Saltysubie

The o-ring material is actually pretty important, not just rubber. For this application, it should be HNBR, for compatibility and longevity with that oil/refrigerant combination. Whenever you have the system open up that long, with all the parts you are replacing, it is also a really good idea to replace the filter/drier unit too. I personally would not put it back together without replacing that too. The inside of a refrigerant system must be kept as clean as possible to ensure long life. On commercial systems, they use special copper piping (ACR) that comes to the construction site bagged and capped, filled with nitrogen. Then they join it by brazing with a nitrogen purge to keep the interior of the pipe really clean. The vacuum part is done after everything is put back together, just prior to charging. Like said before, it allows water to vaporize (by lowering is boiling point in a vacuum) to help get it out of the system. You are also removing air that is non-condensible (air would result in decreased efficiency). Moisture (and contaminants) inside refrigerant systems are your enemy. Everyone seems to have different opinions on how to pull the vacuum. On commercial jobs, it’s pretty common to pull it down to between 300 to 400 microns vacuum, and then stop the vacuum pump and make sure it holds for 15 minutes to an hour (will rise but shouldn’t be more than about 1000 microns). A lot of the vacuum pumps can now do between 50 to 75 microns. If you can pull it down to 50 microns, more power to you, you’re getting more water out. Hard to get though and usually takes a long time. Using something like Nylog (blue) can help (just need a drop at the connection, don’t use much). Hopefully the compressor seal is still good too. The HVAC gauge sets (dial type) can’t read microns. You need to have a separate micron gauge. Also, you want to use a vacuum pump meant for this application (HVAC), 2-stage should be good. If you’ve lost all your charge already, DIY is an option, but if you haven’t lost the charge, please use an AC specialist shop or at least have them recover the refrigerant and they can purge the oil for you too or at least let you know how much they recovered and how much more you need to put back (I’m more inclined to use fresh oil myself though). I think this is one case, in doing your own wrenching, where it is worth paying someone with the correct equipment to do it. Be careful with using compressed air unless you have a very good dryer and filter on your system. Compressed air can introduce a good amount of moisture (and potentially contaminants) into your system that is difficult to pull out. Make sure everything is dry as possible before reassembly. You can do it, but water in the system WILL reduce the service life. Just wanted to add a couple notes for someone who finds this thread in the future. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sent a PM for the Fluidamper. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is an excellent thread. Thanks especially to Hammer Down and Shralp. I have been thinking about this for a while but couldn't decide where to source a 6MT. I got in touch with ZF Designs and ordered one with the same specs. Thanks for the lead!

Yes, 11815AB790 is the PCV assembly (part 12 on that last diagram).

Or if you really want to get fancy.... http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/venair-ancillary-hose-kit-group-buy-3-options-3-colors-221557.html

Like Max says above, some cars do better than others. The PCV valve assembly is a maintenance item that should be replaced if it has not been by now at your mileage. I wouldn't bother with the metal or plastic crossover tubes unless they are actually damaged. Give a good squeeze to the rubber hoses listed (basically all of the 99 series part numbers). If they are rock hard, it doesn't hurt to replace them at your mileage. The other thing to note is that some people just use generic breather hose from an auto parts store to replace these. That is definitely a cheaper way to go. You'll find that the cost really adds up when buying these OEM pieces. I bought all OEM but didn't need to.

Hey there, The PCV system is a bit confusing when you first look at it. There is a PCV assembly that sits on top of short block, under the TMIC. This assembly contains the actual valve. There are also two crossover pipes as well that connect the rocker covers together as well as picking up a connection to the top of the short block. I made these diagrams to help me figure it all out. The opposed forces site is a great place to find the part numbers but you have to be a little careful because parts vary by model year and VIN. I made these diagrams strictly for my car - MY 2005. Hope these help. Cheers! Edit: Note that the same steel coolant/PCV crossover tube is shown in two of these pictures. Some of the hoses are shown on one diagram and the other hoses are shown on the other diagram, but it is the same steel crossover pipe assembly. Also, all of the hoses that connected to the rocker covers were hard as rocks when I replaced them at 118,000 miles. Two of them actually broke in half as I removed them. The ones on the passenger side were the worst. The little fat one that connects the steel crossover pipe to the top of the block was also pretty rock hard. I've ended up replacing every hose and most gaskets/O-rings on the engine. Many of the O-rings ended up deformed and pretty hard as well. I finally have a leak free engine.

I think that is correct that it is ACC. I ended up running a hot (and ground) back to the battery directly and put in an interposing relay to switch on the hot to the LC-2 using a wire that is powered from an "ignition" circuit. In looking at the FSM, it looked like fuses 5 and 12 on the driver's under dash fuse panel are energized from the "ignition" position of the key. There was a plug coming into the fuse box labeled "h". This plug is fed by one of those fuses (can't remember which one though). http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/22/5a5fead705f0f8da8d9b18400252da3d.jpg Here's a picture showing the white taped conductors going into a yellow termination. The wire I tapped into was green with a yellow stripe. The FSM said there wasn't supposed to be a wire in this pin. It looks like it may be the wire going back to the fuel pump controller. http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/22/738f88b4c7822d7df57816c7b3c183c2.jpg Anyways, I tapped this wire just to provide the signal for the relay to power on the LC-2. I mounted the interposing relay behind the driver side kick panel. In the end, I would like to confirm if the sensor is actually a heated one. The power wire to the LC-2 looks like it is only about 22awg. That seems pretty small for a wire that needs to provide electric heating to a sensor, so I'm guessing this is not a heated sensor? EDIT: The LC-2 can use a Bosch LSU-4.2 or LSU-4.9 O2 sensor, both of which are electrically heated sensors. The hot circuit only draws about 3 amps, so the small wire is okay. Looking back into the LC-2 instructions, it looks like it is only a 5 amp fused requirement and they say it is okay to power from either an accessory source or an ignition source - lighter power should be fine. Where I was confused was that the manual also includes this warning: "Do not pre-warm the sensor before starting the engine, simply start the engine as normal. Allowing the sensor to pre-warm before starting the engine will increase the possibility of damaging the sensor from shock-cooling." So, I was playing it conservative by switching it on from an ignition circuit. I guess that what they are really saying here is not to put the key in the IGN position and let it sit there before placing it in the START position. I'm going to shut up now because I'm kind of getting off topic....

I'm currently installing an LC-2 right now and looking for a good place to tap for electrical power. It's important to find a source that only powers in the ON position of the ignition switch. The O2 sensor can apparently overheat if no exhaust gases are flowing over it? I'm also putting my O2 in the bell mouth (Invidia down pipe). I'm welding in a 1" stainless bung from UEGO that is supposedly a "heat sink" to keep the sensor temperature down. It has fins on it. Probably overkill for that location but I do like the idea of using a 1" in lieu of 1/2" bung. The copper heat shield sounds good too. Also, the second O2 sensor location should only be used if there is no cat in your exhaust before that point.

There was an article written by Jeff Perrin doing just this. He was testing EFR turbos and realized later that some of his data was corrupted because the TGV's had slowly been closing on him...

When I thought I wanted an AOS, Boxkita's experience scared me away from Grimmspeed - he can tell you more. I bought a Crawford, version 2 and there really isn't much to them internally (I saw a cutaway of one somewhere). With any AOS, it seems that there is a potential issue of condensing water in them that then mixes with the oil to form a milky oil sludge. That's why the Crawford Version 2 added an internal line that heats up the AOS with radiator fluid. It's just one pipe crossing through the AOS body though, so probably not much heat transfer and I don't know if it is effective (maybe?). The other thing that worried me about the Crawford was that the collected oil ends up draining through a small hole internally. I have read some people that really like them but there is a little more concern in cold climates. I think that I would probably look into the Perrin. The bottom of that unit can be removed to clean out the inside if you need to. You may also want to talk to msprank. I seem to recall he has some strong opinions about AOS's. Still enjoying reading this thread!

This sounds great! I'm in for the GB too and it sounds like it will be a bit less than what I was budgeting for. It was nice to see the pic of it installed. I ordered a turbo blanket right after I saw it... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is one of my favorite threads... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

LOL, that looks like a front mount core - MASSive Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yup, I'm jumping in behind that dam myself. Can't wait for the Grimmspeed group buy! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Interesting thread regarding the hood scoop size and laminar flow boundary layer, especially from post #106 onward: http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/hood-scoop-performance-28971p8.html?highlight=hood+flow+string Wish someone had done this at higher speeds to see if the theory holds true. There is also a cool video in post #120

I also agree that the design needs a new splitter design to take advantage of the larger core. The Perrin TMIC and OEM TMIC have almost the same face area in order to use the stock hood scoop splitter. Mostly, the Perrin (and other similar TMIC's) are deeper, have larger charge-side air passages, and have larger side plenums. I was looking at the stock splitter and noticed that there is a little area directly over the turbo that I assume is for direct cooling of the turbo from the hood scoop. Since the Grimmspeed core will be stretched to lay, at least partially, above the turbo, I wonder if the new splitter design will have to do away with this cooling or if it will still be able to direct some air down into the turbo area?

Thanks again for sourcing these. The quality is very nice. Heck, even the zip ties you provided are nice!

Here are pictures of the Grimmspeed EBCS installed on the MAP sensor nut as shown on the Gremmspeed website installation video. You can see how easy it is to get to all of the fittings, but you'll notice that the intake tube connection port (the one on the right) ends up laying on top of the alternator when using the "straight-90-straight" configuration (note that the power steering pump is removed in these pictures for clarity but does not interfere with these installation locations): If, instead, you use a 90 degree fitting at that location, you can see that it clears the alternator much better: This works very well. However, I prefer putting it where the stock Subaru boost controller was located. It looks more congested here, but it is actually very easy to get to everything once you dismount it from the bracket. Also, it does not interfere with access to the alternator electrical plug (the green one). Either way works good. I would still recommend using the 90 elbow fitting on the intake tube connection (back port) for this installation in order to make hose routing easier under the intake manifold:

Got the fittings and installed them last night for the Grimmspeed EBCS. What a difference! The tubing fit nice and secure. You can really feel how much better they are holding compared to the small fittings that come standard with this EBCS. Blue tee comparison and installed. I'm confident in this connection now. The new tee is made of quality materials and comes with the correct size ports on the tee branches - very nice and recommend everyone do this upgrade. Here's a comparison of the new fittings: Here's a comparison of the old fitting and new fitting installed: You can order different fittings from Turkeylord to make the hose routing cleaner. A 90 elbow on the intake port connection makes it easier to route around the other engine components. The fittings are tapered, so they get hard to turn at some point. I noticed that the original Grimmspeed ports were sealed with something that looked like white pipe dope.

I never really thought about whether leaving the climate control in "fresh air" mode would help to minimize fogging when parked - maybe a little? You should not have too much fogging on the inside when you come back. If it is fogging up badly inside, then the root cause of the problem is that there is excess moisture in the interior of the car. That has to come from somewhere - a small leak, wet carpet, etc. The other common source is from using the A/C to defrost (ironically). With use, the evaporator gets dirty. With some cars, the fresh air inlet will suck debris from the outdoors into the entrance of the evaporator coil too. I haven't looked at the routing for our cars though. This can cause moisture to be retained in the evaporator core and I have seen it get bad enough that it clogs the drain tube. Have you ever used the A/C for defrosting, parked the car, and then witnessed fogging soon afterwards, starting at the base of the windshield, just above the windshield defrost air outlets? This is an indication that your evaporator core is not draining properly and driving moisture back into your car's interior when parked. I actually like to minimize using the A/C to defrost for this reason. After the windows are defrosted, I turn off the A/C and try to use just outside air and heat to maintain, turning on A/C again only if needed. This method might help your situation if you are using A/C to defrost. I was never a fan of automotive A/C. The evaporators are typically buried deep in the dash and hard to get to. They really do need a good cleaning out sometimes, even if its just once in a blue moon.

It is usually better to use outside (fresh) air when trying to get rid of moisture inside the car (like when the windows fog up), at least when it is cold outside. Think about it this way - There is a water inside the car in the form of vapor (there is always some moisture in the air) and in the form of liquid (the tiny droplets of water that have condensed on the cold windows, making them fog up). To get rid of the water inside the car, it works best to blow warm, dry air through the car. The dry air will absorb that moisture, helping to de-fog those windows. Air looses its ability to carry water vapor the colder it gets. So, when the outside air temperature is really cold, it doesn't have too much water in it (it's absolute humidity is low, even if it's "relative humidity" is reported as being high). When that cold, dry air is brought into the car and is warmed up by the heater, it then becomes air that is still dry (same absolute humidity) but now has a larger capacity to carry moisture because it is now warmer. So, as the heated, dry air passes by the fogged windows, it absorbs that moisture more readily and de-fogs faster. Using the air conditioning unit while heating (in order to de-fog) is the same concept. The air conditioning works by a drying out the air too. It works by pulling moisture out of the air directly via "phase change" (changing the vapor in the air into a liquid that condenses onto the air conditioning core - "evaporator"). Air at a certain temperature and humidity level will have an defined dew point temperature. If that air comes into contact with an object that is at that dew temperature, or colder, the water vapor in the air will condense onto that object. In this case, the air conditioning evaporator coil. The downside of that is the liquid that condenses has to be collected and routed out of the vehicle. All car evaporators have a drain tray built into/under them and a tube that routes the condensate out the car, usually through the firewall. So, if the air conditioning evaporator comes before the heater core, the air is first dried out, and then heated up, giving you warm, dry air that has a greater capacity to absorb water and allows you to "de-fog" faster. So, is it better to use both fresh air and A/C at the same time? Sometimes, sometimes not. If it is really cold outside and you are bringing in 100% outside air, then the air conditioning evaporator surface temperature is likely above the dewpoint of the entering air and will not dry out that air any further. It won't provide any additional benefit by running it.

Yup. The Grimmspeed website has several videos for installation instructions. One of them shows them mounting it in the position you have shown (for the Legacy GT). Their pdf installation instructions shows the EBCS mounted in the stock boost controller location. There are pros/cons for each location, but as you noted earlier, the "right-side" port kind of interferes with the alternator when mounted on the same bolt as the MAP sensor. The downside of the stock location is that the EBCS must be dismounted to get at that back port under the intake manifold. I was surprised to see the brass barbed fitting on the BNR turbo I received. At first, I thought it was a mistake. Seems like it will work though.

Here's the issue that Turkeylord's fittings will address when connecting the Grimmspeed EBCS (with small "vac" hose fittings) to the new BNR turbo housing (with larger fittings). You could alternatively use reducer fittings on the hose, but that makes for two additional connection points for each hose. I'd rather only use as few connections as are necessary for the job in order to reduce the potential for additional leaks and to also get a cleaner installation.

Sure, that'd be great. I haven't broken out the Nikon in a while. PM'd.