RumblyXT

Good progress. Nowadays makes no sense to me why some people heavily modify their engines for these “crazy power gains”, only to later probably have to fix the entire work they did because the motor couldn’t take the added boost/pressure. Keep it stock, maybe a few subtle power mods here and there, set it for reliability and that engine should last long and still offer plenty of fun. Maybe I’m getting old, but to me 300-320hp range seems more than adequate power for these cars.

Thread revive: So who’s watching the upcoming solar eclipse? Several IG posts have suggested to prepare with food and water hehe.. sounds like fear monger.. I’m going on a conspiracy tangent now: CERN says they’ll be testing their Hadron Collider that day.. coincidence?

Will the VF52 be for this motor? Post some pics.. while you’re there

Dude, I love Ultrasonic cleaners, they leave parts so clean! A 15L one is great, I can't imagine a 20L one. I have seen people create one from one of those Costco big plastic animal cookies containers and attaching the cap with Velcro to a cheap buffer machine from Walmart, leaving it hanging while it vibrates lol They actually work really well. I know those machines are not cheap at all. Definitely replace the valves seals while you're here. And make sure you blow a lot of compressed air through all the holes/ports of the heads. You will be surprised how much junk/metal shaving probably fell in there while they were being machined. At least this is what happened to me.

Actually, you don't have to split the block to remove the pistons. But yeah, I'd definitely not split the block unless absolutely necessary, unless it had been through some bigger damage like a spun bearing, which then would require a lot more work. Best to leave it that way then. Just reassure yourself with a compression test before mounting in on the car, it's much easier off the car than on it. I hear you on working in the cold.. the warm temps down here definitely help a lot in that sense. But you hate FL anyways haha

Oh wow, that much eh? I thought they'd remove something like 2-3 thousands.. hmm In that case, I'd think a thicker MLS H/Gs would be better to compensate for the material removed. I swear by the SixStar MLS I used, they were great. Hope you don't mind me photo bombing your thread, but a pic is worth a thousand words lol

I did what I could with just degreaser and a brush, covering all the head ports as best as I could. Will you be replacing the Piston rings as well? Why not do so since you're already here? If you're going to though, just make sure they end up with the correct ring gap (very important). This was the end result after cleaning the block with degreaser and a brush as much as I could.. For the pistons, this chemical I used and a wire brush worked great. Berryman Chem-Dip Carburator Cleaner (great chemical for removing the carbon deposits off the pistons). Before.. After the Chem-Dip

I doubt that block is warped then.. The biggest challenge I had was removing the block alignment dowels without damaging the mating surface of the block. The sand paper method, even though it may seem a bit rudimentary, works really well.. and to be honest I think I ended up using much finer grain than 300.. it was more like 500, 800 and 1,000. The most important thing is making sure it’s truly straight and the straight edge assures that. Looking forward to seeing how that VF52 turns out for you.

While you are at it, you might also want to check the Cylinder block out-of-roundness.. The turbo motors hold up better since the H/Gs are MLS, so I don't expect it to be uneven, especially if the engine has not been abused, but after so many heat cycles and mileage, who knows.. Back when I overhauled my first ej251, besides machining the heads, my Cylinder block was also bent a little, I think 0.0003" were going under the straight edge back then.. Believe it or not, I fixed it myself at home with a square piece of counter granite (which I first made sure it was totally straight using the same machinist straight edge). I removed the 4 alignment dowels with a bolt of their ID and used a combination of different grit sand paper glued on to the counter granite with the help of some WD40 to slide it, just using the weight of the granite block passing it back and forward till the block was straight. I took the risk, but It actually came out great lol In the end, from the original 0.0003", only the 0.0001" gauge went under and with difficulty. When I put everything back together using Six Star MLS H/Gs, that sucker never leaked again.

Hmm.. Belt too lose, ok.. I don't have a gauge to check tension on it. All I do is bending the belt 90 degrees from its resting position and seeing what resistance it offers. Yes, both front wheels were up in the air when I repeated the lock to lock movements 6-7 times. It seemed to have burped system well, and didn't whine then but now noise is back now when turning wheels while driving at low speeds.

So I know we got more pressing matters with this car, ie: tuning the ECU. But I was wondering if you guys can offer any tips on eliminating hard steering/loud P/S Pump belt whining.. I’ve already replaced both the suction hose and the O-Ring, it got a little better, but the noise comes back eventually, especially on start up when the engine is cold and when turning at very low speeds.. What else could it be? The belt seems to have the right tension.. but I see dust from it being worn and spreading on the alternator..

Correct. I honestly don't know what the color it should be. Although it looks a lot like the one the old ej255 had on, but a bit discolored through use. This new O2 sensor seems to have been working fine ever since I completed the swap and the work I did never brought up a check engine light till now. I'm not sure if an ej20x uses a different O2 sensor though.. Both the ej20X and the ej255 are very similar engines, except the jdm one is 2.0L and dual AVCS. But all sensors above it and even the injectors should be exactly the same. I bought the usdm OEM O2 sensor because all the components I used, except for the (long block, turbo and exhaust manifold), remained usdm: ECU, I/M, injectors, not sure if you remember I even swapped the Intake Cam Sprockets over to make it as close as possible to it being an ej255. More like a hybris ej255 I know lol yeah this was quite the experiment.. Hey, but it's been working fine so far and hasn't blown up.. yet.. fingers crossed. So, I'm not sure if the fact this usdm O2 sensor is now located further back on the DP, the ECU is getting confused an/or getting late readings from the gases getting to it a bit later. This may all go away once it's "properly" tuned, we really got to get around to doing that.

Not sure.. O2 sensor is OEM and brand new when I installed the motor.

I know that timing at 1,650 rpm is looking like..

Car started showing this code yesterday.. not sure if it has to do with the O2 sensor now being located behind the Turbo.. Included is also a new LV table, not tuned yet.. engine sound/behaves good otherwise and has been kept below 2K rpms all this time. Should I worry about the P0133 code? A quick Google search returned this:

No problem man. You helped me out a lot back when I was putting together the other motor. Like I said, I really wish I had the time for a new project, but I honestly can't get into it now. That VF52 CHRA shaft had no play at all when I removed it, if you remember all I replaced was the hot housing for it. All you'd need for it is a hardware kit and balance it. Send me a PM with your address.

For those that don't know, the motor was replaced after a spun bearing (it basically seized), I stopped driving it immediately. I have not taken apart the long block. However, when I removed the oil, there weren't barely any gold flakes in it. I'm almost sure there's still life in this motor if you can spend time to fix it, it might just need crank bearings replaced. I'd hate to throw it away and rather give it to one of you guys to be put to good use again.

Of course.. location added.

This is the ej255 motor that came off my 2005 Outback XT with 210K miles on it. Located in Miami, FL. I was saving this motor for a project, but I no longer have the time to do this and I need the space in my garage. I'm giving everything away for free, you just have to come pick everything up. Everything you see goes: Intake manifold, P/S pump, alternator, sensors, fuel lines, Intake & Exhaust Cam Sprockets.. VF52 turbo, etc.. all is free. Come before I throw it all away.

New/er components installed and the Outback is loving it. No more screeching/clocking noises when turning. oem legacy gt axle, new ball joint/pinch bolt and endlinks. Also fixed the P/S annoying noise issue by replacing the return line O-Ring. New Caliper/new brakes coming soon on the left side.

Yeah, I always try to avoid cars from up North (most of them are all rusted under). Anti seize helps, but that salt gets every where in the suspension components.. surprisingly this Outback is pretty good considering it's been up North most of its time.

If you guys have any info on the lower ball joint pinch bolt for our cars, I'd really appreciate it.. I can order it from Amazon, but they no longer deliver the next day. I need to get the car fixed by tomorrow morning. Edit: Disregard, I found 2 bolts at my local Subaru dealer 20 miles away..

Yes, I know the axle replacement does not require the ball joint to be removed. It was just going to be the axle, but the ball joint boot was busted too, didn't make sense to leave it that way.. but the bolt got destroyed in the process, we spent a good two hours working to remove it. For the axle, we had to purchase an impact hammer, it was the only way it came out.. The Outback spent most of its life in Connecticut. Other than the suspension, I'm surprised the rest of the undercarriage is in pretty good shape otherwise.

I was changing the left front axle for the Outback and the freaking lower ball joint pinch bolt was rusted/seized in.. After drilling it, much heat and two hours later, we got it out.. Really got to hand it to all of you working on the Northern states and rust belt.. phew. Now goes the ball joint.. Edit: Father in law got it out!

To be frank, we haven’t done it yet. He’s been keeping the car under boost all this time, driving like an old lady. Between me not being able to get the full list of monitoring parameters and him not having the funds yet to do it, it had to be postponed, but it’s definitely among the first couple of things to be done, I always remind him. I also need to replace both axles and repair the rear emergency brakes. Funny that as much as I enjoy driving the new Forester, I really miss the Outback and periodically find myself searching for another one..