RumblyXT

Very nice car, lots of tech and features for a Premium trim. Could definitely use a bit more power, but overall it’s great! Feels awesome to drive and smell a new car again lol it’s actually my first ever new Subie and I’m really liking it so far.

Not really sure why Subaru doesn’t incorporate the OBXT motor in it, this thing would sell like hot cakes imo. Imagine if it was a manual too!

The Outback now has a new friend.

New MY23 Forester Premium with black interior.

Yeah, I thought I had originally purchased the correct axle p/n.

It’s confusing though since there have been several supersessions (A, B & C) and when clicking on the new part # 28321AGOOD, Subaru parts states it doesn’t fit neither the LGT not the OBXT.. weird..

I will try installing it again on the Left side. Thanks! 

Do  you guys know if ‘05 LGT front axles fit an ‘05 OBXT??

I was replacing the front axles today, and I’m not sure if I bought the wrong replacement axles. I had purchased OEM ‘05 LGTs but was concerned when I installed the Right front one, the axle nut would not thread onto the axle.. not realizing later on after re-installing the aftermarket one, I had to pull it a bit towards me for the axle nut to thread on it.

Side by side they seemed like the same length as the ones previously installed on my car (aftermarket).. 

Can you guys confirm? I’d much rather have OEM axles than these aftermarkets I have now..

Not sure if I bought the wrong axles..

O2 sensor is now after the turbo (jdm version), not on the up pipe (domestic motors).

Not sure if this might be throwing things off a bit. Tuner mentioned something about this that it may present an issue having the O2 sensor post turbo.

This car had a stage 2 mods and more than likely a tune for all the aftermarket parts it came with: Invidia DP, AEM CAI, Grimspeed boost controller..

The tune it has now is the same one it had back when the ej255 was installed on the car.

Yeah man, this what xt2005bonbon was saying before..

I don’t know if the fact I retarded timing by ~7 degrees on each exhaust Cam Sprocket, and this engine being kind of a hybrid, might be influencing on how timing is looking..

Not sure if you remember this motor was dual AVCS and I swapped the ex. Cam sprockets for the ej255 ones.

Weird, the engine feels perfect. But again, it may be very minute timing corrections, I may not feel anything while driving. 

I injected smoke through the BPV and didn’t notice any of it leaking anywhere else.. I did however encountered much more resistance when pumping, so I went in much slower so as not to damage anything by the pressure.

Anyways.. here’s a most recent LV table.

Good area to check leak on a whole bunch of components: I/C, bypass hose, whole I/M, TGV gaskets.. whereas before I was just checking the Turbo inlet hose.

Wait I/M too? Wouldn't the Throttle need to be opened? I think the blade stays open a bit, just enough to get smoke through it. We'll see..

Glad you liked that rig subisubisu, real cheap, yet very effective vacuum leak tester. I picked that idea off YouTube.

Just to be clear.. BVP as in Bypass Valve correct? I'm guessing you mean connecting the smoke tester here.. I'll check there tomorrow as well.

7 hours ago, xt2005bonbon said:

Pull another LV and post. Wondering if your long term fuel trims are still off.

I rechecked for vacuum leaks again earlier today, it seemed fine, didn’t see smoke anywhere around the turbo inlet or anywhere else for the matter. Yeah other than the one coming off the cigar lol Next time I'll use a longer red hose so the smoke is not right on top of the area being checked.

Definitely taking it carefully.. we’ve been driving the car like driving Ms. Daisy, everyone knows not to push it above 2K rpm.

Wife’s laptop needs a new battery too. I need to order that as well. Not complaining but it’s always something. Last thing I want is to be flashing the ECU and that thing turns off.

24 minutes ago, xt2005bonbon said:

So, what is the latest update regarding tuning?

Same, haven’t gotten around it yet. I have to double check to make sure there’s still not a vacuum leak.

On another note:

I’m very happy with how this newer motor has turned out.. all that research and hard work deleting the ex. AVCS really paid off. The engine is averaging a much better gas mileage from the poor 13.4-13.5mpg it used to get. 
And 1,268 miles later, there are no leaks, cel lights or weird engine noises whatsoever, runs like a top. Father in law drives it mostly, he says it’s very responsive. His driving habit is probably the reason why it’s getting this better mileage too haha.

Oh what the heck.. I ended up ordering a new Evaporator, a Denso Exp. Valve and an O-Rings kit, just in case..

At 212K miles, I figured it was due for all these, might as well leave everything in top shape. The only component missing now would be the heater core, but that’s a whole other story..

60 degrees in Miami this morning! Wohoo lol

Dang, this is really tempting.. for just $85 more I get a new evaporator and expansion valve..  and it even comes with new O-Rings..

Already added to favorites.

Wow, a whole kit of a/c O-rings for just $7.45. Not bad at all. Next time.

I'm wondering where I could get the black rubber insulator that goes around the Expansion Valve, that thing is probably dry by now.

Edit: I can probably find a piece locally at an a/c hardware store. Looks like it's called Fire Retardant Ruber Insulation Tape.

Oh wow.. now that's a lot better! Sorry blackobxt, I didn't know it was this cheap and it was still a Denso. Dang, Subaru is marking up the heck out of that EV then. I'm guessing it doesn't come with the black insulator sticky rubber, right?

Wow, Rockauto prices are really awesome. I could have saved some money on some of those components/lubricants. Next time.

A new OEM Expansion Valve is at least $160, I'm definitely not getting a Chinese knock off unit for this. From what I've learned, the EV is not acting up at all, not getting stuck open or closed, seems to function just fine. In fact, I still get cold a/c in the car when I turn it on. The only reason why I'm going to this extent of cleaning all the lines in the system, etc. is because the compressor seems to be faulty, could just be the pulley bearing that is bad and it's making a lot of cyclical squealing noise with the accessory belt. But at 212K miles, it may be time to replace it and since I have an almost new compressor that came with the 20x motor, I'm changing it for that one.

As I said, I may not go to the extent of pulling the Evaporator, unless when I remove the Expansion Valve, I notice the oil is dirty and dark. I was just thinking that pulling the evaporator, may allow me to clean/flush it much better and was glad I did not have to remove the whole dash. We'll see.

I may have forgotten to order the two O-Rings between the EV and Evaporator lines.

16 hours ago, outbacksoutback said:

I have similar issues with my 05 OBXT running badly when I use the AC. I am tuned on an access port and was seeing DAM drops down to .12 when using AC. Stop using AC for a year and my DAM stays at 1. My theory is somehow the car was detecting a false knock from the AC system operating. I have not figured it out yet though. I do have a lightweight crank pulley/smfw on the car. 

Good luck with your project, hope you can fix it. If you’re going to do this yourself, I REALLY recommend at least briefly learning on the many components of the a/c system first and the many possible symptoms they each can present. I don’t claim to be an expert by any means, but in the a/c system, it’s quite a few things that work in relation to each other. It’s a universe of its own. Thankfully, there are plenty of really good videos on YouTube about it.

One more reason why I’m trying to keep my car stock as much as I can so as not to affect any other components.

Hmm.. this might be good. Reading the FSM section for the evaporator, notice it doesn’t mention anywhere the ‘Instrument Panel’ needs to be removed! And that’s awesome.. while it will still be time consuming to get to the evaporator, since the blower motor has to be come out first to get to it, and a couple of actuators, it won’t be the hassle of having to remove the whole dash. It appears the evaporator comes out sideways towards the passenger door.

I’m not sure yet if I may go as far as removing the evaporator (depending of how the EV looks), but it looks like it’s not as difficult as I thought.

6 hours ago, blackobxt said:

I’m liking what I’m seeing here, but you’re going to need one more can of 134a. Are those oem o-rings and schrader valves? If so what did that run you? I’ve always just used the o-ring kits.

Yes, I will need another can of R134a. The O-Rings & Schrader valves were around $35 altogether, I had to pay another $15 in shipping though; a bit much for such little parts. But Subaru Parts Deal OEM parts are greatly discounted so..

I’m not replacing the Expansion Valve. From the research I’ve done, nothing seems to be wrong with it. Just hoping I don’t see any dirty oil residue (a/c technicians call it black death) when I remove it.

Finally got a set of much needed ramps, should make oil changes a breeze.

I’d really like to overhaul this bad boy and swap it into an older SF. I miss that car. Although the wiring nightmare alone would probably discourage me..

Honestly, my favorite gen Forester.

Something very cool coming soon.. I’m glad I have the habit of capping ports. The compressor has been capped all this time.