Enlight

I thought I posted something a few days ago but I guess not - turns out starting a new business keeps one busy! In any case, I'm super looking forward to seeing everyone again (and bringing @KZJonny his orders!).

Ended up ordering one from the Subaru for $343.78 all-in with local pick-up.

I installed Subaru's OEM hitch yesterday, wiring and all.

I've been deliberating whether to drive Bessie from NY to Houston to pickup muFreight's first delivery. However, my cruise control is missing again after my "fix" last time. It seemed to me that the plastic nub on the neutral position sensor was getting worn down so I drilled it and epoxied a small screw in there. It worked for a bit.

I was hoping to make some content with Bessie on the trip, but I'm probably just going to take the Suburban. It'll also save me the trouble of renting a Uhaul trailer.

P.S: Peep the terrible wrap job.

1 hour ago, alex0856 said:

Haven't posted in a bit as I've been moving and the car was temporarily turned in to a uhaul. I finished getting the sound deadening and insulation installed up front and got the carpet reinstalled. Shockingly it fit perfectly even though there's 1/2" of new foam underneath it. It also looks brand new since I pressure washed and air dried it for a week.

Very nice. I'm installing a hitch on mine in the near future. How did she handle with a full load?

Also, before and after impressions of the sound deadening?

Lastly, you Uber with your Legacy?

2 hours ago, boxkita said:

can you ship a car?

Yes, I can, lol. It would require me to find a facility to unload the car, stateside, but yes I can. It will be my first but I'll be committed to seeing it through. There are a bunch of car importers on the west coast, too, but it's a notoriously shady industry. Here's a Facebook group called I Got Screwed by Shady JDM Importers that has 38,000+ members.

As far as T Swift, my business does not condone that sort of importation 

22 minutes ago, JJBerk said:

Wait, can you ship me a countertop slab or two????

I might be, send me more info and I can discuss with my partners in Japan.

Hey folks, just want to put out that I probably have just 1 more container coming in before ECM '24 in case anyone wants to import parts from Japan. The first shipment is behind me now and I'm going to be driving down to Texas (in the Suburban) next Tuesday to pick it up. Big thanks to our dear moderator @Infosecdad for being an early customer, I'll be dropping off a bunch of parts to his house on my way back.

There's a small chance that the container I found might run out of space, buy I think you will be able to hop on if you place your orders by the end of February. I'm migrating my website right now so it's down, but there's a bunch of how-to info on my pinned posts on Instagram.

I will crosspost this in the muFreight thread if the mods are alright with it.

Wow, it's even available with 1-day shipping . That's pretty tempting, but I'm probably going to do with the this JDM one I found that comes with brake wiring: https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/o1119461607

First shipment of parts just came in from Japan and it's got me thinking about future transport capacity. This small one may max out the wagon.

Ideally 2 inch with brake wiring, but I'm not sure what's the best option available out there. I'm more than willing to pay for shipping as I'm prepared to purchase from Japan if need be.

Seeking a trailer hitch for the 05-09 wagon if anyone's got one lying around!

5 hours ago, KZJonny said:

I would also at least consider getting the Custom level treatment for the turbo. With all the other 'restoration mods' you're going through if you did that, you are just a downpipe and a tune away from unlocking a smidge more power, and the ridiculous spool that is the lightened components in the JMP CVF40. I wish we'd have gone for a ride in my car at the last ECM. Maybe @Enlight can attest to it.

I attest . The response on that thing is pretty instantaneous and peppy. @jaylew I think you would get a kick out of seeing your car respond in that way. But question, did I miss any events that prompted you refreshing your heads? Do any compression and/or leakdown tests? If those look good...

If you decide against the AOS, I have a bunch of leftover Autobahn88 silicon hoses (black) for the PCV system that I did not use, I will happily donate them to your build . I didn't need them because of my own AOS install.

Maybe GDT Cylinder 4 mod for longevity as well?

15 hours ago, xt2005bonbon said:

Does it misfire consistently in a same cylinder?

Nope, it's all cylinders. Also, I'm running an aftermarket crank position sensor. I bought it in a hurry when I was getting her buttoned up for the tuner. I spoke with a Subaru master tech on the trip and he confirmed that sensor could produce the misfires. I won't get to drive her for a few weeks but will report back when I do.

You may have more luck in this Facebook group: Subaru Engine Builders Alliance

On the 48 Hours trip (with @JJBerk) I noticed my thermostat never made it above 175f/80c. I removed the thermostat housing today and discovered I installed a 78c low-temp thermostat. This can happen when you buy everything off Facebook marketplace. I installed the OEM thermostat and saw temps go up to 205f/96c.

Funny, considering all the lengths I go to pre-heat the engine.

In 32f/0c the pre-heater is able to get the coolant up to 154f/68c in about 30 minutes before it begins to stall. I really appreciate being able to pre-heat anywhere and in a fraction of the time. It was very useful on the road trip not having to find plugs each night. I will have to learn to live without the sound of cold starts.

With more time, I'd like to figure out how to safely angle the pre-heater's exhaust to warm the oil pan. That being said, I've retained the stock oil heat exchanger and it reads 104f/40c when I start her up. You can see it dip down a little bit as it pulls cold oil into the engine.

I was also able to fix my oil temp sensor by cleaning up the connectors, glad that I didn't burn any wires.

P.S. Oh, also my rough idle may have been my crank position sensor. I pulled it out and found a bunch of gunk on it. The idle was much smoother after. We'll see whether misfire codes come back.

Evaporust certainly has a learning curve. Just be aware that it's basically an acid and can also take things off that are not rust (like anodized coatings). Also, if you only partially submerge an item in Evaporust, it will etch a line at the high water mark. I believe this is from the condensation that forms on the item, rusting it, then gets eaten by Evaporust

3 hours ago, alex0856 said:

Oh! And I also finally reattached the front badge.

I think it's the wrong way around, unless you're testing us... then it's fine

19 hours ago, alex0856 said:

Well I went to start prepping for my Second Skin install and found a cool puddle behind the left rear wheel well. I'm guessing it's from the rubber on the vents not sealing anymore. There's a tiny bit of moisture on the right as well.

Has anyone dealt with this before? How did you fix it? The stupid vents are $70/each and I'm thinking I'll be stuck buying new ones. Oh well.

It's funny, I was thinking the other day about how I've never had to remove my rear bumper cover. Looks like that's going to change.

I actually just sealed mine with foil backed butyl. When taking off my rear bumper I found the flaps were stuck open and letting exhaust into the cabin. I believe their purpose is to prevent wind buffeting but I just open my rear windows a crack.

Maiden voyage of the coolant pre-heater! I still haven't been able to get the remote working but I'm glad it's working in time for 48 Hours of Tri-state. We should begin seeing overnight lows in the high teens during the trip. More details in Bessie's thread.

Maiden voyage of the coolant pre-heater!

Why We Need 3 Piston Rings

Happy New Year all, looking forward to ECM 2024!

The other part that I was worried about has been completed, which is how to tap into the fuel tank. I've found the best way to tap into the gas tank was through the transfer pump housing. This saved me from drilling into the tank itself. The transfer pump also has less hardware to work around (as opposed to the fuel pump housing). Next step will be to connect the fueling, coolant hoses, and wiring.

Would love to compare UOA's, I'm posting mine up in my build thread as well. I'm currently still on Motul 10w40 Break-in Oil but will be switching to 8100 X-cess 5w-40 at the next change. I'm on an IAG Stage 2 Tuff block.

Another break-in UOA, this one with 450 miles. I have about 250 more miles on break-in oil before I switch to synthetic.