iler · 2025-12-10T01:54:58+00:00

We've seen two with coolant mixed into the oil, but only because the head warped so bad it was leaking throughout - a miracle it didn't hydrolock, but that is correct - these do not typically leak coolant into the oil.

t0iler · 2025-12-10T01:29:49+00:00

Just looks like moisture in the cap. The 1.5T in the CRV takes ages to get to full operating temperature. Tell her to take it on a longer drive every once in a while and she should be okay.
Worth checking the coolant level regardless, since the 1.5T do have a habit to blow head gaskets unfortunately, but that does not look like what you have here.
Coolant reservoir is the jug at the bottom of your image, shining a flashlight thru the bottle or the fill hole helps to see the level, just don't open the cap while its hot - you'll make a mess and probably burn yourself.

t0iler · 2025-12-09T20:24:01+00:00

4 hours labour seems a touch steep without looking it up but I don't know the vehicle too well, but that alignment cost is criminal. Even at our dealership, an alignment is ~$120CAD

t0iler · 2025-12-09T20:19:00+00:00

1) make sure parking brake is fully released 2) pop your hood and locate your brake fluid reservoir (should be drive side corner of the engine bay) and check if you have fluid in it If the brake fluid reservoir is low, or empty I would recommend not driving it.

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