RumblyXT

On 5/4/2024 at 4:08 PM, silverton said:

rebuilding a transmission is the only thing i really haven't dirtied my hands on.  I did get to take apart and reassemble an STi 6-speed while in training, that was fun!  Also a lot of parts that need to go together just right, but not near as complicated as an AT.

Indeed! A lot of gears, clutches, seals and components in general that have to seat perfectly otherwise something can get jammed and the whole thing gets all mangled up lol. I’ll admit it looks intimidating at first, but I think it’s like everything, once you work on enough of them, it becomes second nature. Didn’t see him using/requiring too many specialty tools either, except for that Vice contraption on the video.

I find it interesting how the valve body, solenoids and all the wires and all electrical components work totally submerged in ATF without issues.

Anyways, I’m sure many here have seen plenty of these already, but I just hadn’t seen such well documented videos before. Once you get into knowing/rebuilding the transmissions on these cars, you’ve basically know how to take overhaul these cars completely.

If you think rebuilding an engine can sometimes get complicated, take a look at the amount of parts and components which all have to line up perfectly for a transmission to function properly. Pretty amazing what engineers can come up with. Very cool video!

The Teardown:

And the rebuild..

And a very important tip for the Torque Converter..

I wish this guy worked on Subies more. He's imo the best Toyota/Lexus true mechanic on the YouTube universe.

Yeah it happens dude.. I had to remove the I/M after I had it already installed due to not having the fuel lines clamps bolts flipped around so they could later be retighten if need be from up top. From factory, I think the heads of the bolt come facing down toward the long block.

A whole engine refresh is a big job, takes a lot of steps and small important details to make sure are done right. Regardless of how many times we've been there, it's probably good practice to have the steps written down in sections on a board and having them checked as they're completed.

Good progress!

That’s actually my favorite gen WRX, 2006-2007 Hawkeyes.

But honestly what I’ve always wanted to do is a GD WRX swap into a 1st gen Forester. Very practical and the 4EAT transmission is a tank! However, I’d need a whole WRX donor car for that to swap everything into it..

I think the GD platform is great, quite reliable and there’s plenty of aftermarket parts for it as it was for the Honda Civic in that era..

Their only downfall of course is the infamous H/G issue on the NAs. Slap a MLS H/G on them and they’ll last forever.

Don’t mean to thread jack, but I figured I’d post this since you’re a chemistry guy and you’re refreshing your motor, not sure if you need to refresh your headlights too..

I wonder if this acetone vapor method would last, might need some clear coat spray afterwards to seal it. Seems super easy and cheap, I might try it since the headlights on our Outback look like chit.

36 minutes ago, KZJonny said:

Wonder if that is an H6? I couldn't see from the video...

Hehe that was my first thought too.. Regardless I’ve never taken muddy roads that bad, I gotta try it down here once the rainy season comes to the Everglades.

But dang! BC has such beautiful scenery!

Inspiration!

On 4/16/2024 at 11:03 AM, KZJonny said:

Since I have had the thing apart, and done some cleaning and installation of lots of new bits, I thought it wouldn't be the worst idea to run some cheap oil through the engine first. My plan was to just get a 5L of the cheapest 5w30 available at CT, and maybe add a half cup of ATF to it for extra detergent action.

How about just running 5 Qts of cheap thinner oil a few times, maybe 0W-20 with the oil pan plug off and filtering the oil with a white old rag or T-shirt on a clean orange/clear bucket every time you reintroduce the oil into the motor to help it rinse/rid any unwanted bits. The color contrast should make it easy to spot little pieces with the old white T-shirt and the fresh thin oil if any at all come out the motor. I actually thought about doing this when I put things back together.

Edit: Actually not 0W-20. I’d be concerned if some of that thiner oil stays in certain areas. Best to use cheap 5W-30.

Looking good, moving right along! EL header?, what brand?

And is that an analog oil pressure sensor/sender?

1 hour ago, KZJonny said:

I not need 4 different size socket to dissasemble the entire engine bay.... 

Haha  

This wrench was very useful around those bolts you mentioned by the turbo.

Sounds great. And I'm sure is much cheaper than an expensive ultrasonic machine, plus you can also do much bigger parts.

4 hours ago, KZJonny said:

I am immediately 100% sold on soda blasting.

Before and after. Note: this took about 2 minutes, and I have never used one before in my life… crazy.

Blasting soda is on sale right now: might have to go pick up another bag. I’m going to want to blast everything sight now. Hah!

I had no idea that existed, all I knew was sand blasting, but it seems a lot better than blasting sand which can wear out mating surfaces much faster if not careful.

That has to be so satisfying seeing how good those greasy old parts look almost new again. Great work!

38 minutes ago, KZJonny said:

I looked great on the backside too.)

I'm sure that was a typo.. 

Good progress! 

Oh hey.. I almost forgot! Did you remove all the banjo bolt filter mesh? I think there's 4 in total in the whole engine. Now's the time to do it before you have the rest of the components and Cam Gears on.

The one behind the Left head under the Turbo, another one on top, the oil pipe by the front of the RH, one in front of the Left Intake Cam and the last one I think it's on top of the Left head in the other end of the other oil pipe.

Also, will you be doing the 4th Cylinder cooling mod? Might as well too. I have a brand new JDM fitting from eBay is you need it. It connects on the back of the Left Head.

Engine is gone. 

I have one mounted on the Outback as well.. lol 

Better than the OE we buy here.

Is that a Mazda filter I see? Sacrilege!

27 minutes ago, KZJonny said:

No matter how nice and clean a car is tho, I can never convince myself to pull the trigger on an automatic.

I'm actively looking for a manual bug eye/hawkeye Impreze or Outback/Legacy in manual so I can finally move on my AT Outback... Haha! I like that car for being reliable and non-turbo and being able to fit all sorts of junk into it, but every time I move the gear selector to "D" and.... that's it. It really takes some wind our of my sails.

I know.. I've been looking for a manual myself for some time now, but they're just hard to find in good condition with a turbo, most previous owners tend to abuse these cars. There's plenty of WRXs, but I'm convinced the versatility the wagons offers, especially with kids and space in the trunk for bikes and cargo, etc. is just awesome, best of both worlds: Grocery getter, people mover, and even a bit of off road and go fast capability.

Look what this guys is selling down here, but I can't reach him.. He has his contact info removed! Argh! Check out the mileage, that car looks mint! I want to jump in into another OBXT project lol..

https://offerup.com/item/detail/b91a7c42-ef5e-37f8-8bce-8d1ae6d94129?q=subaru+outback+&cid=5.1

3 minutes ago, KZJonny said:

Nope, there was an IAG pickup/windage tray combo on sale around black Friday. Been sitting on a shelf for a while, but it is already installed and just waiting for me to clean up the mating surfaces on the oil pal and block to reinstall. (with stainless steel bolts and lock washers, so they will never corrode again....)

Oh perfect! You're set with this combo then.

4 minutes ago, KZJonny said:

Thanks for reading through and commenting man! I really do want to know if there are things I should be doing that I'm not.

Sure thing brother. I'm no expert by any means, just sharing the bit of knowledge I've gained in these 4 years.

5 minutes ago, KZJonny said:

Added to the list of "to do's". That one is at least an easy win.

FSM calls for replacing the T/B gasket after removing it, but you may get away with reusing it if treated carefully.

Nice! A lot of detailed work, but all well worth it.

You mentioned you’ll be replacing the vacuum lines, will that include the PVC valve too? Might as well..

I cleaned the injectors with cleaner using a 9V battery and alligator clips, maybe you don’t need to do this though.. but worth flushing them a few times just in case.

And the last thing which imo, is very important, are you keeping the OE oil pickup tube? They tend to crack and starve the motor of oil. Why not upgrade it? 
Other than that, I think you have all bases covered. Maybe someone else can give their input?

ps: definitely clean the T/B.. Open the blade slowly, and once cleaned with T/B cleaner, close it back up slowly.. (don’t let the blade slam shut).

That’s how it is with these things.. you plan for a simple overhaul, you end up doing a lot more.

You’d feel bad later on saying, damn it should have done that, “while I was there”.. lol

Progress! 

Hmm.. 3 of them leaking eh? Pretty sure by now you've made sure that head is not cracked and it's just the valve seals not seating completely.

Yeah, those Hondas K20A2/3 from the Integra Type S and and K20Z1 from the Civic Si are absolutely awesome platforms, revving all the way to 8-9K sometimes, so much fun and reliable. If they had been AWD drivetrains, I'd have probably never switched over to Subaru.